Cigarette package

Aug. 1, 1967

3,333,683

E. W. SCHARRE

CIGARETTE PACKAGE

Filed Feb. 17, 1966

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3333683A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US3333683A_D0002.tif" />

Aug. 1, 1967

E. W. SCHARRE

3,333,683

CIGARETTE PACKAGE

Filed Feb. 17, 1966

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3333683A_D0003.tif" />

INVENTOR.

EDWARD W. SCHARRE

<img file="US3333683A_D0004.tif" />

ATTORNEYS

United States Patent Office 3,333,683 ____________________________ Patented Aug. 1, 1967

3,333,683 CIGARETTE PACKAGE

Edward W. Scharre, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Ana, conda Aluminum Company, a corporation of Montana

Filed Feb. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 528,241

Claims. (Cl. 206—41.2)

This invention relates to a cigarette package and more particularly it relates to a cigarette package comprised of a sheet of coated foil and paper laminate which is constructed to prevent moisture escape from the package but is permeable to gas under pressure within the package.

Cigarette packages presently in use consist of an inner wrap, often a foil and paper laminate, and an outer cellophane wrap which is used to seal the package to preserve the freshness of the cigarettes. Notwithstanding the double wrapping construction of these cigarette packages, they still have a relatively short shelf life and efforts have long been made to develop a cigarette package having a single overwrap adaptable to modem wrapping machinery which will give greater shelf life.

It is an object of the package of the invention to provide a cigarette package which can consist of a single overwrap of coated foil and paper laminate folded and sealed with a structural arrangement that prevents moisture escape through seams and the body of the package but permits passage of gas under pressure within the package. A package which loses moisture tbo rapidly accelerates the spoilage of the tobacco but one that is too well sealed will retain the gas emitted during continued aging of the tobacco causing the tobacco to foul. The package of the invention balances these requirements in a novel construction which gives four to ten times the shelf life of the present cigarette packages.

Broadly stated, the cigarette package comprises a plurality of cigarettes grouped side by side with a unitary sheet of foil and paper laminated, coated on its foil side with a heat sensitive coating, convolutely wound about the cigarettes to form a tubular member with the paper lining the inside of the tubular member and end portions of the tubular member folded about the ends of the cigarettes to form a closed wrapper. A longitudinal seam is defined by one margin side edge portion of the sheet overlapping and heat sealed to the opopsite marginal side edge portion and characterized by the overlapping marginal side edge portion being folded back against itself with the foil on the outside of the fold so that the longitudinal seam is defined by adhesively joined foil-to-foil faces of the marginal side edge portions. The folded end portions of the tubular member are folded with each over- ⁵⁰lapping portion having foil on the outside of the fold todefine adhesively joined foil-to-foil faces and characterized by the marginal end edge of the outermost folded portion being folded back against itself with foil on the outside of the fold; moisture penetration through the package is prevented by the coating and the longitudinal seam and closed end construction, but gas under pressure in the package can permeate through the package.

Although this package can be used alone as the complete cigarette container, it will usually be covered by a decorative overwrap on which the brand name will be printed; this overwrap can be a rigid cardboard or plastic box of the type presently popular.

In addition to. the novelty of the construction of the package itself, limited sizes of the aluminum foil and paper laminate and the coating have been determined which cooperate with the novel construction and have been found to give added shelf life to the cigarettes without substantial modification to existing cagarette packaging equipment.

A preferred embodiment is described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet of foil and paper laminated showing as dotted the intended fold lines;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of the package showing one end portion partially closed;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along lines 3—3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the closed package showing the assembly of an overwrapper;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section taken along lines 5—5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken along lines 6—6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective of the package inserted in a rigid outer box.

As shown in FIG. 1 the unitary sheet of aluminum foil 15 and paper laminate 10 has been cut to length usually after stripping from a feed roll. As shown in FIG. 3 the laminate consists of a paper ply 11 in a range of 20 pounds per ream to 30 pounds per ream bond paper of a thickness of approximately .0025 inch to .0037 inch thickness.

The foil ply 12 laminated to the paper ply 11 has a range of 10 pounds per ream to 14 pounds per ream and a thickness of approximately .00025 inch to .00035 inch. The foil is laminated to the paper in the usual way, usually with a casein latex base adhesive. The foil ply 12 is coated on its exterior surface with a heat sealable coating 13 which falls within a range of 1 pound per ream to 3 pounds per ream and a thickness of approximately .001 inch to .0003 inch. Of the heat sealable coatings which are available, those generally available to the art are a vinyl 40 chloride vinyl acetate copolymer plus wax (paraffin, carnauba etc.); for ease of application the vinyl resinous composition may be mixed with an acetone-toluene methyl ethyl ketone mixed solvent. The following two specific compositions have been used in the range listed 4» below with particular success:

‘(1) A vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride dibasic acid resin containing a certain amount of refined microcrystalline wax and a chemical plasticizer dissolved in suitable solvents

4% by weight, vinyl chloride-acetate resin

18% (86% vinyl chloride, 13% vinyl acetate copolymer with 1% maleic anhydride)

1% petroleum based wax-microcrystalline type 45 3% di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate

37% toluene

37% methyl ethyl ketone (2) A vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride-dibasic acid resin with a microcrystalline wax dissolved in suitable solvents 24% by weight (86% vinyl chloride, 13% vinyl acetate copolymer with 1% maleic acid anhydride)

1% petroleum based wax-microcrystalline type

10% toluene

10% methyl ethyl ketone

55% acetone

The range of thickness of aluminum foil and paper 60 laminate coated with the heat sealable coating were de termined empirically to satisfy the numerous criteria which must be satisfied to make a satisfactory package As discussed generally above, if tobacco stands too long in a pouch too well sealed, the pressure in the pouch will 65 increase because of the gas liberated by the tobacco during continued aging. Under these conditions there is generated an off odor or winey smell from the tobacco. With the construction of the package of the invention tested in the ranges of laminate and coating given above If there was no pressurizing of the packs and no noticeable off odor after prolonged standing in the packages. Taste testing revealed a far superior taste to comparably aged

3,333,683 cigarettes. This can be done by the insertion of tapes, by perforating score lines in the wrapper or any other modifications which have been devised over the years. Any of these easy opening means which are consistent with toe properties of this package can be incorporated into the construction. One example is shown in the drawings. It consists of a strip 31 which can be a string or braided material which has been impregnated with wax. By impregnating this strip 31 with wax, the end portion 32 which extends laterally out from the seam 2β adjacent toe top of the package will not provide a means of moisture escape from within toe package. As shown in FIG. 1 the strip preferably extends from the seam 20 about one third of toe circumference of the sheet thereby permitting one end edge portion of the package to be ripped open by simply grasping the end of the strip 32 and tearing toe end portion of the package open.

As shown in FIG. 4, if desired the package of the invention can be inserted into an overwrap 34 and a revenue stamp or other sealing member 35 can be sealed to opposite sides of toe overwrap 34 and overlap the top end of the package to hold the overwrap in place. Because of the construction of the package of the invention, the overwrap is really unnecessary and would be desirable only to provide an attractive overwrap on which the brand name of cigarettes could be attractively presented.

It is also contemplated to place the package in a rigid cardboard box 36 as shown in FIG. 7. Rigid boxes have gained acceptance and the cigarette package of the invention could easily be adapted to this type rigid outer container. Of course, it could also easily be placed m the rigid plastic boxes presently on the market.

By the construction of the package of the invention, moisture penetration is substantially prevented through fore the package has been found to retain, moisture for four to ten times longer than, the present cigarette package on the market. In addition, by the foil and paper laminate sheet composition which satisfy the requirement ⁴⁰ that it is permeable to gas released by toe tobacco on aging there is no fouling of the cigarettes during prolonged shelf life as would be the case if the package were truly hermetically sealed.