EP2567907A1 - Tobacco pouch - Google Patents

Abstract

The tobacco pouch has front wall (1) that extends beyond a folding flap (6). A discharge opening is formed at specific distance from top edge (5). A reclosure device (11) having fastener strips is located in the region of removal opening within pocket (4). The top front portion of height between 2-15 mm is located between upper end of connection lug and upper edge. The fastener strips of transverse sealing seam are extended towards connection section of connection lug. The fastener strips are integrated at the side edges and are fixed at front wall. The first fastener strip is connected to a connection lug provided on discharge opening and the top edge is secured by a transverse sealing seam. An independent claim is included for a method of manufacturing tobacco pouch.

Description

The invention relates to a tobacco bag having a front wall and a rear wall, which are formed from a bag film and connected at the side edges by longitudinal sealing seams to a receiving pocket, wherein the rear wall extends beyond an upper edge of the receiving pocket, on which also terminates the front wall, and a flap which can be folded over onto the front wall, wherein a removal opening is provided at a distance from the upper edge, wherein a reclosing device with a first and a second closure strip is arranged in the region of the removal opening within the receiving pocket, and wherein the closure strips reversibly connectable to one another are not in the seams are integrated at the side edges.

The reclosing device may in particular be a so-called zipper closure, which has releasably latchable profiles with one another. In addition, knob-like, self-locking closure strips are known. Finally, a lock can be achieved via closure strip, which are provided with Velcro hooks. The invention relates to a configuration in which a removal opening is provided on the front wall. Before a first-time use, the removal opening can already be formed by a punched out or an incision. However, the invention also includes embodiments in which the removal opening is prepared before the first use only by a weakening line or the like and still needs to be torn open by a user. Even such a merely prepared removal opening is generally referred to as a removal opening in the context of the invention.

In addition to ready-to-smoke cigarettes, in practice tobacco for rolling cigarettes or for stuffing pipes is offered loosely in tobacco bags, these tobacco bags being easy to handle, regardless of the degree of filling. Tobacco pouches as disposable packaging usually have a filling weight of between 10 g and 100 g, in particular between 30 g and 50 g. According to the usual construction, such tobacco pouches have a front wall and a rear wall, wherein the front wall and the rear wall form a pocket by lateral connecting seams and wherein the rear wall extends beyond the front wall. After removing a single portion of tobacco, the bag can be rolled up, wherein the tab formed by the protruding part of the rear wall is folded over the front wall.

To improve the closure of the tobacco pouch are from the AT 366,340 as well as the EP 1 017 593 B1 Embodiments are known in which a reclosure is arranged between the front wall and the rear wall below an upper edge of the receiving pocket. Both the filling and the removal of the tobacco takes place through the opening formed at the upper edge of the receiving pocket, wherein the filling can take place only after the reclosing device is arranged with a closure strip on the front wall and with the other closure strip on the rear wall. A machine filling is made more difficult. In addition, there is also the risk that in the production of tobacco residues remain between the closure strip, so that they are not completely closed. The tightness of the tobacco pouch which is in any case in need of improvement prior to a first opening can thereby be further reduced.

In order to avoid that the ends of the closure strips can separate from each other, is in accordance with the EP 1 017 593 B1 provided that this sealed directly with each other. Due to the comparatively large material thickness of the closure strips, however, this sealing is complicated, in particular if the closure strips are integrated into the longitudinal sealing seams on the side edges. In addition, the appearance of the tobacco pouch is significantly affected.

A tobacco bag with the features described above is from the EP 1 812 303 B1 known, wherein a removal opening is provided independently of a filling opening. After the bag has been filled, it is closed by a transverse sealing seam, wherein one of the closure strips of the reclosing device is fastened both to the front wall and to the rear wall. With the transverse sealing seam closing the bag, the upper sealing strip is also sealed between the front wall and the rear wall. Since the closure strips do not extend over the entire width, there are areas along this transverse sealing seam in which the front wall, the upper closure strip and the rear wall are superposed in three layers and the front wall lies directly on the rear wall laterally. Since the closure strip or a connection lug of the closure strip has a comparatively large material thickness, a step is created at the end of this closure strip. In order to close the bag safely despite this stage, a large heat and force entry in the sealing necessary. In particular, the visual appearance of the tobacco pouch is significantly affected.

Finally, simple, pillow-shaped bags are also known without a protruding tab, in which the reclosure is fastened on the inside to a surface of the front wall. With such from the EP 1 464 585 A1 known film packaging bag reclosure is always located at a considerable distance from a top seal. If at one such simple pillow-shaped foil packaging bag removal in the region of the head is desired, usually a simple internal zipper closure is used, which is attached to the front wall and the rear wall.

The invention has for its object to provide a tobacco bag, which is easy to close after filling or has a reliable tightness and a high-quality appearance after closing.

Starting from a tobacco bag having the features described above, the object is achieved in that both closure strips are attached only to the front wall, wherein the first closure strip is secured with a terminal lug so between the removal opening and the upper edge by a transverse seal that between a upper end of the terminal lug and the upper edge of a top front wall portion remains with a height of between 2 mm to 15 mm, wherein the first closure strip from the transverse sealing seam extends downwards and has a connection to the connecting lug connecting portion.

According to the invention, the uppermost front wall section is left above the upper end of the connecting lug in order to arrange there a transverse sealing seam which directly connects the front wall to the rear wall without the integration of the first closure strip. Along the entire transverse seam, the front wall and the rear wall are superimposed in two layers, so that no transitions are present and excessive deformations of material accumulation can be avoided. The generation of the transverse seal for connecting the front wall and the rear wall is thus possible in a simple manner, with a reliable closure before a first-time opening of the tobacco pouch is guaranteed. In particular, the transverse sealing seam connecting the front wall and the rear wall is hardly noticeable to a user and does not affect the appearance of the tobacco pouch.

The tobacco pouch according to claim 1 comprises both a not yet filled, open and a filled and sealed tobacco pouch.

The present invention is based on the finding that although the removal opening is arranged as far as possible above, the uppermost front wall section should nevertheless be kept free for a direct connection of the front wall to the rear wall. The height of the uppermost front wall section, that is to say the distance from the upper end of the connection lug to the upper edge of the receiving pocket, where the front wall also ends, is particularly preferably between 3 mm and 10 mm, for example approximately 4 mm, against this background. Said distance is sufficient to form a transverse sealing seam for closing the receiving pocket, which directly connects the front wall and the rear wall without the involvement of the upper closing strip. At the same time, however, the removal opening can still be arranged relatively high up on the front wall.

According to the invention, both closure strips of the reclosure are attached only to the front wall. According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the closure strips are connected to one another only via connection sections which can be detached from one another and are not directly sealed with one another. An additional sealing process or material deformations due to the fusion of the closure strip can thus be avoided.

According to the invention, the two closure strips of the reclosure are also not involved in the longitudinal sealing seams on the side edges, whereby material accumulations, excessive material deformation and possible leaks can also be avoided there. It is within the scope of the invention but advantageous if the closure strips are brought as close as possible to the longitudinal sealing seams to provide the largest possible removal opening and to limit the air exchange along the gap between the ends of the closure strip and the respective associated longitudinal sealing seams. Thus, it is preferred if the closure strips terminate at a distance of 1 mm to 5 mm in front of the longitudinal sealing seams.

In order to provide a removal opening on the front wall, an incision or a cut-out in the front wall can be provided directly during production. According to a preferred embodiment, only one weakening line is produced in the front wall, which is intended to form the removal opening. Such a weakening line in the form of a perforation, weakening of the material and / or embrittlement of the material ensures a better closure than an incision or a cutout before it is opened for the first time. Upon opening the tobacco pouch for the first time, the line of weakness is severed by a user.

In particular, it can be provided that the weakening line includes a front wall section which can be torn off to form the removal opening. Such a tearable front wall portion is preferably completely removed upon first opening of the tobacco pouch, thereby providing a large dispensing opening which is also easy to handle.

The second closure strip is usually fastened below the removal opening by at least one transverse sealing seam. In the context of the invention, the second closure strip can also have a connection lug and extend downwards from the attachment to the front wall with the connection lug, wherein a connection section then adjoins the connection lug. By shifting both connecting sections down a particularly easy handling can be made possible.

The front wall and the rear wall are preferably folded from a foil sheet, wherein the fold edge forms the lower edge of the receiving pocket.

The bag film is heat-sealable on one side, which also forms the inner surface of the receiving pocket. Heat-sealability is not required on the opposite outer side, wherein melting the outer layer in the production of the longitudinal sealing seams and the transverse sealing seams would lead to considerable optical impairments. As a bag film, therefore, a multilayer film having a heat sealable layer on the first surface and a non-heat sealable layer on the second surface is preferably used. At a minimum, the layer on the second surface forming the outer surface of the tobacco pouch should have a higher melting point so that melting during heat sealing can be avoided. For example, the heat-sealable layer may consist of a polyolefin, in particular PE or PP. The layer arranged on the opposite surface can be formed, for example, from a polyester, in particular polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or else a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BO-PP).

In particular, laminated films can be used with an internal imprint, the imprint then optimally against damage and abrasion is protected. As a result, a high-quality appearance is permanently ensured during use.

The foldable tab covers after folding the front wall at least partially. Whether the end of the tab on the front wall or in a complete covering of the front wall only folded down again comes to rest on the back wall depends on the length of the tab, the filling of the tobacco pouch and the arrangement of the fold from where the tab in the upper area the receiving pocket is folded. In the context of the invention, it is also possible that the receiving pocket is wrapped with the tab so far that the end of the tab even on the tab itself, so comes to rest on the rear wall above the upper edge of the receiving pocket. The tab can be folded, for example, above the upper edge of the receiving pocket. Furthermore, it is also possible to fold over part of the front wall including the reclosing device. In the context of such an embodiment, it is preferred if the end of the tab also already covers the entire front wall in a completely filled receiving pocket and folded around the bottom of the tobacco pouch on the rear wall to lie.

To fix the tab on the front wall or the rear wall may be provided on the outside of the tab, an adhesive strip. In addition, a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a double-sided adhesive strip or adhesive dot can also be arranged on the inside of the flap.

The invention also provides a process for producing a tobacco pouch according to claim 9.

In order to form individual tobacco pouches, cut foil sheets can in principle be supplied individually, provided with a reclosing device, folded and sealed. According to a preferred alternative embodiment of the method it is provided that the bag film is fed as a continuous web, wherein only after the folding of the bag film and after the production of the longitudinal sealing seams the endless web is cut into individual tobacco pouch. Such a method has advantages, especially in mass production, whereby the continuous web can initially be handled easily. In order to prevent the closure strips of the reclosing device from being integrated into the lateral longitudinal sealing seams, it is not possible to fasten a continuous reclosure on the continuous web. However, it is possible to supply the closure strips as continuous material and to provide them directly with the attachment to the continuous web with gaps between the individual tobacco bags.

When the bag film is fed as a continuous web, the closure strips running transversely in the finished bag are preferably fed to the reclosing device parallel to the advancing direction of the endless web. After attaching the closure strips, a portion of the continuous webs is then folded over to form the front wall and the rear wall. Such folding can be achieved in particular during transport of the film web by folding knife or the like. For this, too, it is advantageous if, during folding, the continuous web runs in a direction parallel to the transverse direction of the finished bag. The longitudinal sealing seams between the individual bags are then also generated perpendicular to the direction of advance, wherein corresponding longitudinal sealing seams are still generated on the continuous, previously folded continuous webs. Preferably then individual bags along the formed longitudinal sealing seams cut off. The produced seal seam thus corresponds to twice the width of a single longitudinal seam after cutting.

The terms transverse seal and longitudinal seal used in the definition refer not to the direction of movement of the bag film, but to the structure of the finished tobacco bag. Correspondingly, longitudinal sealing seams can also be produced transversely to the advancing direction and transverse sealing seams parallel to the advancing direction of the continuous web or a foil sheet provided for forming the tobacco pouch.

Fig. 1

ein befüllter Tabakbeutel in einem Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 2

ein flachliegender, unbefüllter Tabakbeutel in einer Draufsicht,

Fig. 3a

eine Detailansicht eines unbefüllten Tabakbeutels im Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 3b

der Tabakbeutel gemäß der Fig. 3a nach dem Füllen und Schließen,

Fig. 4

eine alternative Ausgestaltung eines Wiederverschlusses des in Fig. 3a dargestellten Tabakbeutels,

Fig. 5

eine weitere alternative Ausgestaltung des Wiederverschlusses in einer Ansicht gemäß der Fig. 4.

Fig. 6

eine alternative Ausgestaltung des Tabakbeutels in einer Ansicht gemäß der Fig. 1,

Fig. 7

eine alternative Ausgestaltung eines Wiederverschlusses als Variante der in Fig. 3a dargestellten Ausgestaltung.

The invention will be explained in the following with reference to a drawing showing only one exemplary embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

a filled tobacco pouch in a vertical section,

Fig. 2

a flat, unfilled tobacco pouch in a plan view,

Fig. 3a

a detailed view of an unfilled tobacco pouch in vertical section,

Fig. 3b

the tobacco pouch according to Fig. 3a after filling and closing,

Fig. 4

an alternative embodiment of a reclosure of in Fig. 3a illustrated tobacco pouch,

Fig. 5

a further alternative embodiment of the reclosure in a view according to the Fig. 4 ,

Fig. 6

an alternative embodiment of the tobacco pouch in a view according to the Fig. 1 .

Fig. 7

an alternative embodiment of a reclosure as a variant of in Fig. 3a illustrated embodiment.

From the Fig. 1 It can be seen that the tab 6 depending on their length and the degree of filling of the receiving pocket 4 as in the Fig. 1 shown on the front wall 1 or on the rear wall 2 can come to rest with its end. Therefore, if starting from the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 a longer tab 6 is provided, it also surrounds the bottom of the receiving pocket. Furthermore, the bend line, on which the flap 6 is folded forward, may be provided at different positions. According to the Fig. 1 the flap 6 is folded forward immediately above the upper edge.

The tobacco bag has, according to the general construction, a front wall 1 and a rear wall 2, which are formed from a bag film and are connected at the side edges by longitudinal sealing seams 3, whereby a receiving pocket 4 is formed.

The rear wall 2 extends beyond an upper edge 5 of the receiving pocket 4, on which the front wall 1 ends, beyond, wherein this protruding portion of the front wall 1 forms a hinged flap 6. The tab 6 is in the unfolded state in a fully filled bag on an outer side of the front wall 1 and can be fixed there, for example with an adhesive strip 7.

After a partial emptying of the tobacco pouch, the receiving pocket 4 can be rolled up, in which case the adhesive strip 7 can also come to rest on the outside of the front wall 1. The details of the tobacco pouch according to the invention are from the Fig. 2 . 3a and 3b seen.

According to the Fig. 3a and 3b is at a distance from the upper edge 5 on the front wall 1, a removal opening 8 is provided, for which purpose in the front wall 1, a line of weakness 9 is introduced in the form of a perforation.

According to the Fig. 2 the weakening line 9 is self-contained and includes a tear-off front wall section 10. When first opening the filled, closed tobacco pouch ( Fig. 3b ), the tear-off front wall portion 10 is completely removed, whereby a large and thus easy to handle removal opening 8 is exposed.

From the Fig. 3a and 3b it can be seen that a reclosing device 11 with a first closure strip 12a and a second closure strip 12b is arranged in the region of the removal opening 8 within the receiving pocket 4. In the exemplary embodiment, both closure strips 12a and 12b each have a connection lug 13a, 13b and a connection section 14a, 14b, which connect at the end to the respectively associated connection lugs 13a, 13b.

According to the Fig. 2 the reversibly connectable closure strips 12a, 12b are not incorporated into the lateral longitudinal sealing seams 3 and preferably end at a distance a of 1 mm to 5 mm in front of the longitudinal sealing seams 3.

Furthermore, in particular in the Fig. 3a and 3b to recognize that the first closure strip 12a is secured with its terminal lug 13a between the discharge opening 8 and the upper edge 5 by a transverse sealing seam 15 that between the upper end of the terminal lug 13a and the upper edge 5, a top front wall portion 16 with a height h between 2 mm to 15 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 10 mm, in the embodiment remains about 4 mm. Starting from the transverse sealing seam 15, the closure strip 12a extends with its connection lug 13a downwards.

While the Fig. 3a shows the not yet closed tobacco pouch is in the Fig. 3b the filled and represented by a further transverse sealing seam 15 'closed tobacco pouch. According to the invention, this further transverse sealing seam 15 'is arranged above the first sealing strip 12a, this further transverse sealing seam 15' connecting the uppermost front wall section 16 directly to the rear wall 2. Over the entire length of this transverse sealing seam 15 ', this results in a two-layer arrangement of front wall 1 and rear wall 2, so that no steps, material collections or the like must be taken into account.

According to the present invention, therefore, an embodiment is specified in which the two closure strips 14a, 14b are directly connected to one another only via the connecting sections 12a, 12b. A direct sealing of the two closure strips 12a, 12b is not provided. Furthermore, the two closure strips 12a, 12b are integrated neither in the lateral longitudinal sealing seams 3 nor in the transverse seam 15 'provided for closure, whereby a simple, direct contact of front wall 1 and rear wall 2 is always provided in these sealing seams which are decisive for the closure of the tobacco pouch ,

Due to the direct connection of front wall 1 and rear wall 2 without the involvement of parts of the reclosing device 11, a particularly high-quality appearance is achieved, which is not impaired by warping, polymer material swirling out or the like.

According to the invention, the height h is selected such that the transverse sealing seams 15, 15 'can be arranged next to one another without the first closure strip 12a being connected to the rear wall 2 during the closure of the receiving pocket 4.

In the production of the tobacco pouch, the reclosure with the two closure strips is sealed onto a film section along transverse sealing seams 15, 15 ", which form the front wall 1. The attachment of the reclosing device 11 can be effected in a particularly simple manner with a flat foil sheet or a flat material web, before the folding of this foil sheet or the film web, the front wall 1 and the rear wall 2 are formed After the production of the longitudinal sealing seams 3 is an unfilled tobacco pouch according to Fig. 3a before, which is subsequently filled and closed with the sealing seam 15 'at the upper edge 5.

The Fig. 3a and 3b show a preferred embodiment in which both closure strips 12a, 12b terminal lugs 13a, 13b have, extending from the respective associated transverse seam 15, 15 "down.

With regard to the second closure strip 12b but other embodiments are possible. That's how it shows Fig. 4 an embodiment in which the second closure strip 12b is substantially flat with two sealing seams 15 "a, 15" b is sealed to the front wall 1.

According to the Fig. 5 the transverse sealing seam 15 "is further offset downwards for fastening the second closure strip 12b, with the associated connection lug 13b then extending upward Fig. 3a and 3b However, there is the advantage that the connecting portions 14a, 14b are arranged further moved into the receiving pocket 4, resulting in a particularly simple handling.

The connecting portions 14a, 14b are preferably designed as mutually latchable profiles which form a zipper closure.

The Fig. 6 shows a preferred alternative embodiment of the tobacco pouch according to the invention, wherein in an otherwise matching embodiment of the tobacco pouch and the upper edge 5 and a part of the front wall 1 are folded with the reclosing device attached thereto 11 to the front. The entire tobacco pouch is thus rolled up into an even more compact package, with the tab 6 attached to the adhesive strip 7 on the back wall. From the Fig. 6 It can also be seen that, depending on the length of the flap 6 or filling of the receiving pocket 4 with tobacco, the end of the flap 6 with the adhesive strip 7 can also come to rest in a region of the rear wall 2 which lies above the upper edge 5. The end of the tab 6 with the adhesive strip 7 is then on the outside of the tab 6 itself.

For the sake of clarity and to explain the basic principle of the invention show the Fig. 1 . 2 . 3a and 3b a simple embodiment of the reclosing device 11, wherein the second closure strip 12b ends below the removal opening 8. In practice, however, it may be advantageous if the removal opening 8 after a first opening of the tobacco pouch, so for example after removal of the tearable front portion 10, is clearly visible to a user. This shows the Fig. 7 a variant of in Fig. 3a 1, wherein the second closure strip 12b is fastened below the removal opening 8 with the transverse sealing seam 15 "as before, but extends further upwards into the region of the removal opening 8 with an unsecured portion, and a colored strip 17 is provided on this extended portion which indicates to the user the exact position of the reclosing device 11 and marks in the discharge opening 8 the area to be operated by the user with the fingers.

Claims (10)

Tobacco pouches having a front wall (1) and a rear wall (2), which are formed from a bag film and joined at the side edges by longitudinal sealing seams (3) to a receiving pocket (4), wherein the rear wall (2) via an upper edge (5 ) of the receiving pocket (4) on which the front wall (1) ends, extending beyond and on the front wall (1) hinged flap (6), wherein at a distance from the upper edge (5) has a removal opening (8) is, wherein in the region of the removal opening (8) within the receiving pocket (4) a reclosing device (11) with a first and a second closure strip (12a, 12b) is arranged and wherein the reversibly connectable closure strip (12a, 12b) not in the Longitudinal sealing seams (3) are integrated at the side edges, characterized in that both closure strips (12a, 12b) are attached only to the front wall (1), wherein the first closure strip (12a) with a connecting lug (13a ) between the removal opening (8) and the upper edge (5) by a transverse sealing seam (15) is fixed, that between an upper end of the terminal lug (13 a) and the upper edge (5) has an upper front portion (16) having a height (h) remains between 2 mm to 15 mm, wherein the first closure strip (12a) of the transverse sealing seam (15) extends downwardly and has a connection to the terminal lug (13a) connecting portion (14). Tobacco pouch according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving pocket (4) by a transverse sealing seam (15 ') is closed, which connects the uppermost front wall portion (16) with the rear wall (2). Tobacco pouch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the uppermost front wall portion (16) has a height (h) between 3 mm and 10 mm. Tobacco pouch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the closure strips (12a, 12b) are interconnected only via mutually detachable connecting portions (14a, 14b) and not directly sealed together. Tobacco pouch according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closure strips (12a, 12b) terminate at a distance (a) of 1 mm to 5 mm in front of the longitudinal sealing seams (3). Tobacco pouch according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the front wall (1) has a weakening line (9) for forming the removal opening (8). Tobacco pouch according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the weakening line (9) encloses a front wall section (10) which can be torn off to form the removal opening (8). Tobacco pouch according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the second closure strip (12b) with a connection lug (13b) below the removal opening (8) by a transverse sealing seam (15 ") is attached, wherein the downwardly extending terminal lug ( 13b) of the second closure strip (12b) connects to a connecting portion (14b). A process for producing a tobacco pouch, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein
a bag film is fed,
a removal opening (8) in the bag film or for preparation of a removal opening (8) a weakening line (9) is produced in the bag film,
a reclosing device (11) is supplied and fastened with its two closure strips (12a, 12b) in the region of the removal opening (8) by transverse sealing seams (15, 15 "a, 15" b),
Subsequently, the bag film is folded parallel to the extension of the reclosing device (11) in such a way that a front wall (1) and a rear wall (2) extending beyond the front wall (1) are formed and the reclosing device (11) is concealed on the front wall (1) is arranged
Longitudinal sealing seams (3) are produced in such a way that a receiving pocket (4) is formed between the front wall (1) and the rear wall (2) and that the ends of the closure strips (12a, 12b) are not incorporated,
the receiving pocket (4) is filled with tobacco and
the receiving pocket (4) is closed at an upper edge (5) by a transverse sealing seam (15 ') which directly connects the front wall (1) with the rear wall (2) without involving the reclosure. The method of claim 9, wherein the bag film is fed as a continuous web and wherein after the folding of the bag film and the production of the longitudinal sealing seams (3), the continuous web is cut into individual tobacco bags.

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