WO2007068882A1

WO2007068882A1 - Tobacco pouch

Info

Publication number: WO2007068882A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/004466
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aaron Mckenzie
Original assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Priority date: 2005-12-17
Filing date: 2006-11-29
Publication date: 2007-06-21
Also published as: GB0525724D0

Abstract

A tobacco pouch (1) having two surfaces that are held in communication when the pouch (1) is in a closed arrangement by means of an attractive force, which is preferably a magnetic force. The pouch (1) is reclosable by a closure element (S) positioned at or near the mouth (7) of a pocket (2) for containing tobacco defined by the two surfaces that are held in communication. The magnetic closure element (8) is operable to associate with a further closure element (8) on an opposing surface to hold the pouch (1) in a closed arrangement until sufficient pressure is exerted on the closure elements (8) to overcome the attraction there between and allow separation thereof. The pouch (1) may subsequently be reclosed by bringing the closure elements (1) together.

Description

Tobacco Pouch

The present invention relates to a tobacco pouch, and in particular to a reclosable tobacco pouch for containing cut tobacco.

Tobacco pouches are conventionally used to contain cut tobacco for use in the roll- your-own (RYO) market, in which consumers remove a portion of the cut tobacco from a pouch before constructing a smoking article with the use of a separate cigarette paper. Tobacco pouches are conventionally formed from a sheet of plastic material that is folded over along a bottom edge and sealed along each side to form a pocket for containing cut tobacco. The pouches typically have a flap that extends from the rear wall which is able to be folded over the opening of the pouch to prevent spillage of the tobacco therefrom. The prolonged period of use of a tobacco pouch by a consumer can often result in a loss of moisture and aroma from the tobacco contained in a pouch. Accordingly, the tobacco loses much of its freshness and flavour before all of the tobacco contained in pouch has been used. The simple folding of a flap over the opening of the pouch does not eliminate this loss of moisture and aroma from the tobacco. It is desirable to provide a tobacco pouch which is reclosable, and more usefully resealable, to ensure the quality of the tobacco contained in the pouch does not deteriorate during the period of use by a consumer.

In GB 2 191 938 A a roll-up pouch for tobacco is disclosed in which a pocket containing the tobacco is reclosable by a closing seam consisting of a peel-seal seam. An adhesive is present in a strip on opposing interior faces of the pocket towards the opening orifice, by which the orifice may be repeatedly opened and closed. A major disadvantage of this type of closing element is that the tobacco has a tendency to become stuck onto the adhesive seam during removal of the tobacco from the pouch by the consumer, which significantly impedes subsequent closure of the pouch and the effectiveness of the peel-seal seam to reclose the pouch and protect the contained tobacco against moisture loss, for example.

EP 1 017 593 Bl discloses a pouch for tobacco which avoids the use of adhesive in providing a resealable pouch. The pouch has a plastic zipper comprising two complementary closure strips extending along the mouth of the pouch. The closure strips are of the rib and groove type and interengage one with the other to allow the pouch to be effectively resealed after each use. The proposed zipper closure has a complex profile upon which strands of tobacco may easily become caught, for example upon a rib or groove of either closure strip. The zipper closure also requires attention on the part of the consumer to reseal the pouch by carefully aligning the rib of one closure strip with the groove of the complementary closure strip and in applying a pressure sufficient to ensure that the rib is pushed fully into the groove.

The present invention provides a tobacco pouch having two surfaces that are in communication when the pouch is in a closed arrangement, wherein the two surfaces are held in communication by an attractive force.

The attractive force is preferably a magnetic force, which magnetic force is advantageously provided by a permanent magnet.

Magnetic materials used in the invention generally have a magnetic field and are capable of exerting a magnetic force on another material. The strength of the magnetic force must be sufficient to hold the surfaces in communication when the pouch is closed, whilst allowing the pouch to be opened by a consumer during normal use. Magnetic materials suitable for use in the invention will be readily known to a person skilled in the art. For example, the permanent magnet may be any one or more of the following: a magnetic metallic element, a composite magnet, or a rare earth magnet.

Magnetic metallic elements are naturally-occurring magnetic metals and include iron ore (magnetite or lodestone), cobalt and nickel. Composite magnets include ceramic or ferrite magnets, Alnico magnets, injection moulded magnets, and flexible magnets. Rare earth magnets are rare earth elements such as gadolinium, samarium, neodymium and dysprosium. These rare earth elements may be used in alloys to create stronger magnets, examples of such alloys being samarium cobalt and neodymium iron boron.

It is preferred that the two surfaces of the pouch define a pocket for containing tobacco, and that the two surfaces are held in communication at or towards a mouth of the pocket.

In an alternative embodiment the pouch comprises a flap which provides one of the two surfaces by which the pouch is held in a closed arrangement. The flap preferably is able to be folded over a pocket portion for containing tobacco and serves to retain the pouch in a closed arrangement. Suitably the flap is held in communication with a further part of the pouch by an attractive force by a magnetic element positioned on the flap and/or on the further part of the pouch with which the flap is held in communication.

The pouch may be composed of a sheet material which comprises an integral magnetic component capable of holding the two surfaces in communication. This enables the pouch to be held closed without the need for an additional element to provide the attractive force as the material of the pouch itself is capable of providing an attractive force. In a preferred embodiment one of the two surfaces is provided with a closure element which provides the attractive force to hold the two surfaces in communication when the pouch is closed. Preferably the closure element is a permanent magnet.

It is preferred that the closure element is flexible. This flexibility allows the mouth of the pocket to be opened in a flexible manner during use, enabling a consumer to easily access tobacco contained in the pouch. This is particularly beneficial in a tobacco pouch which is made of conventional flexible sheet material. This flexibility is of particular importance when the closure element extends across the entire width of the pouch and when the ends of the closure element are sealed at the side of the pouch. However, some degree of rigidity of the closure element aids in resealing the pouch.

Preferably the facing surface of the closure element is substantially flat. A flat surface of the closure element which faces the other surface to be held in communication by the attractive force ensures a simple and effective seal with the closure element. Furthermore, this configuration may also reduce the likelihood of tobacco becoming caught on the face of the closure element during removal of tobacco from the pouch when the closure element is positioned on the interior surface of the pouch. Suitably the closure element is secured to the pouch by an adhesive.

It is much by preference that the closure element extends across substantially the entire width of the mouth of the pocket, and advantageously across the width of the pouch. The closure element may be of any dimension that could be accommodated at the mouth of the pocket and would allow the pouch to be resealed. It is desirable that the closure element be as thin as possible to ensure that the size and/or weight of the pouch is not significantly increased.

It is preferred that the two surfaces define a front wall and a rear wall of a pocket for containing tobacco and the closure element is provided on the front wall or the rear wall of the pocket. In this way the pocket is closable by the closure element provided on a wall of the pocket, preferably at or towards the mouth of the pocket.

In a first aspect the closure element is provided on an inner face of one of the front and rear walls of the pocket.

In a second aspect the closure element is provided on an outer face of one of the front and rear walls of the pocket.

In a third aspect the closure element is provided between two layers of material forming one of the front and rear walls of the pocket. This may be achieved by laminating the closure element into the material of the pouch. In each of the second and third aspects the inner face of the pocket will be smooth and free from obstruction allowing tobacco material to be removed from the pouch, and to fall back into the pouch, without snagging the closure element. This will also aid in the packaging process, and in particular during filling of the pouch with cut tobacco.

In all aspects of the invention it is advantageous that each of the two surfaces is provided with a closure element. The closure elements should be positioned on the pouch such that each closure element is in alignment with the other closure element upon closure of the pouch. Each of the closure elements may have the characteristics described above. Preferably the closure elements are permanently sealed together at their ends, ensuring that the most effective seal is made when the closure elements are held together and reducing the need for further alignment by a consumer. Sealing the ends of the closure elements is most easily achieved by sealing the ends of the closure element as part of the side seams of the pouch. Alternatively the closure elements may be sealed at the ends prior to incorporation into the pouch.

In an alternative embodiment in which one closure element is a permanent magnet the other closure element is a ferromagnetic material. The ferromagnetic material is inducible by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet to create a magnetic field in the ferromagnetic material which, in conjunction with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet, is capable of holding the two closure elements in communication when the pouch is closed.

As used herein the term tobacco includes all types of smokable material, including: tobacco material such as stem, lamina, and tobacco dust; reconstituted tobacco material; and tobacco substitute material, and non-smokable tobacco-containing materials and tobacco- substitute materials.

In order that the subject invention may be easily understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front plan view of a pouch according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the pouch of Figure 1 along line x-x; and

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the pouch of Figure 1 along line x-x according to a further aspect of the invention.

The pouch (1) is formed from a thermoplastic sheet material as is well known in the field of tobacco pouches and has a pocket portion (2) formed by folding a lower portion of the sheet material back upon itself and sealing the side edges to form side seams (3). Alternatively the pocket (2) may be formed by placing a first sheet of material onto a second sheet of material and sealing along the two side edges and the bottom edge of the first sheet. A flap (4) extends from the rear wall of the pocket (2) and has an adhesive label (5) adhered to an outer surface and extending beyond the top edge thereof to enable the flap (4) to be stuck onto an outer surface of the pocket (2). This label (5) may be adhered to the front wall of the pocket or to the rear wall of the pocket depending on how the pouch is folded, and the lengths of the flap and the pocket. A closure device (6) extends across the width of the pocket (2) slightly below the top edges of the pocket (2). Access to the interior of the pocket (2) is gained via the mouth

(7).

Referring to Figure 2 the closure device (6) comprises a first flexible magnet (8) adhered to the inner face of the front wall (9) of the pocket (2) and a second flexible magnet (8') adhered to the inner face of the rear wall (10) of the pocket (2). The first and second magnets (8, 8') are in the form of flat strips that contact each other across one of their major faces when the pouch is closed. The magnets extend across the entire width of the mouth of the pocket to maximise the effective seal provided by the magnets when the pouch is closed. First and second magnets (8, 8') exert an attractive force upon one another resulting from their inherent magnetic fields. This attractive force causes the magnets (8, 8') to move together if separated by a distance which the strength of the magnetic field is able to overcome, and serves to hold the magnets (8, 8') together once in contact with one another.

In a further embodiment shown in Figure 3 the first magnet (8) is adhered to the outer face of the front wall (9) of the pocket (2) and the second magnet (8') is adhered to the outer face of the rear wall (10) of the pocket (2). Again, the first and second magnets (8, 8') are in the form of flat strips that face each other across one of their major faces. First and second magnets (8, 8') exert an attractive force upon one another through the material of the pouch forming the front and rear walls (9, 10) of the pocket (2) resulting from their inherent magnetic fields. This arrangement operates in the same way as that shown in Figure 2. In the embodiment of Figure 3 it is important that the material of the pouch does not substantially interfere or eliminate the magnetic force of the magnets in the direction of the opposing magnet.

In use a consumer will lift the flap (4) to reveal the pocket (2) and pull the top edge of the front wall of the pocket (2) to separate the first magnet (8) from the second magnet (8') to gain access to the tobacco contained within the pocket (2). Once the magnets (8, 8') are separated tobacco may be removed from the pouch as required. The flap (4) may be used to catch any tobacco that unintentionally spills out of the pocket and to provide a surface for the construction of a smoking article, as is customary. After removal of the desired tobacco from the pocket (2), the magnets (8, 8') are simply brought together to reseal the pouch. Of course, the magnetic forces of the magnets (8, 8') may allow for the resealing of the pouch without pressure being exerted by the consumer, and without the need to manually contact the magnets (8, 8'), depending on the strength of the magnetic forces involved and the distance between the magnets. Finally, the flap (4) may be folded back down over the mouth (7) and optionally adhered onto an outer surface of the pocket (2) by attachment of the adhesive label (5).

Claims

1. A tobacco pouch having two surfaces that are in communication when the pouch is in a closed arrangement, wherein the two surfaces are held in communication by an attractive force.

2. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 1 , wherein the attractive force is a magnetic force.

3. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 2, wherein the magnetic force is provided by a permanent magnet.

4. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the two surfaces define a pocket for containing tobacco and the two surfaces are held in communication at or towards a mouth of the pocket.

5. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the pouch has a flap portion and one of the two surfaces is a surface of the flap portion.

6. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 1-5, wherein the pouch is composed of a sheet material, the sheet material including a magnetic component capable of holding the two surfaces in communication.

7. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 1-6, wherein one of the two surfaces is provided with a closure element, the closure element providing the attractive force to hold the two surfaces in communication.

8. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 7, wherein each of the two surfaces is provided with a closure element.

9. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 8, wherein the closure elements are permanently sealed at the ends.

10. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the closure element is a permanent magnet.

11. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 7-10, wherein the closure element is in the form of a flexible strip.

12. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 7-11, wherein the closure element has a substantially flat surface, which surface faces the other surface to be held in communication by an attractive force.

13. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 7-12, wherein the closure element extends across substantially the entire width of the pouch.

14. A tobacco pouch according to any of Claims 7-13, wherein the two surfaces define a front wall and a rear wall of a pocket for containing tobacco and the closure element is provided on the front wall and/or the rear wall of the pocket.

15. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 14, wherein the closure element is provided on an inner face of the pocket.

16. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 14, wherein the closure element is provided on an outer face of the pocket.

17. A tobacco pouch according to Claim 14, wherein the closure element is provided between two layers of material forming a wall of the pocket.

18. A tobacco pouch substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.