Inventors:
Robert L. Oglesby - Kernersville NC
Assignee:
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Winston-Salem NC
International Classification:
B43M 700, B65D 326, B65D 2714, A61F 1302
Abstract:
A cigarette carton structure having a releasable adhesive seal to permit reopening of a temporarily sealed carton without damage to the carton. The seal includes a release coating on one of two carton surfaces to be adhesively joined. One of the surfaces may be a top flap and the other surface may be a closure flap. An adhesive is placed on the release coating, and the two surfaces are joined. The release coating may be a weakly cohesive material such as a metallic ink printed on the carton surface so that when the surfaces are separated, the release coating separates without damaging the carton. Alternatively the release surface can be a layer of material that adheres poorly to the adhesive, so that the adhesive readily separates from the release layer. In either case the initial temporary bonding must be sufficiently strong to allow handling, packing and unpacking of the cartons without premature opening.