WRAPPED PACKAGE HAVING AN OUTER WRAPPER WITH A WEAKENING LINE
The present invention relates to a wrapped package of consumer goods, comprising an outer wrapper including at least one diagonally extending line of weakness. The wrapped package finds particular application as a wrapped package of smoking articles.
It is known to package consumer goods in a variety of types of container. Certain consumer goods are packaged in containers formed from folded laminar blanks. For example, elongate smoking articles, such as cigarettes and cigars, are commonly sold in hinge lid packs having a box for housing the smoking articles and a lid connected to the box about a hinge line extending across the back wall of the container. Other types of consumer goods, in particular fragile or breakable goods, are packaged in rigid containers formed of a moulded plastic or metal material. In other cases, consumer goods may be packaged in a bag, pouch or 'soft' pack formed of a flexible material, such as paper or cellophane.
Conventionally, filled containers of consumer goods such as smoking articles are often over wrapped in an outer wrapper of a transparent polymeric film, which is provided with a tear tape in order to facilitate removal of the outer wrapper from the underlying container. The removal of the tear tape separates the outer wrapper into two parts, which can then be individually removed from the container. However, since outer wrappers of this type are commonly shrink wrapped onto the container, the film material is tightly wrapped around the container. As a result, even after the removal of the tear tape, it can be inconvenient for the consumer to remove the remainder of the outer wrapper from the container in order to access the consumer goods.
The application of a tear tape to the outer wrapper of a filled container requires the implementation of additional process steps and apparatus in the production. The tear tape is also typically formed of a different material to the outer wrapper, so that additional materials are required in the production of the packaging. Furthermore, additional imaging apparatus may also be required as part of the quality control process, in order to detect any defects in the tear tape which may prevent the effective opening of the outer wrapper.
It is also known to provide an outer wrapper having lines of perforation instead of a tear tape to assist in the division or separation of individual packages or portions of a package wrapped together within the wrapper. For example, WO-A-98/2931 1 describes a carton including a number of packs of smoking articles. The carton is wrapped in an outer wrapper including a plurality of parallel, spaced apart lines of perforation extending around the perimeter of the carton, at the interfaces between adjacent packs. The lines of perforation therefore allow the consumer to remove or separate one or more individual packs from the carton by splitting the outer wrapper along the lines of weakness. However, as with packages in which the outer wrapper includes a tear tape, it can be difficult for the consumer to remove the remainder of the outer wrapper from the separated packages. Furthermore, there is a risk that the outer wrapper may be inadvertently split along the lines of weakness during production or handling.
It would be desirable to provide a novel way of opening an outer wrapper of a wrapped package of consumer goods, which facilitates removal of the outer wrapper by the consumer. It
5 would be particularly desirable if the novel way of opening could be incorporated into an outer wrapper without the need for additional or specialised apparatus or techniques to be incorporated into the process of wrapping the package. It would further be desirable if the novel way of opening the outer wrapper could be incorporated into an outer wrapper without adversely affecting the quality or robustness of the packaging of the consumer goods.
i o According to the invention there is provided a wrapped package of consumer goods comprising: a filled package containing two or more consumer goods in contact with each other along an interface; and an outer wrapper, wrapped around the filled package such that first and second opposed edges of the outer wrapper overlap with each other in a longitudinal direction along the package. The outer wrapper is provided with at least one line of weakness extending
15 generally diagonally across at least two sides of the filled package such that opposed ends of the at least one line of weakness are displaced from each other in the longitudinal direction. The at least one line of weakness extends across the interface between the consumer goods.
The term "consumer goods" is used throughout the specification to refer to any type of good or item that may be sold to a consumer. The term additionally encompasses containers
20 comprising such consumer goods. The consumer goods within the containers may in some cases be further wrapped or packaged, either individually or in groups of consumer goods.
The term "package" is used to refer to one or more packed or unpacked consumer goods that are wrapped with an outer wrapper. For example, the package may comprise 10 separate containers, each containing a number of consumer goods. An example of such a
25 package is a package comprising 10 containers of 20 cigarettes each. Another example of such a package is a package comprising two cartons, each carton containing 10 containers of smoking articles. On the other hand, the package may comprise two or more individual consumer goods wrapped together with the outer wrapper. An example of such a package is a package of 10 individual CD or DVD cases, each including one or more CDs or DVDs,
30 respectively.
The term "longitudinal" refers to the direction defined by the overlapping region of the opposed ends of the outer wrapper. Preferably, the opposed ends are sealed to each other in order to form a longitudinal seam. The term "transverse" refers to the direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the overlapping region. For a 35 rectangular parallelepipedal package, the longitudinal direction will typically coincide with the direction in which the package is longest, but this need not always be the case. The term "generally diagonally" is used to describe a line of weakness which has an overall extension in a diagonal direction that is greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees to the longitudinal direction. This means that the line of weakness extends simultaneously in both the longitudinal and the transverse direction. The angle between the line 5 of weakness and the longitudinal direction may be measured as the angle between the projections of the lines of weakness and the longitudinal direction onto a common plane.
The line of weakness may be a continuous, straight line extending in the diagonal direction. However, the term "generally diagonally" is used to indicate that the invention also encompasses embodiments in which the line of weakness is at least in part non-linear such that i o it extends diagonally overall, but not all parts of the line of weakness are extending in the same, diagonal direction. In such embodiments, a straight line extending between the two end points of the line of weakness would be diagonal, although the line of weakness may not be straight or diagonal along all of its length. For example, the line of weakness may be wavy, sinusoidal or zig-zag in shape so that the line of weakness changes direction either uniformly or non- 15 uniformly, continuously or non-continuously, whilst still achieving a general extension in the diagonal direction.
The wrapped package of the present invention incorporates an outer wrapper including at least one line of weakness or weakening line, which, in use, enables the outer wrapper to be readily removed from the package, without the provision of a tear tape. The splitting of the
20 outer wrapper at two or more positions through the breakage of the at least one line of weakness provides an effective way to split the wrapper so that it can be more easily taken off the package in order to access the consumer goods. The diagonal direction of the line of weakness also ensures that once the wrapper has initially been torn along at least a part of the line of weakness, the tear line will more easily propagate around the package in order to
25 facilitate full removal of the outer wrapper.
The at least one line of weakness in the outer wrapper is arranged such that it extends across the interface between the two or more consumer goods. Where the filled package contains more than two consumer goods, the at least one line of weakness preferably extends across each of the interfaces between adjacent consumer goods. Preferably, each interface
30 between adjacent consumer goods within the wrapped package is crossed by at least one line of weakness.
A line of weakness is considered to extend across an interface between consumer goods when the line of weakness crosses the virtual line of interface at the surface of the package, rather than extending along the line of the interface. A line of interface between 35 consumer goods may extend around two or more faces of the wrapped package, depending on the number of packages that are wrapped together within the wrapped package. In certain embodiments, the line of interface extends all of the way around the package. It has been found advantageous to provide the at least one line of weakness so that it crosses the line of interface and does not follow the same line as the line of the interface between adjacent consumer goods. This reduces the risk of the outer wrapper inadvertently breaking along the interface during transport or handling of the wrapped package, which could cause adjacent consumer goods to split apart from each other. By registering the at least one line of weakness so that it does not coincide with the interface between adjacent consumer goods, a more robust packaging is provided which will be more capable of withstanding the forces to which the filled package may be subjected during handling prior to sale.
Furthermore, the positioning of the at least one line of weakness so that it does not coincide with the interface facilitates the unwrapping of the two or more consumer goods in a single step. In wrapped packages of the prior art where the line of weakness is provided along the interface, the splitting of the line of weakness may allow for the easy separation of the consumer goods from each other. However, even after breakage of the line of weakness the outer wrapper may remain tightly wrapped around each of the separated consumer goods, such that it can be difficult to remove the remainder of the outer wrapper. This disadvantage is overcome by the diagonal weakening line.
By additionally arranging the at least one line of weakness such that it extends across at least two sides of the filled package, the unwrapping of the two or more consumer goods in a single step is further facilitated. The arrangement of the at least one line of weakness in the outer wrapper of filled packages of the present invention enables the at least one line of weakness to be broken when the two consumer goods in contact along the interface are twisted relative to each other about an axis normal to the interface. With this twisting motion, the outer wrapper can be split apart along the at least one line of weakness such that the outer wrapper can be removed from all of the consumer goods within the filled package in a single step. This enables easy and convenient access to all of the individual consumer goods within the wrapped package.
In many examples of wrapped packages containing two or more consumer goods, the interfaces between the consumer goods lie in the longitudinal direction of the package or in the transverse direction, or both. In such examples, the diagonally extending lines of weakness will always cross the line of the interface rather than extending along the interface. However, in other examples it may be necessary to actively register the position of the lines of weakness to ensure that the preferred positioning across the interfaces between adjacent consumer goods is achieved.
Advantageously, the means for opening the wrapped package according to the invention, in the form of the diagonally extending line of weakness, can be formed without the incorporation of any additional materials or components to the film material forming the outer wrapper. As the use of a tear tape is no longer necessary, the quality control apparatus for detecting defects in the application of the tear tape can be eliminated from the wrapping line. Furthermore, the at least one line of weakness is preferably provided in the film material prior to the wrapping of the package, for example, during production of the film material. In this way, the outer wrapper of packages of the present invention can advantageously be provided using 5 conventional wrapping and sealing techniques and apparatus, without the need for additional steps or machinery.
For all of these reasons, the wrapped package of the present invention can be produced in a more cost effective and efficient manner than conventional wrapped packages incorporating a tear tape.
i o Preferably, the at least one line of weakness extends in a diagonal direction that is at an angle of 15 to 75 degrees to the longitudinal direction, more preferably at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees to the longitudinal direction.
Preferably, the outer wrapper comprises a continuous line of weakness extending generally diagonally around the filled package from a first wall of the filled package to a second,
15 opposed wall of the filled package. For example, the continuous line of weakness may extend between the bottom wall and the top wall of a package, such that the outer wrapper can be split apart along the full length of the package. This advantageously facilitates the removal of the wrapper in a single step.
As described above, in order to facilitate removal of the outer wrapper from the wrapped
20 package, the at least one line of weakness extends diagonally across at least two sides of the filled package. The at least one line of weakness may extend part way around the filled package, for example, across two or three of the walls of the package. The extension of the line of weakness will depend upon the angle at which the line of weakness extends relative to the longitudinal direction and the length of the line of weakness. Alternatively and preferably, the
25 line of weakness extends at least 360 degrees around the filled package, so that the line of weakness circumscribes the package at least once. In such embodiments, the line of weakness extends around the package in a type of spiral configuration. This allows for the package to be opened easily since the tearing of the outer wrapper along the line of weakness should effectively remove the entire wrapper from the package without further tearing.
30 In one preferred embodiment, the outer wrapper is formed of a sheet of a wrapper material having a continuous line of weakness extending between opposed diagonal corners of the sheet. The continuous line of weakness may or may not extend all of the way to the corners of the sheet. Preferably, the diagonal line of weakness extends along between about 70 percent and about 100 percent of the length of the straight line extending between the opposed
35 diagonal corners of the sheet. More preferably, the diagonal line of weakness extends between about 70 percent and about 90 percent of the length of the straight line extending between the corners. It may be advantageous if the diagonal line of weakness does not extend all the way to the corners of the sheet to avoid inadvertent tearing of the sheet along the line of weakness during production. In addition, the ends of the sheet will typically form envelope folds at the end of the package and so the parts of the line of weakness at the ends of the sheet do not perform
5 the function of facilitating the removal of the outer wrapper. The sheet is preferably wrapped around the package such that the continuous line of weakness extends around the package from one end to another, preferably by 360 degrees or more.
Preferably, the at least one line of weakness is provided in the form of at least one perforation line. Perforation lines can be applied to sheet materials using well known apparatus i o and techniques. The type of perforation may be varied in a number of ways to adjust the appearance of the line of weakness, or the force required to break the outer wrapper along the line of weakness. For example, the perforation line may be substantially linear, or it may be curved. Alternatively, the perforation lines may extend in a wavy, sinusoidal or zig-zag form across the outer wrapper, as described above. The shape, size and separation of the cuts
15 forming the perforation line may also be varied, if desired.
Alternatively, the at least one line of weakness is provided in the form of a score line, along which the thickness of the material forming the outer wrapper has been reduced either through compression, or removal of a part of the material along the score line. It may be advantageous to provide a score line in embodiments in which the outer wrapper provides a
20 barrier layer to protect the consumer goods within the package. In addition, or alternatively, it may be advantageous to provide a score line where the outer wrapper is printed, so that the ink used for the printing does not leak through the line of weakness.
The outer wrapper of wrapped packages according to the invention may include a single line of weakness extending at least part way around the package. Alternatively, the outer
25 wrapper may comprise a plurality of lines of weakness, each extending generally diagonally at least part way around the package. Where a plurality of lines of weakness is provided, each line of weakness preferably extends across at least two sides of the filled package. Preferably, each line of weakness extends across at least one interface between consumer goods within the filled package, wherein the lines of weakness may extend across the same interface or a
30 difference interface. Preferably, the plurality of lines of weakness are spaced apart from each other to further facilitate the splitting of the outer wrapper and the removal of the outer wrapper from the package.
The total number of lines of weakness provided on the outer wrapper and the position of the lines of weakness can be adapted according to the specific shape and size of the package. 35 For example, a greater number of lines of weakness may be preferable for outer wrappers of packages having large dimensions in one or more directions. Preferably, the outer wrapper of the wrapped package comprises between one line of weakness per package and one line of weakness per individual item or container within the wrapped package, more preferably between one line of weakness per package and one line of weakness per two individual items or containers within the wrapped package. For example, for a wrapped package comprising 10 containers, the outer wrapper preferably comprises between one and ten lines of weakness, more preferably, between about one and five lines of weakness.
In certain embodiments of the invention in which the outer wrapper includes a plurality of lines of weakness, the lines of weakness extend substantially parallel to each other. This means that the lines of weakness extend in substantially the same diagonal direction as each other and are spaced apart from each other. The parallel lines of weakness may be regularly or irregularly spaced apart from each other.
In alternative embodiments of the invention in which the outer wrapper includes a plurality of lines of weakness, the lines of weakness extend in different diagonal directions to each other. This means that the lines of weakness extend at different angles to the longitudinal direction. Depending upon the position and direction of the plurality of lines of weakness, one or more of the lines of weakness may cross over each other one or more times.
The outer wrapper may further comprise an opening tab at the end of the at least one line of weakness, for example, where the line of weakness ends at the edge of the wrapper. This may advantageously facilitate the breakage of the at least one line of weakness by providing the consumer with a tab to easily grasp and pull in the diagonal direction of the line of weakness. Where an opening tab is provided, this may readily be provided through the provision of one or more cuts at the edge of the outer wrapper.
Preferably, the outer wrapper is formed of a substantially transparent material so that the underlying package is visible through the outer wrapper before opening. Suitable transparent polymeric films for forming the outer wrapper are known in the art and include, for example, films comprising a polyolefin such as high or low density polyethylene, polypropylene, oriented polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose, or combinations thereof.
The outer wrapper may be a single layer material, which may optionally be provided with a suitable coating layer, as described above. Alternatively, the outer wrapper may be a multilayer sheet material including a plurality of polymeric layers. For example, suitable multi-layer sheet materials may include a plurality of layers, each formed of a polyolefinic compound derived from one or more monomeric olefins. The carbon chain length of the monomeric olefins forming each layer may be the same as or different to the carbon chain length of the monomeric olefins forming the other layers. Preferably, the outer layer of the multi-layer material is a sealable polyolefin selected from the list provided above. Suitable multi-layer film materials can be formed by lamination or co-extrusion of the polyolefinic layers.
Preferably, the outer wrapper is coated with a sealable polyolefin for example one or a combination of: polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, an ethylene-propylene copolymer, a propylene-butylene copolymer, an ethylene-butylene copolymer, an ethylene-propylene- butylene terpolymer. The outer wrapper may alternatively be coated with an acrylic layer.
Preferably, the coating material or the outer layer of the outer wrapper is different from any coating or packaging layer on the outside of the package, such that when sealing, the outer wrapper is not sealed to the package. This allows for the wrapping of a bundle of individually overwrapped packages. Preferably, through the adequate choice of sealable material, the sealing temperature of the outer wrapper is below the sealing temperature of any wrapper that is used to wrap individual packages within the wrapped package. Preferably, the sealing temperature is between about 5 percent and about 25 percent lower for the outer wrapper in comparison to the sealing temperature of any individual package wrapper. Thus, it is possible to first individually seal the overwrap around each individual package at a first elevated temperature and then seal the outer wrapper of a bundle of individually overwrapped packages at a lower temperature.
Advantageously, when a transparent outer wrapper is used for packages of the present invention, neither the longitudinal overlapping region nor the lines of weakness obscure any printed text or graphics on the outer surfaces of the underlying packages. This provides an improvement on conventional outer wrappers incorporating a conventional tear tape, which will typically be formed of an opaque material and may obscure the underlying printing. If desired, the outer wrapper may be printed over some or all of its surfaces.
As in conventional wrapping processes, the outer wrapper of packages according to the invention is wrapped around the filled package so that first and second opposed edges of the wrapper overlap to form the longitudinal overlapping region. The longitudinal overlapping region extends across at least one side of the wrapped package. The overlapping region may be provided on any side of the package but is preferably provided so that it extends across the front wall of the package, or the top wall. The overlapping region may extend in a horizontal direction across the package, or in a vertical direction, or at any other angle across a face of the package. In preferred embodiments of the invention in which the package is a container in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the longitudinal overlapping region preferably extends in the longitudinal direction of the pack, which will typically also be the vertical direction.
The transverse width of the overlapping region may be varied as desired by is preferably between about 3 mm and about 10 mm, more preferably between about 4 mm and about 7 mm.
Preferably, the opposed edges of the outer wrapper are sealed together along the longitudinal overlapping region in order to ensure that the outer wrapper is secured in place around the filled package. Preferably, the opposed edges are heat sealed to each other through the application of heat along the overlapping region. Alternatively or in addition, a suitable adhesive may be applied between the opposed edges. Where heat sealing is used to provide the seal between the opposed edges, the outer wrapper is preferably formed of a material that will readily seal to itself but will not seal to the underlying surface of the package, as described above.
The opposed edges of the outer wrapper may be sealed together along the full length of the longitudinal overlapping region to provide a continuous seal, for example, where an airtight seal is required. Alternatively, the opposed edges of the outer wrapper may be sealed together at one or more discrete sealing points along the length so that the seal does not extend all of the way along the longitudinal overlapping region but is provided at one or more separate locations. This may be advantageous where the outer wrapper is not required to perform a barrier function, since it may provide a more cost effective way to seal the wrapper than providing a continuous seal along the entire overlapping region. Preferably, the discrete sealing points coincide with the interfaces between adjacent consumer goods.
After the sealing of the outer wrapper along the longitudinal overlapping region, the outer wrapper forms an open ended tube around the filled package. The opposed ends of the open ended tube of the outer wrapper are preferably folded and sealed in a conventional manner, using an envelope type fold. As with the longitudinal overlapping region, the overlapping layers of the outer wrapper at the envelope folds may be heat sealed to each other, optionally with the inclusion of an adhesive. Such a wrapping process to form the longitudinal overlapping region and the opposed envelope seals would be well known to the skilled person.
The wrapped package of the present invention may contain two or more individual consumer goods, wherein adjacent consumer goods are in contact with each other along an interface. Alternatively, the wrapped package of the present invention may contain two or more containers of consumer goods, which are separate or separable from each other once the outer wrapper has been removed. For example, the wrapped package may be in the form of a multi- pack of consumer goods wherein a group of separately wrapped containers are wrapped together by the outer wrapper. Each package may contain a single consumer item, or a group or bundle of consumer goods. In particularly preferred embodiments, the wrapped package comprises a plurality of containers, each housing a wrapped bundle of smoking articles.
Preferably, the wrapped package comprises 2 to 20 containers of consumer goods, more preferably, between about 5 and 10, most preferably, 10 containers of consumer goods.
According to the invention there is also provided a method of producing a wrapped package according to the invention, as described above. The method comprises:
providing a filled package containing two or more consumer goods in contact with each other along an interface;
providing an outer wrapper with at least one line of weakness extending at least part way across the wrapper in a generally diagonal direction;
wrapping the outer wrapper around the filled package such that first and second opposed edges of the outer wrapper overlap in a longitudinal direction and such that the at least one line of weakness extends diagonally across at least two sides of the filled package with opposed ends of the line of weakness displaced from each other in the longitudinal direction and such that the at least one line of weakness extends across the interface between the consumer goods; and
5 sealing the first and second opposed ends of the outer wrapper.
Preferably, a plurality of lines of weakness are provided on a continuous sheet of the sheet material for forming the outer wrapper, such that each line of weakness extends generally diagonally to the direction of travel of the continuous sheet of material. Preferably, the form of the lines of weakness and their relative positions are provided so that any length of the sheet i o material can be cut and used to provide an outer wrapper of a filled package according to the invention with at least one diagonally extending line of weakness. This advantageously enables the same sheet material to be used for any size or shape of package and enables the step of cutting the sheet material to be carried out in a simple way, without the need to register the cut lines with the lines of weakness.
15 Suitable techniques and apparatus for applying lines of weakness to a sheet material will be well known to the skilled person. Preferably, the lines of weakness are in the form of perforation lines, as described above.
According to the invention there is also provided a method of removing the outer wrapper from a wrapped package according to the invention, as described above, the method
20 comprising tearing the outer wrapper along the at least one line of weakness extending generally diagonally around the filled package and removing the torn outer wrapper from the filled package.
The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
25 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a wrapped package of smoking articles according to the invention; and
Figure 2 shows an example of a perforated sheet materials for use in providing the outer wrapper of wrapped packages according to the invention.
The package 10 shown in Figure 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped and comprises an
30 arrangement of ten separate hinge lid containers 12 of twenty smoking articles and an outer wrapper 14 wrapped around the containers. The hinge lid containers 12 are of conventional design and construction, as would be well known to the skilled person. Adjacent hinge lid containers 12 are in contact with each other along an interface and each interface defines at least one line of interface at the surface of the filled package.
35 The outer wrapper 14 is formed of a transparent film of polypropylene. The wrapper 14 has been wrapped around the group of containers 12 in a longitudinal direction so that first 16a and second 16b opposed edges of the outer wrapper 14 overlap to form a longitudinal overlapping region 18. The overlapping region 18 extends in a straight band, across the front wall 20 of the carton, towards one side of the front wall 20 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal edges of the package 10. At the opposed top 22 and bottom 24 ends of the package 10, the outer wrapper 14 is folded in the conventional manner with envelope seals, and sealed in place.
The outer wrapper 14 includes a single line of perforation 26 which extends around the package 10 between the top 22 and bottom 24 ends of the package. The line of perforation 26 extends diagonally at approximately 60 degrees to the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal overlapping region and as a result of the wrapping of the outer wrapper 14 around the package, the line of perforation 26 forms a spiral configuration which extends approximately twice around the whole package. The line of perforation 26 therefore extends at least once across each of the faces of the wrapped package 10. As shown in Figure 1 , the line of perforation 26 also extends across a number of the lines of interfaces between adjacent containers 12 rather than extending along the lines of interface.
In order to open the wrapped package 10 of Figure 1 , the consumer may break the line of perforation 26 extending around the package in order to split apart the outer wrapper 14. By breaking the line of weakness 26, the outer wrapper 14 is sufficiently torn apart that it can be readily separated from the underlying containers 12.
The outer wrapper 14 of the package 10 shown in Figure 1 is formed from a continuous sheet 1 14a of transparent polypropylene material which has been cut to form discrete outer wrappers 14 of an appropriate size for wrapping the containers 12 of smoking articles. Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the sheet material 1 14a for forming the outer wrapper 14 used in the filled package of Figure 1 . In Figures 2 the solid lines within the sheet material indicate cut lines which are made to form the individual outer wrappers 14 and the dotted or dashed lines indicate the diagonal lines of perforation. The arrow A in Figure 2 indicates the longitudinal direction of the package which also corresponds to the direction of travel of the sheet material
In the sheet material 1 14a of Figure 2, a 'chevron' arrangement of V-shaped lines of perforation is provided so that after cutting the sheet material along the solid lines to form the individual outer wrappers 14, each outer wrapper 14 includes a single, continuous and straight line of perforation 126a extending between diagonally opposed corners.
It will be appreciated that a wide variety of other arrangements or patterns of lines of perforation may be formed in the outer wrapper, which provide the diagonal lines of weakness of the wrapped packages of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that a similar form of outer wrapper could be applied to a wide variety of packages of different shapes and sizes, by adapting the size and shape of the outer wrapper and if necessary, the pattern of the lines of weakness.