Patent Application
20050255275
Field of the Invention—The present invention relates generally to adhesive segment dispensing tape, and more particularly to an adhesive segment dispensing tape having a transparent or semi-transparent release liner to enable the easy positioning and placement of adhesive segments.
In recent years, crafting, such as scrapbooking, rubber stamping, sewing, gift basket making, and candlemaking have become increasing popular. As these hobbies have developed over time, a large number of specialty products have evolved for specific application in the craft making arts.
Probably the most popular crafting hobby to date is the art of making a scrapbook. Today's scrapbooks are more than just an assembly of photographs. Rather, scrapbooks are decorated, organized collections of drawings, paper crafts, letters, cards, keepsakes, newspaper clippings, and other momentos, in addition to photographs and personal journal inscriptions.
The scrapbook industry has developed specialized supplies such as books, papers, fabrics, pens, inks, and adhesives for the assembly of a scrapbook. Further, the advent of digital photograph and desktop publishing has also facilitated the availability of customized, carefully selected photographs and drawings for inclusion into a scrapbook project. Indeed, there are several publications, including books and monthly scrapbooking magazines devoted to the scrapbooking topic that are available for scrapbooking enthusiasts.
Decoration of a scrapbook, candle, gift basket, or other craft project includes the necessary arrangement and adhesion of decorative and specialty items to the project. Typically, hot glue or liquid glue has been used for these types of projects. However, hot glue guns can be dangerous, especially for younger crafters, and the high temperature of the glue can damage or distort the material to which it is applied. Further, liquid glues can be messy and require significant drying time before additional steps in the craft project can be taken. Liquid glue can also end up in unwanted locations on the craft item, detracting from the look of the finished product. Additionally, double sided tapes can be used, however, these tapes are bulky and conspicuous and thus detract from the look of the finished craft product.
Thermoplastic glue segments and/or pressure sensitive adhesive segments are another alternative for use in crafting. These types of adhesive segments are available on an opaque, paper backing material and are typically available in sheets or roll form. Such products are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,670, U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,442, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,016, all to Downs, all of which assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, and all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. However, due to obstruction of the adhesive segments by the opaque backing material as the adhesive segments are being applied to an object, the adhesive segments are difficult to place on an item, especially where precise placement is required. In addition, once released from the backing material, the adhesive is difficult to remove and nearly impossible to reposition.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention to provide an adhesive dispensing tape including pressure sensitive adhesive segments provided on a transparent backing material, the transparent backing material making it easy to place the adhesive in precise locations on an object. It is another objective of the present invention to provide an adhesive dispensing tape wherein the transparent backing/release material can be in sheet or roll form, and can include perforations for separating individual adhesive segments, or alternatively, can be made without perforations to permit a continuous segment of adhesive to be precisely placed on an object.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a wide variety of adhesive dispensing tapes for use in specialty projects, including pre-metered adhesives in the form of specific shapes, sizes, colors, and/or scents for easy and precise application to a craft project. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an adhesive dispensing tape or sheet including a transparent backing material for use in a variety of applications, including craft making and household applications as well as commercial and/or industrial applications.
The adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention must also be of construction which is practical and easy to use, and it should also require little or no skill on the part of the user to use. In order to enhance the market appeal of the adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, an adhesive dispensing tape for precise placement of a pressure sensitive adhesive is provided. The adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention is constructed of a transparent or substantially transparent carrier/backing material.
The carrier material is preferably constructed of a transparent polyester film having a heat resistance of up to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The carrier material may instead be constructed of any other transparent or semi-transparent material capable of withstanding temperatures of approximately 300 to 385 degrees Fahrenheit without deformation, although the characteristics will depend on the type of adhesive that will be applied to the carrier material. Such materials include, but are not limited to, polyester, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyimide.
Each surface of the polyester carrier material is covered with a silicone release coating in order to provide the carrier material with the ability easily release the adhesive segment. The carrier material is differentially coated with silicone such that the first release surface of the carrier material (the first side) provides less release than the second release surface of the carrier material so that the adhesive segments adhere more strongly to the first release surface than to the second release surface (the second side).
The adhesive is applied to the first release surface of the carrier material by any method well known to those skilled in the art, and may be accomplished according to the patents which are incorporated by reference above. The adhesive can be applied to the carrier material in any number of shapes, sizes, thickness, colors, and/or scents. In addition, the same carrier material may include adhesives having differing sizes, shapes, or colors of adhesives. The adhesive may be allowed to cool or “skin over” after application of the hot adhesive to the carrier sheet.
After application of the adhesive, the carrier material is preferably cut into individual strips and wound into coils. The differential release properties of the first and second release surfaces ensure that the adhesive will remain adhered to the first release surface as the coil is unwound.
The carrier material may be supplied as rolls or a continuous web prior to application of the adhesive and cut into strips thereafter. However, the carrier material may also be cut into sheets of adhesive segments, providing the user with another, complementary form of the present invention. As such, the carrier material may be cut or configured into any size or shape known to those skilled in the art before or after application of the adhesive, and depending on the desired end use application.
Because the carrier material is transparent, the adhesive is readily viewable through the carrier material from the second release surface of the carrier material. Thus, the adhesive can be easily positioned in a desired location on an object or craft project. Because the user can easily see exactly where the adhesive is going to be applied, the present invention eliminates any guess work associated with adhesive application, saving time and enhancing the look of the project.
Optionally, the carrier material may contain perforations for facilitating dispensing of the adhesive into individual segments, or, in one embodiment having a continuous segment, into short segments or longer pieces.
It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches an adhesive dispensing tape including a transparent carrier sheet for precise placement of a pressure sensitive adhesive on an object. It can also be seen that the present invention teaches a wide variety of adhesive dispensing products wherein the transparent backing/carrier material can be in sheet or roll form, and can include perforations for separating individual adhesive segments, or alternatively, can include no perforations for permitting a continuous segment of adhesive to be precisely placed on an object.
The present invention also provides a wide variety of adhesive dispensing products including a transparent carrier material that can be use in a number of specialty projects, including pre-metered adhesives in the form of specific shapes, sizes, colors, and/or scents for easy and precise application to a craft project.
The adhesive dispensing tape including a transparent carrier material of the present invention is of a construction which is both practical and easy to use, and requires little or no skill on the part of the user to use. The adhesive dispensing tape including a transparent carrier material of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
The transparent carrier material 32 includes a first release surface 36 on one side thereof and a second release surface 38 on the other side thereof. The carrier material 32 is preferably constructed of a transparent polyester film. Because the adhesive is applied to the carrier material in a molten state, the polyester film or other material must be capable of withstanding temperatures of up to approximately about 500 degrees Fahrenheit without deformation.
Consistent with the broader aspects of the present invention, the carrier material 32 may be constructed of any flexible, transparent or semi-transparent or tinted transparent material having a heat resistance of approximately about 300 to approximately about 385 degrees Fahrenheit without deformation. Further, a transparent material having a lower heat resistance may also be used depending on the type and temperature of adhesive applied to the carrier material. Such carrier materials can include, but are not limited to, polyester, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl, polystyrene, polyimide, polypropylene, and polyolefin.
Depending on the desired end-use product, the carrier material 32 may be provided either as a continuous web or as a roll and cut into narrow strips of carrier material containing a single row of adhesive segments either before or after adhesive application to provide multiple rolls of adhesive dispensing tape 30 each having an extended longitudinal dimension L and a transverse width dimension W, as illustrated in
As best illustrated in
The adhesive 34 may be any thermoplastic adhesive known to those skilled in the art, such as hot melt thermoplastic adhesives such as acrylics, natural and synthetic rubber-based adhesives, and amorphous polyolefin adhesives, pressure-sensitive silicones. Alternatively, pressure sensitive water-based adhesives can be used instead, thereby obviating the need for the carrier material 32 having high temperature characteristics. The adhesives or glues contemplated by the present invention include those demonstrating good adherence to a wide number of materials, such as fabric, paper, wood, resin, plastics, metals, ceramic, foil, glass, expanded synthetic foam, and/or cement. The adhesive may be permanent or semi-permanent, and have any of a wide range of tack (degree of adhesiveness), depending on the specific project application.
The adhesive 34 (using the typical hot melt thermoplastic adhesive material as the example used herein) is dispensed onto the first release surface 36 of the carrier material in a continuous strip along its longitudinal dimension “L” in any position across its transverse width dimension “W,” at approximately about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. However, application temperature can depend on the type of thermoplastic adhesive, the carrier material, and/or the release coating selected, and therefore the application temperature will vary depending on there factors.
The adhesive 34 is preferably dispensed by a thermoplastic glue metering nozzle and supplied by a metering pump, as will be well known to those skilled in the art and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,670 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,442 both previously incorporated by reference. As the first release surface 36 of the carrier material 32 moves underneath thermoplastic glue metering nozzle, the adhesive 34 is dispensed onto the carrier material 32. An air jet may be directed onto the first release surface 36 to cool the adhesive 34 as the carrier material 32 moves along.
Preferably, after application of the adhesive, the carrier material 32 is cut into individual strips each having a single row of the adhesive 34, and then is wound onto a take up core 42 into rolls 30. The differential release properties of the silicone release coating 40 on the first release surface 36 and the silicone release coating 41 on the second release surface 38, the fact that the adhesive 34 was initially applied in a hot state to the first release surface 36 causing better adherence, and the fact that there is some cooling and hence “skinning over” of the adhesive 34 prior to the unwinding the take up core 42 all ensure that the adhesive 34 remains adhered to the first release surface 36 as the roll 30 is subsequently unwound.
As best illustrated in
As also illustrated in
A plurality of adhesive segments 54 are disposed on the first release surface 50 in a spaced-apart fashion along the longitudinal dimension “L” of the carrier material 48. Note that in
The adhesive segments 54 may be located in a straight line, or they may be disposed along the length of the carrier material 48 in any position across its transverse width dimension “W,” i.e. in a zigzag pattern, a diagonal pattern, or in other types of repeating patterns along the length of the carrier material 48. Preferably, there will be only a single adhesive segment 54 located in a transverse position of the carrier material 48 at any given longitudinal position along the length of the carrier material 48, as illustrated in
Preferably, the spacing of the adhesive segments 54 is such that the adhesive segments 54 do not overlap along the longitudinal length “L” or across the transverse width “W” of the carrier material 48. This ensures that there is a margin 56 surrounding each adhesive segment 54 such that an individual adhesive segment 54 may be exposed to the surface of an object without the risk of the object contacting multiple adhesive segments 54.
As described above, the silicone release coating in combination with the construction of the roll of adhesive dispensing tape 46 ensures that the adhesive segments 34 remain adhered to the first release surface 36 as the roll of adhesive dispensing tape 46 is unwound.
As further illustrated in
As illustrated in
Turning next to
Likewise, as illustrated in
Accordingly, consistent with the broader aspects of the present invention, the adhesive may be disposed on the transparent carrier material in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors (including transparent adhesives) and scents. For example, in making an adhesive segment for use with gift cards secured to a letter or other paper sheet for a coffee franchise, adhesive segments which smell like coffee could be used. Further, the adhesive segments may very in thickness from being very thin to being relatively thick, depending on the desired end-use application.
A plurality of adhesive segments 82 are disposed on the first release surface 86 in a spaced-apart fashion and are separated from each other by a margin 90 such that an individual adhesive segment 82 may be exposed to the surface of an object without the risk of the object picking up multiple adhesive segments 82. Further, optional perforations 92 permit each individual adhesive segment 82 to be separated from the sheet 80.
Because the carrier material 84 is transparent, each adhesive segment 82 can be easily seen through the second release surface 88 of the carrier material 84. As such, the adhesive segments 82 on the first release surface 86 can be easily positioned over an item in the precise location of its intended application. Once correctly positioned, the adhesive segment 82 may be applied to the object by contacting the adhesive segment 82 with the desired surface. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a cover sheet (not shown herein) of release material could be added to the configuration shown in
Turning finally to
A plurality of adhesive segments 108 are disposed on the first release surface 104 in a spaced-apart fashion in two parallel rows along the longitudinal dimension “L” of the carrier material 102. The adhesive segments 108 may be located in two straight lines, or they may be disposed along the length of the carrier material 102 in a repeating pattern along the length and in half of the total width “2W” of the carrier material 102. Note that in
Preferably, the spacing of the adhesive segments 108 is such that the adhesive segments 108 do not overlap along the longitudinal length “L” or across the centerline of the transverse width “2W” of the carrier material 102. This ensures that there is a margin 110 surrounding each adhesive segment 108 such that an individual adhesive segment 108 may be exposed to the surface of an object without the risk of the object contacting multiple adhesive segments 108.
As described above, the silicone release coating in combination with the construction of the roll of adhesive dispensing tape 100 ensures that the adhesive segments 108 remain adhered to the first release surface 104 as the roll of adhesive dispensing tape 100 is unwound.
As further illustrated in
It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the adhesive dispensing tape of the present invention including a thermoplastic, pressure sensitive, adhesive segment is provided on a transparent backing material for easy placement of the adhesive in precise locations on an object. It will also be appreciated that the present invention provides a method for dispensing pressure sensitive adhesives that permits the user of the adhesive the ability to see the adhesive segment to be applied, and visually guide its precise placement on an object.
The present invention also provides a wide variety of adhesive dispensing tapes (or adhesive dispensing sheets) for use in specialty projects, including pre-metered adhesives in the form of specific shapes, sizes, colors, and scents for easy and precise application to a craft project. Accordingly, the present invention provides an adhesive dispensing tape or sheet including a transparent backing material for use in a variety of applications including craft making and household applications as well as commercial and/or industrial applications.
Although the foregoing description of the adhesive dispensing tape including a transparent carrier sheet of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
