Patent Application
20050053744
(NOT APPLICABLE)
(NOT APPLICABLE)
The present invention relates generally to business forms and, more particularly, to a clean release card business form including an integrated and removable card for identification or the like.
There are many uses for cards such as identification cards, and it is becoming increasingly popular in the manufacture of business forms to mount one or more cards on a form that is mailed to a recipient. In the construction of such forms, it is desirable to be able to use the form with both impact and non-impact printers (such as laser printers) with minimum amount of difficulties, and to be able to print the card with variable information on both the top and bottom faces thereof.
Conventionally, cards may be adhered to business forms using an adhesive, which often unattractively appears through the back of the card after it has been removed from the business form. Additionally, the use of adhesive undesirably generates some residual adhesive material after the card is removed from the form, which adhesive could remain on the card requiring the recipient to remove the adhesive.
It would thus be desirable to construct a clean release card form that is easy to manufacture and can be readily printed using impact or non-impact printers while including at least one integrated clean release card on the form. The present invention takes advantage of a clean release liner to simplify the clean release card form and utilizes a web of base material that itself is suitable for the clean release card.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of manufacturing a clean release card form includes the steps of (a) supplying a web of base material having a top surface and a bottom surface; (b) printing indicia as desired on at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface; (c) affixing a clean release liner on the bottom surface; and (d) die cutting at least one section of the base material web top surface to define a corresponding at least one removable clean release card.
Step (a) may be practiced by supplying a web of pre-laminated base material, or by supplying a web of base material that is suitable for lamination. In a similar context, the method may further include, prior to step (c), the step of laminating one of both of the top surface and the bottom surface.
The clean release liner may be applied in a continuous press run or patched on the bottom surface adjacent the at least one section of the base material web top surface.
Step (d) may be practiced by die cutting a plurality of sections of the base material web top surface to define a corresponding plurality of removable clean release cards.
The method may additional include, prior to step (c), the step of applying an adhesive to at least one section of the base material web bottom surface to define a corresponding at least one adhesive area, where the adhesive area is smaller than and within an area of the clean release card; and after step (c), the step of die cutting the clean release liner around the adhesive area defining a liner portion, such that when the clean release card is removed from the form, the liner portion of the clean release liner remains attached to the clean release card.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a clean release card business form includes a web of base material having a top surface and a bottom surface, a clean release liner affixed on the bottom surface, and at least one die cut section of the base material web top surface. The at least one die cut section defines a corresponding at least one removable clean release card.
In still other exemplary embodiments of the invention, a clean release card form is assembled according to the method of the invention, and an identification card mailer is assembled according to the method of the invention.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to
The base material web may be any of several suitable materials for the described purpose. One preferred material is a known paper-plastic-paper composite that is readily printable as desired. This known material without further processing is suitable for identification cards or the like for a clean release card business form product. Of course, other base material web products may also be suitable. For example, with reference to
The liner is a paper or plastic/poly material that has been coated with a repositionable adhesive. A primer coat may be applied to the liner before the repositionable adhesive to enhance the adherance of the repositionable adhesive to the liner sheet. The repositionable adhesive will adhere to the liner sheet and not transfer to other materials that it comes in contact with. Although those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other suitable clean release liner products, a preferred product is sold by the assignee of the present invention under the trademark CLEAN-TAC™.
The clean release liner 16 may be affixed in any suitable manner in a continuous press run using known means or via a known patching process such that only portions of the bottom surface adjacent the die cut sections 20 of the top surface of the base material web 12 have the liner 16 applied thereto. Using a patching process for the clean release liner 16 would help to conserve the use of the clean release liner material.
With the construction of the clean release card form of the present invention, the form can be suitably printed using an impact or non-impact printer (such as a laser printer) for use as an identification card mailer or other clean release card form. By using a clean release liner, no adhesive residue results from removing the cards from the mailer. The simplified construction is easier and less expensive to manufacture than conventional constructions.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
