Patent Application
20240150095
The present disclosure relates to packaging containers. More specifically, the disclosure relates to packaging containers for disposable goods that allow the disposable goods to be retained in a position via adhering the packaging container to a desired substrate.
In one aspect, a container assembly is provided. The container assembly includes a container configured to contain a plurality of individually dispensable goods. The container assembly includes an adhesive assembly having at least two layers, wherein a first outermost surface of the at least two layers forms a first adhesive side and a second outermost surface of the at least two layers forms a second adhesive side opposite the first adhesive side. The first adhesive side may be configured to adhere to a side of the container and the second adhesive side may be configured to adhere to a substrate, the substrate configured to support the container. The adhesive assembly is configured to prevent separation of the container from the substrate during removal of at least one of the plurality of individually dispensable goods.
In any embodiments herein, the at least two layers include at least one pressure sensitive adhesive. In some embodiments, the at least one pressure sensitive adhesive may be disposed on at least one of first adhesive side or the second adhesive side within an application region. In other embodiments, a total area of the application region of the at least one pressure sensitive adhesive on the first adhesive side or the second adhesive side may be at least 25 mm2. In yet other embodiments, the application region includes a plurality of discrete regions. In various embodiments, each of the discrete regions is covered by one or more pieces of release paper. In some embodiments, the adhesive assembly is configured as a laminar structure, where each of the first side and the second side include the at least one pressure sensitive adhesive, and where the at least one pressure sensitive adhesive is covered by at least one layer of release paper. In other embodiments, the container assembly includes a face stock structure having at least two surfaces, the face stock structure further including at least one layer of carrier material, where the at least one pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to each of the at least two surfaces of the face stock. In yet other embodiments, the at least two layers further includes a foam core. In various embodiments, the foam core is cross-linked.
In another aspect, a method of securing a container of disposable goods is provided. The method includes providing an adhesive assembly, where the adhesive assembly includes at least two layers, where a first outermost surface of the at least one layer forms a first adhesive side and a second outermost surface of the at least one layer forms a second adhesive side opposite the first adhesive side. The adhesive assembly also includes a first release liner configured to removably couple to the first outermost layer and a second release liner configured to removably couple to the second outermost layer. The first adhesive side and the second adhesive side include at least one adhesive. The method also includes removing the first release liner from the first outermost layer, coupling the first outermost layer to a surface of the container, removing the second release liner from the second outermost layer, and coupling the second outermost layer to a support surface.
In various embodiments, the container includes at least one of paperboard, corrugated fiberboard, or a thermoplastic resin. In some embodiments, the method includes determining a strength of the at least one adhesive, the at least one adhesive having at least one of a rubber-based adhesive, an acrylic based adhesive, or a silicon-based adhesive. In other embodiments, the strength of the at least one adhesive is defined as S, and S is greater than or equal to S=F/(M*A), where S is a value determined by ASTM test D3330-Method A on stainless steel, where F is a maximum force required to remove one or more articles individually from the container, where A is an area of the second adhesive side that is configured to contact the support surface, and where M=0.57. In yet other embodiments, the at least one adhesive includes at least one micro-suction adhesive element or a pressure sensitive adhesive.
In yet another aspect, a method of securing a container of disposable goods is provided. The method includes providing the container, the container forming a substrate, and applying at least two adhesive layers to the substrate. At least one of the at least two adhesive layers is applied via spraying, an outermost surface of the at least two layers forms a first adhesive side and a second surface of the at least two layers opposite the outermost surface forms a second adhesive side, and the second adhesive side is adhered to the substrate. The method further includes covering, with a first release liner, the outermost surface, where the first release liner is configured to removably couple to the outermost surface. The method also includes removing the first release liner from the outermost surface and coupling the outermost surface to a support substrate.
This summary is illustrative only and should not be regarded as limiting.
The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, in which:
Various embodiments are described hereinafter. It should be noted that the specific embodiments are not intended as an exhaustive description or as a limitation to the broader aspects discussed herein. One aspect described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced with any other embodiment(s).
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the elements (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the claims unless otherwise stated. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential.
Packaging containers in which consumer or disposable goods are shipped and contained prior to and during use. The present disclosure also relates to devices that may be attached to packaging containers to prevent movement when items are dispensed. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a packaging container in which consumer and disposable goods are contained and which bear one or more adhesive devices attached to one or more of the outer sides of the packaging container such that one or more of the adhesive devices on the container may be exposed and adhered to a desired substrate surface or substrates such that items may be dispensed without noticeably causing the container to move. Many consumer and disposable products or goods including but not limited to garbage bags, tissue paper, zipper storage bags, microwave steaming bags, disposable gloves, and wet wipes are shipped and packaged in disposable containers that are intended for storing the goods until used and depleted. These packaging containers are often designed to allow a single unit of the contained goods to be removed. Some packaging containers comprise a restrictive device to cause separation of the items or goods to be dispensed. This restrictive device causes forces that require the container to be held by the user. It has been found that the force required by the user to remove a single unit results in the container being lifted off the substrate surface on which it was placed, thereby inhibiting, or preventing, the good to release without the user restraining the container. Thus, persons with limited use of an arm or arms may have difficulty removing items when the container needs to be restrained from moving. In addition, it is often convenient to place containers of tissues, wet wipes, and the like on the floor of vehicles between the driver and passenger seats. Unfortunately, these containers are subject to movement and can become a hazard, especially when they relocate to the area near or under the foot pedals due to the movement of the vehicle. This is both a nuisance and a potential safety hazard for users of the disposable products, in addition to diminishing the ability to release only a single unit of the disposable product at a time. Thus, there is a need for a method to temporarily locate containers containing goods (e.g., disposable products) until the goods are depleted from such containers both for convenience and safety reasons. In addition, there are times when the incompletely depleted container will require to be moved to a new location. U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,206 discloses a double-sided tape having a double-sided, pressure sensitive adhesive tape with a low surface energy phenyl substituted silicone adhesive on one side and a higher surface energy acrylic adhesive on the other. Unfortunately, this technology provides adhesive properties that are unnecessarily restrictive, exceed the requirements of various use applications, and are unnecessarily expensive for use in a disposable application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,581 is directed to an easily removable, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having a highly extensible and substantially non-recoverable backing that bears on at least one major surface thereof. The adhesive tape also includes a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive, where the tape can be firmly bonded to a substrate and is removable therefrom after only being stretched at an angle no greater than about 35 degrees from the surface of the substrate. Although this technology could be used to retain disposal packaging on an adherend surface, in practice it is not suitable due to surface preparation requirements and costs related to this sophisticated technology.
In applications where the container is to be adhered to a fabric surface, such as carpet, a non-permanent adhesive or glue may be used herein, with pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) or blends of PSA being preferred. Suitable adhesives include, but are not limited to, Century A-305-I, Instant LOK 34-2823, LA203 and Fuller H-2238ZP as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,810.
Therefore, there is a need for a manner in which to adhere a packaging container to a convenient substrate surface in such a way that the adhesion force will be sufficient to prevent the container from moving while an article is being dispensed yet allow the container to be removed from the substrate surface without marring or damaging the substrate surface.
Disclosed herein, are methods for addressing the aforementioned needs by locating an adherent on the container during manufacturing of the container or during the packing of the container, or which may be applied by the consumer as needed.
Accordingly, in a first aspect, a packaging container, configured for dispensing contained articles or goods individually, is securely held to a substrate surface via a double-sided adhesive, hereafter referred as the “adhesive device,” until the container is moved to a different location or is discarded. The adhesive device may include a layer of adhesive contacting the container and the substrate surface, or the adhesive device may include one or more layers of substrate material and adhesives with one adhesive layer contacting the container and a second adhesive layer contacting the substrate surface. In at least one embodiment, a disposable packaging container for containing a consumer or disposable product includes one or more sides bearing an adhesive device. In various embodiments, the container may be made from one or more material types including, but not limited to, paperboard, paperboard further protected by an extrusion coated polyethylene or other polymeric layer, cardboard, cardboard further protected by an extrusion coated polyethylene or other polymeric layer, corrugated fiberboard, plastic, paper-like material, or paper-like material further protected by an extrusion coated polyethylene or other polymeric layer, and/or other suitable packaging technologies known in the art. Each of these container types may be treated to provide a printed surface. An adhesive device is then adhered to one or more of the sides of the container. The device may be adhered to the container by an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), spray adhesive, hot melt adhesive, or other suitable adhesives as known in the art. The PSA may be a permanent PSA. The second face of the device has an adhesive layer designed to adhere to a substrate surface (adherend) selected by the consumer. The adhesion of the device to the container may preferably be greater than the adhesion of the device to the desired substrate surface. The adhesive may be a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) or nano-suction (also referred to as micro-suction) adhesive device. The adhesive may be a pressure sensitive adhesive. The second PSA layer is then protected by a release liner to prevent the adhesive from being damaged until required. The device may include a PSA layer applied to the container and protected by a release liner. Micro-suction adhesive tapes may be used in select applications where the substrate surface is smooth. Micro-suction tape may be made from acrylic foam, such as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0196539.
In various embodiments, the container and/or a coupled adhesive assembly (where the adhesive assembly includes a PSA) may include one or more release liners (i.e., depending on the configuration of the container), where the release liner is configured to protect the PSA prior to use. In various embodiments, the liners may be a paper, polymer, or any other suitable material known in the art.
Many release liners include a two-sided substrate in which the surface to be in contact with the adhesive that is being protected is modified to provide low bonding energy to the said adhesive. A release surface, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,557 includes hydroxyethyl cellulose and a complex compound of the Werner type in which a trivalent nuclear chromium atom is coordinated with an acyclic carboxylic acid having from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, inclusive. Other such release liners use a silicon-modified surface to attain the desired surface energy (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,710), may include patterning of the release liner substrate to form a structured surface to enhance performance (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,972,670), and others may not include silicon at all (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 9,495,888, which describes a water-based release surface that utilize fluorochemicals).
In at least one embodiment, an adhesive device is configured as a stand-alone double-sided adhesive device, where outer adhesive layers are protected by a release liner to prevent damage or wear on the adhesive (i.e., on the adhesive layers) prior to its intended use. Accordingly, the device may be supplied as a sheet or a roll, where a single layer of release liner is required. The adhesive device may be cut to size in any desired shape by any means known in the art.
In a second embodiment, the adhesive device is applied during a manufacturing process of the container configured to contain goods.
The embodiments shown in the drawings and hereinafter are presented with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered illustrative only, and is not intended to be limiting.
In at least one embodiment, an adhesive assembly includes a double-sided tape, where adhesives of the double-sided tape (i.e., the adhesives disposed on opposing sides of the double-sided tape) have different adhesion properties. In various implementations, this adhesive assembly may be configured to couple to a container on a first side, and couple to a substrate surface on a second side, thereby coupling the container to the substrate surface. Such a configuration may also be used during the manufacturing process.
In an alternative embodiment, the adhesive assembly may be applied to the container during a stage of manufacturing of the container, after the container is formed, or after the container is filled with the product to be removed by a consumer. The adhesive assembly may be applied to the container during a stage of packaging process. In this embodiment, a single layer of adhesive may be applied (e.g., placed, sprayed, etc.) to the container and protected by a release liner. Alternatively, a multi-layer device comprising at least two adhesive layers and a carrier layer may be applied (e.g., placed, sprayed, etc.) to one or more sides of the container. In other embodiments, two layers of differing pressure sensitive adhesives may be applied (e.g., placed, sprayed) to the container prior to or during manufacture of the container or during the packing of the container, where a PSA providing strong adhesion to the container is applied first. Subsequently, a second PSA is applied directly on the first PSA layer, where the second PSA layer is then protected with a protective release layer. The adhesive of first adhesive layer is selected such that its adhesion to the packaging surface is greater than the adhesion of the second adhesive is to stainless steel both being measured by ASTM D3330. These layers of adhesive may be produced in bulk, in solution, or in the melt, using any techniques known to the skilled person for the production of layer structures, more particularly of layers of adhesive. In various embodiments, to prevent delamination, the two PSA layers (i.e., the first layer having a strong adhesion and the second layer, which is applied directly to the first layer) may be chosen such that the bond between the two layers, after any necessary post application treatment (e.g., application of pressure), is of greater strength than the adhesive strength between exposed PSA and stainless steel as per ASTM D3330. As a non-limiting example, the PSA in contact with the container (i.e., the first layer) may be an acrylic based PSA and the exposed PSA (i.e., the second layer) may be a rubber-based PSA. In various embodiments, no carrier layer is used and one or more layers of PSA may be directly coated or layered to each other.
In another embodiment, a multi-layer adhesive assembly includes at least two exposed adhesive layers and a layer comprising a foam core. This assembly structure is particularly advantageous when the adhesive assembly is being applied to a container with a depression in the surface, such as is often found in cylindrical plastic containers which, for example, are often used to contain disposable wipes. This structure is also useful when deploying the device to a flexible surface such as a paperboard container. Although intended for use by the consumer, the adhesive assembly may be deployed during the manufacturing process.
It is assumed throughout the present disclosure that the substrate surface to which the container and adhesive assembly will be attached will be substantially free of grease, water, and particulates. The adhesive assembly may be configured to temporarily adhere to common domestic surfaces including but not limited to glass, metal (e.g., stainless steel, copper, etc.), laminate having a melamine surface (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,284,432, Formica® brand laminate), bare wood (e.g., western red cedar, redwood, oak, maple, pine, fir, etc.), painted or varnished wood, natural stone (e.g., granite, slate, etc.), and manufactured countertops made from acrylic resin and crushed stone (e.g., Coriang). In the case of wood, the varnish may be a shellac, polyurethane coating, oil-based coating (e.g., Tung oil, Danish oil, etc.), and the paint may be an oil based paint (e.g., alkyd or natural oil such as linseed) or water based latex paint. The paint latex may include acrylic polymer and/or polyvinyl acetate. Surfaces including a melamine surface such as melamine coated particle board may be used. Hard board of any type may be used. The adhesive assembly may also be deployed on short fiber materials such as bedding and carpet. The adhesive assembly may also be deployed on carpet such as that found in automobiles. In various implementations, a surface energy of the substrate surface (i.e., to which the adhesive assembly is configured to adhere) is greater than 30 mN/m. In various embodiments, the adhesive assembly may adhere to non-stick surfaces such as Teflon with surface energies less than 30 mN/m. In embodiments where surface energies are less than 30 mN/M, the adhesive assembly may be deployed with a silicon PSA. In various embodiments, the adhesive assembly may be used with various release liners, such as release liners including silicone-coated 54 lb. Bleached Kraft Paper (3.2 mil/0.08 mm). Other carrier layers (substrates) known the art which may be used include, but are not limited to, Super calendered Kraft paper (SCK) (typically used for labels in the USA), Glassine (i.e., a SCK paper typically with a polyvinyl alcohol top coat) (typically used for labels in Europe), Clay coated Kraft paper (CCK) or coated paper, Machine finished Kraft paper (MFK) (i.e., paper as it comes from a standard paper machine), Machine glazed paper (MG) (i.e., paper which has been glazed, such as on a Yankee cylinder of a paper machine), a biaxially oriented PET film (BO-PET) having a very high temperature-resistant and tough film liner, or a biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP). In other implementations other polyolefins may be used that are made out of high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), or polypropylene (PP) plastic resins.
A first form of a first embodiment of the adhesive assembly 100 is configured to be applied to a face of a packaging container (e.g., box, tub, carton, formed bag, etc.) by the consumer. In the first embodiment, the adhesive assemblies 100 and 200 include five components that are illustrated in
In various embodiments, the first outermost component 101, 201 (“layer 1”) is a release liner, which includes a material that is readily separable (e.g., by peeling away) from the second outermost component 102, 202 (“layer 2”), where the second outermost component 102, 202 includes a pressure sensitive adhesive. The first outermost component 101, 201 (“layer 1”) is necessary to protect the second outermost component 102, 202 (“layer 2”) from damage. Accordingly, the first outermost component 101, 201 protects the second outermost component 102, 202 until the adhesive properties of the second outermost component 102, 202 are desired for use. Once the first outermost component 101, 201 is removed, the second outermost component 102, 202 will adhere to the substrate surface and to the carrier layer 103, 203 (“layer 3”). The carrier layer 103, 203 may be a paper, cardboard, paper-like, or polyester film, a foam structure, or other substrate as known in the art that adheres to both the second outermost layer 102, 202 and the adhesive film 104, 204 (“layer 4”). The adhesive film 104, 204 includes an adhesive that has a higher adhesion strength than an adhesion strength of the second outermost component 102, 202 to their respective adherend substrates. For example, the second outermost layer 102, 202 may be configured to adhere to a support surface (e.g., countertop, wall, etc.) and the adhesive film 104, 204 may be configured to adhere to a surface of the container. In another example, the second outermost layer 102, 202 may be configured to adhere to a surface of the container and the adhesive film 104, 204 may be configured to adhere to a support surface. The difference in adhesion strengths facilitates removal of the container from the substrate surface without leaving the adhesive assembly on the substrate surface. A release liner 105, 205 (“layer 5”) includes a material that is readily removable from the adhesive film 104, 204 (e.g., by peeling away). The release liner 105, 205 protects (i.e., covers) the adhesive film 104, 204 from damage prior to use. In various embodiments, the adhesive forces of the carrier layer 103, 203 to the second outermost layer 102, 202 and the adhesive film 104, 204 are greater than the adhesive force between each of outermost layer 102, 202 and the adhesive film 104, 204 to their respective surfaces. The physical properties of the outermost component 102, 202 and the adhesive film 104, 204 will be described in detail below.
After removal of the first outermost component 101, 202 (“layer 1) (e.g., by a user of the adhesive assembly), the second outermost component 102, 202 (“layer 2”) will adhere the container, via the carrier layer 103, 203 and the adhesive film 104, 204, to the desired surface. The second outermost layer 102, 202 (“layer 2”) may be a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) or micro-suction adhesive. In various embodiments, the second outermost layer 102, 202 is a PSA. In various embodiments, the PSA forms a temporary bond such that when the container is removed from the desired surface, little or no trace of the PSA remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. In various embodiments, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PSA is in the range of −20° C. to −80° C. In some embodiments, rubber, acrylic, or silicone types of PSA, or any suitable combination thereof may be used. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art.
After removal of the release liner 105, 205 (e.g., by the user), the adhesive film 104, 204 will adhere the adhesive assembly 100, 200 to the container which the adhesive assembly 100, 200 is to be applied. In various embodiments, a bond between the adhesive assembly 100, 200 and the container is a permanent or temporary bond. In various embodiments, the PSA may be a rubber PSA, an acrylic PSA, silicone PSA, or a combination of any two or more thereof. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 104, 204 adheres to the container more strongly than the second outermost component 102, 202 adheres to the substrate surface. In various embodiments, neither the adhesive 104, 204 nor the outermost component 102, 202 releases when a maximum force required to remove an item (e.g., good) from the container occurs. In various embodiments, an adhesive strength of adhesive film 104, 204 is higher than that of the second outermost component 102, 202, as this facilitates removal of the entire container and adhesive assembly 100, 200 from the substrate surface. The adhesive of the first adhesive layer is selected such that its adhesion to the packaging surface (i.e., a surface of the container) is greater than the adhesion of the second adhesive is to stainless steel both being measured by ASTM D3330.
In another embodiment, an adhesive assembly 300 may be configured as a roll. The adhesive assembly 300 may include four components, as shown in
After removal of the first outermost component 301 (“layer 1”) by the user, the second outermost component (“layer 2”) will adhere the container (i.e., via the carrier layer 303 and the adhesive film 304), to the desired surface. In various embodiments, the second outermost component 302 (“layer 2”) may be a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) or micro-suction adhesive. In some embodiments, the PSA may form a temporary bond such that when the container is removed, little or no trace of the adhesive remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. In various embodiments, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PSA is in the range of −20° C. to −80° C. In some embodiments, rubber, acrylic, or silicone types of PSA, or any suitable combination thereof may be used. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art.
The adhesive film 304 may be configured to adhere the adhesive assembly 300 to the container that it is to be applied. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 304 may adhere to the container via a permanent or temporary bond. In some embodiments, the PSA may be a rubber PSA, an acrylic PSA, silicone PSA, or a combination of any two or more thereof. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 304 is configured to adhere to the container more strongly than the second outermost component 302 adheres to the substrate surface. In various embodiments, neither the adhesive film 304 nor the second outermost component 302 releases when a maximum force required to remove an item (e.g., good) from the container occurs. In various embodiments, an adhesive strength of the adhesive film 304 is higher than that of the second outermost component 302, which may facilitate removal of the entire container and adhesive assembly 300 from the substrate surface.
In further embodiments, an adhesive assembly 400 or 500 may be attached to a container 406 (
In various embodiments, the first outermost component 401, 501 is a release liner, which includes a material that is readily removable (e.g., by peeling away) from the second outermost component, which includes a pressure sensitive adhesive. In various embodiments, the first outermost component 401, 501 is configured to protect the second outermost component 402, 502 from damage until it is desired for use. The second outermost component 402, 502 will adhere to the substrate surface and to the carrier layer 403, 503. In various embodiments, the carrier layer 403, 503 may be a paper, cardboard, paper-like or polyester film, a foam structure, or other substrate known in the art that adheres to both the second outermost component 402, 502 and the adhesive film 404, 504. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 404, 504 has a higher adhesive strength to the intended surface to which it will be adhered to as compared to an adhesive strength of the second outermost component 402, 502 to the intended surface where it will be adhered. In various embodiments, the higher adhesive strength of the adhesive film 404, 504 relative to the second outermost component 402, 502 facilitates removal of the container 400, 500 from the substrate surface without leaving the adhesive assembly on the substrate surface. As described above, the face 405, 505 is a face of the container 406, 506. In various embodiments, the adhesive forces of the carrier layer 403, 503 to the second outermost component 402, 502 and the adhesive film 404, 504 are preferably greater than an adhesive force between each of the second outermost component 402, 502 and the adhesive film 404, 504 and their respective adherend surfaces.
After removal of the first outermost component 401, 501 (“layer 1”) by the user, the second outermost component 402, 502 (“layer 2”) will adhere the container face 405, 505 (“layer 5”), via the carrier layer 403, 503 (“layer 3”) and the adhesive film 404, 504 (“layer 4”), to the desired surface. In various embodiments, the second outermost component 402, 502 is a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). In some embodiments, the PSA may form a temporary bond such that when the container is removed, little or no trace of the adhesive remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. In some embodiments, a glass transition temperature, Tg, of the PSA is in the range of −20° C. to −80° C. In various embodiments, rubber, acrylic, or silicone types of PSA, or any suitable combination may be used. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art.
The adhesive film 404, 504 is configured to adhere the adhesive assembly to the container 406, 506, to which it is to be applied. This may be a permanent or temporary bond. The PSA may be a rubber PSA, an acrylic PSA, silicone PSA, or a combination of any two or more thereof. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 404, 504 may adhere to the container 406, 506 more strongly than the second outermost component 402, 502 adheres to the substrate surface. In various embodiments, neither the second outermost component 402, 502 nor the adhesive film 404, 504 releases when a maximum force required to remove an item from the container 406, 506 occurs. In various embodiments, an adhesive strength of the adhesive film 404, 504 is higher than that of the second outermost component 402, 502 to facilitate removal of the entire container 406, 506 and adhesive assembly from the substrate surface.
In various embodiments, an adhesive assembly includes three components. Adhesive assembly 600 and adhesive assembly 700 are respectively shown in
After removal of the first component 601, 701 (“layer 1”), the second component 602, 702 (i.e., the pressure sensitive adhesive “layer 2”) will bond the container 604, 704 via its face (i.e., “layer 3”) to the desired substrate surface. In various embodiments, the second component 602, 702 forms a temporary bond with the substrate surface such that when the container 604, 704 is removed from the surface on which it is located, little or no trace of the adhesive remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. In some embodiments, a glass transition temperature, Tg, of the PSA is in the range of −20° C. to −80° C. In some embodiments, rubber, acrylic, or silicone types of PSA, or any combination thereof may be used. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art. In various embodiments, the second component 602, 702 (“layer 2”) may include one or more layers of adhesive, where a layer contacting the face of the container 604, 704 has a higher adhesive strength to the container 604, 704 than an adhesive strength of the PSA layer contacting the desired surface.
In another embodiment, an adhesive assembly 800 includes a foam core. In various embodiments, the adhesive assembly 800 includes nine components, as shown in
A flexible adhesive 806 (“layer 6”) is bound to the adhesive film 804 via the foamed polymer 805. In various embodiments, thermoset adhesives are not appropriate for use with the adhesive assembly 800. The adhesive assembly 800 includes a carrier layer 807 (“layer 7”), a pressure sensitive adhesive 808 (“layer 8”), and a release liner 809, as shown in
As described above, the outermost component 801 (“layer 1”) is a release liner, which includes a material that is readily removable (e.g., by peeling) from the second outermost component 802 (“layer 2”). The outermost component 801 is configured to protect the second outermost component 802 (and the other layers within the adhesive assembly 800) from damage. Further, the outermost component 801 protects the second outermost component until it is desired for use. In various embodiments, the second outermost component 802 is configured to adhere the remaining layers within the adhesive assembly 800 to the desired substrate surface. In various embodiments, the carrier layer 803 may be a paper, paper-like or polyester film, woven or non-woven fabric, or other substrate as known in the art that acts to adhere to both the second outermost component 802 and the adhesive film 804. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 804 has a higher adhesion strength to the foamed polymer 805 than an adhesion strength of the second outermost component 802 to its intended surface. In various embodiments, the foamed polymer (“layer 5”) is a resiliently compressible foamed polymer that allows the adhesive assembly 800 to conform to a shape of the container face and a shape of the desired surface substrate. In particular, this configuration of the adhesive assembly is useful for containers with concave surfaces, such as at the bottom of cylindrical plastic containers. In various embodiments, the flexible adhesive 806 may be the same adhesive as that used in the adhesive film 804. In various embodiments, an adhesion of the flexible adhesive 806 (“layer 6”) to the foamed polymer (“layer 5”) is greater than an adhesion of the second outermost component 802 (“layer 2”) to its intended surface, and the surfaces of the foam layer may be advantageously treated to enhance the bonding of the adhesive using methods known in the art (e.g., such as those described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0143685). In various embodiments, the carrier layer 807 (“layer 7”) may be a paper, paper-like or polyester film, woven or non-woven fabric, or other substrate as known in the art that adheres to both the flexible adhesive 806 and the pressure sensitive adhesive 808. In various embodiments, the pressure sensitive adhesive 808 (“layer 8”) is configured to adhere the adhesive assembly 800 to the face of the container, from which the items are to be dispensed. In various embodiments, the release liner 809 is configured to protect the pressure sensitive adhesive 808 prior to use. In some embodiments, the release liner 809 may be the same as the outermost component 801. In various embodiments, the pressure sensitive adhesive 808 adheres to the container more strongly than the second outermost component 802 adheres to the substrate surface. In various embodiments, neither the pressure sensitive adhesive 808 nor the second outermost component 802 releases when a maximum force required to remove an item from the container occurs. In various embodiments, an adhesive strength of the pressure sensitive adhesive 808 is higher than that of the second outermost component 802, which facilitates removal of the entire container and adhesive assembly 800 from the substrate surface. In various embodiments, at least one of layers 802, 804, 806, 808 may be applied as a spray-on adhesive. In other embodiments, at least one of the layers 802, 804, 806, 808 may be applied as laminar structure.
In some embodiments, the second outermost component 802 forms a temporary bond such that when the container is removed little or no trace of the adhesive remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. A glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PSA may be in the range of −20° C. to −80° C. In various embodiments, rubber, acrylic or silicone types of PSA, or any suitable combination thereof may be used. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art.
In another embodiment, an adhesive assembly 900 includes 5 components, as shown in
As described above, the outermost component 901 is a release liner, which includes a material that is readily removable (e.g., by peeling away) from the second outermost component 902. The outermost component 901 is configured to protect the second outermost component 902 and the other layers within the adhesive assembly 900 from damage. Further, the first outermost component 901 protects the second outermost component 902 until desired for use. The second outermost component 902 is configured to adhere the remaining layers within the adhesive assembly 900 to facilitate mounting the container to the desired substrate surface. As described above, the foamed polymer 903 may be a resiliently compressible foamed polymer that allows the adhesive assembly 900 to conform to a shape of the container face and a shape of the desired surface substrate. The configuration of the adhesive assembly 900 is useful for containers with concave surfaces, such as at the bottom of cylindrical plastic containers. In various embodiments, the second outermost component 902 may adhere more strongly to the foamed polymer 903 than to the desired surface. As described above, the adhesive film 904 adheres to the container more strongly than the second outermost component 902 adheres to the substrate surface. In various embodiments, neither the second outermost component 902 nor the adhesive film 904 releases in response to when a maximum force required to remove an item from the container occurs. In various embodiments, an adhesive strength of the adhesive film 904 is higher than that of the second outermost component 902 as this facilitates removal of the entire container and adhesive assembly 900 from the substrate surface. In various embodiments, the adhesive film 904 (i.e., the pressure sensitive “layer 4”) adheres more strongly to the foamed polymer 903 than to the desired surface.
In various embodiments, the second outermost component 902 (i.e., the pressure sensitive adhesive “layer 2”) forms a temporary bond such that when the container is removed, little or no trace of the adhesive remains on the surface and no damage to the surface is visible. In some embodiments, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PSA is in a range of −20° C. to −80° C. In some embodiments, rubber, acrylic, or silicone types of PSA, or any suitable combination thereof may be used with acrylic PSA. In other embodiments, the PSA may include any other known polymer or compound known in the art.
In various embodiments, an adhesive assembly may have a variety of sizes and shapes. In some embodiments, the adhesive assembly may be applied to a container during the container manufacturing process, or during the packing process of the container. Accordingly, a size and/or shape of the adhesive assembly may be dependent on a geometry of the packaging container face it is adhered to, which may include but is not limited to rectangles, squares, polygons, or circles. In various embodiments, the adhesive assembly may have the same (or smaller) physical dimensions as the substrate face of the container which it is adhered to. In various embodiments, an area of the adhesive assembly may range from 100% of an area of the attached face of the container to 25 mm2. In cases where the adhesive assembly has a polygonal shape, the assembly can have angular corners or rounded corners. The adhesive assembly maybe located at or near a perimeter of the face of the container, such as on at least two opposing sides. Accordingly, a single container can have multiple faces bearing adhesive assemblies.
In embodiments where the adhesive assembly includes release liners and adhesives, release liner layers may be formed using means known in the art, such as slitting the release paper, having the release paper extend beyond the edge of the adhesive surface, and the like. Such methods facilitate easier removal of the release liner from the adhesive. Adhesive assemblies 1000 and 1100 are respectively shown in
In various embodiments, the adhesive assemblies 1000, 1100 may include printed labelling on any release layer with instructions describing proper use of the adhesive assembly 1000, 1100. In various embodiments, the adhesive assembly 1000, 1100 may be configured such that the release liner (i.e., “layer 1”) is color-coded or otherwise modified to indicate an appropriate use (e.g., a specific use application or order of application) of the exposed surface once the release liner is removed.
In various embodiments, an adhesive assembly 1201 may include one or more perforations 1202 to allow customizable sizes of the assembly 1201 to be created. In various embodiments, the perforations 1202 may divide the adhesive device 1201 into a grid-like array, such as shown in
The present invention, thus generally described, will be understood more readily by reference to the following examples, which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
Experiments determining mechanical and physical properties for adhesive layers were conducted. The illustrative examples are not intended to be limiting. There exist many possible ways to construct an adhesive assembly as a two-sided structure. In particular, in an industrial manufacturing process, an adhesive assembly including two-sided tape would have a single flexible support (“face stock” or “carrier layer”) with the desired PSA layers applied to that face stock. These experiments are outlined below. All measurements originally quoted in engineering units (inches) were converted to mm and rounded to the nearest mm. A weigh scale used was a Chestnut Tools Model 09A0410 supplied by LeeValley Tools, Canada. A maximum load specification of the scale was 5000 g. Various examples of double-sided adhesive devices were fabricated to demonstrate the utility of adhesive assemblies. For example, an adhesive assembly having a foam core was tested, where the assembly includes a one single-sided tape and two layers of double-sided tape, as shown in
Five types of single sided tapes were used as listed in Table 1: MT1—Scotch Blue #2090 (3M, St Paul, MN); MT2—Ace Clean Release® Painter's Tape (ACE Hardware Corp., Oak Brook, IL); MT3—3M Extreme Hold #2800 (3M, St Paul, MN); MT4—3M No Residue #2400 (3M, St Paul, MN); MT5—Scotch Contractor Grade #2020 (3M, St Paul, MN).
Each single-sided tape had a width of 1.875 inch (47 mm). Double sided tapes used are listed in Table 1, including: DST1—Shurtape Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Tape #76244 (Shurtape Technologies LLC, Hickory, NC), a double sided carpet tape comprising PSA adhesive on a fiberglass mesh—1.785 inch (47 mm) wide; DST2—3M Mounting Tape—1 inch (25 mm) wide (3M, St Paul, MN) comprising an elastic polymeric face stock approximately 0.125″ thick; DST3: APT Double Sided Carpet Tape (Advanced Polymer Tape, Newmarket ON, Canada) 2 inch (50 mm) wide on paper stock; DST4: Airstick Micro-suction tape by Sewell, 1.35 inch (34 mm) wide, 0.02 inch (0.5 mm) thick (Sewell Direct, Provo UT). This tape comprises an acrylic PSA applied to one side of the micro-suction polymer tape. Sides of this tape are denoted DST4a as the micro-suction side and DST4b as the acrylic PSA side.
The adhesive force of tapes as measured by ASTM D3330/D3330M—04(2018) is shown in Table 2. All tests were performed using stainless steel as substrate.
Alternatively, the adhesive force of the tapes may be measured using a Method Z. It will be understood that the resulting measurements are determined based on the adhesive, the thickness of the adhesive, and the face stock (e.g., paper, polymer film, mesh, etc.). In this regard, this is similar to the results obtained by ASTM D3330 (“Method A”).
The results of tape adhesion measured using Method Z are presented in Table 3 below. These data from Table 3 are shown graphically with the regressed fitted lines in
The results found using Method Z may be correlated with the results found for test tapes that were also tested using ASTM D3330 (MT1, MT2, MT3). The relationship between the results of Method Z and those from ASTM D3330 may be quantified by the following equation: y=1.52E-05x2+0.041x (R 2=0.999), where y is the ASTM predicted value and x is the measured value (W) from Method Z. The predicted ASTM D3330-Method Z data are shown in Table 4 below and will be referenced when describing PSA strength.
To provide examples of the utility of the inventive adhesive assembly in practice, multiple adhesive devices were prepared and then used to adhere common consumer goods packaging containers to a surface. Four different procedures were used to fabricate different adhesive devices for testing the different embodiments.
In a first procedure, Procedure 1, exposed PSA layers are selected as needed. All tapes used in this Procedure 1 were 47 mm wide. In a first operation of Procedure 1, a length (e.g., 30 cm) of a selected single sided tape (SST) was cut and laid on a working surface with the PSA side down, while the PSA was protected by release liner (i.e., release paper) removed from a DST1 of similar length. If available, previously unused release paper may be used in to cover the PSA. In a second operation of Procedure 1, a length of double-sided tape (DST) tape, with release liner still in place (except for DST2 which was protected by a polymeric film), was adhered to the face stock of the SST and then standardized by rolling the still in place release liner with firm hand pressure. In a third operation of Procedure 1, exposed release liner was then removed, and a second length (similar to the length of the DST) of a second SST adhered to the now exposed release liner side of the DST tape, face stock down, exposing the PSA. In a fourth operation of Procedure 1, the exposed PSA side of the SST was then protected by the release liner removed in the third operation. In a fifth operation of Procedure 1, lengths of the structure formed by the SST and the DST are then cut as required and applied to a desired surface. In a sixth operation of Procedure 1, double-sided tape thus made was used in experiments outlined below, which demonstrate the utility of the adhesive assembly in various implementations.
In a second procedure, Procedure 2, an adhesive structure or assembly may be formed using single-sided tape and double-sided tape. All tapes used in Procedure 2 had a width of 47 mm. In a first operation of Procedure 2, a length (e.g., 30 cm) of a DST was laid down on a working surface with release liner in place (i.e., covering an adhesive surface of the DST) and facing the surface and maintained in place using MT2 at each end. In a second operation of Procedure 2, a similar length of SST was adhered to the exposed PSA of the DST tape with the face stock down, exposing the PSA. In a third operation of Procedure 2, the exposed PSA side of the SST was protected by a length of release liner removed from a sacrificed length of DST1. In a fourth operation of Procedure 2, lengths of this structure (formed by the SST and DST1) were cut as required and applied to a desired surface. In a fifth operation of Procedure 2, double-sided tape was used in experiments to demonstrate the utility of the adhesive assembly described above in various embodiments.
In a third procedure, Procedure 3, an adhesive structure or assembly may be formed to include a foam core. As illustrated in
In a fourth procedure, Procedure 4, an adhesive structure or assembly was tested using components with differing initial widths. In a first operation of Procedure 4, a suitable length of SST (MT2) was laid down on work surface, PSA side down, protected by release liner removed from DST1, the adhesive tape being discarded. Each end of the tape was held in place with some MT2. In a second operation of Procedure 4, a similar length of DST (DST2: 25 mm wide) was adhered to the face stock of the MT2 tape, with the protective layer exposed. In a third operation of Procedure 4, excess material was trimmed off leaving a 25 mm wide multilayer structure. In a fourth operation of Procedure 4, lengths of this structure were cut as required and applied to the desired surface
In a fifth procedure, Procedure 5, an adhesive structure or assembly including two double-sided tapes was tested, where one of the double-sided tapes was a micro-suction tape. In a first operation of Procedure 5, a suitable length of DST (DST4) was laid down on work surface, DST4b (acrylic) side down, protected by release paper provide with the tape. In a second operation of Procedure 5 the protective film on the upper DST4a (micro-suction) surface was removed. In a third operation of Procedure 5, double-sided tape (DST1) was adhered to the exposed DST4a surface with the release paper exposed. In a fourth operation of Procedure 5, when the release paper of DST1 was removed, single-sided tape (MT3) was adhered to the exposed DST1 surface with the PSA surface of MT3 exposed. In a fifth operation of Procedure 5, the exposed PSA surface was protected with the release paper and was removed from the DST1 tape. In a sixth operation of Procedure 5, excess DST1 and MT3 was trimmed to the width of DST4 (34 mm).
Experimental equipment preparation. To simulate the working conditions associated with each of the aforementioned embodiments of the adhesive assembly, it was necessary to physically attach an example of a typical surface to a scale pan apparatus that is used to measure the force needed to remove a unit of good housed in the container. This experimental setup is shown in
Experiment Set 1. Demonstrating the utility of the adhesive assemblies. In these experiments, various rectangular containers of commercially available consumer articles were used. The containers were all made from polymer coated paperboard. Items packaged in these containers were intended to be dispensed from the containers singly. The items used in these experiments were of varying types and sizes and included storage bags, trash bags, and paper tissues. These items are examples demonstrating the utility of adhesive assemblies disclosed herein; however, use of these items in the described experiments do not limit the scope of this disclosure. As shown in
The weight of the package with remaining contents was then calculated. Experiments in Set 1 were all performed at 66° F. (18.9° C.) and 16-20% relative humidity. The items were removed by hand in a manner consistent with normal domestic use. Error! Reference source not found.Time in milliseconds was calculated from frame number and a frame rate of 240 FPS. An example of the data collected in these experiments was taken from Set #1: Experiment #4, Item #4 and is presented in Table 5. The load changes were observed by analysis of the slow-motion video. Video of the experiments relating to load change was obtained, shot in slow motion. The camera was placed in a position to facilitate observation of the digital display on the scale. The video files were transferred from the camera (i.e., iPhone) to a computing device (i.e., Windows computer). To allow the files to be analyzed, each frame was converted to a jPEG file using PRISM Plus V6.16 software (NCH Software). A selection of these images was then viewed using ImageJ software version 1.52a (Wayne Rasband, National Institutes of Health, USA, public domain), which allowed the maximum load to be determined.
The results of experiments in Set 1 are presented in Tables 6-9. The details of each experiment are located in the aforementioned tables.
Set 2. Comparative experiments. In these experiments, a container was placed on the surface with no adhesive assembly between the container and the surface. The contents of the container were then removed manually as would be normal in daily use. The ability of the container to remain in place while to item was being dispensed without any restraint was observed and recorded. Set 2. Experiment 1. A container and contents similar to that used in Set 1, Experiment 4 was used. All bags when removed caused the container to lift off the surface, thus demonstrating the utility of the instant invention. Set 2. Experiment 2. A container and contents similar to that used in Set 1, Experiment 3 was used. All bags when removed caused the container to lift off the surface, thus demonstrating the utility of the instant invention.
Set 3: Experiments related to area of the adhesive assembly to be used and the type of PSA to be used on various surfaces. In these experiments, a double-sided tape was prepared as per Procedure 2. The experiments were designed to test an adhesive assembly on various typical domestic surfaces such as bare sanded wood, wood finished with wipe on polyurethane dispersed in oil, brushed on polyurethane dispersed in water and water based latex paint. The surfaces were prepared according to a Procedure 6. In a first operation of Procedure 6, four pieces of ½ inch (13 mm) 5-layer birch veneered plywood were cut measuring 7 inches×1.5 inches (17.5 cm×3.75 cm). The surface to be tested was sanded with Norton P120 grit sandpaper. After removing dust by vacuum cleaner (brush), the surface was wiped with a tack-cloth. The samples were further treated. Sample 51 was used without further treatment. Sample S2 received two coats of MINWAX® Clear Satin oil-based wipe on polyurethane (MINWAX Corp., Upper Saddle River NJ), which were applied with paper toweling. The surface of Sample S2 was then finished by rubbing with #000 steel wool. Sample S3 received two coats of Varathane® Ultimate Polyurethane Interior Crystal Clear Satin (Rust-Oleum Corp., Vernon IL), which were applied with a Purdy 1 inch XL-Dale brush. Sample S4 received two coats of Benjamin Moore® Gloss Finish 100% acrylic Premium Exterior Latex paint; color code 795 (Benjamin Moore & Co., Monvale NJ), which were applied with a foam brush. For each of the samples S2, S3, and S4, the samples were dried in direct sunshine at about 60° F. (15.6° C.) for two hours prior to application of a 2n d coat. The samples were not sanded or otherwise treated between coats. The second coat was dried indoors overnight at 66° F. (18.9° C.) and 16% relative humidity.
In all experiments in Set 3, double-sided tape was prepared as per Procedure 1 with MT2 on both sides and used to adhere the plywood test specimen to the melamine board still adhered to the scale as per Set 1. The tape thus made was trimmed to match a width of the test surface samples (i.e., 51, S2, S3, S4). The plywood test specimen was mounted with the test surface (i.e., bare, painted, etc.) exposed. The tape was 17.5 cm long 3.8 cm wide and applied to completely cover the 17.5×3.8 cm unmodified wood surface. The plywood specimens were centered over the scale pan with the 17.5 cm side parallel to the 30 cm side of the melamine board. During these tests the plywood samples did not separate from the melamine board. The various test tapes (e.g., MT1, etc., as listed in Table 10-Table 17) were prepared on DST1 as per Procedure 2. The test tapes were then cut to the dimensions listed in Tables 10-Table 17 and adhered to the approximate center of the smooth side of 10 cm×8.1 cm×4.7 mm hardboard using the DST1 side of the test tape. The hardboard sample was then adhered to the test plywood surface using the exposed PSA of the single sided tape used in the construction. Once mounted, the hardboard was removed from the plywood test sample by pulling vertically by hand while the change in load was recorded by a slow-motion camera. The load changes were determined by analysis of the slow-motion video. The results are listed in Tables 10-17.
After combining the test results for each of MT1 and MT2, a minimum strength of PSA required to resist removal of a container from a typical surface (adherend) can be estimated. The estimate can be carried out using the following equation: Strength=F/(M*A), where Strength is a value quantified in oz—force/inch and determined by ASTM test D3330-Method A on stainless steel or calculated from Method Z as described herein. F is force (grams) to remove an article from the container, A is the area of the adhesive device contacting the surface measured in sq mm (mm2) and M=0.57, the value of which is determinable from experimental results. Therefore, for example, if a minimum useful area to be used is 10×10 mm, and a maximum load resistance is 500 g, then the corresponding minimum PSA strength (5) required is 8.8 oz-force/in. Accordingly, a resistance caused by an item being removed from the container is dependent on how the items are packed, construction of the items, and construction and dimensions of the container. Thus, implementing an adhesive assembly to multiple containers holding similarly packed articles may include determining an average maximum resistance by testing several packed containers prior to selecting an appropriate pressure sensitive adhesive (i.e., within the adhesive assembly). This may be carried out, for example, on a production line. If the adhesives contacting the adherend and the container are dissimilar, the adhesive with the lower S value is in contact with the adherend, and in all cases, the value S is the minimum strength of adhesive used with the second adhesive being of equal or great adhesive strength. It should be noted that the ASTM test D3330-Method A is implemented such that the force, F, is assumed to be applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to a primary axis of the adhesive assembly (i.e., analogous to a pull force directly upward to extract one or more items from within the container). In other conditions, however, the force, F, may be applied at any angle and thus the adhesive force of the adhesive assembly (i.e., to the container) would include components in a direction normal to the surface of the container, in addition to shear frictional forces.
Experiment Set 4. Demonstrating utility of an adhesive assembly having a foam core construction. In this experiment, a cylindrical high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic container containing wet wipes was used. The container, as received, was configured to include a restriction under the flip top opening to cause resistance when removing a wipe such that it pulls away from the attached following wipe. This flip top opening arrangement alone makes it necessary, in the absence of an adhesive assembly, that the container be held in place while removing the wipe from the container. The base of the container contained a concave depression. This is shown schematically with approximate dimensions in Error! Reference source not found.. The disc of the structure made as described in Procedure 3 was disposed in a 2 3/32 inch wide (52.3 mm) depression, approximately centered with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical container. The disc thus applied had a thickness of 9/64 inch (3.5 mm) and thus protruded slightly below the bottom of the container by about 1/64 inch (0.4 mm). Thus, the experiment reflects configurations of the adhesive assembly (e.g., adhesive assembly 800, adhesive assembly 900) where the container to be adhered incorporated a hollow or non-flat surface to be adhered to the intended surface and the flexible foam conforms to the uneven surface and has sufficient compressibility to maintain a good and sufficient area of contact with both the container and the intended surface. The PSA in contact with the container is disposed such that the container and the PSA contacting the work surface are readily removable from the work surface without delaminating from the container. The container and contents were weighed prior to attaching to the melamine surface (gross weight) which was attached to the scale as described previously. The contents of the container were then removed individually and a resulting change in load was recorded by slow motion camera (240 FPS). The scale was tared to zero before the first sample was removed and the force required to remove the sample measured as a negative load. The scale was not tared to zero thereafter and thus the scale reading after a wipe was removed showed the accumulated loss of weight of the container and contents. When a sample was removed, the scale showed increasingly negative readings and, thus, the force required to remove the wipe was equal to the difference in the reading before the removal and the maximum reduction in weight as recorded by the slow-motion camera. When an absolute value of the negative load equaled or exceeded the weight of the container and remaining contents, it would follow that in normal use, and in the absence of an adhesive assembly, the container would need a to be restrained by some means—such as by a person's second hand. The results are presented in Table 18. After the experiment, the adhesive assembly was removed from the container, which was weighed, and a difference in weight between the full container and the empty container allowed the weight of each wipe to be calculated.
Experiment Set 5. Inventive examples demonstrating the utility of the invention using different geometries of inventive adhesive devices and various adhesive combinations. Examples described and tested in experiment Set 5 demonstrate that many geometries of adhesive assemblies may be used; however, the specific examples described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The examples also demonstrate that there are many possible combinations of adhesives that may be used within an adhesive assembly and these examples are not limiting. The conditions of the experiments and the results are shown in Table 19-Table 25. The containers were adhered to the melamine surface as described in Set 1. In
Experiment Set 6. Experiments related to use of micro-suction adhesive devices on various surfaces. These experiments were conducted similarly to those in Set 3 except that the micro-suction tape had the acrylic PSA side attached to the hardboard (smooth side) and the micro-suction side in contact with the test surface. The force to remove the hardboard from the test surface was measured as per Set 3. It was found that the adhesive strength of the micro-suction material was very dependent on the test surface. This is shown in
Making and Using Adhesive Assemblies. The adhesive assemblies disclosed herein may be adhered to a container on a first face by means of any suitable adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), spray adhesive, hot melt adhesive, or other suitable adhesives as known in the art. The PSA may be a permanent PSA. The second face of the device has an adhesive layer designed to adhere to a substrate surface (adherend) selected by the consumer.
The adhesive assemblies disclosed herein may be used by removing a release liner from a container, followed by placing the container with the exposed adhesive onto the desired surface. The container will therefore be prevented from movement during use.
In any of the preceding embodiments, one or more adhesive assemblies (e.g., adhesive assemblies 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, etc.) may be provided as part of an adhesive system 2100, as shown in
As utilized herein with respect to numerical ranges, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially,” and similar terms generally mean+/−10% of the disclosed values, unless specified otherwise. As utilized herein with respect to structural features (e.g., to describe shape, size, orientation, direction, relative position, etc.), the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially,” and similar terms are meant to cover minor variations in structure that may result from, for example, the manufacturing or assembly process and are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “illustrative” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The term “coupled” and variations thereof, as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
Although the figures and description may illustrate a specific order of method steps, the order of such steps may differ from what is depicted and described, unless specified differently above. Also, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unless specified differently above.
It is important to note that any element disclosed in one embodiment may be incorporated or utilized with any other embodiment disclosed herein. Although only one example of an element from one embodiment that can be incorporated or utilized in another embodiment has been described above, it should be appreciated that other elements of the various embodiments may be incorporated or utilized with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.
As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, particularly in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” “less than,” and the like, include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member.
All publications, patent applications, issued patents, and other documents referred to in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication, patent application, issued patent, or other document was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety. Definitions that are contained in text incorporated by reference are excluded to the extent that they contradict definitions in this disclosure.
Other embodiments are set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/146,377, filed Feb. 5, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/015309 | 2/4/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63146377 | Feb 2021 | US |
