Patent Application
20140202642
The present disclosure relates generally to container labels, and methods for removing such labels from containers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to removable container labels that can be removed by a consumer after purchase of a product and that display useful content to the consumer, such as, for example, on the back of the label.
The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described in any way.
To enhance the appeal and marketability of a product beyond the product itself, manufacturers often include a premium and/or promotion with the product. In some cases, it is desirable for premiums or promotions to generally be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easily included with the product without disruption of the normal handling of the product during manufacturing, distribution and/or by the consumer. For example, promotional devices that are easily includable with the product may not require different kinds of packaging or the like, which could, for example, increase the cost of product production. Similarly, it may be desirable for the promotional device to not require special handling or care by the manufacturer and retailer beyond that normally given the product without the promotional device.
As an example, coupons, which can be immediately redeemed to purchase the product, have been included with products as a promotional device. Such coupons are often provided as a part of the product packaging, for example, as part of the product's label. The coupon can be removed from other portions of the packaging (e.g., label) for redemption by a consumer. Although promotional devices that are placed with products, such as coupons or the like have experienced considerable market success, there is a continued need to present new and improved promotional devices to refresh products and enhance their marketability. Furthermore, for some promotional devices that are included as a removable portion of the product label, only a small portion of the label may be removed, while maintaining the integrity and aesthetics of the remaining portions of the label on the container. Therefore, such promotional devices have a limited amount of display space allotted which corresponds to the removable portion of the overall label.
Thus, a continued need exists for new and varied product promotional devices, and in particular for promotional devices that are provided as part of a product's packaging (e.g., label). It may therefore be desirable to provide a container label that does not require special handling or care by the manufacturer and retailer, but is easily removed by a consumer upon purchase of the product and/or that provides a relatively larger amount of display space.
The present disclosure may solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems and/or achieve one or more of the above-mentioned desirable features. Other features and/or advantages may become apparent from the description which follows.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a label for a container may include a planar body comprising a first edge and a second edge, the first and second edges disposed at opposite sides of the body from each other; a cut-out portion of the planar body disposed between the first and second edges; and first and second tear lines extending from the cutout portion to respective first and second termination locations at or proximate to the first and second edges, respectively. The first and second tear lines may diverge at an angle away from each other in a direction from the cut-out portion to the respective first and second termination locations.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for removing a label attached to a container can include tearing a first portion of the label away from the container along first and second tear lines and in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the container, wherein the tear lines extend diagonally away from each other from a location of the label between first and second opposite edges of the label and toward the respective opposite edges of the label. The method may further include, after tearing along the tear lines, releasing an adhesive affixing the label to the container to remove a remaining portion of the label from the container, wherein the remaining portion is attached to the first portion.
Additional objects and advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure. At least some of the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. It should be understood that the invention, in its broadest sense, could be practiced without having one or more features of these exemplary aspects and embodiments.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain certain principles. In the drawings,
Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
To enhance the appeal and marketability of a product beyond the product itself, manufacturers often include a premium and/or promotion with the product. Although labeling concepts that incorporate such premiums or promotions within the label have experienced considerable market success, there is a continued need to present new and improved premiums and promotions to refresh products and enhance their marketability. As used herein, premiums, promotions, or variations thereof may include any type of marketing tool and/or inducement that is presented to a consumer to purchase a product. Various types of premiums and promotions contemplated herein include but are not limited to, for example, coupons, recipes, contests, entertainment content, product information, or various other content.
To further enhance the appeal and marketability of products packaged in containers, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a label for a container, such as, for example, a cylindrical container such as an aluminum can, wherein the label provides a large display space for product, promotional and/or premium content. In various embodiments, for example, the label may be easily removed from the container, for example, by pulling a portion of the label in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the container. In various additional embodiments, the label can contain product, promotional and/or premium content on a surface of the label that faces the container when the label is attached to the container (e.g., a back surface of the label) that is useful to a consumer, for example, after purchasing the product.
In various exemplary embodiments, a label for a container may comprise a planar body comprising first and second tear lines extending from a cut-out portion to respective first and second termination locations at or proximate to first and second edges of the body. Thus, in various embodiments, the first and second tear lines are angled or sloping lines (i.e., diagonal lines) that extend from the cut-out portion to respective first and second termination locations, such that the tear lines diverge at an angle away from each other in a direction from the cut-out portion to the respective first and second termination locations. In at least one exemplary embodiment, when the label is attached to a container, the entire planar body of the label may be removed from the container by tearing the label along the first and second tear lines in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the container and toward respective termination locations of the first and second tear lines. Thus, in various embodiments, a surface of the label that faces the container when the label is attached to the container may comprise printed content, such as, for example, product, promotional and/or premium content. The label may be removed from the container (e.g., after purchase by a consumer) to display such content.
Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art would understand that labels in accordance with the present disclosure may be adapted for use with (and attachment to) containers formed from various materials, including, but not limited to, various metals (e.g., aluminum) and plastics.
In various embodiments, the planar body 110 comprises first and second edges that are disposed opposite to each other. In various additional embodiments, the planar body 110 comprises first and second opposite ends that extend between the first and second edges. As best shown perhaps in
As illustrated in
Thus, in various embodiments, the planar body 110 may be formed from a flexible, sheet-like material that is pliable enough to be wrapped around and attached to the can 155, while still being strong enough to prevent premature tearing of the label during manufacture, application to a container, and distribution. In various embodiments, for example, the planar body 110 may be made from a paper material with a weight of about 50 pounds to about 80 pounds. In various additional embodiments, the planar body 110 may be made from a paper material with a glossy protective coating, such as, for example, a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) coating on a portion of at least one surface of the paper, such as, for example, surface 105 and/or surface 106. Those of ordinary skill in the art would understand, however, that labels in accordance with the present disclosure may be made of various materials that are suitable for labeling applications, including, but not limited to, various papers, plastics, foils, and/or laminates.
As would be further understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the label 100 illustrated in
In order to permit the label 100 to be removed from the can 155, the planar body 110 comprises a first portion 120 that is defined by first and second tear lines 124a and 124b. As illustrated in
In various exemplary embodiments, the tear lines 124a and 124b extend from a cut-out portion 125 of the planar body 110 that is disposed between the first and second edges 101, 102. In various embodiments, for example, the tear lines 124a and 124b extend from the cut-out portion 125 to respective termination locations 127a and 127b at or proximate to the first and second edges 101, 102 at an angle 8 of about 30 degrees to about 45 degrees, where θ is measured from the imaginary line where the tear lines 124a, 124b would intersect. In other words, the first and second tear lines 124a and 124b diverge at an angle θ away from each other in a direction from the cut-out portion 125 to the respective first and second termination locations 127a and 127b, such that the tear lines 124a, 124b define an internal angle between them ranging from about 60 degrees to about 90 degrees.
As also illustrated in
As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the first portion 120 (as defined by the tear lines 124a and 124b) and cut-out portion 125 illustrated in
In various embodiments, the first portion 120 is releasable from the second portion 122 of the planar body 110 by pulling the first portion 120 away from the planar body 110 at a location of the cut-out portion 125. For example, in various exemplary embodiments, the straight portion 128 of the cut-out portion 125 (where the tear lines 124a, 124b meet) may be grasped to tear the first portion 120 away from the second portion 122. In an exemplary embodiment, the label 100 may be torn along the first and second tear lines 124a and 124b in a direction that is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis A of the can 155 (see
In other words, to remove the label 100 from the can 155, a consumer may grasp the straight portion 128 of the cut-out portion 125, for example, by inserting a fingernail or fingertip into the cut-out portion 125, and pull the first portion 120 in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A of the can 155, to tear the first portion 120 along the tear lines 124a and 124b. As best shown perhaps in
The label 100 may, therefore, be removed from the can 155 in one piece, as illustrated in
In various embodiments, the tear lines 124a and 124b comprise perforations, such as, for example, micro-perforations, having cuts made by blades including equally sized and spaced teeth per inch (TPI). As above, however, the label 100 need not require special handling or care by the manufacturer and retailer to prevent the tear lines 124a and 124b from prematurely tearing. Accordingly, as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the perforation cuts (i.e., the TPI of the blades used to cut the perforations) may be chosen to facilitate a user easily tearing the first portion 120 along the tear lines 124a and 124b to remove the label 100, while also providing perforations that do not prematurely tear during manufacture and distribution of the product. In various embodiments, for example, the perforations are made by blades having about 30 TPI to about 45 TPI.
To further protect against premature tearing of the tear lines 124a and 124b, as illustrated in
Various additional embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate using at least one stay, or uncut region, within the perforations to protect against premature tearing of the tear lines. As illustrated in the embodiment of
An exemplary method for removing a label that is attached to a container, such as, for example, a label 100 that is attached to a container 150, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is set forth in the following description. As illustrated in
In this manner, after the first portion 120 is torn along the tear lines 124a and 124b, an adhesive affixing the label 100 to the container 150 can be released to remove a remaining portion (e.g., a second portion 122) of the label 100 from the container 150. In various embodiments, for example, the remaining portion is attached to the first portion 120 and is therefore also removed by the tearing of the first portion 120. Thus, in various exemplary embodiments, the entire label 100 may be removed from the container 150 in a contiguous structure, as illustrated in
In various embodiments, for example, the label 100 can be removed from the container 150, such as, for example, by a consumer after purchasing the product, to display content 130 disposed on a surface 106 of the label 100 facing the container 150 prior to removal from the container 150. In various embodiments, for example, the label 100 can be removed from the container 150 to display content on one or both sides of the label, including, but not limited to, product, promotional, and/or premium content, such as, for example, one or more of factual information, directions for use, recipes, coupons, contests, sweepstakes, ingredient lists, bar codes, quick-recognition codes etc. related to the product packaged within the container 150. In various additional embodiments, when the product packaged within the container 150 is a food product, the content may comprise, for example, an ingredient list on a surface 105 of the label 100 not facing the container (prior to removal from the container 150) and a recipe on the surface 106 of the label 100. However, such content and placement is exemplary only and should not be understood as limiting the scope of the present disclosure and claims.
As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the exemplary embodiments described herein and illustrated in
Thus, it is to be understood that the various embodiments shown and described herein are to be taken as exemplary. Elements and materials, and arrangements of those elements and materials, may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, and portions may be reversed, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of the description herein. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and following claims, including their equivalents.
It is to be understood that the particular examples and embodiments set forth herein are non-limiting, and modifications to structure, dimensions, materials, and methodologies may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
It is to be further understood that this description's terminology is not intended to limit the invention. For example, spatially relative terms, such as “front”, “back,” “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “end,” “edge,” and the like, may be used to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element or feature as intended to connote the orientation of the label for attachment to a container as illustrated in the figures. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different positions (i.e., locations) and orientations (i.e., rotational placements) of a label in addition to the position and orientation shown in the figures. For example, if a label in the figures is turned over, elements described as a “first edge” or a “second edge” would then be reversed. A label may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages or proportions, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” if they are not already. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and any singular use of any word, include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. As used herein, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.
It should be understood that while the present disclosure has been described in detail with respect to various exemplary embodiments thereof, it should not be considered limited to such, as numerous modifications are possible without departing from the broad scope of the appended claims, including the equivalents they encompass.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/754,147 (filed on Jan. 18, 2013), entitled “CONTAINER LABEL AND RELATED METHODS,” the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein. This application is related to Design patent application No. 29/443,545 (filed Jan. 18, 2013), entitled “LABEL;” and U.S. Design patent application No. 29/443,543 (filed Jan. 18, 2013), entitled “LABEL ON CONTAINER,” the entire contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61754147 | Jan 2013 | US |
