Patent Application
20170323590
The present invention relates to a poster board or other flat article having adhesive thereon.
Poster boards are used to display and present a variety of information including business information, advertising information, and educational information. Furthermore, poster boards are frequently used by children for creating artistic works and by students to present information at science fairs and other presentation forums. It is often desirable to hang such a poster board from a vertical surface such as a wall in a home or building. However, conventional adhesive often sticks to the wall and damages the drywall or paint thereon or sticks to the poster board resulting in the poster board tearing and/or ripping during removal of the adhesive. Furthermore, other conventional adhesive lacks sufficient adhesion to support a poster board from a vertical surface. Thus, a need exists for an adhesive poster board that cures these deficiencies.
The present invention is directed to a poster board having adhesive on its rear surface with its front surface free of adhesive. The adhesive may be arranged in strips along the rear surface of the poster board. In some embodiments, the adhesive may comprise rubber cement such that the adhesive is readily detachable from the rear surface of the poster board without causing damage to the poster board. In some embodiments, the poster board may have two strips of adhesive thereon, each spaced a different distance from the top and bottom edges of the poster board to which they are adjacent.
In one embodiment, the invention may be a display apparatus comprising: a poster board comprising a top edge, a bottom edge, a first lateral edge, a second lateral edge, a front surface, and a rear surface; a first strip of adhesive positioned on the rear surface of the poster board and extending from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge, the first strip of adhesive spaced a first distance D1 from the top edge of the poster board; a second strip of adhesive positioned on the rear surface of the poster board and extending from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge, the second strip of adhesive spaced a second distance D2 from the bottom edge of the poster board; wherein the first strip of adhesive is spaced apart from the second strip of adhesive by a third distance D3, the third distance D3 being greater than the second distance D2 and the second distance D2 being greater than the first distance D1; and wherein the front surface of the poster board is free of any adhesive thereon.
In another embodiment, the invention may be a display apparatus comprising: a poster board comprising a top edge, a bottom edge, a first lateral edge, a second lateral edge, a front surface, and a rear surface; a first strip of adhesive positioned on the rear surface of the poster board and extending from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge, the first strip of adhesive spaced a first distance D1 from the top edge of the poster board; a second strip of adhesive positioned on the rear surface of the poster board and extending from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge, the second strip of adhesive spaced a second distance D2 from the bottom edge of the poster board; and wherein a ratio of D2:D1 is between 2.4 and 2.8.
In yet another embodiment, the invention may be a display apparatus comprising: a poster board comprising a front surface and a rear surface opposite the front surface; a first strip of adhesive and a second strip of adhesive positioned on the rear surface of the poster board; a first release sheet coupled to and covering the first strip of adhesive and a second release sheet coupled to and covering the second strip of adhesive; and wherein the first and second strips of adhesive are formed from rubber cement.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.
Referring to
The poster board 100 in the exemplified embodiment is rectangular in shape and is bounded by a top edge 103, a bottom edge 104, a first lateral edge 105, and a second lateral edge 106. The top edge 103 is adjacent to the first and second lateral edges 105, 106 and opposite the bottom edge 104. The bottom edge 104 is adjacent to the first and second lateral edges 105, 106 and opposite the top edge 103. The first and second lateral edges 105, 106 are adjacent to both the top and bottom edges 103, 104 but are opposite one another. In the exemplified embodiment, the top and bottom edges 103, 104 have a first length L1 and the first and second lateral edges 105, 106 have a second length L2, the first length L1 being greater than the second length L2. Although the poster board 100 is illustrated as rectangular in the exemplified embodiment, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and the poster board 100 may take on other shapes including non-polygonal (i.e., circular) and polygonal shapes such as triangular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, and the like.
The poster board 100 may be a standard poster board formed of a sheet of paper-like material, cardboard, foam, or the like. The poster board 100 may be relatively flimsy such that it can be rolled up into a tube-like shape or it may be more rigid such that it cannot be readily rolled or folded. The poster board 100 may have any desired length, width, and thickness in some embodiments, although in certain embodiments the thickness is approximately 1 mm or less, and more specifically approximately 0.5 mm or less.
The front surface 101 of the poster board 100 is the surface of the poster board 100 that is generally written on or otherwise decorated by a user and is exposed for viewing when the poster board 100 is on display. Specifically, a user can write directly onto the front surface 101 of the poster board 100 using a pen, marker, crayons, pencil, or the like as desired. Alternatively or additionally, the user can tape or glue other objects, including magazine cutouts, ornaments, three-dimensional objects, or the like onto the front surface 101 of the poster board 100. In certain embodiments the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 is not intended to be decorated by the user. However, the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 may be made of material that is capable of being written on or otherwise decorated, and thus in some embodiments the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 may be decorated in addition to the front surface 101 of the poster board 100.
Referring to
Referring to
In certain embodiments, the adhesive 110 may comprise rubber cement, which is an adhesive made from elastic/elastomeric polymers (e.g., latex , natural rubber, gum mastic, gum arabic, pre-vulcanized rubber, non-pre-vulcanized rubber, or the like) mixed in a solvent such as acetone, hexane, heptane, toluene, chloroform, or benzene. The solvent keeps the elastic polymers fluid enough to be spread onto a desired surface. Upon drying the solvent evaporates leaving only the rubber-like portion behind which functions as the adhesive. Rubber cement, when used as an adhesive, permits easy and damage-free removal of the adhesive from the surface(s) on which it is applied as desired. Specifically, when rubber cement is used as the adhesive 110, the adhesive 110 may be easily peeled or rubbed off of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 1000 without damaging the poster board 1000 or leaving any trace of the adhesive 110 behind. Thus, in certain embodiments the adhesive 110 is one that removes cleanly from both the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 and a painted wall surface on which the poster board 100 is hung while still having an adhesive strength that is sufficient to hang the poster board 100 from a vertical surface such as a wall.
In some embodiments, the strips of adhesive 110a, 110b may have an adhesive strength such that the first and second strips of adhesive 110a, 110b can be readily removed from the rear surface of the poster board 100 under ambient conditions without damaging the poster board 100. The strips of adhesive 110a, 110b can also be readily removed from the wall on which the poster board 100 is hung under ambient conditions without damaging the poster board 100. As used herein, “ambient conditions” refers to a normal room temperature (approximately 70-75° F.) and to the lack of a use of any chemicals to assist in the removal of the adhesive 110 from the poster board 100. Thus, the strips of adhesive 110a, 110b can be removed from the poster board 100 and/or the wall readily by a user's hand without any chemical or temperature-based assistance. The strips of adhesive 110a, 110b have a consistent adhesive strength as opposed to having different adhesive strengths on the portion that is attached to the poster board 100 and the portion that is attached to the wall. Furthermore, the adhesive 110 is not what might be referred to as a permanent adhesive, but rather it is one that has a relatively weak bond with both surfaces to which is it adhered (i.e., the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 and the wall from which the poster board 100 is hung) while being sufficiently strong to be capable of maintaining the poster board 100 in a vertical orientation on the wall.
The poster board 100 may be hung from a painted wall surface (or other vertical surface) by pressing the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100, and hence also the adhesive 110 thereon, against the painted wall surface. The adhesiveness of the adhesive 110 will stick the poster board 100 to the painted wall surface and allow the poster board 100 to be hung therefrom. The poster board 100 can be removed from the painted wall surface by a user applying a pulling force pulling the poster board 100 away from the painted wall surface. The material of the adhesive 110 is desirably selected such that this action does not remove paint from or otherwise damage the painted wall surface.
Referring to
The release sheets 111 may have dimensions that are similar to but slightly larger than the dimensions of the adhesive 110. Thus, the release sheets 111 may cover the entirety of the adhesive 110 while leaving the remainder of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 exposed and not covered. Thus, the surface area of the release sheets 111 is significantly less than the surface area of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100. Of course, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and in other embodiments a single release sheet may be used that covers a substantial entirety of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100. The release sheets 111 may be white or non-white in certain embodiments, and in some preferable embodiments the release sheets 111 may comprise a blue color. In some embodiments the release sheets 111 may comprise a third color that is different than the first color of the front surface 101 of the poster board 100 and the second color of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100.
In still other embodiments, the adhesive 110 may be provided in vertical strips that extend between the top and bottom edges 103, 104 of the poster board 100 (with or without a margin area that is free of the adhesive as noted above). In further embodiments, the adhesive 110 may be in horizontal and vertical strips that form square or rectangular-like adhesive strips (or other shaped adhesive strips as desired). In the exemplified embodiment, the adhesive 110 is provided in continuous linear strips. In other embodiments the adhesive 110 may be provided in continuous wavy strips. In still other embodiments, the adhesive 110 may be non-continuous segments of adhesive that form an overall linear or wavy arrangement. Such non-continuous strips may be small, spaced apart segments of the adhesive 110. The adhesive 110 may be small dots, small spaced apart linear segments, or the like extending across a portion of or the entirety of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100. In one embodiment the adhesive 110 may be dots of adhesive in each of the corners of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100. In other embodiments the adhesive 110 may extend along a perimeter of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 but not along the central regions thereof. The term “strips of adhesive” includes linear, wavy, continuous, or discontinuous strips of the adhesive. Thus, stating that the strips of adhesive 110a, 110b extend from the first lateral edge 105 to the second lateral edge 106 includes the strips of adhesive 110a, 110b extending in a linear manner, a wavy manner, a continuous/gap-free manner, or a discontinuous/segmented manner across the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 unless otherwise recited in the claims. Although two strips of adhesive 110 are illustrated, in other embodiments one strip or more than two strips may be used.
In the exemplified embodiment, the adhesive 110 may be transparent. However, the invention is not to be so limited and in other embodiments the adhesive 110 may be opaque or otherwise non-transparent so that a user can readily discern the location of the adhesive 110. In certain embodiments the adhesive 110 may comprise a color that contrasts with the color of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 on which it is located. This enables a user to easily identify which surface is the front surface 101 of the poster board 100 for decorating/writing and which surface is the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 that is intended to adhere to a wall or other surface for display or the like.
Still referring to
In certain embodiments, at least one of the first and second distances is greater than 2 inches. In some embodiments, both of the first and second distances D1, D2 are greater than 2 inches. In one embodiment, D1 is between 2-3 inches (6-7 cm) and D2 is between 6-7 inches (16-18 cm). Furthermore, in some embodiments D3 is between 23-24 cm. However, the invention should be not limited by these specific distances and other distances are possible particularly depending on the overall dimensions of the poster board 100. However, in some embodiments it is desirable to ensure a sufficient second distance D2 to allow for easy gripping of the poster board 100 when it is stuck to a wall in order to be able to readily separate the poster board 100 from the wall as discussed herein.
By positioning the upper and lower strips 110a, 110b as depicted in
Furthermore by not positioning the lower strip 110b closer to the bottom edge 104 of the poster board 100 (so that D2 equals D1), the middle section of the poster board 100 can be prevented from rippling or trapping air bubbles between the poster board 100 and the wall when the poster board 100 is hung from a vertical surface. Specifically, and depending on the size of the poster board, it has been found that when the upper and lower strips 110a, 110b are positioned further away from each other such that the upper strip 110a is less than 5 inches away from the top edge 103 and the lower strip 110b is less than 5 inches away from the bottom edge 104, the region between the upper and lower strips 110a, 110b may trap air bubbles between the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 and the vertical surface rather than remaining flat against the vertical surface. Stated another way, this air bubble trapping occurs when a length of the region between the upper and lower strips 110a, 110b is too great. Therefore, a ratio of D3:D2 may be less than 1.5, in some embodiments the ratio of D3:D2 is between 1.1 and 1.5, more specifically between 1.2 and 1.4, and still more specifically between 1.3 and 1.4. Furthermore, a ratio of D3:D1 may be between 3.0 and 4.0, more specifically between 3.2 and 3.8, still more specifically between 3.4 and 3.8, and even more specifically between 3.6 and 3.7. Furthermore, a ratio of D2:D1 may be between 2.0 and 3.0, more specifically between 2.2 and 2.8, still more specifically between 2.4 and 2.8, and even more specifically between 2.6 and 2.7. Furthermore, in the exemplified embodiment D3 is approximately equal to D1 plus D2 (the term “approximately” meaning that there is a tolerance of up to 3%). Furthermore, in some embodiments a ratio of (D3+D1):D2 may be between 1.5 and 2.0, and more specifically between 1.7 and 1.8. In the exemplified embodiment, the region of the rear surface 102 of the poster board 100 between the upper and lower strips 110a, 110b of adhesive is entirely free of adhesive.
Some alternative embodiments with regard to placement of the adhesive are illustrated in
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/332,061, filed May 5, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62332061 | May 2016 | US |
