Patent Application
20230274665
This invention relates to moving systems. More particularly, it relates to moving systems with slings.
A label is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.
Labels have many uses, including promotion and providing information on a product's origin, manufacturer, use, shelf-life and disposal, some or all of which may be governed by legislation. Methods of production and attachment to packaging are many and various and may also be subject to internationally recognized standards. In many countries, hazardous products such as poisons or flammable liquids must have a warning label.
Labels may be used for any combination of identification, information, warning, instructions for use, environmental advice or advertising. They may be stickers, permanent or temporary labels or printed packaging.
Labels for food and beverages as well as medical applications typically include critical information pertinent to the contents or ingredients used in a product. The FDA as well as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides standards to regulate the information provided on the labels and packaging of these uses.
Laser or printer labels are generally die cut on 8.5″×11″ (US letter) or A4 sized sheets, and come in many different shapes, sizes, formats, and materials. Laser label material is a nonporous stock made to withstand the intense heat of laser printers and copiers. A drawback of laser labels is that the entire sheet needs to be printed before any labels are used; once labels have been removed the sheet cannot be put through the printer again without damaging the printing mechanism. Inkjet label material is a porous stock made to accept ink and dye from an inkjet printer. One of the more modern inkjet label material stocks is waterproof printable inkjet material commonly used for soap or shower gel containers.
Antimicrobial labels. With the growth in hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and E-Coli the use of antimicrobial labels in infection sensitive areas of hospitals are helping in combating these types of microbes.
Label “stock” is the carrier which is commonly coated on one side with adhesive and printed on the other, and can be: Paper—a variety of papers and paperboards can be used as labels, Nonwoven fabric—for extra durability, Latex—a lithographic stock with some added latex allows the label to be much more flexible and form around certain curved objects more easily than standard paper, Foil—Aluminum foil and vapor-coated plastic films are often chosen for the bright reflective characteristics; Thermal—direct thermal label stock will change color (usually black) when heated. A heating element in the shape of letters or images can be used to create an image on the label. Custom labels can easily be made on location in this way. A disadvantage is durability, because another heat source can ruin or obscure the image, or it may fade completely over time. Thermal transfer for applications that cannot use thermal (thermal direct) label material because of heat source proximity or short label life, a more widely used material is the thermal transfer label printer. This material has the advantage of a much longer readable life and does not fade with time or heat. Most major manufacturers of thermal printers can be used for either thermal transfer (TT) or thermal (DT) labels. A thermal transfer ribbon will be required to print the labels. The cost of the ribbons+TT labels is similar to that of the DT labels on their own.
The stock type will affect the types of ink that will print well on them. Corona treating or flame treating some plastics makes them more receptive to inks, coatings, and other substrates by reducing surface tension and improving overall adhesion of the plastics.
Pressure-sensitive label adhesives are commonly made from water-based acrylic adhesives, with a smaller volume made using solvent-based adhesives and hotmelt adhesives. The most common adhesive types are: Peelable—Adhesion is fairly strong and will not fall off in normal circumstances, but the label can be removed relatively easily without tearing the base stock or leaving adhesive behind on the old surface. The adhesive is usually strong enough to be applied again elsewhere. This type is frequently known as ‘removable’. There are many different types of removable adhesives, some are almost permanent, some are almost ‘ultra peelable’. Ultra-peelable—Designed principally for use on book covers and glass, when removed these adhesives labels do not leave any residue whatsoever. Adhesion is weak and only suitable for light duty applications. Normally these labels have very little adhesion to anything once they've been removed.
There are instances in the medical and/or foodservice industry where the container is washed and reused, due to cost and/or size of the container. In any case, the label still needs to be removed due to security reasons, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or simply to prevent confusion on subsequent use. Labels may be peeled off with one's fingernail which typically results in label remnants and adhesive left behind. Scrapers can be enlisted but often result in damage to the container. Finally, solvents can be used, but not work in all cases. Additionally, all of these methods take time and money. Manufacturers have responded with dissolvable labels which dissolve in safe liquids such as water. However, such labels are not available for all label printers such as the MedVantage® machine.
Accordingly, and in light of the foregoing, there exists a need for a means by which disposable labels for specific label printers can be provided to address the needs described above.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within
The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one (1) of the referenced items.
Referring now to
Referring next to
Referring now to
Referring to
The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. It is envisioned that the label 10 would be constructed in general accordance with
After procurement and prior to utilization, the label 10 would be prepared in the following manner: in the case of manual printing via a pen, the user would simply write upon the label base material 35 as required to produce the indicia 20. The indicia 20 is envisioned to include name of the foodstuffs 45, date of production, date of expiration, identifying of person or team who produced the foodstuffs 45 and the like.
During utilization of the label 10, the following procedure would be initiated: the label 10 with necessary indicia 20 are applied to container 40 containing various foodstuffs 45. The processing of the foodstuffs 45 and container 40 then continue in normal process until the cleaning process of the container 40 occurs.
During the cleaning process, the empty container 40 is placed is washed in a manual process, such as in a sink, or in an automatic process such as in a dishwasher. The washing process envisioned to include hot water, soap, agitation, and a rinsing process will dissolve the label 10 along with the adhesive 30 in their entirety. At this point in time, the container 40 is ready for reuse with another newly printed label 10.
Features of the label 10 are envisioned to provide the following benefits. Ecological and environmentally friendly method of discarding used labels 10 and its associated water based adhesive 30, usage for manual printing, usage for automatic printing in a printer produced by Medvantage®, total dissolving when exposed to water, the elimination of potentially hazardous solvents, elimination of potential confusion from remnants of old labels that are remaining on a container 40, the reuse of container 40 in various fields of commerce thereby reducing waste in landfills, and the production of a “green” product that reduces usage of new materials and associated wasted materials.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
