Patent Application
20080073902
In the drawings wherein like numerals are utilized to designate like parts throughout the same:
a is a schematic side view of another conventional expanded content label of the prior art.
b is a schematic side view of another conventional expanded content label of the prior art.
c is a schematic side view of the prior art label of
a is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of the expanded content label having a strategically located release-reseal system of the present invention.
b and 2c are schematic side views of the labels of
The detailed description contained herein in conjunction with the drawing figures presented is intended by way of example with respect to the inventive concept and is not intended to be limiting in any way. With this in mind,
It is to be understood that as used herein throughout, and in the drawings, the term “graphics” includes, but is not limited to: various printing media; adhesives; hot melts; varnishes; inks; release coatings; hot and cold foil stampings; and any suitable additions to, or deletions from, a label ply. Plies 12 and 18 each are preferably web-like materials, being compatible for use in an in-line web press manufacturing method for labels 100-100b (and also 200-200a, as will be later described). As used herein throughout, “web-like materials” denotes any suitable material or combination hereof, including but not limited to paper, film, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, foil, and ethylene vinyl acetate, whether clear, opaque, or metallized. These web-like materials for plies 12 and 18 (and ply 30, as will be described relative to
As shown in
Thus, an array of papers, plastics, and related materials may variously be employed for the plies, the surfaces of which may be adjusted as needed by those skilled in the art.
With continued reference to
With continued reference to
Those skilled in the art understand that adhesive materials 24 and 28 may be selectively in forms of continuous, discontinuous, or intermittent patterns. In this regard, it is only necessary (i) that adhesive material 24 (and the hinge in general) provides sufficient strength to securely bond plies 12 and 18 together, (ii) that adhesive material 28 (and the release-reseal system in general) provides sufficient tack to prevent unaided or unintentional opening of label 100, and (iii) that the pattern of adhesive material 28 be substantially aligned with release coating 26 when plies 12 and 18 are sealed.
Turning now to
In either case, end 34 of intermediate ply 30 terminates before reaching second adhesive material 28 of the respective release-reseal systems so that it is captured within label 100a or 100b when top ply 18 is held closed by the release-reseal system. As can be seen in
a depict two alternative embodiments of the expanded content label having a strategically located release-reseal system in accordance with the present invention. Labels 200 and 200a also provide a so-called “three-page” booklet function. Label 200 includes a top ply 18 and a base ply 12 (which may be identical or different materials). Top ply 18 has an upper side 22 and an under side 20, and similarly base ply 12 has an upper side 14 and an under side 16. The plies together define a hinge 35 at one edge of label 200, and a release-reseal system 36 at an opposite edge adjacent to a die cut D which is made through top ply 18 down to approximately upper side 14 of base ply 12. Label 200 may have any desired graphics G on any surfaces of the top and base plies.
With continued reference to
In labels 200-200a of
It is to be recognized and understood that unlike prior ECLs which incorporate hinge and release-reseal portions at edges of the labels, the novel constructions of the label of the present invention, as exemplified in
In such a configuration, it will be understood, the aforementioned undesirable tendency of the label to “pop open” or to “lift off” (as depicted at L and O, respectively, in
As understood by those skilled in the art, the constructions of labels 200 and 200a differ only in the absence of adhesive 24 beyond being used for hinge 35 and top ply 18 in label 200a as shown; this may be achieved in label 200a by selective die cut D and stripping away a waste matrix containing the portion of top ply 18 to be removed, or by any other suitable technique to arrive at the construction of label 200a. In either label 200 or 200a, it is to be understood that die cut D permits a user to access a release-reseal systems 36 at a selected point in the labels other than at their distal edges.
Those skilled in the art will recognize from the foregoing that several distinct classes or types of adhesive materials may be employed in ECLs, namely, those that are characterized by pressure sensitivity and those that are not. It is to be particularly appreciated that, as used herein, an adhesive that is not pressure sensitive is one that is solid or dry and tack-free or not sticky to the touch in its cured or final adhesive state, in bonding plies together. Such materials may be called non-pressure sensitive or dry-curing or solid-curing in this specification. Such materials lose any stickiness or tack when cured. The class of dry-curing or solid-curing adhesives may be further characterized as including several types of adhesives having the required characteristics such as (i) any glues, (ii) non-pressure-sensitive adhesive materials including but not limited to heat seal adhesives, (iii) multiple part epoxies, (iv) chemical welding or bonding materials, and (v) mechanical fastening means, that all become dry or non-tacky after bonding objects together.
In this regard, a universally accepted reference text, The Concise Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering(New York, 1990) states at page 35, with respect to dry-curing adhesive bonds: “Eventually, the adhesive must undergo a phase change, i.e., by cooling, solvent evaporation or reaction, to a solid in order for the [bonded] joint to acquire the necessary strength to resist shearing forces.” The foregoing refers to a phase change from liquid to a dry, solid state. Adhesive materials used in hinge portions of expanded content labels, for example, may preferably be selected from dry-curing adhesives including hot melt adhesives, solvent-based adhesives, water-based adhesives, and UV (ultraviolet)-curable and EB (electron beam)-curable adhesives. Examples of preferred adhesive materials include UV-curable adhesives. UV-curable materials are well known and exemplified by a class of such materials available from PAD-CURE Corporation of Fairfield, N.J., including PAD-CURE 10PSLVA,B, for example.
The class of adhesives known as “pressure-sensitive” adhesives is contrasted with dry-curing adhesives in the next sentence of the aforecited reference text that reads: “A notable exception is the category of pressure-sensitive adhesives, where no phase change occurs.” This also describes the term “pressure-sensitive” as used herein. Such pressure-sensitive materials remain tacky or sticky to the touch. Adhesion may be modified (reduced) by providing deadening or detackifying overlayers, but the material does not solidify and remains, in effect, a viscous liquid to some degree. Under some conditions, pressure-sensitive adhesives can ooze from bonds made with them long after assembly. Generally, bonds between plies made using pressure-sensitive adhesives can be pulled apart without damage to the plies, whereas those made using dry-curing or tack-free-curing adhesives cannot. This is particularly true with respect to multiple-ply expanded content labels. It is also to be noted that label plies of an exclusively pressure-sensitive label construction may yield to moving and shifting forces due to the remaining ability to flow (e.g. ooze) of the pressure-sensitive adhesive material.
Within a class, preference of one such adhesive over another will particularly depend upon a drying or curing system of a given web press, along with materials composition and compatibility considerations.
It is also to be noted that although depicted in one configuration in the figures, the materials and coatings of ECLs may typically be applied to corresponding plies in any order, either separately, as one on each ply, or together as a combination on one ply. Thus, for example in
It is to be noted that the labels of the present invention may be created entirely in-line, in a roll-to-roll process, thereby assuring quality and low cost. Such in-line processes include any suitable multi-unit in-line presses such as narrow- or wide-web platform presses, whether flexographic, letterpress, gravure, screen, or offset. Such presses are commercially available from, for example, Comco International of Milford, Ohio, and Mark Andy Inc. of St. Louis, Mo.
Although a dry or solid-curing, or tack-free-curing adhesive has been disclosed herein as being preferred for adhesive material 24, it will be appreciated that a pressure-sensitive adhesive of sufficient adhering strength could, of course, be readily substituted and such may be used in certain embodiments.
Furthermore, it is to be understood that various materials may be substituted in construction of the labels of the present invention. In the preferred and exemplary embodiment herein, a paper base ply 12 and film top ply 18 may be utilized. A film top ply is preferred for its flexibility relative to curved or irregular container surfaces to be labeled, while a paper base ply is well suited for adhesion to a container by way of a conventional glue. However, paper could, of course, be substituted for film, and vice-versa, depending upon label cost parameters and other particular desires of a label customer. The adhesive for applying the label to a container is typically applied at the time the label is attached. In the case of a film base ply, it is known to those skilled in the art that conventional glues used in glue labeling equipment do not adhere well thereto. In response to this problem, Krones AG of Neutraubling, Germany and Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. (AFT Films) of Terre Haute, Ind., USA, have developed a technique for glue labeling equipment utilizing a liquid adhesive (analogous to a conventional glue) that is UV- or EP-cured or activated just prior to application thereby rendering a satisfactory pressure-sensitive type adhesive for attachment of the film to a non-porous container.
It will also be appreciated that as used here throughout and in the drawings, the terms “printing”, “graphics” and “coatings” include, but are not limited to, various printing media, adhesives, hot melts, varnishes, inks, release coatings, etc.
The invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself. For example, it will be appreciated that any of the aforedescribed graphics, coatings, materials, hinges, and release-reseal systems may be selectively provided in any suitable combination on labels constructed according to the present invention, for a particular desired use. Thus, in
It is also to be understood in general that any suitable alternatives may be employed to provide the expanded content label having a strategically located release-reseal system of the present invention.
Lastly, the choice, of course, of compositions, sizes, and strengths of various aforementioned components of the label of the present invention are all a matter of design choice depending upon intended uses thereof. Accordingly, these and other various changes or modifications in form and detail of the present invention may also be made therein, again without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention [as defined by the appended claims].
This application claims priority based on Provisional Application No. 60/846,557, filed Sep. 21, 2006.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60846557 | Sep 2006 | US |
