Hanger label

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6457747
  • Patent Number
    6,457,747
  • Date Filed
    Monday, March 20, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 1, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A hanger label for use with an intended substrate and a support includes a hanger member. The hanger member includes an attachment portion having a lower surface and a hanger portion having a lower surface. The hanger portion defines an opening adapted to receive the support. A first, permanent adhesive coats the lower surface of the attachment portion to substantially permanently adhere the attachment portion to the substrate and a second, non-permanent adhesive coats the lower surface of the hanger portion to temporarily adhere the hanger portion to the substrate. Alternatively, a second, permanent, patterned adhesive may partially coat the hanger portion to temporarily adhere the hanger portion to the substrate. A base label may be provided.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is directed to hangers and labels having hangers for suspending goods or packaging.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In administering certain medicines and pharmaceuticals, it is necessary to suspend a bottle or other package containing the pharmaceutical product from a hanger or like support. In particular, intravenously administered fluids are typically contained in a bottle which is suspended from an extended hanger to provide gravity induced flow of the fluid. It may be desirable to suspend articles other than medical and pharmaceutical bottles as well.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Generally, the present invention is directed to a hanger and a label incorporating the same which provides enhanced reliability, performance and usability, as well as improved convenience and cost-effectiveness in manufacture and handling.




The label may include a hanger having a folded configuration which allows the label to be unfolded from a relatively compact stored position to a relatively long hanging position.




The label may include a hanger having at least one attachment portion and a hanging portion defining an opening for receiving a support. The attachment portion is coated with a substantially permanent first adhesive suitable to securely adhere the attachment portion to an intended substrate. The intended substrate may be an article such as an IV bottle or the intended substrate may be a base label. The hanging portion of the hanger is coated with a less adherent, non-permanent second adhesive. The second adhesive is effective to temporarily adhere the hanging portion to the intended substrate, but allows the hanging portion to be pulled away from the substrate, preferably without damaging the substrate, when the user desires to employ the hanger. More preferably, the second adhesive is a “fugitive adhesive” which adheres to the intended substrate but which, upon removal from the substrate, becomes substantially non-adherent.




The label may include a base label having a lower surface, a base adhesive disposed on the lower surface for affixing the label to a substrate, and a hanger as described above. The hanger may have two or more interconnected legs defining an opening therebetween, each of the legs having a respective end, each of the ends of the legs being adhered to the base label.




The hanger may be foldable about the ends between a stored position wherein the hanger lies adjacent an upper surface of the base label and a hanging position wherein the hanger is folded away from the base label for receiving the support through the opening.




The hanger may include first and second superimposed layers. Preferably, each of the first and second layers is formed of polymeric film. Each of the first and second layers is preferably substantially transparent.




The ends of the legs may be secured to an upper surface of the base label by an anchoring adhesive. Further, each of the first and second layers may extend beyond the hanger with the hanger defined by cut lines formed through the first and second layers.




The base label may have an upper surface with indicia disposed on the upper surface of the base label. Moreover, at least a portion of the indicia may underlie the hanger when the hanger lies adjacent the upper surface of the base label in a stored position. Preferably, each of the layers of the hanger is formed from a transparent material, whereby the indicia is visible through the hanger when the hanger is in the stored position.




The present invention is further directed to a method for forming a label as described above for displaying information regarding a container and suspending the container from a support.




The present invention is further directed to a hanger as described above.




Objects of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the Figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a top plan view of a label according to the present invention disposed on a release liner;





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of the label of

FIG. 1

disposed on the release liner;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the label of

FIG. 1

mounted on a container with a hanger thereof in a stored position;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the label of

FIG. 1

mounted on the container with the hanger thereof partially unfolded;





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of the label of

FIG. 1

mounted on the container with the hanger thereof in a hanging position;





FIG. 6

is an enlarged, fragmentary, front plan view of the label of

FIG. 1

mounted on the container with the hanger thereof in the hanging position;





FIG. 7

is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for forming the label of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 8

is a perspective view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a container with the hanger thereof in a stored position;





FIG. 9

is a side elevational view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a release liner;





FIG. 10

is a top plan view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a release liner;





FIG. 11

is a side elevational view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a release liner;





FIG. 12

is a top plan view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a release liner; and





FIG. 13

is a top plan view of a label according to a further embodiment mounted on a release liner.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The thicknesses of layers of the labels as shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity.




With reference to

FIGS. 1-6

, a label


100


according to the present invention is shown therein. As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the label


100


is initially releaseably secured to a release liner


102


by an adhesive layer


104


. The label


100


may be removed from the release liner


102


and applied to a suitable container


7


as shown in

FIG. 3

by conventional means including, for example, automatic applicator equipment. Once affixed to the container


7


by means of the adhesive


104


, the label


100


will serve by means of indicia


118


to display information regarding the container


7


and its contents. The indicia


118


may include a bar code or other coded identifier as well as lot and expiration date data. Further, a hanger


130


forming a part of the label


100


may be unfolded from a base label


110


forming a part of the label


100


(as shown in

FIG. 4

) and looped over a suitable support


5


for suspending the container


7


(as shown in FIG.


5


).




Turning to the label


100


in greater detail, the base label


110


may be formed from any suitable film or paper stock. Further, the base label


110


may be formed from a self adhesive pressure sensitive web or, as an alternative, the pressure sensitive material may be applied to the undersurface of the stock or to the upper surface of the release liner, the release liner and stock thereafter being married. The adhesive


104


is preferably a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive suitable to secure the base label


110


to the intended article such that removal of the base label


110


from the article will result in damage to the article, the base label


110


or both. Suitable materials for the base label


110


include 2.3 mil white biaxially oriented polypropylene face stock with B-122 adhesive (corresponding to the adhesive


104


) and a 50 pound release liner (corresponding to the release liner


102


), available from Brownbridge Industries, Inc. of Troy, Ohio. Suitable indicia


118


such as brand names, bar codes, warnings, and lot and expiration data are printed on the upper surface of the base label


110


. A tab


111


extends from an edge of the base label


110


and forms a part of a pull tab


131


of the hanger


130


. The indicia


118


is printed on the base label


110


.




The label


100


further includes a hanger member


125


. The hanger member


125


is formed of superimposed layers


150


and


155


which are permanently secured to one another by adhesive


154


. The layer


150


is formed of a relatively tear resistant, high strength material as compared to the layer


155


. The layer


155


is formed of a relatively stretch resistant material as compared to the layer


150


. The positions of the layers


150


and


155


may be reversed, however, the order as described and shown is preferred. In place of or in addition to the indicia


118


, indicia (not shown) may be printed on the hanger member


125


, including on the hanger


130


.




Preferably, each of the layers


150


and


155


is transparent. The layer


155


is preferably a polyester film having a thickness of from about 2 to 6 mil, and more preferably from about 3 to 4 mil. Suitable polyester films are available from Fasson of Painesville, Ohio. The layer


150


is preferably a high density polyethylene film having a thickness of from about 2 to 5 mil, and more preferably no greater than 2.5 mil (as discussed in more detail below). More preferably, the layer


150


is an oriented and cross-laminated high density polyethylene film having such thickness. Suitable oriented and cross-laminated high density polyethylene films for the layer


150


include VALERON® film available from Van Leer Films. Suitable adhesives for the adhesive


154


include S3000 available from Fasson.




As noted above, the layers


150


and


155


are preferably transparent. If the layer


150


is formed of high density polyethylene, it has been found that the material may be rendered substantially transparent by selectively heating and stretching (simultaneously in both the machine and transverse directions) an originally cross laminated film of a prescribed thickness to a thickness of about 2.5 mil or less. It has been found that films processed in this manner but having a final thickness of greater than about 2.5 mil are not substantially transparent. Further, it has been found that two or more stacked film layers processed in this manner and each having a thickness of about 2.5 mil or less, but having a combined thickness of greater than 2.5 mil, also do not provide a substantially transparent construction. Accordingly, if the layer


150


is a high density polyethylene film, the layer


150


should be no greater than about 2.5 mil thick and should be formed of a unitary layer. Transparent polyester films are commonly available in a wide range of thicknesses.




Preferably, the layers


150


and


155


are of the same size and shape with their respective peripheries in registry as shown, however, the layers may be differently configured. Preferably, the adhesive


154


completely coats the opposed surfaces of the layers


150


,


155


. Thus, the hanger


130


is dual ply throughout. The preferred dimensions of the layers


150


,


155


will depend upon the particular application and the desired appearance of the hanger.




The hanger member


125


is secured to the upper surface of the base label


110


by a first, permanent adhesive layer


164


which coats an attachment portion of the lower surface of the layer


150


and also by a second, temporary adhesive layer


160


(see

FIGS. 5 and 6

) which coats a hanger portion of the lower surface of the layer


150


. A pattern of diecuts


123


is formed through the layers


150


,


154


,


155


and defines the hanger


130


and attachment portions


140


and a central portion


142


(i.e., the remainder of the hanger member


125


not forming a part of the hanger


130


). The hanger


130


includes interconnected strips


132


,


134


,


136


,


138


, which form legs


130


A and


130


B, and a loop


127


. The strips


138


terminate at respective ends


139


which are preferably formed with stress relief curves as shown.




Preferably, the adhesive


164


underlies the entireties of the attachment portions


140


and the central portion


142


. Preferably, the adhesive


164


is a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive such that removal of these portions


140


,


142


from the base label


110


will result in damage to the base label


110


, the portions


140


,


142


or both. In any event, the adhesive


164


is preferably sufficiently adherent to the base label


110


to support the expected load of the container


7


and its contents. Suitable permanent adhesives include S3000 available from Fasson of Painesville, Ohio.




Preferably, the adhesive layer


160


underlies the entirety of the hanger


130


. The adhesive


160


is an adhesive of the type commonly referred to as a “fugitive adhesive”. Such adhesives are characterized in that they are operative to adhere two layers (in this case, the portion of the layer


150


within the hanger


130


and the upper surface of the base label


110


) but, when the two layers are separated, the exposed adhesive


160


is substantially non-adherent. When the adhesive dries, the bond will remain strong enough to hold the layers together until the bond is broken by deliberately separating the layers. The adhesive is then dry and tackless (i.e., at least nontacky to the touch) and will not adhere to anything or unduly collect dirt and debris. Preferably, the materials of the layers


150


and


110


and the adhesive


160


are chosen such that the adhesive


160


will remain with the underside of the hanger


130


, however, it is also contemplated that the adhesive


160


may remain with the underlying upper surface of the base label


110


. The particular characteristics of the adhesive will depend on the materials chosen for the layers to be bonded as well as the required performance parameters (e.g., the desired amount of force required to break the bond between the layers). Suitable adhesives include WB4738 available from H. B. Fuller of St. Paul, Minn. Preferably, the adhesive


160


is substantially transparent so that indicia beneath the hanger


130


may be viewed. An alternative suitable adhesive is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,838 to Dunsirn et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.




The pull tab


131


includes portions of the layers


150


,


154


,


155


as well as a base tab


111


. The base tab


111


is coextensive with the pull tab


131


and extends beyond the lower edge of the base label


110


. The base tab


111


is separated from the remainder of the base label


110


by a cut line


111


A (which extends up to the adhesive layer


164


) and is adhered to the underside of the pull tab


131


by a portion of the pressure sensitive adhesive


164


. The underside of base tab


111


is coated with pressure sensitive adhesive


104


A which has been deadened by an adhesive deadener or varnish. Suitable adhesive deadeners and varnishes include Radcure 800 available from Radcure Corporation of Livingston, N.J. Preferably, suitable indicia such as “PULL DOWN” is printed on the upper surface of the base tab


111


and is visible through the layers


150


,


154


,


155


of the pull tab


131


.




While in the preferred embodiment the hanger


130


is substantially entirely coated with the adhesive


160


, it may be desirable in some instances to only partially coat the hanger


130


with the adhesive


160


. For example, the adhesive


160


may be provided in discrete spots (not shown).




From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that when the label


100


is removed from the release liner, the deadened adhesive


104


A will readily separate from the release liner. Once the label


100


is affixed to a desired container


7


by means of the adhesive


104


, the pull tab


131


may be lifted away to employ the hanger


130


, the deadened adhesive


104


A not forming a bond with the container. It will be appreciated that, because the periphery of the pull tab


131


is free and not surrounded by a layer of film or the like, that the pull tab


131


is easily accessible for lifting by the user. In particular, the base tab


111


secured to the pull tab


131


, and otherwise free of the label and the container, spaces the pull tab


131


somewhat from the surface of the container so that it is even more easily accessible. Methods for forming the described pull tab construction will be apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,381 to Treleaven et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.




Alternatively, the pull tab


131


may be formed such that the base tab


111


remains with the base label


110


. In such case, the lower surface of the layer


150


in the pull tab


131


is preferably coated with the temporary adhesive


160


and the cut line


111


A is not present.




While the label


100


is disposed on the release liner


102


, while the label


100


is being applied to the container


7


, and while the label


100


is mounted on a container prior to hanging the container, the temporary adhesive


160


holds the hanger


130


down onto the base label


110


. In this way, the hanger


130


is prevented from interfering with the handling of the container or extending away from the container where the hanger


130


may be damaged.




When it is desired to use the label


100


to suspend the container


7


, the hanger


130


(including all of its layers


150


,


154


,


155


) may be transitioned from the stored position of

FIG. 3

to the hanging position of

FIGS. 5 and 6

by grabbing the pull tab


131


and pulling the hanger


130


in a downward direction D (see FIG.


4


). The releasable adherence between the hanger


130


and the upper surface of the base label


110


allow the user to easily peel the hanger


130


away from the base label


110


. The legs


130


A and


130


B unravel or unfold as shown and then fold about the ends


139


as the strips


138


separate from the base label


100


. Notably, because of the provision of the fugitive adhesive


160


, the now exposed adhesive


160


is not adherent or tacky and therefore will not interfere with use of the hanger


130


or the container


7


.




The configuration of the legs


130


A,


130


B provides enhanced strength and durability. As best seen in

FIG. 6

, because the deployed legs


130


A,


130


B fold about a fold line F transverse to the gravitational load of the container


7


, the load is evenly distributed and localized stresses where the hanger


130


joins the remaining portions


140


are minimized. Stress relief curves in the cut lines further serve to evenly distribute the stresses at the ends of the legs. The distance between the ends of the legs is preferably chosen such that the ends will be disposed diametrically opposite one another when the label is affixed to a container of a prescribed circumference. Stress relief diecut curves serve to inhibit the material of the hanger member


125


from tearing.




With reference to

FIG. 7

, an apparatus


400


for forming labels


100


according to the first embodiment is shown schematically therein. The apparatus


400


may include, for example, a Mark Andy 2200 Flexopress available from Mark Andy, Inc. of Chesterfield, Mo. Alternatively, rotary letter press, lithographic printing, silk screen, or gravure may be used.




First, a base web of pressure sensitive film or paper


404


is unwound from an unwind station


402


. Preferably, the web


404


includes a release liner and a stock web adhered thereto by a pressure sensitive adhesive. Alternatively, the base web


404


may be formed by applying adhesive to the underside of a stock web on line prior to marrying the stock web to the release liner. The stock material and pressure sensitive adhesive correspond to the base label


110


and the adhesive


104


of the finished labels


100


. The web


404


is passed through one or more print stations


410


at which indicia


118


is applied to the upper surface of the web.




An adhesive applicator


412


applies adhesive corresponding to the temporary adhesive


160


to the upper surface of the web


404


in locations corresponding to the hanger


130


. The adhesive


160


may be applied to the web


404


in a fluid state and then converted to a solid by heat, cooling, radiation or chemical reaction. An adhesive applicator


414


applies adhesive corresponding to the permanent adhesive


164


to the upper surface of the web


404


in locations corresponding to the attachment portions


140


and the central portion


142


. The adhesive applicators


412


,


414


are preferably screen coaters as available from Nordson Corporation of Alpharetta, Ga.




A pre-formed composite web


422


is unwound from an unwind station


420


. The web


422


corresponds to the hanger


130


, the attachment portions


140


, and the central portion


142


of the label


100


. The web


422


is formed of (1) an upper continuous web of polyester or other suitable material as described above for the layer


155


and (2) a lower continuous web of VALERON® or other suitable material as described above for the layer


150


, secured together by (3) a layer of adhesive therebetween corresponding to the adhesive


154


.




The webs


422


and


404


are married at nip rollers


426


. Thereafter, a die cutter


430


forms cut lines in the web


422


through each of the lower and upper webs and adhesive (corresponding to the layers


150


,


155


and the adhesive


154


) down to the base web


404


to define the hanger


130


, the attachment portions


140


, and the central portion


142


.




Thereafter, the labels


100


are formed by a die cutter


440


which forms die cuts through the base web


404


, the composite web


422


and the adhesive layers down to the release liner


102


. The waste matrix


442


of the base web


404


, the web


422


and the adhesive layers is removed by a winding station


444


. The resulting labels


100


disposed on the release liner


102


may thereafter be wound onto a winding station


446


or sheeted and stacked.




Each of the labels as described above may be produced “multiple up” on a web. That is, a plurality of labels may be formed across a relatively wide web which may thereafter be slit into individual webs.




Either the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of each of the layers of the hangers may be printed on. As noted above, each layer of the hanger material is preferably transparent. In this way, if the hanger is not printed, the base label may be printed without regard for the placement of the hanger in either of the stored or operative positions.




From the foregoing, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that labels


100


may be constructed according to other methods.




Additionally, the hanger and method for forming the same may be modified according to the various embodiments described in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/803,945, filed Feb. 21, 1997, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,901 on Mar. 9, 1999, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. For example, the hanger member


125


may be formed of three or more film layers and/or may include a scrim layer as described in application Ser. No. 08/803,945.




With reference to

FIG. 8

, a label


190


according to a further embodiment of the present invention is shown therein. The label


190


corresponds to the label


100


except that it is formed such that the central portion of the hanger member


195


corresponding to the hanger member


125


is removed, leaving the upper surface of the base label exposed in the region


110


B between the folded hanger legs


193


A,


193


B and within the loop


197


. Also, the base label includes an extended portion


110


B extending beyond the upper edge of the hanger member


195


. The portion


110


B bears indicia


198


and is coated on its rear surface with a permanent adhesive. Suitable modifications to the label and the method for forming the label will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the description herein and the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,381 to Treleaven et al.




A label according to a further embodiment is shown in FIG.


9


and generally designated


200


. The label


200


is mounted on a release liner


202


and has a base label


210


releaseably secured to the release liner


202


by an adhesive layer


204


corresponding to the adhesive layer


104


. The label


200


differs from the label


100


in that the hanger member


225


includes only a single film layer


250


corresponding to the layer


150


and no layers corresponding to layers


154


and


155


are provided. The layer


250


is secured to the upper surface of the base label


210


by an adhesive layer


264


corresponding to the adhesive layer


164


and a temporary adhesive (not shown) corresponding to the temporary adhesive


160


. Each layer is diecut in the same manner as in the label


100


so that the label


200


and the hanger thereof will have the same configurations as shown in

FIG. 1

as well as a pull tab


231


corresponding to the pull tab


131


.




A label according to a further embodiment is shown in

FIG. 10

on a release liner


302


and generally designated


300


. The label


300


is constructed in the same manner as the label


100


except that a plurality of ties


333


are formed along the diecuts


323


between adjacent portions of the hanger strips


332


,


338


and the attachment portions


340


, between the hanger strips


334


,


336


and the central portion


342


, and between the loop


327


and the central portion


342


. The ties


333


are formed such that they will break as the user pulls the hanger


330


downwardly. The ties


333


are formed during the diecutting step and extend down to the upper surface of the base label.




Optionally, in the label


300


as just described, the hanger member of the label


300


may be of a single ply construction as in the label


200


. Optionally, the temporary adhesive coating the underside of the hanger


330


may be omitted or replaced with a deadened adhesive. Suitable methods for forming such labels will be apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,381.




According to further embodiments (not shown), a label according to the present invention may be formed as described with respect to the label


100


except that the temporary adhesive coating the underside of the hanger


130


may be omitted or replaced with a partially deadened adhesive. For example, the permanent adhesive


164


may coat the underside of the hanger


130


with a selected pattern of deadener applied to the underside of the adhesive. Additionally or alternatively, the adhesive may be deadened to make it low tack without rendering it non-tacky. Suitable methods for forming such labels will be apparent from U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,381. Additionally, the hanger member of such labels may be of a single ply construction as discussed with respect to the label


200


.




A label


500


according to a further embodiment of the present invention is shown in

FIG. 11

disposed on a release liner


502


. In the label


500


, the hanger member


525


includes a single ply layer


550


corresponding to the layer


150


. The layer


550


is releaseably adhered to the release liner


502


by adhesive layers


564


and


560


corresponding to the adhesive layers


164


and


160


, respectively. Thus, the label


500


does not include a base label corresponding to the base label


110


. The hanger member


525


is diecut and configured in the same manner as the hanger member


125


except that the hanger member


525


is diecut down to the release liner


502


. The adhesive layers


564


and


560


are applied in the same pattern as the adhesive layers


164


and


160


except that the temporary adhesive layer


160


preferably coats the entire undersurface of the pull tab


531


. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that such labels may be applied and used in manners similar to that discussed with respect to the label


100


. However, in the case of the label


500


, the adhesive layers


564


and


560


should be selected to be permanently and temporarily adherent, respectively, to the article to which the label


500


is to be applied, rather than to a base label material.




According to a further embodiment of the present invention (not shown), a label may be provided which is constructed in the same manner as the label


500


except having a multi-ply hanger member such as the multi-ply hanger member


125


.




It will be appreciated that the combination of a hanger and a fugitive adhesive disposed on the undersurface of the hanger as discussed above may be used with hanger labels of designs and constructions different than those described and shown herein. For example, the fugitive adhesive may be applied to the rear surfaces of hangers of different shapes, including those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,381.




According to a further embodiment, the fugitive adhesive is replaced with a permanent adhesive, preferably an extension of the adhesive layer


164


. However, in this case the lower surface of the hanger


130


is not fully coated with adhesive. Rather, only a selected pattern of the adhesive sufficient to temporarily hold the hanger


130


down is provided. Two preferred embodiments of this construction are discussed below.




With reference to

FIG. 12

, a label


600


is shown therein on a release liner


602


. The label


600


corresponds to the label


100


except that instead of having a coating of fugitive adhesive on the underside of the hanger


630


, dots


660


A of permanent adhesive are provided at strategic points on the underside of the hanger


630


. The adhesive dots


660


A temporarily hold the hanger


630


to the base label or the article (if the base label is omitted as in the label


500


).




With reference to

FIG. 13

, a label


700


is shown therein on a release liner


702


. The label


700


corresponds to the label


100


except that instead of having a coating of fugitive adhesive on the underside of the hanger


730


, strips


760


A of permanent adhesive are provided on the underside of the hanger


730


adjacent the edges thereof (i.e., along the die cuts). The adhesive strips


760


A temporarily hold the hanger


730


to the base label or the article (if the base label is omitted as in the label


500


).




The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.



Claims
  • 1. A hanger label for use with an intended substrate and a support, said hang label comprising:a) a hanger member including: an attachment portion having a lower surface; and a hanger portion having a lower surface, said hanger portion defining an opening adapted to receive the support; b) a first, permanent adhesive coating said lower surface of said attachment portion to substantially permanently adhere said attachment portion to the substrate; and c) a second, non-permanent adhesive coating said lower surface of said hanger portion to temporarily adhere said hanger portion to the substrate.
  • 2. The hanger label of claim 1 wherein said second adhesive is a fugitive adhesive.
  • 3. The hanger label of claim 2 wherein said first adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.
  • 4. The hanger label of claim 1 wherein said hanger portion includes at least two legs, each of said legs having an end connected to said attachment portion such that, when said hanger label is adhered to the substrate, said legs are foldable away from the substrate about said attachment portion.
  • 5. The hanger label of claim 1 wherein said hanger portion includes two plies adhered to one another by a third adhesive disposed therebetween.
  • 6. A hanger label for use with a support, said hanger label comprising:a) a base label having upper and lower surfaces; b) a hanger member including: an attachment portion having a lower surface; and a hanger portion having a lower surface, said hanger portion defining an opening adapted to receive the support; c) a first, permanent adhesive substantially permanently adhering said lower surface of said attachment portion to said upper surface of said base label; d) a second, non-permanent adhesive temporarily adhering said lower surface of said hanger portion to said upper surface of said base label.
  • 7. The hanger label of claim 6 including a base adhesive coating said lower surface of said base label.
  • 8. The hanger label of claim 6 including indicia disposed on said upper surface of said base label.
  • 9. The hanger label of claim 6 wherein said second adhesive is a fugitive adhesive.
  • 10. The hanger label of claim 9 wherein said first adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.
  • 11. The hanger label of claim 6 wherein said hanger portion includes at least two legs, each of said legs having an end connected to said attachment portion such that said legs are foldable away from said base label about said attachment portion.
  • 12. The hanger label of claim 6 wherein said hanger portion includes two plies adhered to one another by a third adhesive disposed therebetween.
  • 13. A hanger label for use with an intended substrate and a support, said hanger label comprising:a) a hanger member including: an attachment portion having a lower surface; and a hanger portion having a lower surface, said hanger portion defining an opening adapted to receive the support; b) a first, permanent adhesive coating said lower surface of said attachment portion to substantially permanently adhere said attachment portion to the substrate; c) a second, permanent, patterned adhesive partially coating said lower surface of said hanger portion to temporarily adhere said hanger portion to the substrate, a portion of said lower surface of said hanger portion being adhesive-free.
  • 14. The hanger label of claim 13 wherein said patterned adhesive includes a plurality of spaced apart dots of permanent adhesive distributed along said lower surface of said hanger portion.
  • 15. The hanger label of claim 13 wherein said patterned adhesive includes at least one strip of permanent adhesive extending along an edge of said hanger portion.
  • 16. The hanger label of claim 13 including a base label having upper and lower surfaces, and wherein said second, permanent, patterned adhesive temporarily adheres said hanger portion to said upper surface of said base label.
  • 17. The hanger label of claim 13 wherein said first and second adhesives are pressure sensitive adhesives.
  • 18. The hanger label of claim 13 wherein said hanger portion includes at least two legs, each of said legs having an end connected to said attachment portion such that, when said hanger label is adhered to the substrate, said legs are foldable away from the substrate about said attachment portion.
  • 19. The hanger label of claim 13 wherein said hanger portion includes two plies adhered to one another by a third adhesive disposed therebetween.
  • 20. A hanger label for use with a substrate, said hanger label comprising:a) a hanger member including: an attachment portion having a lower surface; and a hanger portion defining an opening adapted to receive the support and comprising: an end connected to said attachment portion; and a plurality of interconnected, folded strips connected to said end; and b) adhesive coating said lower surface of said attachment portion to adhere said attachment portion to the substrate; c) wherein said hanger label is arranged and configured such that, when said hanger portion is pulled in a prescribed pull direction, said strips unfold and said hanger portion folds about said end to form a fold line substantially perpendicular to said pull direction.
  • 21. The hanger label of claim 20 wherein said hanger portion includes first and second spaced apart ends and, when said hanger portion is pulled in said prescribed pull direction, said hanger portion folds about each of said first and second ends to form a respective said fold line substantially perpendicular to said pull direction.
  • 22. The hanger label of claim 20 wherein said adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.
  • 23. The hanger label of claim 20 wherein said hanger portion includes two plies adhered to one another by a third adhesive disposed therebetween.
  • 24. A method for suspending an article from a support, the article having an upper end and a lower end, said method comprising the steps of:providing a hanger label comprising: a hanger member including: an attachment portion having a lower surface; and a hanger portion defining an opening adapted to receive the support and comprising: an end connected to the attachment portion; and a plurality of interconnected, folded strips connected to the end; securing the hanger label to the article; pulling the hanger portion to unfold the strips and to fold the hanger portion about the end to form a fold line between the hanger portion and the attachment portion; placing the hanger portion over the support such that the support is received in the opening; and positioning the hanger label relative to the support such that the fold line is substantially perpendicular to vertical.
  • 25. The method of claim 24 wherein:the hanger portion includes first and second spaced apart ends; said step of pulling the hanger portion includes folding the hanger portion about each of the first and second ends to form a respective fold line between the hanger portion and the attachment portion at each end; and said step of positioning the hanger label includes positioning the hanger label such that each of the fold lines is substantially perpendicular to vertical.
  • 26. The method of claim 24 wherein said step of pulling the hanger portion includes pulling the hanger portion toward an end of the article which becomes the upper end of the article when the article is suspended from the support using the hanger label.
RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/127,345 filed Apr. 1, 1999.

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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/127345 Apr 1999 US