Patent Application
20080061548
This invention is directed to an index label that can be adhered to a page or sheet, and that extends past an edge of the page or sheet. The invention is also directed to a printable sheet of such labels, and a method for printing and folding the printed labels, such as by a consumer, to form an index label.
A general object of the invention is to provide a printable sheet of removable index labels.
The general object of the invention can be attained, at least in part, through a label assembly. The label assembly includes a face sheet, a back sheet, and a layer of adhesive disposed between the face sheet and the back sheet. The adhesive adheres to the face sheet more than to the back sheet. A plurality of label shapes is cut within a remaining portion of the face sheet. The label shapes include at least a first label column. A fold line extends across the label shapes in the first label column. The fold line can be a printed line, a score line, a perforated line, and combinations thereof. Desirably, the fold line divides each of the label shapes into a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion is larger than the second portion.
The invention further comprehends a method of using the label assembly of this invention. The method including feeding the label assembly through a printer operatively connected to a computer, printing on the face sheet within the plurality of label shapes, removing one or more of the label shapes from the remaining portion, folding the one or more label shapes about the fold line to adhere a first portion of the labels shape to a second portion of the label shape, and adhering the label shape, by a portion of the first portion that is not covered, to an object, such as a sheet of paper.
The invention still further comprehends a label assembly. The label assembly includes a face sheet, a back sheet, and a layer of adhesive disposed between the face sheet and the back sheet. The adhesive adheres to the face sheet more than to the back sheet. A plurality of label shapes is cut within a remaining portion of the face sheet. The label shapes including at least a first label column and a second label column. A first fold line extends across the label shapes of the first label column and a second fold line extends across the label shapes of the second label column. The first and second label columns and the first and second fold lines are arranged lengthwise on the label assembly.
These and other objects and features of this invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The sheet 20 is of any suitable shape, and generally any suitable size that can be accepted by and fed through a printer, such as a laser printer or an ink jet printer. Common sizes of paper generally fed through printers are 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches, 8.5 inches by 11 inches, 8.263 inches by 11.688 inches (A4 size), and 8.5 inches by 14 inches. The face sheet 22 is preferably, but not necessarily, constructed of any suitable paper, paper composite, non-metal and/or metal material that can be used as a label. Other suitable materials for constructing the sheet 22 include fabric, plastic, and metal foils. The adhesive coating covered by the back sheet is applied to the face sheet 22 in any suitable manner known to those skilled in the art. The face sheet 22 desirably has a printable surface 24 on a side opposite the adhesive coating.
The face sheet 22 and the printable surface 24 can be any of a variety of face materials used to make pressure sensitive, or self-adhesive labels. Such face materials may include, but are not limited to: smudgeproof stock, litho stock, cast coated stock, tag stock, fluorescent stock, foils, computer printable polyester, vinyl, satin cloth, Tyvek™ material, flexible plastic, book papers, photo quality papers and/or photo quality film. Furthermore, various portions of the face materials can be different colors, thereby resulting in different colored parts.
The phrase “printable surface” relates to a surface of any type of matter upon which a person or machine can draw, print, color, paint, photocopy, write, emboss, or make any other type of mark or graphic. Laser printers, ink jet printers, impact printers, thermal transfer printers, direct thermal printers, typewriters, or any other suitable graphic printing devices are preferred but not necessary for use with printable surfaces according to this invention.
The face sheet 22 includes a plurality of shapes 30, each defining an individual label according to this invention. The phrase shape, or the phrase removable or tearable shape, is intended to relate to a shape, such as the shapes identified in
The face sheet 22 includes two fold lines 40. Each of the fold lines 40 extends across a corresponding plurality of label shapes 30, such that upon removing a label shape 30, the removed label shape 30 includes a portion of the fold line 40. The fold line 40 divides each of the label shapes 30 into a first portion 42 and a second portion 44. Desirably, the second portion 44 is sized smaller than the first portion 42. The fold lines 40 can be embodied in various and alternative ways, such as are known by those skilled in the art. In the embodiment shown in
The label assembly 20 shown in
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art following the teachings herein provided, various and alternative sizes, shapes, and configurations are available for the label assembly, label columns, and label shapes of this invention. As an example,
In one embodiment of this invention, the back sheet includes tearable lines aligned with at least portion of the tearable lines defining label shapes 30 on the front face sheet 22, such that the label shapes 30 can be removed with a portion of the back sheet attached thereto, for facilitating folding and adhering of the label portion back against the label.
Thus, the invention provides an index label and a printable sheet of shapes for forming user-printed labels that can be folded into and used as index labels.
It will be appreciated that details of the foregoing embodiment, given for purposes of illustration, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of this invention. Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention has been described in detail above, 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. Further, it is recognized that many embodiments may be conceived that do not achieve all of the advantages of some embodiments, particularly of the preferred embodiments, yet the absence of a particular advantage shall not be construed to necessarily mean that such an embodiment is outside the scope of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60/815,047, filed on 20 Jun. 2006. The co-pending Provisional Patent Application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and is made a part hereof, including but not limited to those portions which specifically appear hereinafter.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60815047 | Jun 2006 | US |
