Roll-fed method for constructing a rotatable label system

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6631578
  • Patent Number
    6,631,578
  • Date Filed
    Friday, May 25, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 14, 2003
    20 years ago
Abstract
A system and method for constructing a rotatable label and attaching the rotatable label to a container. The rotatable label system includes an inner label attached to the container and a rotatable outer label. The inner label may have adhesive on a rear surface of a trailing end alone, or it may have adhesive on a rear surface of both the leading and trailing end for fixedly attaching it to a container. The outer label only has adhesive on a rear surface of a trailing end to secure the outer label to itself. A leading end is temporarily affixed to the container while the outer label is wrapped around the container. Once the trailing end is attached to a front surface of the leading end, the outer label can be rotated about the container over the inner label. Longitudinal movement of the outer label relative to the container may be restricted by disposing the outer label between top and bottom label panels formed on the container. The outer label is preferably adapted with a transparent portion or window permitting viewing of indicia disposed on the inner label.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates generally to labels, and more particularly to a rotatable label system with inner and outer label surfaces, utilizing a minimum amount of adhesives and eliminating tab related mechanisms.




2. Description of Related Art




Many consumer products, such as vitamins, medications, and food items, are packaged in containers. It is usually desirable to display information in the form of written indicia arranged on the exterior surface of such containers to inform consumers as to the nature and use of the associated product. This information may include directions for use, warnings, dosage amounts, ingredients, company logos, and advertisements. Such information is conventionally printed on a label affixed to the container.




Prior art labels may have insufficient area available, however, to accommodate all of the information that a manufacturer may desire to provide to the consumer. Of course, the manufacturer may include all of the desired information on the label by reducing the size or typeface of some or all of the indicia, or by closely spacing the indicia. However, reduction of the size of text and/or graphics may adversely affect the visual appeal of the container, or may render some or all of the information illegible to the consumer. Furthermore, consumers may tend to ignore information presented in “fine print.”




A manufacturer who wishes to provide a relatively large amount of information to the consumer may also opt to place some of the information on a separate sheet of paper (known as an “insert”) packaged with the container. This technique is commonly employed in connection with health care items, such as over-the-counter medications and contact lens solutions. However, the insert is frequently lost or discarded after the initial use of the associated product, thus causing information set forth thereon to become unavailable to the consumer.




Thus, there is a need in the product packaging art for a system for increasing the amount of information that can be presented on a product container. There is a more specific need for a rotatable label system having an augmented surface area for presenting written information, and which is more easily mounted to the container, but without excessive use of adhesives and tab related release mechanisms.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a rotatable label system, which utilizes a minimal amount of adhesive and eliminates tab mechanisms. The rotatable label system generally includes a container for holding a quantity of a consumer or other type product, and a label or shell disposed about the exterior of the container and conforming thereto. The invention discloses methods and apparatus, and particularly it discloses a label system for application to a container or other object including an inner label having front and rear surfaces and leading and trailing ends. The invention further discloses an adhesive disposed on the rear surface of the inner label at the trailing end for coupling the inner label to the container or itself. Further, the invention discloses an outer label which includes an adhesive only on a rear surface of a trailing end of the outer label for adhering the trailing end of the outer label to the corresponding front surface of the outer label so that the outer label is secured about the container but rotatable about the inner label.




The method includes providing a container, and providing an inner label and an outer label, each label having front and rear surfaces and leading and trailing ends; providing an adhesive on the rear surface of the inner label for fixedly mounting the inner label to the container; providing an adhesive on the rear surface of the outer label for adhering the leading end of the outer label only to the trailing end of the outer label to allow the outer label to freely rotate around the inner label. Also provided is a transparent portion formed in the outer label so that the written indicia disposed on the front surface of the inner label is viewable through the transparent portion of the outer label.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the drawings wherein:





FIG. 1

is a plan view of a front surface of an outer label in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a plan view of a front surface of an inner label in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a plan view of a rear surface of the outer label of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a plan view of a rear surface of the inner label of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 5



a


illustrates the inner label of

FIG. 4

partially wrapped about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 5



b


illustrates the inner label of

FIG. 4

secured about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 6



a


illustrates a shorter inner label of

FIG. 4

partially wrapped about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 6



b


illustrates a shorter inner label of

FIG. 4

secured about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 7



a


illustrates the inner label of

FIG. 4

with a wider adhesive strip partially wrapped about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 7



b


illustrates the inner label of

FIG. 4

secured about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 8

illustrates the outer label of

FIG. 3

partially wrapped about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 9

illustrates the outer label of

FIG. 3

secured about a container in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 10

illustrates the outer label beginning to be rotated about the circumference of the container over the inner label;





FIGS. 11

,


12


, and


13


depict three embodiments of inner labels in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 14

is a plan view of inner labels being manufactured prior to cutting into strips of individual inner labels;





FIG. 15

is a plan view of outer labels being manufactured prior to cutting into strips of individual outer labels;





FIG. 16

is a plan view of a strip of outer labels of

FIG. 15

;





FIG. 17

is a schematic side view of inner or outer labels partially wrapped about the circumference of a container; and





FIG. 18

is a plan view of a strip of inner labels of

FIG. 14

in accordance with the invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION





FIG. 1

illustrates a front surface of an outer label or shell


100


according to the principles of the present invention. As shown, the outer label


100


includes a first, leading end


102


and a second, trailing end


104


. As was the case in previous embodiments by this inventor, for example, see patent application Ser. No. 09/126,010, there is no release tab which was used previously to enhance the mounting and deployment of the outer label to the inner label. In the present invention, no such perforated edge or release tab is necessary.




The outer label


100


also includes a transparent portion


112


. The transparent portion


112


is illustrated as being defined by edges


114


,


116


,


118


, and


120


. The transparent portion


112


may include an open window with no material disposed between edges


114


-


120


; or, alternatively, the transparent portion


112


may comprise a transparent film or the like to permit viewing through the transparent portion


112


. As discussed in more detail below, the transparent portion


112


permits an exterior of the underlying container, or underlying label, to be viewed through the outer label


100


.

FIG. 1

also shows writing or other indicia


122


that may include outer label messages such as trademarks, contents, usage instructions, etc.




The transparent portion


112


permits a user to view an underlying subset of indicia disposed on an inner label affixed to a container


500


(as later described with reference to

FIG. 5



a


-


5




b


). The user or consumer selects which subset of indicia he or she wishes to view by rotating the rotatable outer label


100


about a central axis of the container such that the selected subset of indicia appears within the transparent portion


112


. As depicted in the figures herein, the written indicia may include several subsets (product information, ingredients, and the like) circumferentially arranged on the inner label, each subset being selectively viewable by the user.





FIG. 2

illustrates a front surface of an inner label


200


. The inner label


200


includes a first, leading end


202


and a second, trailing end


204


. As can be seen in

FIG. 2

, the inner label


200


is slightly narrower than the outer label


100


seen in FIG.


1


. As will be seen and described in later figures, inner label


200


is more or less fixedly mounted to a container, while outer label


100


is intended to be movably constructed and mounted over the inner label


200


. Because of the looser mounting of the top label


100


than the mounting of inner label


200


, the narrower width of inner label


200


prevents the inner label


200


from being seen extending out from the edges of the outer label


100


. Clearly seen in

FIG. 2

is the fact that inner label


200


is shorter than outer label


100


, seen in FIG.


1


. This is to allow the outer label to be fixed to itself thereby allowing the outer label to rotate about the inner label


200


.





FIG. 3

shows the backside of the outer label


100


. Leading end


102


and trailing end


104


are seen in this figure as well. Transparent portion


112


and the edges


114


,


116


,


118


, and


120


of the transparent portion


112


are also seen in

FIG. 3. A

strip of adhesive


122


is shown as being disposed on a rear surface


302


of the outer label


100


adjacent to the trailing end


104


and is further defined by edge


128


. Advantageously, with the exception of the strip of adhesive


122


, the rear surface


302


of outer label


100


is substantially non-adhesive. As is discussed in more detail below, adhesive strip


122


secures the trailing end


104


of the outer label


100


to the leading end


102


when it is mounted over the inner label


200


(FIG.


2


). It is also seen in

FIG. 3

, as it was in

FIG. 1

, that outer label


100


is slightly longer than the inner label


200


, so that the adhesive edge or strip


122


has enough room, as the outer label


100


is wrapped around the container, to adhere to the leading end


102


of outer label


100


, to rotatably affix the outer label


100


about the container. Similarly, as was explained above in

FIG. 1

,

FIG. 3

has no release tabs or perforations, as was evident in the previous related patent applications.





FIG. 4

illustrates a rear surface


402


of the inner label


200


. The rear surface


402


has two strips of adhesive


408


and


410


immediately adjacent the leading and trailing ends,


202


and


204


, respectively. Adhesive strip


408


has an edge


406


defined as its limit on the inner label


200


, and adhesive strip


410


has its defining edge


404


, as well. As set forth above, inner label


200


is usually narrower than outer label


100


so that the edges of inner label


200


are not visible above or below the upper and lower edges of outer label


100


. Outer label


100


is longer than inner label


200


so that trailing end


104


of inner label


100


can be attached to leading end


102


by the use of adhesive strip


122


.





FIG. 5



a


illustrates the application of the inner label


100


to a container


500


. Such a container could be a glass or plastic bottle, or other type of container such as a metal can or cardboard receptacle.

FIG. 5



a


shows the container


500


as having a cap


502


to be removably secured to a body


504


. The body


504


has an exterior surface


506


that includes a top label panel


508


, a bottom label panel


510


, and a recessed surface


512


interposed between the top label panel


508


and bottom label panel


510


. As discussed below, the inner label


200


is applied to container


500


at recessed area


512


between the top label panel


508


and a bottom label panel


510


.




After the outer label


100


and inner label


200


are secured about the container


500


, the top and bottom label panels


508


,


510


limit the longitudinal displacement of the outer label


200


relative to the container


500


. As will be seen below, limiting the longitudinal displacement of the outer label


100


on the container


500


prevents the outer label


100


from slipping off the container


500


. Other label holding means are contemplated, such as rims, seams, ridges, etc.




For the embodiment in

FIG. 5



a


, the length of label


200


is longer than the circumference of recessed surface


512


of container


500


. That is, when inner label


200


is wrapped around the container


500


, inner label


200


will, via rear adhesive strip


410


, overlap and adhere to the leading end


202


of inner label


200


. Adhesive strip


408


is utilized to initially adhere the inner label


200


to container


500


. Adhesive surface strips


408


and


410


are shown in dotted line phantom view because the adhesive is actually on the reverse side of the inner label


200


and would not normally be seen in this view except in dotted line fashion.





FIG. 5



b


shows the container


500


with the inner label


200


mounted to the container


500


. Initially, as seen in

FIG. 5



a


, leading end


202


would be placed on the recessed surface


512


of container


500


and affixed to the container


500


by means of the adhesive


408


. With relative motion between the container


500


and inner label


200


, the inner label


200


would be wrapped around the container with trailing end


204


now overlapping leading end


202


such that adhesive


408


holds the leading end


202


to the container


500


while adhesive


410


holds the trailing end


204


to the overlapping leading end


202


of inner label


200


.





FIG. 6



a


is similar to the embodiment shown in

FIG. 5



a


. It shows container


500


with the removable cap


502


and container body


504


which includes exterior surface


506


, including top label panel


508


, bottom label panel


510


, and a recessed surface


152


in between the top label panel


508


and the bottom label panel


510


. Inner label


200


is also shown in the same position for mounting on the recessed surface


512


of container


500


with leading end


202


, leading adhesive strip


408


, trailing adhesive strip


410


, and shortened trailing end


205


of inner label


200


. The shorter trailing end


205


allows for inner label


200


to be the exact length equaling the circumference of recessed surface


512


of container


500


. Since the length of inner label


200


and the circumference of container


500


at its recessed surface


512


are equal, the inner label


200


, when wrapped around the recessed surface


512


, will not overlap but leading end


202


and trailing end


205


will abut together. The original length, as described in conjunction with

FIG. 5



a


, is now shown with its trailing end


204


in dotted line fashion to illustrate the shortening of the inner label


200


to shorter trailing end


205


. As in

FIG. 5



a


, adhesive


408


and


410


are shown in phantom dotted line fashion because the adhesive is actually on the rear side not seen in this figure.





FIG. 6



b


shows the inner label


200


wrapped around the bottle or container


500


. As set forth above, the length of the inner label


200


could be the length of the circumference of the recessed surface


512


of container


500


, which would allow leading end


202


and shorter trailing end


205


to abut one another. However, it is also possible that inner label


200


could be shorter than the circumference of recessed surface


512


of container


500


which would provide for a gap between leading end


202


and trailing end


205


of inner label


200


. In this instance, adhesive


408


on leading end


202


would adhere to exterior surface


506


as does adhesive


410


on shorter trailing end


205


.





FIG. 7



a


is similar to that of

FIG. 6



a


with the container


500


and its similar sections and inner label


200


in place for mounting to the container


500


. In this figure, however, inner label


200


does not have a forward edge adhesive with which to hold the leading end


202


in place while the inner label


200


is wrapped around the recessed surface


512


of container


500


, as was shown in previous figures. However, the trailing end


204


now has a strip of adhesive larger (wider) than the previous strips of adhesive so that when inner label


200


is wrapped around the recessed surface


512


of container


500


, the label section defined between trailing end


204


and edge


404




a


will contact and adhere to the leading end


202


of inner label


200


as well as contacting recessed surface


512


of container


500


.




In this embodiment, extraneous means could be used to hold the leading end


202


of the inner label


200


to the container


500


. For example, a blast of air or other gas against the leading end


202


could be used to hold the leading end


202


against the container


500


until the inner label


200


is wrapped completely around the recessed surface


512


of the container


500


and adhesive


410


can be used to affix the inner label


200


to the container


500


. Moisture, such as a small amount of water, could be used to temporarily affix the leading end


202


of the inner label


200


to the container


500


until the entire inner label


200


is wrapped about the container


500


. Of course, the moisture will quickly evaporate leaving no evidence of its use. Alternatively, a hold or pressing apparatus could be used in the wrapping mechanism itself to hold the inner label


200


in place until the inner label


200


is completely wrapped about the container


500


. Further techniques could include supplying a vacuum pressure, or a static electric charge pressure to the inner label


200


. Similar techniques may be used to apply the outer label


100


about the inner label


200


.





FIG. 7



b


shows the container


500


with an overlapping inner label


200


where the adhesive strip


204


on the trailing end


204


is wider than the overlapping section of inner label


200


such that the adhesive


410


contacts not only the outer edge of the leading end


202


of inner label


200


but also contacts recessed surface


512


of container


500


. In the previous figures, when the leading end


202


overlaps the trailing end


204


with the adhesive only contacting the leading end


202


of the inner label


200


, such as in

FIG. 5



b


, it is possible for inner label


200


to move with respect to the surface of container


500


. This is undesirable in some instances; and the embodiment shown in

FIG. 7



b


is provided so that once the inner label


200


is mounted to the container


500


, the adhesive strip portion


410


which is wider than the overlapping sections of the inner label


200


which allows the inner label


200


to be fixedly mounted to the bottle or container


500


. The adhesive on the trailing end


204


contacts the surface of the container


500


and prevents the inner label


200


from moving circumferentially around the container


500


.





FIG. 8

shows container


500


with the inner label


200


already mounted to the recessed surface


512


of container


500


. At this point it is desirable to mount the outer label


100


over the inner label


200


on container


500


. It is clearly shown in this figure that outer label


100


is wider than inner label


200


so that if there is any slight longitudinal movement of the outer label


100


within the recessed surface


512


, none of the inner label


200


will be viewable by a user or consumer of the contents of container


500


. Outer label


100


is the label seen and described above in reference to FIG.


3


. That is, outer label


100


has a leading or front end


102


and a trailing or second end


104


. There is a transparent portion


112


defined by edges


114


,


116


,


118


, and


120


. Also shown is adhesive strip


122


illustrated in dotted or dashed phantom line because the adhesive is actually on the rear, non-viewable, surface of outer label


100


.




As described in more detail in connection with

FIG. 7



a


, various techniques may be used to temporarily attached the leading end


102


of outer label


100


to the inner label


200


or container


500


. Such techniques include a blast of air of gas against the leading end


102


, moisture applied to the leading end, vacuum pressure, and static electric charge pressure. Other methods for temporarily positioning the leading end


102


may also be used.




When there is relative motion between the container


500


and the outer label


100


, outer label


100


will wrap around the recessed surface


512


of container


500


. By relative motion, it is meant that the outer label


100


is maintained stationary and the container


500


is rotated along a line in order to wrap the outer label


100


about the container


500


. Alternatively, the container


500


may remain stationary and the outer label


100


, by manufacturing means known in the art, wraps around the recessed surface


512


of container


500


. Yet another embodiment may be a combination of the two above-described motions. Similar methods may be used to apply the inner label


200


.




Once the outer label


100


is completely wrapped about the container


500


, the adhesive


122


on the trailing end


104


will contact and form a bond with the front surface of the leading end


102


. Because the trailing end


104


overlaps the leading end


102


of the outer label


100


, the adhesive


122


will not contact the inner label


200


or the container


500


. By having the trailing end


104


only adhering to the leading end


102


, the outer label


100


is free to rotate about the inner label


200


and the container


500


once the temporary coupling is removed.





FIG. 9

shows outer label


100


disposed around the center recessed surface


512


of container


500


with the adhesive


122


on trailing end


104


adhering to the leading end


102


(not shown in this figure); thus positioning the outer label


100


about the inner label


200


. In this figure, for the first time, one can see the relationship between the inner label


200


and the outer label


100


. With the inner label


200


affixed to the container


500


, and the outer label


100


movably disposed about the inner label


100


but allowed to move circumferentially about the inner label


100


along the recessed surface


512


, the transparent portion


112


in the outer label


100


allows any writing or other indicia on the inner label


200


to be seen through the transparent portion


112


of outer label


100


. As the outer label


100


is rotated about an axis of the container


500


, different portions of the underlying label


200


come into view through the transparent portion


112


of outer label


100


.




The motion of the outer label


100


is seen now in FIG.


10


. If the outer label


100


is moved in a clockwise direction as viewed from the top of container


500


, then the right edge


116


of outer label


100


will begin to eclipse the writing underneath as shown by the clipping of the right edge


116


of the letter ‘B’, which is representative of the information printed on the inner label


200


. Of course, the outer label


100


may also be moved in a counter clockwise direction as viewed from the top of container


500


, at the choice of the consumer or user of the container


500


.





FIGS. 11

,


12


, and


13


are rear surface views of the various inner labels as previously described in conjunction with the drawings.

FIG. 11

shows inner label


200


with leading end


202


and trailing end


204


with adhesive


408


adjacent to the leading end


202


, and adhesive


410


adjacent trailing or second end


204


.

FIG. 12

shows the same label


200


except that it is slightly shorter and is used in conjunction with the embodiment as shown in

FIG. 6



b


as described above.

FIG. 13

shows inner label


200


with the extra wide adhesive


410


for use in the overlapping embodiment of the inner label


200


as shown and described in conjunction with

FIG. 7



b.







FIG. 14

illustrates one embodiment of a plurality of inner labels


200


being manufactured. Shown in

FIG. 14

are four rows of inner labels


200


laterally adjacent one another. The length of the material upon which the inner labels


200


are printed depends upon how much material is available and the complexity and capacity of the manufacturing apparatus itself. The printed material shown schematically as the letters ‘B’ on

FIG. 14

could be printed by any method; but a typical method of printing could utilize the Flexography method of printing, as is well known in the art. The material itself could comprise biaxially oriented polypropylene, well-known as BOPP. The inner labels


200


would have the length or distance as determined by whether the apparatus is manufacturing labels set forth in

FIGS. 11

,


12


, or


13


, with concomitant lengths thereof.





FIG. 15

shows the makeup of the material used to make the outer labels


100


with the leading and trailing ends and appropriate adhesives depending upon the embodiment shown and to be manufactured. Also shown in

FIG. 15

are transparent portions


112


in the outer labels


100


use for viewing the printed material on the inner labels


200


such as the letters ‘B’ as shown and described above in conjunction with FIG.


14


. As set forth above, the transparent portion


112


of outer label


100


could be an actual opening cut into the material or an area left transparent depending upon how the remaining part of the labels are printed and developed utilizing, for example, the Flexography technique. Similar to inner labels


200


in

FIG. 11

, the outer labels


100


could also be made of biaxially oriented polypropylene, well known as BOPP.





FIG. 16

shows a length of outer labels


100


after manufacturing as in FIG.


12


and cut to width. This allows the outer labels


100


to be rolled up as in

FIG. 17

which shows roll


415


with a length of outer label


100


beginning to be wrapped around a container


500


.

FIG. 18

shows a similar cut length of inner labels


200


and could be rolled similar to the outer label roll


415


shown in FIG.


17


.




The invention has been described above with references to specific embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made and other embodiments can be used without departing from the broader scope of the invention. Therefore, these and other variations upon the specific embodiments are intended to be covered by the present invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A rotatable label system on an object, comprising:an inner label; means for attaching an inner label about the object; an outer label; means for temporarily coupling a leading end of an outer label to the inner label while the outer label is wrapped about the object; means for securing the outer label about the object; and means for uncoupling the leading end of the outer label to permit the outer label to rotate about the inner label and the object.
  • 2. A rotatable label system on an object, comprising:a roll of inner labels; means for attaching an inner label from the roll of inner labels about the object; a roll of inner labels; means for temporally coupling a leading end of an outer label from the roll of outer labels to the object; means for securing the outer label about the object; and means for uncoupling the leading end of the outer label to permit the outer label to rotate about the inner label and the object.
  • 3. A rotatable label system on an object, comprising:a roll of inner labels; means for attaching an inner label from the roll of inner labels to the object; by holding the inner label stationary and rolling the object along the inner label; a roll of outer labels; means for temporarily coupling a leading end of an outer label from the roll of outer labels to the object; means for securing the outer label about the object by holding the outer label stationary and rolling the object along the outer label; and means for uncoupling the leading end of the outer label to permit the outer label to rotate about the inner label and the object.
  • 4. A rotatable label comprising:a leading edge; a trailing edge; a transparent portion disposed on the rotatable label configured for viewing underlying indicia; a temporary coupling mechanism disposed adjacent to the leading edge for temporarily coupling the leading edge to an object; and adhesive disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the trailing edge for securing the trailing edge to a front surface of the leading edge, the temporary coupling mechanism being removed after the trailing edge is secured to allow the rotatable label to rotate about the object.
  • 5. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is a small amount of liquid.
  • 6. The rotatable label of claim 5 wherein the liquid is water.
  • 7. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an external physical pressure.
  • 8. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is a vacuum pressure.
  • 9. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an electrostatic charge.
  • 10. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an external gaseous pressure.
  • 11. A rotatable label system comprising:an inner label for affixing about an object; a rotatable outer label configured for rotating about the object and having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the rotatable outer label being temporarily coupled to the inner label along the leading edge while the rotatable outer label is secured about the inner label; and a transparent portion disposed on the rotatable outer label configured for viewing underlying indicia disposed on the inner label.
  • 12. The rotatable label system of claim 11 wherein the inner label further comprises indicia disposed on a front surface of the inner label.
  • 13. The rotatable label system of claim 11 wherein the outer label further comprises indicia disposed on a front surface of the outer label.
  • 14. The rotatable label system of claim 11 further comprising a temporary coupling mechanism for temporarily coupling the leading edge of the outer label to the inner label.
  • 15. The rotatable label system of claim 14 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is a small amount of liquid.
  • 16. The rotatable label system of claim 15 wherein the liquid is water.
  • 17. The rotatable label system of claim 14 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an external physical pressure.
  • 18. The rotatable label system of claim 14 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is a vacuum.
  • 19. The rotatable label system of claim 14 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an electrostatic charge.
  • 20. The rotatable label system of claim 14 wherein the temporary coupling mechanism is an external gaseous pressure.
  • 21. The rotatable label system of claim 11 further comprising an adhesive disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the trailing edge for securing the trailing edge to a front surface of the leading edge.
  • 22. The rotatable label system of claim 11 wherein the inner label is obtained from a roll of inner labels.
  • 23. The rotatable label system of claim 11 wherein the outer label is obtained from a roll of outer labels.
  • 24. The rotatable label of claim 4 wherein the leading edge is temporarily coupled to an inner label disposed about the object.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS

The present invention is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/273,232 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,269, which issued on May 29, 2001, entitled “Roll-Fed Method for Constructing a Rotatable Label System”. The present application is also related to and hereby incorporates by reference the following patents and patent applications: (i) U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,674 issued Sep. 22, 1998 (application Ser. No. 08/627,786, filed Mar. 28, 1996), entitled “Apparatus and Method For Increasing An Effective Information Carrying Surface Area On A Container”; (ii) U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,421 issued Mar. 23, 1999 (application Ser. No. 08/741,607, filed Oct. 31, 1996 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Constructing a Rotatable Label Device”; (iii) U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,697 issued Jul. 11, 2000, entitled “Rotating Label System and Method”; (iv) U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,802 issued Oct. 10, 2000, entitled “Rotatable Label System and Method for Constructing the Same”; (v) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/247,245 filed Feb. 9, 1999, entitled “Rotatable Label System Including Tamper-Evident Feature And Method For Constructing Same”; (vi) U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,803 issued Apr. 10, 2001, entitled “Rotatable Label System on a Drinking Vessel and Method of Constructing Same; (vii) U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,269 issued May 29, 2001, entitled “Roll-Fed Method for Constructing a Rotatable Label System”; and (viii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/551,985 filed Apr. 15, 2000 enititled “Rotating Label System and Method”.

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Entry
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/551,985, Key, Rotating Label System and Method, filed Apr. 15, 2000.
Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/273232 Mar 1999 US
Child 09/866219 US