Patent Application
20110302835
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
a. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a label and manufacturing method thereof, and, more particularly to a plantable seed label, and a manufacturing method thereof.
b. Background Art
Flexographic printing of multi-page booklet or leaflet labels affixed to a carrier web is well known in the industry. The web or roll of finished booklet labels can be automatically applied by a machine to numerous products or product packaging. The printed material may include recipes, instructions, warnings, mail-in promotions and the like. After application thereof, the booklet can be conveniently removed from the product or package by a consumer without defacing the surface thereof or leaving the underlying surface obscured.
Such labels and multi-page booklets are only associated with seeds to the extent a package of seeds may have a label or multi-page instruction booklet printed thereon. A user typically takes the seeds out of the package and discards the label or instruction booklet after use. With regard to manufacturing, such seed packages and labels may be either stapled together or have the label or instruction booklet adhesively attached to the package. As readily apparent, automated manufacturing of these types of seed packages can be expensive and even require manual steps depending on the type of packaging, and type and quantity of seeds. Moreover, with such packaging often made by the hundreds-of-thousands, elimination of one or more steps or components can yield significant cost, manufacturing time and waste elimination benefits.
It would therefore be of benefit to minimize and/or eliminate use of one or more of such packaging and manufacturing requirements, and use of one or more of such packaging components for seed packaging.
In an embodiment, the invention provides a seed label including a label layer removably attached to a clear film layer by an adhesive layer, and at least one seed disposed between the label layer and clear film layer.
For the seed label described above, the label layer may be made of a biodegradable material. The adhesive layer may be a dry release-clean release adhesive layer. The label layer may include water-based ink printing thereon. The adhesive layer may be a water-based adhesive. The seed label may be removably affixed to a package. The seed label may be disposable in a container for germinating the seeds.
The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a seed label, includes providing a label layer, automatically placing at least one seed on one side of the label layer, and automatically attaching the label layer to a clear film layer by an adhesive layer, with the seed disposed between the label layer and clear film layer.
For the method described above, the method may further include automatically die-cutting the label layer. The label layer may be made of a biodegradable material. The adhesive layer may be a dry release-clean release adhesive layer. The label layer may include water-based ink printing thereon. The adhesive layer may be a water-based adhesive. The method may further include removably affixing the seed label to a package. The seed label may be disposable in a container for germinating the seeds.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,
Referring to
In use, a user may simply remove paper label 12 with seeds 20 affixed thereto from film layer 14, and “plant” the combination label 12 with seeds 20 positioned above label 12 as shown in
In order to manufacture plantable seed label 10, an exemplary label machine 24 is illustrated in
The first roll of biodegradable label stock may be fed through print stations, such as stations 30 of label machine 24. Once printed, the backing layer may be separated from the biodegradable paper and film label layer, at which time seeds may be sprayed (or otherwise distributed) onto the back of the biodegradable paper label layer within boundaries of the eventual label, as shown in
Although several embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art may make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this invention. All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the readers understanding of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention. Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not as limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.
