GB2118135A

GB2118135A - Labelling of articles

Info

Publication number: GB2118135A
Application number: GB08305152A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Warnes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-04-07
Filing date: 1983-02-24
Publication date: 1983-10-26
Also published as: GB8305152D0; GB2118135B

Abstract

Video tape cassettes and other reusable articles may be marked with identity information by adhering thereto labels having an ink- impermeable surface and writing thereon with an ink having a surface tension less than that of the surface to form erasable legible markings.

Description

SPECIFICATION Labelling of articles The present invention relates to a process for marking articles that are re-usable such as magnetic tape cassettes and cartridges, computer discs, and particularly tape cartridges for use in television recording apparatus for domestic or educational purposes or the like.

It has been found, for example, that there is a difference in the pattern of usage of tape cassettes for television recorders as compared to the cassettes for sound recording. In sound recording the most common pattern is for the cartridge to be recorded once, after which fresh recordings are not made. Provision need only be made for labelling the cassette once and an adhesive paper label can be provided by means of which the cartridge can be marked. However, in television recording the normal pattern is for the user to erase and re-record the cassette many times, and the user has the problem of knowing that information is present on the cassette at any given time. Despite the fact that television recorders for domestic use have been available for a considerable time, however, no satisfactory labelling system has yet been proposed.

There are many other occasions when it is desired to fix a label to an article and to be able to write on it temporarily and thereafter to remove the writing on the label and write on it another time.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method of recording an identity marking on a tape cassette or other article to be used on a plurality of occasions which comprises labelling the article by attaching thereto a label having an adhesive coated backing face and a face having an ink impermeable writing surface and recording identity information onto the label by writing thereon with a pen whose ink has a lower surface tension than that of the writing surface whereby erasable legible identity markings are formed on the writing surface.

In another aspect the invention provides a kit for the labelling and marking of articles that are 10 repeatedly used and have different contents or signification on different occasions of use such as tape cassettes, and especially tape cassettes used in television recording, comprising in a pack at least one repeatedly markable adhesive label having an adhesive face protected by a removable sheet or release-coated paper or plastics material for fixing to a tape cassette and a face coated with a continuous ink-impenetrable plastics layer, and a marking pen whose ink is capable of forming erasable legible markings on the writing surface.

The label may be dimensioned to fit onto the spine or top face of a video tape cassette and may conveniently have a paper base layer printed on one face with information that is common to all the occasions of use and/or decorative writing or graphics and having a permanently tacky adhesive coated face adhered to a sheet of release material such as siliconised paper. The printed face is covered with continous inkimpervious transparent plastics writing layer that may be of polyester or polyvinylchloride film adhered thereto by a pressure-sensitive water insoluble adhesive, for example of the polymethyl methacrylate or polyisobutylene types.

Alternatively, the label could consist of vinyl film having an adhesive coated backing face and a writing face having fields for pre-printed information and fields for user-variable information. The label material and plastics writing layer may be provided in the form of multi-layer sheets cut so that, for example, three or four individual labels may be removed therefrom as required. Pens containing suitable inks are currently available and are preferably of the felt- or fibre-tip kind. They may contain water based inks (in which case the label may be erased by wiping it with a damp cloth) or spirit based inks (in which case the label may be erased by wiping it with a cloth moistened with petroleum spirit). In either case the pen should be selected to form clear non-smearing writing on the label. Suitable pens are available under the trade names Staedtler Lumocolour 315, Schwan Permanent Overhead projection Pen 76P, Schwan Stabilo Pen 77 Rotring Overhead Projection No. 203 and Pental Pen PM2 (for film use).

The kit of pen and labels can conveniently be packaged in a plastics bag or a blister pack.

Claims

1. A method of recording an identity marking on a tape cassette or other article to be used on a plurality of occasions which comprises labelling the article by attaching thereto a label having an adhesive coated backing face and a face having an ink impermeable writing surface and recording identity information onto the label by writing thereon with a pen whose ink has a lower surface tension than that of the writing surface whereby erasable legible identity markings are formed on the writing surface.

2. A method according to claimsl, wherien the label has a permanently tacky adhesive coated face opposed to the impermeable face by which it is held to a temporary support or release paper, and the label is removed from the temporary support and adhered to the spine of the tape cassette.

3. A kit for labelling the marking of articles that are repeatedly used and have different contents or signification on different occasions of use comprising in a pack at least one repeatedly markable adhesive label having an adhesive face protected by a removable sheet of release-coated paper or plastics material for fixing to the article and a writing face coated with a continuous inkimpermeable plastics layer, and a marking pen whose ink is of lower surface tension that the writing face of the label and is capable of forming erasable legible markings on the writing face.

4. A kit according to claim 3, wherein there are provided a plurality of sheets of release paper each carrying a plurality of labels in side by side relationship, the labels on each sheet being dimensioned to fit the top face or spine of a video tape cassette.

5. A kit according to claim 4, wherein each label consists of a paper base sheet printed with non-variable information and overlayed with an impermeable plastics film.

6. A kit according to claim 5, wherein the impermeable plastics film is of polyester or polyvinylchloride.