AU2014100640A4 - Wine Label - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract Disclosed herein is a label laminate material which retains high opacity and colour retention when wet, in one particular embodiment the label laminate comprises: an outer paper layer, a base metallic foil layer and an adhesive layer located between the outer layer and base layer, wherein the adhesive layer promotes a gap - by physical substance or air - and/or water barrier between the outer layer and the base layer.. -:. .:.::: :.. -'-I-' N \N 1' 1

Description

Wine Label FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to labels suitable for affixing to containers and the like and methods of 5 construction. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Labelling on goods and products is an important tool/element in the retail industry. They provide an important source of information for the goods or products which consumers can use to identify, evaluate and distinguish the goods over others. The label is typically the only 10 source of information the manufacturer/seller can convey to the consumer and usually contain details such as country of origin, quality, type of product, producer etc. Therefore it is widely seen as a crucial tool for manufacturers/sellers to distinguish their products over those of their competitors. A problem with existing methods of affixing labels to containers, particularly those exposed 15 to high moisture environments, is the tendency for the labels to lose their intended original appearance once the label has become wet. This is particularly relevant to wine containers or bottles, especially wines required to be chilled from an ambient temperature or kept cool for serving, such as white wines or sparkling wines. 20 Labels on wine bottles will typically contain information such as country of origin, quality, type of wine, vintage year, alcohol content, producer, bottler, or importer. Such information is often seen as a source of pride to a wine producer and they will go to great lengths to ensure their labels are presented as attractively as possible. Also, labels are important to the wine makers or manufacturers from the commercial perspective. For example, the 25 information printed on the label and in some cases the attractiveness of the label can influence the consumers' decision to choose a particular wine or a particular brand of wine over others. G:\205430NZAU_INNOVATION_20140612_W1S.DOC 2 Traditionally, coated and uncoated paper have been used in the manufacture of some labels, however the appearance of uncoated paper is particularly preferred by some as they are considered to be visually more desirable as well as being easier to handle and manipulate during manufacture. 5 Issues with the use of uncoated paper in labels, particularly when subjected to moist or wet conditions, arise when the surface of the paper label becomes partly or fully saturated causing the paper to change in appearance both physically and visually. Visual properties such as paper whiteness and opaqueness are diminished when the label is wet. Furthermore, due to the wetting of paper fibres on the surface of the label, which can result 10 in complete saturation of the label, the physical properties are also diminished and can lead to potential damage of the label as the wet label becomes more fragile. A further problem with labels on wine bottles is that the bottle surface is usually curved; whereas the paper or plastic labels often have a memory to remain flat. This incompatibility can cause the edges of the labels to lift off the bottles if the adhesion between the label and 15 bottle is insufficient. PRIOR REFERENCES All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior 20 art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications may be referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country. 25 DEFINITIONS It is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed G:\205430NZ_AU_INNOVATION_20140612_WLSDOC 3 with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the 5 term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a label that ameliorates some of the disadvantages 10 and limitations of the known art or at least provide the public with a useful choice. SUMMARY OF INVENTION In a first aspect the invention resides in a label which retains high opacity and colour (whiteness) when wet for a container, in particular a bottle, where the label is a laminate 15 material comprising: an outer paper layer, a base metallic foil layer and an adhesive layer located between the outer layer and base layer, wherein the adhesive layer promotes a gap, by physical substance or air, and/or water barrier between the outer layer and the base layer. Preferably, the outer paper layer is selected from clay coated, polymer coated or uncoated paper. 20 Preferably, the outer paper layer is uncoated Kraft paper 30 to 90gsm with typical CIE Whiteness (ISO1 1475) of 160% and ISO Brightness (ISO 2470) of 100%. Preferably the outer paper layer has a roughness (Bendtsen) value of great than 900 ml/min (AS1301.439s). Preferably, the base metal layer is selected from aluminium foil having a thickness of about 25 0.5pm to 20tm. Preferably the metal base layer is vacuum metallised aluminium. G:\205430NZ_AU_INNOVATION_20140612W1S.DOC 4 Preferably, the adhesive layer is selected from polymer adhesive types, such as Polyolefins (Polyethylene or Polypropylene) polymers, Polyurethane or epoxy resins, films such as PE, PET or BOPP films. Preferably the adhesive is selected from Electron Beam or Ultra-Violet cured epoxy 5 adhesive. Preferably the adhesive is a solvent based adhesive with a high viscosity. Preferably, the adhesive is clear or white in colour. Preferably, the adhesive layer further comprises of pigments. Preferably the pigments are selected from titanium dioxide or carbon black. 10 In a further aspect, the invention resides in the combination of such a label when attached to the container. In other aspects herein described the invention relates to the manufacture of a label comprising: an outer paper layer, a base metal layer and an adhesive layer between the outer layer and base layer, wherein the adhesive layer promotes an air gap and or water barrier 15 between the outer layer and the base layer, the method comprising laminating the outer paper layer to the foil base layer in the presence of an adhesive. Preferably the method of lamination is selected from extrusion lamination, dry adhesive lamination or wet adhesive lamination. Preferably the lamination is selected from extrusion lamination with minimal nip pressure 20 and a slight induced curl from specific tension settings in the nip rollers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) The invention will now be described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings: G:\205430NZ AUINNOVATION 20140612 WISDOC 5 Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the label in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 5 The following description will describe the invention in relation to preferred embodiments of the invention, namely a label laminate material. The invention is in no way limited to these preferred embodiments as they are purely to exemplify the invention only and that possible variations and modifications would be readily apparent without departing from the scope of the invention. 10 Figure 1 shows a label in accordance with the present invention. The label laminate material comprises a paper outer layer (1), a metallic foil base layer (4) and an adhesive layer (3) between the outer layer (1) and base layer (4), wherein the adhesive layer promotes an air gap (2) and or water barrier between the outer layer and the base layer. Foil 15 As wine labels are typically applied to a dark coloured bottle, the colour of the bottle can negatively influence the whiteness of the label through reflection of light, particularly if the label comes into contact with moisture, giving the label a dark appearance. The label becomes more translucent or transparent than in its dry state. The use of an Aluminium Foil (typically 0.5tm to 20gm in thickness) in the present 20 invention as a backing base layer (4) to the paper outer layer (1) alleviates this problem as it offers less than 0.1% light transmission to pass through and therefore reduces the amount of light reflection from the bottle to the label. The near complete light block from the foil is essential and effective in preventing light reflection from the underside of the label. 25 While the foil backing can also influence the whiteness of the outer paper layer of the label, providing for a grey finish to the paper, additives such as, but not limited to pigments can be G:\205430NZ AUINNOVATIoN_20140612 W1S.DOC 6 included in the adhesive layer (3) in order to promote the colour (whiteness) and opacity of the paper outer layer against the foil base layer as required. Laminating the foil base layer to the outer paper layer can also provide opacity to the paper outer layer from light influences that come from the container/bottle and also has the effect 5 of eliminating paper memory, so the paper label can conform to the bottle shape/curvature and therefore reduce 'butterflying' or lifting off on the container/bottle. The adhesive layer plays an important function in the label as it adhesively bonds the paper outer layer to the foil base layer. The applicant has found that creating an air gap/water barrier layer in between the paper outer layer and foil base layer will assist in retention of the 10 natural colour of the paper outer layer. Details of how the air gap/water barrier layer is achieved will be described below. Dry State When the paper is in a dry state, by minimising the contact of the paper surface with the foil base layer (4), in essence the creation of an air gap (2), the applicant has found will result in 15 maximising light scattering (5) in the paper while light reflection (6) from the foil surface is minimised, giving the label a natural bright appearance. However the paper should be firmly laminated to the foil for the label dispensing during the label application onto the bottle to prevent the paper layer lifting off the foil base layer (4). Minimising the paper surface contact to the foil base layer (4) can be achieved by: 20 a) Selecting correct paper roughness to enable minimisation of paper surface contact. The roughness of the paper will create peaks and troughs at the surface contact interface with the foil base layer. Suitable paper roughness includes but is not limited to paper with a Roughness (Bendtsen) value of great than 900 ml/min (AS1301.439s). 25 b) Suitable lamination conditions and nip rollers. Preferably the nip pressure point should be as low as can be achieved (according to lamination process). A low pressure in the nip rollers will reduce adhesive penetration into G:\205430NZ_AU_INNOVATION_20140612_WISDOC 7 the paper fibres, but the pressure should also ensure there is sufficient surface contact to achieve the required adhesion levels of the paper and foil. Typically a pressure of 2-4 Bar is used for extrusion lamination. c) Using an adhesive layer (3) that does not penetrate deeply into the paper fibres and 5 maximises 'point contact' of the paper peaks to the foil surface. Suitable adhesives include but are not limited to Polyolefins (Polyethylene or Polypropylene) polymers, films such as PE, PET or BOPP films. For dry or wet adhesives, high viscosity adhesives like solvent based adhesives provide the best results. The higher viscosity reduces paper fibre penetration and minimises surface 10 contact to the foil surface. Wet State When the paper laminate is exposed to moisture, moisture will naturally begin to soak into the paper surface. The applicants have found that the water has the effect of closing up the 15 air-gap that was found to be useful in the dry state. This effect provides a light path that promotes light reflection on the foil surface. Therefore the adhesive layer needs to provide a water barrier and gap that prevents the water making contact with the foil surface. This water barrier was found to prevent light reflection (6) from the foil very effectively and in turn increase light scattering (5) within the paper label, giving the label a whiter 20 appearance. The thicker the adhesive layer, the greater the gap between the paper and foil will be, resulting in lowering light reflection (6) from the foil and increasing the light scattering (5) from within the paper label. The water barrier can also be achieved by: 25 a) Extrusion or adhesively laminating a water barrier polymer between the paper and foil; Suitable lamination methods included but are not limited to extrusion lamination or thermal lamination using a polyethylene copolymer such as LDPE, EVA or EMA. GA205430NZAUINNOVATION_20140612_W1S.DOC 8 Other lamination polymer types include but are not limited to adhesives like paraffin wax, polyurethanes or acrylics. b) Adding opacity additives like pigments into the adhesive layer to promote light scattering; Pigments such as titanium dioxide or carbon black can typically be used. 5 c) Using an adhesive layer to promote separation between the foil and paper surfaces - i.e. creation of the air gap. As noted previously, a further advantage this invention offers is the memory of the labels is significantly lost so the label remains curved around the bottle surface reducing the chance of the label lifting off. . 10 As aluminium foil has no memory under force, this lack of memory opposes the memory of the paper. This effect will restrict the paper to the shape of foil which has conformed to the shape of the bottle surface. During the lamination process, an inherent curl of 1 to 20mm can also be induced in the substrate, which can then be transferred to the memory of the paper. 15 A combination of these two aspects will significantly reduce or eliminate any 'butterflying' or lifting of the label on the bottle. Examples Examples of preferred labels are as follows: Label 1 20 Outer paper layer: Uncoated paper, high white/opacity paper. Adhesive layer: Polyethylene copolymer. Base metallic layer Aluminium Foil, with a thickness of 6 to 7 microns. Label 2 Outer paper layer: Coated paper - clay coated or polymer coated. G:\205430NZ_AU_INNOVATION_20140612_WISDOC 9 Adhesive layer: White or clear adhesive -Polyurethane. Base metallic foil layer Aluminium Foil, with a thickness of 0.5ptm to 20ptm. Label3 Outer paper layer: Uncoated paper, high white/opacity paper. 5 Adhesive layer: Electron Beam or Ultra-Violet cured epoxy adhesive/coating. Base metallic foil layer Vacuum Metallised layer of Aluminium. ADVANTAGES 10 a) A label retains high opacity and colour retention when wet. b) A label with reduced 'butterflying' or lifting of the label of the container/bottle. VARIATIONS 15 It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is hereinbefore described. G:\205430NZAUINNOVATION_20140612_WlS.DOC

Claims (5)

1. A label laminate material which retains high opacity and colour retention when wet comprising: an outer paper layer, a base metallic foil layer and an adhesive layer located between the outer layer and base layer, wherein the adhesive layer promotes a gap - by physical substance or air - and/or water barrier between the outer layer and the base layer.

2. A label as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer paper layer is selected from uncoated Kraft paper 30 to 90gsm with typical CIE Whiteness (ISO11475) of 160% and ISO Brightness (ISO 2470) of 100% or paper with a roughness (Bendtsen) value of great than 900 ml/min (AS1301.439s).

3. A label according to any preceding claim, wherein the base metallic foil layer is selected from aluminium foil having a thickness of about 0.5pm to 20pm or vacuum ,metallised aluminium.

4. A label according to any preceding claim, wherein, the adhesive layer is selected from polymer adhesive types consisting of Polyolefins (Polyethylene or Polypropylene) polymers, polyurethane or epoxy resins, films consisting of PE, PET, BOPP films or high viscosity solvent based adhesives.

5. The manufacture of a label laminate material comprising: an outer paper layer, a base metallic foil layer and an adhesive layer located between the outer layer and base layer, wherein the adhesive layer promotes a gap and or water barrier between the outer layer and the base layer, the method comprising laminating the outer paper layer to the foil base layer in the presence of an adhesive, wherein the lamination comprises extrusion lamination with minimal nip pressure and a slight induced curl from specific tension settings in the nip rollers. PIPERS Attorneys for the Applicant G:\205430NZAUINNOVATION_20140612_WIS.DOC