AU749112B2 - Label apparatus - Google Patents

Description

LABEL APPARATUS This invention relates to label apparatus.

This invention has particular application to bilingual label apparatus and for illustrative purposes this invention will be described with reference to this application. However, this invention may find use in other applications, such as in label apparatus having secondary or alternative information being selectively accessed.

the labelling of products to which an adhesive label is applied such S. as contained loose or liquid products, there is generally a limited surface on S 10 which information may be printed. In addition, there may be product-specific information that is of a secondary or alternative nature to that presented generally on the label. An example of such secondary information occurs where the information is rendered in more than one language. In combination, on containers such as medicaments containers having a primary information rendered in a first language and secondary or alternative information rendered in a second language, the limitation in label area results in very small print size or a need to reduce the volume of information.

In one aspect the present invention resides broadly in label apparatus including: a label body having information thereon; a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on one major surface of said label body; a panel adapted to releasably adhere to said label body to conceal a portion of said information and having further information on at least one face thereof.

The label body may be selected from conventional materials used for the production of pressure sensitive adhesive labels. For example, the label body may comprise a paper label, laminated film or foil label. Preferably the label material is selected from synthetic polymer label stock such as that sold as OPALUX SRP 8280 KV 75, a polypropylene based label stock.

The information may be provided on the label body by any suitable means which will be of course be at least in part determined by the choice of label body material. The label body may be selected to encircle at least in part a round section container, or may if appropriate be selected to cover at 10 least part of a panel of a container having flat surfaces.

The pressure sensitive adhesive layer may be selected to securely oooo adhere the label body to the container material of choice. The pressure sensitive adhesive layer may accordingly be selected from conventional pressure sensitive adhesive material such a pressure sensitive modified acrylic adhesives and the like.

The releasably adhesive panel may be formed having a pressure ooooo sensitive adhesive coating, the pressure sensitive adhesive coating being selected to be releasably adherent to the label body. Alternatively, the releasably adhesive panel may be formed having the releasable adherence provided by means of an interactive surface with the surface of the label body.

The further information may be provided on both sides of said releasably adhesive panel.

The releasably adhesive panel may be formed integrally with the label body whereby application of the label body to the container provides an overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel. For example the releasably adherent panel may comprise a terminal portion of the label body whereby application of the label body to the container provides an overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel. The overlap portion may thus be lapped over a portion of the label body in order to conceal a portion of the information thereon. The overlap portion may be provided with a different pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body, whereby the label body is substantially permanent in its attachment to the container, whereas the overlap portion and as such the releasably adherent panel may be released from the outer surface of the label body as required.

.i 10 Alternatively, the overlap portion may be provided with the same pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body in the interests of simplicity of manufacture. Preferably, the releasably adherent panel is integral with said label body and the pressure sensitive adhesive layer is differentially applied to both the releasably adherent panel and the label body.

The releasability of the panel may be provided by any suitable means.

For example, the outer surface of the label body in use may be selected or .i treated whereby the panel portion is releasably adherent to the outer surface.

In addition or in the alternative the adhesive layer may be selectively applied to respective regions of the preferred unitary label web. For example, tlhe weight of adhesive may be varied between the label body portion adapted to adhere to the container, the panel portion adapted to adhere releasably to the label body portion, and if desired a terminal finger lift portion at one edge or corner of the panel portion. The terminal finger lift portion may be minimally adherent or may include an edge or corner that is not adherent at all.

In the process of the present invention, the label apparatus may be formed up from base materials such as a face web, an adhesive supply, a backing and any release or adhesive deadening materials. Alternatively the label apparatus may be formed of pre-manufactured adhesive label stock.

For example, a label stock material as supplied may comprise a face layer adapted to be printed on, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer. Prior to the printing process, the stock may be split into two webs comprising face stock and 1 adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet on the other. The face i 10 stock and adhesive web may be fed to a first print deck that is used to treat the adhesive layer to provide selective adherability of the adhesive layer.

The treatment process of the first print deck may for example be to selectively apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, then rejoin the treated face and adhesive web to the backing layer web to form a label stock that may S 15 be printed and diecut conventionally. Preferably the selective treatment includes accurate indexing for use in the later printing and diecutting stages.

The treatment of the face and adhesive web may be by any suitable means.

For example a deadening agent such as a release composition or varnish may be applied to the adhesive layer by direct application, flexo or letterpress or other printing process, the deadening agent being selectively applied to the respective adhesive regions according to whether the adhesive portion is destined to be on the label body portion, the panel portion or the finger lift portion.

The varnish may for example comprise a photocurable composition.

This varnish comprises 30-60% of a trifunctional acrylate monomer of molecular weight greater than 200, 10-30% of an epoxy acrylate oligomer, 1of amino acrylate resin, 1-20% of a polymeric plasticiser, 1-10% of one or more silicon derivative resins, 1 to 5% of one or more polymeric waxes, and 1-10% of one or more aryl ketone photo-initiators. An example of a suitable varnish is that sold as STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720.

The process of selective application of the deadening agent may comprise the laying up of continuous lines of selected weights of deadening agent to the adhesive surface, whereafter the labels may be cut from the *.:stock transversely. Alternatively, the deadening agent may be applied in an alternating process such as by use of appropriately configured anolox rollers which screens the deadening agent supply to determine the amount of deadening agent applied to respective portions of the web.

S* After repositioning of the liner onto the backer under pressure so they are aligned for printing on to the front of the stock, the labels may be printed conventionally. Depending on the label face characteristics, the release characteristics of the deadening agent and the inks used for printing the face, there may be provided a further flood coat of the deadening agent applied to the printed face side of the finished web.

Preferably, the finished label stock is presented such that the stock may be used in automated labelling apparatus. For example, the label stock may have the labels presented linearly whereby the labels may be rolled onto containers presented and rotated in an orientation transverse to the running direction of the web. To this end the labels may present the label body portion towards the leading end of the web.

The invention is further described with reference to a specific embodiment of the invention according to Example 1 below.

EXAMPLE 1 A synthetic polypropylene polymer label stock material OPALUX SRP 8280 KV 75 comprises a face layer adapted to be printed, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer. Prior to the printing process, the stock is split into two webs comprising face stock and adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet o.o.

on the other. These forms two separate webs prior to the first print deck that is used to treat the adhesive layer to provide selective adherability of the ooooo adhesive layer. The treatment process of the first print deck is to apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, then join two web paths to create one 9 web path prior to printing the remainder of colours.

The face and adhesive web is fed to a UV flexo label press and is selectively printed with a photocurable flexo varnish, that is a varnish printed from a flexible plate mounted onto a print cylinder. The differing mask characteristics of the varnish layer on the adhesive layer is provided by selection of the correct anilox rollers that determine amount of varnish and selection of appropriate vignette screening on the plate to provide a selected number of lines per inch. In the present example, the varnish selected was STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720.

The masking ratios of the respective portions of the adhesive surface are selected in this example to be that is 100% adhesive, on the label body portion, 40% area mask (60% adhesive) on the panel portion and 93% area mask on the finger lift portion.

After printing with varnish the face an adhesive web is fed back to the backing web and the two webs rejoined under pressure to provide a feedstock for face printing. The printing of the face information for the respective label portions was done in a conventional manner for this type of label material.

The printed label stock was then provided with a flood coat of the same STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720 to 100% coverage of the printed face stock.

The labels were then diecut for use on the required product. After :conversion into rolls on the converting machine, the labels are ready for supply to a label applicator machine. The printing and diecutting orientation was selected such that the diecut labels may be fed directly from the roll with the correct roll direction so that so they can be applied with the adhesive end of the label coming off first from the applicator.

In the present example the printing on the label body portion and panel portion comprised Arabic-language instructions and product information in respect of a nutritional supplement. The region of the body portion concealed by the panel portion in use comprised a rendering of part of this information in English.

It will of course be realised that while the above 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 herein set forth.

Claims (20)

1. Label apparatus including: a label body having information thereon; a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on one major surface of said label body; a panel adapted to releasably adhere to said label body to conceal a portion of said information and having further information on at least one face thereof.

2. Label apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said label body comprises pressure sensitive adhesive label stock selected from paper, laminated film or foil and synthetic polymer.

3. Label apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive label stock label stock is polypropylene based label stock. .:oooi

4. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive layer is a pressure sensitive modified acrylic adhesive. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adhesive panel is formed having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, the pressure sensitive adhesive coating being selected to be releasably adherent to the label body.

6. Label apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said releasably adhesive panel is formed having the releasable adherence provided by means of an interactive surface with the surface of the label body.

7. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said further information is provided on both sides of said releasably adhesive panel.

8. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein i said releasably adhesive panel is formed integrally with the label body *whereby application of the label body to the container provides an overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel.

9. Label apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said overlap portion is S provided with a different pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body, whereby the label body is substantially permanent in its attachment to the container. Label apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said overlap portion is provided with the same pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body.

11. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said releasably adherent panel is made releasable by selecting or treating the surface of said label body and/or said adherent panel whereby a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on said adherent panel is rendered releasable in use.

12. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adherent panel is integral with said label body and wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive layer is differentially applied to both said releasably adherent panel and said label body.

13. Label apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive is applied with a differential in weight of adhesive per unit area of the releasably adherent panel and label body portions respectively. 14 Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adherent panel includes a finger lift portion configured to be either substantially non adherent to said label body or to be less adhesive with respect to said label body than the remainder of said releasably adherent panel. A method of forming label apparatus including the steps of providing a pre-manufactured adhesive label stock comprising a face layer adapted to be printed on, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer, splitting said label stock into two webs comprising face stock and adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet on the other, feeding said face stock and adhesive web to a first print deck to selectively apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, and rejoining the 11 selectively deadened face and adhesive web to the backing layer web to form a label stock, and printing and cutting said label stock to form label apparatus comprising a label body having information thereon and a panel having information thereon, said panel being backed by said selectively deadened face and which is adapted to overlap said label body and conceal a portion of the information on the label body in use and is releaseably adherent thereto.

16. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said deadening agent is selected from a release composition or varnish.

17. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said deadening agent is applied by means selected from direct application, ion, flexo S1 or letterpress or other printing process.

18. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said deadening agent is selectively applied to the respective adhesive regions according to whether the adhesive portion is destined to be on the label body portion, the panel portion or the finger lift portion.

19. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein said deadening agent is a varnish comprising a photocurable composition. 11a A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said varnish comprises 30-60% of a trifunctional acrylate monomer of molecular weight greater than 200, 10-30% of an epoxy acrylate oligomer, 1-10% of amino acrylate resin, 1-20% of a polymeric plasticiser, 1-10% of one or more silicon derivative resins, 1 to 5% of one or more polymeric waxes, and 1-10% of one or more aryl ketone photo-initiators. 0 0 0 *o 99o

21. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the process of selective application of the deadening agent comprises laying up of continuous lines of selected weights of deadening agent to the pressure sensitive adhesive surface, whereafter the labels may be cut from the stock transversely.

22. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the process of selective application of the deadening agent o. comprises an alternating process using appropriately configured anolox rollers which screens the deadening agent supply to determine the amount of deadening agent applied to respective portions of the web.

23. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims to 22, wherein said respective webs are rejoined under pressure in alignment o• S for conventional printing.

24. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 23, wherein there is provided a further flood coat of the deadening agent applied to the printed face side of the finished web. Label apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying example. 13

26. A method of forming label apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying example. DATED THIS TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER,2000. THE BUCKNER GROUP PTY LTD ACN 009 739 422 By PIZZEYS PATENT AND TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS *of a. a a