EP0988994B1

EP0988994B1 - Memonote

Info

Publication number: EP0988994B1
Application number: EP19980307815
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tsung-Tien Kuo; Jen-Rong Liu; Ho-Tsai Lin; Chia-Mei Lin
Original assignee: Taiwan Hopax Chemicals Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Taiwan Hopax Chemicals Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 1998-09-25
Filing date: 1998-09-25
Publication date: 2003-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2018-09-25
Also published as: DE69819894T2; DE69819894D1; EP0988994A1

Description

This invention relates to a memonote, more particularly to a memonote having a stack of self-stick writing sheets.
A conventional memonote 1, as shown in Figure 1, includes a flat base board 11 and three stacks of removable and repositionable self-stick writing sheets 12 which are disposed side-by-side on the base board 11. Each of the writing sheets 12 has a bottom side 121 provided with an adhesive layer 122 at a front edge portion thereof. The adhesive layer 122 is formed by applying a pressure-sensitive polymeric adhesive on the bottom side of each of the writing sheets 12. The removable and repositionable self-stick writing sheets 12 can be easily attached on a surface of a table, a wall, a book or a document as desired, and are thus widely used for the purposes of making reminders, leaving messages, etc.
However, since the dimensions of the base board 11 are usually as large as the total dimensions of the stacks of writing sheets 12 in the directions of the width and length, the edge portions of the base board are flush with outer edge portions of the writing sheets 12. It is therefore difficult to handle the writing sheets when the stack of the writing sheets 12 is reduced to a small thickness after a large part of the writing sheets 12 has been used and removed from the base board 11. At this time, the user might need to handle the individual remaining writing sheet 121 in the manner shown in Figure 2 for removal. This often results in warpage of the removed writing sheet 121 so that the writing sheet 121 can hardly be maintained flat.
The document CA-A-1 269 009 discloses a memonote comprising a stack of writing sheets and a base board.
The object of the present invention is to provide a memonote which can be easily handled even after only few number of writing sheets are left on a base board.
Accordingly, the memonote of the present invention includes a stack of writing sheets and a base board. Each of the writing sheets has a bottom side with an adhesive layer at a front portion thereof. The adhesive layer is adhered removably to a lower adjacent one of the writing sheets. Each of the writing sheets further has a rear portion. The base board is disposed under the stack of writing sheets and has a front end portion bonded to the front portion of a lowermost one of the writing sheets, and a rear edge opposite to the front end portion. The rear edge is formed with a notch. The base board covers substantially the entire bottom surface of the lowermost one of the writing sheets except for an area confronting with the notch. The notch permits the writing sheets to be handled easily.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional memonote;
Figure 2 is a side view illustrating how the writing sheet of the conventional memonote is removed with a hand when a small number of writing sheets is left on a base board thereof;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment, illustrating how the writing sheet is handled when a small number of writing sheets is left on a base board thereof;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to Figure 3, the memonote 3 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to include a stack of writing sheets 32, and a base board 31 disposed under the stack of writing sheets 32.
Each of the writing sheets 32 has a bottom side 321 with an adhesive layer 322 at a front portion thereof. The adhesive layer 322 is adhered removably to a lower adjacent one of the writing sheets 32. In practice, each of the writing sheets 32 may be designed to have distinct regions 323, 323' with different colors.
The base board 31 has a front end portion 310 bonded to the adhesive layer 322 at the front portion of a lowermost one of the writing sheets 32, a rear edge 313 opposite to the front end portion 310 and disposed adjacent to a rear portion of a lowermost one of the writing sheets 32, and two opposite lateral portions 312 which extend between the front end portion 310 and the rear edge 313 of the base board 31 and which project laterally relative to the stack of writing sheets 32. The rear edge 313 of the base board 31 is formed with a notch 311 which has a width substantially equal to that of the writing sheets 32. The base board 31 covers substantially the entire bottom surface of the lowermost one of the writing sheets 32 except for an area confronting with the notch 311. As such, when only a few writing sheets 32 remain on the base board 31, the notch 311 permits the user to extend his finger thereinto to handle the writing sheets 32, as shown in Figure 4. In this manner, the remaining writing sheets 32 can be easily removed individually without being warped.
Figure 5 illustrates a memonote 4 of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The memonote 4 is shown to include two spaced-apart stacks of writing sheets 42, 42', and a base board 41 formed with two spaced-apart notches 411, 411'. The lowermost writing sheet 42, 42' in each stack has a rear portion exposed from the respective notch 411, 411'.
Figure 6 illustrates a memonote 5 of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. The memonote 5 is shown to include three stacks of writing sheets 52 which are disposed side-by-side and closely adjacent to one another, and a base board 51 formed with a notch 511 that has a width substantially equal to the total width of three side-by-side adjacent writing sheets 52. Similarly, the lowermost writing sheets 52 in all stacks are exposed from the notch 511.
Since the features and the advantages of the memonotes 4, 5 of the second and third preferred embodiments are similar to that of the memonote 3 of the first preferred embodiment, detailed description thereof is thus omitted herein.
It has been shown that, with the provision of the notch 311, 411(411'), 511 at the rear edge of the base board 31, 41, 51 to expose an area of the bottom side of the rear portion of the lowermost writing sheets 32, 42 (42'), 52 confronting with the notch 311, 411 (411'), 511, it is easy to handle and remove the writing sheets 32, 42 (42'), 52 even when only a few number of the writing sheets are left on the base board or when the thickness of the stack of the writing sheets 32, 42 (42'), 52 becomes relatively small.

Claims

A memonote characterized by:

a stack of writing sheets (32), each of said writing sheets (32) having a bottom side (321) with an adhesive layer (322) at a front portion thereof, said adhesive layer (322) being adhered removably to a lower adjacent one of said writing sheets (32), each of said writing sheets (32) further having a rear portion; and

a base board (31) disposed under said stack of writing sheets (32) and having a front end portion (310) bonded to said front portion of a lowermost one of said writing sheets (32), and a rear edge (313) extending below said lowermost one of said writing sheets (32) opposite to said front end portion, said rear edge (313) being indented in a direction from said rear edge toward said front end portion so as to form a notch (311) below said lowermost one of said writing sheets (32), said base board (31) covering substantially the entire bottom surface of said lowermost one of said writing sheets (32) except for an area confronting with said notch (311), said notch (311) permitting said writing sheets (32) to be handled easily.
A memonote according to Claim 1, characterized in that said base board (31) has two opposite lateral portions that extend between said front portion (310) and said rear edge (313) of said base board (31) and that project laterally relative to said stack of writing sheets (32), said notch (321) having a width which is substantially equal to that of said stack of said writing sheets (32).