EP1180759A2

EP1180759A2 - Container labelling systems

Info

Publication number: EP1180759A2
Application number: EP01306603A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christopher Clarke
Original assignee: Synprodo Plantpak Ltd
Current assignee: Synprodo Plantpak Ltd
Priority date: 2000-08-12
Filing date: 2001-08-01
Publication date: 2002-02-20
Also published as: EP1180759A3

Abstract

A container labelling system has a tab (11) projecting outwardly from an upper part of a wall (18) of the container to be labelled, which tab (11) is provided with a barb-shaped formation (14) on one of its surfaces. The container (10) may be moulded from a plastics material, with the tab (11) moulded integrally with the container. A label (22) of a resiliently flexible sheet-like material has a slot (25) formed therethrough, spaced from one of the label edges, which slot is profiled to accommodate the tab (11). When the label (22) has been pushed on to the tab (11) by passing the tab through the label slot, a part of the area of the label overlies an adjacent area of the container wall (18) and the barb-like formation (14) resists withdrawal of the tab (11) from the slot (22).

Description

This invention relates to a container labelling system, and in particular - but not exclusively - such a system for labelling containers for the growing, transport and marketing of plants of all kinds.

In the following specification, the invention will primarily be described with reference to labelling systems for plant containers, though it is to be recognised that the invention is not limited to this particular use of the labelling system and that the system may be used in many other industries.

Both growers and retailers of plants require a labelling system for plants growing in containers which is highly reliable and positively identifies the plant in a container carrying a label. This has become increasingly important with self-service nurseries. Customers wish to be sure that they are buying the plant that they think they are buying, after considering the label. Often specialist help is not available to confirm that a plant truly is what the label says it is. Thus, it is most important that a label associated with a plant growing in a pot or other container and placed there by the original nursery remains securely associated with that plant until the plant is sold, at the retail level. It is also important when individual plant pots are carried in multi-cell trays that any information attached to the tray also remains securely associated therewith.

The secure labelling of plants has also become important for another reason. It is not uncommon for dishonest people to replace the label of a relatively expensive plant by that of a cheaper plant, before taking the plant to the checkout, for purchase. The cashier at the till very often does not have sufficient expertise to know that a label has been changed in this way and so the purchaser will acquire an expensive plant at a much cheaper price than should have been paid.

A very widely used form of label has an area on which information may be carried and a spike portion projecting down from that area, which spike is simply pressed into the growing medium. This label has all the disadvantages mentioned above and in an attempt to reduce the mis-labelling (whether deliberately or accidentally) of plants, there have been various proposals for labelling systems which attempt to associate the label in a secure manner with the pot in which the plant is growing. For example, there have been proposals utilising a slot formed in an upper portion of the container and through which the spike portion of the label is inserted, the slot and spike portion being configured such that once the spike portion has fully been inserted into the slot, its ready withdrawal is resisted. Unfortunately, the most secure proposals are relatively expensive to implement at the manufacturing stage of the containers or labels and so have not been widely adopted. On the other hand, the cheaper proposals which have been adopted lend little security against deliberate exchanging of labels, though they may assist with the problem of accidental dislodgement, caused for example through handling of the containers either by nursery staff or potential purchasers.

The term container is intended to incorporate multi-cellular containers, and specifically, the term plant container as used herein refers not only to conventional pots, but also to multi-cellular trays such as those commonly referred to as marketing trays, shuttle trays, propagation trays, plug trays and cell trays.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a container labelling system which may be used with plant containers as well as other containers and which is relatively simple to implement, both during the manufacturing stage of the containers and labels, whilst at the same time offering a relatively high degree of security, once the label has been associated with the container.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container labelling system comprising a container the upper part thereof having an outwardly-projecting tab formed integrally with the material of the container which tab is provided with a barb-shaped formation on one of its surfaces, and a sheet-like label formed of a resiliently flexible material which label has a slot formed spaced from one of its edges which slot is profiled to accommodate the tab whereby when the tab is received in the slot a part of the area of the label overlies the adjacent area of the container side wall and the barb-like formation resists withdrawal of the tab from the slot.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a container labelling system comprising a container having a base and an upstanding side wall the upper periphery of which defines a mouth to the container; the periphery having an outwardly-projecting tab formed integrally with the material of the container which tab is provided with a barbshaped formation on one of its surfaces, and a sheet-like label formed of a resiliently flexible material which label has a slot formed spaced from one of its edges which slot is profiled to accommodate the tab whereby when the tab is received in the slot a part of the area of the label overlies the adjacent area of the container side wall and the barb-like formation resists withdrawal of the tab from the slot.

It will be appreciated that the labelling system of this invention may use an essentially conventional label, which may be any of a very wide variety of shapes. The label merely need be provided with a slot of an appropriate size to accommodate the outwardly projecting tab formed integrally with the material of the container, the barb-shaped formation of that tab serving to resist subsequent removal of the label provided the slot is of a sufficiently small size.

Though the labelling system of this invention could be used with a very wide variety of containers, it particularly lends itself to containers moulded from plastics material so as to have a rim portion extending outwardly from the upper edge of the container side walls, the tab then being an extension of the rim. Though the invention would be relatively expensive to implement in the case of injection-moulded containers such as conventional plant-pots, it may be adopted relatively cheaply and easily for containers manufactured by a vacuum-moulding process from sheet plastics materials. Such a process is being used increasingly for disposable growing containers for use by nurseries, so enabling the ready adoption of the labelling system of this invention by nurseries.

The barb-like formation of the tab is preferably moulded integrally with the tab, so as to upstand from the upper surface thereof. In the case of a vacuum-moulded container, this will give rise to a recess on the underside of the tab since the tab and barb-like formation will be moulded from a single sheet of material. That recess conveniently may be employed to enhance the security of attachment of the label to the tab, by providing a flexible claw along the edge region of the slot which, in use, lies adjacent the underside of the tab. Appropriate dimensioning of the claw permits it to be received in the recess created by the moulding of the sheet material to produce the barb-like formation on the tab, whereby the claw may resist movement of the label off the tab.

Preferably, the slot in the label is provided in that part of the label intended to be lowermost when in use, and if a flexible claw is provided, it should then project upwardly, from the lowermost edge of the slot, to engage the underside of the tab. In this way, the greater part of the area of the label, and so that part carrying information, may upstand above the mouth of the container and visible information may be printed on both sides of that label.

Security may be further enhanced by providing on the barb-like formation transversely-extending grooves, arranged generally tangentially (or parallel if the rim is generally linear) to the rim of the container. In the case of a vacuum-moulded container, there will be corresponding ribs on the underside of the barb-like formation and the claw may be received successively behind those ribs as the label is pushed fully home. That engagement will resist subsequent removal of the label unless the claw is deliberately deflected, or the container or label is torn.

Advantageously, a recess is defined by the tab between the rim of the container and the greater part of the tab, in which recess is located the label when the label is fully disposed on the tab. Thus, deliberate removal of the label will also require lifting of the label out of the slot, so making it even more difficult to remove that label.

This invention extends to a plant-pot or other container having a tab for use in a labelling system of this invention, and separately to a label adapted for use with such a pot.

By way of example only, a number of specific embodiments of labelling system of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a plant-pot having a label-receiving tab for implementing the embodiment of labelling system;

Figure 2 is a detailed view on an enlarged scale of the tab of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows the pot of Figure 1, but carrying a label;

Figure 4 shows the label, on its own;

Figure 5 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the tab of Figure 2 but carrying a label as shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view through the arrangement of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a cell tray incorporating a labelling system according to the present invention; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a marketing tray incorporating a labelling system according to the present invention.

The embodiment of labelling system shown in Figures 1 to 6 is particularly intended for use with vacuum-formed plant-pots of generally circular cross-sectional shape, as shown in Figure 1. The moulds employed for manufacturing such pots 10 are modified such that the manufacturing process additionally provides an outwardly-projecting tab 11, extending from the rim 12 around the mouth of the pot. This tab 11 has a base area 13 and an upstanding formation 14 which is generally barb-shaped, when considered in the direction from the radially outermost part of the tab 11, radially towards the centre of the pot. The formation 14 is moulded out of the material of the tab 11 such that there is a recess in the underside of the tab, as shown in Figure 6.

The barb-like formation 14 has a land 15 formed externally with grooves 16. In view of the vacuum-forming process to create those grooves 16, the underside of the land 15 has a series of ribs 17, for a purpose to be described below.

Also shown in Figure 6 is the profile of the rim region of the vacuum-formed pot 10. It can be seen that this pot has a side wall 18, an outwardly-turned flange 19 at the top of the side wall and a down-turned lip 20, extending around the pot from the flange 19. The tab 11 projects outwardly from the lower edge of that lip 20 but the barb-like formation 14 gives rise to a recess 21, formed between the lip 20 and the formation 14.

Figures 3 and 4 show a label 22 suitable for use with the pot of Figure 1. This label is cut from flexible sheet plastics material and has a main area 23 which may be printed with information on one or both sides. Depending downwardly from that main area 23 is a mounting portion 24 having a slot 25 formed centrally therein. As best appreciated from Figures 4 and 6, that slot 25 is defined by cutting through the material along three sides of a notional trapezium, the remaining (longest) side of the trapezium serving as a hinge for a flexible claw 26 bent out of the general plane of the main area 23.

A label 22 is attached to a pot simply by pushing the label on to the tab 11, so that the tab enters and passes through the slot 25 until such time as that slot is located in the recess 21. To permit this to happen, the claw 26 must be deflected downwardly as the label rides up the land 15, until the label is able to drop down into the recess 21. Then, the claw springs upwardly under the natural resilience of the plastics material from which the label is formed, such that the claw 26 engages the ribs 17 formed on the underside of land 15. As shown in Figure 6, the claw engages behind those ribs 17 and so resists withdrawal of the label.

If the label is to be removed, not only must it be lifted so as to come out of the recess 21, which in turn increases the deflection of the claw 26 but that claw must be deflected yet further, for example using some kind of pointed tool, so as to free that claw from the ribs 17. Only then can the label be removed.

When the label is properly located on the tab 11, it is securely held against inadvertent removal. In addition, the general plane of the label will lie in the same plane as the container side wall in the region of the tab 11 and there will be little tendency for the label to swing sideways about an axis perpendicular to its plane. Thus, the label will upstand from the pot as shown in Figure 3, so clearly marking and identifying a plant being grown in the pot 11.

Figures 7 and 8 show alternative embodiments of the present invention wherein the container is a multi-cellular tray rather than a single plant-pot, and like reference numerals will be used to describe like parts. Such trays are generally formed by vacuum moulding in a similar fashion to the plant-pot described above. The trays incorporate a tab 11 (as described in relation to the plant-pot) projecting from the

square rims

28 and 29 thereof. The tab 11 and attached label 22 will function in the same way as described above but will instead identify a number of plants rather than a single one.

In Figure 7 plants are grown directly in the cells 30 and therefore the label will remain associated with the plants (not shown). In Figure 8 however, the marketing tray is intended to receive a lower portion of individual pots 32 into the recesses 34. Removal of the pots 32 is possible, and therefore the label is not permanently associated with the plant but with the tray. Instead, the label is intended to prevent accidental mis-labelling of the tray, by carrying information specific thereto. The individual pots 32 might also be provided with the labelling system to prevent deliberate or accidental mis-labelling thereof.

Claims

A container labelling system comprising;

(a) a container (10) an upper part of a wall of which has an outwardly-projecting tab (11) formed integrally with the material of the container which tab (11) is provided with a barb-shaped formation (14) on one of its surfaces; and

(b) a sheet-like label (22) formed of a resiliently flexible material which label has a slot (25) formed spaced from one of its edges which slot is profiled to accommodate the tab (11) whereby when the tab (11) is received in the slot (25) a part of the area of the label overlies an adjacent area of the container wall and the barb-like formation (14) resists withdrawal of the tab (11) from the slot.
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container has a base and an upstanding side wall (18) the upper periphery of which defines a mouth to the container, said outwardly-projecting tab (11) projecting from the periphery of the side wall whereby when the tab (11) is received in the slot (25) a part of the area of the label overlies the adjacent area of the container side wall (18).
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the container (10) is of a moulded plastics material, and is moulded to provide a rim portion (19) extending outwardly from the upper edge of the container side wall (18), the tab (11) being an extension of the rim portion.
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the container (10) and the tab (11) comprise a vacuum moulding from sheet plastics material.
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the barb-like formation (14) is moulded integrally with the tab (11) so as to upstand from the upper surface of the tab.
A container labelling system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the edge region of one of the edges of the slot (25) in the label defines a flexible claw (26), which claw engages with a corresponding surface (17) of the tab when the label is positioned thereon.
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot (25) in the label (22) is provided in that part of the label intended to be lowermost when in use, and the flexible claw (26) projects from the lowermost edge of the slot, to engage with the underside of the tab (11).
A container labelling system as claimed in claim 5 and claim 7, wherein the flexible claw (26) engages in the underside of the material of the tab (11) defining the bar-like formation.
A container labelling system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the barb-like formation (14) has transverse ribs (17), extending generally parallel or tangentially to the rim (19) of the container.
A container labelling system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a recess (21) is defined by the tab (11) between the rim of the container and the greater part of the tab, in which recess is located the label (22) when the label is fully disposed on the tab.
A container labelling system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the container comprises one of a growing container (10) for a plant or a multi-cellular tray (Fig. 7 or Fig. 8) for growing or transporting plants.
A container labelling system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there is provided more than one similarly-formed outwardly projecting tab (11).