Field of the Invention
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The present invention refers to a method of folding informational items having printed information thereon, such as instructions relating to pharmaceutical products.
Background
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Informational items are used to provide information to customers and users of pharmaceutical products. Usually, the informational item comprises a leaflet of paper folded plural times in a first direction and another time in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction and is put together with at least one blister package or with a vial comprising a pharmaceutical product into a cardboard package. With the increase of information necessary to be provided to the customer, the surface of the item bearing the printed information had to be increased. To comply with existing packaging machines which have limits as to the size of the printed paper sheets to be folded an to be inserted into the cardboard packages, it is known from
EP 0 673 870 B1 to produce printed documents with several leaves connected together at one of their longitudinal edges and placed on of top of the other and folding same in parallel to the direction of the longitudinal edges before folding same in a direction perpendicular thereto and inserting same into the cardboard package.
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Another method to deal with the problem of increased paper sheet size is disclosed in
US 2004/0033876 A1 . This document discloses a method of producing so-called outserts which are completely finalized, folded items ready to be affixed at an outer surface of a product to be accompanied by instructional information. The method comprises folding the sheet by making a first fold in the sheet in a direction parallel to a first direction, folding the sheet by making a second fold in the direction parallel to the first direction to form a first folded article having a first end and a second end, making a plurality of transverse folds in the first folded article to form a second folded article having a first end, a second end, a first portion adjacent the first end and a second portion adjacent the second end of the second folded article, folding the second folded article by making an additional fold in a direction parallel to the second direction to produce a third folded article having a first end, a second end and a plurality of intermediate portions disposed between the first and second ends, depositing an adhesive on a portion of the third folded article, and making a final fold in the third folded article in a direction parallel to the second direction to form the folded item so that a portion of the third folded article is wrapped around the intermediate portions of the third folded article. By means of this method, the item does not comprise unfolded sheet edges extending in the second direction and being exposed. Rather, all unfolded edges extending in parallel to the second direction are enclosed by folds of the item. It is the result of the adhesive included in the item that upon opening the item to enable reading the information, panels bearing the adhesive may be damaged or at least a portion of the information may be covered or affected by residues of the adhesive. Further, when again transversely folding an article having already been transversely folded, an upsetting of some of the paper plies may be encountered.
Summary of the Invention
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It is the object of the invention to provide a method of folding a sheet having printed information thereon to form a folded item for providing information to the user of a product, which may be performed with an apparatus as commonly used for folding informational sheets to produce outserts. It is a further object of the invention to provide a folded item made by folding a sheet having printed information thereon and which may be processed by packaging machines as usually used to affix an outsert to a product to be provided with instructional information.
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In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of folding a sheet having printed information thereon to form a folded item for providing information to the user of a product, said method comprising: (a) folding said sheet by making a first fold in said sheet, said first fold being made in a direction parallel to a first direction; (b) folding said sheet by making a second fold in said sheet, said second fold being made in a direction parallel to said first direction, said first and second folds resulting in a first folded article, said first folded article having a first end and a second end opposite said first end; (c) making a plurality of transverse folds in said first folded article, said plurality of transverse folds being made in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, said transverse folds resulting in a second folded article formed of a sheet stock having a top panel and a bottom panel and having a first end and a second end, said first end of said second folded article comprising a folded end where said top and bottom panels adjoin, and a second end comprising a plurality of folded ends of sections of said sheet stock and unfolded ends of panels of another section of said sheet stock, said panels of said another section being sandwiched between said aforementioned sections, and (d) adhering a tape to the fourth article so as to at least partially cover the second end thereof to secure the fourth article in a folded condition.
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Another solution to the object is a method of folding a sheet having printed information thereon to form a folded item for providing information to the user of a product, said method comprising: (a) folding said sheet by making a first fold in said sheet, said first fold being made in a direction parallel to a first direction; (b) folding said sheet by making a second fold in said sheet, said second fold being made in a direction parallel to said first direction, said first and second folds resulting in a first folded article, said first folded article having a first end and a second end opposite said first end; (c) making a first transverse fold in said first folded article, said first transverse fold being made in a direction perpendicular to said first direction, said transverse fold resulting in a second folded article having a first end and a second end, said first end of said second folded article comprising a folded end, and said second end of said second folded article comprising unfolded ends; (d) making a second transverse fold in said second folded article, said second transverse fold being made in a direction being parallel to the direction of said first transverse fold, said second transverse fold resulting in a third folded article having a first end and a second end, said first end of said third folded article comprising a folded end, and said second end of said third folded article comprising the first folded end and the second end of said second folded article; (e) making a third transverse fold in said third folded article, said third transverse fold being made in a direction parallel to the direction of said first and second transverse folds, said third transverse fold resulting in fourth folded article having a first end and a second end, said first end of said fourth article comprising a folded end, and said second end of said fourth folded article comprising the first folded end of the third folded article, the first folded end of the second folded article, and the second end of said second folded article sandwiched therebetween; (f) adhering a tape to the fourth article so as to at least partially cover the second end thereof to secure the fourth article in a folded condition.
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In another aspect, the invention is directed to a folded item made by folding a sheet having printed information thereon providing information to the user of a product, said item comprising a plurality of basic sections of a sheet stock forming said item, wherein (a) each basic section is composed of a plurality of sheets joined to one another at fold lines extending in a first direction and formed by plural folding said sheet in said first direction, (b) the basic sections are joined to one another at fold lines extending in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, (c) said folded item comprises a first end comprising a fold at which a top panel and a bottom panel of said sheet stock are joined, and a second end comprising at least two folds where panels belonging to different basic sections of said sheet stock are joined, and unfolded edges of panels of at least another one of said basic sections, said unfolded edges being exposed at said second end, and said panels of said another basic section of said sheet stock being sandwiched between basic sections of said sheet stock forming said two folds at said second end, and (d) a tape is adhesively affixed to top and bottom panels of said folded item at the second end thereof, said tape connecting said top and bottom panels and at least partially covering said unfolded edges of said another one of said basic sections.
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In the method of the present invention, there is no longer any need to deposit an adhesive on a portion of the folded article, so that there is no risk that the folded article is damaged when trying to remedy the effect of the adhesive if the user wants to open the item to study the information comprised thereon. Rather, the present invention makes use of a tape which is adhesively affixed to the top and bottom panels of the folded item so as to keep same in a closed condition, in which the item is suitable to be processed in packaging machines as usually employed. The customer who wants to read the information provided by the item may simply cut the tape by a knife or even a fingernail without taking the risk that the item is damaged. Preferably, a transparent tape is used as an adhesive tape, so that the cut portions of the tape to not obstruct the readability of the information comprised on the item.
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The invention will be explained in the following by means of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
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- Fig. 1a
- illustrates the blank of a sheet from which an item is to be formed;
- Fig. 1b
- discloses a perspective view of the manner how a sheet of Fig. 1a may be folded in a first direction;
- Fig. 1c
- is perspective view of a first article formed from the sheet of Fig. 1a after having been completely folded a plurality of times in directions in parallel to the first direction;
- Fig. 2
- is a perspective view of the first article of Fig. 1 c after having been folded for a first time in a second direction;
- Fig. 3
- is a perspective view of the article of Fig. 2 after having effected a second fold in the second direction;
- Fig. 4
- is a perspective view of article of Fig. 3 after having effected a third fold in the second direction;
- Fig. 5
- is a perspective the final folded article after a tape having been adhesively affixed to the article of Fig. 4;
- Fig.6a-6c
- are views similar to Fig. 1a-1c to explain the initial steps when folding in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
- Fig. 7
- is the sheet of Fig. 6c after having been folded for a first time in a second direction;
- Fig. 8
- is a view of the sheet of Fig. 7 after having effected a second fold in the second direction;
- Fig. 9
- is a view of the sheet of Fig. 5 after having effected a third fold in the second direction;
- Fig. 10
- is a view of the final folded article after a tape having been adhesively affixed to the article of Fig. 9, and
- Fig. 11a - 11c
- show the alternative of the initial steps when folding a sheet in a first direction.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
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Figs. 1 a to 5 show the results of the steps taken when carrying out the method of the invention in a first preferred embodiment.
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Fig. 1a is a perspective view of a sheet 1 of paper to be folded in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention so as to result in a folded item of the present invention. In the drawing, the information printed on sheet 1 is not shown as this is not essential for the explanation of the present invention.
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According to Fig. 1 b, sheet 1 is folded a plurality of times in parallel to a first direction in accordion-style, the first direction extending at a right angle from the point of origin. Thus, the first or initial fold is an uneven fold, so that the folded section 1b of the sheet 1 covers less than all of the adjoining section 1 a of the sheet stock. The subsequent folds in parallel to the first direction result in a first folded article 2 shown in Fig. 1 c and having a first end and a second end opposite said first end. In this first folded article 2, the plies may have equal width, or at least one of the top and bottom plies may have a width which is larger than that of the other plies.
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As seen in Fig. 2, to establishing a second folded article 3, the first article 2 is folded for a first time in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. This fold is an even fold resulting in that top and bottom constituting sections of the second article 3 shown in Fig. 2 have equal lengths. Thus, the second article 2 has a first, folded end 4 and a second end 5 where the plies of the sheet stock have unfolded edges.
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Subsequently, according to Fig. 3, another even fold is made in the second article 2 in the second direction resulting in a third article 6 shown in Fig. 3. This third article 6 comprises four constituting sections stacked onto one another. The third article 6 has a first end 7, which is a folded end, and a second end 8 comprising the folded end 4 and the unfolded end 5 of the second article.
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According to Fig. 4, the third article 6 of Fig. 3 is folded another time in the second direction in a manner that its first, folded end 7 is folded onto the plies of the sheet stock having the unfolded edges as defined by reference numeral 5, this fold being an even fold again. In this way a fourth article 9 is formed having eight constituting sections and in which those sections having unfolded edges of their plies at the second end are sandwiched between two lower constituting sections and four upper constituting sections of the sheet stock. Thus, the fourth article 9 has a first, folded end 10, where the top and bottom panels of the fourth article 9 are joined, and a second end 11 formed by the first, folded end 7 of the third article 6 and the first, folded end 4 of the second article 3 and the second, unfolded end 5 of the second article 3, the latter unfolded end 5 being sandwiched between aforementioned folded ends 4 and 7.
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Finally, according to Fig. 5, a tape 12 is adhesively fixed to the fourth or final article 9 so as to at least partly cover the second end 11 thereof to secure the fourth article in the folded condition shown in Fig. 5. By adhering the tape 12, the method of the first embodiment of the invention is complete.
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Preferably, the tape 12 adhered to the fourth article 9 is of a reduced strength so that it may easily be torn up by the fingers of a user without damaging the top and bottom panels of the item to which the tape is adhered, or may easily be cut by a fingernail of the user. Further, it is preferred that the tape 12 is transparent to avoid that printed information may be obstructed by the tape 12.
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As may be seen from the drawings, there is only reduced risk that an upsetting of paper may happen when effecting the folds, as the section of the feed stock in which the plies have unfolded edges, i.e. the sections ending in edges 5, are always able yield in a direction towards their free edges. Of course, the amount of such yield may be taken into consideration when defining the location of each one of the transverse folds, so that finally the free edges shown by reference numeral 5 are flush with folded ends 4 and 7. Hence, when above defining the folds as even, this meaning also covers some small deviations therefrom made in consideration of paper thickness and yield of the aforementioned kind.
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Figs. 6a to 10 show the results of the steps taken when carrying out the method of the invention in a second preferred embodiment.
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Fig. 6a is a perspective view of a sheet 1 of paper to be folded in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention so as to result in a folded item of the present invention. In the drawing, the information printed on sheet 1 is not shown as this is not essential for the explanation of the present invention.
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According to Fig. 6b, sheet 1 is folded a plurality of times in parallel to a first direction in accordion-style, the first direction extending at a right angle from the point of origin. Thus, the first or initial fold is an uneven fold, so that the folded section 1b of the sheet 1 covers less than all of the adjoining section 1a of the sheet stock. The subsequent folds in parallel to the first direction result in a first folded article 2 shown in Fig. 6c and having a first end and a second end opposite said first end. In this first folded article 2, the plies may have equal width, or at least one of the top and bottom plies may have a width which is larger than that of the other plies.
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As seen in Fig. 7, for establishing a second folded article 3, the first article 2 is folded for a first time in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. This fold is an uneven fold resulting in that top and bottom constituting sections of the second article 3 shown in Fig. 2 have unequal lengths. Thus, the second article 2 has a first, folded end 4 and two second ends 5a and 5b where the plies of the sheet stock have unfolded edges. The shorter one of the sections which is ending at end 5a covers about half of the longer one of the sections ending at end 5b. The section of the second article adjacent its first end has a first thickness which is larger than a second thickness defined by the section adjacent the second, unfolded end 5b.
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Subsequently, according to Fig. 8, another fold is made in the second article 2 in the second direction resulting in a third article 6 shown in Fig. 8. The lastmentioned fold in the second direction is made close to the unfolded end 5a of the shorter section and is made in a direction that the second end 5a of the shorter section 5a is enclosed in the fold so made. Thus, the third article 6 comprises three constituting sections of about equal length and stacked onto one another. The third article 6 has a first end 7, which is a folded end, and a second end 8 comprising the first, folded end 4 and the unfolded end 5b of the second article 3.
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According to Fig. 9, the third article 6 of Fig. 8 is folded another time in the second direction in a manner that its first, folded end 7 is folded onto the plies of the sheet stock having the unfolded edges as defined by reference numeral 5b, this fold being an even fold. In this way a fourth article 9 is formed having six constituting sections and in which that section having unfolded edges of its plies at the second end are sandwiched between two lower constituting sections and three upper constituting sections of the sheet stock. Thus, the fourth article 9 has a first, folded end 10, where the top and bottom panels of the fourth article 9 are joined, and a second end 11 formed by the first, folded end 7 of the third article 6 and the first, folded end 4 of the second article 3 and one of the second, unfolded ends 5a, 5b of the second article 3, namely unfolded end 5b, the latter unfolded end 5b being sandwiched between aforementioned folded ends 4 and 7.
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Finally, according to Fig. 10, a tape 12 is adhesively fixed to the fourth or final article 9 so as to at least partly cover the second end 11 thereof to secure the fourth article in the folded condition shown in Fig. 10. By adhering the tape 12, the method of the second embodiment of the invention is complete.
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Again, the tape 12 adhered to the fourth article 9 is of a reduced strength so that it may easily be torn up by the fingers of a user without damaging the top and bottom panels of the item to which the tape is adhered, or may easily be cut by a fingernail of the user. Further again, it is preferred that the tape 12 is transparent to avoid that printed information may be obstructed by the tape 12.
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Also in this embodiment of the invention, there is only reduced risk that an upsetting of paper may happen when effecting the folds, as there is only one section ending at 5a which is trapped in a fold.
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In both embodiments the location of the second transverse fold may be selected in a manner that in the item as finally shown in Fig. 5 or Fig. 10, the unfolded edges at ends 5 and 5b, respectively, may stand back to a certain extent so as to be protected by the folded ends of the adjacent constituting sections. Tearing up or cutting tape 12 is facilitated by the space formed behind the tape by the standing back of the constituting section having those unfolded edges.
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Whereas Figs. 1a to 1c and 6a to 6c are showing a first article which is folded by the first fold in accordion-style, the invention is not restricted to this type of first fold. As is shown in Figs. 11 a to 11 b, the first fold may be effected in the so-called letter fold, in which the original sheet 1 is at first folded in an even fold to result in a folded article having two plies 1 a and 1 b of equal size joined at a first lateral end by a fold 1 c and having two unfolded edges 1 d at the opposite side. This article is subsequently folded as a whole in an even fold in the same direction as before, i.e. both plies 1 a and 1b of the article are folded in common resulting in an article having one fold 1 e at a lateral end on one side and one fold 1 c and two unfolded ply edges 1 d at the opposite lateral side. The folds to be subsequently made in a transverse direction perpendicular to the first direction may be made in the same manner as explained with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 and 7 to 9, respectively. The same applies to the other features, so that a repetition of the explanation given above is omitted.
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It is finally to be mentioned that the invention is not restricted by the above number of folds made in the sheet of paper. Thus, there may be more than the above three fold in transverse direction, it being always essential that the folds be made in a manner that unfolded edges of at least one section of the item is exposed at one end of the item but is sandwiched between sections having a fold at said end of the item.
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Finally, it is to be noted that said "first fold" is to be understood in a broad sense so as to cover a plurality of folding actions performed in parallel to the first direction to create a accordion-like or folded letter-like article as shown in Fig. 1c or 11c. Thus, those folding actions are not restricted to a first and second one.
