FR2947371A1 - Label assembly for use on e.g. parcel, has support sheet comprising weakening and separation lines that are equidistant with respect to cutting lines and convergent on adjoining zone at edge of support sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly (1) has a front sheet made of a printable material e.g. printing paper, and comprising two contiguous rows or columns (5) of labels (2) defined by respective continuous cutting lines (6) e.g. vertical cutting lines. A support sheet is adhered to a rear surface of the front sheet. The support sheet has weakening and separation lines (7a, 7b) arranged below the corresponding rows and columns of labels. The weakening and separation lines are equidistant with respect to the cutting lines and convergent on an adjoining zone at an edge of the support sheet.

Description

DESCRIPTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a set of labels adapted to be fed through a printer, the labels being adhesive and removable manually. The label assembly includes a front sheet of a printable material that includes at least two rows or columns of labels delimited by respective section lines and a carrier sheet adhered to the back surface of the front sheet.

Antecedents of the invention It is usual, especially in the administrative works, to print sheets of labels where in each label we print certain characters or reasons, either the address of a recipient, the price of a product or any other type of identification. These sheets or sets of labels are usually formed by a support sheet on which is adhesively removably a front sheet of a printable material on which are pre-cut areas corresponding to the labels distributed in rows and columns. Once the characters or patterns are printed in the areas of the labels of the front sheet as they pass through the printer, the user removes the labels by peeling them from the support sheet and applies them on an envelope, folder, package etc. A sheet or set of labels such as that described above is that disclosed in the patent application WO00226483-A1, in which a label sheet is provided comprising a support sheet and a sheet of the material from which the labels are made. that is, the solid state component of a pressure sensitive label such as paper, plastic film, metallized, garment, nonwoven material, etc. The label assembly includes at least one cutting line which passes through the sheet of the label material, also referred to as the front sheet, but not the carrier sheet to form a label of said material adhered removably to the carrier sheet. In addition, in the front sheet is formed a line of weakness along the label sheet which defines a line with sections that go from the contour of a label to the contour of the next arranged in the same column, without crossing the areas of own labels. This line of weakness for each column of labels is located between the line that would unite the centers. labels of the same column and the line that would unite the ends of the same side of the labels of said column. In fact, another feature to bear in mind is that the front sheet can be folded along said line of weakness to separate the carrier sheet from the label portion between the end of the label and said label portion. line so that the user can seize the said portion of the label and take off completely. Obviously the distance between the edges of the labels of the columns or queues and the corresponding lines of weakness should not be excessive to facilitate that the extreme portion of the labels comes off easily by folding the sheet. Another type of label set that obtains a similar effect to facilitate label extraction is that described in patents ES2207103-T3 and ES2152406-T3. The set of tags in question is formed by a backing sheet made of paper, an adhesive covering applied to one side of said backing sheet and a printing sheet whose back surface is attached to the backsheet through said adhesive covering. Since in these two cases the labels are intended to be housed in transparent folders of the binders for their identification, by detaching the labels from the support sheet, it is not the labels that are adhesive but the adhesive remains on the surface of the label. the support sheet whose function is to ensure that during the printing of the set, the labels do not move from their initial position. As can be appreciated in both documents, the carrier sheet is divided into two or more sections by means of the corresponding separation lines, said separation lines extending transversely with respect to each one of the individual labels of the same file or column. In the examples described in the patent ES2207103-T3, said separation lines are located centered with respect to their queues or columns of corresponding labels, whereas in the examples of the patent ES2152406-T3 the separation lines are displaced relative to the center of the rows or columns, being at a short distance from one of the edges of the labels. In both cases we have seen sheets of labels with and without perimeter margin. After printing the labels, tearing the carrier sheet along one of said separation lines under a queue or column, thereby separating one of the support sheet sections from the remainder, a rear portion of the labels of said queue, or column remains exposed, by way of tab, by facilitating the user to grasp the label of the label. said portion to remove it from the support sheet and apply it where it is necessary, in this case, for its introduction into a folder of a folder, without causing any mechanical deformation or deterioration of the labels.

Taking into account the operating advantages of being able to remove a portion of the support sheet by tearing the sheet along a dividing line that runs under a file or column of labels to expose extreme portions of the sheet. Here it was obvious that instead of simply folding the front sheet by the line of weakening of the sheet described in patent application WO00226483-A1 to leave exposed portions, it could be more effective to break the support sheet. following said lines of weakening and thus avoid the fact of having to fold the sheet of labels which remained a little deformed if after the detachment of certain labels one kept the sheet for later uses of the remaining labels.

In the resulting label sheets it is necessary to follow a determined order when breaking the sections of the support sheet and sometimes, if the labels that one wants to use are those of a non-central inner column, it is necessary to start break the support sheet always from the right if the user is right-handed and the only solution for left-handed users is to insert the sheet in the printer upside down, which is not always viable if the shape of the labels is not symmetrical and therefore it is necessary to print the characters in a certain direction.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to provide a solution to the problems posed, a set of labels adapted to be fed through a printer is disclosed, the labels being adhesive and removable manually. Said set of labels comprises: - a front sheet of a printable material which comprises at least two rows or columns of labels delimited by respective section lines; and a support sheet adhered to the rear surface of the front sheet. Essentially, the set of labels according to the invention is characterized in that the support sheet comprises at least two lines of weakening and separation arranged under two adjacent rows or corresponding columns of labels, said lines of weakening and preferably being equidistant from the cutting line (s) separating said adjacent files or columns of labels, and that said two lines of weakness 16-SNS-TEXT DEPOT-.doc - 16/09/09 - 3/20 and converging separation in the zone adjacent to the edge of the support sheet. With the set of labels object of the invention, the user can take off the labels of the support sheet easily and quickly. For this, once the assembly has passed through a printer, the user must tear the support sheet by following one of the lines of weakening and separation that scrolls under one of said files or columns, so that one separates from the rest a strip of the support sheet on which is arranged the file or column of labels that are to take off. In said strip, each label has an extreme portion protruding from the support sheet of said strip, that is to say, in each of said labels, there is a portion that lacks a support sheet on its rear face. Said portion acts as a tongue, so that the user can pull from it by facilitating all the label is detached from the support sheet of the strip. According to another characteristic of the invention, under each row or column of labels, the support sheet is provided with at least two lines of weakening and separation each of which is moved from the center of the labels to a corresponding opposite side of the label. 'label. The user can decide by which side to take off the labels regardless of the direction in which the assembly was introduced into the printer for printing thereof. In this way, each queue or column of labels is associated with two lines of weakening and separation and the user can decide if he wants the portion by which he will take off the label is left or right. According to another characteristic of the invention, the two lines of weakening and separation converge until they coincide along an immediate section at the edge of the support sheet. According to another characteristic of the invention, the coincidence section between the two converging weakening and separation lines is in turn coincident with the line or cutting lines of the front sheet which separate the adjacent rows or columns of labels.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the coincidence section between the lines of weakening and separation and the line or lines of section is located in a margin of the set which is not part of the labels. According to another characteristic of the invention, the separation distance between a line of weakening and separation and the line or lines which separate the rows or adjacent columns of labels is between 1 and 1.5 cm. This distance makes it possible to have enough space to have the tip of a finger under the d-portion. label that remains without a support sheet underneath, to take off from its file or column and apply it to the desired place, for example in an envelope, parcel, etc., while making a band or column The tags can be detached from the rest of the set of an easy form, especially in the section in which the lines of weakening and separation leave one to be coincident. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, there are illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, five embodiments of the set of labels object of the invention. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a projection view of a first set of tags object of the invention without margin and formed by three columns of labels; Figure 2 is a projection view of a second set of labels object of the invention with horizontal margins and formed by two columns of labels; Figure 3 is a projection view of a third set of labels object of the invention with perimeter margins and formed by three columns of labels; Figure 4 is a projection view of a fourth set of labels object of the invention with perimeter margins and with a matrix between the three columns of labels with blunt edges; Figure 5 is a sectional view in longitudinal section of a set of labels with a perimetric margin formed by columns of five labels; Figure 6 is an enlarged view of Detail A of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows the set of labels of Figure 3 when the user is left-handed and will firstly use the labels of the first column from the left; Figure 8 shows the assembly of Figure 7 in a later step, when the user will use the labels of the next column to the left; and Figure 9 shows the set of labels of the Figures. 3, 7 and 8 with the difference that the user will start using the labels of the right columns. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 4 show sets 1 of adhesive labels 2 of different models, which can pass through a printer to print the printed documents. 16/09/09 - 5/20 characters or patterns needed in labels 2, then can take off with the hand to apply on envelopes, packages, etc. As can be appreciated in FIG. 5, the sets 1 of labels 2 are essentially formed of a front sheet 3 of a printable material, for example print paper or printable plastic, superposed and united by its surface. The front sheet 3 comprises at least two rows or columns of labels 2 delimited by respective continuous cutting lines 6. For example, the assembly 1 of Figure 1 has on its front sheet 3 two vertical cutting lines 6 and six horizontal cutting lines 6 which configure twenty-one labels 2 distributed in three columns 5 and seven files; in Figure 2 the assembly 1 has a vertical section line 6 and nine horizontal cutting lines 6, delimiting on the front sheet 3 a total of sixteen labels 2 distributed on two columns 5, the labels 2 of the upper file and the lower file being flanked by the respective margins 10 formed on the front sheet 3; and in the assembly 1 of Figure 3, four vertical cutting lines 6 and nine horizontal cutting lines 6 delimit twenty-four labels 2. On the other hand, on the support sheet 4 there is a series of weakening lines 7a. and 7b and separation scrolling under each queue or column 5 of labels 2, the latter being separated from the center. By weakening lines are meant the dashed lines or discontinuous weakening cut lines. The lines of weakening 7a and 7b and separation go from one end to the other of the assembly 1 and as it is mentioned, they are formed by a succession of discontinuous cuts and in the examples represented they end with a section of cut on their arrival at the edge of the assembly 1 to facilitate easy tearing, as explained below. In particular, each pair of weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation are arranged under two corresponding adjacent columns of labels 2, these weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation being equidistant from the continuous cutting line 6 which separates the two contiguous columns 5, as can be seen in Figures 1 to 3, although according to other examples not shown, the distance between the weakening lines 7a and separation and the vertical cutting lines 6 may not be exactly the same as between the weakening lines 7b and separation and the vertical cutting lines 6.

In the case of the assembly 1 of FIG. 4, where between two adjacent columns 5 there are two vertical cutting lines 6, it is also observed that the FIG. 4 and FIG. the weakening lines 7a located under a corresponding column 5 are separated from the cutting lines 6 which determine the right edges of the labels 2 of the corresponding column 5 by the same distance from each other. separation between the weakening lines 7b and its corresponding cutting lines 6 which determine the straight edges of the labels 2 of the adjacent columns 5. In the examples shown, the vertical symmetry of the pairs of weakening lines 7a and 7b is shown, and separation from the cutting line or lines 6 in the front sheet 3 between two adjoining columns 5, that we do not reject the fact that the distances are not always identical at the one and the other side of the cutting lines 6. In all the assemblies 1 represented, the weakening line structure 7a and 7b and separation is repeated in all contiguous columns. As can be seen in Figures 1 to 4, the weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation between two adjacent columns of labels 2 scroll parallel to the vertical edges of the set 1 of labels 2 and the edges 9 of labels 2 except in zones contiguous to the horizontal edges of the support sheet 4, where they converge arriving to coincide on the immediate section to said horizontal edge. The bifurcation or change of direction experienced by the weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation when they are no longer coincidental contributes to reducing the possibility of producing accidental tears, for example, during the passage of the assembly 1 by the printer. The weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation are separated from the cutting lines 6 which separate the adjacent rows or columns of labels by a distance less than half the length of the label 2, for example between 1 and 1 , 5 cm, although said distance may vary according to the dimensions of the label 2. In fact, as explained below, this distance must allow sufficient space to dispose the tip of a finger and thus take off a label 2 from its column 5 and apply it where it is necessary, for example in an envelope, parcel, etc., while succeeding in making a strip 11 of labels 2 can be detached from the rest of the together 1 of an easy form. Furthermore, the section in which the weakening lines 7a and 7b and the separation coincide is in turn coincident with the vertical line of cut 6 provided on the front sheet 3 and which separates the two contiguous columns 5. This fact can be seen in Figures 1 to 4 where the weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation have been shown by means of dashed lines to distinguish them from the cut lines 6 represented by solid lines. In the sets of labels 2 provided with horizontal margins (FIG. 2) or with the aid of FIGS. 2 and 2 of FIGS. Perimeter margins (FIGS. 3 and 4), the section in which the two weakening lines 7a and 7b and the separation coincide occupies about half of the width of the horizontal margin closest to the horizontal edge of the support sheet 4 In all the sets 1 of labels 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in addition to the weakening lines 7a and 7b, it is observed that there are two extreme weakening lines 7, also in the support sheet 4, which run under the columns of labels 2 which limit with the vertical edges of the assembly 1 (Figures 1 and 2) or with the vertical margins (Figures 3 and 4). In this way, by means of the weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation and the extreme weakening lines 7 of the support sheet 4, each label 2 of a column 5 can be peeled off by pulling from the left side or the side right, because under each label 2 there is always a weakening line 7b or 7 on the left (if the column is that of the left end), and on the right a weakening line 7a or 7 (if column 5 is that of the right end). This feature makes the use of the set of labels 1 2 is ideal for both right-handed users and left-handed users, because they can choose the side by which they want to take off each label 2 according to their ease.

The operation of the set 1 of labels 2 is subsequently exposed by means of the observation of FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 starts from the situation in which a user has printed with a printer the 2 labels of the assembly 1 shown in Figure 3. The user, wanting to take off the labels 2 of the left column 5 tore the support sheet 4 by breaking following the line of extreme weakening 7 most close to the margin 10 on the left, the band 11 'shown on the left remaining separate from the rest. By doing this, it is observed that the remainder of the support sheet 4 has a surface smaller than that of the front sheet 3 adhered to it because having precisely removed said strip 11 ', the portions 8 of the labels 2 of the column 5 are left underneath the support sheet 4, so that they remain exposed, protruding, as a tab. The user will be able to draw from these portions 8, which will have behind an adhesive feel of having detached from the corresponding portion of support sheet 4, and he can take off the labels 2 from the rest to apply them where he wants . When the user grasps and pulls on the portion 8 of each label 2 of the left column 5, he detaches it from the support sheet 4. \\ HIRSCH6 \ Brevets \ 30800_309_0909 16-SNS-TEXT DEPOT-.doc - 16/09/09 - 8/20 In Figure 8 the following step is represented, starting from the situation in which the user removed all the labels 2 from the left column 5 of Figure 7. Since he wants to continue to remove the labels 2 from the next column 5 on the left, he tears the support sheet 4 following the line of weakening 7b and separation by separating the strip 11 from the rest of the set 1 of labels 2 As can be seen, all the labels 2 in the left column 5 have an exposed portion 8 protruding, because they are not supported on said portion 8 by the corresponding portion of the support sheet 4, located on the strip 11. The user will now be able to easily remove all labels 2 from the column 5 on the left, drawing on their corresponding portions. Subsequently, when it wishes to remove the labels 2 from the remaining column 5, it will tear again the support sheet 4 located under said labels 2 along the line of weakening 7b and separation located under said column 5, which means that again there will be corresponding portions 8 exposed to facilitate their detachment. FIG. 9 represents the operation of the same set of labels 2 represented in FIG. 3 and used in FIGS. 7 and 8, but with the difference that on this occasion the user has decided for his convenience that the portions 8 of the labels 2 remain to the right, which is why he began tearing the support sheet 4 following the line of extreme weakening 7 close to the right margin 10 and subsequently tearing the support sheet 4 following the lines of weakening 7a and separation located under the corresponding columns of labels 2. Thus, it is highlighted that with the set 1 of labels 2, the user can choose according to his convenience and convenience, the fact of being able to detach the labels 2 starting from the left or starting from the right. It is understood that a left-handed user will use the set 1 of labels 2 as shown in Figures 7 and 8, while a right-handed user will use it according to Figure 9. Note that the user does not It is not necessary to always tear off the support sheet 4 following the weakening lines 7a and separation located to the left of a corresponding section line 6, or the weakening lines 7b and separation on the right, but that any moment he can choose which side he wants to detach the label 2 in question. As has been demonstrated in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, the weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation and the extreme weakening lines 7 are related to the arrangement of the cutting lines. However, it should be noted that, according to other examples not shown, it is important to note that the verticals and columns 5 and 5 are not the same. set 1 of labels 2 can be provided with weakening lines 7a and 7b and separation and horizontal lines 7 of extreme weakness that keep the same. relationship with the horizontal cutting lines 6 delimiting the lines of labels 2, similar to the situation that would occur if we considered a 90 ° rotation of the sets 1 of labels 2 shown \\ HIRSCH6 \ Brevets \ 30800 \ 3085I - 090916-SNS-TEXT DEPOT-.doc - 16/09/09 - 10/20

Claims (1)

1. A set (1) of labels (2) adapted to be fed through a printer, the labels being adhesive and removable manually, which comprises: - a front sheet (3) of a printable material which comprises at least two rows or columns (5) of labels delimited by respective cutting lines (6); a support sheet (4) adhered to the rear surface of the front sheet, characterized in that the support sheet comprises at least two lines of weakness (7a, 7b) and separation arranged under two adjacent adjacent rows or columns label, said lines of weakening and separation being preferably equidistant from the line or lines of section separating said adjacent files or columns of labels, and that said two lines of weakening and separation converge on the area adjacent to the edge of the support sheet. 2. A set (1) of labels (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that under each file or column (5) of labels, the support sheet (4) is provided with at least two lines each of which is moved from the center of the labels to a corresponding opposite side of the label. 3.- Set (1) of labels (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two weakening lines (7a, 7b) and separation converge until their coincidence along a stretch immediately to the edge of the support sheet (4). 4. A set (1) of labels (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that the coincidence section between the two lines of weakening (7a, 7b) and separation convergent is in turn coincident with the line or the cutting lines (6) of the front sheet (3) which separate the adjacent rows or columns (5) of labels. 5. A set (1) of labels (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the coincidence section between the lines of weakness (7a, 7b) and separation and the line or lines of cut (6 ) is located on a margin (10) of \\ HIRSCH6 \ Patents \ 30800 \ 308 5 1--0909 16-SNS-TEXT DEPOT-.doc - 16/09/09 - 11/2012 the set that does not part of the labels. 6. A set (1) of labels (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the separation distance between a weakening line (7a, 7b) and separation and the cutting line or lines (6) which separate rows or columns (5) contiguous labels is between 1 and 1.5 cm. \\ HIRSCH6 \ Patents \ 30800 \ 30851u090916-SNS-TEXT DEPOT-.doc - 16/09/09 - 12/20