GB2292325A

GB2292325A - Adhesive-coated wrapping paper

Info

Publication number: GB2292325A
Application number: GB9416620A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Mather Robertson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-08-17
Filing date: 1994-08-17
Publication date: 1996-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 2014-08-17
Also published as: GB9416620D0; GB2292325B

Abstract

There is described a stack (64) of two or more sheets (10) of wrapping paper in which each sheet is cut to the same dimensions as each other sheet within the stack. The sheets are arranged one on top of another and each sheet is adhered to an underlying sheet by means of a low strength adhesive (66) which allows successive sheets to be peelably removed from the stack. Each sheet is further provided at one or more locations on the sheet with an activatable adhesive which is capable, when activated, of bonding the sheet to itself. There is also described a pre-cut sheet of wrapping paper having at one or more locations on the sheet a low strength adhesive to enable the sheet to be releasably adhered to another similar sheet and at one or more other locations an activatable adhesive that, when activated, is capable of bonding the sheet to itself. <IMAGE>

Description

WRAPPING PAPER The present invention relates to wrapping paper and in particular to wrapping paper that is adapted for the wrapping of standard shaped objections such as computer discs, compact discs, gramophone records, video cassettes, audio cassettes or the like.

A larger number of computer discs, compact discs, gramophone records, video cassettes and audio cassettes are bought as presents each year. However, before giving the present the purchaser will typically wrap it in order to make the present more attractive and to initially disguise its contents. This wrapping process necessiates the purchase of a suitable quantity of wrapping paper which is typically sold in rolls or in individual sheets. As a result the wrapping paper will normally need to be cut to size before it can be used. The paper then needs to be folded in order to wrap the present and then bonded to itself by means of a quantity of glue or, more commonly, a length of adhesive tape. A gift tag may then be attached to the present bearing a suitable message to the recipient from the giver of the present.

Thus it can be seen that the act of wrapping a present requires the purchase and use of a number of additional items including wrapping paper, a pair of scissors or other cutting instrument, a quantity of glue or adhesive tape and a gift tag. Inevitably this leads to waste particularly as the remaining wrapping paper is often discarded as being too small to use for wrapping a subsequent present.

Apart from the problem of wastage, many presents are purchased at the last minute, perhaps on the way to a party or visiting friends, which means that if the present is to be wrapped either the purchaser has to have brought their scissors and adhesive tape from home or else purchase fresh supplies of these items The present invention seeks to address these problems and to provide a wrapping paper which is convenient to use and which does not require the use or purchase of any additional items.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a stack of two or more sheets of wrapping paper in which each sheet is cut to the same dimensions as each other sheet within the stack, the sheets being arranged one on top of another and each sheet being adhered to an underlined sheet by means of a low strength adhesive which allows successive sheets to be peelably removed from the stack, each sheet being further provided at one or more locations on the sheet with an activatable adhesive which is capable, when activated, of bonding the sheet to itself. In this way the need to use or purchase a quantity of glue or a length of adhesive tape in order to wrap the present is elminated.

Advantageously, the low strength adhesive may be provided between adjacent sheets in the stack.

Alternatively, the low strength adhesive may be applied to a side surface of the stack once the sheets have been arranged one on top of another.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a pre-cut sheet of wrapping paper having at one or more locations on the sheet a low strength adhesive to enable the sheet to be releasably adhered to another similar sheet and at one or more other locations an activatable adhesive that, when activated, is capable of bonding the sheet to itself.

Advantageously, the activatable adhesive is activated by the application of moisture. Alternatively, the activatable adhesive may be covered by a peelable layer of material and the activatable adhesive activated by the removable of that layer.

Advantageously the or each sheet may be provided with one or more lines to facilitate the folding of the sheet.

Preferably these lines may be score lines.

Advantageously the or each sheet may be provided with a label which is detachable from the rest of the sheet and which is provided at one or more locations with an activatable adhesive.

Advantageously the or each sheet may be pre-cut to facilitate the wrapping of objects having a standard shape such as computer discs, compact discs, gramophone records, video cassettes, audio cassettes or the like.

A number of embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a sheet embodying the second aspect of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a stack of sheets embodying the first aspect of the present invention; Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a sheet of wrapping paper 10 which has been pre-cut facilitate the wrapping of, for example, a compact disc and its associated packaging. As such, the sheet 10 incorporates a top panel 12 of generally rectangular shape and which is defined by side edges 14, 16, 18 and 20.A respective side panel 22, 24, 26 and 28 extends from each of the side edges 14, 16, 18 and 20 which are in turn partly defined by a respective edge 30, 32, 34 and 36 which is spaced from and extends generally parallel to the relevant side edge of the top panel 12. The two laterally extending side panels 24 and 28 are each provided with a respective tab 38, 40 which extend in opposite directions from edges 32 and 36. By contrast, side panel 26 is formed contiguously with a bottom panel 42 which extends from edge 34 in a direction remote from the top panel 12.

The bottom panel 42 is of slightly reduced dimensons in comparison with the top panel 12 and is in part defined by side edges 44 and 46 which extend generally parallel to each other and perpendicularly to edge 34. A respective further side panel 48 and 50 extends laterally of the bottom panel 42 from each of the side edges 44 and 46. Finally, side panel 22 is formed contiguously with a further panel 52 which extends from edge 30 in a direction remote from the top panel 12. Like the bottom panel 42, the further panel 52 is in part defined by side edges 54 and 56 which extend generally parallel to each other and perpendicular to edge 30. A respective further side panel 58 and 60 extends laterally of the further panel 52 from each of the side edges 54 and 56.

The sheet of wrapping paper 10 is provided with a small quantity of an activatable adhesive 62 on each of tabs 38 and 40 and along an edge of the bottom panel 42 remote from edge 34. The activatable adhesive 62 may comprise a gummed or similar region which is activated by the application of moisture. Alternatively, the activatable adhesive 62 may comprise a region which is covered by a peelable layer of material which, when the peelable layer is removed, is then capable of bonding the sheet of wrapping paper 10 to itself.

In either case the activatable adhesive 62 may be such as to form a permanent bond between the region of the sheet 10 which is provided with the activatable adhesive and that part of the sheet to which that region is adhered.

Thus, in order to wrap a compact disc and its associated packaging in the wrapping paper 10 the compact disc is placed in its packaging face down on the top panel 12 which is so dimensioned as to be fractionly larger then the packaging containing the compact disc. Side panel 22 is then folded upwardly along side edge 14 so as to lie adjacent a side surface of the packaging of the compact disc and is folded again along edge 30 so that the further panel 52 overlies the bottom surface of the compact disc packaging which is lying face up.In a similar way side panel 26 is folded upwardly along side edge 18 so as to overlie another side surface of the compact disc packaging and is folded again along edge 34 so that the bottom panel 42 overlaps part of the further panel 52 and overlies that portion of the bottom surface of the compact disc packaging which remained exposed having folded the sheet of wrapping paper 10 along edge 30. The bottom panel 42 is adhered to the further panel 52 in the region of their overlap by activating the activatable adhesive 62 which is provided on the bottom panel 42 at a location remote from edge 34. This may be achieved by either licking the gummed region or alternatively by peeling away a layer of material covering the adhesive 62.

Once the bottom panel 42 has been adhered to the further panel 52, the further side panels 48, 50, 58 and 60 are folded downwardly along respective edges 44, 46, 54 and 56 so that between them they overlie the remaining two side surfaces of the compact disc packaging. The laterally extending side panels 24 and 28 are then folded upwardly along side edges 16 and 20 so as to overlie the further side panels 48, 50, 58 and 60 and folded again along edges 32 and 36 so that the tabs 38 and 40 overlie the bottom panel 42 and the further panel 52. The tabs 38 and 40 are then adhered to the bottom panel 42 and the further panel 52 by activating the regions of activatable adhesive 62 with which the two tabs are provided. Again, this may be achieved by either licking a gummed region or alternatively by peeling off a removable layer of material which initially covers the adhesive 62.

In order to facilitate the folding of the wrapping paper, the sheet 10 may be pre-printed with fold lines along edges 14-20, 30-36 44-46 and 54-56. Alternatively, or in addition, these edges may also be scored.

On the other side of the wrapping paper (i.e. that which is not shown in Figure 1, the sheet 10 may be provided with a pre-printed label having enough space for the purchaser to write a suitable message to the recipient of the present.

Alternatively, a separate tag may be provided which is attached to this other side in any convenient manner such as by a short length of ribbon and a piece of adhesive tape. In yet another arrangement the label may be formed as an extension to the further panel 52 and separated therefrom by a line of perforations which would then enable the label to be separated from the rest of the sheet 10. The label may be provided with one or more regions of an activatable adhesive 62 to enable the label to be attached to the present and may be decorated with a contrasting design to the rest of the sheet 10.

Clearly, the other side of the sheet of wrapping paper 10 may be decorated in any desired manner.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a sheet of wrapping paper may be adapted for wrapping a compact disc and its associated packaging by being pre-cut in any one of a number of different ways of which the embodiment shown in Figure 1 is just one example. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to any one pre-cut shape neither is it limited in the number of panels, tabs or score lines that are used.

Likewise, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a sheet of wrapping paper may be pre-cut so as to facilitate the wrapping of any one of a variety of objects.

This is particularly true of those objects which are commonly purchased as presents and which by virtue of their packaging are of a standard parallelepiped shape such as computer discs, compact discs, gramophone records, video cassettes, audio cassettes and the like. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited in its application merely to the wrapping of compact discs and their associated packaging which has been described merely by way of example.

For the convenience of regular purchasers of the aforementioned items and for shops selling those items, a number of sheets of the type illustrated in Figure 1 may be arranged one on top of another so as to form a stack 64 similar to that illustrated in Figure 2. Any particular stack 64 may comprise two or more sheets 10 each of which has been cut to the same dimensions and each of which bears either the same or a different surface decoration. To ensure that the stack 64 has some intrinsic integrity each sheet 10 is adhered to an underlying sheet by means of an adhesive 66 of sufficiently low strength to enable successive sheets to be peeled off the top of the stack. This low strength adhesive 66 may be provided between adjacent sheets in the stack or alternatively may be applied to a side surface of the stack 68 once the sheets have been arranged one on top of another.In either case the low strength adhesive 66 may comprise a different adhesive from the activatable adhesive 62.

Because each sheet 10 within the stack 64 will be shown to it best advantage if its decorated surface is uppermost, in cases where the low strength adhesive 66 is provided between adjacent sheets in the stack, this is best achieved by providing each sheet with a quantity of low strength adhesive on the surface opposed to the decorated surface (i.e. that shown in Figure 1). It has also been found that in such cases the low strength adhesive 66 provides the further advantage that when the sheet 10 has been removed from the stack 64 and the object to be wrapped has been placed onto the sheet, the low strength adhesive prevents the object from moving relative to the sheet as it is being wrapped.

Furthermore, in cases where each sheet within a stack has a different surface decoration and where the low strength adhesive 66 is provided between adjacent sheets in the stack, the low strength adhesive is preferably provided in such a way as to enable a potential customer to view the various decorations applied to the sheets without having to remove each sheet from the stack.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides for the convenient wrapping of presents and without requiring the further purchase of scissors, glue, adhesive tape or tags. Furthermore, by providing wrapping paper specifically designed for use with certain standard items, the wrapping paper may be sold along side those items or even used by the sales assistant to wrap the item before the purchaser leaves the shop.

Claims

1. A stack of two or more sheets of wrapping paper in which each sheet is cut to the same dimensions as each other sheet within the stack, the sheets being arranged one on top of another and each sheet being adhered to an underlying sheet by means of a low strength adhesive which allows successive sheets to be peelably removed from the stack, each sheet being further provided at one or more locations on the sheet with an activatable adhesive which is capable, when activated, of bonding the sheet to itself.

2. A stack in accordance with claim 1, wherein a low strength adhesive is provided between adjacent sheets in the stack.

3. A stack in accordance with claim 1, wherein a low strength adhesive is applied to a side surface of the stack once the sheets have been arranged one on top of another.

4. A stack in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the activatable adhesive is activated by the application of moisture.

5. A stack in accordance with any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the activatable adhesive is covered by a peelable layer of material and the activatable adhesive is activated by the removal of said layer.

6. A stack in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein each sheet is provided with one or more lines to facilitate the folding of the sheet.

7. A stack in accordance with claim 6, wherein the lines are score lines.

8. A stack in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein each sheet is provided with a label which is detachable from the rest of the sheet and which is provided at one or more locations with an activatable adhesive.

9. A stack in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein each sheet is pre-cut to facilitate the wrapping of objects having a standard shape such as computer discs, compact discs, gramophones records, video cassettes, audio cassettes or the like.

10. A pre-cut sheet of wrapping paper having at one or more locations on the sheet a low strength adhesive to enable the sheet to be releaseably adhered to another similar sheet and at one or more other locations an activatable adhesive that, when activated, is capable of bonding the sheet to itself.

11. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with claim 10, wherein the activatable adhesive is activated by the application of moisture.

12. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with the claim 10, wherein the activatable adhesive is covered by a peelable layer of material and the activatable adhesive is activated by the removal of said layer.

13. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the sheet is provided with one or more lines to facilitate the folding of the sheet.

14. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with claim 13, wherein the lines are score lines.

15. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the sheet is provided with a label which is detachable from the rest of the sheet and which is provided at one or more locations with an activatable adhesive.

16. A pre-cut sheet in accordance with any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the sheet is pre-cut to facilitate the wrapping of objects having a standard shape such as computer discs, compact discs, gramophone records, video cassettes, audio cassettes or the like.

17. A stack of two or more sheets of wrapping paper substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A pre-cut sheet of wrapping paper substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.