JP2024017736A - labeled products - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To motivate consumers to remove the label. [Solution] The present invention provides a label including a translucent label base material, a colored printing area, and a watermark, and the translucent label base material has the colored printing area on which colored printing is performed. , the watermark overlaps the colored printing area and has a reading directionality that allows it to be read from the back side of the label by a reading device, but prevents visibility from the front side of the label; The problem was solved by creating a label with the following characteristics. [Selection diagram] Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to products such as plastic bottles with labels attached thereto.

Conventionally, products such as plastic bottles and aluminum bottle cans have been wrapped with resin labels (Patent Document 1). In recent years, it has become necessary to remove labels when recycling. For aluminum bottles and cans, the label must be removed to separate the metal and resin. For PET bottles, it is recommended to separate the labels in order to stabilize the quality of recycled products (colors of recycled products are unstable due to mixed colored labels).
Additionally, the labels themselves can be recycled. However, in reality, the labels are not removed and are disposed of as recyclables, which has an impact on recycling.
Providing incentives for consumers to remove labels contributes to recycling.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-47926

An object of the present invention is to provide consumers with an incentive to remove the label.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention employs the following means.
There is a label including a translucent label base material, a colored printing area, and a watermark, the translucent label base material having the colored printing area on which colored printing is performed, and the watermark having the colored printing area. 1. A label having a reading direction that overlaps a region and can be read from the back side of the label by a reading device, but is obstructed from visibility from the front side of the label.

According to the present invention, it is possible to induce a consumer to take the action of peeling off the label in order to see the information on the back side of the label. As a result, the present invention can contribute to Goal 12 of the SDGs, ``Responsibility in production and responsibility in use.''

FIG. 1 is a front view of a bottle to which a label of an example is attached. FIG. 2(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 including the colored printing area. Figure 2 (B) is a front view of the label (front side) Figure 2 (C) is a back view of the label (back side) FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing how to read using a reading device. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the label of Modification 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a label according to modification 2.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different figures indicate parts with the same function, and redundant explanation in each figure will be omitted as appropriate.

[Example]
In the embodiment, a resin beverage container (bottle 1) containing a beverage will be described as an example of a "product".

FIG. 1 is a front view of a bottle 1 to which a label 2 of an example is attached. The bottle 1 has a shoulder portion 11, a body portion 12, and a bottom portion 14, and a constriction portion 13 is provided between the lower end of the body portion 12 and the bottom portion 14.
The label 2 is a shrink label provided to cover the entire trunk 12, and is heat-shrinked so that the upper end of the label 2 is located at the lower end of the shoulder 11 and the lower end of the label 2 is located at the constriction 13. It is installed.

A colored printing area 211 is visible on the front side of the label 21, and characters, product names, background designs, etc. are printed thereon. The colored printing area 211 may cover the entire label front surface 21 or may be located on a part of the label front surface 21. Furthermore, the colored printing area 211 may be divided into a plurality of parts.
The label 2 is provided with a tear line 24 for peeling off the label 2.

FIG. 2(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, including the colored printing area 211. The label 2 of the example has a laminated structure in which a translucent label base material 3, a watermark printing layer 32, a colored printing layer 31, and a varnish layer 33 are arranged in this order from the back side 22 of the label.
The varnish layer 33 is a layer that provides slipperiness and abrasion resistance to protect the colored print layer 31. The coating liquid material used for the varnish layer 33 is selected in consideration of gloss, translucency, compatibility with the ink used for the colored printing layer 31, and other factors. Further, the varnish layer 33 is preferably made of a transparent material so that the printing of the colored printing layer 31 can be read.

(Transparent label base material)
The translucent label base material 3 of the example is made of transparent, uncolored resin. The translucent label base material 3 may be colored by mixing a dye or the like. However, the coloring is required not to interfere with the visibility of the watermark 212 on the back side of the label 22, nor to interfere with the content printed in the colored print area 211.

(Colored printing area)
FIG. 2(B) is a front view (front surface) of the label 2. The colored printing area 211 is an area where characters, product names, logos, background designs, etc. are printed. The colored printing area 211 is formed by the colored printing layer 31, and any printing method such as gravure printing, letterpress printing, screen printing, transfer printing, flexographic printing, etc. may be used. The label 2 of the example is printed on the front surface 21 of the label.

(Reading device)
FIG. 2(C) is a rear view (back side) of the label 2. The watermark 212 referred to in the present invention can be read from the back side of the label 22 by the reading device 4. A representative example of such a watermark 212 is digital watermark 212A. In the digital watermark 212A, the data of the watermark 212 is digitized and embedded in the image, and by blending it into the background pattern, it can be prevented from being visually recognized.
In the present invention, "visual recognition" means visually recognizing. In addition, "visible" means that the object is within the field of vision regardless of whether the object is recognized or not. Furthermore, "obstructing visibility" refers to the following conditions.
(1) Visual visibility is obstructed.
(2) Visual observation is possible, but recognition is hindered.
The present invention also allows watermark 212 to include text printed with special ink that absorbs only special wavelengths. A consumer can read the watermark 212 by using an app on a smartphone (reading device 4) that can selectively read only this wavelength. The watermark 212 that can be read by the reading device 4 is included in the present invention even if it cannot be called a digital watermark 212A in a strict sense, as long as it is read by the reading device 4.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing how to read using the reading device 4. As an example of the reading device 4 of the present invention, in the embodiment, a smartphone with an application installed is used as the reading device 4, but a dedicated code reader may be used. The reading device 4 may vary depending on the aspect of the watermark 212.

The embodiment employs, as the watermark 212, an electronic watermark 212A that has been given reading directionality using software. The digital watermark 212A can be read via a display using a smartphone (reading device 4) with an application installed. The digital watermark 212A includes a symbol indicating the reading direction, and the application prohibits the digital watermark 212A from being read if the position of the symbol is reversed. In other words, in the digital watermark 212A of the embodiment, even if the digital watermark 212A is photographed from the label front surface 21, the information contained in the digital watermark 212A cannot be read.
Further, the watermark 212 may be made asymmetric on the front and back sides, and may be given a reading direction that cannot be physically read from the front surface 21 of the label.

After peeling off the label 2, the consumer can read the information contained in the digital watermark 212A with the smartphone (reading device 4) by taking a picture from the back side of the label 22 with the smartphone (reading device 4). .

(Visibility from the front of the label)
It is not preferable that the presence of the watermark 212 affect the identification of product information such as a product name or logo printed in the colored print area 211. It is preferable that the watermark 212 cannot be visually seen from the label front surface 21, or even if it can be seen, it is difficult to recognize that it is a watermark by being confused with the design.
Even if the watermark 212 can be completely seen through the front side, such as by being confused with the background pattern printed in the colored printing area 211, it is sufficient that the watermark 212 is prevented from being seen (recognized) as the watermark 212. .
When using the digital watermark 212A as the watermark 212, it is preferable to print a digital watermark that blends into the pattern of the colored printing area 211 when the digital watermark 212A is seen through from the front side.
Thereby, the presence of the watermark 212 can be prevented from affecting the important role required for the label 2, such as displaying the product name.

(reading directionality)
As described above, even if the watermark 212 is visible from the label front surface 21, it is sufficient that the watermark 212 is prevented from being viewed (recognized). The watermark 212 can be read from at least the back side of the label 22 by the reading device 4. The watermark 212 of the present invention may be readable by the reading device 4 from the label front surface 21 side. However, because malicious people commit fraud such as taking pictures from the front side of the label 21 at a store, the reading direction must be strict and the reading direction cannot be read from the front side of the label 21. It is preferable to have

(Means for improving reading directionality)
Various methods can be used to give the watermark 212 reading directionality. It has already been mentioned that one of the methods is the digital watermark 212A. The digital watermark 212A has data embedded therein so as to be invisible to the naked eye, and it is easy to provide reading directionality. However, if the width of the label 2 is narrow, a malicious person may illegally take a photograph from the bottom side with a smartphone (reading device 4). In order to improve the reading directionality, it is a preferable aspect to combine a plurality of methods.

(1) Position of watermark printing layer In the embodiment, the watermark printing layer 32 is located below the colored printing layer 31 when the label front surface 21 is placed upward. Since the watermark printing layer 32 is located below the colored printing layer 31, the watermark printing layer 32 comes to the front when viewed from the back side 22 of the label, so that it can be easily distinguished from the printing of the colored printing layer 31. In the embodiment, the position of the digital watermark 212A and the watermark printing layer 32, which have read directionality, improves the read directionality.

(2) Color of watermark and color of colored print area If the color of the watermark 212 and the color of the colored print area 211 are warm colors or cool colors, it becomes difficult to visually recognize them. In order to improve the reading directionality, in addition to the idea of locating the watermark printing layer 32 below the colored printing layer 31, it can be achieved by combining color techniques such as warm colors and cool colors. It can be identified by taking a picture with the camera of a smartphone (reading device 4). Even if an attempt is made to view the watermark 212 from the label front surface 21, it is difficult to visually recognize (recognize) the watermark 212 because only dark and light colors can be distinguished.
If necessary, it is also possible to apply a color filter using an application in order to improve the readability of the watermark 212.
Alternatively, the watermark 212 may be printed with ink that is colorless and transparent and cannot be visually recognized, but can be read by a reading device. As the ink that is colorless and transparent and cannot be visually recognized, but can be read by a reading device, black light ink or the like is suitable. When the watermark 212 is printed with ink that is colorless and transparent and cannot be visually recognized but can be read by a reading device, the watermark 212 does not need to overlap the colored printing area 211.

(3) Difference in brightness It is also effective to reduce the difference in brightness between the colors of the watermark 212 and the colored print area 211 serving as the background. If the colored printing area 211 that serves as the background is printed in a single color and has no pattern, the watermark 212 and the colored printing area 211 that serves as the background can be made similar in color and reduce the difference in brightness, so that the watermark 212 becomes a label. Visual observation from the front surface 21 becomes difficult. When the label is peeled off to be read from the back side 22 side and photographed using a smartphone (reading device 4) with increased sensitivity, only the portion where the pattern of the watermark 212 and the colored print area 211 overlap becomes slightly darker. This makes the watermark 212 readable.
The label 2 is wrapped around the bottle 1 of the example. The colored printing area 211 is designed so that the colored printing area 211 also appears on the opposite side of the bottle 1 (the side rotated by 180 degrees). When the label 2 is still rolled, even if it is held up to light, the colored print areas 211 on the front and back sides that have been wrapped around it overlap, making it difficult to see (recognize) the watermark 212, which is only slightly darkened. Can not. Furthermore, if the beverage is colored, the watermark 212 is even less visible.

(4) Color of Beverage If the beverage in the bottle 1 is colored, the contents of the watermark 212 cannot be read simply by holding the bottle 1 up to light. For example, assume that the product is a PET bottle 1 containing orange juice. If the digital watermark 212A is printed in the same orange color as the beverage, it will be impossible to read the watermark 212 even if the bottle 1 is exposed to light. The color of the beverage contributes to providing readability of the watermark 212. To read the digital watermark 212A, the information can be read through the camera of a smartphone (reading device 4) by peeling off the label and applying a filter that only passes the wavelength of the printed color. In this embodiment, even if the watermark 212 protrudes outside the colored printing area 211 and partially extends into the transparent area of the label 2, the watermark 212 cannot be visually recognized (recognized) because it is mixed with the color of the beverage.

(5) Harmony with the pattern of the colored printing area 211 It is a preferable embodiment to arrange the watermark 212 so that it blends into the pattern of the colored printing area 211 so that it cannot be visually recognized (recognized). It is also possible to make the watermark 212 information only about shading instead of color.

(6) Distinction between front and back The watermark 212 in the embodiment is printed so that it is in the normal position when viewed from the back side 22 of the label. When the watermark 212 is viewed from the front side of the label 21, the watermark 212 is inverted (inverted). The reading directionality can be improved by providing an area in the watermark 212 that indicates the directionality of the watermark 212 and employing an application that can read the information included in the watermark 212 only when the watermark 212 is photographed from the correct direction. The watermark 212 is given reading directionality using software. Since this method only distinguishes between the front and back sides, it is necessary to prevent the watermark 212 from being visible (recognized) from the label front surface 21 side in conjunction with other methods.

By combining the above measures, the watermark 212 reduces visibility (recognizability) from the front side of the label 21 and improves the reading direction by the reading device 4 from the back side of the label 22. It is possible to increase it.

(Information included in watermark)
The information included in watermark 212 may be of any type. It is preferable that the information is information that the consumer wants to know by peeling off the label 2. Examples of the information include fortune telling, application tickets for sweepstakes, lottery tickets, and the like.
Furthermore, the watermark 212 may be a two-dimensional barcode or the like whose information is a URL. The consumer can also connect to the sweepstakes application screen by reading the watermark 212 with an app on a smartphone (reading device 4).
Note that since there is no information that everyone is interested in, the "information that people want to know" in the embodiments may be information that some consumers want to know.
The information contained in watermark 212 may be information aimed at a relatively narrow range of consumers, such as a cooking recipe.

(Watermark position)
In the present invention, the watermark 212 "overlapping" the colored printing area 211 means that the watermark 212 "overlaps" the colored printing area 211 because the watermark 212 physically overlaps with the colored printing area 211, for example, the watermark printing layer 32 is under the colored printing layer 31 (Modification 1 and Modification 2 described later). Including those who are present. Moreover, the above-mentioned "overlapping" includes overlapping in terms of data, such as embedding the electronic watermark 212A in the pattern etc. of the colored printing area 211 (Modification 3 to be described later). Further, the watermark 212 may overlap a part of the colored printing area 211, and a part of the watermark 212 may extend outside the colored printing area 211 as long as there is no problem in the reading direction of the watermark 212.

The label 2 of the present invention is not limited to being wrapped around the bottle 1 as in the embodiment. In the case of a label 2 that maintains its flatness even after being peeled off, such as a label 2 affixed to a flat surface of a product, the amount of information contained in the watermark 212 can be increased by printing on the entire surface.
In the case of the label 2 attached around the cylindrical bottle 1 as in the embodiment, when the label 2 is peeled off, the label 2 is warped and the back surface 22 of the label is not flat. The watermark 212 may be printed on a part of the back surface 22 of the label, or the small watermark 212 may be repeatedly printed over a wide area on the back surface 22 of the label. Further, in order to make the position of the watermark 212 easier to understand, a frame or an arrow indicating the position of the watermark 212 may be additionally printed.
If the watermark 212 is located particularly near the bottom end of the label 2, it may be read illegally from the bottom side of the bottle 1, reducing the readability of the watermark 212. In this way, there are unfavorable positions for the watermark 212.

(App for reading digital watermarks)
It is preferable that a URL from which an application for reading the digital watermark 212A can be downloaded is printed on the front side of the label 21 and the back side of the label 22. Further, the URL may be converted into a two-dimensional barcode so that it can be read by an app on a smartphone (reading device 4). It goes without saying that, unlike the watermark 212, this information regarding the app download site must be printed in a manner that the consumer can recognize.

(product)
The product to which the label 2 of the present invention is attached may be any product. Products include beverage containers such as resin containers, metal bottles and spray cans. Further, the product may be thin like a box-shaped CD case.

[Modification 1]
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the label 2 of Modification 1. The translucent label base material 3 is located on the label front surface 21, and the colored printing layer 31 is located on the back surface of the translucent label base material 3. In order to improve the readability of the watermark 212, the watermark printing layer 32 is located below the colored printing layer 31.
In this way, if the watermark printing layer 32 is located below the colored printing layer 31, it does not matter whether each layer is located on the front side or the back side of the translucent label base material 3. It doesn't matter what you do.

[Modification 2]
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the label 2 of Modification 2. A colored printing layer 31 is provided on the upper (front) side of the translucent label base material 3, and a watermark printing layer 32 is provided on the lower (back) side. In modification 2, the colored printing layer 31 and the watermark printing layer 32 are separated from each other with the translucent label base material 3 in between, so when the label 2 is peeled off and the watermark 212 is viewed from the back side of the label 22, the watermark cannot be seen. 212 appears to be floating.
Therefore, in the second modification, the watermark 212 is highly distinguishable. Of course, when the label 2 of Modified Example 2 is viewed from the label front surface 21 side, the watermark 212 is blended into the pattern and background of the colored printing layer 31, and visibility (recognition) of the watermark 212 is hindered. .

(other layers)
In the label 2 of the present invention, various functional layers can be provided on the translucent label base material 3 shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 2(A) as long as the readability of the watermark 212 is not impaired. . For example, a UV cut layer that blocks ultraviolet rays that adversely affect drinks can be provided as appropriate.

[Modification 3]
As mentioned above, the electronic watermark 212A that has been given reading directionality by software has reading directionality, so even if it is photographed from the label front surface 21 side with a smartphone (reading device 4), it cannot be read. Can not. The digital watermark 212A that has been given reading directionality using software can be embedded in the colored print area 211. Modification 3 makes it possible to print a colored printing layer 31 in which the watermark 212 is embedded by software without providing the watermark printing layer 32.
Modification 3 utilizes the colored printing area 211 in which the digital watermark 212A, which has been given reading directionality by software, is embedded, thereby eliminating the need to separately provide the watermark printing layer 32 and reducing costs.

However, there is a possibility that a malicious person may reflect the label 2 in a mirror and reverse the design, thereby defeating the reading direction given to the digital watermark 212A. Therefore, it is preferable that not only one means but a plurality of means for improving the reading directionality be used in combination.

[summary]
The present invention is an invention of a new concept in which the watermark 212 itself has read directionality. Thereby, the configuration is such that the information included in the watermark 212 can be read from the back side of the label 22. The consumer is motivated to peel off the label 2 in order to obtain the information contained in the watermark 212 from the back side 22 of the label.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and changes in design etc. within the scope of the gist of the present invention can be made. Even if there is, it is included in the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined by using each other's technologies unless there is a particular contradiction or problem in their purpose, configuration, etc.

1 Bottle 11 Shoulder 12 Body 13 Waist 14 Bottom 2 Label 21 Label front surface 211 Colored printing area 212 Watermark 212A Digital watermark 22 Label back surface 24 Cutting line 3 Transparent label base material 31 Colored printing layer 32 Watermark Print layer 33 Varnish layer 4 Reading device

Claims (6)

There are labels with translucent label substrates and colored printing areas and watermarks.
The translucent label base material has the colored printing area on which colored printing is performed,
The watermark is
overlaps the colored printing area,
A label characterized in that it has a reading directionality that allows it to be read from the back side of the label by a reading device, but prevents visibility from the front side of the label.
The transparent label substrate is provided with a colored printing layer forming the colored printing area, and a watermark printing layer on which the watermark is printed,
2. The label according to claim 1, wherein the watermark printing layer is provided on the back side of the label from the colored printing layer.
2. The label according to claim 1, wherein the watermark has a reading direction that cannot be read from the front side of the label by the reading device.
The label according to claim 1, wherein the watermark is a digital watermark.
The digital watermark overlaps the colored printing area and is transparent to the front side,
5. The label according to claim 4, wherein the electronic watermark is obstructed from being visually recognized from the front side by blending into the design of the colored printing area.
A product to which the label according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is attached.

Images