NZ507098A - Label comprising a label body with info on it and a panel with internally printed info - Google Patents

Abstract

Label apparatus and methods of forming the label apparatus are disclosed. Label apparatus are formed from a label body, with information on one side and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on the other side, and a panel adapted to releasably adhere to the label body to conceal part of the information on the label body, and that has further information on at least one face, if not both faces of the panel. Methods for making such labels involve selectively deadening the adhesive layer of a pre-manufactured label stock such that it can be printed on and attached to the label body, with the deadened part being releasably adherent to the label body. This allows the information to be contained in a smaller area than otherwise possible. Additionally, the label may also have a finger lift portion

Description

New Zealand Paient Spedficaiion for Paient Number 507098 Patents Form # 5 new zealand Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Title Label Apparatus We, THE BUCKNER GROUP PTY LTD, of 71 Basalt Street, Geebung, Queensland 4034, Australia, Nationality: An Australian company CAN 009 739 422, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly descnbed in and by the following statement: The following page is numbered la ' f-,iu c gf, 0FN.Z ? % <r-p t-h L 3 v«_J PF05 JWP FEE CODE 1050 m S ¥ - 1 3U / | LABEL APPARATUS This invention relates to label apparatus.

This invention has particular application to bilingual label apparatus and for illustrative purposes this invention will be described with reference to this 5 application However, this invention may find use in other applications, such as in label apparatus having secondary or alternative information being selectively accessed.

In the labelling of products to which an adhesive label is applied such as contained loose or liquid products, there is generally a limited surface on 10 which information may be printed. In addition, there may be product-specific information that is of a secondary or alternative nature to that presented generally on the label. An example of such secondary information occurs where the information is rendered in more than one language. In combination, on containers such as medicaments containers having a primary 15 information rendered in a first language and secondary or alternative information rendered in a second language, the limitation in label area results in very small print size or a need to reduce the volume of information.

In one aspect the present invention resides broadly in label apparatus including: a label body having information thereon; a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on one major surface of said label body; a panel adapted to releasably adhere to said label body to conceal a portion of said information and having further information on at least one face i 3 \sUi thereof Iintellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received 2 U The label body may be selected from conventional materials used for the production of pressure sensitive adhesive labels For example, the label body may comprise a paper label, laminated film or foil label. Preferably the label material is selected from synthetic polymer label stock such as that sold 5 as OPALUX SRP 8280 KV 75, a polypropylene based label stock.

The information may be provided on the label body by any suitable means which will be of course be at least in part determined by the choice of label body material The label body may be selected to encircle at least in part a round section container, or may if appropriate be selected to cover at 10 least part of a panel of a container having flat surfaces.

The pressure sensitive adhesive layer may be selected to securely adhere the label body to the container material of choice. The pressure sensitive adhesive layer may accordingly be selected from conventional pressure sensitive adhesive material such a pressure sensitive modified 15 acrylic adhesives and the like.

The releasably adhesive panel may be formed having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, the pressure sensitive adhesive coating being selected to be releasably adherent to the label body. Alternatively, the releasably adhesive panel may be formed having the releasable adherence 20 provided by means of an interactive surface with the surface of the label body. The further information may be provided on both sides of said releasably adhesive panel.

The releasably adhesive panel may be formed integrally with the label body whereby application of the label body to the container provides an intellectual property overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel. For exanfple IP^ice of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received releasably adherent panel may comprise a terminal portion of the label body whereby application of the label body to the container provides an overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel. The overlap portion may thus be lapped over a portion of the label body in order to conceal a portion of 5 the information thereon. The overlap portion may be provided with a different pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body, whereby the label body is substantially permanent in its attachment to the container, whereas the overlap portion and as such the releasably adherent panel may be released from the outer surface of the label body as required. 10 Alternatively, the overlap portion may be provided with the same pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body in the interests of simplicity of manufacture. Preferably, the releasably adherent panel is integral with said label body and the pressure sensitive adhesive layer is differentially applied to both the releasably adherent panel and the label body. 15 The releasability of the panel may be provided by any suitable means.

For example, the outer surface of the label body in use may be selected or treated whereby the panel portion is releasably adherent to the outer surface. In addition or in the alternative the adhesive layer may be selectively applied to respective regions of the preferred unitary label web For example, the 20 weight of adhesive may be varied between the label body portion adapted to adhere to the container, the panel portion adapted to adhere releasably to the label body portion, and if desired a terminal finger lift portion at one edge or corner of the panel portion The terminal finger lift portion may be minimally adherent or may include an edge or corner that is not adherent at a intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 ' received In the process of the present invention, the label apparatus may be formed up from base materials such as a face web, an adhesive supply, a backing and any release or adhesive deadening materials. Alternatively the label apparatus may be formed of pre-manufactured adhesive label stock.

For example, a label stock material as supplied may comprise a face layer adapted to be printed on, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer. Prior to the printing process, the stock may be split into two webs comprising face stock and adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet on the other. The face 10 stock and adhesive web may be fed to a first print deck that is used to treat the adhesive layer to provide selective adherability of the adhesive layer.

The treatment process of the first print deck may for example be to selectively apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, then rejoin the treated face and adhesive web to the backing layer web to form a label stock that may 15 be printed and diecut conventionally. Preferably the selective treatment includes accurate indexing for use in the later printing and diecutting stages. The treatment of the face and adhesive web may be by any suitable means. For example a deadening agent such as a release composition or varnish may be applied to the adhesive layer by direct application, flexo or letterpress 20 or other printing process, the deadening agent being selectively applied to the respective adhesive regions according to whether the adhesive portion is destined to be on the label body portion, the panel portion or the finger lift portion.

The varnish may for example comprise a photocurable composition. 25 This varnish comprises 30-60% of a trifunctional acrylate mopomeL_at intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received molecular weight greater than 200, 10-30% of an epoxy acrylate oligomer, 1-10% of amino acrylate resin, 1-20% of a polymeric plasticiser, 1-10% of one or more silicon derivative resins, 1 to 5% of one or more polymeric waxes, and 1-10% of one or more aryl ketone photo-initiators. An example of a suitable 5 varnish is that sold as STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720.

The process of selective application of the deadening agent may comprise the laying up of continuous lines of selected weights of deadening agent to the adhesive surface, whereafter the labels may be cut from the stock transversely. Alternatively, the deadening agent may be applied in an 10 alternating process such as by use of appropriately configured anolox rollers which screens the deadening agent supply to determine the amount of deadening agent applied to respective portions of the web.

After repositioning of the liner onto the backer under pressure so they are aligned for printing on to the front of the stock, the labels may be printed 15 conventionally. Depending on the label face characteristics, the release characteristics of the deadening agent and the inks used for printing the face, there may be provided a further flood coat of the deadening agent applied to the printed face side of the finished web.

Preferably, the finished label stock is presented such that the stock 20 may be used in automated labelling apparatus. For example, the label stock may have the labels presented linearly whereby the labels may be rolled onto containers presented and rotated in an orientation transverse to the running direction of the web. To this end the labels may present the label body portion towards the leading end of the web intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received 6 The invention is further described with reference to a specific embodiment of the invention according to Example 1 below.

EXAMPLE 1 A synthetic polypropylene polymer label stock material OPALUX SRP 5 8280 KV 75 comprises a face layer adapted to be printed, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer. Prior to the printing process, the stock is split into two webs comprising face stock and adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet on the other These forms two separate webs prior to the first print deck that 10 is used to treat the adhesive layer to provide selective adherability of the adhesive layer The treatment process of the first print deck is to apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, then join two web paths to create one web path prior to printing the remainder of colours.

The face and adhesive web is fed to a UV flexo label press and is 15 selectively printed with a photocurable flexo varnish, that is a varnish printed from a flexible plate mounted onto a print cylinder. The differing mask characteristics of the varnish layer on the adhesive layer is provided by selection of the correct anilox rollers that determine amount of varnish and selection of appropriate vignette screening on the plate to provide a selected 20 number of lines per inch. In the present example, the varnish selected was STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720 The masking ratios of the respective portions of the adhesive surface are selected in this example to be 0%, that is 100% adhesive, on the label body portion, 40% area mask (60% adhesive) on the panel 25 area mask on the finger lift portion. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received

Claims (26)

tin -v M y /1 7 " V & After printing with varnish the face an adhesive web is fed back to the backing web and the two webs rejoined under pressure to provide a feedstock for face printing. The printing of the face information for the respective label portions was done in a conventional manner for this type of label material. 5 The printed label stock was then provided with a flood coat of the same STARFLEX SLIP COATING 11167720 to 100% coverage of the printed face stock • - The labels were then diecut for use on the required product. After conversion into rolls on the converting machine, the labels are ready for 10 supply to a label applicator machine. The printing and diecutting orientation was selected such that the diecut labels may be fed directly from the roll with the correct roll direction so that so they can be applied with the adhesive end of the label coming off first from the applicator In the present example the printing on the label body portion and panel 15 portion comprised Arabic-language instructions and product information in respect of a nutritional supplement. The region of the body portion concealed by the panel portion in use comprised a rendering of part of this information in English. It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way 20 of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received 8 £>, ■ THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Label apparatus including: a label body having information thereon; a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on one major surface of said label body, a panel adapted to releasably adhere to said label body to conceal a portion of said information and having further information on at least one face thereof.

2. Label apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said label body comprises pressure sensitive adhesive label stock selected from paper, laminated film or foil and synthetic polymer.

3 Label apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive label stock label stock is polypropylene based label stock.

4. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive layer is a pressure sensitive modified acrylic adhesive.

5 Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adhesive panel is formed having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, the pressure sensitive adhesive coating being selected to be releasably adherent to the label body intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received

6 Label apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said releasably adhesive panel is formed having the releasable adherence provided by means of an interactive surface with the surface of the label body.

7. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said further information is provided on both sides of said releasably adhesive panel.

8. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adhesive panel is formed integrally with the label body whereby application of the label body to the container provides an overlap portion comprising the releasably adherent panel.

9 Label apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said overlap portion is provided with a different pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body, whereby the label body is substantially permanent in its attachment to the container.

10. Label apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said overlap portion is provided with the same pressure sensitive adhesive to the remainder of the label body.

11. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said releasably adherent panel is made releasable by sel 3fftwaefrtr/9§it»B§i^ office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received 10 ^ > , /v/ surface of said label body and/or said adherent panel whereby a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on said adherent panel is rendered releasable in use.

12. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein 5 said releasably adherent panel is integral with said label body and wherein said pressure sensitive adhesive layer is differentially applied to both said releasably adherent panel and said label body.

13. Label apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said pressure sensitive 10 adhesive is applied with a differential in weight of adhesive per unit area of the releasably adherent panel and label body portions respectively.

14. Label apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said releasably adherent panel includes a finger lift portion configures to be 15 either substantially non adherent to said label body or to be less adhesive with respect to said label body than the remainder of said releasably adherent panel.

15. A method of forming label apparatus including the steps of providing a pre-manufactured adhesive label stock comprising a face layer adapted to be 20 printed on, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and a backing sheet adapted to preserve the adhesive layer, splitting said label stock into two webs comprising face stock and adhesive on the one hand and the backing sheet on the other, feeding said face stock and adhesive web to a first print deck to selectively apply deadening agent to the adhesive face, and rejoining the selectively 25 deadened face and adhesive web to the backing layer web to form a label stock. and printing and cutting said label stock to form labels con 1 9 APR 2001 received 20 11 L^i . ^ !, and panel having respective information thereon, said panel/being backed by said selectively deadened face which is adapted to overlap said label body in use and be releasably adherent thereto. 5

16. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said deadening agent is selected from a release composition or varnish.

17. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said deadening agent is applied by means selected from direct application, ion, flexo 10 or letterpress or other printing process.

18. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said deadening agent is selectively applied to the respective adhesive regions according to whether the adhesive portion is destined to be on the label body 15 portion, the panel portion or the finger lift portion.

19. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein said deadening agent is a varnish comprising a photocurable composition.

20. A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said varnish comprises 30-60% of a trifunctional acrylate monomer of molecular weight greater than 200, 10-30% of an epoxy acrylate oligomer, 1-10% of amino acrylate resin, 1-20% of a polymeric plasticiser, 1-10% of one or more 25 silicon derivative resins, 1 to 5% of one or more polymeria office of n.z. of one or more aryl ketone photo-initiators. ^ received

21 A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the process of selective application of the deadening agent comprises laying up of continuous lines of selected weights of deadening agent to the pressure sensitive adhesive surface, whereafter the labels may be cut from the stock transversely.

22. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the process of selective application of the deadening agent comprises an alternating process using appropriately configured anolox rollers which screens the deadening agent supply to determine the amount of deadening agent applied to respective portions of the web.

23. A method of forming label apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein said respective webs are rejoined under pressure in alignment for conventional printing.

24 A method of forming label apparatus according to claim 23, wherein there is provided a further flood coat of the deadening agent applied to the printed face side of the finished web.

25. Label apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying example. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 9 APR 2001 received 13

26. A method of forming label apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying example. DATED THIS TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2000. 5 THE BUCKNER GROUP PTY LTD CAN 009 739 422 By 10 PIPERS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 2 MAY 2001 received Document37/AH/tt BO-rrr ABSTRACT There is provided label apparatus including a synthetic polypropylene label stock comprising face, pressure sensitive adhesive, and backing layers. Prior to printing, the stock is split into two webs comprising face/adhesive layers and backing layer respectively. A UV flexo label press is used to treat the adhesive layer by applying a photocurable flexo varnish deadening agent to the adhesive face, then join two web paths to create one web path prior to printing the remainder of colours. The differing mask characteristics of the varnish layer on the adhesive layer is provided by selection of the anilox rollers and selection of vignette screening to provide a selected number of lines per inch. The masking ratios of the respective portions of the adhesive surface are selected to be 0% on a label body portion, 40% area mask on a panel portion and 93% area mask on a finger lift portion. The printed label stock was then provided with a flood coat of the same varnish to 100% coverage of the printed face stock. In use, the label body adheres firmly to the container, the panel portion adheres releasably to the label body, and the finger lift portion adheres minimally to the label body. The panel portion conceals information on the label body that is revealed then the panel portion is lifted therefrom.