WO2003001485A1

WO2003001485A1 - Labels with a separable portion for wet glue application

Info

Publication number: WO2003001485A1
Application number: PCT/AU2002/000833
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shane Rodney Kuchel
Original assignee: Collotype Services Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2001-06-26
Filing date: 2002-06-26
Publication date: 2003-01-03
Also published as: EP1405290A1

Abstract

A wine bottle paper label (1) for use with wet glue applicators wherein the label has a portion (20) separable from the main label (10). The separable portion is defined by perforations with weaker connections along the grain of the paper and one edge along the side of the label. The separable portion may be 20 to 80% of the distance from the top edge of the label to bottom edge.

Description

LABELS WITH A SEPARABLE PORTION FOR WET GLUE APPLICATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to labels having a separable portion for wet glue application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the following description reference to any prior information by which the current invention may be compared and/or discussed inctuding references to patent specifications or printed publications is not and should not be interpreted as an acknowledgement that the information is common general knowledge. Information thought to be common general knowledge will be expressly identified as "common general knowledge".

In the wine industry labels for containers including bottles fall into two categories - self-adhesive labels and wet-glue labels.

Self-adhesive labels have a backing sheet to which the labels are held with their self adhesive glue. When these are applied by machine the labels are generally separated from the backing sheet by having the backing sheet with label travel around a beak at which point the labels leave by peeling off from the backing sheet and are transferred to the container such as a bottle. The bottle and label are then processed to press the label onto the bottle.

Wet-glue labels have indicia on one side and wet glue is applied to the other during a wet glue application process. This process is a standard process and is common general knowledge. The labels in this standard process are stored as a pack with the labels held in an aligned horizontal stack which involves individual labels being loaded into tubes or carriers to form an horizontal column of such labels. The label are applied to a container such as a bottle by using a cam-mounted applicator having a face of a similar area and shape as the label. The applicator will first travel across a wet giue roller to be coated thereby with wet glue, and is then pressed against the end of a horizontally extending column of labels so as to capture a vertically presented back face of an end label. The applicator then moves on from the column, taking at the same time the label with applied wet glue from the column which has been held by a plurality of peripherally located and spaced apart fingers projecting slightly across the face of a respective label being held. The wet adhesion available from the applied glue on the face of the applicator is sufficient to pull the label away from its held position in the stack and at the same time coat the back of the label in appropriate places with the glue. There is now effected engagement against a front outer edge of the label thus located on the applicator by use of fingers these fingers engage the label while on the applicator and provide location of this with an effect of being able to pull the label thereby. This then is used to hold the label in position until it is wiped against a container side. The container is being rotated so that as the label glue face is presented against the container the fingers which have been holding the front edge of the label with the applicator are then withdrawn and the applicator cross's the side of a matching in movement rotating surface of the container. The fingers are arranged to hold with some force the label by its front edge, it is left for the wet glue to set.

There have been proposals attempts to provide wine labels having removable portions. A removable portion has in some instances information about a wine in order to promote repeat purchases of the wine. US patent 5,924,739 (Garbutt) describes a bottle with a tearaway neck capsule. US 5,380,045 (Comann) and US 5,535,536 (Comann) both describe a wine label having a removable label portion. There is no evidence that these proposals have ever boon used in a practical instance. More detail about wine labels having a separable portion is provided in AU 24821/95 (David Andrew Watson). This document describes a wine label having information about the wine located in a separable portion integrally attached to the remainder of the label with however round perforations creating a line of weakness to facilitate easy separation. The frangible or separable connection of the portion is described as being preferably free from adhesive attachment to the bottle but the remainder of the label is adhesively attached. The portion is described as being vertically disposed and includes a tag or flap extending out from a bottom edge of the overall label.

US Patent 5,172,936 describes an in-mould label for use in plastic containers such as motor oil. The label has a coupon portion that in part forms a tab and naturally puckers or blisters. In-mould label application methods are very different to wet-glue methods with the label becoming part of the container formed around the label.

US Patent 5,702,127 describes a method of placing selectively spaced self- adhesive labels, (t discloses a method of positioning two labels with a space between them on a container. The space is formed by using a frangible section that is removed after the application of the labels to the bottle.

US 5,329,713 describes a container label having a main portion having a generally U shape and a removable part. The removable part is free of adhesive and is connected to the main portion by a destructible connection web - in the form of a U shaped line of weakness or line of perforations. The label appears to be of the self-adhesive type in that it has a separate adhesive layer.

Despite the number of disclosures of labels having separable portions there is no known use of such labels in industry and especially the Australian wine industry. We have found that there are significant and real difficulties in getting these ideas to work in actual practise.

Getting this concept to work in an industrial environment with self adhesive labels is difficult, Self-adhesive wine label stock with nicks or slight perforations therein are typically refused by bottlers where labels are to be applied. Such stock can break on the bottling line due to the tensions applied to the stock. This results in significant down time of the line and loss of earnings, and as such is typically an unacceptable risk to the bottler. At best the stock might be acceptable if it only has perforations in an upper indicia layer and not also in the underlying web. There is also a problem of negating adhesive capture of any frangible portion.

We have discovered that use of labels having a frangibly connected portion in a wet-glue environment also has very significant problems. The term "frangible" is used to describe a portion of the label which is integrally attached to a main part of the label but is separable by means that are fragile or frangible. These means are lines of weakness created by perforations through the paper of the label. There are difficulties in avoiding any application of glue to a frangible which is to say a frangibly separable portion and avoiding tearing of any perforations during a standard bottle labelling process.

In addition there are problems in simply using perforations with wine bottle labels. A general means of identifying the contents of a bottle is the bottle label and more than any other .in such an industry the reputation, image, quality and ascetics of the product are very important. For commercial acceptance the labels must not detract from the overall impression but must add to an attraction for a purchaser. Accidental tearing of the labels during application, storage or distribution of the bottles must be kept to a minimum. Also, intentional removal of a frangible or detachable portion should be able to be achieved easily and leave a neat result. The portion should leave clean lines of separation from the remainder of the label without undue tearing and disfigurement of the main label.

This last problem is accentuated by characteristics of paper which are common general knowledge especially as used in the label business. Production paper is rolled so that it has a direction of grain. If a label of paper with such grain is wetted, the paper will implicitly curl around its grain direction as an axis.

Accordingly, all labels are produced so that their grain will run horizontal when applied to a container with a curved surface. This means that the label is wrapped around the curved surface with a curve that has its axis opposite to the natural curl direction provided by the grain direction and this locks the label against such curl and assists in keeping the label in position while wet and before its glue is dry. The problem however is that if part of the label is weak with, for instance, lines of weakness, then it is vulnerable to having such parts pucker and if this puckering stays while the glue dries then the label may not be useful for a wine bottle application at the least

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a label with a frangibly attached portion that solves one or more of the above problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form of this invention this can be said to reside in a paper label for use in a wet glue label application system which includes a wet glue applicator and retaining fingers for holding the label when in a stack and being held by retaining fingers, the label having a main portion and a separable portion which is connected to the main label by lines of weakness and having at least one edge of the separable portion defining a part of one of substantially vertical sides of the label, the separable portion being located in relation to a remainder of the label so that the retaining fingers of a standard wet glue applicator stack retention arrangement will not during a transfer to a glue pallet of a label so held result in any of the fingers contacting the said separable portion of the label.

in a further form of this invention this can be said to reside in a wet glue bottle label having a length, the label including a frangibly attached portion and lines of weakness defining the frangibly attached portion, wherein the line(s) of weakness associated with the frangibly attached portion only occur in a region located between 20% to 80% of the length of label, preferably between 25% to 75% and more preferably between 33% and 66% which is to say within a middle third between and upper and lower end of a label when attached to a bottle or other container.

Another aspect of the invention is a wine bottle label having a frangibly attached portion and line(s) of weakness associated with and defining the frangibly attached portion, wherein the line(s) of weakness include junction points and elongate perforations.

In preference there is provided a wine bottle label having a main label portion and a frangibly attached portion integral thereto where the main label portion defines a c shape in that the label has two substantially horizontal and one substantially vertical, lines of weakness associated with the frangibly attached portion, wherein the lines of weakness are formed from junction points and elongate perforations.

In preference the elongate perforations are elongate in a direction of the line of weakness.

Preferably there is a greater density of junction points and perforations (they are smaller) in the vertical line of weakness than in the horizontal lines of weakness. This solves a problem where puckering may occur In the junction points. What this means is that the strength can be in the horizontal lines of weakness and the smaller junctions where strength is not so important can be in the vertical lines of weakness where the grain of the paper is along the horizontal direction so that any puckering in the junctions in the vertical line will less noticeable because the width of these is individually smaller than the horizontal lines. Also an open edge of the frangibly attached portion will be less likely to pucker or rise to then be potentially caught when a bottle typically is wedged while being rotated during a pressing procedure as is also conventional in these types of label applicators.

A further form of this invention can be said to reside in a wine bottle label having a main label portion and frangible portion integral thereto where the main label portion defines a c shape in that, the label has two substantially horizontal and one substantially vertical lines of weakness associated with the frangible portion, wherein the lines of weakness are formed from junction points and elongate perforations and wherein the horizontal lines of weakness terminate within the label with an elongate perforation.

Preferably the substantially vertical line of weakness extends from one of the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal lines of weakness to the other.

In preference the vertical line of weakness starts at both ends with junction points that contact the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal lines of weakness and are located below or above said terminating elongate perforations.

Another aspect of the invention is a wine bottle label for use with wet glue applicators, the label having an outer perimeter, the label including a main portion and frangible portion integral thereto where the main label portion defines a c shape in that the line(s) of weakness associated with the frangible portion the line(s) of weakness formed from perforations and junction points, wherein the junction points closest to the outer perimeter of the label are set back from the outer edge of the frangible or separable portion.

Preferably this outer edge of the separable portion does not itself extend beyond an imaginary straight line extending from one end of the C shape to the other end of the C shape or in other words lies within the C shape or at least substantially so.

In preference the separable portion has indicia which provide

Another aspect of the invention is a wine bottle label that combines two or more of the above aspects of the invention. Yet another aspect of the invention is a method of applying a label of the invention to a container including a wine bottle and a container including a wine bottle having a label of the invention attached thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with reference to preferred embodiments which shall be described with the assistance of drawings wherein

In the figures that depict a preferred aspect of the invention: - Figure 1 is a view of a bottle having the label of the invention attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the label of the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the label of the invention.

Figure 4 is a magnified view of figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a wet glue applicator appropriate for this application, and Figure 6 illustrates a stack of labels being held by a plurality of fingers holding the labels close to their corners.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Now referring to the drawings Figure 1 depicts a label (1) of the present invention affixed to a bottle. The label has a C shaped main portion (10) and a frangible or separable portion (20).

The label is applied to the bottle by the wet glue method. To facilitate such an application method the overall label is arranged not to have any protrusions past an imaginary line between a top and bottom . Columns of labels are stored in guides. As non-standard labels, such as those with protrusions will require a custom built guide, it is better to avoid having protrusions or tags extending from the label.

Glue is applied by using an applicator or glue pallet having a same general peripheral shape of the label with however parts that are void so as to not pick up glue. These parts include a general area match approximately the area and shape of the frangible or separable portion 20 with a slight enlargement of this area to allow for natural glue spread. The applicator or glue pallet is a steel plate with a number of parallel ribs to which the glue becomes attached as it is applied. The glue is applied by passing the applicator against a roller which transfers glue from a glue supply.

In order to avoid applying glue to the separable portion (20), part of the applicator or glue pallet is void corresponding to the separable portion shape , location and area. This is done by recessing or rebating an appropriate part of the applicator plate to avoid the contact of that portion of the plate (and the glue thereon) to the separable portion. Further there are void portions to correspond with fingers which hold the labels when being held in a collective stack. The location of these fingers is such that they hold an outer most label from falling from the guides. These are also located to be located one to each end of each side. They are therefore located so as to leave clear the majority of the label area and are holding a respective edge of the label at a location which is approximately 15% of the distance in from a comer of a label. The location is carefully chosen so that the glue applicator or pallet when it has the wet glue applied, is caused to engage against the surface of the presented label which is being held by the corner fingers and then by reason only of the wet glue stickiness pull the label from this retention by the fingers. This of course creates the need for a balance of forces to ensure that the label is now properly located and being held by the glue pallet and the label has not been damaged. Also, however there needs to be sufficient pressure holding the labels in the guide so that these then inch forward as one label is removed and continue to present appropriately the next label in a correct position held by the corner fingers for removal.

What we have discovered is that if the separable portion of the label which is not going to have any glue applied to its back is held directly by the fingers then there is a distinct problem where the stickiness to pull the separable portion away has to be transferred through a line of weakness and laterally across this which means that this is very vulnerable to being torn. One can attempt to solve this problem by altering the fingers holding the label stack but these are used for a large number of different labels and upsetting these for one application is decidedly risky especially where the labelling line is provided by a supplier so that warranty might be breached if the machine is altered. Our discovery is that an answer can be to simply locate the separable portion so that it will be well clear from these retaining corner fingers or at least its outer peripheral edge will be within a central location between upper and lower edges of the label. This is specifically achieved by having the location between a 20 to 80% distance from the respective upper and lower edges of the label. It is better to have a' more central location and to this end the embodiment locates the separable portion to be within a 33 to 66% distance from the respective upper and lower edges of the label.

The label is depicted with a horizontally orientated separable portion. This is for two reasons.

Firstly a vertically orientated separable portion is likely to tear when being applied to a bottle. A line of weakness associated with the separable portion is likely to tear during the process of removing the label from an applicator with fingers. Furthermore, as a label is transferred by contacting the label with a side of the bottle and spinning the bottle to complete the transfer, the spinning step may tear vertical lines of weakness. The tearing effect in experiments appears to be avoided by using substantially horizontal lines of weakness and locating of the frangible or separable portion in a central area between upper and lower edges of the label.

Production paper during production is rolled so that it has a direction of grain. If a label of paper with such grain is wetted, the paper will implicitly curl around its grain direction as an axis. Accordingly, all paper labels are produced so that their grain will run horizontal when applied to a container with a curved surface where the curve has a vertical axis (This presumes that the container is standing upright as for instance a conventional bottle). This means that the label is wrapped around the curved surface with a curve that has its axis opposite to the natural curl direction provided by the grain direction and this locks the label against such curl and assists in keeping the label in position while wet and before its glue is dry. The problem however is that if part of the label is weak with, for instance, lines of weakness, then it is vulnerable to having such parts pucker because the sides of a perforation are not able to hold the paper so tightly. If this puckering stays while the glue dries then the label may not be useful for a wine bottle application at the least because it looks rough and the required elegance of a presentation of a label on a bottle might then be compromised.

Accordingly an aspect of the invention is a bottle paper label for use with wet glue applicators, the label having a main portion and a separable portion, the separable portion being located so that when the label is transferred to a wet glue applicator and thereby pulled against retaining transfer fingers, the transfer fingers do not contact the separable portion of the main label.

Alternatively an aspect of invention is a wet glue bottle paper label having a length and a breadth, the label including a frangible or separable portion and line(s) of weakness which extend around the separable portion with however the separable portion having one side which is a part of the overall periphery of the label , wherein the line(s) of weakness which are a series of perforations only occur in a region located between 20% to 80% of the length of label. This

For aesthetic reasons the location of the frangible or separable portion in a central position of the label is not desirable, as it may not considered acceptable to some customers.

A second reason for orienting the frangible portion horizontally is to use the curvature of the bottle to assist access and removal of the frangible or separable portion. The label can be designed to permit the edge of the frangible or separable portion to stand proud from the surface of the bottle if it not glued down. This can act as a tag and thereby avoid the need to provide custom built frames for the columns of labels.

Figures 2 to 4 depict a label having such a design. A frangible or separable portion (20) is integrally a part of a main C shaped portion (10) of the label. The line(s) of weakness formed from a plurality of elongate perforations (35, 45, and 60) and junctures (30, 40, 50, and 65) between the perforations.

If the first junctures in the horizontal lines of weakness (30) are set back from the outer edge of the frangible or separable portion, the outer edge may stand out proud from a bottle face due to the curvature of the bottle and the direction of the grain of the paper.

Accordingly another aspect of the invention is a wine bottle label for use with wet glue applicators, the label having an outer perimeter, the label including a C shaped main portion and frangible or separable portion integral thereto, and line(s) of weakness associated with the frangible or separable portion, the line(s) of weakness formed from perforations and junctures, wherein the junctures closest to the outer perimeter of the label are set back from the outer edge of the frangible or separable portion.

In this embodiment this outer edge does not itself extend beyond an imaginary straight line extending from one end of the C shape to the other end of the C shape (as a rectangular label without protrusions should fit within a standard frame).

With reference to figures 3 and 4, it was found that it is desirable to use elongate perforations (35, 45, 60). By definition a perforation is intended to include round holes or other shaped holes in the label. It is also intended to include cuts, slashes or slots. This embodiment uses perforations that are elongate in the direction of the line of weakness.

The use of elongate perforations with small junctures (30, 40, 50, 65) can provide cleaner, crisper lines or edges in the main portion (10) of the label after the frangible or separable portion (20) has been separated. Also these .allow for easier tearing by a user. Where the alignment of the slots is along a alignment of the grain of the paper of the label then curling or puckering is not such a great problem. Hence both the grain of the paper and the advantage of the easy tearing and minimal residual torn residue allow for significant length of perforation where these are aligned along any horizontal direction. The size of the junctures (40) in the horizontal lines of weakness is in this embodiment between 1.0 mm although trials suggest that a range of form 0.5 to 1.5 mm will be useful. The size of the perforations (45) are a magnitude larger, namely 8 mm although again a range of from 4mm to 12 mm is useful. In order to reduce the likelihood of tearing especially during some procedures encountered during a bottling and labelling process we use an oversized first juncture (30). This juncture is intended to be a tougher part and this then is 1.5 mm. The size of the first perforation (35) may also be different to the remaining.

It is of advantage to use a higher density of junction points (50, 65) and smaller perforations in the vertical lines of weakness in order to reduce the likelihood of puckering. This arises because of the alignment of the grain of the paper and the fact that with a label always being applied to a container so that the grain direction is transverse to any curvature axis of the container surface to which the label is to be applied. After the label has been glued to the bottle there may be different expansion differentials on the different sides of the line of weakness especially due to the natural characteristics of the paper. The use of more but smaller junctures largely addresses this problem without significantly affecting the clean-cut edge look after removal of the frangible or separable portion. The junctures (50, 65) may be between 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm, preferably 0.5 mm in size. The perforations are preferably between 2 mm to 4 mm, and more preferably 3 mm in size.

Ideally the first junction points (50) of the vertical line is located below an outer edge (55) of the inner-most horizontal perforations (45). This arrangement was found to significantly reduce the likelihood of tearing the main portion of the label (10) thereby reducing the likelihood of leaving an unsightly 'daggy' ends in the inner corners of the main label portion.

Accordingly another aspect of the invention is a wine bottle label having a C shaped main label portion and frangible or separable portion integral thereto, the label having two substantially horizontal and one substantially vertical lines of weakness defining the frangible or separable portion, wherein the lines of weakness are formed from junction points and elongate perforations and wherein the horizontal lines of weakness terminate within the label with an elongate perforation. Preferably the vertical line of weakness extends from each of the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal lines of weakness. The vertical line of weakness should start with junction points that contact the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal iines of weakness and are located below or above said terminating elongate perforations.

While reference has been made to a C shape it might be considered that this is also able to be described as a U shape on its side. The two legs of such a shape then define between them the location and shape of a separable portion where the lines of weakness are lines of perforations through the paper of the label.

To assist in interpretation of the description there is further shown in Figure 5 a glue palette 100 which has a plurality of ribs 101 and voids firstly for fingers holding the labels.at 103 and a void 104.

As can be seen therefore, the void 104 co-incides with the location of the separable portion in the label as shown in Figure 1 so that there is no glue carried by the applicator and applied directly to the back of the separable portion.

The glue palette 100 acts appropriately by being coated with wet glue and while still wet pressed against the back face of a label as shown in Figure 6 as 106. This label 106 is held in place by fingers 107 which are located in the end 15 percent of the distance a respective sides of the label 106.

In this way, it is very carefully arranged that when the glue palette 100 with the wet glue is applied against the presenting face the balance of forces is such that the label will be individually pulled away from retention by the fingers 107.

However, in accord with this invention, the location of the separable portion 108 is located so that it will be well ear of these fingers and, in this way, any pulling pressure does not transfer across the label through the lines of weakness so as to perhaps accidentally otherwise tear these.

The above description is provided for the purposes of exemplification only and is not intended to be necessarily limiting of the invention. It will be understood that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A paper label for use in a wet glue label application system which includes a wet glue applicator and retaining fingers for holding the label when in a stack and being held by retaining fingers, the label having a main portion and a separable portion which is connected to the main label by lines of weakness and having at least one edge of the separable portion defining a part of one of substantially vertical sides of the label, the separable portion being located in relation to a remainder of the label so that the retaining fingers of a standard wet glue applicator stack retention arrangement will not during a transfer to a glue pallet of a label so held result in any of the fingers contacting the said separable portion of the label.

2. A paper label as in the immediately preceding claim in which the separable portion is connected to the main label by lines of weakness where these are defined by perforations through the paper of the label.

3. A paper label as in the immediately preceding claim further characterised in that the paper of the label has its grain aligned to be approximately horizontal when the label is applied to a container.

4. A wet glue bottle paper label having a length between an uppermost edge to a lowermost edge of the label , the label including a separable portion with one side of the portion defining a part of the periphery of the label being one side of a substantially vertical edge of the label and lines of weakness defining further sides of the separable portion, wherein the lines of weakness lie wholly within a location of the label being a distance from respective upper and lower edges of the length which distance from a first edge is greater than 20% of the full distance from a first end to the opposite end and less than 80% of the said full distance from an opposite end of the length of the label.

5. A wet glue bottJe paper label having a length between an uppermost edge to a lowermost edge of the label, the label including a separable portion with one side of the portion defining a part of the periphery of the label being one side of a substantially vertical edge of the label and lines of weakness defining the further sides of the separable portion, wherein the lines of weakness lie wholly within an area being a distance from respective upper and lower edges of the length which distance from a first edge is greater than 25% of the full distance from a first end to the opposite end and less than 75% of the said full distance from an opposite end of the length of the label.

6. A wet glue bottle paper label having a length between an uppermost edge to a lowermost edge of the label , the label including a separable portion with one side of the portion defining a part of the periphery of the label being one side of a substantially vertical edge of the label and lines of weakness defining the further sides of the separable portion, wherein the lines of weakness lie wholly within an area being a distance from respective upper and lower edges of the length which distance from a first edge is greater than 33% of the full distance from a first end to the opposite end and less than67% of the said full distance from an opposite end of the length of the label.

7. A wine bottle label having a C shaped main label portion and a frangibly attached portion integral thereto, the label having two substantially horizontal and one substantially vertical lines of weakness associated with the frangibly attached portion, wherein the lines of weakness are formed from junction points and elongate perforations. The elongate perforations being elongate in a direction of the line of weakness.

8. A wine bottle label as in the immediately preceding claim further characterised in that there is a greater density of junction points and perforations in the vertical line of weakness than in the horizontal lines of weakness.

9. A wine bottle label having a C shaped main label portion and frangible or separable portion integral thereto, the label having two substantially horizontal and one substantially vertical lines of weakness associated with the frangible or separable portion, wherein the lines of weakness are formed from junction points and elongate perforations and wherein the horizontal lines of weakness terminate within the label with an elongate perforation. Preferably the substantially vertical line of weakness extends from one of the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal lines of weakness to the other. The vertical line of weakness should start at both ends with junction points that contact the terminating elongate perforations of the horizontal lines of weakness and are located below or above said terminating elongate perforations,

10. A wine bottle label for use with wet glue applicators, the label having an outer perimeter, the label including a C shaped main portion and frangible or separable portion integral thereto, and line(s) of weakness associated with the frangible or separable portion, the line(s) of weakness formed from perforations and junction points, wherein the junction points closest to the outer perimeter of the label are set back from the outer edge of the frangible or separable portion.

11. A wine bottle label for use with wet glue applicators as in the immediately preceding claim further characterised in that the outer edge does not itself extend beyond an imaginary straight line extending from one outer end of the C shape to the opposite lower outer end of the C shape.

12. A method of applying a label as in any one of the preceding claims to a wine bottle where a standard wet glue label applicator is used to hold labels for use by the applicator and the method includes the steps of holding at least one of the labels in a guide, using a glue pallet to selectively pull a label from a guide where it is held by corner located fingers, and where the separable portion is in a location where the fingers do not contact the separable portion of the label.

13. A wine bottle with a label as in any one of the preceding claims attached thereto by a wet glue.