Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J7/00—Adhesives in the form of films or foils
  • C09J7/40—Adhesives in the form of films or foils characterised by release liners
  • C09J7/403—Adhesives in the form of films or foils characterised by release liners characterised by the structure of the release feature
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
  • A47G1/00—Mirrors; Picture frames or the like, e.g. provided with heating, lighting or ventilating means
  • A47G1/16—Devices for hanging or supporting pictures, mirrors, or the like
  • A47G1/17—Devices for hanging or supporting pictures, mirrors, or the like using adhesives, suction or magnetism
  • A47G1/175—Stretch releasing adhesives
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J7/00—Adhesives in the form of films or foils
  • C09J7/20—Adhesives in the form of films or foils characterised by their carriers
  • C09J7/22—Plastics; Metallised plastics
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J7/00—Adhesives in the form of films or foils
  • C09J7/30—Adhesives in the form of films or foils characterised by the adhesive composition
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09J—ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES
  • C09J2301/00—Additional features of adhesives in the form of films or foils
  • C09J2301/40—Additional features of adhesives in the form of films or foils characterized by the presence of essential components

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to adhesively mounted articles, and more particularly, to articles mounted using stretch releasing adhesives having a non-adhesive pull tab.
• Stretch releasing adhesives are high performance pressure-sensitive adhesives that combine strong holding power with clean removal and no surface damage. Stretch releasing adhesives are commonly provided in the form of strips that include an adhesive portion and a non-adhesive pull tab portion that is grasped and pulled by a user during the stretch removal process.
• Stretch releasing adhesive strips are commonly used to removably adhesively mount a holding device, such as a hook, on a surface, such as a wall, window, cabinet, or the like.
• a holding device such as a hook
• Such devices are generally designed to either conceal the non-adhesive pull tab or leave it exposed.
• Devices that leave the pull tab exposed allow a user to directly grasp the pull tab to stretch remove the adhesive strip from the holding device and the surface. Leaving the pull tab exposed, however, is often considered aesthetically undesirable. Examples of devices that leave the non-adhesive pull tab exposed are described in U.S. Patent 5,409, 189 (Luhmann), and U.S. Patent 5,989,708 (Kreckel).
• the present invention provides an article support assembly including a stretch releasable adhesive strip having an adhesive portion and a non- adhesive pull tab portion and a unitary article support member including a back plate portion and an article support portion arranged over at least a portion of the adhesive portion of the stretch releasable adhesive strip.
• the non-adhesive pull tab portion of the stretch releasable adhesive strip and the back plate portion of the article support member combine to form an article support assembly having a generally symmetric curved profile.
• the profile of the article support assembly may be oval.
• the perimeter of the back plate portion includes an arcuate region adjacent the pull tab portion, the pull tab portion includes a curved region adjacent the arcuate region of the back plate, and the arcuate region of the back plate includes a tangent that matches the tangent of an adjacent tangent of the pull tab portion.
• the adjacent edges of the back plate portion and the pull tab may form a smooth continuous curved profile.
• the back plate may include a first end opposite the pull tab and a second end adjacent the pull tab, and the back plate first end may have a shape that generally corresponds to the shape of the pull tab.
• the first end of the back plate may be tapered and the pull tab may be tapered.
• the present invention provides an article support assembly including a unitary article support member including an asymmetric back plate portion and an article support portion, and a stretch releasable adhesive strip having an adhesive portion and a non-adhesive pull tab portion, wherein the non-adhesive pull tab portion is arranged to extend beyond the perimeter of the back plate, and further wherein the non- adhesive pull tab portion has a size and shape to provide the article support assembly with a symmetric profile.
• the back plate may have a first end having a shape and a second end having a shape that differs from the shape of the first end, and the shape of the pull tab may generally correspond to the shape of the back plate first end.
• the back plate may include parallel side edges and an arcuate end opposite the pull tab, and the end of the pull tab may have an arcuate shape that generally corresponds with the shape of the arcuate end of the back plate.
• the back plate may include parallel side edges and a triangular end opposite the pull tab, and the end of the pull tab may have a triangular shape that generally corresponds with the shape of the triangular end of the back plate.
• the second end of the back plate may be tapered, and the pull tab may be tapered.
• the present invention provides an article support assembly including a stretch releasable adhesive strip having an adhesive portion and a non- adhesive pull tab portion, and a unitary article support member including a back plate portion and an article support portion arranged over the adhesive portion of the stretch releasable adhesive strip, wherein the back plate includes a cutout region, wherein at least a portion of the pull tab portion is arranged within the cutout region, and wherein the stretch releasable adhesive strip and the article support member combine to form an article support assembly having a generally symmetric profile.
• the configuration of the pull tab portion may generally correspond to the configuration of the cut out region.
• the cutout region may be concave.
• the cutout region may be provided in the shape of a parallelogram.
• various embodiments of the article support assembly described herein may consist of a stretch releasable adhesive strip having an adhesive portion and a non- adhesive pull tab portion and a unitary article support member including a back plate portion and an article support portion arranged over at least a portion of the adhesive portion of the stretch releasable adhesive strip, wherein the article support member and pull tab are configured so that when the article support member is mounted on a surface using the stretch releasable adhesive strip, the pull tab remains exposed but is visually inconspicuous.
• the article support member and the pull tab may have the same surface finish or texture, such as a matte finish, to give the article support member and pull tab the same general appearance and thereby allow the appearance of the article support member and pull tab to blend together.
• the article support and the pull tab may be transparent.
• Advantages of certain embodiments of the invention include that it allows the non- adhesive pull tab to remain exposed so it can be readily accessed by a user, that it has a visually pleasing appearance in which the exposed pull tab blends in with the overall appearance of the article support member, and that the article support member has a unitary or one-piece construction that is easy and inexpensive to make and provides an intuitive design that is easy to use.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article support assembly according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the article support assembly of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 is an exploded plan view of the article support assembly of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 is plan view of the article support assembly of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the article support assembly of FIG. 5.
• FIG. 7 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the article support assembly of FIG. 7.
• FIG. 9 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 10 is a plan view of a fifth embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the article support assembly of FIG. 10.
• FIG. 12 is a plan view of a sixth embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the article support assembly of FIG. 12. Detailed Description
• FIGs. 1-4 show an article support assembly 2 including a unitary (i.e. one-piece) article support member 4 and a stretch releasable adhesive strip 6 that serves to removably adhesively bond the article support member 4 to a substrate, such as a vertical wall surface, window, or cabinet (not shown).
• the unitary article support member 4 includes a back plate portion 4a and an article support portion 4b.
• the adhesive strip 6 includes an adhesive portion 6a and a non-adhesive pull tab portion 6b.
• the stretch releasable adhesive strip 6 may be any conventionally known stretch releasable adhesive including a pressure sensitive adhesive tape having an elastic backing, a pressure sensitive adhesive tape with a highly extensible and substantially inelastic backing, or a solid, elastic pressure sensitive adhesive.
• Specific stretch releasable adhesive strips suitable for use in the various embodiments of the present invention include the pressure sensitive adhesives with elastic backings described in U.S. Pat. No.
• Suitable stretch releasable adhesive strips include the double-sided stretch releasable adhesive strips available from 3M Company, St. Paul, MN under the
• COMMAND trade designation Commercially available COMMAND adhesive strips are currently manufactured as discrete strips with one end of the strip including a non- adhesive pull tab to facilitate stretching of the strip during the stretch removal process.
• the back plate portion 4a of the article support member 4 is arranged over at least a portion of the adhesive portion 6a of the stretch releasable adhesive strip 6, and at least a portion of the non-adhesive pull tab portion 6b of the adhesive strip 6 extends outwardly beyond the periphery of back plate portion 4a.
• the pull tab portion 6b remains exposed and visible when the article support member 4 is mounted to a surface, thereby making the pull tab portion 6b readily accessible to an end user wishing to access the pull tab portion 6b during the stretch removal process, provided no item mounted on the article support member 4, such as a coat or hat, otherwise conceals the pull tab portion 6b.
• the article support portion 4b is depicted generically as a hook. It will be understood that the representation is considered illustrative of many functionalities that could alternatively be used. Other examples of article support portions include, for example, cup holders, clips, trays, soap dish holders, and toothbrush holders.
• the non-adhesive pull tab portion 6b of the stretch releasable adhesive strip 6, and the back plate portion 4a of the article support member 4 combine to form an article support assembly 2 that appears to have a generally symmetric and continuous curved profile.
• the back plate portion 4a of the article support member 4 is not symmetric, but the pull tab portion 6b of the adhesive strip 6 has a size and shape that works with the asymmetric profile of the back plate portion 4a to form an overall profile that is visually pleasing and similar to what someone viewing the article support member 4 would expect to see.
• the pull tab portion 6b blends in with the appearance of the back plate portion 4a, thereby making the pull tab portion 6b - which is exposed and readily accessible to an end user - less noticeable.
• the overall result is an article support assembly 2 that includes a simple one-piece article support member 4 that is easy to make, is user friendly because the pull tab is left exposed and is therefore readily accessible to the end user, and is visually pleasing.
• the article support member 4 includes an asymmetric back plate portion 4a (shown most clearly in FIG. 3), and the adhesive strip 6 includes a non- adhesive pull tab portion 6b having a size and shape that combines with the asymmetric appearance of the back plate portion 4a to create a back plate member 4 having an overall visual presentation that appears to be symmetric (shown most clearly in FIG. 4).
• the back plate portion 4a first end 16 has a shape that differs from the shape of the second end 18, and the configuration of the pull tab portion 6b generally matches, or corresponds to, the size and shape of the back plate first end 16, thereby creating an article support assembly 2 that appears to have a symmetric back plate that is visually pleasing, and tends to de-emphasize, or minimize, the appearance of the pull tab 6b.
• the profile of the article support member 4 is oval. Other curved geometric configurations, such as circles, are also contemplated.
• the profile of the back plate portion 4a may be tailored to suit the configuration of a pull tab portion 6b having a particular size and shape.
• an article support assembly 102 consisting of a unitary article support member 104 and a stretch releasable adhesive strip 106.
• the article support assembly 102 is similar to the article support assembly 2 illustrated in FIGs. 1-4 except the profile of the article support member 104 is different.
• the back plate portion 104a includes an arcuate first end 116, generally parallel side edges 120, 122 that extend away from the arcuate first end 116, and a second end 118 opposite the arcuate first end 116 that is a straight line perpendicular to the parallel side edges 120, 122.
• the pull tab portion 106b of the stretch releasable adhesive 106 includes an arcuate end that extends outwardly from behind the back plate portion 104a beyond the back plate portion 104a second end 118. To create symmetry, the pull tab portion 106b has a size and shape that generally matches the arcuate first end 116 of the back plate portion 104a.
• an article support assembly 202 including a unitary article support member 204 and a stretch releasable adhesive strip 206 similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGs. 5 and 6 expect the article support member 204 and stretch releasable adhesive 206 have opposed ends that are generally pointed or triangular rather than arcuate. More particularly, the article support member 204 includes a back plate portion 204a having a first end 216 that tapers to a point in the form of a triangle, generally parallel side edges 220, 222, and a straight second end 218.
• the stretch releasable adhesive 206 includes a pull tab portion 206b having a tapered end in the form of a triangle that extends outwardly from the back plate portion 204a beyond the second end 218 opposite from the triangular first end 216. That is, the base plate first end 216 and pull tab portion 206b have generally matching triangular ends. In this manner, the base plate portion 204a and pull tab portion 206b combine to create an article support assembly 202 that appears to be symmetric and is visually pleasing, which tends to minimize the prominence or appearance of the pull tab portion 206b. Referring now to FIG.
• an article support assembly 302 including a unitary article support member 304 comprising a back plate portion 304a and an article support portion 304b, and a stretch releasable adhesive strip 306 including an adhesive portion 306a and a non-adhesive pull tab portion 306b.
• the article support portion 304b is depicted as a horizontal shelf which will be understood to represent numerous functionalities including, for example, a soap holder or a toothbrush holder.
• the perimeter of the back plate portion 304a includes an arcuate region 328 adjacent the pull tab portion 306b, and the pull tab portion 306b includes a curved region 330 adjacent the arcuate region of the back plate portion 304a.
• the arcuate region 328 of the back plate portion 304a includes a tangent 332 that is aligned with and matches the tangent of an adjacent tangent 334 of the curved region 330 of the pull tab portion 306b.
• the perimeter of the back plate portion 304a need not be contiguous or precisely aligned with the perimeter of the pull tab portion 306b to achieve the desired visual appearance.
• an article support assembly 402 including a stretch releasable adhesive strip 406 having an adhesive portion 406a and a non-adhesive pull tab portion 406b, and a unitary article support member 404 including a back plate portion 404a and an article support 404b.
• the article support member 404 is arranged over the adhesive portion 406a of the stretch releasable adhesive strip 406.
• the back plate portion 404a of the article support member 404 includes a cutout region 424, which forms a discontinuity in the perimeter of what would otherwise be a rectangular back plate portion 404a, and the stretch releasable adhesive strip 406 includes a pull tab portion 406b that is sized to fill the cutout region 424.
• the pull tab portion 406b may fill the cutout region 424 by having a perimeter that extends beyond the perimeter of the cutout region 424 or by having a size and shape that generally corresponds to the size and shape of the cutout region 424. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGs. 10 and 11, the cutout region 424 is rectangular, and the pull tab portion 406b is rectangular.
• the pull tab portion 406b of the adhesive strip 406 is arranged within the cutout region 424.
• the pull tab portion 406b "fills in” the cutout region 424, and thereby gives the back plate portion 404a a profile that appears complete and generally symmetric, which in the illustrated embodiment is rectangular. This allows the pull tab portion 406b of the adhesive strip 406 to remain exposed and, therefore, readily accessible to end users wishing to grasp and pull the pull tab portion 406b during the stretch removal process, but also serves to make the pull tab portion 406b less conspicuous.
• the adhesive strip 506 is depicted as having a pull tab portion 506b with a trapezoidal shape that generally corresponds to the shape of the cutout region 524, but pull tabs having other shapes, such as a square or rectangle, may also be used to fill the trapezoidal cutout region 524.
• article support members having a cutout region allows the use of adhesive strips that are narrower than the width of the associated article support member. That is, in the embodiments illustrated in FIGs. 5-8, in order to achieve the symmetric appearance, the article support member and the adhesive strip will generally have the same width. This is not necessarily the case if the article support member is provided with a cutout.
• article support members that do not include cutout regions are generally limited to use with a single adhesive strip, although the use of two adhesive strips with aligned and oppositely facing pull tab portions is also contemplated.
• An article support member with cutout regions may be designed to be used with an unlimited number of adhesive strips and still maintain the ability to create an article support member having a symmetric appearance and minimize the visual appearance of the pull tab portions.
• Another advantage of article support members having a cutout region is that the cutout region allows more of the pull tab to be remain exposed and accessible to the end user. This, in turn, provides more of the pull tab for a user to grasp during the stretch removal process.
• the article support member and any exposed portion of the adhesive strip blend together inconspicuously, and thereby minimize the appearance of the pull tab portion it is desirable to provide the article support member and any exposed portion of the adhesive strip, including the pull tab portion, with similar surface finishes (e.g. similar color, and similar surface texture). In this manner, the article support member and the exposed portion of the adhesive strip will present a consistent appearance. In certain end use applications, it may be desirable to minimize the appearance of both the article support member and the exposed portion of the adhesive strip. This may be accomplished, for example, by using article support members and adhesive strips that are clear or transparent.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Adhesive Tapes (AREA)
• Supports Or Holders For Household Use (AREA)
• Adhesives Or Adhesive Processes (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (35)

Family Cites Families (29)

• 2010
  • 2010-08-04 US US12/849,990 patent/US8708305B2/en active Active
• 2011
  • 2011-08-04 WO PCT/US2011/046553 patent/WO2012018987A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-08-04 CN CN201180038431.1A patent/CN103080259B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-04 AU AU2011285669A patent/AU2011285669B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-08-04 JP JP2013523331A patent/JP5885744B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-04 NZ NZ60655111A patent/NZ606551A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2011-08-04 KR KR1020137004916A patent/KR101900115B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-04 CA CA2807400A patent/CA2807400C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-04 EP EP11815310.5A patent/EP2601274B1/en not_active Not-in-force

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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