Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-05
2004-05-04
Lorengo, J. A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S267000, C156S270000, C156S301000, C428S040100, C428S077000, C428S126000, C428S192000, C428S195100, C428S202000, C281S002000, C283S081000, C283S100000, C283S106000, C040S299010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06730185
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to labels and leaflets (hereinafter collectively “leaflet” or “leaflets”) used with products, and more particularly, to adhesive leaflet assemblies for use with consumer products, especially food products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of adhesive leaflets attachable to consumer products is well known in the art. Very frequently, adhesive leaflets containing product warranties, product use instructions, discount coupons, advertisements, and the like are adhered to consumer products. Such leaflets are often provided as leaflet sub-assemblies which are manufactured on a sheet of substrate material. The leaflet sub-assemblies are releasably adhered to the substrate until they are removed to be attached to consumer products.
Most often, the substrate has at least two layers: a carrier web and a release coating. The carrier web traditionally is a thin, paper-like layer, and the release coating is a waxy, silicone or polymeric substance that is applied to at least one face of the paper-like carrier web by means such as spraying, brushing, laminating, etc.
The above-described adhesive leaflet sub-assemblies generally include the following layers or elements: a first film-like layer, a multi-sheet leaflet and a second film-like layer. The first film-like layer, which is typically made from polypropylene, is coated with an adhesive substance on its back face or underneath side and on its front face or top side. The second film-like layer, which is also typically made of polypropylene, is coated with an adhesive substance only on its back face or underneath side. The leaflet sub-assembly, in its assembled form, is configured so that the leaflet is sandwiched between the adhesive bearing front face of the first polypropylene layer and the adhesive-bearing back face of the second polypropylene layer. A rear sheet of the leaflet flatly rests against the front face of the first polypropylene layer, and the adhesive-bearing back face of the second polypropylene layer flatly and securely rests against a front sheet of the leaflet. The leaflet has a smaller area than the two polypropylene layers, allowing them to contact and adhere to each other at an overlapping portion around the perimeter of the leaflet. These adhesive leaflet assemblies are manufactured and arranged in a single column on a strip of the substrate carrier web by a process depicted schematically in FIG.
1
. Paper suitable for printing and having a width in excess of that of the carrier web (hereinafter “leaflet stock”) is unwound from a feed roll and fed into a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus can print on both sides of the leaflet stock. The leaflet stock is then fed to a folding apparatus where it undergoes a two-step folding process to produce, for example, a double-folded form sheet leaflet. This leaflet is then fed to a rolling apparatus where it is simultaneously joined with the first and second polypropylene layers as above described. The first polypropylene layer can have been pre-applied to the release coating of the carrier web prior to this operation. During this joining process, the carrier web, with its release coating, and the second polypropylene layer are joined to the double-folded leaflet so that the back face of the back sheet of the leaflet contacts the adhesive on the front face of the first polypropylene layer. Additionally, the second polypropylene layer is joined to the double-folded leaflet, and to the overlapping portion of the first polypropylene layer. The adhesive on the rear face of the second poly-propylene layer contacts the front face of the front sheet of the leaflet and the adhesive substance on the front face of the overlapping portion of the first polypropylene layer. Subsequently, the first and second polypropylene layers and the leaflet, but not the carrier web or the release coating, are subjected to a die-cutting operation whereby a series of cuts made proximate to folded edges of the leaflet and at lines demarcating printed and unprinted areas of the leaflet make it possible for portions of the first and second polypropylene layers and the unprinted portions of the leaflet to be separated from the carrier web and release coating and for the leaflet sub-assemblies, including wing-like extensions of the first and second polypropylene layers, to remain attached to the carrier web and release coating. The carrier web along with the leaflet sub-assemblies is wound up into a roll or folded into a fan-fold stack arrangement (as shown in
FIG. 1.1
) to form a leaflet assembly for storage and later use.
In use, the die-cut adhesive leaflet assembly carrier strip is fed to and manipulated by mechanical devices designed to cause the leaflet sub-assemblies first to become separated from the carrier web strip and second to become transferred and adhered to consumer products. As diagrammatically shown in
FIG. 2
, the rolled up carrier strip comprising the carrier web and the leaflet sub-assemblies is fed to a wedge-shaped structure. The carrier web is drawn around a tip or knife edge of the wedge-shaped structure to cause an abrupt change in the direction of travel of the carrier web. This abrupt change, in combination with the stiffness of the leaflet sub-assemblies, causes the leaflet sub-assemblies, and more specifically, the first polypropylene layers thereof, to peel away from the release coating of the carrier web and to become entrained in a vacuum air flow induced by and into an air box apparatus. Once entrained in the vacuum air flow, the leaflet sub-assemblies are drawn toward and briefly held against a perforated plate portion of the air box so that the upper face or top side of the leaflet sub-assembly rests against the perforated plate. The vacuum air flow is suddenly stopped and an air flow inducted by and out of the air box pushes the leaflet sub-assembly downwardly away from the perforated plate and into contact with a product or package that passes beneath the perforated plate.
While the just described adhesive sub-assembly is well suited for a wide variety of consumer products, it is not acceptable for use with prepared and prepackaged food products, especially those products that are sold frozen and subsequently heated in a microwave oven prior to eating. Very frequently, frozen food products are sold in a box that contains a microwavable, open-top tray or dish-like structure into which the food has been placed. The open top of the tray or dish-like structure is covered and sealed by a tightly drawn piece of microwavable film that either wholly or partially remains affixed to the structure while the food contents are microwave heated. It has been found that, when informational leaflets are provided with such frozen food products, it is best to have the leaflet sub-assemblies adhered to the film cover, and it is desirable to be able to leave the leaflet sub-assemblies on the film while the food is being heated. It is also necessary to provide leaflet sub-assemblies that, when they are peeled off the film cover by the consumer, do not leave any portion(s) of the sub-assemblies behind. Leaflet sub-assemblies that have first and second film-like layers made of polypropylene are unacceptable in these respects, because polypropylene, when exposed to microwaves, releases offensive odors and potentially hazardous substances. In addition, the first film-like polypropylene layer tends to remain adhered to the tray film covering when the leaflet is removed from it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,812 issued to Howard (hereinafter the “Howard patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,623 issued to Denny (hereinafter the “Denny patent”) teach a second type of adhesive leaflet sub-assembly. The type of adhesive leaflet sub-assemblies disclosed by the Howard patent and the Denny patent are structurally simpler than the first type described above. Generally, the type of sub-assembly taught by the Howard patent and the Denny patent comprises a multi-sheet leaflet and only one film-like layer. The single film-like layer is coated with an
Lorengo J. A.
Rock Ridge Technologies Co.
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