Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-23
2004-02-10
Crispino, Richard (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S289000, C053S375800, C053S376300, C053S484000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06689244
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to the use of a double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons or cartonlike packages.
With packages made of corrugated card in particular it is a problem to gain access to the contents again in a very simple way after the opening of the package has been stuck down.
The normal way of gaining access is by disruptive cutting or tearing followed by removal of the part of the package that has been broken open. All of these methods are relatively time consuming and, in the case of disruptive cutting and/or tearing in particular, necessitate additional means, such as scissors, knives or keys, for example. Moreover, these means carry with them a risk of injury and/or a risk of damaging the contents.
Also known is the use of tear-open strips, made for example of plastic or in the form of a thin string, with which opening is effected by pulling and, in so doing, separating or tearing the package that is to be opened.
A common feature of all tear-open strips is that their sole purpose is to open the closed carton or package.
The known tear-open strips cannot be used first to seal the package and then to offer a means of opening; in other words, they are not able to constitute simultaneously a means of sealing and a means of opening.
Alternatively, double sided adhesive tapes are offered for secure sealing of a carton, but they do not offer any aid to tearing open.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealing tape for cartons or comparable packages which simultaneously offers an aid to opening; in other words, the combination of two hitherto completely separate functions in one solution.
This object is achieved by the use of a double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons or cartonlike packages, at least one of the two films of adhesive being provided with a nontacky covering in strip form.
The subclaims provide advantageous developments of the subject matter of the invention.
The invention accordingly provides for the use of a double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons or cartonlike packages, at least one of the two films of adhesive being provided with a nontacky covering in strip form.
The first purpose of the adhesive tape is to seal the carton. For this purpose, the release paper or release film fully covering at least one of the two films of adhesive is partly removed from the film of adhesive to leave, on the film of adhesive, a covering in strip form which additionally is nontacky.
The adhesive tape is applied between two plies or flaps of the carton or of the cartonlike packages, the bonding of the adhesive tape between the two plies or flaps taking place in such a way that the part of the covering which has not been removed from the film of adhesive is likewise situated between the two plies or flaps.
This ensures that the double sidedly adhering adhesive tape first of all connects the two plies or flaps of the carton that form the seal firmly to one another so as to prevent the carton coming undone unintentionally. On the other hand, one part of at least one film of adhesive on the adhesive tape is not tacky as a result of the covering.
It has proven particularly advantageous if 30% of the covering is removed; that is, if, based on the width of the adhesive tape, 70% is nontacky as a result of the remaining covering. Further advantageous values of the covering to be removed are 50% or 70%. It is of course within the expertise of the skilled worker to deviate upward or downward from the stated values if required by the case in hand.
In order to make it easier for the user to remove said one part of the covering, this covering is provided with a predetermined breakage point. This point is preferably brought about by slitting of the release paper.
Furthermore, it may be advantageous to provide the part that is to be removed with an overhanging covering, known as a one-sided fingerlift, in order to make it easier to grasp for the user.
In order to make the tear-open operation even easier, it may also be advantageous to continue the predetermined breakage point into the adhesive tape; in other words, for example, to split the backing material of the adhesive tape as well. As a result, even adhesive tape backing materials of very high tensile strength can be severed reliably during the tear-open process.
In the case of the bonding of two flaps of a carton which are folded over one another, i.e., an upper flap and a lower flap, whose inside edges are each linked to the body of the carton while each of the outer edges extend freely, it should be ensured that the side of the film of adhesive that is provided with the covering is bonded to the upper flap of the carton that is to be bonded, in such a way that it is situated on the side facing away from the outer edge of the upper flap, while the adhesive side of the film of adhesive faces the outer edge of the upper flap of the cardboard packaging.
During splitting, then, the upper flap is separated in such a way that the part separated off from the upper flap remains on the lower flap (or, where appropriate, on the carton) so that the formerly bonded upper flap can be folded open.
The adhesive tape can cooperate in two ways with the slit that is preferably present in the ply or plies, or flap or flaps.
First, the ply or flap of the carton, or of the cartonlike packages, against which the covering lies can be slit above the covering. The slit, produced usually by two incisions in the ply or flap, preferably corresponds in its width to approximately the width of the covering.
Secondly, the ply or flap of the carton, or of the cartonlike packages, against which the covering does not lie can be slit above the covering. Here again, the slit, produced normally by means of two incisions in the ply or flap, preferably corresponds in its width to approximately the width of the covering.
Furthermore, preferably, both plies or flaps of the carton or of the cartonlike packages may be slit.
In order to open the carton again ultimately, i.e., to part the two plies or flaps, therefore, there are two advantageous methods.
The film of adhesive of the adhesive tape below the covering is unable to bond to the overlying ply or flap of the carton since the covering prevents this. The unbonded covering therefore forms the first part of a grip tab which is particularly easily gripped if one or two slits are present correspondingly in the ply or plies or in the flap or flaps.
If only one slit is present in the ply or flap, specifically in that ply or flap which lies opposite the covering located on the other side of the adhesive tape, the user grasps the grip tab composed of the covering, the adhesive tape, and the outer cardboard ply. When the grip tab is pulled, the adhesive tape and the ply or flap of the carton that is to be parted are split.
If only one slit is present in the ply or flap, specifically in that ply or flap which lies opposite the covering located on the same side of the adhesive tape, the user grasps the grip tab composed only of the covering and the outer cardboard ply. When the grip tab is pulled, the ply or flap of the carton that is to be parted splits.
The covering is preferably composed of a suitable tensile material, preferably MOPP.
The adhesive tape may be composed of a single layer. In this case it is a carrier free adhesive tape.
Moreover, the carrier layer of the adhesive tape may be formed by films (for example, of PU, PE or PP, polyesters such as PET, PA), nonwovens, wovens, foams, metallized films, composite materials, cotton, laminates, foamed films, paper, etc. It is very advantageous if the carrier layer is easy to tear or part.
A preferred carrier layer is a thermoplastic polyolefin film which is unoriented and includes at least one polyolefin from the group of the polyethylenes (for example, HDPE, LDPE, MDPE, LLDPE, VLLDPE, copolymers of ethylene with polar comonomers) and the group of the polypropylenes (for example, polypropylene homopolymers, random polypropylene copolymers or block polypropylene copolymers).
Preference is given to using
Chan Sing P.
Crispino Richard
Norris McLaughlin & Marcus P.A.
tesa AG
LandOfFree
Double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Double sided adhesive tape for sealing and opening cartons... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3308784