JP2007328366A - Label sheet with easily removable label - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label sheet in which a label can be easily removed from a release liner. <P>SOLUTION: The release liner 16 has a weakened separation line 30 formed by cuts and ties running underneath a column of labels near the edge of labels 12. A belt like portion of the release liner and a face element sheet can be removed by tearing off a label sheet assembly along the weakened separation line 30, thereby exposing edges of each label 12. The weakened separation line 30 is formed by extending from the edge of the belt like portion of the labels toward a lower edge of the labels while running <1 cm from the edge of the labels, thereby placing the partially-used label sheet assembly on a smooth surface without causing strong adhesive bonding between the label and the smooth surface where the label is placed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a label sheet, and more particularly to a label sheet from which a label can be easily removed.

  Printable 21.6 cm x 27.9 cm (8.5 x 11) size sheets and A4 sheets as a means of printing a moderate number or number of addresses or other information in the past few years in a relatively short time A plurality of address labels provided in the are used. After printing the label sheet, these address labels must be removed from the sheet and applied to an envelope or other substrate. In a standard method of manually removing a label, a user folds the label sheet backward, either near one edge or corner corner of the first label to be removed. This is the start of separation between the label and the liner. The user grasps the label in the area where separation has occurred and removes it from the sheet. This operation is repeated for each label. This task can be somewhat difficult and time consuming and requires considerable manual dexterity. In addition, some material combinations of thin or flexible surface layers and thick paper liners are difficult to die cut (cut by mold) without making a cut in the liner There is also. When the die cut extends into the liner, the user may accidentally tear a portion of the liner in the process of removing the label from the liner.

  Band or web labels have also been proposed for use with automatic label removal / mounting machines. U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,284 in the name of Hilst discloses a label strip having an incision down the centerline of the release liner on the underside of the center of the individual label. The label strip moves over the V-shaped notch of the separator plate, thereby automatically separating the label from the release liner.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,152 in the name of Ericsson discloses a biblical headline label distribution sheet with weakening lines on the backing and crease lines on the individual labels. On one side of each row of labels, a strip release material is placed on the weakening line of the backing. The strip-shaped release material functions as an adhesive tape that prevents the sheet from being torn quickly. The user grabs and pulls the strip release material and tears the backing material from a portion of the horizontal row label.
US Pat. No. 5,788,284 US Pat. No. 5,182,152

  The present invention provides a label sheet combination material that can be supplied to a printer such as a laser printer, an ink jet printer, or other printer attached to a personal computer so that desktop printing is possible. is there. A narrow strip release liner can be torn in a single motion. This exposes the narrow strips of each label in the label row or label column so that the labels can be easily removed one by one and mounted on some other object or substrate. In a label sheet having a border or base (matrix) that surrounds and / or between labels or between portions of a label, both the release liner and the base have weakening separation lines. The weakening separation line is formed by a series of cuts and joints in the release liner and base. It is preferable that the joint is strongest in the vicinity of the edge of the sheet and weaker in the inner part of the sheet. This resists the sheet and is less likely to tear along the weakening separation line due to normal handling or printing in the printer, but after the tear begins, the entire strip of release liner is stripped off. Tearing continues easily. The release liner and, where applicable, the base preferably have notches formed at both ends of the weakening separation line. This notch is aligned with the weakening separation line at both the liner and base. The notch helps to ensure that tearing begins along the weakening separation line. The user can tear the release liner strip from the rest of the sheet in a single operation without having to remove the separate strip separator, and once tearing begins, the release liner is completely removed from the rest of the sheet The two weakening separation lines are sufficiently close so that tearing continues until they are peeled off. The notch size and joint size are so strong that the label sheet combination can be fed into a printer such as a laser printer or an ink jet printer, and the label sheet is between the printing and tearing stages. Without any other mechanical preparation, it is selected to be weak enough that the user can tear the release liner strip along the weakening separation line with an easy and smooth movement. In order to ensure easy separation, the ratio between the length of the cut and the total length of the weakening separation line is greater than 95%. The weakening separation line is preferably located about 0.6 centimeters (about ¼ inch) from the edge of the column or label column. In this method, the exposed portion of the label protrudes sufficiently so that the user can easily grasp the label, but the label sheet with one or more label columns partially exposed is much larger. Since there is no exposed adhesive area, the label sheet will not stick to a desk or other surface on which the label sheet is placed.

  Therefore, the present invention according to one aspect relates to a label-sheet combination material improved so that a label can be easily removed by hand, and the label-sheet combination material includes a release liner and a release liner. A surface material sheet releasably adhered, the surface material sheet comprising at least a first label column formed on itself and a base part at least partially demarcating a plurality of labels, 1 weakening separation line is formed in the release liner, the first weakening separation line is offset from the center of the label column toward its edge, and is present on the lower surface side of the label column, The second weakening separation line is a label / sheet combination material formed in the base portion so as to extend substantially parallel to the first weakening separation line. The release liner has a notch that aligns with the two weakening separation lines, which are preferably at either end of the weakening separation line. The two weakening separation lines are separated from each other by a small distance so that the user can tear the strip portion of the release liner and the strip portion of the base portion in a single motion and peel off each label in the label column. A portion of the liner can be removed, leaving a second portion of the release liner underneath, so that the user can perform other operations on the label sheet during printing and tearing operations. The label can be easily removed from the label / sheet combination after the tearing operation without physical preparation. The weakening separation line is preferably formed by a plurality of cuts and connecting portions of the release liner. When there is a base portion, it is preferable to form a plurality of cuts and connecting portions in the base portion. The strongest of the joints is positioned adjacent to the edge of the label / sheet combination or the notch (if there is a notch). In the case of a label / sheet combination material having a large number of label columns, the sheet combination material has a weakening separation line on the release liner on the lower surface side of each label column, and if there is a base portion, the base portion is weakened. Has a separation line.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, similar symbols indicate similar parts.

  FIG. 1 shows a label / sheet combination 10 that can be easily peeled off according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Label / sheet combination material 10 is 21.6 cm × 27.9 cm (8.5 inches × 11 inches), A4 (about 21 cm × 29.7 cm), 10.2 cm × 15.2 cm (4 inches × 6 inches), etc. It is preferred to have a general standard size, or other size compatible with a standard printer used with a personal computer. The label / sheet combination 10 includes a release liner sheet (or simply a release liner) 16, and a surface material sheet is detachably bonded to the release liner 16 via a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Release liner 16 is coated with a thin layer of release material, such as silicone, or alternatively configured or processed to allow the label to be easily removed from the release liner in some other manner. The surface material sheet includes a surface material sheet made of generally rectangular paper or film on which a plurality of labels 12 are formed by die cutting or the like. The portion not used for the label of the surface material sheet constitutes the boundary portion or the base portion 14. In the figure, the surface material sheet is shown smaller than the release liner 16, but the surface material sheet need not be smaller than the release liner. Although the label / sheet combination material 10 is shown as having a base portion, in the present invention, the label / sheet combination material 10 is a base portion surrounding the label 12 and / or a base between the labels 12. It is not necessary to include the part 14.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the lower right corner of the label / sheet combination 10 of FIG. The base part 14 has a weakening separation line 20 formed in the base part near one edge of the label column. The base part separation line 20 includes a plurality of cuts 22 and a plurality of small coupling parts 24. The liner includes a weakening separation line 30 shown in broken lines in FIG. The weakening separation line or liner separation line 30 extends from one edge of the label / sheet combination 10 to the opposite edge of the label / sheet combination 10 as a whole. Preferably extending linearly along the label column, close to the edges. Liner separation line 30 preferably extends less than 1 centimeter from the edge of the label, and more preferably extends about 0.6 centimeter (about ¼ inch) from the edge of the label. The liner separation line 30 extends vertically below the label column, but instead the label / sheet combination is configured so that the weakening separation line extends horizontally on the bottom side of the label row. May be. The liner 16 also optionally includes a notch 18 that generally aligns with the liner separation line 30 and the notch 22 and coupling 24 of the base portion 14. As shown in FIG. 1, a weakened separation line and a notch similar structure are formed in the upper right corner of the label / sheet combination. Further, the label / sheet combination 10 includes another two sets of weakening separation lines and notches, and one set of weakening separation lines of each label column having the weakening separation lines is formed on the lower side of the label column. It extends from one of them at about 0.6 centimeters. When the label / sheet combination 10 is arranged so as to include a different number of label columns, for example, 2, 4, 5, etc., the label / sheet combination has a corresponding number of weakening separation lines. And a set of notches. An arrow printed on the surface material instructs or acts on the user to start tearing the label / sheet combination at the notch 18 position. Alternatively, other instruction marks or instructions such as “Tear Here” can be printed on the label-sheet combination.

  The distance between the liner separation line 30 and the notch 22 and the coupling part 24 in the base part forming the base part separation line 20 is exaggerated in the figure for the purpose of explanation. After the label / sheet combination 10 is printed by the printer, the user does not need any physical preparation for the label / sheet combination 10 between the printing stage and the tearing stage. It is preferred that the liner separation line and the base weakening separation line be positioned sufficiently close to each other so that the liner and base strip 26 shown in FIG. At the same time, two weakenings so that the base portion above the liner separation line 30 prevents early tearing of the liner 16 and the liner portion below the base portion separation line 20 prevents early tearing of the base portion. The separation lines are slightly separated. Other reasons for displacing the two weakening separation lines are related to the manufacturing process. If the surface material weakening separation line is die-cut directly above the liner weakening separation line, the liner strength cannot sufficiently support the die that cuts into the surface material, so the die that press-fits into the surface material cuts cleanly into the surface material. The surface material tends to be deformed without being inserted. Therefore, it is preferred that the two weakening separation lines be offset by a sufficient distance so that the cuts do not overlap due to normal manufacturing tolerances. The base part separation line 20 is preferably separated from the liner separation line 30 by less than 5 mm, more preferably the two weakening separation lines are separated by less than 2 mm, and more preferably the two weakening separation lines are separated by less than 1 mm. . A separation distance of about 0.5 mm has been found to give good results in the case of normal paper labels and sheets. However, the exact separation is not important. The preferred separation may also vary depending on the thickness and strength of the liner and base, the strength of the pressure sensitive adhesive, the effectiveness of the release liner, the overall size of the label / sheet combination, and other factors.

  FIG. 3 shows the back side of the lower right corner of the label / sheet combination 10 shown in FIG. The liner separation line 30 is shown in more detail. It includes a plurality of cuts 32 and a plurality of coupling portions 36/38. In the illustrated example, two small couplings 36 are under the base and one small coupling 38 is under each label 12. The specific position of the joint is not important. Further, the release liner 16 includes a large coupling portion 31 in the vicinity of the notch 18 (in the vicinity of the edge of the release liner 16 when no notch is present).

  Base separation line 20 and liner separation line 30 both extend parallel to the edge of the label column and are located about 0.6 centimeters from the edge of the column. The exact distance is not important. However, it is preferred that the weakening separation line be offset sufficiently away from the edge of the label column so that the user can easily grasp and remove the label 12 when the strip 26 is removed. . At the same time, the weakening separation line is such that when the label sheet is placed on a table or similar surface, the exposed edge of the unremoved label 12 will not inadvertently stick to the table inadvertently, It is sufficiently close to the edge of the label so that a sufficiently narrow edge of the label is exposed when the strip 26 is removed.

  Here, the intention of these structures will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 illustrates one method of using the label / sheet combination of FIG. In this discussion, it is assumed that the upper right corner of the label / sheet combination 10 has a structure that is a mirror image of the structure shown in FIG. 2, and the corresponding parts have the same reference numerals. The user grasps one corner of the label / sheet combination 10 around one position 27 with one thumb and forefinger, and grasps the release liner and the thin strip 26 of the base with another thumb and forefinger. Then, the shearing force is concentrated on the notch 18 and the large connecting portion 31 to start tearing the strip portion 26 from the remaining portion of the sheet. After the large joint 31 is torn, the tear of the base and liner strip 26 passes through the small joints 36 and 38 in the release liner 16, through the small joint 24 in the base 14, and the strip portion. It proceeds relatively easily until 26 is completely torn. Thus, the label-sheet combination material 10 is in the state shown in FIG. 5, that is, one column of the label 12 is mostly attached to the release liner 16. The liner portion underneath is removed. Now, whenever the user wants to remove the next label, the user can easily peel off the individual labels 12 one by one as needed without having to bend the label / sheet combination 10. it can.

  FIG. 6 shows a second method using the label / sheet combination 10 of FIG. The label sheet combination material includes three sets of vertical weakening separation lines, and one set of weakening separation lines is associated with each label column. These weakening separation lines divide the label-sheet combination into three individual parts 40, 50, 60 that can be separated from each other individually. In FIG. 6, the left portion 40 is separated from the central portion 50 and the right portion 60. The labels in the left portion 40 are now ready to be peeled off one by one from the liner and applied to an envelope or other substrate. The label pieces 50 and 60 do not have a label portion where the adhesive side is exposed. Thus, the portions 50 and 60 can be handled without degradation of the adhesive on the back of their labels and / or can be stored for later use. The remaining portions 50, 60 can be fed to the printer for later printing. For example, when it is necessary to print and use only 10 or less labels, the user can pass the label / sheet combination 10 through the printer and print only on the labels in the label column of the label pieces 40. it can. Next, the user cuts off the label piece 40 and uses the label in the label piece. The remaining label pieces 50, 60 are stored for later use. When ready to print additional labels, the label sheet combination can be fed to the printer from the right edge of the label strip 60. Alternatively, the software can be instructed to shift the label printing slightly to the right from its normal position so that the label pieces 50, 60 can be fed from the left label piece 50 to the printer. A selectable software switch or option can instruct the software to perform such adjustments. Using this latter method, the first label column 40 can be printed, torn and used, and then the second label column 50 can be printed, torn and used, and so on. Thus, the third label column 60 can be printed and used.

  Needless to say, the labels on the label sheet need not be generally rectangular as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and need not be adjacent to each other. The labels can be of virtually any shape and can be completely separated from each other by a base between the labels or by a bare liner. FIG. 7 shows an example of such a possibility where the labels are round and slightly separated from each other.

  The notch size and joint size are so strong that the label sheet combination can be fed into a printer such as a laser printer or an ink jet printer, and the label sheet is between the printing and tearing stages. Without any other mechanical preparation, it is selected to be weak enough that the user can tear the strip of release liner along the weakening separation line with easy and smooth movement. In order to ensure easy separation, the ratio of the cut length to the total length of the weakening separation line is greater than 95%. It has been found that an average tensile strength of 6 gm / cm of the surface stock sheet and liner along the weakening separation line gives good results, and values of about 4 gm / cm to 10 gm / cm are also expected to give good results. And values of about 2 gm / cm to 15 gm / cm are expected to be acceptable.

  FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment similar to the example shown in FIG. 1 except that the label / sheet combination does not include a notch.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, since the surface material is slightly smaller than the liner 16, the base portion 14 does not extend to the edge of the label / sheet combination material. When the surface material extends to the edge of the label sheet, it is desirable to form a notch 18 in both the base 14 and the liner 16.

  In other possible embodiments, the label and sheet combination does not even include a base that borders the label. For example, in FIG. 1, the base 14 can be completely stripped from the label sheet before the product is sold. Alternatively, the entire surface material sheet can be die cut so that the entire surface material forms a label. The surface material can occupy the same amount of surface material area as shown in FIG. 1 or a significantly smaller area. Regardless of how the surface stock is constructed, in what shape, and how it is cut, a label sheet without a base will still use the present invention to produce a narrow strip liner material. A small portion of the label can be exposed so that it can be easily removed from several labels at once with a smooth movement, so that each label can later be easily removed from the rest of the liner .

  In other embodiments, the label sheet can be symmetric. For example, a label sheet may include two label columns. In the right label column, the weakening separation line is slightly offset from the right edge of the right label column, and in the left label column, the weakening separation line is slightly offset from the left edge of the left label column.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be used in combination with labels of various media such as metal foil, transparent plastic, MYLAR (registered trademark), and other known materials. The label can be a colored label or a transparent label and can include pre-printed display content such as text, two-dimensional graphics or photographic images, holographic images, and the like. The present invention can be used with various printing devices, including but not limited to printers for use with personal computers.

  The present invention is very suitable for applications in which individual labels are manually removed. However, the present invention is not limited to use by hand. The present invention can be used with an automated machine that loads the label 12 onto a substrate after tearing the strip 26. In addition, the present invention provides that a plurality of labels are positioned on one or more substrates to be applied, and the labels are grouped together in the same relative position as seen on the label / sheet combination 10. It is applicable also to the use with which a base material is mounted | worn.

  The term “invention” as used herein should not be construed to imply that only a single invention having a single essential element or group of elements is presented. Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments and drawings thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, label / sheet combination materials of various sizes having a base part or not having a base part can be used. The labels can be of various shapes and sizes, and need not all be the same shape or size. The pressure sensitive adhesive may be either strong or weak. The term “standard size” means approximately standard size, and “21.6 cm × 27.9 cm (8.5 inches × 11 inches)”, “A-4” and the like are approximately their sizes. Should be understood to mean The weakening separation line can be formed by various known methods. The weakening separation lines are generally straight and parallel, but need not be strictly straight or strictly parallel. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings in this specification are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is limited by the claims and their legal interpretation as appropriate. It should be concluded only from the equivalent.

The top view of the label sheet combination material by 1st Example of this invention. The enlarged view of the lower right corner of the label / sheet combination material of FIG. The figure which shows the back side of the part shown in FIG. 2 of a label sheet | seat combination material. The figure which shows the 1st method using the label sheet combination material of FIG. FIG. 5 shows the label sheet combination of FIG. 4 after strip 26 has been completely removed. The figure which shows the 2nd method using the label sheet combination material of FIG. The figure which shows the label sheet combination material by 2nd Example of this invention. The figure which shows 3rd Example of this invention with which the edge of a label sheet | seat combination material does not have a notch.

Explanation of symbols

10 Label / Sheet Combination Material 12 Surface Material Sheet Label 14 Surface Material Sheet Base 16 Release Liner 18 Notch 20 Weak Separation Line (Second Weak Separation Line) Formed at Base
22 Incision 24 Coupling 26 Release liner and base strip (band)
30 Weakening separation line or liner separation line (first weakening separation line)
31 Large joint 32 Notch 36, 38 Small joint

Claims (12)

Label and sheet combination material configured so that labels can be easily removed by hand,
A release liner;
Including a surface material sheet releasably bonded to the release liner,
The surface material sheet includes at least one label row or label column formed on the surface material sheet;
A first weakening separation line is formed in the release liner, and the first weakening separation line is offset near an edge of the label row, and within the label row or label column Present on the lower surface side of the plurality of labels,
The surface material sheet is weak enough to be easily torn in the region between the edge of the label-sheet combination and the immediate edge of one of the labels, and the first sheet in the release liner. The weakening separation line is sufficiently close to the edge of the label that is parallel to the first weakening separation line, and the user can use the strip portion of the release liner and the surface material bonded to the strip portion of the release liner. Both strips and strips of the sheet can be removed at the same time, and after removal, each label remains in the label row or label column and the end of each label is stripped of the strip of the release liner Exposed,
In order to allow a partially used label sheet combination to be placed on the flat surface without creating a strong adhesive bond between the label and the flat surface on which the label is placed, The label-sheet combination material, wherein the first weakening separation line extends less than 1 cm from an edge of the label row or label column and extends to a lower surface side of the label in the label row or label column. The surface material sheet further includes a base portion located on the first weakening separation line at at least two side portions located on opposite sides of the label-sheet combination material;
A second weakening separation line is formed in the base, and the second weakening separation line extends substantially parallel to the first weakening separation line;
The first and second weakening separation lines are slightly separated so that a user can tear the strip portion of the release liner and the strip portion of the base portion in a single motion to form the label row or label The label / sheet combination according to claim 1, wherein each label in the column can be formed in a state in which a strip-like portion of the release liner is removed.   The first weakening separation line is made by a plurality of cuts and joints formed in the release liner, and the second weakening separation line is made by a plurality of cuts and joints formed in the base part. The label / sheet combination according to claim 2.   2. The label / sheet combination according to claim 1, wherein the first weakening separation line includes at least one coupling portion on a lower surface side of each label in the label row or label column.   The release liner has a notch formed in the release liner, the notch being provided at a position close to the first and second weakening separation lines, so that the user can 3. The label and sheet combination material according to claim 2, which is designed to assist tearing of the strip portion of the release liner and the strip portion of the base portion.   The label / sheet combination material according to claim 5, wherein the surface material sheet is smaller than the release liner, and the notch of the release liner does not extend to the surface material sheet.   The label / sheet combination material according to claim 5, wherein the strongest portion of the weakening separation line of the release liner is positioned adjacent to the notch.   The label / sheet combination according to claim 2, wherein the first weakening separation line is displaced from the second weakening separation line by a deviation distance of less than 2.0 mm. The weakening separation line exhibits a combined average tensile strength in the range of 2 g / cm to 15 g / cm;
The label of claim 2, wherein the first weakening separation line is formed by a plurality of cuts and joints in the release liner, and the ratio of the length of the cut to the total length of the weakening separation line is greater than 95%. Sheet combination material.   The label of claim 1, wherein the first weakening separation line extends 0.6 cm from an edge of the label row or label column to a lower surface side of the label in the label row or label column.・ Sheet combination material. A label / sheet combination designed to facilitate label removal,
A release liner;
Including a surface material sheet releasably bonded to the release liner,
The surface material sheet includes at least one label row or label column formed on the surface material sheet;
A first weakening separation line is formed in the release liner, and the first weakening separation line is offset near an edge of the label row, and within the label row or label column Present on the lower surface side of the plurality of labels,
A second weakening separation line is formed in the surface material sheet in a region that is not a part of the label row or label column, and the second weakening separation line is in a direction of the first weakening separation line. Extending in a parallel direction and deviating from the first weakening separation line by a distance of less than 1 cm;
In order to allow a partially used label sheet combination to be placed on the flat surface without creating a strong adhesive bond between the label and the flat surface on which the label is placed, The label-sheet combination material, wherein the first weakening separation line extends less than 1 cm from an edge of the label row or label column and extends to a lower surface side of the label in the label row or label column.   The label / sheet combination according to claim 11, wherein the second weakening separation line extends from at least the edge of the surface material sheet to at least the edge of the nearest label.

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