Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a label carrying
strip and a form sheet having labels automatically and
precisely positioned thereon.
The present inven-tion relates to a label carrying
strip and a form sheet having labels automatically and
precisely positined thereon.
It is known to apply pressure sensitive labels to
a sheet having a plurality of attached sheets. However,
this known process is slow for various reasons, its accuracy
is questionable and is expensive because "piggy back" label
carrying strip must be used. This means that the label
carrying strip of the prior art has an extra adhesive on its
back and an extra backing strip doubling the price of the
material.
In most cases, the label is removed from the
second backing strip and transferred to an applicating drum
where the label is held by vacuum. A predetermined timing
mark triggers the applicator, the vacuum of the applicating
drum reverts to pressure and the label is blown on the
moving carrier sheet. Because of this blowing action,
adjustments are very critical and speed as well as accuracy
are limited. Because of this slow speed, the applicator is
generally mounted on an off-line machine where only the top
form sheet of a set of sheets can be fed. Therefore, it is
necessary to thereafter process the top form sheet for
assembly with a set of extra sheets.
This known process does not permit affixing more
than one personali~ed label to a form sheet because of lack
of identification control equipment necessary to ensure that
both labels are the correct labels (i.e. identical) on the
same form.
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Another method will be to provide a top sheet made
of an adhesive release material and on which pressure
sensitive adhesive labels would be precisely positioned.
This method will prove to be much more expensive because the
total surface of the adhesive relative material will be much
larger and much more expensive as the material is sold in
square inches.
It is a feature of -the present invention to
provide a method of applying one or more labels to a form
sheet and which substantially overcomes the above-mentioned
disadvantages of the prior art.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a label carrying strip which substantially overcomes
the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the above features~ from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides a method of applying
one or more labels to a form sheet. The method comprises
forming a label carrying strip comprised of a backing strip
having an adhesive release upper face on which labels having
an adhesive backing are positioned. The strip has locating
means spaced-apart a predetermined distance therealong. A
composite sheet is formed and having sheet panels with
complimentary locating means at a predetermined position in
each sheet panel. The label carrying strip is positioned
over the composite sheet with the locating means of the
sheet panels and the strip aligned. The strip is glued to
the sheet panels and then severed along opposed side edges
of the sheet panels.
According to a still further broad aspect of the
present invention, there is provided a label carrying strip
which comprises a backing sheet having a top face with an
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adhesive release coating. One or more labels, having an
adhesive backing, are positioned on the top face. A
locating means is provided in the bac]cing sheet for
engagement by a locating element to automatically position
the label carrying strip at a predetermined position on a
form sheet for securement thereto.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reEerence to the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a label carrying strip
as applied to a form sheet;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmented plan view of the label
carrying strip of the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a schematic side view showing the
method of applying one or more labels from the label
carrying strip onto a composite sheet;
FIGURE 4 is a fragmented top view of Figure 3;
FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a top form
sheet having the label carrying strip of the present
invention as secured thereto and assembled with a set of
sheets; and
FIGURE 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing
a similar construction in accordance with a prior art
method.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particu-
larly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown generally at 10,
the label carrying strip of the present invention and
comprised of a backing sheet 11 having an adhesive release
coating 12 on a top face thereof. One or more labels 13
having an adhesive backing 14 are cut from the adhesive
strip 15 which is positioned over the top face of the label
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carrying strip 10. A locating means in the form of a pin
engaging hole 16 extends through the backing sheet 11 and
the adhesive strip 15 with the hole being positioned between
common address labels, such as labels 13', which are to be
positioned on a form sheet 17, as shown in Figure 1.
The label carryi.ng strip 10 is automatically
precisely positioned on the form sheet 17 by a high speed
automatic label application machine, as will be described
later with reference to Figures 3 and 4, and the holes 16
are provided for engagement by a locating pin of this
machine to assure the precise positioning of a portion of
the label carrying strip with respect to the form sheet 17.
As shown in Figure 1, the two panels 13' have a common
address and are positioned side by side on the form sheet 17
in a specific area. The form sheet may also contain
additional printed material 18 thereon. The label carrying
strip 11 also extends across the width of the form sheet 17
and spaced a predetermined distance from the perforated
carrier strip 19 thereof.
Referring now additionally to Figures 3 and 4,
there will be described a method of applying these labels 13
to a form sheet, such as form sheet 17. As shown in Figure
4, the form sheet 17 is formed from a composite sheet 20
having a plurality of sheet panels 17' positioned side by
side with each panel 17' having a complimentary locating
means also in the form of a pin engaging hole 21 positioned
at a precise location therein. The label carrying strip 10
is stored in a roll 22 which is supported on a shaft 22'
above the composite sheet 20. The composite sheet 20 is
moved at high speed in the machine by a carrier belt 23
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having a plurality of pins 24 for engagement with the holes
25 provided in the perforated carrier strip 26 which is
attached to the sheet panels 17' along a perforated line 38.
As shown in Figure 4, the roll 22 is displaceably
positioned on the shaft 22' in the direction of arrows 28
whereby to precisely align the pin engaging holes 16 formed
in the label carrying strip 10 for registry with the pin
engaging holes 21 provided in the sheet panels 17'. The
position of the holes 21 determine the position of the
labels on the sheets 17'. Two or more locating pins 29 are
secured to an indexing conveyor 30 which is comprised of an
endless belt conveyor positioned to one side of the carrier
belt 23 under the composite sheet 20, as shown in Figure 4,
and aligned with the pin engaging holes 21 in the sheet
panel 17~. This conveyor is also adjustable widthwise of
the composite sheet 20. In order to precisely align the
labels 13 on the sheet panels 17, it is simply necessary to
advance the indexing conveyor 30 to position the locating
pin 29-through the pin engaging hole 21 of the sheet panels
and the pin-locating holes 16 of the carrier strip.
Accordingly, the label carrying strip 10 is pulled from the
roll and under the guide roll 31 and over the composite
sheet 20 with one or more of the locating pins 29 extending
through the pin locating holes 21 and 16. Both the indexing
conveyor 30 and the carrier belt 23 are driven at the same
speed with respect to one another by coupling means obvious
to a person skilled in the art. The machine is now ready
for high speed operation.
A glue strip applicator 32 is also provided
upstream of the carrier belt 23 and applies two or more glue
strips 33 onto the composite sheet 20 and in alignment with
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the label carrying strip 10, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.
The label carrying strip 10 passes through opposed press
rolls 31 and 33 where they are adhesively secured to the
sheet panels 17' and in precise locations determined by the
aligned pin holes. A cutting device 34 is provided
downstream of the carrier belt 23 whereby to form the
transverse cuts 35 at opposed edges of the sheet panels 17'
to sever the label carrying strip 10 (see Fig. 5).
The sheet panels 17' are then fed in registry with
a set of additional sheets 36, as shown in Figure 5, where
the sheet panels 17' are assembled thereto by a glue strip
along the edge portion 37. The perforated line 38 provides
for the sheet panels 17' and all of the sheets in -the set 36
to be detached. The perforated carrier strip 26 is
automatically removed from the assembled set of forms.
Figure 6 shows a similar form constructed in
accordance with the prior art. As hereinshown, with the
prior art, it was necessary to precisely position one or two
labels 40 onto a top sheet 41 made from adhesive release
material. The size of the top sheet 41 was dependent on the
desired position of the labels 40 over the set of additional
sheets 42. It was also necessary to have the top sheet
equipped with a perforated carrier strip 43 in order to
register the top sheet with the sheet set 42 which was also
provided with a perforated carrier strip 44. A disadvantage
of this type of prior art composite form is that the surface
of adhesive release material used. This material is sold by
square inches, is very expensive and its total surface must
be kept to a minimum necessary.
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It is a fea-ture of the present invention to cover
any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment
described herein, provided such modifications fall within
the scope of the appended claims.
