Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ADHESIVE LABEL SY5~M
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an adhesive label system and information
booklet which may be attached to products, containers or p~c~ging. Specifically, the
adhesive label system provides a system in which the information booklet may be
removed from the label system along micro-perforations around the underlying
5 information booklet. In avoiding the use of larger perforations, the invention minimi7es
the risk of damage to the underlying information booklet which may result from
chemical spillage onto the outer surfaces of the label system or by abrasion.
Furthermore, the label system provides a visually alluring label which enhances the
recognition of the presence of the information booklet within the label system and
which facilitates the removal of the information booklet therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Increasingly, it is becoming more commonplace that consumer products require
significant information to accompany the product. Such information is required in
order to provide to the end-user specific information with respect to the product. For
example, it is often necessary to include within the general labelling on the product,
specific product information concerning the nature and use of the product, safety
information relating to potential hazards relating to the use of or exposure to the
product as well as any necessary legal information concerning w~l~nlies or the
limitation of any liability associated with misuse or mishandling of the product.
As the amount of information which may be included with a product is
increased, it is generally not possible to include all the relevant information on a simple
two-dimensional label affixed to the outer surfaces of the product, container orpackaging. Accordingly, there has been an increase in the use of accompanying
product booklets which may be used to provide any or all of the above information to
the consumer. In the past, there have been numerous forms of product labels and
booklets which have been included with various products. Examples of such label are
disclosed within a number of U.S. patents as briefly discussed herein.
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For example, U.S. Patent 4,534,582 (R.J. Howard) to an adhesive label, includes
an instruction pamphlet enclosed in a cover which is adhesively attached by the rear
face to the front face of a backing sheet. This particular label includes two lines of
perforation which enables the user to tear across the cover to remove the information
5 booklet below. This pamphlet can be subsequently re-enclosed by inserting a tongue to
re-close the cover.
U.S. Patent 5,234,735 (B. Baker) is a further example of a resealable envelope
which may be placed on a package. The label, as described by this patent, has a
resealable clear plastic cover which may be opened to display and allow printed
10 information underneath to be accessed.
A still further example of a resealable l~min~ted leaflet label is described in U.S.
Patent 5,290,616 (R. Cowan) which includes a peelable adhesive surface or attachment
of the label to a product.
While the above patents describe labels which may be attached to products,
15 these patents do not address a number of problems which may arise when ~ffixing a
label to a number of particular products. In particular, in the handling and shipping of
chemical materials such as corrosive liquid materials such as acids or corrosive solid
materials such as fertilizers often leads to problems with respect to the above product
information booklets. It is often the case that during h~ntlling and/or shipping, a small
20 degree of spillage or leakage will occur. Accordingly, a number of the products may
have, in the very least, a thin film of the corrosive product over the outer surfaces of
the container which may also cover the label system Co~ ; an information booklet.
In the past, adhesive labels which include perforations to enable users to remove an
underlying information booklet may permit seepage of the corrosive material to within
25 the enclosed pouch thereby ~l~m~ging or subjecting the booklet to the effects of the
corrosive agent. Accordingly, there has been a need for a label and information
booklet system which overcomes this problem by providing a sealed label system which
minimi7es the risk of chemical exposure to the underlying information booklet.
However, perforations generally provide a useful means to open the label in
30 order to retrieve the information booklet by ensuring that the outer cover of the label is
torn along a pre-determined path. Accordingly, there has been a need for a sealed label
system for col~t;1il-il-g an information booklet in which the outer cover may be torn
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along a pre-determined path as defined by micro-perforations sufficiently small to
prevent seepage through the micro-perforations while providing a weaker tear-line in
the outer cover.
Still further, it is often the case that such adhesive label systems are often
5 missed or overlooked by users as the visual appearance does not guide the users vision
towards the information booklet and the information contained therein. Accordingly,
there has been a still further need for an adhesive label including a visually attracting
frame around the information booklet which is preferably coloured and designed in
order to guide a user's vision towards the information booklet and hence remove it
10 from the container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, an adhesive label system is provided, the label
system comprising: a base label having an underside with an adhesive coating
enabling attachment of the base label to a surface and a top surface for receiving an
15 information booklet, wherein placement of the information booklet on the top surface
defines a border region on the base label around the information booklet; a backing
paper adapted for adherence to and removal from the adhesive coating; a top cover
having an underside adapted for bonding to the border region of the base label and the
information booklet, the top cover including micro-perfoMtions around the outer edge
20 of the information booklet to assist a user in tearing the top cover to enable removal
of the information booklet from the base label.
In further and more specific embodiments of the label system, the top cover is
transparent, the information booklet includes instructions on the outside of theinformation booklet in-lir~ting that removal of the top label can be initiated at a corner
25 of the information booklet and the top cover includes a corner perforation adjacent a
bottom corner of the information booklet to facilitate tearing of the top cover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS
These and other features of the invention will be more appa~elll from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:
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Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the label and information booklet inaccordance with the invention; and
Figure 2 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the label in accordancewith the invention;
Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled label system in
accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to Figures 1-3 an adhesive label and information booklet in
accordance with the invention is shown. A label system 10 is shown to include a base
label 12, the underside having an adhesive 14 enabling the base label 12 to be applied
and adhered to the outer surface of a container, product or packaging (not shown). The
label system 10 also includes a backing paper 18 having a silicone release agent 20 on
its upper surface enabling the removal of the backing material 18 from the base label
12 in order to expose the adhesive 14 at the time of use. The backing paper 18 enables
h~nclling and storage of the label system 10 prior to the use of the label. The base label
12 is preferably sized in order that an information booklet 22 may be centrally placed
upon the base label 12 wherein the size of the booklet 22 provides a border region 24
around the booklet 22. Preferably the border region 24 is sufficiently large to enable
the application of a visually attracting border to be placed around the booklet. The
border region 24 may include a number of colours and/or graphics identifying thepresence of the information booklet 22.
The label system 10 further includes a top cover 26. The top cover 26 is
preferably a two-sided transparent film wherein the bottom surface 26a is provided with
an adhesive for bonding to the base label 12 and to the top outer page or cover of the
information booklet 22. The top outer page of the information booklet is preferably
provided with any suitable identifying labels or graphics indicating the presence of an
information booklet 22 below, instructions p~ inillg to removal of the information
booklet 22 from the label system 10, as well as any suitable warnings required to
provide information to the user about the product and is visible through the top cover,
if necessary. Alternatively, any graphics may be printed directly on the top cover.
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The top cover 26 is bonded to the base label 12 around the border region 24 so
that the information booklet 22 is sandwiched between the top cover 26 and the base
label 12. The top cover 26 is also preferably provided with micro-perforations 30
around the outside edge of the booklet in order to enhance uniform tearing while also
5 preventing seepage of any liquid materials into the chamber cont~ining the information
booklet 22. Micro-perforations are generally considered to be pin-point holes.
The information booklet 22 is preferably bound without staples in order to
prevent subsequent inadvertent puncturing of the top cover 26 after manufacturer via
abraslon.
In the manufacturing of the label system 10, the base label 12 and backing
material 18 is printed and fed via a continuous roll to an assembly point. Similarly, the
top cover 26 is fed via a continuous roll to the assembly point. At the assembly point,
a shuttle cont~ining an information booklet 22 places an information booklet on the
base label 12. Subsequently, the top cover 26 and base label 12 pass through a roller
press thereby adhering the top cover 26 to the top cover of the information booklet 22
and base label 12. After bonding, micro-perforations 30 may be made on the top
cover 26 and a small corner perforation 32 at one corner, preferably a lower corner and
having dimensions less than 0.25 inches. A roll of labels may then be cut via a die
process to produce individual labels.
The label system 10 once assembled, is applied to the outer surface of a
container or packaging material by removal of the backing paper 18 from the base label
12 which thereby exposes the base adhesive 14.
At the a~plopl;ate time, the customer may remove the information booklet 22 by
grasping the outer cover 26 at the perforated corner 32 of the top cover 26. As
indicated above, the top cover 26 is preferably a material which may be readily torn.
The micro-perforations 30 help ensure that the top cover 26 is torn evenly in a guided
manner around the inside edge of the border 24a. After fully tearing around the micro-
perforations 30, the booklet 22 is removed from the base label 12 along with the torn
central area of the top cover.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are
used as terms of description and not of limitations, and there is no intention in the use
of such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and
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described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible
within the scope of the claims.
