Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LABELS AND MANZJFACTURE THEREOF
The present invention relates to self-adhesive labels and
to a method of manufacturing self-adhesive labels. In
particular, the present invention relates to such labels whicr:
are folded and conceal hidden information and whic:. are onenable
cy a ~.a er when adhered to a product so as to reveal the
_reviously i-.idden information.
Manufacturers of consumer products sometimes wish to promote
the products using so-called "instant win" promotions. In such
promotions, a large number of the products are provided either
d=rectly or indirectl y with hidden information whic:z is revealed
by a user who can they. claim a prize if the product is identified
as a winning product. A large number of products are identified
as non-winning products and a small number of aroducts are
identi=led as winning products. It is necessary for the
information indicating whether or not the product is a winning
product or a non-winning product to be substantially inaccessible
until after the user has purchased the product, and for evidence
c. tampering to be present as a resu.i~ of a user accessing the
information. For example, typical instant win promotions involve
tze inserticn of winning tickets into sealed product packs, the
printing of information on the inside of metal cans and the
printing of so-called scratch off promotions onto the product
packaging. All of these promot:icn techniques require a
substantial modification to the packaging or labelling
requirements of the product.
The present invention aims to provide an instant win
promotional system in the form of a substantially secure and
tamper-evident self-adhesive label which may be adhered to the
product as a secondary label) the primary label conveying the
standardised information concerning the product to the consumer.
Secondary labels in the form of leaflet labels have been
known for many years for consumer purposes. Such labels can be
provided with tear lines in the front cover, as disclosed in EP-
A-0043179, cr alternatively can be overlaminated, for example as
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in EP-A-0180365. Such prior leaflet labels are not suitable for
use as instant win promotion labels because they do not provide
the reauired level of security in conjunction with tamper
evidence.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a
self-adhesive label suitable for use as an instant win promotion
label which provides the necessary level o~ security and tamper
evidence.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a self-adhesive
Label carried on a backing of release material comprising a self-
adhesive support piece having a rearwardly-directed self-adhesive
surface adhered to the backing of release material, a folded
portion disposed on the front surface of the support piece, the
folded portion including front and back covers thereof enclosing
an intermediate part therebetween, and a self-adhesive laminar
material covering and adhered over the folded portion, the
laminar material extending past the edges of the support piece
and the folded portion to form a peripheral border of the label
having a rearwardly-directed surface coated with a permanent
pressure-sensitive adhesive which is adhered to the backing of
release material, and wherein the intermediate part can be
accessed by cutting or tearing the laminar material.
The present invention further provides a method of producing
a succession of self-adhesive labels carried on a backing of
release material, the method comprising the steps of: (a)
providing a self-adhesive support web carried on a backing of
release material; (b) adhering a succession of folded sheets
along the length of the support web, each folded sheet comprising
a front cover portion, a back cover portion, and an intermediate
portion enclosed therebetween; (c) die-cutting the assembly of
folded sheets and support web as far as the release material
thereby to cut a succession of intermediate labels, each
comprising a folded leaflet cut from one of the folded sheets and
adhered to a support piece cut from the support web; (d) removing
waste material surrounding the intermediate labels from the
backing of release material; (e) overlaminating the intermediate
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labels with a web of a self-adhesive laminar material coated with
a permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive so that each intermediate
label is encapsulated by the laminar material; and (f) die-
c~.ating through the laminar material around each intermediate
label thereby to form a peripheral border of the laminar material
surrounding each intermediate label. and adhered t~ the backing
o~ release material.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described
by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a self-adhesive label in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention carried
on a backing of release material;
Figure 2 is an elevational section al ong lire A-A of the
self-adhesive label shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a schematic side view of an apparatus for use
in a first stage of a method of manufacturing a succession of the
self-adhesive labels of Figures 1 and 2; and
Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a further apparatus for
use in performing a second stage of the method.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a self-adhesive
label 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
when carried on a web of a backing 4 of release material, for
example silicone-coated paper. Generally, a succession of such
labels 2 is carried on the backing 9: of release material and is
wound up into a reel for automati~~ application of the self-
adhesive labels 2 to products to be labelled by an automatic
labelling machine.
The self-adhesive label 2 comprises a lowermost self-
adhesive support piece 6 comprising a sheet 8, typically of
transparent plastics~'such as polyvinyl chloride) polyester,
polyethylene or polypropylene, coated on its rearmost face with
a layer 10 of pressure-sensitive adhesive which releasably
adheres the support piece 6 to the front surface of the backing
4 of release material. In the label 2) a folded leaflet 12
comprises a back cover 14, a front cover 16 folded over the back
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cover 14 about a first fold line 18 and an intermediate panel 20
lying between the front and back covers 15,14 and connected to
the back cover 14 by a second fold line 22. The rearmost surface
of the back cover 14 is adhered to a major portion of the front
surface of the support piece 6 by a layer 24 of permanent
adhesive, typically a water-based adhesive such as OVA adhesive.
The front cover 16 includes an extended flap 26 which extends
past the second fold line 22 and is disposed adjacent the front
surface of the support piece 6.
The front cover 16 of the self-adhesive label 2 conceals any
information printed on the surfaces of the intermediate panel 20.
When the self-adhesive label 2 is being used in an instant win
promotion, such hidden printed information may include an
indication of whether the label is a winning or non-winning
label.
The support piece 6 and the folded leaflet 12 are
dimensioned whereby in a longitudinal direction both of the web
of the backing 4 of release material and of the folded leaflet
12, i.e. in a direction extended between the first fold line 18
and the extended flap 26, the support piece 6 extends
longitudinally past the first fold line 18 and the extended flap
25 so as to form two opposed edge portions 28,30 which are not
covered by the folded leaflet 12. The second portion 30 has a
larger length in the longitudinal direction than the first
portion 28 and is located on the side of the folded leaflet 12
which is opened by a user. As is described hereinbelow with
reference to the method of manufacturing the self-adhesive label
2, the opposed transverse edges 32,34 of the folded
leaflet/support piece assembly comprise coincident edges of the
folded leaflet 12 and the support piece 6 which have been formed
by die-cutting.
The folded strip/support piece assembly is overlaminated and
entirely encapsulated by a self-adhesive laminar material 36
which preferably comprises a transparent plastics sheet)
typically of polyvinyl chloride, polyester, polyethylene or
polypropylene, coated on its rear surface with a layer 40 of
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pressure-sensitive adhesive. The pressure sensitive adhesive is
permanent adhesive as is known in the art. The particular
permanent adhesive formulation is selected so as to form a strong
reliable adhesive bond with the surface of the particular product
. to be labelled. The laminar material 36 extends longitudinally
past the edge portions 28,30 of the support piece 6 and
transversely past the transverse edges 32,34 to form a border 42
surrounding the folded leaflet/support piece assembly, the border
42 being adhered all around its periphery to the backing 4 of
release material by the layer 40 of ,pressure-sensitive adhesive .
In Figure 1, the laminar material 34 is transparent whereby the
folded leaflet/support piece assembly is visible thereunder.
The laminar material 36 is adhered by the layer 40 of
pressure-sensitive adhesive to the front surface of the front
cover 16 and to the front surfaces of the two opposed edge
portions 28,30 of the support piece 6.
The self-adhesive label 2 is provided with an opening line
44 extending transversely across the label 2 and in particular
across the extended flap 26. The opening line 44 may comprise
a printed line indicating where the label 2 should be cut open,
such a configuration being used when the label is intended to be
adhered to a cuttable substrate of t:he product, e.g. a plastics
wrapping film. Alternatively the opening line 44 may comprises
a perforated tear line, extending through the laminar material
36 and the extended flap 26, when t:he label is intended to be
adhered to a thick or solid substrate e.g. a box or container.
In use, the self-adhesive label. is applied to a product to
be labelled and is permanently adhered thereto by the self-
adhesive border 42 and by the self-adhesive support piece 6.
This ensures a strong adhesive bond between the label 2 and the
product so that the self-adhesive label 2 does not become
inadvertently opened. Since the laminar material 34 entirely
encapsulates the folded leaflet 12, there is no danger of the
folded leaflet 12 inadvertently becoming accessible to a user.
In particular, since the border 42 ~_xtends outwardly along the
die-cut transverse edges 32,34 of the folded leaflet/support
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piece assembly, it is not possible for a person wishing to access
tie interior printed surfaces of the folded leaflet 12 to look
into the body of the leaflet through those transverse edges
without positively opening the label.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive of the laminar material 34
is selected so that it has a permanent adhesive bond with the
surface of the particular product to be labelled whereby the
self-adhesive label 2 cannot readily be peeled off from the
product or opened without cutting or tearing along the opening
line 44. This reduces the incidence of persons attempting to
open the label without purchasing the product in order to
determine whether or not the product is a winning or non-winnina
product. Thus the label 2 can provide a tamper-evident feature
by being openable only by a cutting or tearing mechanism.
After the laminar material 36 and extended flap 26 have been
cut or torn, a person can then manually access the intermediate
panel 20 and pull the intermediate panel outwardly form the
pocket defined by the front and back covers 16,14. In this way,
the user can reveal perviously hidden information printed on the
intermediate panel 20, such as whether the product is a winning
product in an instant win promotion.
A method of producing self-adhesive labels in accordance
with the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated in Figures
3 and 4.
Referring to Figure 3, there is shown an apparatus,
designated generally as 50, for performing a first stage of the
method in which a succession of folded leaflets is adhered to a
support web carried on a backing of release material, and then
the leaflets and underlying support web carried on the backing
of release materia l' are die-cut to form a succession of
intermediate labels which are then overlaminated by a web of
self-adhesive laminar material. Figure 4 shows an apparatus for
performing a second stage of the method in which the
overlaminated assembly of die-cut folded leaflet/support piece
assemblies are subjected to a second die-cutting step in which
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the self-adhesive labels of the first embodiment are formed and
wound up onto a reel of release backing material.
Referring particularly to Figure 3 , there is provided a reel
52 of a duplex pressure-sensitive material comprising a pressure-
sensitive transparent plastics web 54 carried on a backing weia
56 of release material. The duplex web is unwound from the reel
52 and fed past an adhesive applying station 58 at which an
adhesive applicator 60 applies a succession of patches 62 of
liquid adhesive, for example a water-soluble adhesive, along the
length of the upper surface of the plastics web 54. The duplex
web is then conveyed to a folded sheet applying station 64 at
which a succession of folded sheets 66 are applied by a leaflet
applicator, represented generally by the ramp 68, to the
succession o~ patches 62 of adhesive. It will be seen that the
folded sheets 66 are applied in registry with the patches 62 of
adhesive whereby the back cover 67 of each folded sheet 66 is
adhered to the plastics web 54 by a respective patch 62 of
adhesive.
The folded sheets 66 adhered to the plastics web 54 are then
conveyed to a die-cutting station 68. The die-cutting station
68 is provided with an upper die-cutting roller 70 and a lower
backing roller 72 through which is passed the duplex web carrying
the folded sheets 66. The die-cutting roller 70 cuts through the
adhered folded sheets 66 and through the plastics web 54 as far
as, but not through, the backing 56 of release material, so as
to cut the support piece 6 and the folded leaflet 16 adhered
thereto of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2. This forms a
succession of intermediate labels 78. The waste material
surrounding the intermediate labels 78 consisting of the cut-away
skeleton of the plastics web of laminar material 54 carrying the
cut-away portions of the folded sheets 66 adhered thereto forms
a waste web 74 which is removed from the backing 56 of release
material and wound into a reel 76.
The die-cut intermediate labels 78 then pass to a laminating
station 80 at which a web of self-adhesive, transparent plastics
laminar material 82 is wound out from a reel 84 thereof and
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laminated by a roller 86 over the succession of intermediate
labels 78 on the backing 56 of release material. Each
intermediate label 78 is entirely encapsulated by the laminar
material 82 which extends past both the longitudinal and
transverse cut edges of the intermediate labels 78. The
resultant succession of overlaminated intermediate labels 78 is
then wound into a reel 88.
The second stage of the method is illustrated in Figure 4
in which the assembly of overlaminated intermediate labels 78 is
fed out from the reel 88 thereof and conveyed to a second die-
cutting station 90 comprising an upper die-cutting roller 92 and
a lower backing roller 94. The die-cutting roller 92 cuts
through only the overlaminate web 82 so as to cut the outer
periphery of the laminar material 36 of the embodiment of Figures
1 and 2. The resultant waste web skeleton. 96 is wound into a
reel 98. This die-cutting step forms the resultant self-adhesive
labels 2 of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. When
the opening line 44 is a perforated tear line, this can be cut
by the die-cutting roller 92. The backing 56 of release material
carrying the self-adhesive labels 2 is wound into a reel 100.
In the method of the invention, each folded sheet 66 may be
cut to form a plurality of folded leaflets 15 spaced transversely
across the web and the die-cutting may be performed so that a
plurality of self-adhesive labels 2 are provided across the width
of the backing 56 of release material with the backing 56 being
slit to form a plurality of reels 100.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that in the
drawings the thicknesses of some of the layers of the label have
been greatly exaggerated for the purpose of clarity of
illustration.
In the illustrated embodiment, the self-adhesive label
comprises a folded leaflet having three panels. In alternative
embodiments of the present invention, a larger number of panels
may be provided.
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The self-adhesive label of the present invention comprises
an elegant, simple and easy to manufacture leaflet label having
sufficient security to constitute an instant win promotional
label. The provision of an overlaminated label not only affords
a level of security to the label preventing inadvertent opening
cf the label and dissuading people :From unauthorised opening of
the label, but also the laminar material provides a high degree
o~ physical protection to the underlying folded paper leaflet.
The present invention avoids the need for significant changes to
the product packaging or to the product packaging line. The
present invention also avoids the need for scratch off labels
which require special printing apparatus and ink and are not
really suitable for application to a product to be labelled
because the scratch off regions could inadvertently be scuffed
and scratched during product handli:zg.
