Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
COLD SEAL PRODUCT PACKAGING CONTAINER
PRIORITY
100011 This application is related to, and claims the priority benefit of,
U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial Nos. 61/636,210, filed on April 20, 2012; 61/636,226, filed
on April 20. 2012:
61/636,233, filed on April 20, 2012; and 61/662,184, filed on June 20, 2012;
and U.S. Patent
Application Serial Nos. 13/692,728, filed December 3, 2012, and 13/729,254,
filed on December
28.2012.
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
100021 This disclosure relates to product packaging containers.
BACKGROUND
100031 Conventional packaging for the retail sale of consumer products has
evolved to include
display packs that not only allow unobstructed viewing of a product without
opcnint4 the
packaging, but also prevent tampering with the product, deter theft of the
product, and limit
retailer costs of an unsaleable product due to damage to the packaging. Among
the types of
consumer packaging developed to address these needs is a clear plastic blister
pack in
combination with a cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, or paperboard frame that
encloses the outer
edges of the blister pack. The product is enclosed inside the blister pack,
and the combination of
the blister pack and the corrugated frame prevents easy access to the product.
This type of
packaging deters theft by providing a bulky package, and it also provides a
protective shield to
the enclosed product while still allowing a .consumer to view the product.
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[0004] Traditionally, the corrugated frame used in combination with plastic
blister pack is made
up of two sheets of material adhered together with an adhesive, such as a hot
melt glue, a heat-
sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive contact adhesive. However, these adhesives
and their
respective application processes have several disadvantages. For instance, hot
melt glues are
typically difficult to apply in a controlled fashion, and the quality of the
resulting seal varies
accordingly. Heat-sensitive adhesives often provide ineffective seals when
used with corrugated
substrates because the corrugated sheets are poor heat conductors. Such
adhesives are also
difficult to use in a high volume manufacturing process where corrugated
frames must be stacked
in an efficient manner because the adhesive is slow to dry and is also
susceptible to smearing
when coming into contact with another surface. Furthermore, as the corrugated
frames are
stacked higher and higher, the accumulation of weight in the stack increases
the possibility of the
frames adhering to each other once the adhesive has been applied. Finally,
conventional
cohesive contact adhesives also suffer from these and other drawbacks in that
they are applied
over the entire interior surface of the corrugated packaging, creating waste,
slowing the
production process, and inevitably leaving an undesirable adhesive residue on
the plastic blister
pack, which impacts the recyclability of the blister pack when separated from
the corrugated
frame.
[0005] The abovementioned conventional adhesives create excess waste both
during the
manufacturing process and once the product is removed from the packaging by a
consumer. In
recent years, there has also been an increased awareness of the environmental
impact from the
manufacture, use and disposal of product packaging. While both the plastic
blister pack and
corrugated frame used in conventional packaging are separately recyclable, the
adhesive is not
and, thus, can impact the recyclability of the rest of the packaging. It is
therefore desirable to use
an adhesive that causes a minimal environmental impact when disposed.
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100061 Accordingly, a need exists for a method of efficiently applying an
adhesive for product
packaging at high production rates that enables a combination plastic blister
pack and corrugated
product packaging container that is cost-effective to produce, environmentally
friendly to
manufacture and dispose, and sufficiently protects a product during shipping,
handling, and
display.
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SUMMARY
[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a product packing
container is
disclosed, the product packing container including a housing having a top
portion, a bottom
portion, and a folded configuration whereby the top portion at least partially
contacts the bottom
portion; and a cold seal adhesive, the adhesive applied to at least one region
of the top portion
and at least one region of the bottom portion of the housing, wherein the
adhesive is a latex-
based adhesive, with a viscosity of no more than 450 centipoise at 25 degrees
Celsius, which
adheres to the housing when applied in liquid form but is capable of drying as
a dried adhesive
that lacks tackiness and is only cohesive to itself when a sealing pressure is
applied thereto, and
wherein the adhesive is capable of bonding the top portion to the bottom
portion where the at
least one region of the top portion is in at least partial contact with the at
least one region of the
bottom portion in the folded configuration, and the sealing pressure is
applied to the housing, the
sealing pressure being between approximately 50 and 1,000 pounds per square
inch. In at least
one embodiment, the sealing pressure is approximately 500 pounds per square
inch or less.
[0008] In at least one embodiment, the housing further includes at least one
opening formed
through at least the top portion. The container further includes a tray
comprising a perimeter
flange and a blister volume, the blister volume adapted to accept an article
and configured for
assembly into the at least one opening of the housing, wherein the blister
volume projects
through the at least one opening, and the perimeter flange is disposed between
the top portion
and the bottom portion of the housing in the folded configuration.
[0009] In at least one embodiment, the adhesive is applied to the at least one
region of each of
the top portion and bottom portion of the housing by a modified flexographic
printing apparatus,
where the adhesive is applied to the at least one region of each of the top
portion and bottom
portion of the housing by an application process, the process including the
steps of: delivering
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the adhesive to a volume within a chambered doctor blade disposed adjacent a
rotating transfer
roller having a transfer surface; transferring a quantity of adhesive is to
the transfer surface from
the volume of the chambered doctor blade; and rotating the transfer roller
whereby the transfer
surface contacts a printing die mounted to a rotating die roller disposed
adjacent the transfer
roller, whereby at least a first portion of the quantity of adhesive is
transferred from the transfer
surface to the printing die. The process further includes the steps of feeding
a housing between
the die roller and an adjacent rotating impression roller, wherein the housing
further comprises
an exterior surface opposite each at least one region of the top portion and
bottom portion, and
wherein the impression roller is capable of supporting the exterior surface of
the housing,
whereby simultaneous rotation of the die roller and the impression roller
advances the housing
therebetween; rotating the die roller whereby the printing die contacts the at
least one region of
the top portion and the at least one region of the bottom portion and
transfers at least a second
portion of the quantity of adhesive from the printing die to each at least one
region as the housing
advances between the die roller and the impression roller; and drying the
adhesive on the
housing, where the adhesive is a latex-based adhesive with a viscosity of no
.more than 450
centipoise at 25 degrees Celsius, which adheres to the housing when applied in
a liquid form but
is capable of drying as a dried adhesive that lacks tackiness and is cohesive
only to itself when a
sealing pressure is applied thereto.
100101 In at least one embodiment, the transfer roller further comprises a
plurality of cells
engraved into the transfer surface of the transfer roller, the cells being
capable of accepting the
quantity of the adhesive from the volume within the chambered doctor blade,
where the cells
contact the printing die mounted to the rotating die roller disposed adjacent
the transfer roller,
whereby the adhesive is transferred from the cells to the printing die. In at
least one
embodiment, the process further includes the step of applying the sealing
pressure to at least a
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portion of the exterior surface of the housing opposite the at least one
adhesive regions of the top
portion and bottom portion when the housing is in the folded configuration. In
at least one
embodiment, the process further includes the step of folding the housing
having the adhesive
applied thereon into the folded configuration prior to applying the sealing
pressure. In at least
one embodiment, the process further includes the step of positioning the
housing having the
applied thereon in the folded configuration prior to applying the sealing
pressure, where the
housing further comprises at least two separate sheets, the housing comprising
a top sheet,
including the top portion, and a bottom sheet, including the bottom portion,
which at least
partially contact one another in the folded configuration.
[0011.] In at least one embodiment, the sealing pressure is applied by a cold
seal compressor
selected from a group consisting of a reciprocating platen, a rotary platen, a
set of sealing rollers,
a set of sealing rollers mounted to an adjustable platen, and a sealing drum.
In at least one
embodiment, the adhesive is delivered to the volume within the chambered
doctor blade using a
peristaltic or diaphragm pump. In at least one embodiment, the adhesive is
dried on the housing
using one or more dryers. In at least one embodiment, the one or more dryers
is selected from a
group consisting of convection dryers, radio-wave dryers, microwave dryers,
and infrared dryers.
[0012] In at least one embodiment, the adhesive has a solids content of
between 45-58 percent
by weight, a viscosity of approximately 75 centipoise at 25 degrees Celsius, a
density between
8.3 and 8.7 pounds per gallon at 25 degrees Celsius, and a basicity of between
10 and 11 pH. In
at least one embodiment, the housing is made of a material selected from a
group consisting of
corrugated fiberboard, cardboard, chipboard, paperboard, solid bleached
sulphate paperboard,
and corrugated plastic board. In at least one embodiment, the housing is made
of a corrugated
material selected from a group consisting of 26 ECT E-flute, 26 ECT B-flute,
32 ECT E-flute, 32
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ECT B- flute, 150 ECT E-flute, 150 B-flute, 200 ECT E-flute, 200 B-flute, and
a combination of
these.
[0013] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a product packing
container includes
a housing comprising an interior surface, an opposing exterior surface, and at
least one opening
formed through the housing, the interior surface comprising a top portion, a
bottom portion, and
at least one adhesive region on each of the top portion and bottom portion,
and the housing
further comprising a folded configuration wherein the at least one adhesive
region of the top
portion at least partially contacts the at least one adhesive region of the
bottom portion; a tray
comprising a perimeter flange and a blister volume, the blister volume adapted
to accept an
article and configured for assembly into the at least one opening of the
housing, wherein the
blister volume projects through the at least one opening, and the perimeter
flange is disposed
between the top portion and the bottom portion of the housing in the folded
configuration; and a
cold seal adhesive, wherein the adhesive is applied to the at least one
adhesive region of the top
portion and the at least one adhesive region of the bottom portion, where the
adhesive comprises
a latex-based adhesive, with a viscosity of no more than 450 centipoise at 25
degrees Celsius,
which adheres to the housing when applied in liquid form but is capable of
drying as a dried
adhesive that lacks tackiness and is only cohesive to itself when a sealing
pressure is applied
thereto, and wherein the adhesive is capable of bonding the top portion to the
bottom portion
where the at least one region of the top portion is in contact with the at
least one region of the
bottom portion in the folded configuration, and the sealing pressure is
applied to the exterior
surface of the housing, the sealing pressure being between approximately 50
and 1,000 pounds
per square inch.
[0014] In at least one embodiment, the adhesive is applied to the at least one
region of each of
the top portion and bottom portion of the housing by an application process,
the process
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comprising the steps of: delivering the adhesive to a volume within a
chambered doctor blade
disposed adjacent a rotating transfer roller having a transfer surface;
transferring a quantity of
adhesive is to the transfer surface from the volume of the chambered doctor
blade; rotating the
transfer roller whereby the transfer surface contacts a printing die mounted
to a rotating die roller
disposed adjacent the transfer roller, whereby at least a first portion of the
quantity of adhesive is
transferred from the transfer surface to the printing die. The process further
includes the steps
of: feeding a housing between the die roller and an adjacent rotating
impression roller, wherein
the housing further comprises an exterior surface opposite each at least one
region of the top
portion and bottom portion, and wherein the impression roller is capable of
supporting the
exterior surface of the housing, whereby simultaneous rotation of the die
roller and the
impression roller advances the housing therebetween; rotating the die roller
whereby the printing
die contacts the at least one region of the top portion and the at least one
region of the bottom
portion and transfers at least a second portion of the quantity of adhesive
from the printing die to
each at least one region as the housing advances between the die roller and
the impression roller;
drying the adhesive on the housing, wherein the adhesive is a latex-based
adhesive with a
viscosity of no more than 450 eentipoise at 25 degrees Celsius, which adheres
to the housing
when applied in a liquid form but is capable of drying as a dried adhesive
that lacks tackiness
and is cohesive only to itself when a sealing pressure is applied thereto;
folding the housing
having the adhesive applied thereon into the folded configuration; and
applying the sealing
pressure to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the housing opposite
at least one adhesive
region when the housing is in the folded configuration.
[0015] In at least one embodiment, the sealing pressure is approximately 500
pounds per square
inch or less. In at least one embodiment, the process further includes the
step of applying the
sealing pressure to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the housing
opposite the at least
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one adhesive regions of the top portion and bottom portion when the housing is
in the folded
configuration. In at least one embodiment, the process further includes the
step of folding the
housing having the adhesive applied thereon into the folded configuration
prior to applying the
sealing pressure. In at least one embodiment, the process further includes the
step of positioning
the housing having the applied thereon in the folded configuration prior to
applying the sealing
pressure, where the housing further comprises at least two separate sheets,
the housing
comprising a top sheet, including the top portion, and a bottom sheet,
including the bottom
portion, which at least partially contact one another in the folded
configuration. In at least one
embodiment, the adhesive comprises a solids content of between 45-58 percent
by weight, a
viscosity of approximately 75 centipoise at 25 degrees Celsius, a density
between 8.3 and 8.7
pounds per gallon at 25 degrees Celsius, and a basicity of between 10 and 11
pH.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The described embodiments and other features, advantages and
disclosures contained
herein, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and the present
disclosure will be
better understood by reference to the following description of various
exemplary embodiments of
the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[00171 FIG. 1 shows a cold seal product packaging container according to the
present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a housing for a product packaging container according to
the present
disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 3 shows a housing for a product packaging container according to
the present
disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a housing for a product
packaging container
according to the present disclosure, taken across line IV-IV of FIG. 2;
[0021] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a housing for a product
packaging container
according to the present disclosure, taken across line V-V of FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 6 shows a housing web for a product packaging container according
to the present
disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an adhesive application apparatus
for an adhesive
application method according to the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 8 shows a side view of an adhesive application apparatus for an
adhesive application
method according to the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 9 shows a detail view taken from FIG. 8 of an adhesive application
apparatus for an
adhesive application method according to the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 10 shows a pump for an adhesive application apparatus for an
adhesive application
method according to the present disclosure;
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[0027] FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a cold seal compressor for an
adhesive application
method according to the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG.12 shows a plan view of a cold seal compressor for an adhesive
application method
according to the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 13 shows a detail view of a cold seal compressor for an adhesive
application method
according to the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 14 shows a plan view of a cold seal compressor for an adhesive
application method
according to the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 15 shows a side view of a cold seal compressor for an adhesive
application method
according to the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 16 shows a front view of a cold seal compressor for an adhesive
application method
according to the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 17 shows an adhesive application method according to the present
disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 18 shows a cold seal compressor method according to the present
disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 19 shows a side view of an alternative adhesive application
apparatus for an
adhesive application method according to the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of an alternative adhesive application
apparatus for an
adhesive application method according to the present disclosure;
[0037] FIG. 21 shows a detail view taken from FIG. 19 of an adhesive
application apparatus for
an adhesive application method according to the present disclosure;
[0038] FIG. 22 shows an alternative adhesive application method according to
the present
disclosure.
[0039] Like reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts throughout
the several figures.
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100401 An overview of the features, functions and configuration of the
components depicted in
the various figures will now be presented. It should be appreciated that not
all of the features of
the components of the figures are necessarily described. Some of these non-
discussed features,
such as various couplers, etc., as well as discussed features are inherent
from the figures. Other
non-discussed features may be inherent in component geometry or configuration.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the
present
disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the
drawings, and
specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be
understood that no
limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.
[0042] The disclosure of the present application provides methods for
application of a unique
cold seal cohesive particularly suited for the manufacture of product
packaging container and
methods of making the same. Such product packaging may be constructed of a
corrugated
fiberboard enclosure and a plastic blister pack and may employ the new cold
seal adhesive and
adhesive application process, which result in a container that is strong,
tamper-proof, and
recyclable and can be manufactured at a much faster rate than conventional
product packaging.
Though the product packaging container may be commonly used with retail
consumer products,
it will be appreciated that the product packaging container is not limited to
use with these
specific types of products or distribution outlets and, consequently, may be
used to package any
article. Likewise, though the cold seal adhesive application process may be
particularly suited
for product packaging, it will be appreciated that the cold seal adhesive
application process is not
limited to use in product packaging or to the specific product packaging
container used to
illustrate the process.
10043] Figure 1 shows a cold seal product packaging container according to the
present
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the product packaging container 10 includes a
housing 20,
which encloses and retains a product tray 30 and is sealed together with a
cold seal adhesive 40.
The container 10 is configured to enclose one or more articles (not shown),
such as consumer
products, within the tray 30 and to protect products from damage, blemish, or
theft. To
adequately protect the product, the adhesive 40 must seal the housing 20
around the edges of tray
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30 with sufficient strength and durability to securely support the products'
weight during
shipping, handling, and display of the product and to discourage tampering
with the container 10
and its contents. In FIG. 1, housing 20 is shown in a folded configuration as
a part of the
container 10, which is the final configuration once container 10 has been
fully formed and sealed
as described more fully herein.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, housing 20 is initially manufactured in an
unfolded
configuration prior to assembly into the container 10 of FIG. 1.
Alternatively, the housing 20
may be manufactured in a configuration of two separate sheets, a front sheet
and a back sheet,
that are assembled together. Accordingly, though the housing 20 is depicted as
a single folded
sheet, in at least one embodiment a two-sheet configuration is used. In such
an embodiment, the
folded configuration is the disposition of the front sheet adjacent the back
sheet, the two sheets
0
being in at least partial contact. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 20 includes
an exterior surface
23 and an opposing interior surface 25 and is bounded by a leading edge 22,
trailing edge 24, a
first side edge 26, and second side edge 28. Further, the housing 20 is
capable of being folded at
a score or perforated line of weakness 21 located substantially equidistant
from leading edge 22
and trailing edge 24. The line of weakness 21 defines a top portion 27 and a
bottom portion 29,
which contact one another at the interior surface 25 when the housing 20 is in
the folded
configuration.
[0045] According to at least one embodiment of a product packaging container
according to the
present disclosure as shown in FIG. 4, the housing 20 may include at least one
opening 36
formed through the exterior surface 23 and/or interior surface 25. As shown in
FIG. 1, the
opening 36 may be formed to accept the tray 30, whereby a suitable opening
shape is formed as
disclosed in more detail herein. Though the opening 36 is depicted as being
formed through the
top portion 27, the housing 20 may include one or more additional openings 36
formed in either
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the top portion 27 and/or the bottom portion 29. Further, the exterior surface
23 may include
graphic indicia 39 identifying or advertising the product contained within
container 10,
displaying regulatory nutrition information, a Universal Product Code or
matrix barcode, or any
other desired information. The indicia 39 may be printed on the exterior
surface 23 by any
suitable process or may be applied as a label to the exterior surface 23.
[0046] The housing 20 may be formed of corrugated fiberboard, such as E flute
corrugated
fiberboard, cardboard, chipboard, solid bleached sulphate (SBS), oyster,
craft, and other
paperboards, corrugated plastic board, or any planar material suitable for the
requirements of a
product packaging container 10 as disclosed herein. The packaging container 10
may also be
made using numerous other substrates for housing 20, such as 26 ECT E-flute,
26 ECT B-flute,
32 ECT E-flute, 32 ECT B-flute, 150 ECT E-flute, 150 B-flute, 200 ECT E-flute,
200 ECT B-
flute, and various microflutes (N&F), etc., where "ECT" is defined as the Edge
Crush Test
strength in pounds per inch width, which is well-known in the field. Further,
the container 10
may include hybrid combinations of different paper weights ranging from 23-42
lb. for the liner
and medium layers of the corrugated fiberboard to reduce the cost of the
housing 20 while
meeting performance requirements. In at least one embodiment, the container 10
may include a
35 lb. first liner, a 23 lb. medium, and a 42 lb. second liner.
[0047] Embodiments described herein we are not limited to corrugated
cardboard, as
conventional packages use corrugated cardboard for both "sheets" of their
housing.
Embodiments described herein may use virtually any paperboard substrate in any
combination.
For example, embodiments may use an E-flute backer card with a SBS or
chipboard front card to
form a housing 20 for package container 10. Approximately 20% of the
marketplace uses
corrugated/corrugated sheet combinations, whereas the remaining 80% of the
marketplace uses
either chipboard/SBS or some combination of chipboard/SBS and corrugated.
Embodiments
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described herein may be used with more varieties of materials than
conventional packaging
provides. Though the housing 20 is shown in the Figures with a rectangular
shape, the perimeter
of the housing 20 could form any desired shape and size.
[0048] In at least one embodiment of a product packaging container according
to the present
disclosure, the tray 30 includes a blister portion 32 and a flange portion 34
as shown in FIG. 5.
The blister portion 32 is formed to define a product volume 37 and a blister
perimeter 33
appropriately sized to accept, complement, and conform to a specific product
to be packaged
within the container 10. The flange portion 34 extends in a plane from the
blister perimeter 33
and defines a flange perimeter 35. The flange portion 34 enables the tray 30
to be trapped
between the top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 when the housing 20 is in the
folded
configuration while further enabling the blister portion 32 to project through
the opening 36. In
at least one embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5,
the opening 36 in
housing 20 is formed to be the same as or slightly larger than the blister
perimeter 33 but
substantially smaller than the flange perimeter 35, further enabling secure
handling and display
of the product within container 10. It should be noted that the width of the
flange portion 34 may
vary with the size and weight of the product to be secured within the
container 10. Larger and
heavier products may generally require a wider flange portion 34 to adequately
distribute the
weight of the product to the housing 20 and to securely retain the flange
portion 34 between the
top portion 27 and bottom portion 29 in the folded configuration.
[0049] The tray 30 may be made of any material suitable for secure shipping,
handling, and
display of the product within the container 10. Exemplary materials may
include, but not bc
limited to, clear plastic materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, that
can be molded or
thermoformed into a shape generally conforming to the product to be secured
within the
container 10.
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[0050] In the finished product packaging container 10, the adhesive 40 binds
top portion 27 and
bottom portion 29 together and seals product tray 30 within product packaging
container 10. The
adhesive 40 is a quick-drying, latex-based cohesive that can be pattern-coated
on a substrate and,
once dried, will create a surface with essentially no tack that will adhere
only to other surfaces
coated with the same cohesive when placed under pressure. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 3,
adhesive 40 may be applied to interior surface 25 within upper adhesive region
42, lower
adhesive region 43, upper product adhesive region 44, and the lower product
adhesive region 45.
When housing 20 is folded at weakness 21 and adequate pressure is applied to
the housing 20,
the adhesive 40 in the upper adhesive region 42 will bond with the adhesive 40
in the lower
adhesive region 43, and the adhesive 40 in the upper product adhesive region
44 will bond with
the adhesive 40 in the lower product adhesive region 45. The secure bonding of
these regions
will occur only once sufficient pressure of between approximately 50-1,000
pounds per square
inch (psi), and typically 500 psi or less, has been applied to the adhesive by
a cold seal
compressor or other sealing device.
[0051] The cold seal adhesive 40 is specially formulated to provide the
characteristics described
herein. The cold seal adhesive 40 is an emulsion of natural and/or synthetic
latex rubber in
aqueous solution of ammoniated water with a solids content between 15 and 65
percent by
weight. The viscosity of the cold seal adhesive 40 may be between 10 and 450
centipoisc (cP) at
20 revolutions per minute and 23 degrees Celsius ( C) per ASTM D1084 Test
Method B.
Further, the density of cold seal adhesive 40 may be between 8.0 and 9.0
pounds per gallon
(lb/gal) at 25 C, and the basicity or pH may be between 9.5 and 12 pH. The
composition of cold
seal adhesive 40 may contain dispersants, surfactants, tackifiers,
isocyanates, stabilizers, and
antifoaming agents, as is well known in the art, without deviating from the
scope of the
disclosure. In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, cold seal
adhesive 40 has the
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following properties: the solids content is 57.5 percent by weight, the
viscosity is 75 cP at 25 C,
the density is 8.3 lb/gal, and the pH is 10Ø In at least one embodiment of
the present disclosure,
the adhesive 40 has a solids content between 45 and 58 percent by weight, a
viscosity between
75 and 200 cP at 23 C, a density between 8.3 and 8.7 lb/gal at C, and a
basicity between 10 and
11 pH. Viscosity may be measured using ASTM D1084 Test Method B using a
Brookfield
viscometer or ASTM D1084 Method D using Zahn Cups.
[0052] Being a latex-based adhesive, the viscosity of the cold seal adhesive
40 increases
dramatically under processing conditions that induce shear stress in the
adhesive, causing shear
thickening or agglomeration. Likewise, the cold seal adhesive 40 exhibits high
shear viscosity,
which is a measure of resistance to flow at the high shear rates, such as the
shear rates induced
by the application process. However, to reduce shear sensitivity, the cold
seal adhesive 40 has
significantly lower viscosity and solids content than conventional cohesive
adhesives used in the
product packaging art. Further, the low viscosity and solid content enable the
cold seal adhesive
40 to be applied and effective at a film weight between 0.01-0.04 grams/square
inch (g/n2) and
typically 0.015 (g/n2). Nonetheless, various processing issues must be
overcome to prevent
inducing shear stress in the adhesive and achieve the noted film thickness
range during
application at high production rates.
100531 Because the adhesive 40 dries quickly and is only applied to the
interior surface 25 of
housing 20, the use of the adhesive 40 allows multiple housings to be stacked
on top of one
another at the end of the manufacturing process, as the exterior surface 23 of
one housing will
not adhere to the interior surface 25 of another housing. The ability to
immediately stack
multiple housings 20 after application of adhesive 40 greatly improves the
throughput of the
manufacturing process compared to prior art processes using conventional
adhesives in which
the adhesives were slow to dry and were susceptible to smearing when coming
into contact with
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the other surfaces. Prior art manufacturing processes were also limited in the
number of
housings that could be stacked together, as the accumulation of weight lower
in a stack of
housings increased the possibility of the housings adhering to each other.
Often housings are
transported standing on end instead of lying flat to avoid adhering the
housings together
(commonly referred to as "blocking"); however, the housings are susceptible to
damage when
transported this way. Unlike conventional packaging using contact adhesives,
housings 20
produced by the adhesive application methods of the present disclosure may be
handled, stacked,
stored, and transported in economically efficient quantities without sticking
together because of
the rapid drying process and the lack of tack achieved of the dried adhesive
40. The properties
and application methods for the adhesive 40 also enable the adhesive 40 to be
applied prior to
cutting housing 20, as an entire sheet of housings 200, as shown in FIG. 6,
could pass through
the machinery without adhesive 40 smearing or leaving residue on the
machinery.
[00541 As disclosed herein, in at least one embodiment of a product packaging
container
according to the present disclosure, the adhesive 40 may be applied in
specific adhesive regions
on the interior surface 25 of the housing 20. Such application may be referred
to as pattern-
coating. As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adhesive 40 may be applied along a
perimeter of the
housing 20 within an upper adhesive region 42 and a lower adhesive region 43
that extend along
each of the leading, trailing, first and second side edges 22, 24, 26, 28 and
the line of weakness
21, whereby the upper adhesive region 42 on the top portion 27 substantially
contacts the lower
adhesive region 43 on the bottom portion 29 when the housing 20 is in the
folded configuration.
Because the adhesive will only adhere to itself under pressure, any adhesive
region located on
the top portion 27 of housing 20 should have a corresponding adhesive region
on the bottom
portion 29. As shown in FIG. 4, the perimeter adhesive region 42 may extend
from the an edge
22, 24, 26, 28 toward the center of the interior surface 25 but may not extend
as far as the
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opening 36 as to avoid contact between the adhesive 40 and the tray 30. In at
least one
embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the upper and lower
adhesive regions 42, 43
extend no more than 12.9 millimeters (mm) (in.) toward the center of the
interior surface 25. In
at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the upper and
lower adhesive
regions 42, 43 extend approximately 25.4 mm (1.0 in.) toward the center of the
interior surface
25. Applying the adhesive 40 in the narrow perimeter upper and lower adhesive
regions 42, 43
prevents any contact between the adhesive 40 and the tray 30, which
facilitates recyclability of
the container 10 by enabling easy separation of the tray 30 from the housing
20 without leaving
contaminating adhesive 40 on the tray 30.
[0055] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, a product packaging container 10 may
include an
upper product adhesive region 44 and a lower product adhesive region 45 or any
number of other
adhesive regions separated from the perimeter adhesive regions 42, 43 by a
region without
adhesive 40. Regardless, to facilitate recyclability of container 10, the
upper and lower product
adhesive regions 44, 45 should be located so as not to contact the tray 30.
[0056] In addition to facilitating recyclability of container 10, the total
area of the interior
surface 25 occupied by the perimeter adhesive region 42 may be reduced to
minimize the amount
of adhesive 40 included in the container 10. Minimizing the adhesive region 42
reduces the cost
of container 10 by both reducing the amount of materials used and increasing
the rate of
production of the housing 20. Nonetheless, a sufficient amount of adhesive 40
must be used to
ensure the top and bottom portions 27, 29 of housing 20 are sealed together
with sufficient
strength and durability as required for a specific container 10 as disclosed
herein.
[0057] The adhesive 40 may be applied to the housing 20 by a modified
flexogaphic printing
process that uses a flexible relief die to control application of and minimize
induced shear stress
in the adhesive 40. The process may include using a set of cylindrical
rollers, positioned
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adjacent to each other, which rotate relative to one another and are capable
of metering,
transferring and printing adhesive 40 on housing 20. Those of ordinary skill
in the art having the
benefit of this disclosure may recognize that other machinery may effectively
apply the adhesive
40. This highly controlled application and pattern-coating process not only
reduces the amount
of adhesive 40 needed for the finished container 10, but also enables the
adhesive 40 to be
applied so that it is not in direct proximity to the product being packaged or
the product tray 30.
[0058] Traditionally, high speed printing press processes, for example,
flexographic printing, are
anticipated to induce shear stresses in a material used for printing,
generally inks. Because inks
are not generally adversely affected by the levels of shear stress induced by
these processes,
operators have not had a need to modify their high speed printing press
processes to reduce the
shear stresses induced. However, some adhesive materials, such as the cold
seal adhesive 40, are
sensitive to shear as described herein. Consequently, conventional high speed
printing processes
are not capable of applying the cold seal adhesive 40 without inducing the
shear stress
responsible for agglomeration of the adhesive. As a result, various
modifications must be made
to a conventional flexographic printing press to enable continuous, high speed
application of the
cold seal adhesive 40, as disclosed herein. In total, the cold seal adhesive
40 enables production
rates not possible using conventional packaging adhesives. For example, the
cold seal adhesive
40 may be applied on corrugated board at a production rate of about 162 square
meters per
minute (m2/min) (1,750 square feet per minute (ft2/min)), compared to roughly
7.0 m2/min (75
ft2/min) for conventional application processes and adhesives on corrugated
board. Further, the
cold seal adhesive 40 may be applied prior to a die cutting operation, unlike
conventional
adhesives, thereby allowing the die cutting operation to be included within
the application
process and providing additional production efficiencies.
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[0059] Figure 7 shows an apparatus for applying the adhesive 40 for product
packaging
according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG, 7, an adhesive
application apparatus 100
includes a set of cylindrical rollers 102, which are positioned adjacent one
another, rotate relative
to one another around their respective axial axes, and are thereby capable of
metering,
transferring, and printing the adhesive 40 on a substrate, such as housing 20.
The adhesive
application apparatus 100 resembles a conventional in-line flexographic
printing machine
commonly used to print ink on packaging materials, such as housing 20.
However, due to the
shear sensitivity of the adhesive 40 described herein, a conventional in-line
flexographic printing
machine is not capable of continuously applying the adhesive 40 effectively or
efficiently
because conventional high speed application processes, such as flexographic
printing, are
disposed to inducing significant shear stress in an adhesive. Consequently,
the adhesive
application apparatus 100 differs in many respects from a conventional in-line
flexographic
printing machine, as described below, and therefore enables the adhesive
application apparatus
100 to apply the adhesive 40 discretely within the top and bottom adhesive
regions 42, 43.
[0060] As shown in FIG. 7, the set of cylindrical rollers 102 may include a
metering roller 110
disposed adjacent a transfer roller 120. The set of cylindrical rollers 102
may further include a
die roller 130 adjacent the transfer roller 120, which is capable of applying
a controlled amount
of adhesive 40 onto a printing die 132 mounted on the die roller 130. An
impression roller 140
may be positioned adjacent the die roller 130 and separated at a distance that
permits the housing
20 to pass therebetvveen, thus enabling the printing die 132 to contact the
interior surface 25 and
imprint the adhesive 40 within the perimeter adhesive regions 42, 43 while the
impression roller
140 contacts and supports the exterior surface 23.
[0061] As shown in FIG. 8, the metering roller 110 may be positioned adjacent
to the transfer
roller 120 such that a nip gap 112 separates the outer surfaces of the
metering roller 110 and the
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transfer roller 120. The purpose of the metering roller 110 is to control the
amount of adhesive
40 carried by the transfer roller 120 to the printing die 132 and, to that
extent, may be analogous
to that of a doctor blade used in a conventional flexographic printing
process. Accordingly, the
adhesive 40 is dispensed into the nip gap 112 from a dispense nozzle 155, as
shown in FIG. 7.
The nip gap 112 is set such that it enables an amount of adhesive 40 to pool
or puddle between
the metering 110 and the transfer 120 rollers. The pool of adhesive 40 formed
between the
metering 110 and the transfer 120 rollers is commonly referred to as a nip
158. However, due to
the shear sensitivity of the adhesive 40, the nip gap 112 must be set to
ensure that shear forces do
not cause the adhesive to polymerize and congeal into a film on the metering
110 and the transfer
120 rollers.
[0062] The purpose of the transfer roller 120, which may be commonly referred
to as an anilox
roller, is to apply the proper amount of adhesive 40 on the printing die 132.
Accordingly, the
transfer roller 120 includes a surface 124, which may be engraved with a
plurality of small cells
122 that accept the adhesive 40 from the metering roller 110. Alternatively,
the transfer roller
120 need not include the cells 122 and may instead transfer the adhesive 40 to
the printing die
132 directly from the surface 124. The cells 122 may be engraved mechanically
or by laser to
form a plurality of volumes into the surface 124 of the transfer roller 120.
The cells 122 may be
have a variety of shapes known in the art, including trihelical, pyramid,
quadrangular, hexagonal,
or hexagonal channel screen. Several characteristics of the transfer roller
120 determine the
amount of adhesive 40 that will be transferred to the printing die 132, such
as the angle, volume,
and line screen density of the cells 122. In an exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure,
the transfer roller 120 has a cell line screen density between 40-250 lines
per linear inch (LPI)
and typically 60 LPI.
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[0063] As is known in the printing art, cell volume and line screen density
are closely correlated.
Typically, lower cell volumes transfer less adhesive. Conversely, low line
screen density will
allow for a heavy layer of adhesive to be transferred, whereas high line
screen density will
permit finer detail in adhesive application. The internal volume of cells
engraved in an anilox
roller is commonly specified in units of billion cubic microns per square inch
(BCM). Larger
BCM values equate to greater internal cell volumes and result in larger
amounts of adhesive
being transferred from a transfer roller to a print die mounted to a die
roller. In an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure, the transfer roller 120 has cell volumes
123 of about 40
BCM at a line screen density between 40-250 LPI and typically 60 LPI. However,
one skilled in
the art having the benefit of this disclosure may recognize that other
combinations of cell volume
and line screen density may perform equally well in the adhesive application
apparatus 100.
[09641 The metering roller 110 may be constructed of a shaft or core of metal
or other hard
material covered with an elastomeric covering. The elastomeric covering may be
made of
neoprene, Buna N (a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile), ethylene
propylene diene
monomer (EPDM), polyurethane, natural rubber, or other suitable material. The
transfer roller
120 may be constructed of a shaft or core of metal or other hard material
covered with a hard,
engravable material, such as ceramic, stainless steel, or chrome-plated
nickel/copper alloy.
[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, the die roller 130 is positioned adjacent to and
configured to rotate in
the opposite direction from the transfer roller 120. A printing die 132 is
mounted on the die
roller 130 such that it is proud of the surface 134 of the die roller 130 and
aligned to contact the
transfer roller 120. The rotation of the transfer roller 120 and the die
roller 130 may be closely
timed to enable the printing die 132 to contact the cells 122 on the transfer
roller 120. For clarity
FIG. 9 depicts the transfer roller 120 separated at a distance from the die
roller 130; however, in
at least one embodiment the transfer roller 120 may contact the die roller
130. As depicted in
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FIG. 9, as the surface of the printing die 132 contacts the cells 122, the
adhesive 40 temporarily
adheres to the printing die 132 due to the surface energy of the printing die
132, thereby
transferring a controlled amount of the adhesive 40 from the cells 122 to the
printing die 132.
The printing die 132 is essentially a relief plate made of a flexible and
resilient material capable
of transferring the adhesive 40 from the cells 122 to the housing 20,
including natural rubber,
synthetic elastomeric polymer, and photopolymer that crosslinks upon exposure
to ultraviolet
energy. As depicted in FIG. 9, the contact surface 136 of the printing die 132
may be course and
porous to facilitate acceptance of the adhesive 40 from the cells 122 of the
transfer roll 120 and
subsequent deposition on the housing 20. Alternatively, the transfer roller
120 need not include
the cells 122 and may instead transfer the adhesive 40 to the printing die 132
directly from the
surface 124.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 7, the impression roller 140 is positioned adjacent to
and configured to
rotate in the opposite direction from the die roller 130. In operation, as the
die roller 130 rotates,
a housing 20 is fed between the impression roller 140 and the die roller 130
such that the printing
die 132 contacts the housing 20 and applies the adhesive 40 to the upper and
lower adhesive
regions 42, 43 of the housing 20. The purpose of the impression roller 140 is
to support and
apply pressure to the exterior surface 23 of the housing 20 as the printing
die 132 contacts the
interior surface 25. The impression roller 140 also assists to feed the
housing 20 across the
printing die 132. Accordingly, the impression roller 140 may be made of any
suitable material
that is capable of supporting the housing 20 with sufficient pressure to
enable adequate transfer
of the adhesive 40 from the printing die 132 to the housing 20 and to feed the
housing 20 across
the printing die 132.
[0067] The die roller 130 may have a plurality of printing dies 132 mounted
thereon to enable
the application of adhesive 40 onto multiple housings 20 with each rotation of
the die roller 130.
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FIG. 6 shows an example of a housing web 200 for use with the adhesive
application apparatus
100. The housing web 200 may comprise three adjacent, uncut housings 20, but
those of
ordinary skill in the art will understand that housing webs used with the
present invention can
comprise any number of housings. By way of example, where the housing web 200
is processed
through the adhesive application apparatus 100 of the present disclosure, the
die roller 130 may
be configured with a grouping of six printing dies 132 corresponding to the
upper and lower
adhesive regions 42, 43 of each individual housing 20 within the housing web
200.
[00681 In addition to the die roller 130 and the impression roller 140, the
adhesive application
apparatus 100 includes a plurality of feed rollers 160 that further assist to
convey the housing 20
or housing web 200 through the apparatus.
[0069] As shown in FIG. 8, the adhesive 40 is dispensed into the nip 158 by an
adhesive
dispense system 150, which controls the flow rate of the adhesive 40 and
avoids inducing shear
stress in adhesive 40 that may cause the adhesive 40 to congeal and clog the
application
apparatus 100. The adhesive dispense system 150 may also include a pump 156
fluidly
connected to a supply line 157 that is further fluidly connected to a dispense
nozzle 155. The
pump 156 may deliver adhesive 40 via the supply line 157 to the dispense
nozzle 155, which
dispenses adhesive 40 into the nip 158. As noted herein, the adhesive 40 is
sensitive to shear and
must be delivered to the nip 158 without creating significant shear stress in
the adhesive 40.
Consequently, the pump 156 may be a non-shearing pump such as a diaphragm pump
or a
peristaltic pump, which are capable of moving the adhesive 40 through the
adhesive application
apparatus 100 without inducing significant shear stress.
100701 As shown in FIG. 10, according to one embodiment of the present
disclosure, the pump
156 may be a 360-degree peristaltic pump 500 that includes a single pump
roller 510 rotatably
attached to an eccentric shaft 520. The pump roller 510 compresses a low
friction hose 530
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through 360 degrees of rotation. The benefits of the peristaltic pump 500
include more adhesive
flow per revolution with only one compression and expansion per cycle, which
reduces shear
stress in the adhesive 40. To further reduce shear stress, the pump roller 510
may be configured
to minimize the occlusion of the hose 530, which also contributes to in longer
pump life. In at
least one embodiment of the pump 156, the occlusion may be between 90-98%.
Moreover, the
peristaltic pump 500 delivers long, steady streams of adhesive 40, which
enables the pump 500
run relatively slowly and results in longer pump life while also minimizing
shear stress in the
adhesive 40. Alternatively, the pump 156 may be a low shearing diaphragm or
dual diaphragm
pump,
[00711 Shear stress is also a concern at each axial end of the metering roller
110 and transfer
roller 120, To prevent an excessive amount of adhesive 40 from flowing out of
the nip 158 and
off the ends of the rollers 110, 120, a dam 152 may be placed at each end of
the rollers 110, 120,
as shown in FIG. 8. However, shear stress may develop in the adhesive 40
between the dam 152
and the ends of the rotating metering and transfer rollers 110, 120. To
prevent the
aforementioned undesirable shearing stress in the adhesive 40, the dams 152
may be allowed to
float relative to the ends of the metering 110 and transfer 120 rollers.
Nonetheless, some shear
stress may be inevitable. Consequently, one or more screen filters 151 may be
placed adjacent
each dam 152, whereby any adhesive 40 that has begun to congeal due to shear
stress can be
removed from the adhesive flow as the adhesive 40 runs off the axial ends of
the metering 110
and transfer 120 rollers and passed the dams 152. Further, at least one trough
153 may be
located adjacent the screen filters 151 to collect excess run-off adhesive 40
that passes through
the screen filters 151. The trough 153 may be fluidly connected to the pump
156 by a
recirculation line 154 to reclaim and reuse excess run-off of adhesive 40 from
the nip 158, thus
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minimizing waste and further improving the efficiency of the adhesive
application apparatus
100.
[00721 Referring to FIG. 8, after passing between die roller 130 and
impression roller 140, the
housing 20 may be conveyed passed one or more dryers 170 by the plurality of
feed rollers 160.
The dryers 170 act to evaporate the remaining liquid from the adhesive 40
applied to the interior
surface 25 of housing 20, such that the surface tension of the dried adhesive
40 has essentially no
tack. Accordingly, the dryers 170 may be any suitable energy source capable of
drying the
adhesive 40 within the required production rate' of the adhesive application
process, including
infrared, radio-wave, or microwave lamps, convection ovens, and the like.
Because the adhesive
application apparatus 100 applies a very controlled and thin layer of adhesive
40 isolated to the
segregated adhesive regions 42, 43, the adhesive 40 dries to having
essentially no tack very
quickly, as much as 10 times faster than conventional flow or roller coat
processes.
[0073] The drying of adhesive 40 may be the rate limiting step within the
adhesive application
apparatus 100, meaning that faster drying methods increase the overall
potential rate of
production of the adhesive application apparatus 100. For example, where
infrared dryers are
used and given a housing 20 approximately 483 mm (19 in.) long, the adhesive
application
apparatus 100 may produce 30,000-40,000 coated housings per hour continuously.
Where radio-
wave or microwave dryers are used, the production rate may be higher. In
addition, these
throughput rates may be further increased by processing a plurality of
housings 20 in the same
pass using the housing web 200. Therefore, where the housing web 200 includes
three adjacent
housings 20, as shown in FIG. 6, the production rates may be as much as three
times greater than
disclosed.
[0074] In at least one embodiment of an adhesive application apparatus 100of
the present
disclosure, as shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of feed rollers 160 may convey
the housing 20
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through a die punch 180 capable of forming one or more openings 36 through the
housing 20. It
should be noted that the housing 20 may be fed through die punch 180 before or
after application
of adhesive 40, unlike conventional packaging adhesive processes that must
perform the die
punch process prior to application of the adhesive.
100751 Figure 19 shows an alternative apparatus for applying the adhesive for
product packaging
according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 19, an adhesive
application apparatus 300
is similar to the adhesive application apparatus 100; however, the apparatus
300 embodies a
number of significant differences. For instance, instead of a metering roll,
such as the metering
roll 110 of the apparatus 100, the apparatus 300 may include a chambered
doctor blade 310.
Accordingly, the apparatus 300 may include a set of cylindrical rollers 302,
including the
chambered doctor blade 310 disposed adjacent a transfer roller 320 with a die
roller 330 adjacent
the transfer roller 320. The set of cylindrical rollers 302 may further
include an impression roller
340 positioned adjacent the die roller 330 and separated at a distance that
permits the housing 20
to pass therebetween, thus enabling a printing die 332 mounted to the die
roller 330 to contact
the interior surface 25 and imprint the adhesive 40 within the perimeter
adhesive regions 42, 43
while the impression roller 340 contacts and supports the exterior surface 23.
[0076] The chambered doctor blade assembly 310 enables precise metering and
application of
the adhesive 40 onto the transfer roll 320. The chambered doctor blade
assembly 310 may
include an upper blade 311a and a lower blade 311b mounted to a chamber 314
such that the tips
of the upper blade 311a and the lower blade 311b contact the transfer roller
320 and define a
closed nip volume 312. The chamber 314 may include an inlet 355 for delivery
of the adhesive
40 into the nip volume 312 and an outlet 353 for draining excess adhesive 40.
In operation, the
upper blade 311a and lower blade 31lb may be positioned such that a pool of
adhesive 40,
commonly referred to as a nip 358, forms within the nip volume 312 and
contacts the transfer
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320 roller. The nip 358 is formed by adhesive 40 supplied via the inlet 355.
The upper blade
311a and lower blade 311b are further positioned such that a sufficient, but
not excessive,
amount of adhesive 40 is transferred to the transfer roll 320 in a controlled
manner. Excess
adhesive 40 may be drained away from the nip volume 312 via the outlet 353.
The upper blade
311a and lower blade 311b may be formed from conventional materials, such as
fiberglass,
acetal, metal, polyethylene, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene
("UHMW"), or any
suitable material. The shape of the tips of the upper blade 311a and lower
blade 311b may be
straight, beveled, beveled with a step, or other suitable shape. A UHMW blade
with a beveled
step tip, commonly referred to as a DACC blade, enables a thicker coverage of
adhesive 40
transferred to the housing 20, In at least one embodiment according to the
present disclosure, the
blades 311a and 311b may be DACC blades.
[0077] Because the chambered doctor blade assembly 310 enables a closed system
for
dispensing and metering the adhesive 40 onto the transfer roller 320, some of
the dispense and
recirculation components of adhesive application apparatus 100 that enable the
reuse of excess
adhesive 40 may not be required in the adhesive application apparatus 300. For
instance, the
adhesive application apparatus 300 may not include dams, filter screens, or a
trough. However,
as shown in FIG. 20, the adhesive application apparatus 300 may include a
supply line 357
fluidly connected to a pump 356 at one end and the inlet 355 at the opposite
end. The adhesive
application apparatus 300 may further include recirculation line 354 fluidly
connected to the
pump 356 at one end and the outlet 353 at the opposite end. The pump 356 may
be substantially
similar to the pump 156. Additionally, as a closed system the chambered doctor
blade assembly
310 minimizes induced shear in the adhesive 40 and, thereby, potential waste
from
agglomeration.
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[0078] The adhesive application apparatus 300 may further differ from the
adhesive application
apparatus 100 with respect to transfer roller 320. The use of the chambered
doctor blade
assembly 310 is further enabled by the transfer roller 320, which may be
commonly referred to
as an anilox roller. For clarity FIG, 21 depicts the transfer roller 320
separated at a distance from
the die roller 330; however, in at least one embodiment the transfer roller
320 may contact the
die roller 330. As shown in FIG. 21, the transfer roller 320 may include a
surface 324 having a
plurality of small cells 322 engraved therein. The cells 322 may be similar in
structure to the
cells 122 of the transfer roller 120 except that the internal volume 323 of
each of the cells 322 is
larger than the volumes of the cells 122. In an exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure,
the transfer roller 320 has cell volumes 323 of 30-50 BCM, and typically 40
BCM at a line
screen density of 50-100 LPI and typically 60 LPI. However, one skilled in the
art having the
benefit of this disclosure may recognize that other combinations of cell
volume and line screen
density may perform equally well in the adhesive application apparatus 300.
Alternatively, the
transfer roller 320 need not include the cells 322 and may instead transfer
the adhesive 40 to the
printing die 332 directly from the surface 324.
[0079] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the adhesive 40
may be applied to
the interior surface 25 of the housing 20 using the adhesive application
apparatus 100 by an
adhesive application method 700. As shown in FIG. 17, the adhesive application
method 700
includes a step 710 of delivering the adhesive 40 to the nip 158 between the
rotating metering
roller 110 and the adjacent rotating transfer roller 120, the transfer roller
120 having a pattern of
cells 122 engraved into the transfer roller surface 124, the cells 122 being
capable of accepting a
quantity of the adhesive 40 from the nip 158. The adhesive application method
700 further
includes the step 720 of rotating the transfer roller 120 whereby the cells
122 contact the printing
die 132 mounted to the rotating die roller 130 positioned adjacent the
transfer roller 120,
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whereby further at least a portion of the quantity of the adhesive 40 is
transferred from the cells
122 to the printing die 132. Moreover, the adhesive application method 700
includes the step
730 of feeding the housing 20 between the die roller 130 and the adjacent
impression roller 140,
wherein housing 20 includes interior surface 25, opposing exterior surface 23,
top portion 27,
bottom portion 29, top adhesive region 42, bottom adhesive region 43, and is
capable of a folded
configuration whereby the interior surfaces 25 of top portion 27 and bottom
portion 29 at least
partially contact each other, and wherein the die roller 130 and the
impression roller 140 are
capable of supporting the exterior surface 23 of housing 20. Furthermore, the
adhesive
application method 700 includes the step 740 of rotating the die roller 130
whereby the printing
die 132 contacts top adhesive region 42 and bottom adhesive region 43 and
thereby transfers the
portion of adhesive 40 from the printing die 132 to top adhesive region 42 and
bottom adhesive
region 43 as housing 20 advances between the die roller 130 and the impression
roller 140. The
adhesive application method 700 further includes the step 750 of rapidly
drying the adhesive 40
on housing 20, such that the dried adhesive 40 lacks tackiness and is only
cohesive to itself when
compressed with a pressure of between approximately 50-1,000 psi and typically
approximately
500 psi or less. Alternatively, the transfer roller 120 need not include the
cells 122 and may
instead transfer the adhesive 40 to the printing die 132 directly from the
surface 124.
[0080] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the adhesive 40
may be applied to
the interior surface 25 of the housing 20 using the adhesive application
apparatus 300 by an
adhesive application method 800. As shown FIG, 22, the adhesive application
method SOO
includes a step 810 of delivering the adhesive 40 to the nip volume 312 within
the chambered
doctor blade assembly 310 to form a nip 358 therein, which thereby transfers a
quantity of the
adhesive 40 to the adjacent rotating transfer roller 320, the transfer roller
320 having a pattern of
cells 322 engraved into the transfer roller surface 324, the cells 322 being
capable of accepting
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the quantity of the adhesive 40 from the nip 358. The adhesive application
method 800 further
includes the step 820 of rotating the transfer roller 320 whereby the cells
322 contact the printing
die 332 mounted to the rotating die roller 330 positioned adjacent the
transfer roller 320,
whereby further at least a portion of the quantity of the adhesive 40 is
transferred from the cells
322 to the printing die 332. Moreover, the adhesive application method 800
includes the step
830 of feeding the housing 20 between the die roller 330 and the adjacent
impression roller 340,
wherein housing 20 includes interior surface 25, opposing exterior surface 23,
top portion 27,
bottom portion 29, top adhesive region 42, bottom adhesive region 43, and is
capable of a folded
configuration whereby the interior surfaces 25 of top portion 27 and bottom
portion 29 at least
partially contact each other, and wherein the die roller 330 and the
impression roller 340 are
capable of supporting the exterior surface 23 of housing 20. Furthermore, the
adhesive
application method 800 includes the step 840 of rotating the die roller 330
whereby the printing
die 332 contacts top adhesive region 42 and bottom adhesive region 43 and
thereby transfers the
portion of adhesive 40 from the printing die 332 to top adhesive region 42 and
bottom adhesive
region 43 as housing 20 advances between the die roller 130 and the impression
roller 340. The
adhesive application method 800 further includes the step 850 of rapidly
drying the adhesive 40
on housing 20, such that the dried adhesive 40 lacks tackiness and is only
cohesive to itself when
compressed with a pressure of between approximately 50-1,000 psi and typically
approximately
500 psi or less. Alternatively, the transfer roller 320 need not include the
cells 322 and may
instead transfer the adhesive 40 to the printing die 332 directly from the
surface 324.
[0081] Once the adhesive 40 has been applied and dried on the housing 20, the
housing 20 may
be combined with the tray 30 and the product to be packaged to form the
container 10, as shown
in FIG. 1. Specifically, a tray 30 may be place within the opening 36 in
housing 20.
Subsequently, the housing 20 may be folded into the folded configuration and
sealed. Because
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,
of the unique formulation of the adhesive 40, the process for sealing the top
portion 27 to the
bottom portion 29 of the housing 20 requires that pressure be applied to the
top and bottom
portions 27, 29 to initiate an adequate bond within the adhesive 40. In at
least one embodiment
of the present disclosure, to produce a satisfactory cohesive bond between two
surfaces coated
with the cold seal adhesive 40, a sealing pressure within the range of 50-1000
psi, and typically
within the range of 250-500 psi, must be applied to the surfaces to be sealed.
A satisfactory
cohesive bond between two fibrous substrate surfaces coated with the cold seal
adhesive 40 may
be quantified using a 2 in. wide bonded sections subjected to a 180 -peel test
at a rate of 20
inches per minute. Under such conditions, a satisfactory bond may require 10-
15 pounds-force
(lbf) to separate the two substrates and result in greater than 50% substrate
failure (known as
"fiber tear"). The cold seal adhesive 40 tested under such conditions
typically requires 10-12 lbf
and typically yields 100% fiber tear.
[0082] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing 20
produced by the
adhesive application method 700, the adhesive application method 800, or other
suitable methods
may be sealed in the folded configuration by a cold seal compressor method 900
to meet the
specific sealing requirements of the adhesive 40. As shown in FIG. 18, the
cold seal compressor
method 900 includes the step 910 of folding a housing 20 having an adhesive 40
applied thereon
into the folded configuration, where the folded configuration includes at
least partial contact
between the interior surfaces 25 of the top portion 27 and bottom portion 29
at least partially
coated with the adhesive 40. The cold seal compressor method 900 further
includes the step 920
of applying a sealing pressure within the range of 50-1000 psi, and typically
within the range of
250-500 psi, to the exterior surface 23 of the housing 20 opposite the top
adhesive region 42 and
bottom adhesive region 43 when the housing 20 is in the folded configuration,
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100831 Another benefit of using the cold seal compressor method 900 described
herein, which
may use a pressure-sensitive cohesive adhesive 40 for which no thermal energy
(i.e., heat) is
required or involved in any way, is that during manufacturing the materials
may be less crushed
when being sealed and bonded together. Conventional manufacturing of packaging
describes a
method of sealing that uses a platen system that applies significant vertical
pressure (e.g., 25 tons
in some instances) to the package as it cycles through the machine. For
example, conventional
packaging that uses a heat sensitive adhesive material may require that a
display pack to be
crushed more than approximately 50% of the original thickness to reduce the
thermal resistance
of the packaging and thus facilitate activation of the heat sensitive
adhesive. Applying the same
or similar measuring technique as conventional packaging uses, the cold seal
compressor
methods disclosed herein produce a lesser degree of crushing. Accordingly,
when measuring the
thickness of the display pack, before and after applying the cold seal
compressor methods
disclosed herein, the portion of the display pack or container to which
sealing pressure is applied
may be substantially more than 50% of the original thickness. For example,
embodiments
produced as described herein have sealed portions that were about 65-70% of
the original
thickness.
[0084] Another type of conventional manufacturing of packaging describes using
heated rollers
to form a seal. A third type of conventional manufacturing of packaging
describes using a roller
mechanism with a 90-degree "kick" to enable all four perimeter edges of the
rectangular pack to
be sealed. Embodiments of the manufacturing systems and methods described
herein may
employ the same or similar equipment that, for example, uses rollers to seal
the cold-seal
adhesive package and/or utilizes a 90-degree "kick" method to seal all four
perimeter sides of the
package. Embodiments described herein have been tested using the herein
disclosed cold seal
cohesive coated cards, housings, or tray portions on platen-style machines and
have experienced
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positive results with far less than 25 tons of pressure being applied and
without the application of
heat.
[0085] Another difference between the embodiments disclosed herein and the
conventional
manufacturing of packaging is that the embodiments described herein that use
cohesive
application methods described herein may be applied to a greater variety and
range of different
types of materials than conventional methods allow. For example, embodiments
described
herein may use cohesive adhesive on chip/SBS and corrugated combinations, as
well as other
substrates to form hybrid/combination packages, that do not allow crushing to
approximately
50% or more of the original thickness.
[0086] The seal pressure to be applied in the cold seal compressor method 900
may be provided
by any suitable apparatus. In at least one embodiment of the present
disclosure, the seal pressure
may be applied by vertically reciprocating platen that contacts the housing 20
opposite the
adhesive regions 42, 43, 44, 45 only and not in the regions not coated with
adhesive 40.
Alternatively, the seal pressure may be applied by sets of rollers that pinch
the housing 20
therebetween. Such rollers may be mounted to an adjustable platen that enables
controlled
adjustment of the sealing pressure. Further, the seal pressure may be applied
by a rotary platen
machine, such as the type manufactured by StarviewTm. Regardless of the
equipment used to
apply the sealing pressure to the housing 20, the adhesive 40 requires about a
2-second weld time
to affect an adequate seal. By comparison, conventional manufacturing methods
using heat
sensitive adhesive materials may require 4-7 seconds to effect a seal.
Further, regardless of the
equipment used in the cold seal compressor method 900, the container 10 may be
sealed without
noticeable crushing of the housing 20.
[0087] Figure 11 shows a cold seal compressor 600 according to the present
disclosure for use
with the cold seal compressor method 900 to meet the specific sealing
requirements of the
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adhesive 40. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cold seal compressor 600
includes a bed 610
upon which are mounted a plurality of sealing roller pairs 630, 632, 634, 636,
638 that are
mechanically connected to a drive spline 622 that is further mechanically
coupled to a drive
motor 620, whereby the drive motor 620 powers rotation of the drive spline
622. As shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12, the cold seal compressor 600 may include a first sealing
roller pair 630, a
second sealing roller pair 632, a third sealing roller pair 634, and a fourth
sealing roller pair 636.
Optionally, the cold seal compressor 600 may include a side sealing roller
pair 638 capable of
sealing one edge of the housing 20 with each pass. Each sealing roller pair
may be capable of
applying a sealing pressure between 50 and 40,000 psi.
[0088] As shown in FIG. 13, each sealing roller pair may include an upper
sealing roller 640 and
an opposing lower sealing roller 641. Each upper sealing roller 640 may be
rotatably mounted
on an upper roller shaft 644 that is supported by an upper bearing 648
disposed adjacent the
upper sealing roller 640. The upper roller shaft 644 is driven by an upper
gear 624 disposed on
the upper roller shaft 644 adjacent the upper bearing 648. Each lower sealing
roller 641 may be
disposed adjacent the upper sealing roller 640 and may be rotatably mounted on
a lower roller
shaft 645 that is supported by a lower bearing 649 disposed adjacent the lower
sealing roller 641,
whereby the lower roller shaft 645 is driven by a lower gear 625 disposed
adjacent the lower
bearing 649 on the lower roller shaft 645. The upper sealing roller 640 and
the lower sealing
roller 641 contact each other at a pinch point 462. Each upper gear 624 is
mechanically coupled
to each corresponding lower gear 625, which is in turn mechanically coupled to
the drive spline
622. Alternatively, each of the upper and lower gears 624, 625 may include
additional gears
disposed adjacent one another to improve torque conversion and minimize
slippage between the
upper and lower gears 624, 625 and the drive spline 622. In addition, as shown
in FIG. 11, each
sealing roller pair may be covered by a guard 650 to prevent an operator from
inserting a finger,
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clothing, or other item between the rotating sealing rollers or gears, thereby
preventing personal
injury.
[0089] In operation, when the housing 20 is fed in the folded configuration
between the upper
sealing roller 640 and the lower sealing roller 641, each sealing roller pair
is capable of applying
sufficient pressure to the housing 20 to activate the adhesive 40 applied to
the interior surface 25
and permanently seal the top and bottom portions 27, 29 of the housing 20 to
one another. For
example, each sealing roller pair may produce between 50 and 40,000 psi of
sealing pressure at a
pinch point 642 where the upper sealing roller 640 and the lower sealing
roller 641 contact one
another. The sealing force produced by each sealing roller pair may be
adjustable to
accommodate process variations, including the thickness of the housing 20, the
thickness of the
adhesive 40, ambient environmental conditions that affect the pressure
sensitivity of the adhesive
40 such as temperature and humidity, and other applicable process parameters.
[0090] The cold seal compressor 600 provides a number of advantages over
conventional
packaging sealing machines. For example, the use of separate upper and lower
roller shafts 644,
645 for each sealing roller pair 630, 632, 634, 636, 638 and of a remote drive
spline 622 enables
sealing of large containers 10 with product volumes 38 that project a
significant depth from the
plane of the housing 20, unlike conventional sealing machines that are limited
by the radial
dimension of the sealing rollers 640, 641. Moreover, the use of separate upper
and lower roller
shafts 644, 645 and corresponding bearings 648, 649 disposed in close
proximity to each sealing
roller 640, 641 enables each sealing roller pair 630, 632, 634, 636, 638 to
apply the same amount
of sealing force to the housing 20, unlike conventional sealing machines where
the use of a
common shaft for all rollers allows the common shaft to deflect over the
distance between
sealing roller pairs, thereby reducing to seal force applied.
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[0091] The cold seal compressor 600 may be capable of sealing at least two
edges of the housing
20 in one pass. As shown in FIG. 11, the first and second sealing roller pair
630, 632 may be
positioned on the same plane and separated by a distance less than the width
between the first
and second side edges 26, 28 of the housing 20. Likewise, the third and fourth
sealing roller pair
634, 636 may be positioned on a plane and separated by a distance less than
the width between
the leading and trailing edges 22, 24 of the housing 20. Further, the first
and second sealing
roller pair 630, 632 define a first sealing roller set 631, and the third and
fourth sealing roller pair
634, 636 define a second sealing roller set 639. To facilitate alignment of
the housing 20 as it is
fed into each of the first and second sealing roller sets 631, 639, one or
more housing guides 614
may be mounted on the bed 610 on the same plane as the pinch point 642.
[0092] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the distance
between each set of
roller pairs (i.e., first and second 630, 632; and third and fourth 634, 636)
may be adjustable. As
shown in FIG, 11, the second sealing roller pair 632 and associated housing
guide 614 may be
mounted to a first sliding table 633, which is slidably mounted to the bed
610. Similarly, the
third sealing roller pair 634 and associated housing guide 614 may be mounted
to a second
sliding table 635, which is slidably mounted to the bed 610. Each of the
sliding tables 633, 635
are capable of movement along the drive spline 622, whereby the lower gears
625 associated
with each sealing roller pair 623, 634 maintain the mechanical coupling with
the drive spline 622
and also remaining in alignment with the first and fourth sealing roller pair
630, 638,
respectively. Further, the sliding tables 633, 635 may be held in a desired
location along the
drive spline 622 by one or more table locks 612. Accordingly, the sliding
tables 633, 635 enable
variable positioning of the second and third sealing roller pair 632, 634,
which in turn enables the
cold seal compressor 600 to seal housings 20 of varying widths with a quick
and easy adjustment
of the location of the sliding tables 633, 635.
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100931 In an operation to seal a housing 20 using the cold seal compressor
600, the housing 20
may be fed through the first sealing roller set 631 by any appropriate means
and then manually
rotated and fed by an operator into the second sealing roller set 639.
Alternatively, the housing
20 may be sealed using a cold seat compressor 601, as shown in FIG. 14. The
cold seal
compressor 601 is substantially similar to the cold seal compressor 600 but
differs in the
orientation of the second sealing roller set 639 and in the means of transport
of the housing 20
from the first sealing roller set 631 to the second sealing roller set 639. As
shown in FIG. 14, the
cold seal compressor 601 may include a first sealing roller set 631 and a the
second sealing roller
set 639 mounted on the same plane to a bed 618 and oriented at a right angle
to one another.
Consequently, the first sealing roller set 631 may include a drive motor 620a
mechanically
coupled a drive spline 622a as described herein relative to the cold seal
compressor 600.
Likewise, the second sealing roller set 639 may include a separate drive motor
620b
mechanically coupled a drive spline 622b as described herein relative to the
cold seal compressor
600.
[0094] The cold seal compressor 601 may further include a transfer arm 616
slidably mounted to
a transfer guide 618 disposed between the first and second sealing roller sets
631, 639. The
transfer arm 616 conveys and feeds the housing 20 into the second roller set
639 after the
housing 20 passes through the first roller set 631. In operation, as shown in
FIG. 14, the housing
20 may be fed by any appropriate means into the first roller set 631 in the
direction of arrow A.
Upon exiting the first roller set 631, the housing 20 may come to rest
adjacent housing guide
614b. The transfer arm 616 may then advance in the direction of arrow B along
the transfer
guide 618, thereby conveying and feeding the housing 20 into the second roller
set 639, which is
capable of sealing the remaining unsealed edges of the housing 20.
Consequently, the cold seal
compressor 601 is capable of sealing the housing 20 with less manual handling
by an operator.
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[0095] Figures 15 and 16 show an alternative cold seal compressor 602 of the
present disclosure.
The cold seal compressor 602 includes an upper sealing drum 660 in contact
with a lower sealing
drum 661, both capable of rotation about their respective axial axes. The cold
seal compressor
602 may further include a upper drum gear 661 disposed adjacent the upper
sealing drum 660
and a lower dnun gear 663 disposed adjacent the lower sealing drum 662,
whereby the upper and
lower drum gears 661, 663 are mechanically coupled to one another. The cold
seal compressor
602 may further include a drive motor 620 mechanically coupled to a drum drive
gear 622,
which in turn is mechanically coupled to the upper and lower drum gears 661,
663.
[0096] As shown in FIG. 16, the upper sealing drum 660 may include an upper
drum opening
670 through an outer shell 672 sized to accept the product volume portion 38
of a container 10.
Likewise, the lower sealing dram 661 may include a lower drum opening 671
through an outer
shell 673 sized to accept the product volume portion 38 of a container 10. The
cold seal
compressor 602 is capable of scaling a housing 20 by applying suffice
compressive force to
exterior surface 23 to activate the cohesive properties of adhesive 40. Unlike
the sealing rollers
of the cold seal compressor 600 and cold seal compressor 601, which arc
intended to apply
significant sealing force across the relatively narrow perimeter area of the
housing 20, the upper
and lower sealing drums 660, 662 of the cold seal compressor 602 are capable
of applying
significant sealing force across the entire exterior surface 23 of the housing
20. For example,
where the housing 20 includes both perimeter adhesive regions 42, 43 and
product adhesive
regions 44, 45 as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower drum openings 670, 671
may
substantially mimic the flange perimeter 35 of the tray 30, thereby applying
sealing pressure to
all adhesive regions 42, 43, 44, and 45.
[0097] Alternatively, the upper and lower drum openings 670, 671 may include a
relief pattern
capable of contacting predetermined areas across the exterior surface 23. For
example, where
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the housing 20 includes both perimeter adhesive regions 42, 43 and product
adhesive regions 44,
45 as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower drum openings 670, 671 may include
areas between
the regions 42, 43, 44, 45 that do not contact the exterior surface 25 because
sealing force is not
required in those areas without applied adhesive 40.
[0098] While various embodiments of a cold seal adhesive, product packaging
containers, and
adhesive application methods for making the same have been described in
considerable detail
herein, the embodiments are merely offered by way of non-limiting examples of
the disclosure
described herein. It will therefore be understood that various changes and
modifications may be
made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof, without
departing from the scope
of the disclosure and are intended to encompass any later appended claims.
Indeed, this
disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the
disclosure.
[0099] Further, in describing representative embodiments, the disclosure may
have presented a
method and/or process as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the
extent that the method
or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein,
the method or process
should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. Other
sequences of steps
may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps disclosed herein
should not be
construed as limitations of the present disclosure. In addition, disclosure
directed to a method
and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the
order written. Such
sequences may be varied and still remain within the scope of the present
disclosure.
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