Non-structural decorative strip made of stretchable fine paper for surrounding and labelling objects

Abstract

The present invention relates to a non-structural decorative strip made of stretchable fine paper, for surrounding and labelling objects. The invention is mainly made up of a cylindrical paper strip with a plastic tape that connects two of its opposite ends. The plastic tape has heat-shrinkable properties, such that, after introducing an object with a substantially smaller perimeter into the sleeve or strip, when heat is applied around the strip, the plastic material shrinks, thereby tightening the strip, which ultimately clings to the object in question. The strip may be made of fine paper, with biopolymers added to the cellulose in order to dispense with the plastic tape, among other reasons, and have heat-shrinkable and thermoformable properties without the need to include the plastic tape and to be able to surround objects having an irregular perimeter.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] NON-STRUCTURAL DECORATIVE STRAP MADE OF TENSIONABLE THIN PAPER

[0003] TO SURROUND AND LABEL OBJECTS

[0004] TECHNICAL SECTOR

[0005] The present invention relates to a band of those used to surround and decorate objects such as, for example, prismatic containers, commonly cylindrical, with printed elements, graphics and legends, which define their content, replacing labels printed or glued directly to the body, as well as a band, as a wrapper, to join two or more objects.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an ecological product, manufactured with compostable, disposable and non-polluting materials.

[0007] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is well known that products packaged in cardboard, glass, or plastic containers generally bear the specifications of their contents on the outside, and this is commonly screen-printed or adhesive-backed. Systems for grouping multiple products using tape, usually plastic and almost always adhesive, are also well-known for packaging multiple products, for example, four by four or six by six, such as bottles of water, soft drinks, beer, etc.

[0009] There is also a system similar to the one in our invention, which consists of a pre-printed plastic sleeve with a diameter substantially larger than that of the container it surrounds. This allows the heat-shrinkable plastic material to adhere to the container once the heat is applied. This system, as the plastic material is non-recyclable, has recently seen a decline in use precisely because it is a non-degradable or non-compostable pollutant.

[0010] There are also different plastic material sleeves that cooperate in the structure of the container, such as those mentioned in patent JPH0858756 from 1994, which although it foresees the stretching of a paper / cardboard strip by means of a plastic tape, it is to give structural solidity to the container, this patent says: "where the periphery of the body is reinforced by the structure of the sleeve in question", it is therefore not a decorative or advertising band of little thickness.

[0011] There are also precedents, such as those composed of the different layers of materials used to manufacture containers commercially known as "tetrabrik" or similar. None of them are composed of a "thin, decorative band" for use after the object's manufacture, and the strength of its structure does not depend on its random and non-mandatory incorporation into the object's manufacture. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The recommended band consists of a wrapper made of thin paper, of very low thickness or grammage, therefore non-structural, flexible, tensile, and a small part, or tape, of heat-shrinkable plastic material.

[0013] The paper may have been pre-printed by any process with drawings, graphics, and / or details of the content of the object and / or a specific advertising promotion.

[0014] The main characteristic of the invention is that the band or sheath has a perimeter substantially larger than that of the object, or group of objects, which facilitates its introduction, such that after contouring, an enveloping heat is applied to the assembly so that the plastic tape shrinks and the paper tightens and adheres to it for its transport and offering, or to be eliminated, if applicable, at the time of its unitary use by the end user.

[0015] Paper can be manufactured with heat-shrinkable components, that is, from ecological plastics, "biopolymers", so in these cases heat-shrinkable plastic tape would not be necessary. The composition of this paper is made by mixing, together with cellulose, biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) in a proportion of 5% to 85%, and polyfunctional additives that make the biopolymer molecules interact and compatibilize with cellulose in a proportion of 3% to 25%. In turn, components can be added to give ductility to the paper, such as glycerin derivatives, such as glycerol. Also, in this case, the resulting paper is heat-shrinkable and at the same time thermoformable, so it can adapt to the contours of certain irregularly shaped bodies.

[0016] It is worth highlighting that one of the main advantages of the set is that it is ecological, since it can be expendable, compostable, or rather biodisposable, unlike the heat-shrinkable plastic bands mentioned above, since in the invention we use biopolymers such as those obtained from plant varieties, such as those known as PLA (polylactic acid).

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] To complement the description that follows and in order to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a drawing is attached as an integral part of said description, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0019] Figure 1.- Shows a plan view of a basic band before introducing it into an object according to the object of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2.- Shows a plan view of the band once shrink-wrapped.

[0021] Figure 3 shows a plan view of a band with an overlap. Figure 4 shows a plan view of the band with an overlap once it has been shrink-wrapped.

[0022] Figure 5.- Shows a plan view of an assembly made of paper with plastics and / or heat-shrinkable resins without plastic tape.

[0023] Figure 6.- Shows a plan view of an assembly made of paper with plastics and / or heat-shrinkable resins once shrink-wrapped.

[0024] Figure 7.- Shows a double band in a folded position.

[0025] Figure 8.- Shows a plan view of the previous band once the plastic tape has been shrink-wrapped.

[0026] Figure 9.- Shows a triple band in a folded position.

[0027] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0028] In view of figure 1, it can be seen how the band (1) is composed of a strip of thin paper, glued at two of its opposite ends (3) and (3') to a plastic tape (2), with heat shrinkable properties, forming a band to be introduced into the object to be enclosed. All this is done to facilitate the introduction of the object into the band, whose perimeter is substantially larger than that of the container or object, so that when shrinking the band by exposing it to an appropriate heat source, the band decreases in diameter, tightening and permanently adhering to the object, without the need to incorporate any adhesive inside.

[0029] In figure 2 it can be seen that the band (1) has been shrink-wrapped, decreasing the size of the plastic tape (2) until it fits around an object, in this case a cylindrical one.

[0030] Figure 3 shows a band (1') with the tape welded to one end of the band and a space before the end of the other end of the band, motivating a small tab (4), which will cover the plastic tape once the heat is applied to shrink it. This tab could have an adhesive to adhere over the hidden plastic tape.

[0031] Figure 4 shows the assembly with the flap (4) covering the already shrink-wrapped plastic band (2), thus obtaining an aesthetic where only the paper is visible.

[0032] Figure 5 shows a plan view of a band without plastic tape, because it is made of paper manufactured by mixing cellulose with heat-shrinkable biopolymers (6). In the following figure 6, the same paper band can be seen once shrink-wrapped (6').

[0033] They can also be double or triple bands, as shown in the following figures, such as in figure 7, which shows a double band so that the paper (1”) at both ends is closed with a tape (2'), which in turn this tape (2') is fixed in the intermediate part of the paper band, showing two cavities.

[0034] In the following figure 8, the two cavities can be better seen once the objects to be surrounded have been introduced once the heat-shrinkable plastic has been shrink-wrapped.

[0035] Figure 9 shows that there are two paper bands, (1”) and (7), joined to the ends of the paper bands and intermediate parts (8) and (8'), in this way several cavities can be incorporated as required.

[0036] It's worth noting that the strap can also be used to bundle multiple items at once, such as a traditional six-pack of canned drinks.

[0037] We would like to expressly emphasize that the band is not intended to provide structural support for the unit it is attached to, but rather to distinguish the product as a commercial label or to join two or more containers together.

[0038] We also want to highlight that the case in question does not necessarily have any type of adhesive on its inside, as it is pressure-adhered to the object(s).

[0039] One of the set's many uses is for certain advertising campaigns, mentioning offers on original labels, or where a product is accompanied by another by-product as a gift, for example.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 a .- Decorative non-structural band of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, characterized in that it includes a band of thin paper adhered at two of its opposite ends to a tape of heat-shrinkable plastic material, forming a cylinder. 2 a .- Non-structural decorative band made of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, according to claim 1 a , characterized because both the paper and the plastic tape are made of compostable and non-polluting material. 3 a .- Non-structural decorative band made of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, according to claim 1 a, characterized in that the plastic material tape is glued before one end of the paper band, leaving a final section of the sleeve to overlap the assembly, which section has an internal adhesive to join the flap to the shrink-wrapped plastic tape. 4 a .- Decorative non-structural band of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, according to previous claims, characterized in that in the manufacture of the paper, together with the cellulose, a biopolymer with heat-shrink properties is added in a proportion of 5% to 85%, and a polyfunctional additive that makes the molecules of the biopolymers interact and make compatible with the cellulose, in a proportion of 3% to 25%. 5 a .- Non-structural decorative band made of stretchable fine paper for surrounding and labeling objects, according to the previous claim, characterized in that apart from the multifunctional additive, additives are incorporated to give ductility to the paper, such as glycerin derivatives. a .- Non-structural decorative band of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, characterized, according to previous claims, because the paper has heat-shrinkable and thermo-formable characteristics. 7 a .- Decorative non-structural band made of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, according to previous claims, characterized in that it is composed of two or more cavities, with their corresponding tapes, to introduce two or more containers inside each of them. 8 a .- Non-structural decorative band made of stretchable thin paper to surround and label objects, according to previous claims, characterized in that its purpose is purely advertising.

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