Flag Label

Abstract

A flag label for attachment around an elongated object has a pair of oppositely facing surfaces, the pair of surfaces being surrounded by a peripheral edge. One of the pair of surfaces is divided into two unequal portions by a line. The unequal portions include an adhesive-coated portion where adhesive is applied and an uncoated portion where adhesive is not applied. The uncoated portion may have a larger surface area than the adhesive-coated portion, which can ensure that when folded over one another, there is little or no chance that adhesive will remain exposed around the periphery of the joint due to imperfect alignment of the edges of the two contacting portions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] <Cross - Reference to Related Applications> This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 035,348, titled "Flag Label," filed on June 5, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] <Statement Regarding Federally Sponsored Research> Not applicable.

Background Art

[0003] This application relates to flag labels that can be wrapped around thin objects.

[0004] Labels are ubiquitous and are frequently used to mark an object or provide an indication when it is difficult to directly mark or print on the object. Since labels are typically designed for attachment to an object, it is well known in the art to use an adhesive to attach the label to the object. Typically, such adhesive labels are attached on a liner or sheet for covering the adhesive before attachment. Even when the label is attached to the liner or sheet, the user can print on the label using machine printing or write on the label by hand. After printing, the label can be removed from the liner and adhesively fixed to the object.

[0005] Because labels have many potential use cases, there are various types of label designs and application methods. Perhaps in the simplest use case, in many cases, the label is attached so that one adhesive side of the label is completely adhered to the object, leaving the printable area on the opposite side visible. However, alternative designs exist. For example, for thin objects such as electrical wires, the flag label type design is known to be used. In a flag label, the center of the label is roughly aligned with the thin object, and the two sides are closed like a book or clamshell, with the wire or thin object sandwiched between the two sides near the original center of the label. This forms a "flag" with the folded portion protruding from the object, and the flag has the advantage of providing a larger surface area for printing, and the flag may be more visible to the observer due to the increased surface area and projected area. [Overview of the project]

[0006] However, these flag labels are not without their problems. For example, manually folding and overlapping rectangular strips around a thin object is quite cumbersome. Furthermore, if the attached parts become misaligned, it can be frustrating, because at that point, the two divided parts are already joined with adhesive and cannot be easily separated without damaging the quality of the adhesive or the label. In fact, automated machines have been developed to more reliably and consistently apply these flag labels to thin objects, but these machines are inherently complex and designed for mass production.

[0007] The problem arising from this difficulty in attaching flag labels is that if done improperly and the edges are misaligned, the adhesive surface of the label may spill out from the edges of the attached area. These exposed adhesive areas can collect dust and debris on top of them, or worse, scatter the adhesive around, which can then collect dust and debris. Thus, exposed adhesive can cause problems with the flag. This also creates the possibility of the label sticking to nearby objects. In addition to all these concerns about adhesive exposure, such misaligned flag labels can give the product with the flag label a sloppy and unprofessional impression when seen by others.

[0008] Disclosed herein is an improved flag label design that avoids the possibility of exposed adhesive edges inherent in conventional flag labels. This improved flag label has an elegant design in which the surface of the flag label is divided into two parts: a non-adhesive coated portion and an adhesive coated portion. The surface area of ​​the adhesive coated portion is intentionally smaller than that of the non-adhesive coated portion, and when folded, there is no need to align the periphery, as the entire periphery of the adhesive coated portion fits within the periphery of the non-adhesive coated portion. This design eliminates the need to align edges that may shift from one another. In other words, there is an designed offset between the periphery of the two portions, and a portion of the non-adhesive coated portion remains exposed on the side that contacts the adhesive coated portion, while there is no portion of the adhesive coated portion that can easily shift and extend beyond the periphery of the non-adhesive coated portion.

[0009] In one embodiment, a flag label is provided for attachment around an elongated object. The flag label comprises a pair of faces facing opposite directions, and the pair of faces is surrounded by a periphery. One of the pair of faces is divided into two unequal portions by a line. The unequal portion includes an adhesive-coated portion where adhesive is applied and a non-adhesive-coated portion where the adhesive is not exposed. In one embodiment, the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion may be larger than that of the adhesive-coated portion.

[0010] In one embodiment, the width of the adhesive-coated portion of the flag label, measured in a direction parallel to the two dividing lines, may decrease as it moves away from the two dividing lines.

[0011] In one embodiment, when the flag label is folded along the two dividing lines and the adhesive portion is brought into contact with the non-adhesive portion, at least a portion of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive portion that is in contact with the adhesive portion remains exposed and is not covered by the adhesive portion. In this embodiment, the periphery of the adhesive portion may be offset inward relative to the periphery of the non-adhesive portion, so that a portion of the non-adhesive portion remains exposed.

[0012] In one embodiment, the surface area of ​​the adhesive-coated portion may be 75% or less of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion.

[0013] In one embodiment, the flag label may include a substrate (such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) that supports an adhesive. The adhesive may cover the substrate over the entire surface of one of the pair of surfaces, and the adhesive may be neutralized by an ink coating applied to the adhesive in the non-adhesive application area. A peelable liner may cover the adhesive. The substrate may have a clear varnish or a printable primer on the surface of the substrate opposite to the surface of the substrate that supports the adhesive.

[0014] In one configuration, the non-adhesive application area may be substantially rectangular, and the width of the adhesive application area may decrease as it moves away from the dividing line.

[0015] In another embodiment, a media roll is provided comprising a liner on which a plurality of the flag labels described above are attached to each adhesive application area. In this configuration and form, one of the pair of surfaces, the one not supporting the adhesive, may be provided for printing, for example, using a printer.

[0016] In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for attaching a flag label of any one of the types described above to a thin object. The label is positioned such that one of the pair of faces, which are divided into two parts in the uneven portion, faces the thin object. A flag is created that protrudes from the thin object by sandwiching the thin object between the adhesive portion and the non-adhesive portion and bringing the adhesive portion into contact with the non-adhesive portion to fix the adhesive portion to the non-adhesive portion.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for attaching a flag label of any one of the types described above to a thin object. The adhesive portion, to which the adhesive is applied, is wrapped around the thin object and attached in a spiral manner so that only the non-adhesive portion, where the adhesive is not exposed, remains and protrudes from the thin object as a flag.

[0018] These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and drawings. The following is merely a description of some preferred embodiments of the present invention. Since these preferred embodiments are not intended to be the only embodiments of the claims, one should look to the claims in order to determine the full scope of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of the flag label separated from the liner and in a flat, unmounted state. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a front view of the flag label from Figure 1 after it has been wrapped around a wire or other elongated object. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view of the flag labels from Figures 1 and 2, wrapped around another elongated object, mounted in a slightly different manner than in Figure 2, such that the adhesive-coated portion is slightly offset from the upper edge of the non-adhesive-coated portion. [Figure 4]Figure 4 shows the layer structure of the labels in Figures 1-3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an exploded view of the media roll, where the spool is separated from the core around which the liner is wound, and the liner supports the multiple flag labels shown in Figure 1. The use of a liner allows printing to be done on the flag labels while they are still on the liner, and also allows the flag labels to be removed from the liner after printing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Referring to Figures 1-4, the flag label 10 is shown in both its initial undeployed and unattached state (in the front view of Figure 1 and the schematic layer diagram of Figure 4) and its deployed and attached state (in Figures 2 and 3). In the deployed and attached state, the flag label 10 is attached around a thin or elongated object 12, such as a wire or rod. For better understanding, it should be noted that the side view of Figure 3 does not show all the laminated layers, and the layer diagram of Figure 4 exaggerates the thickness of the layers for clarity. Figure 4 further includes a liner 14, which is not shown in Figures 1-3. The flag label 10 is removed from the liner before being attached to the elongated object 12.

[0021] The flag label 10 is a substantially thin, flat object that can be formed from multiple layers, as will be described in more detail below with respect to Figure 4. Because of its sheet-like shape, the flag label 10 includes a pair of faces 16 and 18 facing opposite directions, surrounded by a peripheral portion 20. Since Figure 1 is a front view, only face 16 is shown, and the other face 18 faces away from the plane being depicted. These faces 16 and 18 are arranged in the layer diagram of Figure 4 (as shown in Figure 4, the liner 14 initially covers face 16). This will be understood again, or more clearly shown in the folded state diagram of Figure 2, which shows parts of both faces 16 and 18.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 1, the surface 16 is divided into two unequal parts by a line 22 extending between two sides of the peripheral portion 20. These unequal parts include a non - adhesive coating portion 24 where the adhesive 28 is not exposed and an adhesive coating portion 26 where the adhesive 28 is applied. In the non - adhesive coating portion 24, it is not required that there be no adhesive 28 at all. It should be understood that the non - adhesive coating portion 24 may have the adhesive 28 in areas not exposed for adhesion. For example, as best shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive 28 in the non - adhesive coating portion 24 may be an inactivated adhesive, for example, by applying an ink coating 30 to a part of the underlying adhesive 28. This ink coating 30 may be white (or other colors) to create a contrast with the printing ink finally used for printing on the flag label 10.

[0023] Specifically, the non - adhesive coating portion 24 has a larger surface area than the adhesive coating portion 26. Thus, when the two parts 24 and 26 of the surface 16 are closed so as to contact each other (as schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), an exposed area 32 (best shown in FIG. 2) of the non - adhesive coating portion 24 that is not contacted or covered by the adhesive coating portion 26 of the surface 16 remains.

[0024] Based on the general understanding that the operating principle of this design is that the adhesive coating portion 26 is smaller in size than the non - adhesive coating portion 24, thereby preventing the possibility of adhesive exposure caused by misalignment of parts of the same size or coincidence of the peripheral portions, various geometric conditions can be described that can result in an acceptable form or shape of the flag label 10.

[0025] As a first example, the surface area of ​​the adhesive-coated portion 26 may be 75% or less of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion 24. This can provide a sufficient difference in surface area to create a margin at the edges, while also providing sufficient adhesive contact to maintain strong fixation of the flag label 10 after bonding. Furthermore, in various forms, the surface area of ​​the adhesive-coated portion 26 may be 80%, 66%, 60%, 50%, or 25% or less of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion 24, as these values ​​may be sufficient if the adhesive bond is strong enough and the substrate is not easily torn based on its shape and thickness.

[0026] Another example of an acceptable geometric condition is that at least a portion, more preferably all, of the periphery 20a of the adhesive-coated portion 26 is offset inward from the periphery 20b of the non-adhesive-coated portion 24, thereby preventing the adhesive 28 from being exposed after portions 24 and 26 are joined. In this case, "inward" may mean in the direction from the periphery toward the center point of line 22.

[0027] The relevant considerations arising from such an offset are as follows: At a specific location along line 22, the vertical distance from line 22 to the periphery 20a of the adhesive-coated area 26 is less than or equal to the vertical distance from line 22 to the periphery 20b of the non-adhesive-coated area 24. In the case of a complete offset, the former is always less than or equal to the latter. However, even if there is a small overlap between the peripheries 20a and 20b (e.g., less than 20% of the entire periphery 20), in some of these measured distances, the former will be less than or equal to the latter.

[0028] As mentioned above, when half is folded along line 22, if all or at least most of the peripheral portion 20a of the adhesive-coated portion 26 is offset inward from the peripheral portion 20b of the non-adhesive-coated portion 24, there is a designed gap to prevent possible edge misalignment. However, it is possible that very minimal edge alignment exists, as shown in Figure 2. It is considered possible. However, as shown in Figure 3, ideally a gap is created across the entire peripheral portion 20.

[0029] Furthermore, another geometric condition that yields the desired state is that the non-adhesive application area 24 is rectangular or square, and the adhesive application area 26 tapers towards its ends, resulting in an isosceles trapezoidal shape as shown. In such cases, the adhesive application area 26 does not need to be strictly isosceles trapezoidal. The adhesive application area 26 may take other forms, for example, such as the width of the adhesive application area 26 of the flag label 10, measured in a direction parallel to the bifurcation line 22, decreasing as it moves away from the bifurcation line 22.

[0030] It should be understood that these are merely some illustrative conditions (and often various forms that express essentially the same thing). Therefore, these conditions, their combinations, and other possible conditions to prevent misalignment of the edges where the adhesive is exposed can be readily adopted in the design of the flag label 10.

[0031] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the mounting method for the flag label 10 with the surface 16 folded back is shown. However, it should be understood that the flag label 10 can be mounted in different ways while providing similar non-exposed adhesive results. For example, the tip of the adhesive portion 26 of the flag label 10, furthest from the line 22, may be attached to the elongated object 22 first. With the tip attached, the adhesive portion 26 can be wrapped around the elongated object 22 and attached to itself, so that the adhesive 28 eventually comes into contact with the other surface 18 of the adhesive portion 26 and forms a spiral wrap around the elongated object 22. After wrapping sufficiently, it reaches the line 22, and the rest of the flag label 10 (i.e., the non-adhesive portion 24) protrudes as a flag and is not adhered to the surface 18. Again, this is not the primarily intended mounting use case, but the flag label 10 can also be mounted and used in this way. In the clamshell-type configuration, the difference in area between the adhesive-coated and non-adhesive-coated areas is important to prevent the adhesive from being exposed after folding, whereas in the spiral-type configuration, the attachment tail portion or adhesive-coated portion may be larger than the flag portion of the non-adhesive-coated area.

[0032] Specifically, Figure 4 provides a clearer description of the layer structure for the flag label 10. Here, it is more clearly shown that there is an underlying substrate 34 on which the adhesive 28 is supported. This substrate 34 may be a polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), as shown, or it may be made from a fibrous or paper-based layer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the substrate 34 may be made from any of a number of different materials. As shown, one side of the substrate 34 supports the adhesive 28, and the other side supports a clear varnish or printable primer 36 (for example, the primer may be made of polyester).

[0033] With respect to the adhesive 28, as shown in the figure, the entire surface 16 supports the adhesive 28, and the aforementioned ink coating 30 is applied to the portion of the adhesive 28 that should be neutralized to provide a non-adhesive application area 24. The adhesive application area 26 may be attached to the liner 14, and by peeling the adhesive application area 26 from the liner 14, the flag label 10 is removed from the liner 14, thereby exposing the adhesive 28 before use. It should be noted that the ink coating 30 does not actually adhere to the liner 14 and may even spring off from the liner 14. Therefore, the layer structure in Figure 4 is somewhat inaccurate in that it does not actually show that the adhesive 28 is in peelable contact with the liner 14.

[0034] On the side 18 of the flag label 10 opposite to the side of the substrate supporting the adhesive 28, clear A varnish or printable primer 36 can be applied to the substrate 34. This clear varnish or printable primer 36 can modify the surface properties of the substrate 34 to facilitate printing, such as thermal transfer printing or inkjet printing (any of the many types of machine printing using a printer or handwriting can be done on such surfaces and substrates, but if they are not yet suitable for such printing, the surface can be modified as appropriate by using varnish, primer, or other layers). It should be understood that even if the clear varnish or printable primer 36, substrate 34, and adhesive 28 are substantially transparent, a white or colored ink coating 30 used to neutralize the adhesive 28 may be used to provide contrast with the printing layer on the clear varnish or printable primer 36.

[0035] Referring to Figure 5, a media roll 38 is illustrated, with a liner 14 in the form of a continuous strip supporting multiple flag labels 10 along its length. For clarity, it should be understood that the flag labels in Figure 5 are shown with their faces 18 visible. Although they may look similar, this is the opposite orientation to the flag labels 10 in Figure 1. Here, one end of the liner 14 is attached to a core 40 (which may be, for example, a core of fibrous paper or cardboard), around which the liner 14 and flag labels 10 are wound. Although not shown, the liner 14 can be attached to the core 40 at one end using a short length of tape. This core 40 can be housed in a spindle 42 that is disassembled into two parts as shown, and the spindle 42 can be mounted in a printer or machine. The core 40 may be rotatable around the spindle 42 when the liner 14 and flag labels 10 are supplied from the media roll 38.

[0036] In particular, when the adhesive 28 is applied to the liner 14, the flag label 10 remains attached to the liner 14, while the clear varnish or printable primer 36 (or, more generally, the side 18 of the flag label 10 where the adhesive 28 is not applied) is printable. Because this is a continuous liner 14, the liner 14 can be fed into the printer with the flag label 10 attached, and the clear varnish or printable primer 36 (or, more generally, the side 18) can be printed on. After printing, the flag label 10 is peeled off the liner 14, exposing the adhesive 28. It will again be understood that the presence of the ink coating 30 provides a pull tab, allowing the non-adhesive-coated portion 24 to be lifted as a flap from the liner 14, thus enabling the flag label 10 to be easily peeled off the liner 14. After removal, the peeled-off flag label 10 can be attached around an elongated object in the manner described above.

[0037] Figure 5 shows a line of flag labels, but a person skilled in the art will readily understand that multiple flag labels may exist on multiple lines (for example, along the length of a liner, there may be two, three, or more labels at a particular point or line).

[0038] Furthermore, it should be noted that since the non-adhesive portion may spring up, it may make the most sense to insert the adhesive end of the flag label into the printer to minimize the possibility of jamming.

[0039] This improved flag label design will again be seen as an improvement over current state-of-the-art flag labels in that it allows for clamshell-type application without the need for meticulous alignment or matching of edges that could potentially expose the adhesive. Although one specific embodiment is shown, those skilled in the art will be able to modify the layer structure and / or the shape of the flag label without departing from the basic concepts disclosed herein. You will understand that this is possible. For example, you can achieve a similar effect by adding extra layers, removing layers, or modifying them (for example, the adhesive may be applied to only a portion of the surface to be folded, rather than the entire surface as shown in the illustration).

[0040] As described above, it should be understood that various other modifications and variations can be made to preferred embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described. To confirm the full scope of the present invention, the following claims should be referenced.

Claims

1. A flag label that is attached around an elongated object, The flag label has a pair of faces that face opposite each other, and the pair of faces are surrounded by a periphery. One of the pair of surfaces is divided into two uneven portions by a line. The uneven portion includes an adhesive-coated portion where adhesive is applied and a non-adhesive-coated portion where the adhesive is not exposed. The width of the adhesive-coated portion of the flag label, measured in a direction parallel to the two dividing lines, decreases as it moves away from the two dividing lines. The aforementioned flag label includes a substrate that supports the adhesive, The adhesive covers the substrate over the entire surface of one of the pair of surfaces. The ink coating is applied to the adhesive in the non-adhesive coated area, thereby neutralizing the adhesive. The adhesive and the substrate are both substantially transparent. The ink coating is white in order to create contrast with the printed layer of the flag label. A flag label characterized by the following features.

2. The flag label according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive coated portion is larger than that of the adhesive coated portion.

3. The flag label according to claim 2, characterized in that when the flag label is folded along the two dividing lines and the adhesive-coated portion is brought into contact with the non-adhesive-coated portion, at least a portion of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion that is in contact with the adhesive-coated portion remains exposed and is not covered by the adhesive-coated portion.

4. The flag label according to claim 3, characterized in that when the flag label is folded along the two dividing lines and the adhesive-coated portion is brought into contact with the non-adhesive-coated portion, the periphery of the adhesive-coated portion is offset inward relative to the periphery of the non-adhesive-coated portion, so that a portion of the non-adhesive-coated portion remains exposed.

5. The flag label according to claim 2, characterized in that the surface area of ​​the adhesive-coated portion is 75% or less of the surface area of ​​the non-adhesive-coated portion.

6. The flag label according to claim 1, characterized in that the flag label comprises a peelable liner covering the adhesive.

7. The flag label according to claim 1, characterized in that the base material is polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

8. The flag label according to claim 1, characterized in that the substrate is provided with a clear varnish or a printable primer on the surface of the substrate opposite to the surface of the substrate that supports the adhesive.

9. The non-adhesive coated area is roughly rectangular, The flag label according to claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive application portion narrows in width as it moves away from the two dividing lines.

10. A media roll comprising a liner on which a plurality of the flag labels described in claim 1 are attached to their respective adhesive application portions, A media roll characterized in that one of the pair of surfaces, which does not support the adhesive, is provided for printing.

11. A method for attaching the flag label described in claim 1 to a thin object, wherein the method is: The uneven portion is divided into two parts, and one of the pair of surfaces is positioned to face the thin object. By sandwiching the thin object between the adhesive-coated portion and the non-adhesive-coated portion, and bringing the adhesive-coated portion into contact with the non-adhesive-coated portion to fix it to the non-adhesive-coated portion, a flag protruding from the thin object is created. A method characterized by including the following.

12. A method for attaching the flag label described in claim 1 to a thin object, wherein the method is: The adhesive-coated portion is wrapped around the thin object and attached in a spiral shape on top of it, so that only the non-adhesive-coated portion, where the adhesive is not exposed, remains and protrudes from the thin object as a flag. A method characterized by including the following.

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