Abstract:
A form or printing product and method for fabricating same on label formation equipment. The form includes first and second layers of material adhesively secured together. The first layer includes a card or label and a surrounding region, wherein the top and bottom surfaces of the card or label are substantially co-planar with the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of the surrounding region. The second layer is adhered over the card or label and the surrounding region. By compressing the leading edge or trailing edge of the elevated second layer in tandem with the first layer, and thereby creating a small indentation, allows a sheet exiting a printer to bypass, travel over, or not come into contact with the second layer of the previously printed form resting in an output tray.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not Applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates in general to identification cards, labels and business forms, and, in particular, to such products as include certain cards and labels, and methods of fabrication of same suitable for use on or in conjunction with flexographic printing presses, offset printing presses and other printing devices, as well as on offline finishing equipment such as manufactured by Tamarack and Hunkler. 
     2. Background Art 
     Printing products with peel-off cards, labels and the like, generally referred to herein (without limitation) as business forms, have been available in the industry for a number of years. Certain business forms of this type are shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,555, issued Dec. 2, 2003, entitled INTEGRATED FORMS AND METHOD OF MAKING SUCH FORMS. This technology, prior to the present invention can cause a finished printed form exiting certain printing devices to engage a liner on the previously printed form as it rests in a paper tray, pushing the previously printed form from the tray onto the floor, or causing the second form to back-up and damage the form or jam the print device. Such occurrences can be particularly troublesome when printing forms in sequential numbered order. Where the printed forms are confined to a holding tray, backing up of the second printed form can also cause a label to pre-dispense from the form, resulting in the danger of live pressure sensitive adhesive in the toner fusion area of the print device which can result in expensive damage to the print device. 
     To illustrate the above-noted problems, prior forms of the subject type such as typically used in modern laser and inkjet printers, as well as in certain other printing devices, are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings as a first printed form  810 A and a second printed form  810 B. Individual forms of this type are provided as assemblies each comprising a sheet  812  of paper or card stock, or other layer of material typically suitable for printing on, with a front side  818  and a back side  820 , and a glassine or other suitable liner  842  adhered to the back side of the sheet, with a peel off label or card  814  (shown in dashed lines) established in the sheet. The liner does not cover the entire back side of the sheet, but rather covers a portion of the sheet including the card and a region  816  of the sheet surrounding the card. This results in a trailing edge  850  of the liner being exposed on the back side of the form after it has been ejected from the print device (not shown) and as it is resting on the paper holding tray  800  (indicated in dashed lines). Consequently, in print devices where forms exit (as indicated by arrow “A”) such that the leading edge  824  of the second printed form  810 B slides along the back side of the first form  810 A in the holding tray, the leading edge  824  of the second form  810 B can engage the trailing edge  850  of the liner  842  of the first form  810 A, pushing the first form out of the holding tray (as indicated by the dashed arrow “B” in  FIG. 2 ), and/or causing damage to the forms, as well as potentially causing damage to the print device, particularly when the tray includes a front lip or other arrangement that constrains movement of the forms and prevents the forms from sliding out the front of the tray. 
     Accordingly, an objective of the invention is to provide a business form of the above-described type, with a peel-off or otherwise (adhesively) removable card or label and liner, and an indentation established proximate the trailing edge of the liner across the width thereof to prevent the leading edge of a form exiting a printing device from engaging the trailing edge of the liner on the previously printed form as is rests in a holding tray. 
     Another objective of the invention is to provide a form of the subject type with the above-described indentation established proximate both top and bottom edges of the liner (across the widths thereof) to prevent a form exiting a printer from engaging the edge of the liner on a previously printed form independently of the orientation of the forms as they exit the printer. 
     Another objective of the invention is to provide a method for producing a form of the subject type with the above-described indentation established proximate the trailing edge of the liner. 
     Another objective of the invention is to provide a method for producing a form of the subject type with the above-described indentation established proximate both the top and bottom edges of the liner. 
     Another objective of the invention is to achieve the foregoing in a method suitable for use in conjunction with conventional printing and label formation equipment. 
     These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the description, claims and drawings hereof. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to business forms and similar products with labels, cards or similar members established within a printing sheet and removably secured (adhesively separable) to a liner sheet, such as forms being currently sold under the trademark INTEGRATED LABELS™ by the Integrated Labels Corporation, Rockford, Ill., and to methods for fabricating same on printing equipment, label forming equipment, and other equipment of the type typically involved in the manufacture or production of such non-printed and printed forms. 
     A form in accordance with the invention includes a first layer of material (e.g., a sheet of card stock or paper or thin plastic film) and a second layer of material (a liner) adhesively attached together. The sheet has a card or label or like member defined therein and a surrounding region that are overlaid by the liner, wherein the top and bottom surfaces of the card or label are substantially co-planar with the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of the surrounding region of the sheet. In carrying out the invention, the top and/or bottom edges of the elevated liner are compressed in tandem with the associated portion of the sheet, and a small indentation (to be identified in the market as a GLIDER STRIP™) is created along the length of the liner edge, and for a width (in the direction perpendicular to the edge of the liner) as convenient in the manufacture and/or use thereof. This indentation allows a form exiting from a print device to bypass, travel over, and not engage the trailing edge of the liner of the previously printed form as it is resting in a paper tray. By eliminating the small step or elevation of the trailing edge of the liner, the present invention will prevent forms in an output tray from being pushed onto the floor by a subsequently printed form, and where the lead sheet is confined in the output tray, the invention will prevent the next sheet from backing up and potentially causing a printer malfunction. Accordingly, the present invention eliminates previously discussed malfunctions such as that can cause a label to pre-dispense, causing live pressure sensitive adhesive in the toner fusion area, which can damage or destroy the print device. The invention will allow an operator to leave the print device unattended, knowing that the above-described problems have been eliminated. The invention also ensures that sequential printed documents will stay in order in the output tray. Thus, the invention reduces the incidence of printing malfunctions that interrupt workflow when printing prior forms of the subject type. The present invention is ideal for use with modern laser and inkjet printer, and is especially useful for those who work in critical areas such as the health care field or in pharmacies, who require business forms of the subject type with labels, cards or label/form combinations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a prior form resting in a holding tray (shown in dashed lines) of a print device, and a second form exiting the print device prior to contacting engagement with the form in the holding tray. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the forms shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a form incorporating the unique aspects of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged fragmentary side cross-sectional view of the form shown in  FIG. 4 , with the leading edge of a second form shown as exiting a print device. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged fragmentary side cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 4  of an alternate embodiment form in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged fragmentary side cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 4  of a second alternate embodiment form in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a method in accordance with the invention, and showing a compression wheel mounted on a rotary shaft positioned over the area of the liner of a form being compressed in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 7A  is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the form shown in  FIG. 7  after being compressed with the compression wheel. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating an alternate method in accordance with the invention, and showing a compression strip on a die cylinder for an alternate arrangement establishing alternate forms in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 8A  is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the form shown in  FIG. 8  after being compressed with the compression strip. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the rotary die cylinder equipped with compression strips shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a rotary cutting die equipped with alternate compression strips. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain preferred embodiments have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     For purposes of illustration, one embodiment form  10  in accordance with the invention is shown in  FIG. 3 , and an enlarged fragmentary side cross-sectional view of portions of two of these forms, identified with suffix letters A and B to the reference numeral  10 , (i.e., the forms are identified as  10 A and  10 B) for indicating first and second printed forms, respectively, is shown in  FIG. 4 . The form includes a sheet  12  with a label member  14  formed therein, and a border region  16  surrounding the label. The sheet is generally planar in construction, with a front surface  18 , an oppositely facing back surface  20 , a top edge  22 , a bottom edge  24 , and opposite side edges  26  and  28  to establish as generally rectangular form of the type particularly adapted for sheet feed printers such as modern laser and inkjet printers. The sheet is made from any convenient material, including but not limited to paper or card stock, or a thin plastic layer or film such as will typically be suitable for printing thereon. The label is similarly configured, with a front surface  30  that is generally co-planar with the front surface  18  of the surrounding region  16  of the sheet, a back surface  32  that is generally coplanar with the back surface  20  of the surrounding border region  16 , and top, bottom, and opposite side edges. 
     A liner  42  is secured to the back surface  20  of the sheet  12 , overlaying the label  14  and the surrounding region  16 , with a thin adhesive layer as indicated at  44  ( FIG. 4 ) between the label and at least a portion of the back surface outside the label such that the label can be peeled off of the liner and away from the front of the form as a separable member of the form. The liner is also generally planar in construction, with a front surface  46  adhered to the back surface  20  of the sheet, a back surface  48 , a top edge  50 , a bottom edge  52  and opposite side edges  54  and  56 . The liner is typically made from glassine or other convenient material. 
     Additional and alternate details of forms of this type are shown and described in my McKillip, U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,555, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein be reference thereto as if fully set forth herein. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an indentation  60 , and/or a similar indentation at the location identified as  62 , is formed proximate the top and bottom edges  50  and  52 , respectively, of the liner  42 . The indentation  60  is established across the width of the liner  42  (from side to side), below a laterally extending, forwardly breaking (i.e., sloping, curving, etc.) step or crease or generally identified as an edge formation  64  in the sheet  12  that is located above the top edge  50  of the liner, with a depth “D” at least equal to the thickness “T” of the liner at the top edge portion such that the back surface at the top edge  50  of the liner, i.e., the back corner  68  of the liner, proximate thereto is forwardly of a plane “P 1 ” extending coextensive with the back surface  20  of the sheet portion adjacent thereto and towards which the edge  50  faces. In other words, the back corner  68  of the liner is forwardly of the back surface  20  of the exposed portion of the sheet above the top edge of the liner. In the view shown in  FIG. 3 , the plane P 1  extends into and out of the view of the figure, perpendicular thereto, and is therefore viewed as a line (where indicated) that runs coextensive with the linear cross-sectional representation of the back surface  20  of form  10 A. In the embodiment shown, the indentation  60  is further defined above an optional laterally extending, forwardly breaking edge formation  66  in the liner below the top edge  50 , with an associated breaking edge formation in the sheet forwardly thereof. Similarly, an indentation at laterally extending location  62  will be formed between a forwardly breaking edge formation at dashed line  68  ( FIG. 3 ) in the sheet, and an optional forwardly breaking edge formation at dashed  70  in the liner, with the depth “D” such that the back corner of the bottom edge  52  of the liner proximate thereto is forwardly of a plane that extends coextensive with the back surface of the sheet below the bottom edge of the liner. 
     With this arrangement, and as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , if form  10 A is resting in a paper tray of a print device, then the bottom edge  24  a second form  10 B will, when exiting from the printer in the direction indicated by arrow “A”, slide over (rearwardly of) the top edge  50  of the liner  42  in form  10 A and onto the back side  48  of the liner. As a result, the indentation  60  prevents the bottom edge  24  of a second form  10 B from catching on the edge  50  of the liner  42  of the previously printed form  10 A. Alternately, if the indentation is formed at  62 , and a second form  10 B exits the printer approaching the form  10 A in the other direction, the top edge  22  of the second sheet will slide over the edge formation established at  68  in the sheet, over the bottom edge  52  (and back corner thereof) of the liner located in the indentation  62 , and onto the back side of the liner at approximately the edge formation at  70 . As a result, the indentations  60  and at  62  prevent a form exiting a printer from engaging and pushing against the liner of a previously printed form. (independent of orientation of the paper as it moves through the print device). As will be apparent, the width of the indentation between the edge formations  64  and  66  can be established as convenient for the indentation forming equipment (e.g., see below) or for specific use purposes, such as to enable nesting of printed forms in a holding tray. 
     An alternate embodiment form in accordance with the invention is shown in  FIG. 5  as forms  110 A and  110 B in which certain components and characteristics are identified with the same reference numerals as similar components and characteristics of form  10  described above but incremented by  100 , and the description corresponding to the components and characteristics of form  10  above is incorporated herein in relation to such components and characteristics for the alternate form  110 . In this instance, the indentation  160  (established across the width of the liner  142 ) is established with a single forwardly breaking step or edge formation  164  located above the top edge  150  of the liner  142  such that the back side  148  of the liner is entirely forwardly of the plane P 1  that is coextensive with the back side  120  of the portion of the sheet above the indentation. 
     A second alternate embodiment form in accordance with the invention is shown in  FIG. 6  as forms  210 A and  210 B in which certain components and characteristics are identified with the same reference numerals as similar components and characteristics of form  10  described above but incremented by  200 , and the description corresponding to the components and characteristics of form  10  above is incorporated herein in relation to such components and characteristics for the second alternate form  210 . In this instance, the indentation  260  is formed such that the top edge  250  of the liner  242  and the associated portion of the sheet  212  forwardly thereof are compressed to a thickness T 1  less than the normal thickness T 2  of the sheet, and the front side  218  of the sheet is unchanged and maintained in a single plane. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a form sheet  310  is manufactured at a station  300  shown in  FIG. 7  with a generally cylindrical compression wheel  302  that is mounted on a power-rotated shaft  304  to rotate against an anvil roller  306  (shown in dashed lines). The form sheet  310  is located between the compression wheel and the anvil roller, with the compression wheel positioned over the edge portion  350  of the liner  342  to be compressed, such that the indentation  360  (see e.g., enlarged view of indentation  360  in  FIG. 7A ) is established in the form sheet as it advances through the station between the rotating compression wheel and the anvil roller as indicated by arrow “C”. In preferred embodiments, adjustable means are provided to adjust the spacing between the compression wheel and the anvil roller, as well as to adjust the pressure that compresses the paper therebetween to establish the depth of the indentation. The outer profile of the compression wheel and the outer profile of the anvil roller are provided with a size and shape to obtain the indentation depth and profile such as discussed above, and depending on the compressibility of the liner and sheet and the compression retention characteristics of the indentation established therein. The station may also/or include a second compression wheel  302  (shown in dashed lines) and associated anvil roller aligned with the opposite edge  352  of the liner when such edge is to be compressed. The mounting and operation of the compression wheel can be configured to accommodate either a continuous form sheet for subsequent cutting into individual forms such as discussed above, or individual forms such as after having been cut from a continuous web. The compression wheel can be accommodated for use on or in conjunction with presses of many different types and makes such as manufactured by Mark Andy, Propheteers, Aquaflex, Diddie, Tamarack, Hunkler, and in general on all other equipment that accommodates die cutting, tooling, etc. associated with the manufacture and/or printing of the forms. The compression wheel is utilized when the web would be creating a form that would be cross grain from the direction of travel as shown. 
     In an alternate arrangement shown in  FIG. 8 , a power-rotated die cylinder  402  (side view shown in  FIG. 9 ) is provided with one or more radially outwardly exposed linear compression strips  404 . The compression strip can run the full or partial width of the die cylinder, and extend either parallel to or at a desired angle from the axis of rotation of the cylinder. In this instance, form sheet  410  is located between the die cylinder and a shaped anvil rotor (not shown, but located under the sheet in the view of  FIG. 8 ). The angular spacing of the compression strips around the periphery of the die cylinder is set such that the strips engage the edges  450  of the liner  442  to be compressed (and/or alternately edges  452  of the liner), to establish the indentation  460  (see e.g., enlarged view of indentation  460  in  FIG. 8A ) in the form sheet as it advances through the station  400  under the rotating die cylinder as indicated by arrow “E”. The die cylinder and compression strip can be configured to accommodate both the cross grain format form described above as well as create the same result when the form is running long grain through the station. The die cylinder and compression strip device also can be provided for use on or in conjunction with many types of printing presses, form making equipment and finishing equipment that accommodate cutting units and tooling of the type specified above and are associated with the manufacture and/or printing of such forms. As further illustration of an alternate arrangement,  FIG. 10  is an end view of a die cylinder  502 , similar to die cylinder  402 , with angularly spaced, relatively wide compression strips  506  angularly spaced around the periphery of the cylinder for forming correspondingly sized, relatively large indentations in the forms. 
     It will be further understood that die cylinders equipped with compression strips of the above-described type, can be utilized in conjunction with other form equipment. For example, knives angularly spaced from the compression strips or on separate die cylinders can run the full or a partial length of the cylinder as applicable for the form sheet and liner, and can be included with an outer edge to weaken (as indicated at  508  in dashed lines), or cut the form paper or other substrate as it travels through the station after the indentation  460  has been established at each liner. This illustrates that the compression strips can be combined on rotary cutting die in current operations or form making equipment with very little modification. 
     From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention brings to the art a new form with a separable card or label member that is uniquely adapted to prevent costly paper jams and prevent previously printed business forms of the subject type from being pushed out of the printer tray. The invention can be implemented on in-line equipment such as Mark Andys, Propheteer, Diddies and the like, as well as off-line equipment such as Tamaracks, Hunklers and the like.