DRY PICK-OFF LABEL OR CARD WITH LIFT TAB

Abstract: A pick-off tag construction (10) for application to a substrate such as a container of retailed goods, the construction including multiple layers (21), (23), which provide a top tag face and a latent face both of which can be imaged with printed graphics. Releasably bonded layers associated with the latent face include an edge located zone of reduced adhesion (22), (22A) which affords a lift tab for convenient pick-off of the tag and exposure of the latent face.

Description: DRY PICK-OFF LABEL OR CARD WITH LIFT TAB BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to pick-off tags, i.e., labels or cards, and in particulat pertains to 'an im¬ proved construction which can be printed on two -faces, reliably attached to merchandise or other objects by con¬ ventional pressure-sensitive adhesive labeling tech¬ niques, and can be easily picked off by a person for its redemption or other use. "Tag" is used in this disclo¬ sure ' to refer to both labels and cards. Prior Art Sales of retail goods are often promoted by redeemable labels' attached to the goods or containers for the goods by the manufacturer or packager of the goods. The redeemable labels,* or coupons, are picked off the goods or containers and redeemed by returning them to a store, distributor, or manufacturer. Prior redeemable labels applied to containers have often been difficult, or at least inconvenient, for a person to remove. Some prior redeemable labels have required soaking in water for removal. Other redeemable labels are intended to be pulled off dry, but are difficult to grip and initiate peeling action. While it is known to print indicia on two faces of a redeemable label, known constructions do not permit such labels to be printed in a single pass through a conventional multi-station press. Another exemplary application of the invention is for a pick-off card, such as an identification card, which is applied to a letter, for example, and is picked off the letter and retained for use by the recipient. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a construction of a pick-off tag, such as a label or card, which can be reliably adhered to a substrate such as a package or container of merchandise, or to a letter or the like, and which can be conveniently and easily picked off, and, when picked off, affords dry tack-free surfaces on both the removed tag portion and the substrate. As disclosed, these features are provided by a web construction which includes separation layers which are releasably face-bonded with a zone of adhesion and distinct zone of no adhesion or reduced adhesion. The reduced adhesion zone affords a lift tab area for each pick-off tag formed from the web construction and applied to a substrate. The tab is easily raised by finger friction or a fingernail. Once raised, the lift tab is finger-gripped and simply pulled away from the substrate to remove the redeemable portion. The exposed faces on the underside of the removed tag portion and on the tag portion remaining on the substrate are dry and tack-free. Adhesion of the separation layers, and therefore the reliability of retention of the tag, is under manu¬ facturing control of the tag stock manufacturer rather than the packager or tag applier. Consequently, tag adhesion quality and performance can be assured by the tag stock manufacturer. Adhesion of the tag to the sub¬ strate is by a pressure-sensitive adhesive which ordinar¬ ily is sufficiently strong to avoid any unintended tag separation from the substrate, even if the substrate or its environment at the time of application of the tag is not completely dry and/or clean. In accordance with another aspect of the inven¬ tion, the tag construction is provided with printed graphics on two faces, thereby increasing its versatility to the packager or tag applier. The top of the tag pro¬ vides a primary face for printed graphics, while an oppo¬ site latent face is represented by an outer one of the separation layers. As disclosed, this outer separation layer is adapted to be printed with reverse graphics on its face opposite its bonded face. This outer separation layer has sufficient clarity and transparency to allow the reverse-printed graphics to be viewed through it as a non-reverse image. The disclosed construction advantage¬ ously allows both the top face and the latent face graphics to be printed in a single pass on a conventional multi-station printing* ress. The reverse graphics is printed at one station and, downstream, the webs associ¬ ated with the top face and the outer separation tag are laminated together. Simultaneously, at separate sta¬ tions, the top face can be printed and individual tags can be die-cut from the laminated webs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of progres¬ sive stages followed in the manufacture of tag stock, the stages being diagrammatically represented by a build-up of web components shown in cross section transverse to web length, and therefore transverse machine direction. The illustrated construction moves perpendicularly to the plane of the paper. Therefore, the arrows between stages in the illustration do not indicate movement, but merely indicate the sequence of the progression from one stage to the next. FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration, similar to FIG. 1, but showing a modified form of web construc¬ tion. FIG. 3 is a schematic, fragmentary, isometric view of a tag die-cut from the web stock of FIG. 1 made in accordance with the invention. FIG. . is a schematic elevational view of the tag of FIG. 3 applied to a container or other substrate. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As seen in FIG. 1, a starting web or core con¬ struction 10 comprises upper and lower plastic layers 21,23, respectively, which are preferably both relatively clear and transparent. The plastic layers 21, 23 are adhered together at zones designated by the numeral 22 and the asterisk symbol "*". One manner of producing the starting web con¬ struction 10 involves extruding the lower plastic layer 23 on a base carrier web 2. of glassine or the like. The upper plastic layer 21 is subsequently extruded on the upper face 25 of the lower plastic layer 23. The extru-. sion process is performed in a manner such that this upper plastic layer 21 is releasably bonded to the first or lower plastic layer 23 at the zones 22. For purposes explained hereinbelow, the adhesion zones 22, which can individually be continuous lengthwise of the web 10, are interrupted from one another in the web widthwise direc¬ tion, i.e., in the plane of FIG. 1, by zones 22a that are of relatively reduced adhesion. The phrase "reduced ad¬ hesion" or like phrases such as "lesser bonding" are intended to include in their meaning a condition of no adhesion or bonding. The zones 22a of reduced adhesion can be formed, for example, by printing a corresponding pattern of silicone. release material on the upper face 25 of the lower plastic layer 23 before extrusion of the upper plastic layer 21 onto the lower layer. The pattern of silicone printing, thus, is a series of strips contin¬ uous in the direction of web length and spaced widthwise across the lower plastic layer 23. It is contemplated that techniques involving mechanical, chemical, or other treatment to effect a relatively reduced level of adhe¬ sion at the spaced zones 22a can be used, besides the application of a release agent such as silicone. In all cases, it is important that when the upper and lower plastic layers 21, 23 are ultimately separated as described below, their faces are dry and tack-free. Web base stock 11 illustrated in the second stage of FIG. 1 is formed by laminating a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive 31 carried on a silicone-coated release backing 32 to the underside of the base carrier web 2.. Other techniques, besides lami¬ nating, can be used to provide the pressure-sensitive adhesive 31 and release backing 32 on the base carrier web 2.. As suggested in the third stage of FIG. 1, the upper plastic layer 21 provides a face 36 opposite its bonded face 26 which is suitable for receiving printed graphics. Reverse-printed graphics 37 are applied to this face 36 by ordinary printing press techniques. The resulting reverse-printed web stock is designated by the numeral 12. Ordinary pressure-sensitive tag web stock con¬ struction 13, as indicated by stages 3 and 4 of FIG. 1, is combined with the reverse-printed base web stock 12. The illustrated tag web stock 13 includes facestock, pressure-sensitive adhesive, and silicone-coated release backing layers .1, .2, and 43, respectively. When pro¬ cessed in a conventional multi-station printing press, the tag web stock 13 is unwound from the overlaminate unwind, the silicone-coated release backing 43 is removed and discarded, and the tag facestock 41 and adhesive 42 are laminated to the top face 36 of the upper plastic layer 21 directly onto the reverse-printed graphics 37. The result is finished tag web stock 14 illustrated at stage 4 of FIG. 1. The top face, designated 52, of the facestock 41 can be printed as desired. The finished web construction 14, as indicated in FIG. 3, can be die-cut into individual tags 51. The tag die cutting operation is performed so that at least one cut edge 53 of a tag is contiguous with an associated zone of reduced adhesion 22a. Thus, each tag 51 envelops at least a portion of a zone of reduced adhesion 22a along its edge 53. FIG. 1 illustrates a condition in which several zones of reduced adhesion 22a are spaced across the width of the web stock 14. Depending on desired tag size, machine capacity of a tag manufacturer, and other vari¬ ables, a web stock can be supplied to the manufacturer with one or any limited number of such zones. In one case, a web construction is arranged with a single zone of reduced adhesion running down its center and a pair of tags are simultaneously die-cut, one on each side of this zone, during tag manufacture, with each tag of the pair sharing a portion of the intervening central reduced adhesion zone. Another web construction as shown in FIG. 1 is formed with a "universal pattern" of alternate zones of adhesion 22 and zones of reduced adhesion 22a. With this illustrated construction, tags are each die-cut with at least one edge and a contiguous marginal area formed in a zone of reduced adhesion. One or more additional zones of reduced adhesion may, and usually will, occur in the remaining area of the tag, depending on its size. The illustrated "universal pattern" shows the zones of adhe¬ sion 22 to be wider than the zones of reduced adhesion, but the zones may be of the same width, for example 1/4 inch. Tags such as labels 51, die-cut from the stock 14, are used individually as shown in FIG. 4. A label applier or packager, such as for example a food manufac¬ turer, applies a label 51 to a substrate representing a package or a jar, bottle, can, carton or other container, for example, by removing it from the underlying portion of silicone-coated release backing 32 and causing the underlying pressure-sensitive adhesive area 31 to adhere to the substrate 61. Tags forming identification cards or like products are similarly applied to a substrate such as a paper letter, brochure or the like after remov¬ al from the backing 32. In such cases, this may be done on ordinary automatic high speed applicators which pull the backing 32 around a conventional peelback edge (not shown) in a well known manner. Such a peelback edge extends, of course, transversely to machine direction. It is to be noted that, since the zones of reduced adhe¬ sion 22a extend in the machine direction, they never pass over a peelback edge of an applicator except while an immediately adjacent adhesion zone 22 is also simultane¬ ously passing over the peelback edge. This helps assure that stripping of the release backing 32 around the peel¬ back edge is not accompanied by any tendency of the plastic layers 21 and 23 to separate even though the release level of the silicone backing 32, although rela¬ tively low or easy, may be higher than the very low or negligible release level at the zones 22a. The associated area of the low level bonding zone 22a between the plastic layers 21,23 contiguous with an edge of a label allows ready separation of such plas¬ tic layers at this region under minimal peeling action. Thus, a person interested in picking off a tag such as a label 51 for redemption or other use is able with slight finger effort to raise a label section 66 overlying the region of reduced or low adhesion 22a as a lift tab. With the lift tab 66 so extended and gripped, the label or card 51 can be delaminated in a plane between the upper and lower plastic layers 21, 23. Thus, the bonded face 26 of the upper plastic layer 21 forms a latent face of the redeemable portion of the label 51. The redeem¬ able label portion comprises, from top to bottom, the label facestock 41, pressure-sensitive adhesive 42, reverse-printed graphics 37, and clear plastic layer 21. The latent label face 26, by virtue of the transparency and clarity of the plastic layer 21, thereby affords a view of the reverse-printed graphics 37. As previously indicated, any bonding medium and/or release medium employed between the plastic layers 21, 23 to form the widthwise discontinuous layers of releasable bonding 22 and intervening zones 22a of reduced bonding is dry and tack-free on both plastic films 21, 23 when the label has been stripped for redemption. The web stock 11 and web stock 13 are separately distinct articles of commerce. In the case of each of these web stocks 11, 13, their constituent layers and components are, in composite, initially flat but flexi¬ ble, and are suitable to be processed in long passes along the machine direction of a coating, laminating, printing, and/or slitting line, and to be rolled up for storage and shipment and unrolled for processing as above described. It is contemplated that the web stock 11 and stock 13 can be produced by separate suppliers. For example, the stock 11 can be produced by a supplier at one plant and then be printed with reverse graphics and laminated with the stock 13 at another plant. Of course, any of the above-described processing steps can be per¬ formed by any combination of suppliers provided, of course, such processing steps are performed in a practi¬ cal sequence. FIG. 2 illustrates a modified tag web stock construction which differs from that of FIG. 1 by the nature of the starting web or core construction. Equiva¬ lent layers and composite web constructions are desig¬ nated by numerals like those used in FIG. 1, with the exception that a prefix number "1" has been added, with the effect that the numerals of FIG. 2 have arbitrarily a value of 100 greater than those of FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG÷ 2, the starting web or core construction 110, is a laminate of two, preferably clear, preformed transparent plastic films 121, 123, which are laminated together with a laminating adhesive applied in a lengthwise continuous, widthwise discontinu¬ ous pattern. The adhesive is designated by the numeral 122 and represents zones of bonding between the plastic films 121, 123. Intervening zones 122a represent regions of reduced or no adhesion. The adhesive 122 may be any conventional dry or non-tacky laminating adhesive which may be applied to either film 121 or 123 prior to lamina¬ tion. Upon eventual separation of the films 121 and 123, the adhesive 122 is arranged to separate from the bottom film 123 and remains as a dry, tack-free, clear layer on the top film 121. Since the film 123 is preformed, there is no base carrier web corresponding to web 24 in the embodi¬ ment of FIG. 2. Except for this and the formation and combining of the films 121, 123, as just described, fab¬ rication, processing, and use of the web stocks 110-114 of the embodiment of FIG. 2 are essentially the same as described in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 1. In the described embodiments, it will be under¬ stood that the following relationships are desirable. The level of adhesion between the silicone-coated release backing 32, 132 and pressure-sensitive adhesive 31, 131 is less than the adhesion between the plastic layers 21,23; 121,123 at the zones of adhesion 22, 122. The pressure-sensitive adhesive 31, 131 adheres to most dry substrate surfaces with substantially greater tenacity than the adherence of the plastic layers 21, 23 or 121, 123 in the zones 22, 122. By way of example in one embodiment, the relative peel strengths measured at 90° were as follows: silicone-coated release backing to pressure- sensitive adhesive: 25-30 grams/in. width plastic layer to plastic layer: 300 grams/in. width pressure-sensitive adhesive to substrate (stainless steel): 3200 grams/in. width The plastic layer to plastic layer peel strength at the zone of reduced adhesion is negligible. The disclosed tag web stock is particularly suited for economical processing with conventional multi-station printing presses, since, as suggested, the reverse graphics and top tag face graphics are preferably printed in a single pass through such a press while the stock 13, 113 is laminated to the web stock 11, 111. It is also contemplated that, if desired, the underside of the facestock 41, 141 can be provided with graphics in addition to or in substitution for the reverse graphics 37,137. The pressure-sensitive adhesive 42, 142 is typi¬ cally clear and transparent so that such graphics is visible. The inner or lower plastic layer 23,123, base carrier 24, and pressure-sensitive adhesive 31,131 are typically ' clear and transparent to display any graphics and/or coloring on the substrate 61 once the redeemable portion of the tag is stripped away. It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without depart¬ ing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the ex¬ tent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.

Claims: 13 WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A web construction fabricatable by web coat¬ ing, slitting, printing and/or web-to-web laminating operations for making pick-off tag stock for tags of the type which display printed indicia on both an exposed face and a latent reverse face, comprising twp__layers of plastic of extended indefinite length, mutually inward faces of the plastic layers being releasably bonded together in at least one zone of a width less than that of the web and with at least one adjacent zone of rela¬ tively lesser releasable bonding, a face of one of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face succes¬ sively supporting a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release backing layer for the pressure-sensitive adhesive, a face of the other of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face being adapted to sup¬ port reverse-printed graphics and pressure-sensitive adhesive applied tag stock, said layers being essentially mutually coextensive and in composite, including any reverse-printed graphics supported on said opposite face of said other plastic layer, being essentially flat but flexible, suitable to be processed in long passes along the machine direction of a coating, laminating, printing and/or slitting line and to be rolled up for storage and shipment, and unrolled for use by a label or card manu¬ facturer, said layers in composite when laminated with pressure-sensitive adhesive tag stock being adapted to be die-cut into pick-off tags, the zones of lesser bonding being arranged to register with an edge of a tag whereby a tag area defined by an underlying zone of lesser bond¬ ing forms a lift tab to facilitate separation of the tag at the bonded faces of the plastic layers and expose a (claim 1 continued) latent face of the tag formed by said mutually bonded face of said other plastic layer, the bonded faces of both of said plastic layers being dry and tack-free when separated. 2. A web construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein the other plastic layer has sufficient clarity and transparency to reveal therethrough reverse-printed graphics and/or said tag stock. 3. A web construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one plasϋic layer has sufficient clarity and transparency to reveal therethrough a substrate to which the tag is adhered. 4. A web construction fabricatable by web coat¬ ing, slitting, printing and/or web-to-web laminating operations for making pick-off tags of the type which displays printed indicia on both an exposed face and a latent reverse face, comprising two layers of plastic of extended indefinite length, mutually inward faces of the plastic layers being releasably bonded together in at least one zone of a width less than that of the web arid with at least one adjacent zone of relatively lesser releasable bonding, a face of one of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face successively supporting a layer_of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release backing layer for the pressure-sensitive adhesive, a face of the other of said plastic layers opposite its mutually (claim 4 continued) bonded face successively supporting reverse-printed graphics and pressure-sensitive adhesive applied tag stock, said layers and tag stock being essentially mutually coextensive and in composite, being essentially flat but flexible, suitable to be processed in long passes along the machine direction of a coating, laminat¬ ing, printing and/or slitting line and to be rolled up for storage and shipment, and unrolled for use by a tag manufacturer, said layers and tag stock in composite being adapted to be die-cut into pick-off tags, the zones of lesser bonding being arranged to register with an edge of a tag whereby a tag area defined by an underlying zone of lesser bonding forms a lift tab to facilitate separa¬ tion of the tag at the bonded faces of the plastic layers and expose a latent face of the tag formed by said mutu¬ ally bonded face of said other plastic layer, the bonded faces of both of said plastic layers being dry and tack- free when separated, the other plastic layer having suf¬ ficient clarity and'transparency to reveal therethrough reverse-printed graphics and/or said tag stock. 5. A pick-off tag comprising a pair of mutually face-bonded plastic layers, said layers including at their mutually bonded faces one or more primary zones of adhesion of one release strength and one or more secon¬ dary zones of adhesion of a release strength less than that of said primary zone, said one secondary zone or one of said more than one secondary zones extending along and inwardly from one edge of the tag, a face of one of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face succes¬ sively supporting a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release backing layer for the pressure-sensitive adhesive, a face of the other of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face successively bearing any desired reverse-printed graphics and pressure- sensitive adhesive applied tag ' stock, said plastic layers, pressure-sensitive adhesive, release backing, and tag stock being essentially mutually coextensive, the release backing layer being strippable from the pressure-sensitive adhesive for adhering the tag to a substrate with such adhesive, the secondary zone of reduced adhesion allowing the overlying plastic layer and tag stock portions to separate from said one plastic layer and form a lift tab upon application of a slight peeling force, the other plastic layer, carrying any reverse graphics and the pressure-sensitive applied tag stock, being readily separable from said one plastic layer upon application of a pulling force to the lift tab, the bonded faces at both said primary and secondary zones of said plastic layers being dry and tack-free upon separation, separation of said plastic layers exposing a latent face of the tag formed by the mutually bonded face of said other plastic layer. 6. A redeemable tag as set forth in claim 5, wherein said other plastic layer has sufficient clarity and transparency to visually display graphics there¬ through. 7. A method of making web stock for a pick-off tag carrying graphics on two faces, comprising formation of a starting web including two relatively clear trans¬ parent plastic layers releasably bonded together at mutu¬ ally opposed faces in at least one zone of a width less than that of the web and with at least one adjacent zone of relatively lesser releasable bonding, the bonding between said faces upon separation forming dry, tack-free surfaces on both of said faces, providing on a face of one of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release backing layer for the pressure-sensitive adhesive, laminating on a face of the other of said plastic layers opposite its mutually bonded face a pressure-sensitive adhesive carry¬ ing tag facestock, die-cutting the starting web and tag facestock composite into labels with at least one edge of each tag being registered with a zone of lesser bonding so that an associated tag area adjacent such edge over¬ lies the zone of lesser bonding whereby such overlying tag area is adapted to form a lift tab to facilitate separation of the tag at the bonded faces of the plastic layers. 8. A method as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least said other plastic layer is formed of a rela¬ tively clear transparent material and printed graphics are disposed on the underside of said tag facestock and viewable through said other plastic layer upon its sepa¬ ration from said one plastic layer. 9. A method as set forth in claim 8, wherein printing of reverse graphics on said opposite face of said other plastic layer and printing on the top face of said tag facestock are performed in a single pass through a multi-station printing press while said tag facestock and starting web are being laminated together. 10. A method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said one plastic layer is formed of a relatively clear transparent material. 11. A core for inclusion in web constructions that are fabricatable by web coating, slitting, printing, and/or web-to-web laminating operations to make pick-off tags having lift tabs, said core comprising two layers of plastic of extended indefinite length, mutually inward faces of the plastic layers being releasably bonded together in a plurality of parallel first zones parallel to the length of the web and each of a width substanti¬ ally less than the width of the web, second zones of relatively lesser releasable bonding also extending parallel to the length of the web and each also of a width substantially less than the width of the web, said second zones alternating with said first zones across the width of the web to provide a "universal pattern" of zones, whereby pick-off tags provided with lift tabs may be cut in various widths from said web constructions which include said core. 19 12. A method of making dry pick-off tags com¬ prising the steps of: providing a core comprising two layers of plastic of extended indefinite length with their mutually inward faces releasably bonded together in a plurality of first zones parallel to the length of the web and each of a width substantially less than the width of the web and with second zones of relatively lesser releasable bonding also extending parallel to the length of the web and each also of a width substantially less than the width of the web, combining said core with additional layers to make a web construction from which tags may be die- cut, and die-cutting said web construction to form tags each with an edge, in register with one of said second zones whereby a lift tab is provided at that edge.

Inventors: CROSS PATRICIA, PETROSKI JOHN, CROSS, PATRICIA, PETROSKI, JOHN
Applicants: AVERY INTERNATIONAL CORP, AVERY INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Application year: 1985
Main classification: A44C3
IPC codes: G09F3