SELF-LUBRICATING SHEET COMPOSITE

Abstract: A method for piercing or severing one or more sheets that have a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface. A layer of lubricating material that may be micro-encapsulated is positioned adjacent the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive. Severing or piercing the sheet will transfer a sufficient quantity of the lubricant to the implement doing the severing or piercing to restrict transfer of pressure sensitive adhesive to that implement.

Description: SELF-LUBRICATING SHEET COMPOSITE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to composite materials including a sheet and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive by which the sheet can be adhered to a substrate, and in certain aspects to methods for severing or piercing such sheets and/or printing indicia on such sheets Background ofthe Invention Well known are composite materials or notes each comprising a paper sheet and having a narrow strip of low-peel pressure-sensitive adhesive on one surface adjacent one edge by which the sheet can be temporarily adhered to a substrate such as a document for marking, message-bearing, or other purposes Pads of such notes are currently being marketed under the trademark "Post-it" brand notes by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St Paul, MN Some such notes have been printed with indicia (e g , a message, picture, or decoration), by printing with a commercial printing press on large elongate sheets of material coated with strips of low peel pressure sensitive adhesive from which the notes are formed by first cutting off portions ofthe elongate sheets, stacking those portions into a master pad, and then cutting pads ofthe notes from the master pad, some of which cutting is done through aligned strips of pressure sensitive on sheets in the stack Pads of imprinted or plain notes are also made by forming master pads of sheets having aligned strips of low peel pressure sensitive adhesive and then cutting pads ofthe notes from the master pad with some of the cuts being made through those aligned strips of pressure sensitive adhesive. Such cutting of the master pad is typically done with a guillotine type cutter Small portions ofthe adhesive in the master pad being cut adhere to the cutter blade which smears that adhesive along the side surfaces ofthe resultant pads The side surfaces ofthe pads can then adhere to each other or to other objects, and/or dirt encountered in handling can adhere to the adhesive along the side surfaces, resulting in pads with dirty side surfaces A sheet assembly including paper sheets to which are adhered layers of adhesive and a method for custom printing the sheet assembly and assembling it into pads of notes using a copy machine is described in U S Patent application serial number 07/973,039 filed November 9, 1992 The sheet assembly described in that application can be printed in printers ofthe type commonly used with personal or other types of computers including laser printers, ink jet printers and impact printers U S Patent application serial number 08/223,778 filed April 6, 1994, describes a sheet composite comprising a sheet coated with pressure sensitive adhesive that is particularly adapted to be printed on one or both sides in printers of the type commonly used with personal or other types of computers including laser printers, ink jet printers and impact printers Generally, that sheet composite comprises( l ) a primary sheet portion having opposite first and second major surfaces of a size adapted to be received by the printers and having first and second opposite edges; (2) a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces and having first and second opposite edges, which secondary sheet portion has a width between its first and second edges that is no more than half the width of the primary sheet portion between its first and second opposite edges, and (3) a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive that is firmly attached on the first surface of one of the sheet portions along its first edge The sheet portions are adhered together by the layer of adhesive while they are printed in the printer, and are then separated for use Applicant has recognized a need to provide a sheet generally ofthe type described in U.S Patent application no 08/223,778 that is elongate, has a coating of adhesive on one side, and can be printed in an impact printer of a type that was designed to print on an elongate sheet that is wound on a roll, has sheet feeding means defining a sharply arcuate path for driving the sheet longitudinally past a printing head on the printer, and has a cutter for transversely cutting the elongate sheet to afford removing a printed portion from the elongate sheet (e.g , the impact printer commercially designated "Model SP342F-A" that is available from Star Micronics America, Inc , Piscataway, NJ) None of the sheet composites described and illustrated in U S Patent application serial number 08/223,778 is fully adapted for that purpose U S Patent Application 08/565,422 filed November 30, 1995, describes a sheet generally of the type described in U.S. Patent application no 08/223,778 that is elongate, has a coating of adhesive on one side, and can be printed in an impact printer of a type that has sheet feeding means defining a sharply arcuate path for driving the sheet longitudinally past a printing head on the printer, and has a cutter with serrated teeth against which the sheet can be manually transversely cut to afford removing a printed portion from the elongate sheet (e.g., the impact printer commercially designated "Model SP312F" that is available from Star Micronics America, Inc , Piscataway, NJ) When that sheet material was used in the "Model SP342F-A" printer from Star Micronics America, Inc , which includes an automatic guillotine type cutter, however, adhesive from the sheet material being cut transferred to the cutter blade in sufficient quantity that it was visible after about 20 cuts After about 100 cuts were made that transferred adhesive noticeably increased the power required to operate the cutter, and the cutter stopped operating before it made 1000 cuts Disclosure of Invention The present invention facilitates moving an implement through a portion of a sheet bearing a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive (i.e , such as to sever the sheet by tearing or cutting with a blade, or to pierce the sheet using a needle) without transferring adhesive to the implement moving through the sheet Thus, for example, the present invention can ( 1 ) help to provide an elongate sheet composite generally of the type described in U S Patent application no 08/223,778 that has a coating of adhesive on one side and is adapted to be printed in a printer having sheet feeding means for driving the sheet composite longitudinally past a printing head on the printer and having a cutter for transversely cutting the elongate sheet to remove printed portions, which sheet composite will not transfer adhesive to the cutter, (2) potentially providing an improved master pad from which pads of notes are to formed by cutting through portions of the master pad at which the sheets in the pad are coated with pressure sensitive adhesive, which improved master pad can be cut into pads without smearing adhesive along side surfaces of the pads, or (3) providing an adhesive coated backing that can be repeatedly pierced with a needle while sewing through the backing and a layer attached thereto by the adhesive without transferring adhesive to the needle. Generally, the sheet composite according to the present invention comprises a sheet, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface of the sheet, and a lubricating material on or in the sheet that, as an implement is moved through the sheet (e.g., to sever or pierce it), will release a quantity ofthe lubricant onto the implement to thereby lubricate it and restrict transfer of the pressure sensitive adhesive to that implement. While the lubricant can be incorporated in a solid gel adhered along the sheet, preferably it is enclosed in microcapsules either in the adhesive or adhered along the sheet in a layer coextensive with at least a portion ofthe layer of pressure sensitive adhesive, which microcapsules, when broken by the implement moving through the sheet, will release a sufficient quantity of the liquid lubricant to lubricate the implement and thereby restrict adhesion of the pressure sensitive adhesive to that implement. In one embodiment adapted for use in the "Model SP342F-A" printer from Star Micronics America, Inc described above, the sheet ofthe sheet composite comprises an elongate primary sheet portion having first and second major surfaces of a width between longitudinally extending first and second edges adapted to be received and fed longitudinally through the printer by the sheet feeding means of the printer; and a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces. The first surface ofthe secondary sheet portion is positioned adjacent the first surface ofthe primary sheet portion with the first edges of the primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned. The layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extends between the adjacent first surfaces ofthe sheet portions and is firmly attached to the first surface of one ofthe sheet portions while being releasable from the first surface of the other of the sheet portions; and a layer of micro-encapsulated lubricating material is between the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and one of the sheet portions The sheet composite can be fed longitudinally into the sheet feeding means of the printer. A length of the sheet composite can be printed by the printer and separated from the non printed portion of the sheet composite by the cutter on the printer As the blade of that cutter transversely cuts the sheet composite, it will break the microcapsules along the cut line to release the lubricant and restrict adhesive from adhering to the cutter blade. The layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on that printed length can then be exposed by pealing the secondary sheet portion away from it, and that layer of adhesive can be used to adhere the separated printed length to a substrate to which the printing on the separated length refers or relates The microcapsules containing the lubricant can be, for example, incorporated in a layer of silicone release material along the sheet portion from which the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is releasable, or can be in a binder layer between the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and the sheet portion to which the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is attached. For some other applications, those micro capsules can be incorporated in the layer of adhesive The lubricant in the microcapsules can be mineral oil which can provide the needed lubrication for the cutter blade to prevent the adhesive from adhering to it, while having little adverse effect on the cut end of the sheet, and being safe to use around food. Many other lubricants might be useful for this or other purposes, including, for example lard or silicone lubricants While they could be separate, preferably, the primary and secondary sheet portions are two portions of a single sheet which is bent along the first edges of the sheet portions to position the first surface ofthe secondary sheet portion adjacent the first surface of the primary sheet portion Such bending can, optionally, be facilitated by a path of weakness (e.g., perforations) between the primary and secondary sheet portions Also, preferably, the layer of adhesive is firmly attached or adhered along the first surface ofthe primary sheet portion The primary and/or the secondary sheet portions could be pre-printed with indicia that could, for example, include the trademark of the establishment printing the sheet composite, advertising material, or coupons that could be torn from the sheet composite after it is printed and delivered to a customer Microcapsules containing lubricant for use in the present invention may be prepared by in situ processes such as aminoplast polymerization That technique, generally referred to as an in situ polymerization reaction, yields for example, an aminoplast resin capsule wall material. In the process, a hydrophobic oil phase is dispersed in an aqueous phase containing the aminoplast resin precursors by applying high shear agitation Addition of an acid catalyst initiates the polycondensation of the aminoplast precursors, resulting in the deposition ofthe aminoplast resin about the dispersed droplets of the oil phase, producing the microcapsules. The hydrophobic inner phase for the capsule may be any in situ aminoplast encapsulatable composition as discussed in U.S Pat. No. 3,516,941 , provided that the inner phase meets the criteria for acting as a lubricant for the severing or piercing implement. When the microcapsule is prepared by interfacial polycondensation, the capsule skin may be composed of any condensation polymer or addition polymer, e g , polyamide, polyurethane, polysulfonamide, polyurea, polyester, polycarbonate, etc Polyamides prepared by interfacial polycondensation of an amine with an acid chloride or polymers formed by reaction of isocyanate prepolymer with polyamines are preferred. Microcapsules formed by coacervation processes are also useful in forming shells for microcapsule used in the present invention Coacervation is the well known process of forming higher molecular weight gelatin polymers as taught in U.S Pat. Nos 5,800,458 and 2,800,457. The capsules used in these constructions and generally in the practice ofthe present invention preferably have average diameters between about 10 and 200 microns A method for severing according to the present invention would comprise the steps of (1 ) providing a sheet composite that comprises a sheet, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface of the sheet, and a layer of lubricating material on the sheet; and (2) moving an implement (e.g., cutting blade or needle) through the sheet, layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and the layer of lubricating material to release a sufficient quantity of the lubricant to lubricate the implement and thereby restrict transfer of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the implement. Where, as indicated above, the lubricant in that lubricating layer is enclosed in microcapsules, moving the implement through the sheet, layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and the layer of lubricating material will break the micro capsules only in the area through which the implement is moved, thereby releasing only a small amount ofthe lubricant. Where that method is used for forming a custom printed sheet bearing a layer of adhesive using an impact printer comprising printing head means, and sheet feeding means for driving the sheet composite longitudinally past printing head means on the printer it can comprise the steps of (1 ) providing the elongate sheet composite described above; (2) actuating the printer to form a desired message; (3) feeding the sheet composite longitudinally through the printer so that the message is printed along a portion of the sheet composite; (4) moving an implement in the form of a cutting blade transversely through the sheet composite to sever the printed portion ofthe sheet composite from the non printed portion ofthe sheet composite; and (5) separating the first surface of the secondary sheet portion from the first surface of the primary sheet portion so that the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is exposed and the printed sheet composite can be adhered to a substrate by that layer of adhesive The sheet can be of any conventional material (e.g., conventional bond, or clay-coated paper, opaque or translucent polymeric material, or carbonless paper). For some applications the adhesive used in the layers of pressure-sensitive adhesive could be a low-peel pressure-sensitive adhesive (e.g., comprising tacky, elastomeric copolymer microspheres) and the opposing surface could be free of release coating. Where the printed portion of the sheet is to be permanently adhered to the substrate the adhesive should be an aggressive pressure-sensitive adhesive and the sheet composite can include a release coating where the adhesive is temporarily adhered to it Suitable release materials for such aggressive adhesives may be selected from acrylates, urethanes, silicones, fluropolymers, chrome complexes, and the like that are known in the art By known techniques used in making carbonless paper a colorless form of a leuco dye can be included with the lubricant in the microcapsules and a color developer can be provided on the sheet so that the sheet bearing those microcapsules will both perform as carbonless paper by becoming colored in portions that are pressed (e.g., with a character shaped printer key or with a writing implement) to break the microcapsules and release the dye, and will also lubricate an implement such as a cutting blade that moves through and breaks microcapsules on the sheet Brief Description o the Drawing The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts in the several views, and wherein. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roll of a first embodiment of a sheet composite according to the present invention having a part broken away to show detail, Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately along lines 2-2 of Figure 1 , Figure 3 is a schematic view of the sheet composite of Figure 1 being fed through and printed on by a printer controlled by a computer, with the printer being partially sectioned to show a drive mechanism, printing head means, and cutting means in the printer, Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary edge view of a part of the sheet composite of Figure I removed and adhered to a substrate, Figure 5 is an end view of a second embodiment of a sheet composite according to the present invention; Figure 6 is an edge view of a third embodiment of a sheet composite according to the present invention; and Figure 7 illustrates the use of the sheet composite of Figure 6 to stabilize fabric during a sewing operation Detailed Description Referring now to the drawing, there is illustrated a first embodiment of a sheet composite according to the present invention generally designated by the reference numeral 10 The sheet composite 10 is elongate and is adapted to be printed in an impact printer 9 (Figure 3) that is designed to print on an elongate sheet wound on a roll and supported on a spindle 8 in the printer 9, which printer 9 has sheet feeding means 7 defining a sharply arcuate path for driving the sheet composite 10 longitudinally past printing head means 6 and cutting means 5 on the printer 9 for transversely cutting the elongate sheet composite 10 to remove printed portions therefrom (e g , the impact printer commercially designated "Model Star SP342F-A" that is available from Star Micronics America, Inc , Piscataway, NJ) The sheet composite 10 comprises an elongate primary sheet portion 1 1 (Figures 1 and 2) having opposite longitudinally extending first and second edges 15 and 16, and first and second major surfaces 13 and 14 having a width between those edges 1 5 and 16 adapted to be received and fed through the printer 9 by the sheet feeding means 7 ofthe printer 9 Also included in the sheet composite 10 is a secondary sheet portion 17 having first and second opposite major surfaces 18 and 19 and having first and second opposite edges 20 and 21 The secondary sheet portion 17 has a width between its first and second edges 20 and 21 that is about the same as the width ofthe primary sheet portion 1 1 between its first and second opposite edges 15 and 16, but could alternatively have a lesser width such as a width about half or less than half the width of the primary sheet portion 1 1 The first surface 18 of the secondary sheet portion 17 is positioned adjacent the first surface 13 ofthe pnmary sheet portion 1 1 with the first edges 15 and 20 of the primary and secondary sheet portions I 1 and 17 generally aligned A layer 24 of high tack pi essure sensitive adhesive extends between the adjacent first surfaces 13 and 18 ofthe sheet portions 1 1 and 14 The layer 24 of adhesive is firmly attached or adhered along the first surface 1 ofthe primary sheet portion 1 1 and is releasably adhered along or releasable from the first surface 18 of the secondary sheet portion 1 7 which is coated with a layer 26 of release/lubricating material. The layer 26 of release/lubricating material incorporates both a release material (e.g., silicone) and microcapsules containing a lubricating material (e.g., the 32 micron diameter microcapsules containing mineral oil that are commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), St. Paul, Minnesota, under the trade designation "3M PMU Capsules with mineral oil fill, 98-0439-3358-3"). Alternatively, the layer 24 of adhesive could be firmly attached or adhered along the first surface 18 of the secondary sheet portion 17 and could be releasable from or releasably adhered along the first surface 13 of the primary sheet portion 1 1 which could be coated with a layer of release material in which lubricating material in microcapsules is incorporated. Alternatively, the layer of adhesive could be a repositionable adhesive and no release material may be needed, in which case the lubricating material in microcapsules could be bonded by a suitable bonding material either to the first surface 18 of the secondary sheet portion 17, or to the first surface 13 of the primary sheet portion 1 1 and could either form a surface to which the repositionable adhesive is releasably adhered, or could form a layer that bonds the layer of repositionable adhesive to one of the sheet portions 1 1 or 17. Also, alternatively, the sheet composite could include two layers of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent first surfaces of the primary and secondary sheet portions, with the adhesive of one of those layers being firmly attached or adhered along the first surface of the primary sheet portion and being releasable from or releasably adhered along the first surface of the secondary sheet portion, and with the adhesive of the other ofthe layers being firmly attached or adhered along the first surface of the secondary sheet portion and being releasable from or releasably adhered along the first surface of the primary sheet portion. As illustrated, the primary and secondary sheet portions 1 1 and 17 are made from one sheet of material (e.g., 0 001 5 to 0.004 inch thick paper) that is folded along the first edges I 5 and 20 so that they are joined with the first surfaces 13 and 18 of the sheet portions on corresponding sides of the sheet. Optionally, as illustrated, the sheet can be perforated (e.g., microperforated) so that the perforations provide a linear path of weakness 23 about which the sheet is bent Parts of the sheet between the perforations along the first edges 15 and 20 can provide sufficient integrity so that the sheet does not separate along that path of weakness 23 while being printed The sheet can be bent about that path of weakness 23 to an open position (Figure 4) with the first surfaces 13 and 18 ofthe sheet portions 1 1 and 17 generally in the same plane and exposing the layer 24 of adhesive so that the sheet can be adhered to a substrate 27 by the layer 24 of adhesive The sheet can be rolled around a core as illustrated Alternatively, the sheet could be prepared and folded in the manner described in U S Patent Application No 08/565,422 filed November 30, 1995 A roll of the sheet composite 10 can thus be mounted on the spindle 8 in the printer 9 (Figure 3) and fed from that roll into the sheet feeding means ofthe printer 9 After a length ofthe sheet composite 10 is printed by the printer 9 it is separated from the non printed portion of the sheet composite 10 by the cutting means 5 which comprises a small, motor driven, guillotine type cutter assembly at an outlet slot ofthe printer 9 The secondary sheet portion 17 of that separated length can then be manually separated from the primary sheet portion 1 1 to expose the layer of adhesive 24 along the separated printed length and that separated printed length can be firmly adhered on a substrate 27 (Figure 4) to which the printing on the separated length relates As an example, in the fast food business, the printer 9 can be used to print special instructions on the sheet composite 10 concerning food being prepared (e g , no pickles, extra mustard, or no lettuce), and that printed message can be permanently adhered by the layer 24 of adhesive to a wrapper, package or sack in which the food is moved through the food delivery system Typically to form such a message using the printer 9 there is provided a manually operable means (e g , a computer 34) for forming a message in an electronic form capable of operating the printer 9 in a manner such that the printer 9 will print the message when the printer 9 is actuated and the electronic form ofthe message is sent to the printer 9, a desired message is formed by a person using the manually operable means (e g manually typing the message in at a keyboard 36 associated with the computer 34); the printer 9 is actuated, and the message is sent in its electronic form to the printer 9 (e g., by actuating the print function of a program in the computer 34) Example 1 : A first example ofthe sheet composite 10 described above was made using a 6 inch wide 15 pound white bond elongate paper web for the sheet; a release/lubricating material for the layer 26 that was a blend of 47 5 parts by weight of Syl-Off® 7676 and 2 5 parts by weight of Syl-Ofi ® 7677, both commercially available from Dow Corning Corporation, and 50 parts of the 32 micron microencapsulated mineral oil that is commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) under the trade designation 98-0439-3358-3, and for the layer 24 of adhesive, an aggressive permanent 0 5 inch wide length of transfer adhesive that is commercially available as "Scotch™ 924-100" from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St Paul, MN The silicone was drag coated onto the paper sheet by dragging the paper sheet longitudinally under a reservoir containing the silicone that had a 2 mil orifice to deposit a 1 125 inch wide layer 26 of silicone coated about 0.25 inch from an edge of the paper web that would provide the edge 21 for the sheet composite 10. The layer 26 of silicone was completely cured using a low heat The paper web was then longitudinally perforated using a microperforating wheel to form the line of weakness 23 along its length that was located about 1.5 inches from the edge of the web that would form the edge 21, and was located about 0.125 inch from the adjacent edge of the layer 26 of silicone, thereby forming the secondary sheet portion 17 of the sheet composite 10 between the line of weakness 23 and the edge 21 The web was then slit to form the edge 16 ofthe primary sheet portion 1 1 and provide a total web width of about 4 75 inches The 0 5 inch wide transfer adhesive was applied longitudinally to the same surface of the web on which the layer 26 of release material was applied at a spacing of about 0 25 inch away from the side ofthe perforations forming the path of weakness 23 opposite the layer 26 of release material A liner was removed that covered the transfer adhesive while it was being applied The web was folded along the perforations forming the path of weakness 23 to adhere the layer 24 of adhesive to the layer 26 of release material, and the folded web was then wound around a 1 inch diameter cylindrical core The resultant roll of sheet composite 10 was mounted on the spindle 8 in the "Model SP342F-A" impact pnnter from Star Micronics America, Inc , and had an end portion threaded through and printed on the second surface 14 of its primary sheet portion 1 1 by that printer Printed portions ofthe sheet composite 10 were automatically cut from the sheet composite 10 by the cutting means or mechanism 5 on that printer The Sheet composite 10 was found to reliably feed into and through the pnnter without being torn or wrinkled, and to have clear printing formed on that second surface 14 Aftei 250 consecutive cuts of the sheet composite 10 the blade in the cutting mechanism was inspected and found to have no adhesive build up, but rathei to have an oily layer on its surface Comparative Example A structure similar to sheet composite 10 described above was made using the same materials described in Example 1 except that the material foi the layer 26 was only the iβlease material commercially designated Dow Corning 7676 that is commercially available from Dow Corning, Corning, NY so that the layer 26 contained none of the microencapsulated mineral oil The resultant sheet composite 10 was printed and cut using the same impact printer After 25 consecutive cuts of the sheet composite 10 the blade in the cutting mechanism was inspected and found to have an adhesive layer on its surface that extended about 1 5 mm from its cutting edge This adhesive layer was found to seriously impair the operation of the cutting mechanism during subsequent opeiation thereof Example 2 A second example ofthe sheet composite 10 described above was made using the same materials except that the release/lubricating material for the layer 26 that was a blend of 67 0 parts by weight of the Syl-Off® 7676 and 3 0 parts by weight ofthe Syl-Off® 7677, and 30 parts ofthe 32 micron microencapsulated mineral oil The resultant sheet composite 10 was printed and cut using the same impact printer After 250 consecutive cuts ofthe sheet composite 10 the blade in the cutting mechanism 5 on the printer was inspected and found to have no adhesive build up, but rather to have an oily layer on its surface Example 3 A third example of the sheet composite 10 described above was made using the same materials except that the paper was 12 pound bond paper, and release/lubricating material for the layer 26 was an ultra-violet radiation curable silicone made from a blend of 97 parts by weight of the silicone available from General Electric Company, Waterford, New York, under the trade designation GE9300, and 3 parts of the silicone available from General Electric Company under the trade designation GE9300C 50 parts by weight of that silicone were mixed with 50 parts of the 32 micron microencapsulated mineral oil The resultant release/lubricating material was coated to form the layer 26 using a reverse gravure coater to provide a 25 mm wide layer that was crosslinked under ultra-violet radiation The resultant sheet composite 10 was printed and cut using the same impact printer and cutter After 250 consecutive cuts of the sheet composite 10 the blade in the cutting mechanism was inspected and found to have no adhesive build up, but rather to have an oily layer on its surface Further embodiments Referring now to Figure 5 of the drawing, there is illustrated a second embodiment of a sheet composite 50 according to the present invention that is elongate and is also adapted to be printed in the impact printer 9 The sheet composite 50 comprises an elongate primary sheet portion 51 having opposite longitudinally extending first and second edges 55 and 56, having first and second major surfaces 53 and 54, and having a width between those edges 55 and 56 adapted to be received and fed through the printer 9 by the sheet feeding means 7 of the printer 9 Also included in the sheet composite 50 is a secondary sheet portion 57 having first and second opposite major surfaces 58 and 59. having first and second opposite edges 60 and 61 , and having a width between its first and second edges 60 and 61 that is about the same as the width of the primary sheet portion 51 between its first and second opposite edges 65 and 66. The first surface 58 ofthe secondary sheet portion 57 is positioned adjacent the first surface 53 of the primary sheet portion 51 with the first edges 55 and 60 of the primary and secondary sheet portions 51 and 57 generally aligned. Elongate layers 64 of high tack pressure sensitive adhesive extend longitudinally ofthe sheet portions 51 and 57 between their adjacent first surfaces 53 and 58. The layers 64 of adhesive are firmly attached or adhered along the first surface 53 of the primary sheet portion 51 and are releasably adhered along or releasable from the first surface 58 ofthe secondary sheet portion 57 which is coated with a layer 66 of release material (e.g., silicone) The elongate layers 64 are disposed in two different parallel rows along that first surface 53 with the layers 64 of adhesive along each row having spaces therebetween that correspond in length to the lengths of the layers 64 of adhesive along the other row, and with the layers of adhesive along that other row being disposed to bridge those spaces. Thus, adhesive is present on at least one of those rows along the entire length of the sheet composite 50 Interspersed between the layers 64 of adhesive along each of the rows are longitudinal layers 68 of lubricating material fixed to the first surface 53 so that lubricating material is also present on at least one of those rows and is adjacent the adhesive along the entire length ofthe sheet composite 50 As an example, a solid gel lubricant for the layers 68 was made by first dispersing 20 parts by weight of a styrene-isoprene block copolymer elastomer commercially available as Kraton D4433PX-12 in 80 parts of mineral oil to form a lubricating composition, and then dissolving 40 parts by weight of that lubricating composition in 60 parts by weight of toluol to form a coating composition The layers 68 in the pattern illustrated were then formed by coating about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long bands of that coating composition on a paper ofthe type commercially designated "C2S Capistrano" that is commercially available from James River Corp., Menasha, Wisconsin, and The transfer adhesive commercially designated Scotch 924 Adhesive Transfer Tape from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company was then applied to form the layers 64 of adhesive, and a 2.5 inch wide band of release material made by mixing 96 parts by weight of Syl-Off® 7676 and 4 parts by weight of Syl-Off® 7678 was drag coated onto the paper to form the layer 66 of release material which was heat cured The resultant composite material was printed on and cut transversely 100 times by the "Model SP342F-A" impact printer from Star Micronics America, Inc The cutting mechanism was then inspected and found to have no adhesive build up After some time, however the lubricant migrated into the sheet, which was undesirable It is believed that a coating of the basecoat material described in U S Patent No 5,268,214 under the layers 68 of lubricant could restrict migration ofthe lubricant into the paper sheet Referring now to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawing, there is illustrated a third embodiment of a sheet composite 70 according to the present invention As illustrated in Figure 7, the sheet composite 70 is adapted to be adhered to a layer of stretchable fabric 78 on which embroidering or other sewing is to be done with a sewing/embroidering machine to stabilize the fabric as a needle 79 on the sewing/ embroidering machine repeatedly pierces and carries thread 80 through the sheet composite 70 and the fabric 78 to do the embroidering or sewing The sheet composite 70 comprises a sheet 71 (e g , the crepe paper used as the backing for masking tape available under the trade designation "2090" from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St Paul, Minnesota, preferably in white rather than colored). A layer 75 of adhesive/lubricating material is firmly attached or adhered along a first surface 73 ofthe sheet 71 The layer 75 of adhesive/lubricating material incorporates both an adhesive (e.g., a water based acrylic adhesive) and microcapsules 76 containing a lubricating material (e.g., 32 or 180 micron diameter microcapsules containing a lubricant such as mineral oil or poly siloxane oil) As an example, the adhesive/lubricating material was made by dispersing such microcapsules containing mineral oil utilizing a 1 % siponate surfactant (i.e., "DS- 10" from Rhome Poulenc) to provide 5% particles in a water based acrylic adhesive and coated on the sheet 70 from the "2090" masking tape described above to form the layer 75 That layer 75 of the sheet composite 70 was adhered to a fabric and sewn through by household type sewing/embroidering machines At low sewing speeds the needle and thread on the sewing/embroidering machine remained clean and uncontaminated by the adhesive, and no adhesive contamination was found on its bobbin At higher speeds, however, adhesive contamination was found on the needle, thread, and bobbin This problem should be relieved by providing a separate layer of microencapsulated lubricant between the sheet 70 and the layer 75 of adhesive or on the surface of the sheet 70 opposite the layer 75 of adhesive The present invention has now been described with reference to three embodiments thereof and to several Examples and possible modifications of those embodiments It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many additional changes and modifications can be made in the embodiments described without departing from the scope ofthe present invention, and that the invention has potential applicability beyond the embodiment described herein For example, the use of microencapsulated lubricants on the sheets in a master pad from which pads of notes are formed as described above should prevent or at least significantly restrict smearing of adhesive along side surfaces of the pads as they are cut from the master pad Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures and methods described in this application, but only by the structures and method described by the language of the claims and the equivalents thereof

Claims: Claims 1. A sheet composite comprising a sheet, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface ofthe sheet, and lubricating material adjacent said adhesive, which lubricating material will release a quantity of the lubricant onto an implement moved through the sheet and layer of pressure sensitive adhesive to thereby lubricate the implement and restrict transfer ofthe pressure sensitive adhesive to the implement. 2 A sheet composite according to claim 1 wherein said lubricating material is micro-encapsulated and the microcapsules are in a layer co-extensive with at least a part ofthe layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 3 A sheet composite according to claim 1 wherein said lubricating material is micro-encapsulated and the microcapsules are in said layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 4 A sheet composite according to claim 1 wherein said lubricating material is micro-encapsulated, and said sheet composite includes a colorless form of a leuco dye with the lubricant in the microcapsules and a color developer on the sheet of material so that the sheet of material bearing said microcapsules will both become colored in portions where the microcapsules are broken to release the dye from the microcapsules, and will also lubricate an implement that moves through and breaks microcapsules on the sheet 5 An elongate sheet composite adapted to be printed in a printer having sheet feeding means for driving the sheet composite longitudinally past a printing head on the printer, and to have printed portions cut away by cutting means on the printer for transversely severing the sheet composite, said sheet composite comprising - is- an elongate primary sheet portion having opposite longitudinally extending first and second edges, and first and second major surfaces of a width between said edges adapted to be received and fed through the printer by the sheet feeding means of the printer, a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces and having first and second opposite edges, the first surface of said secondary sheet portion being positioned adjacent the first surface of the primary sheet portion with the first edges of said primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned; a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent first surfaces of said sheet portions, said adhesive being firmly attached along the first surface of one of said sheet portions and being releasable from the first surface of the other of said sheet portions; and a layer of lubricating material adjacent the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive which layer of lubricating material will release a quantity of the lubricant onto the cutting means on the printer for transversely severing the sheet to thereby lubricate the cutting means and restrict transfer of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the cutting means. 6. An elongate sheet composite according to claim 5 wherein said lubricating material is micro-encapsulated and the microcapsules are in a layer co¬ extensive with at least a part of the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive. 7. An elongate sheet composite according to claim 5 wherein said lubricating material is micro-encapsulated and the microcapsules are in a layer between the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and one ofthe sheet portions 8. A sheet composite according to claim 6 wherein the adhesive in said layer of adhesive is a high tack adhesive, said sheet composite includes a layer of release material on the first surface of the sheet from which said layer of adhesive is releasable, and said microcapsules containing lubricating material are incorporated in said layer of release material. 9 A sheet composite according to claim 5 wherein said primary and secondary sheet portions are two portions of a single sheet, said sheet being bent along said first edges to position the first surface of said secondary sheet portion adjacent the first surface of the primary sheet portion 10 A sheet composite according to claim 9 wherein said sheet has a path of weakness between said primary and secondary sheet portions, and said layer of adhesive is firmly adhered on the first surface of said primary sheet portion 1 1 In combination, an elongate sheet composite, and a printer comprising printing head means, sheet feeding means for driving the sheet composite longitudinally past the printing head means on the printer, and cutting means for transversely severing the sheet composite to cut away printed portions of the sheet composite, said sheet composite comprising an elongate primary sheet portion having opposite longitudinally extending first and second edges, and first and second major surfaces of a width between said edges adapted to be received and fed through the printer by the sheet feeding means of the printer, a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces and having first and second opposite edges, the first surface of said secondary sheet portion being positioned adjacent the first surface ofthe primary sheet portion with the first edges of said primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent first surfaces of said sheet portions, said adhesive being firmly attached along the first surface of one of said sheet portions and being releasable from the first surface of the other of said sheet portions, and a layer of microcapsules containing lubricating material between the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and one of the sheet portions 12. A combination according to claim 1 1 wherein the adhesive in said layer of adhesive is a high tack adhesive, said sheet composite includes a layer of release material on the first surface of the sheet to which said layer of adhesive is releasably adhered, and said microcapsules are in said layer of release material 13. A combination according to claim 1 1 wherein said primary and secondary sheet portions are two portions of a single sheet, said sheet being bent along said first edges to position the first surface of said secondary sheet portion adjacent the first surface of the primary sheet portion. 1 . A combination according to claim 13 wherein said sheet has a path of weakness between said primary and secondary sheet portions, and said layer of adhesive is firmly adhered on the first surface of said primary sheet portion 15. A method comprising the steps of (1 ) providing a sheet composite that comprises a sheet, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along one surface of the sheet, and a layer of lubricating material on the sheet; and (2) moving an implement through the sheet, layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and the layer of lubricating material to release a sufficient quantity o the lubricant to lubricate the implement and thereby restrict transfer of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the implement. 16 A method according to claim 1 5 wherein the lubricating material is micro-encapsulated and said moving step includes the step of breaking the microcapsules to release the lubricant that restricts adhesion of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the implement. 17 A method according to claim 16 wherein the implement is a cutting blade, and the step of moving the implement through the sheet severs the sheet. 18 A method according to claim 16 wherein the implement is a needle, and the step of moving the implement through the sheet pierces the sheet. 19 A method for forming a custom printed sheet bearing a layer of adhesive, said method comprising the steps of. ( 1 ) providing an elongate sheet composite comprising an elongate primary sheet portion having opposite longitudinally extending first and second edges, and first and second major surfaces of a width between said edges adapted to be received and fed through the printer by the sheet feeding means of the printer, a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces and having first and second opposite edges, the first surface of said secondary sheet portion being positioned adjacent the first surface of the primary sheet portion with the first edges of said primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned, a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent first surfaces of said sheet portions, said adhesive being firmly attached along the first surface of one of said sheet portions and being releasable from the first surface of the other of said sheet portions; and a layer of microcapsules containing lubricating material between the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and one of the sheet portions, (2) printing the primary sheet portion along a portion of the sheet composite to form a desired message, (3) cutting the printed portion of the sheet composite from the non printed portion of the sheet composite by using a cutter to cut through the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and the layer of microcapsules containing lubricating material so that microcapsules are broken by the cutter and the lubricating material released during the cut restricts adhesion of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the cutter; and (5) separating the first surface of the secondary sheet portion from the first surface of the primary sheet portion to expose the layer of pressure sensitive .->->. adhesive so that the printed sheet composite can be adhered to a substrate using the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 20 A method according to claim 19 wherein said step of providing a sheet composite includes the sequential steps of initially providing the sheet composite with the primary and secondary sheet portions being a single sheet so that the first edges of the primary and secondary sheet portions ofthe sheet composite are joined, with the first surfaces ofthe primary and secondary sheet portions generally coplanar, with the layer of adhesive only adhered to one of the first surfaces, and with the sheet having a path of weakness between the sheet portions, and bending the sheet along the path of weakness prior to the feeding step to position the first surface of the primary and secondary sheet portions adjacent so that the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is adhered along the first surfaces of both of the sheet portions -73-

Inventors: BAYER GLEN H JR, HOLMES DONALD E, JOHNSON DEE LYNN, KNOLL KENNETH F, MERTENS TIMOTHY A, PENDERGRASS DANIEL B JR, WIESNER KENNETH A, BAYER, GLEN, H., JR., HOLMES, DONALD, E., JOHNSON, DEE, LYNN, KNOLL, KENNETH, F., MERTENS, TIMOTHY, A., PENDERGRASS, DANIEL, B., JR., WIESNER, KENNETH, A.
Applicants: MINNESOTA MINING & MFG, MINNESOTA MINING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B42D5
IPC codes: B26D7, B42D5