METHOD AND DEVICE FOR APPLYING A REUSABLE LABEL TO AN ARTICLE

Abstract: A method of providing information about possible uses of a packaged product, wherein the product is mechanically provided with a package (1). The packages (1) are moved on in a row, and a dispenser (13) which is disposed beside the row of moving packages (1) detachably affixes an information carrier (6) to each of said packages by means of a reusable adhesive while said packages (1) are being moved in a row.

Description: METHOD AND DEVICE FOR APPLYING A REUSABLE LABEL TO AN ARTICLE The invention relates to a method of providing information about possible uses of a packaged product, wherein the product is mechanically provided with a package, wherein packages are moved on in a row. Such a method is for example used in the manufacture of containers which are filled with a liquid, such as cardboard containers containing a dairy product . It is customary to provide the packaging of such products with information relating to the possible uses of the packaged product . Consequently, the packaging not only functions to envelop the product, but it also has an informative function. Said informative function appears to be a very effective way of spreading information about the possible uses of the packaged product, because said information will on the one hand become available to all those who have the packaged product in their possession, whilst on the other hand it remains limited to that particular group of persons, so that unnecessary spreading of information is prevented. One drawback of the spreading of information with the package functioning as information carrier is the fact that the package is often disposed of once the product has been removed therefrom. Especially information with regard to possible uses of the product must often be available also after the product has been removed from the package. In this connection packaged foodstuffs may be considered, whereby recipes in which said foodstuffs can be used are provided on the package. When making pancakes a situation may thus occur wherein the recipe for making pancakes is mentioned on the packaged flour, whereby the already emptied package must be kept in order to have the recipe available while making the pancakes . The object of the invention is to provide a method of providing information about the possible uses of a packaged product wherein the package comprises an information carrier which can easily be removed therefrom, which information carrier can be kept at practically any desired visible place after being removed. In order to accomplish that objective, a dispenser which is disposed beside the row of moving packages detachably affixes an information carrier to each of said packages by means of a reusable adhesive while said packages are being moved in a row. The affixed information carrier can form an optical unit with the other parts of the package thereby, in that the information carrier is for example in the form of a rectangular sheet of paper which is affixed to a flat portion of the package at the location of an unprinted portion of the package, which portion has the same dimension as said sheet of paper. Furthermore, the print present on said sheet of paper may correspond to the print present on the package at the location of the affixed sheet of paper, so that the package will retain the same appearance after said sheet of paper has been removed therefrom. The use of a reusable adhesive, also called pressure sensitive adhesive, is known from EP-A-0 276 557. As already said before, the information carrier may contain the recipe for using the product, which recipe must remain available after the product has been removed from the package, so that the package itself can be disposed of. Preferably, the information carrier is affixed to a flat portion of the package, which flat portion extends in the direction of movement of the packages during the affixation of the information carrier. In this manner the information carrier can be affixed by means of a dispenser of simple design, for example of the kind which is known and which is used for affixing appendices to magazine quires. Since the information carrier is provided with a reusable adhesive, it can be detachably affixed to another object by means of said reusable adhesive several times after being removed from the package, an that in practically any desired place. Preferably, the packages are containers which are filled with a liquid. Preferably, said liquid is a dairy product, and the information carrier preferably contains recipes for said dairy product. In one preferred embodiment, the information carrier is a printed sheet of paper. The invention furthermore relates to a device for packaging prepackaged products, which device comprises a conveyor for moving packages in a row, and a dispenser disposed near said conveyor for delivering information carriers and affixing said information carriers to respective passing packages by means of a reusable adhesive . The invention furthermore relates to a mechanically packaged product provided with information about possible uses of that product, whereby the information is present on an information carrier which has been affixed to the packaging of the product by means of a reusable adhesive, so that the information carrier can be affixed to another object several times by means of said reusable adhesive. In order to explain the invention more fully, an embodiment of the method will now be described with reference to the drawing. Figure 1 shows a device for affixing information carriers to the packaging of prepackaged products; and Figure 2 shows a prepackaged product provided with an information carrier. Figure 1 shows a row of prepackaged products 1, which are being moved in the direction indicated by arrow 12 by means of a conveyor (not shown) . The prepackaged products 1 are cardboard containers, which are rectangular, seen in plan view, in which a dairy product is present. While the packages 1 forming containers are being filled, said packages are led through a filling machine one after the other, and Figure 1 shows a number of packages 1 which are being moved between the filling machine and the place where packages 1 are packed in larger numbers in boxes for further transport. Disposed beside the path of movement of the packages 1 is a dispenser 13, which is shown in plan view in Figure 1, and which rotates about a vertical axis as indicated by arrow 4. The rotational speed is thereby such that the circumferential velocity of dispenser 13 corresponds to the velocity of movement of packages 1. Dispenser 13 is provided with four clamps 5, which are capable of engaging an edge of a sheet of paper 6 forming an information carrier. Information carriers 6 are cut from a roll 18 by means of knives 7. Roll 18 comprises a rolled-up strip of paper, wherein a strip of a reusable adhesive is provided along the edge on one side. On the other side, the strip of paper is provided with a message or with a different print, for example a recipe for using the dairy product which is present inside the package 1. Roll 18 is unrolled in the direction indicated by arrows 10 by the rotation of the two pairs of rollers 9, which each form a gap between them, through which the strip of paper is passed. Guide rollers 2 guide the strip of paper towards knives 7, which are capable of cutting through the strip of paper in transverse direction when said knives 7 move in the direction indicated by arrows 8. The strip of paper is first moved by means of the driven pairs of rollers 9, until a sufficient length of said strip of paper is present between pairs of rollers 3, after which the strip of paper is cut through. The cut-off information carrier 6 is present between guide rollers 3 at that point, and it is moved forward when a clamp 5 occupies a position in which clamp 5 can engage the edge of the sheet of paper 5. Information carrier 6 may also be cut off at a place which is indicated on said strip of paper, which place is detected. After information carrier 6 has been engaged by clamp 5, the information carrier 6 is carried to the side of a passing package 1 by dispenser 13. Since the reusable adhesive is pressed against the package 1 by the dispenser, the information carrier 6 will remain behind on package 1, as is indicated with the first three packages of the row in Figure 1. Figure 1 only indicates schematically how the information carriers 6 can be affixed to package 1, and it will be apparent that this can also be done in several other manners. Instead of being cut off from a strip supplied from a roll 18, the information carriers 6 may also be supplied from a holder in which the information carriers 6 are stacked. Figure 2 shows a package 1 provided with an information carrier 6. Package 1 is usually provided with a print, which makes the package look attractive and/or which provides the necessary information, which print is not shown in Figure 2. Package 1 is made of cardboard, and it is folded and glued to form a closed container, which can contain a liquid product, such as a dairy product. In the embodiment which is shown in Figure 2, an information carrier 6 has been affixed to package 1, and that in such a manner that the information carrier 6 adheres to package 1 along a vertical edge 19 of information carrier 6, unlike the embodiment which is shown in Figure 1, wherein the strip of reusable adhesive extends in horizontal direction. In this embodiment, information carrier 6 is provided with a text which is only roughly indicated.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method of providing information about possible uses of a packaged product (1) , wherein the product is mechanically provided with a package (1) , wherein packages (1) are moved on in a row, whereby a dispenser (13) which is disposed beside the row of moving packages (1) detachably affixes an information carrier (6) to each of said packages (1) by means of a reusable adhesive while said packages (1) are being moved in a row. 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the information carrier (6) is affixed to a flat portion of the package (1) , which flat portion extends in the direction of movement (12) of the packages during the affixation of the information carrier (6) . 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the information carrier (6) is removed from the package (1) and detachably affixed to another object by means of said reusable adhesive. 4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said packages (1) are containers which are filled with a liquid. 5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said information carrier (6) consists of a printed sheet of paper. 6. A device for packaging prepackaged products, which device comprises a conveyor for moving packages (1) in a row, characterized by a dispenser (13) disposed near said conveyor for delivering information carriers and affixing said information carriers (6) to the passing packages (1) by means of a reusable adhesive. 7. A mechanically packaged product provided with information about the possible uses of that product, whereby the information is present on an information carrier (6) which has been affixed to the packaging (1) of the product by means of a reusable adhesive, so that the information carrier (6) can be affixed to another object several times by means of said reusable adhesive .

Inventors: ROS RAYMOND EDMUND, ROS, RAYMOND, EDMUND
Applicants: ADD ON INT BV, ROS RAYMOND EDMUND, ADD-ON INTERNATIONAL B.V., ROS, RAYMOND, EDMUND
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65C1
IPC codes: B65C1, B65C9