Abstract:
There is disclosed a package containing a series of side-by-side label rolls and an ink roll package positioned in a tubular opening in the label rolls and having a flange against the side of the endmost roll. The flange provides a stop to limit migration or insertion of the ink roll package into the opening. The flange provides a surface to which a cover sheet or label can be releasably attached. The cover sheet can carry a substantial amount of information and is peelable to release the ink rolls.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the field of label roll packages and ink roller packages. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     It is known in the art to have a series of label rolls packaged in side-by-side relationship. A series of label rolls can be shrink wrapped or simply placed in a box. Each label roll is comprised of a web of pressure sensitive labels. Each label roll has a central opening. The central opening can be defined either by the inner wrap or convolution of the label web or by a core. The central openings of the label rolls are aligned to provide a tubular opening. 
     It is known to provide an ink roller in a partially transparent blister package, as disclosed with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The blister package can be sized to be inserted into and frictionally held inside the tubular opening, but it sometimes happens that the ink roller blister package is far enough into the tubular opening to be difficult to remove without separating the label rolls or using a tool. The blister package construction of FIGS. 8 and 9 suffers the further disadvantage that the cover sheet is too small to be printed with very much data such as the part number, color information, the date of manufacture, the patent notice, the trade name of the manufacture, and other data. In addition, the ink roller can bleed ink onto the somewhat flexible paper cover of the blister package. 
     Alternatively, the ink roller can be packaged in a flexible, transparent plastic bag which is inserted into the tubular opening as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,897 to Smith. As with the blister package, the bag may move to a position too far into the tubular opening. The plastic bag approach suffers the disadvantage that the inside of the bag becomes coated with ink from the ink roller and this increases the chance that when the bag is opened to free the ink roller, the user will get ink on his/her hands. In addition to wasting ink, the bag gives an unsightly appearance and ink on the inside surface of the bag may obscure readability of printed data on the outside of the bag. 
     It is also known to provide an ink roller in a transparent, rigid container having a tubular portion integrally joined to an end portion and having a rigid removable plug or cap for closing off the open end. An unoriented ink roller extends axially of the tubular portion. The container is freely received in the tubular opening within the label rolls. Ink rollers with extensions or handles are known in the art, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,562 to P. Hamisch, Jr. A blister package is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,620 to W. Lane, Sr. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an improved package for label rolls and an ink roller. According to one specific embodiment of the invention, a series of side-by-side label rolls and an ink roll package are packaged into a unit for shipment to the customer. Each label roll includes a web of pressure sensitive labels. Each label roll has a central opening. The central openings of the label rolls are generally aligned to provide a tubular opening. An ink roller package including a closed container is received in the tubular opening. The container has a flange or flange portion adjacent and parallel to a side of one of the label rolls, and there is an ink roller in the container. It is preferred that the ink roller package include a tubular portion joined to the flange and that the tubular portion is frictionally releasably held in the opening. This frictional holding facilitates the further packaging of the label rolls as for example during boxing or shrink wrapping of the label rolls together with the ink roller package. The flange is a stop which prevents the ink roller package from moving into a relatively inaccessible position in the tubular opening of the label rolls. It is also preferred to have a cover sheet across the open flanged end of the ink roller container which not only closes off the open end but which can carry a substantial amount of important printed data. The ink roller is oriented in the container so that when the cover sheet is removed, the handle of the ink roller is readily accessible at the open end of the container. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package containing a series of side-by-side label rolls and an ink roller package; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of the package; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink roller and its container; 
     FIG. 4 is a partly broken away view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the ink roller package; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an alternative embodiment of the package of the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the package illustrated in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a prior art ink roller package; and 
     FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the prior art ink roller package shown in FIG.  8 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a package generally indicated at  10  including a series of side-by-side label rolls  11  and an ink roller package generally indicated at  13 . The package  10  can be held together as a unit by a shrink wrap  14  which essentially envelopes the label rolls  11  and the ink roller package  13 . 
     Each label roll  11  has an annular or tubular central core  15  which defines a central opening  16 . The central openings  16  are generally aligned and define a tubular opening generally indicated at  17  within the series of label rolls  11 . Each label roll  11  is comprised of a web of pressure sensitive labels  18  which has been wound onto the respective core  15 . Further examples of such pressure sensitive labels can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,083. The labels can also be provided in linerless label webs, if desired. As shown in FIG. 2, the label rolls  11  are in side-by-side abutting relationship. 
     With reference to FIG. 3, there is shown an ink roller container generally indicated at  19  of the package  13 . The container  19  has an elongate, longitudinally extending, generally tubular portion or ink roller receiving portion  20  with a slight conical taper, an end  21  closed off by an end closure portion  22 , an open end  23 , and a flange or flange portion  24 . The flange portion  24  extends transversely outwardly from the open end. The flange portion  24  extends perpendicular to the axis A of the tubular portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the flange portion  24  is adjacent, and more specifically, one side of the flange portion  24  is in contact with outer side  11 ′ of the endmost label roll  11 . In turn, the shrink wrap  14  contacts the outer side of the ink roller package  13 . As shown, the flange portion  24  acts as a stop to assure that the ink roll package  13  does not move or migrate too far into the tubular opening  17 . Thus, the ink roll package  13  is always accessible from one side of the package  10 . 
     As shown, the generally tubular portion  20  has a series of ridges  25  adjacent the open end  23 . The ridges  25  make frictional contact with the central opening  16  at the inside of the core  15  to frictionally hold the container  19  in position until the packaging operation is complete. The container  19  is preferably comprised of a vacuum formed, semi-rigid, transparent plastics material which serves as a vapor barrier and which can resiliently yield slightly upon insertion into the endmost core  15 . The wall thickness of the container  19  is essentially constant throughout the container  19  because the container  19  is formed from a constant thickness sheet or web of formable plastics material. The ridges  25  are part of an enlarged portion  20 ′ and preferably extend in the axial direction of the tubular portion  20 , are relatively short in length and preferably contact only the endmost label roll  11 . The container  19  can, however, extend into the opening  17  in more than one label roll  11 , as shown. 
     FIG. 3 shows that an ink roller generally indicated at  26  is to be received in the tubular portion  20 . The ink roller  26  is shown to have a pair of bearing flanges or rolls  26   a , a porous sleeve  26   b  and an annular handle  26   c . The ink roller  26  is oriented so that its handle  26   c  is adjacent the open end  23 . The assembled condition of the ink roller package  13  is also shown in FIG.  2 . The porous sleeve  26   b  does not contact the inside of the tubular portion  20 . When the ink roller  26  is in the container  19 , a cover sheet or label  27  is applied to the outer surface  28  of the flange portion  24 . The cover sheet  27  is preferably composed of a plastics material and as such serves as a vapor barrier. The underside of the cover sheet  27  has a coating of an adhesive  29  which releasably adheres the cover sheet  27  to the flange  24 . The cover sheet  27  is preferably peelable from the flange  24 . It is preferred that the adhesive  29  be of the heat-activated dry-tack type. 
     An advantage of the improved ink roller package is to have substantial area available for printed data  30  such as the part number, an indication of color, the manufacturer&#39;s data code, the manufacturer&#39;s name and/or logo, patent numbers, trademarks and other information. The printed data is shown to be on the outer surface of the cover sheet  27 . 
     One corner of the flange portion  24  is heavily scored or completely severed as indicated at  31  to provide a tab or handle  32 . By bending the scored tab  32 , the tab  32  breaks off. The cover sheet  27  remains secured to the tab  32 . The cover sheet  27  can be readily peeled from the flange  24  using the tab  32 . 
     If desired, the shrink wrap  14  can be omitted and the label webs  11  can simply be placed in a box. The ink roller package  13  can be inserted to the position shown in FIG. 2 either before or after the series of label rolls is placed in the box. 
     By way of example, not limitation, the core  15  has an inside diameter or central opening  16  of about 1 inch. The overall length of the ink roller package  13  from the end closure portion  22  to the cover sheet  27  is about 1.125 inches. The flange  24  and the cover sheet  27  are about 1.75 inches square. The outside diameter of the tubular portion  20  at the ridges  25  is preferably about 1.03 inch. The axial extent of the ridges  25  is about 0.35 inch. The flange  24  is preferably substantially larger than the tubular opening  17 . For example, the cover  27  extends beyond the tubular opening  17  by at least 0.2 inch. 
     The embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 is the same as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 5, except as follows. Where components are the same, the same reference characters are used. As shown, the shrink wrap  14  itself serves the dual function of holding the rolls  11  and the ink roller container  19  in tact and clean until ready to be used, and of closing or sealing off the container  19  and the ink roller  26  which it houses. The shrink wrap  14  is adhesively adhered or heat sealed directly to the flange  24  of the container  19  at a seal line S. The ink roller  26  is thus protected from the ambient air by a vapor barrier provided by the container  19  and the shrink wrap  14 . The shrink wrap  14  acts as the cover sheet for the end opening of the container  19 . 
     A prior art ink roller package  33  is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. A formed transparent plastics container  34  is closed off by a cover sheet or label  35 . The package  33  is designed to fit within the tubular opening in a series of label rolls. FIG. 9 shows that if the package  33  is to fit into the tubular opening, the cover sheet  35  has very little room for printed data  36 . As shown especially well in FIG. 8, the ink roller package includes an ink roller  37 . 
     Other embodiments and modifications of the invention will suggest themselves and modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.