Abstract:
There is disclosed a composite web of record members and a method of making same, the composite web provides tag/label pairs comprised of a tag and a label which can be feed through a printer and in which a tag/label pair can be cut from the tag web with its underlying release liner. The tag web  20  is simple to manufacture using readily available materials. The label  22  can be adhesively adhered to garment wrappings and the tag is rendered non-tacky by use of a patterned adhesive deadener.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to webs of record members, tags, labels and method of making same. 
   2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
   The following patent documents are made of record: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,727,055; 5,389,414; 5,833,273; 6,737,140; U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 29/186,393; and German Gebrauchsmuster G 92 16 694.6. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A preferred embodiment provides a composite web of pairs of tags and labels manufacturable from an adhesive-coated tag stock web and a release liner web, wherein the tags and labels can be printed in pairs in a suitable printer such as a thermal printer and severed from the composite web in pairs, and wherein the tags and labels are releasable from the release liner and the tag of each pair has a tab foldable and adhesively adhered to a portion of the remainder of the tag, and wherein the portion of the tag beyond the tab is masked off by adhesive deadener to provide a non-tacky tag. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of a composite web of record members comprised of tags and labels; 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of a release liner of the composite web of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the tag stock web; 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the front of a printed tag of the composite web shown imprinted in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the tag shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged sectional view of the tag with its tab folded about a fold line onto a portion of the tag; 
       FIG. 8  is a fragmentary view of the tag with its tab folded onto a portion of the tag;  FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the printed label shown in unprinted form in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a front elevational view showing the label of  FIG. 9  adhered to a polyethylene garment-containing bag suspended by a hanger; 
       FIG. 11  is a rear elevational view of the label and bag suspended by the hanger; 
       FIG. 12  is a top plan view of an alternative form of label from the label illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4 ,  9 ,  10  and  11 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a top plan view of a portion or tab of the label shown in  FIG. 12  detached from the remainder of the label; and 
       FIG. 14  is a top plan view of a portion of the label shown in  FIG. 12  from which the tab has been removed. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   With reference initially to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , there is shown a composite web generally indicated at  20  of record members or tags  21  and record members or labels  22 . The tags  21  are disposed end-to-end and are part of a web generally indicated at  23  of tags  21 . The labels  22  are disposed end-to-end and are part of a web generally indicated at  24  of labels  22 . Underlying the webs  23  and  24  is a release liner generally indicated at  25  shown to be in web form. The tags  21  and labels  22  is formed from a web of tag stock preferably of the type for producing hang tags. Hand tags are of a type which can be hung from garments and the like such as by means of a plastic fastener of the type sold by Paxar Americas, Inc. under its trademark TAGGER TAIL®. The tag stock can be of a single ply or of more than one ply as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,055. The tags  21  and the labels  22  are shown to be connected end-to-end, however, the tags  21  and the labels  22  are separable in pairs by cutting along cut lines CL, as is preferred. As such, both the tag stock web  26  and the underlying release liner web  25  can be completely severed simultaneously along the cut line CL. Alternatively, the tag stock web  26  can be severed along the cut line CL and the release liner web  25  can be uncut or partially severed along the cut line CL for manual separation of a pair of a tag  21  and a label  22 , but this is not the most preferred construction. 
   Typically the tags  21  and the labels  22  are printed in a suitable printer (not shown) such as a thermal printer or in a laser printer illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,414 and thereafter one pair of a tag  21  and a label  22  which are side-by-side and the underlying portion of the release liner web  25  are severed from the web  20 . The web  20  is preferably fed through the printer in the direction of arrow A. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the tag web  23  and the label web  24  are formed by at least partially severing the tag stock web  26  longitudinally between its side edges  27  and  28 , as indicated at  29 . The side edges  27  and  28  and the line of at least partially severing  29  are preferably parallel. The tags  21  are illustrated to be slightly wider than the labels  21 . It is most preferred to only partially sever the web  26  longitudinally to maintain the integrity of the composite web  20 . In particular, the web  26  is preferably completely severed as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , except for frangible ties or lands indicated at  30  disposed at longitudinally spaced locations along the web  26 , and as such the web  26  is considered to be partially severed along the line  29 . The lands  30  help prevent the tag web  23  and the label web  24  from shifting relative to each other not only during the manufacturing method but also during printing in a printer. 
   With reference to  FIG. 2 , the tag stock web  26 , a coating of adhesive  31 , a coating of adhesive deadener  32 , a coating of release material  33  such as silicone, and a release liner  34  are shown exaggeratedly thick for clarity. The adhesive  31  is of the pressure sensitive or tacky type and is coated onto and adheres to a face  35  of the tag stock web  26 . Adhesive deadener or detackifier  32  is coated onto the adhesive under portions of the tag web  23 . The liner  25  fully underlies both the tag web  23  and the label web  24 . 
   Each tag  21  is shown to include a main tag section or portion  21   a  and tabs  21   b  and  21   c . The detachable tab  21   b  is connected to the tag portion  21   a  by a line of weakening or partial severing  36 . The tab  21   c  is connected to the tag portion  21   a  by a line of weakening or partial severing  37 . The tag portion  21   a  has a through-hole  38 . There are also through-holes  39  in the release liner web  25  aligned with the holes  38  in the tag stock web  26 . The tabs  21   b  have one or more slits  38 ′ shown to be cross-hair slits through the tab stock  26 . As is preferred, the release liner web  25  is free of any cuts except for the holes  39 . 
   Each label  22  in the label web  24  has lines of weakening or partial severing  40  and  41 . The line of partial severing  40  is much closer to one cut line CL than the other cut line CL and extends transversely or perpendicular to the long or longitudinal direction of the web  20 . The line of partial severing  41  extends obliquely to the longitudinal direction, and in particular is shown to extend from the end of the intersection of the lines of partial severing  29  and  36  to one end of the line of partial severing at side edge  28 . The slope of the line of partial severing  41  preferably matches the slope of a conventional triangular-shaped wire garment hanger  53  ( FIGS. 10 and 11 ) having sloped portions  54  which terminates at a hook (not shown). 
   With reference to  FIG. 4 , the underside of the tag web  26  is shown. As is preferred, the entire underside of adhesive  31  of the tag web  23  is shown masked off or deadened by the coating of adhesive deadener or detackifier  32  except for almost all of the tab  21   b  and a portion  42  of the tag portion  21   a . In addition, the adhesive deadener  32  is coated onto the underside of the label web  24  on both sides of each cut line CL between borders  43  and  44 . The adhesive deadener  32  on the label web  24  extends from side edge  28  to the line of partial severing  29 . The adhesive deadener  32  extends longitudinally from the borderline or border  45  in the tab web  23  downwardly to a borderline or border  44  in the tag web  23  as viewed in  FIG. 4 . The adhesive deadener  32  in the label web  23  exists only between borderline or border  43  and borderline or border  44  that straddle each cut line CL. It is seen that the adhesive  31  outside the adhesive-deadened areas or zones indicated at  32  releasably holds the tag stock web  26  to the release liner web  25  during manufacture and while the web  26  is being advanced through the printer. The areas deadened by the adhesive deadener  32  are in a generally L-shaped configuration as shown in  FIG. 4 . The lines of partial severing  36 ,  37 ,  40 ,  40   a  and  41  are shown by dash-dash lines, while the borders  43 ,  44  and  45  are shown by dot-dash lines. The partial severing lines  36 ,  37 ,  40 ,  40   a  and  41 ′ can be provided by perforating, scoring, creasing, crushing or any other suitable way. 
     FIG. 5  shows the front side of the tag  21  as having been printed.  FIG. 6  shows the underside of the tag  21 . It is noted that throughout, borders  43 ,  44  and  45  are not cut lines or lines of complete or partial severing.  FIG. 6  shows that the distance between borderline  44  and the line of partial severing  36  is most preferably equal to the distance between the line of partial severing  36  and the borderline  45 . Also, the area of the tab  21   b  between the borderline  44  and the line of partial severing  36  and the area of the portion  42  are preferably equal. Therefore, when the tab  21   b  is folded about line of partial severing or fold line  36 , the undeadened adhesive  31  exists only between the tab  21   b  and the zone or portion  42  of the tag  21 . The tag portion  21   a  beyond end  46  of the folded tab  21   b  is non-tacky as best shown in  FIG. 7 . Accordingly, no outer surface of the tag is tacky because all of the adhesive is covered by the tab  21   b  or is masked-off by the adhesive deadener  32 . 
   As best shown in  FIGS. 9 through 11 , the label  22  has been printed on the printer. The main portion of the label  22  is disposed between the line of partial severing  40  and end edge  48  of the label  22 . A tab  51  is formed by the line of partial severing or fold line  41 . The entire underside of the label  22  is preferably coated with adhesive  31 , and the adhesive  31  on the label  22  is undeadened except for a narrow margin between the cut line CL and the borderline  44  at one end portion of the label and a narrow margin between the cut line CL and the borderline  43  at the other end portion of the label  22 , as best shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 10  shows the label  22  adhesively adhered to a polyethylene wrapping  52  for a garment which is hung on a generally triangular wire hanger  53  having a hook (not shown). The hanger  53  has two sloping wire portions  54  only one of which is partially shown. The angle the partial severing line  41  makes with the rest of the label  22  preferably matches the slope of the sloping wire hanger portion  54 . The label  22  is visible from the front of the wrapping  52  in  FIG. 10 , except for the tab  51 , while the tab  51  is visible along with the rear of the wrapping  52 . The front part of the label  22  and the tab  51  can be color coded with a preprinted stripe or the like for ease of recognition. The partial severing  40  can be used as a fold line when used with a hanger (not shown) having a horizontal rung, in which case the tab  49  as well as the tab  51  are folded about fold line  40  and both the tab  49  and the tab  51  are folded onto and adhered to the rear side of wrapping  52 . In the event the label  22  is applied to a wrapped garment that will lie flat and will be stacked with other wrapped garments, the label  22  can be applied to the wrapping without folding any tab  49  or  51 . 
   The embodiment of  FIGS. 12 through 14  is identical to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 through 11 , except as referenced below. The same reference characters are used in the embodiment of  FIGS. 12 through 14  as is the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 through 11  to designate like components with the addition of reference character “a”. The tag  22   a  has a rectangular tab  55  which is the same size as the portion  49  and the tab  51  combined. The tab  55  can be folded about the line of partial severing  40   a  and used with a hanger with a horizontal rung. The tab  55  can be folded so as to be at the rear of the garment wrapper. Alternatively, the tab  55  can be detached from the rest of the label  22  indicated at  56 . Once the tab  55  is detached it can be used as a separate label at a different location in the wrapping or elsewhere. The label part  56  can be applied to the wrapping in a vertical manner as shown. 
   The tag stock web  26  is preferably made of a paper or plastics material which is strong enough to serve as a hand tag. Because the tag  21  is doubled over at the tab  21   b  as best shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the tag  21  has a double thickness at the tab  21   b . The tag  21  is thus stronger at the attacher hole  56  formed by the hole  38  and the slits  38 ′ which are aligned with the hole  38 . The tag material adjacent the slits  38 ′ grips the attacher needle of a tag attacher illustrated for example in U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 29/186,393. Accordingly, the tag stock can be thinner or of a lighter gauge than if the attacher hole  56  were through tag stock of single thickness. This results in a saving of tag stock. 
   The starting materials for making the composite web  20  are a release coated liner web  25  and tag stock web  26 . If desired, that liner  34  can be acquired in roll form and subsequently coated with a suitable uniform release coating such as silicone or a waxy release coat. The tag stock  26  is coated with the pressure sensitive or tacky adhesive  31  and the adhesive  31  is preferably applied in a uniform manner along and across the web  26 . This is known as a “full gum” coating. If desired, the adhesive  31  can be applied in a patterned coating. 
   The adhesive-coated tag stock web  26  is then pattern-coated with adhesive deadener  32 , for example, in a pattern as best shown in  FIG. 4 . Thereafter, the release liner web  25  and the tag stock web  26  with its adhesive coated and partial adhesive deadener overcoat are laminated to provide the composite web  20 . Although the composite web  20  is shown to be “one-wide”, with one tag and one label side-by-side across the web  20 , the composite web  20  could initially be two-wide, three-wide or wider. Thereafter, the wide web could be slit into narrow one-wide webs. After lamination, the composite web  20  is preferably partially severed longitudinally along line  29 , that is, preferably leaving spaced lands  30  to help maintain the webs  23  and  24  in registration with each other and to help maintain the webs  23  and  24  adhered to the release liner web  25  until ready to be removed by the user. Although the tag web  23  and the label web  24  can be completely severed during production along cut line CL without cutting into or severing the release liner web  25 , it is preferred to cut the one tag  21  and one label  22  disposed side-by-side from the end portion of the web  20  following printing in the printer. It is noted that when a tag  21  and a label  22  and the underlying release liner  25  are cut from the remainder of the web  20 , the tag  21  and the label are easily manually peeled from the release liner  25  and the lands  30  are easily manually torn to separate a tag  21  from a label  22 . The lands are frangible and do not interfere with manual separation of the tag  21  and its side-by-side label  22 . When printing a paired tag  21  and its side-by-side label  22 , the tag  21  and the label  22  can be printed with the same or some of the same information so as to match the information on one with the other. Alternatively, the tag  21  and the label  22  can have different printed information. 
   According to a specific embodiment of method of making a composite web of record members, certain steps are: providing a longitudinally extending release liner  25  in web form having a liner  34  and a release coating  33 , providing a longitudinally extending web of printable tag stock  26  having a face  35  with a tacky adhesive  31 , applying adhesive deadener  32  in a pattern to the adhesive  31  to provide masked-off portions of the tag web  23 , laminating the tag stock web  26  to the release liner web  25 , at least partially severing the tag stock web  26  longitudinally between side edges  27  and  28  of the tag stock web  26  to provide a tag web  23  and a label web  24  in side-by-side relationship, the web  20  having tags  21  and labels  22  severed in pairs with the tag of each pair having a tab  21   c , wherein when the tag  22  of a pair is releasable from the release liner  25 , the tab  21   b  is foldable and can be adhesively adhered to a portion of the remainder of the tag  21   a , and the portion of the tag  22  beyond the folded tab  21   b  being masked-off with adhesive deadener to provide a substantially non-tacky tag. It is preferred that the adhesive deadener also be applied on both sides of the cut line CL of the label  22  as well as to the tag  21  so that when the cutter of the printer cuts a printed tag and label pair from the web  20 , the cutter cuts through deadened or detackified adhesive -which is less problemsome than cutting through undeadened tacky adhesive. 
   It is preferred to completely deaden or detackify the adhesive in the areas or zones depicted in the drawings and described herein. Thus, there is no exposed tacky planar surface on the tag  21 . By way of example, not limitation, a suitable adhesive deadener or detackifier is: UV Flexo Adhesive Deadner with Extra Brightener PT#AD1000FB sold by RAD-Cure Corp., 9 Audrey Place, Fairfield, N.Y. 07004 U.S.A. 
   In that the adhesive  31  and the adhesive deadener  32  are substantially clear and transparent, the customer is not aware that the tag  21  has deadened adhesive on its outer surface. 
   If desired, the adhesive  31  can be patterned, for example, either the adhesive area of the tab  21   b  or the adhesive area of the portion  42  of tag portion  21   a  can be free of adhesive  31 , if desired. 
   Other embodiments 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.