Patent Publication Number: US-RE37521-E

Title: Multipurpose tuck label/form

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a multipurpose label or business form, and more particularly to a tuck label adapted to be adhered to a substrate such as an envelope or package. 
     Commercial businesses who supply goods based on customer orders require a substantial amount of information about an order to be generated so that the persons taking the order, filling the order, shipping the order, billing the order, etc. can perform their jobs and insure that the goods reach the proper customer promptly. In the past, multiple pieces of printed paper have been generated either by hand, typewriter, or computer-driven printer and include such things as invoices, shipping labels, customer receipts, common carrier tracking labels, warehouse picking lists, bills of lading, and returned goods forms. Typically, multiple operations have been needed to generate all of those documents and labels. The time, labor, and paper needed to generate all of these items represents a significant cost to a business. 
     Some attempts have been made to combine two or more of the above forms into a single form or label. Webendorfer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,939, show a composite shipping label and price tag form. The form includes a pair of side-by-side shipping labels each having a plurality of price tags associated therewith. The price tags are designed to be tucked behind the shipping label which is then secured to the exterior of a package. Upon arrival at a destination, a portion of the shipping label is torn off along perforation lines, and the price tags are removed and placed on items carried in the package. However, the Webendorfer et al composite form is complex to manufacture, requiring die cuts to be made on both the label and release liner plies of the form. 
     O&#39;Brien, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,167, shows a combination shipping and return label including an intermediate card connecting the shipping and return portions of the label. The shipping portion of the label includes bands of peripheral adhesive. However, the O&#39;Brien label requires that the return shipping label be affixed first to the package with the remainder of the label assembly then Z-folded over it. Care must be taken to precisely position the peripheral adhesive so that it does not overlap the remaining portions of the label. 
     Accordingly, there remains a need in this art for a simplified operation which can produce a combination label or business form which provides all of the necessary documentation and yet which can be generated in a single pass through a printing device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention meets that need by providing a single multipurpose tuck label/form which replaces the multiple documents of the prior art and which is imprinted with only a single pass of a printer. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a multipurpose tuck label/form is provided and includes a label ply and a liner ply, both having respective first and second sides. The first side of the liner ply contacts the second side of the label ply and includes a release coating thereon. Through a unique placement of the release coating on the liner ply and pattern-coated adhesive on the label ply, the tuck label/form can be imprinted in a single pass through a computer-driven printer and can be utilized without the need for any die cuts to be made on the liner ply. This greatly simplifies not only the construction of the label/form, but also greatly reduces the amount of paper needed for the multiple end uses to which the construction is put. 
     In one embodiment, the label ply includes an upper panel, a center panel, a lower panel, and a pair of side panels, with the upper and center panels being connected along a transverse perforated fold line. The upper panel is adapted to be folded along the fold line so that the second side of the upper panel is in contact with the second side of the center panel to tuck the upper panel behind the center panel when the label is adhered to a substrate. 
     The center panel is connected to the lower panel and to respective side panels along generally transverse and vertical lines of perforation such that the center and upper panels may be removed from the label by tearing along those lines of perforation. The lower and side panels include an adhesive on the respective second sides thereof which are used to adhere the form/label to a substrate after it has been peeled away from the liner ply. Preferably, the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive (either permanent or removable). To aid in peeling the label and liner plies apart, an adhesive-free clean lifting edge on the label ply may be provided for removing the label ply from the liner ply. 
     To insure that the tucked upper ply is secure and remains in its tucked position, an adhesive may be positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the second side of the upper panel. In this manner, the upper edge of the upper panel is secured to the second side of the second panel until the upper and center panels are removed from the remainder of the label by tearing at the perforations along the edges of the center panel. The adhesive used may be a removable pressure sensitive adhesive, which typically will be the same pressure sensitive adhesive as that used to coat the undersides of the lower and side panels. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the label ply includes an additional portion carried on the liner ply adjacent to the remainder of the label ply but separated therefrom by one or more die cuts. This additional label ply portion may be imprinted with additional information which can form an office or record copy of certain information. This additional portion, separated from the remainder of the label ply by die cuts, can then be peeled away from the liner ply and be used or stored as needed. 
     In yet another embodiment of the invention, a self-contained carbonless imaging coating may be placed on the first side of the liner ply. This embodiment of the invention is preferably used when the tuck label/form is imaged by an impact printing device such as a computer-driven dot matrix printer or a typewriter. Upon the application of an imaging force on the label ply, a duplicate image is formed on the liner ply which can then be used as an office or record copy. Also, coated front (CB) and coated back (CF) carbonless imaging coatings may be positioned on the second side of the label ply and the first side of the liner ply, respectively, such that upon the application of an imaging force, the coatings combine and an image is formed on the liner ply. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a multipurpose tuck label/form is provided and includes a label ply and a liner ply, both having respective first and second sides. The first side of the liner ply contacts the second side of the label ply and includes a release coating thereon. The label ply includes an upper panel, a center panel having upper and lower portions connected along a transverse line of perforations, a lower panel, and a pair of side panels. 
     The upper and center panels are connected to one another along a transverse line of perforations, with the center panel being connected to the lower panel and to respective side panels along generally transverse and vertical lines of perforation such that the center and upper panels may be removed from the label by tearing along those perforations. The second side of the lower panel includes a release coating thereon, and the upper and side panels include an adhesive on the respective second sides thereof. Preferably, the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive (either permanent or removable). To aid in peeling the label and liner plies apart, an adhesive-free clean lifting edge on the label ply may be provided for removing the label ply from the liner ply. 
     The upper panel and upper portion of the center panel are adapted to be folded along the transverse line or perforations between the two portions of the center panel so that the second side of the upper panel is in contact with the second side of the lower panel having the release coating and the upper portion of the center panel is in contact with the lower portion of the center panel, respectively. In this manner, after the panels are removed from the label by tearing along the lines of perforation, the upper panel may be easily removed from the lower panel. 
     As with previous embodiments of the invention, the label ply may include an additional portion carried on the liner ply adjacent to the remainder of the label ply but separated therefrom by one or more die cuts. This additional label ply portion may be imprinted with additional information which can form an office or record copy of certain information. This additional portion, separated from the remainder of the label ply by die cuts, can then be peeled away from the liner ply and be used or stored as needed. Also, as with previous embodiments of the invention, a self-contained or CF/CB carbonless imaging coatings(s) may be used when the tuck label/form is imaged by an impact printing device such as a computer-driven dot matrix printer or a type-writer. 
     In a preferred form of this embodiment, the lower portion of the center panel includes a die cut tab adjacent the upper portion of the center panel. It is preferred that there also be adhesive on a second side of the die cut tab to permit the tab to secure the tuck label against a substrate such as an envelope or package surface. Optionally, a generally transverse line of perforation may connect the die cut tab to the lower portion of the center panel to permit ready removal of the tab to face the panels from the remainder of the label. 
     The multipurpose tuck label/form of the present invention may be used as a multipart label for shipping goods to a customer. Thus, an address may be printed the first side of the lower portion of the center panel and a shipper&#39;s bar code printed on the first side of the lower panel. A customer receipt may be printed on the first side of the upper portion of the center panel and a return shipping label printed on the first side of the upper panel. In use, the label is peeled away from the liner ply and the adhesive carried on the side and/or lower panels is used to secure it to a surface of a package or envelope. 
     Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a single multipurpose tuck label/form which replaces the multiple documents of the prior art and which is imprinted with only a single pass of a printer. This, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front side of one embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged sectional views taken along lines  2 A— 2 A and  2 B— 2 B, respectively, in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the front side of another version of the embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the front side of a further modification of the version of the multipurpose tuck label of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the front side of another version of the embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label illustrated in FIGS. 1,  3 , and  4 ; 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the front side of a second embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged sectional views taken along lines  7 A— 7 A and  7 B— 7 B in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of the front side of another version of the embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label illustrated in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of the front side of a further modification of the embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label illustrated in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a shipping package with the multipurpose tuck label of FIG. 9 attached thereto; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the receipt and return label portion of the multipurpose tuck label of FIGS. 9 and 10 removed from the package; and 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the receipt and return label portion of the multipurpose tuck label of FIG.  11 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention relates to a multipurpose tuck label or business form which can be printed with all necessary information in a single pass through a printing device. Although the label/form can be used for a variety of end uses, the invention will be explained with reference to preferred embodiments in which the label construction performs the functions of a shipping label, invoice, customer receipt, common carrier tracking label, warehouse picking list, and returned goods label. Referring now to FIGS. 1,  2 A, and  2 B, a first embodiment of the multipurpose tuck label  10  of the present invention is shown. Tuck label  10  includes a label ply  12  and a liner ply  14 , both having first and second sides. The first side of liner ply  14  (facing upward in FIG. 1) includes a release surface which may be formed by coating the surface of liner ply  14  which faces the second side of the label ply  12  with any conventional release material. The coating may extend over the entire surface of the liner ply, or may include only selective areas corresponding to the placement of pressure sensitive adhesive on the label ply. Alternatively, liner ply  14  may itself be formed of a release material. 
     Label ply  12  includes an upper panel  16 , a center panel  18 , a lower panel  20 , and a pair of side panels  22 ,  24 . Label ply  16  may be made from paper, coated paper, plastic film, or paper and plastic laminated materials. The selection of the material forming the label ply is generally dependent upon desired end use for the label and the type of printer to be used. As shown, upper panel  16  and center panel  18  are connected along a transverse line of perforations  26 . Upper panel  16  is adapted to be folded along the line of perforations  26  against the second surface of center panel  18  so that upper panel  16  is tucked behind center panel  18  when the label  10  is secured to a substrate such as a package or shipping container. 
     Upper panel  16  may include both variable and non-variable information printed thereon and, in the embodiment illustrated, serves as a customer receipt which identifies the item purchased and its price. The nonvariable information may be preprinted by the manufacturer of label  10  prior to sale to a customer and may include generic designations such as “Part No.”, “Quantity”, and the like as shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the preprinted information will change depending upon the desired end use by a customer and the specific categories of information required by that customer. 
     Variable information identifying a specific purchaser name and order number may be printed in a single pass through a computer-controlled printer. Suitable printing devices include noncontact printers such as laser and thermal printers, or contact printers such as dot matrix printers. While illustrated as a single sheet, label  10  is preferably manufactured using continuous label and liner webs which are coated in predetermined areas with adhesive and release material and then joined together. Individual labels are then formed by die cutting only the label ply, removing the selvage or matrix material, perforating the liner ply between labels, and then Z-folding the continuous web to form a connected stack of labels. Depending upon the printing device selected, the continuous web of labels may include marginal prepunched holes to guide the form through the printing device. If a sheet-fed printer is to be used, the continuous web may be cut into individual label/form sheets, and the sheets stacked. 
     In the embodiment illustrated, center panel  18  serves as a shipping label identifying the customer&#39;s shipping address, the ship date, as well as providing a return address. Lower panel  20  can serve a number of uses including displaying a common carrier tracking code such as a bar code (not shown in FIG. 1, but shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.  6 ). Side panels  22 ,  24  may also include both variable and nonvariable printed information relating to the order, customer, location, quantity, etc. Such information may be used internally by the shipper to locate inventory and fill the order from a warehouse or other shipping facility. 
     Center panel  18  is connected to lower panel  20  and to respective side panels  22 ,  24  along generally transverse and vertical lines of perforation  28 ,  30 , and  32 , respectively. The tucked upper and center panels are designed to be removed from the remainder of label  10  by the recipient of the package by grasping and pulling tab  40  and tearing along lines of perforation  28 ,  30 , and  32 . Once removed from the remainder of the label construction, panel  16  acts as a receipt for the customer. Lower panel  20  and side panels  24 ,  24  include an adhesive  34  which secures label ply  12  to liner ply  14  or to another surface. Adhesive  34  is preferably a permanent or removable pressure sensitive adhesive, although a hot melt adhesive or a remoistenable adhesive may be used. In the latter instances, where hot melt or remoistenable adhesives are used, there is no need for the liner ply. Such adhesives are known in the art and readily commercially available. As shown, the coating of adhesive  34  extends on the respective side and lower panels up to lines of perforation  28 ,  30 , and  32 . As an aid in removing label ply  12  from liner ply  14 , an edge  36  of lower panel  20  is free of adhesive  34  to provide an easily grasped clean-lifting edge. While illustrated as continuous, full coatings of adhesive  34 , it will be appreciated that the adhesive may be spot or pattern coated as well. 
     To insure that upper panel  16  remains protected in its tucked position, a thin line of adhesive  34  may be positioned adjacent the upper edge of the panel. When folded, the line of adhesive  34  secures upper panel  16  against the second side of center panel  18 . Adhesive  34  is typically the same adhesive as is used on other locations of the label/form. 
     As also shown in FIG. 1, label  10  may optionally include an additional label portion  38  which is carried on liner ply  14  by an adhesive, but which is separated from the retainer of label ply  12  by die cuts. This additional label ply portion  38  may be imprinted with additional or duplicate information which can be used by the shipper internally as an office or record copy of the order. Portion  38  may be peeled from liner  14  and used or stored as needed. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an optional self-contained carbonless imaging coating  42  may be placed on the first side of liner ply  14  in an area which has not been coated with release material  44 . This particular version of the invention may be used when the tuck label/form is imaged by an impact printing device such as a dot matrix printer or typewriter. Application of an imaging force on label ply  12  causes a duplicate image to be formed on the first surface of liner ply  14 . Thus, liner ply  14  may be used as a record or duplicate office copy of the information printed onto label ply  12 . 
     Self-contained coating  42  may be a full coating over substantially the entire first side of liner ply  12  or may be spot coated only on predetermined areas. Further, coated front (CF) and coated back (CB) carbonless imaging coatings may be applied, respectively, to the first side of liner ply  14  and the second side of label-ply  12  to achieve the same result. In that instance, the coating of release material on the first side of liner ply  14  should be applied only to selective areas outside the carbonless coated areas so as not to interfere with the carbonless images which are formed. 
     Variations on the construction and configurations of tuck label  10  are illustrated in FIGS. 3,  4 , and  5 , where like reference numerals represent like elements. In the version of tuck label  10  illustrated in FIG. 3, side panels  22  and  24  have been extended downwardly to extend along lower panel  20 . In the version of tuck label  10  illustrated in FIG. 4, side panels  22  and  24  have been extended downwardly to extend along lower panel  20 , and around and below lower panel  20 , as shown by the area between the brackets, to provide a greater area of adhesive for securing the label to a package. 
     In the FIG. 4 version, a U-shaped peripheral area of adhesive coated onto the second side of side panels  22 ,  24  and an extension under lower panel  20  is used to secure the tuck label  10  to a substrate. As can be seen, space remains on the label construction to position optional portion  38  in a location adjacent to either end of upper panel  16 . In the version illustrated in FIG. 5, side panels  22  and  24  have been extended upwardly along upper panel  16  and are connected thereto along lines of perforations  30 ′ and  32 ′ In this version of the invention, upper panel  16  is torn along these vertical lines of perforations  30 ′,  32 ′ down to the transverse line of perforations  26  connecting the upper panel with center panel  18 . Then, upper panel  16  is folded under center panel  18  prior to adhering the label ply  12  to a substrate. 
     A second embodiment of the tuck label/form of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6-12. The materials of construction of the label and liner plies as well as the adhesives used are the same as for the first embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 6, tuck label  100  includes a label ply  120  and a liner ply  140 , both having first and second sides. As in the first embodiment of the invention, the first side of liner ply  140  (facing upward in FIG. 6) includes a release surface which may be formed by coating the surface of liner ply  140  which faces the second side of the label ply  120  with any conventional release material. Also, as best shown in FIG. 7B, the second side of lower panel  200  also includes a release surface which includes a coating of a release material  44 . 
     Label ply  120  includes an upper panel  160 , a center panel  180 , having upper and lower portions,  190  and  195 , respectively, a lower panel  200 , and a pair of side panels  220  and  240 . As shown, upper panel  160  and the upper portion  190  of center panel  180  are connected along a transverse line of perforations  260 . Likewise, the respective upper and lower portions  190 ,  195  of center panel  180  are connected along a transverse line of perforations  270 , while the lower portion  195  of center panel  180  is connected to lower panel  200  along a transverse line of perforations  280 . 
     As in the first embodiment of the invention, side panels  220  and  240  are connected to the center and lower panels  180 ,  200  along vertical lines of perforations  300 ,  320 . Upper panel  160  and the upper portion  190  of center panel  180  are adapted to be folded along line of perforations  270  against the second side of lower panel  200  and lower portion  195  of center panel  180 , respectively. The adhesive on the second side of upper panel  160  will mate and secure that panel to the second side of lower panel  200  which has a release coating thereon. In this manner, upper panel  160  can later be separated from lower panel  200  as will be explained in greater detail below. 
     As in the previous embodiment of the invention, label ply  120  may also optionally include an additional label portion  380  which is carried on liner ply  140  by an adhesive, but which is separated from the remainder of label ply  120  by die cuts. Such an optional portion is shown in FIG.  8 . This additional label ply portion  380  may be imprinted with additional or duplicate information which can be used by the shipper internally as an office or record copy of the order. Portion  380  may be peeled from liner  14  and used or stored as needed. Also as with the previous embodiment of the invention, a self-contained or CF/CB carbonless imaging system may be used when the tuck label is designed to be used in an impact printing device. 
     Again, variations on the construction of tuck label  100  are possible. Certain variations are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, where like reference numerals represent like elements. In the version illustrated in FIG. 8, side panels  220  and  240  have been extended downwardly under lower panel  200  and include adhesive  340 . Additional line of perforations  290  separate the lower panel from this extension. In this manner, the adhesive on side panels  220 ,  240  and the extension under lower panel  200  combine to form a U-shaped ring of label ply about three of the four sides of label  120  when secured to a substrate. Additionally, an optional strip  400  of label ply  120  extends from upper panel  160  and is connected thereto along transverse line of perforations  420 . Strip  400  may contain printed information such as returned goods instructions for a customer which may be torn from upper panel  160  and retained. 
     In the version illustrated in FIG. 9, lower portion  195  of center panel  180  includes a die cut tab  440 . Preferably, the second side of the table in contact with liner ply  140  includes an adhesive thereon such that when the upper panel and upper portion  190  of center panel  180  are folded, tab  440  will be secured to the underlying package surface to seal the fourth side of the label construction to the package. Optionally, tab  440  may include a transverse line of perforations (not shown) which aid the recipient in removing the label from the package. 
     FIGS. 10-12 illustrate one use of the tuck label  100  of FIG.  9 . Liner ply  140  is peeled away from label ply  120 , and upper panel  160  and the upper portion  190  of center panel  180  are folded over against the respective lower portions of the label. Then, the folded label is secured to a package  500  using the adhesive carried on the underside of the side panels and their lower extension. Upon receipt, a customer can grasp tab  440  and tear downwardly along lines of perforation  300 ,  320  and then across transverse line of perforation  280  to remove the upper, center, and lower panels from the remainder of the label construction as shown in FIG.  11 . 
     As illustrated in FIG. 12, the customer is thus provided with a receipt and a return goods label with instructions for returning defective products. Because of the release coating on the second side of lower panel  200 , the return label may be readily peeled away and re-adhered to the package for return shipment. 
     While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.