Patent Publication Number: US-2020303690-A1

Title: Label for battery and method of manufacturing label for battery

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2018/032702 filed Sep. 4, 2018, which claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-251108 filed Dec. 27, 2017 in the Japan Patent Office. The entire contents of the International Patent Application are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a label for a battery and a method of manufacturing a label for a battery. 
     Related Art 
     Various raw materials and substances can be introduced to exterior labels for batteries, packages for the batteries, labels attached to the packages, and the like depending on the intended use thereof. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-247141 discloses a method of manufacturing a battery equipped with an exterior label, the method including forming a fluorescent portion at part of an exterior label by applying a fluorescent agent to the part, and inspecting whether or not the exterior label is located at a desired position of the battery by detecting the fluorescent portion. Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-335229 discloses a battery identifier in order to eliminate production of counterfeit battery packs and batteries, the battery identifier being provided on an outer surface of a battery outer package or an outer surface of a battery case of a battery pack, and including a light-emitting material that emits visible light upon irradiation with invisible light. 
     In many cases, consumers who obtain such batteries by purchasing and the like store the batteries for future use rather than using the batteries immediately. Nonetheless, such use in future may often take place under a circumstance of a site with insufficient brightness such as at night-time or in the case of an emergency (like a blackout). In this case, it will take a lot of time to find the storage site of the batteries or to take a battery out of the storage site. Moreover, even when the battery is successfully taken out, it may still be difficult to visually check the polarities of the battery and put the battery in a target device quickly due to darkness at the site. If the battery is put in the device incorrectly, it may lead to a breakdown of the device. 
     As described above, it is often difficult to quickly find a battery intended for use and correctly use the battery under the circumstance such as a dark place where a visual check is difficult. 
     This disclosure provides a label for a battery and a method of manufacturing a label for a battery, which facilitates a visual check even in a dark place. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of this disclosure is a label for a battery comprising: a base material sheet; and a phosphorescent print layer formed by applying a phosphorescent material onto a surface of the base material so as to display information concerning the battery. 
     According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a label for a battery and a method of manufacturing a label for a battery, which facilitates a visual check even in a dark place. Other effects of this disclosure will be clarified in the following description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is an external diagram of a battery  50  according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 1B  is a development diagram illustrating an external label  100  for a battery explained as an example of a label for a battery of this embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the external label  100 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart explaining a process of manufacturing the external label  100  and a process of attachment to the battery  50 . 
         FIG. 4  is an external diagram of the battery  50  with the external label  100  wound and attached. 
         FIG. 5A  is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery container  60  capable of containing at least one battery  50 . 
         FIG. 5B  is a diagram illustrating an example of a label  200  for a battery container explained as another example of the label for a battery of an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5C  is a diagram illustrating another example of the label  200  for a battery container explained as another example of the label for a battery of an embodiment. 
         FIG. 6A  is a diagram illustrating an example of a container  70  for containing at least one battery  50 . 
         FIG. 6B  is a diagram illustrating an example of an enclosure label  300  for a container for the batteries  50  explained as an example of a label for a battery of an embodiment of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 7A  is an example of a perspective view of a container  400  for the batteries  50  explained as a label for a battery according to an embodiment of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 7B  is an example of a development diagram of the container  400  for the batteries  50  explained as the label for a battery according to the embodiment of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have the same function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result. 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof, a label for a battery and a method of manufacturing a label for a battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure are described. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below in reference to the drawings. 
     &lt;External Label&gt; 
     (Overall Configuration) 
       FIG. 1A  is an external diagram of a battery  50  illustrated as an example.  FIG. 1B  is a development diagram illustrating an external label  100  for the battery  50  explained as an example of a label for a battery according to this embodiment. This external label  100  is a label in the form of a substantially rectangular sheet to be wound and fixed to a side surface  51  of a trunk of a cylindrical battery  50  (a D alkaline dry battery in  FIG. 1A ). One long side  102  of the external label  100  corresponds to an outer periphery  53  of an end surface on a positive electrode  52  side of the battery  50 , while the other long side  104  corresponds to an outer periphery  56  of an end surface on a negative electrode  54  side of the battery  50 . 
     A surface of the external label  100  is provided with a region in which characters, figures, and the like for identifying the battery  50  are provided by phosphorescent printing with a pigment containing a given phosphorescent material (hereinafter referred to as a phosphorescent print region). Specifically, characters or  FIG. 124  (such as characters or figures representing a trademark or a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50 , characters  126  indicating a type of the battery  50  (which reads “alkaline battery” in  FIG. 1B ), and characters  127  indicating a standard of the battery (which reads “D” representing a standard concerning the size of the battery  50  in  FIG. 1B ) are provided by phosphorescent printing at a central part of the external label  100 . 
     Meanwhile,  Figures 120  indicating the positive electrode are provided by phosphorescent printing in the vicinity of the one long side  102  of the external label  100 . Likewise,  figures 122  indicating the negative electrode are provided by phosphorescent printing in the vicinity of the other long side  104 . 
     (Cross-Sectional Structure) 
     Next, a structure of the external label  100  will be described.  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the external label  100 . The external label  100  includes an adhesive layer  10 , a base layer  12 , and a phosphorescent print layer  14  that are arranged in this order from a back surface to a top surface of the external label. Among them, the base layer  12  includes a heat-shrinkable film as a base material of the external label  100 , which is a film having a heat-shrinkable property made of a polyester-based resin, an olefin-based resin, a styrene-based resin, a vinyl chloride-based resin, or the like. Meanwhile, the adhesive layer  10  contains a heat-sensitive adhesive for establishing adhesion to the side surface  51  of the battery  50 . 
     The phosphorescent print layer  14  is a layer that includes a phosphorescent paint. This phosphorescent paint is a paint that contains a phosphorescent material and a solvent such as an organic solvent. Of these components, the phosphorescent material is not limited to a particular substance as long as the material is made of a substance that can absorb and accumulate light such as visible light (or ultraviolet light) as energy and autonomously emit this energy as visible light. Examples of the phosphorescent material include strontium aluminate-based phosphorescent pigments that contain strontium and aluminum as chief components, phosphorescent pigments that contain strontium, magnesium, and silicon as chief components, and sulfide-based phosphorescent pigments. Examples of the strontium aluminate-based phosphorescent pigments include Sr 4 Al 4 O 25 , SrAl 2 O 4 , and the like. Examples of the pigments containing strontium, magnesium, and silicon as chief components include Sr 2 MgSi 2 O 7  and the like. 
     (Manufacturing of External Label  100  and Attachment to Battery  50 ) 
     Next, a description will be given of a process of manufacturing the external label  100  and a process of attaching the external label  100  to the battery  50 .  FIG. 3  is a flowchart explaining the process of manufacturing the external label  100  and the process of attachment to the battery  50 . First, the base layer  12  (the base material) is prepared and the phosphorescent print layer  14  is famed by printing or applying the phosphorescent paint to a predetermined region (that is, the phosphorescent print region) on the surface of the base layer  12  (s 1 ). Meanwhile, the adhesive layer  10  is formed by applying the heat-sensitive adhesive onto the entire back surface of the base layer  12  (s 3 ). Thus, the external label  100  is formed. 
     Here, it is possible to adjust the type, an amount, a thickness, and the like of a raw material of the phosphorescent paint (the phosphorescent material) in s 1  in such a way that the battery  50  can continue the autonomous light emission for a time (such as several minutes) required by a user of the battery  50  to find a storage site of the battery  50  and to take out the battery  50  in a dark place (such as at night-time or in a blackout), for example. Meanwhile, any of publicly known printing methods including relief printing, intaglio printing, planographic printing, screen printing, and the like can be used as a mode of the phosphorescent printing in s 1 . 
     Next, the external label  100  thus famed is wound around the side surface  51  of the trunk of the battery  50  and is attached to the battery  50  by heating (s 5 ). To be more precise, the one long side  102  of the external label  100  is aligned with the outer periphery  53  of the end surface on the positive electrode  52  side of the battery  50  and the other long side  104  of the external label  100  is aligned with the outer periphery  56  of the end surface on the negative electrode  54  side of the battery  50 . In this state, one short side  106  of the external label  100  is arranged substantially parallel to an axial direction of the battery  50  and is attached to the side surface  51  of the battery  50 . Then, the external label  100  is wound around the side surface  51  and a portion of the adhesive layer  10  on the other short side  108  of the external label  100  is attached to a surface of the one short side  106 . The external label  100  in this state is shrunk by heating, so that the external label  100  can be wound around and attached to the side surface  51  of the battery  50 . 
       FIG. 4  is an external diagram of the battery  50  with the external label  100  wound and attached. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the  figures 120  indicating the positive electrode are displayed in the vicinity of the positive electrode  52  of the battery  50  while the  figures 122  indicating the negative electrode are displayed in the vicinity of the negative electrode  54  of the battery  50 . Moreover, the characters or  figures 124  (such as the name of the battery  50  and the name of a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50 , the characters  126  indicating the type of the battery  50 , and the characters  127  indicating the standard of the battery  50  are displayed at the central part of the side surface  51  of the battery  50 . 
     As described above, the label for a battery (the external label  100 ) of this embodiment is provided with the phosphorescent material on the surface of the label by phosphorescent printing. Accordingly, this phosphorescent material emits the light based on the energy accumulated therein under a use condition of the battery  50  in the dark such as at night-time or in a blackout. Then, this phosphorescent material is provided in the region (the phosphorescent print region) on the surface of the label where the information for identifying the battery  50  is displayed, so that a user of the battery  50  can certainly identify and visually check the battery  50  to use even under a use condition which is a dark place. Thus, the user can quickly find and use the desired battery  50 . 
     For example, the information for identifying the battery  50  is the information indicating the standard of the battery  50  (the characters  127  indicating the standard of the battery  50 ), so that the user can quickly find the battery  50  of an appropriate standard compatible with a device intended for use. Meanwhile, the information for identifying the battery  50  is the information (the  figures 120  indicating the positive electrode and the  figures 122  indicating the negative electrode) which indicates the polarities (the positive electrode  52  and the negative electrode  54 ) of the battery  50 . Accordingly, the user can correctly recognize the respective positions of the polarities (the positive electrode  52  and the negative electrode  54 ) of the battery  50  and correctly and safely put the battery  50  in the device intended for use. Moreover, since the label (the external label  100 ) is a sheet member to be wound around and attached to the surface of a battery  50 , the label enables easy finding of each battery  50  intended for use. 
     &lt;Label for Container&gt; 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates a battery container  60  (such as a resin sheet) capable of containing at least one battery  50 .  FIGS. 5B and 5C  are diagrams each illustrating an example of a label  200  for a battery container explained as an example of the label for a battery of this embodiment. As illustrated in  FIGS. 5B and 5C , the label  200  for a container is a paper label, for example, which is to be attached to a side surface of the battery container  60 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5B and 5C , for example, the label  200  for a container is any of a label  200 ( 1 ) for identifying the battery  50 , a label  200 ( 2 ) provided with a bar code corresponding to the battery  50 , and the like. 
     First, as with the external label  100 , a surface of the label  200 ( 1 ) is provided with a phosphorescent print region in which characters, a figure, or the like are provided by phosphorescent printing with an ink (a phosphorescent ink) containing a given phosphorescent material. Specifically, characters or  FIG. 222  (such as characters or figure representing a trademark or a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50  contained in the container  60  are provided by phosphorescent printing at a central part of the label  200 ( 1 ) with the phosphorescent material similar to that used in the external label  100 . 
     On the other hand, the bar-coded label  200 ( 2 ) is a label displaying a bar code  224  corresponding to the battery  50  for sale contained therein, and characters or  FIG. 225  (such as characters or figure representing a trademark or a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50  are provided in the vicinity of this bar code  224  by phosphorescent printing with the phosphorescent material similar to that used in the external label  100 . 
     As described above, in the label  200  for a container, the phosphorescent material is provided in the region (the phosphorescent print region) on the surface of the label where the information for identifying the battery  50  is displayed, so that a user of the battery  50  can certainly identify and visually check the battery  50  to use even under a use condition in the dark. Moreover, the label  200  for a container is the label to be provided to the container  60  for containing at least one battery  50 , so that the user can quickly find the container  60  that contains the desired battery  50  and use the battery  50  in the container  60 . 
     Note that a process of manufacturing this label  200  for a container is similar to s 1  and s 3  in the case of the external label  100  except that the base layer  12  is made of a paper material and the adhesive layer  10  contains an adhesive that can establish adhesion to the surface of the container  60  in each of the examples illustrated in  FIGS. 5B and 5C . The base layer  12  of the label  200  may include a material other than the paper material such as a resin, a metal, and a film. 
     &lt;Enclosure Label for Container&gt; 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates a container  70  (such as a transparent container made of a resin) for containing at least one battery  50 .  FIG. 6B  illustrates an example of an enclosure label  300  for a container for the batteries  50  explained as a label for a battery according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This enclosure label  300  for a container is a piece of a cardboard to be enclosed in the container  70  together with the batteries  50 . 
     This enclosure label  300  for a container has a first surface  310  that constitutes part of a side surface  72  of the container  70  and a second surface  320  that constitutes part of a bottom surface  74  of the container  70 . 
     Each of the first surface  310  and the second surface  320  is provided with a phosphorescent print region. First, characters or a  FIG. 314  (such as characters or a figure representing a trademark or a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50 , a  FIG. 315  imitating an external appearance of the battery  50 , a character  316  indicating the standard of the battery  50  (which reads “D” in  FIG. 6B ), and characters  317  indicating the type of the battery  50  (which reads “alkaline battery” in  FIG. 6B ) are provided by phosphorescent printing on the first surface  310  with a phosphorescent ink made of a raw material similar to that used in the external label  100 . Meanwhile, a character  326  indicating the standard of the battery  50  (which reads “D” in  FIG. 6B ) and characters  327  indicating the type of the battery  50  (which reads “alkaline battery” in  FIG. 6B ) are provided by phosphorescent printing on the second surface  320  with the phosphorescent ink. 
     As described above, in the enclosure label  300 , the phosphorescent material is provided in the regions (the phosphorescent print regions) on the surfaces of the label where the information for identifying the battery  50  is displayed, so that a user of the battery  50  can certainly identify and visually check the battery  50  to use even under a use condition in the dark. Moreover, the enclosure label  300  is the label to be enclosed together with the batteries  50  in the container  70  for containing at least one battery  50 , so that the user can quickly find the container  70  that contains this label  300  and use the battery  50  in the container  70 . 
     Note that a process of forming the enclosure label  300  is similar to s 1  in the case of the external label  100  except that the base layer  12  is made of a paper material in the example of  FIG. 6B . The base layer  12  of the enclosure label  300  may include a material other than the paper material such as a resin, a metal, and a film. 
     &lt;Container for Batteries&gt; 
       FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a container  400  for the batteries  50  explained as an example of a label for a battery according to an embodiment of this disclosure.  FIG. 7B  is a development diagram of the container  400 . The container  400  is a container formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by using a resin, a paper material, or the like as a raw material (a base material). The container  400  can contain at least one battery  50 . 
     A developed sheet  500  of the container  400  illustrated in  FIG. 7B  has a first surface  501  that constitutes an upper surface  402  of the container  400 , a second surface  503  that constitutes a first side surface  404  of the container  400  and is adjacent to the first surface  501  across a mountain fold line  559  as a boundary line, a third surface  506  that constitutes a bottom surface  406  of the container  400  and is adjacent to the second surface  503  across a mountain fold line  551  as a boundary line, a fourth surface  508  that constitutes a second side surface  408  opposed to the first side surface  404  and is adjacent to the third surface  506  across a mountain fold line  553  as a boundary line, a fifth surface  510  that forms a third side surface  410  of the container  400  and is adjacent to the third surface  506  across a mountain fold line  555  as a boundary line, a sixth surface  512  that constitutes a fourth side surface  412  opposed to the third side surface  410  and is adjacent to the third surface  506  across a mountain fold line  557  as a boundary line, and a seventh surface  522  that is provided corresponding to the fourth surface  508  and is adjacent to the first surface  501  across a mountain fold line  561  opposite to the mountain fold line  559  as a boundary line. Moreover, two paste margin surfaces  514  are provided on two ends of the second surface  503  and adjacent to the second surface  503  across mountain fold lines  563  as boundaries, and two paste margin surfaces  516  are also provided on two ends of the fourth surface  508  and adjacent to the fourth surface  508  across mountain fold lines  565  as boundaries. Meanwhile, the fourth surface  508  is provided with a slit  570 . On the other hand, the seventh surface  522  is provided with a tab  524  that is adjacent to the seventh surface  522  across a mountain fold line  567  as a boundary line and is to be inserted into the slit  570 . 
     Moreover, the first surface  501  and the fourth surface  508  of the developed sheet  500  are provided with phosphorescent print regions. Specifically, characters or a  FIG. 534  (such as characters or a figure representing a trademark or a manufacturer) for identifying the battery  50  contained in the container  400  and characters  536  indicating the type and the standard of the battery  50  (which reads “D alkaline battery” in  FIG. 7B ) are provided by phosphorescent printing with a phosphorescent material similar to that used in the external label  100 . Note that a phosphorescent printing method used for this developed sheet  500  is similar to the method used for the enclosure label  300 . 
     Here, a method of forming the container  400  based on the developed sheet  500  will be described. First, the mountain fold lines  551 ,  553 ,  555 ,  557 ,  559 ,  561 ,  563 , and  565  of the developed sheet  500  are each mountain-folded. Then, the paste margin surfaces  514  and the paste margin surfaces  516  are attached to the back surfaces of the fifth surface  510  and the sixth surface  512 . Moreover, the tab  524  provided to the seventh surface  522  is inserted into the slit  570  of the fourth surface  508 . Thus, the container  400  in the rectangular parallelepiped shape is famed. 
     In the container  400  formed as described above, the characters or  FIG. 534  for identifying the battery  50  and the characters  536  indicating the type and the standard of the battery  50 , which are provided by phosphorescent printing, are displayed on the upper surface  402  and the second side surface  408 . 
     Accordingly, in the container  400 , the phosphorescent material is provided in the regions (the phosphorescent print regions) on the surfaces of the container  400  where the information for identifying the battery  50  is displayed, so that a user of the battery  50  can certainly identify and visually check the battery  50  to use even under a use condition in the dark. Moreover, the container  400  is formed as the container  400  to contain at least one battery  50 , so that the user can quickly find the container  400  that contains the desired battery  50  and use the battery  50  in the container  400 . 
     As described above, according to the labels for a battery (the external label  100 , the label  200  for a container, the enclosure label  300 , the container  400 , and the developed sheet  500 ) of this embodiment, the phosphorescent material is provided on the surface by phosphorescent printing. As a consequence, this phosphorescent material autonomously emits the light based on the energy accumulated therein under a use condition of the battery  50  in the dark such as at night-time or in a blackout. Then, this phosphorescent material is provided in the region (the phosphorescent print region) on the surface of the label where the information for identifying the battery  50  is displayed, so that a user of the battery  50  can certainly identify and visually check the battery  50  to use even under the use condition which is the dark place. Thus, the user can quickly find and use the desired battery  50 . 
     In sum, an aspect of this disclosure is a label for a battery provided in order to display information concerning a battery, which includes a base material sheet, and a phosphorescent print layer formed by applying a phosphorescent material onto a surface of the base material so as to display the information concerning the battery. 
     According to this disclosure, since the phosphorescent material is provided on the surface of the label for a battery, this phosphorescent material autonomously emits the light based on the energy accumulated therein under a use condition of a battery in the dark such as at night-time or in a blackout. Thus, a user of the battery can quickly find and use the desired battery. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the phosphorescent material is provided in a region on the surface of the base material where the information for identifying the battery is displayed. Thus, a user of the battery can certainly identify and visually check the battery to use under the use condition. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the information for identifying the battery is information indicating a standard of the battery. Thus, the user can quickly find the battery of an appropriate standard compatible with a device intended for use. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the information concerning identification of the battery is information indicating a polarity of the battery. Thus, the user can correctly recognize the respective positions of the polarities (the positive electrode and the negative electrode) of the battery and correctly and safely put the battery in a device intended for use. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the base material is a sheet member such as a film to be wound around and attached to the surface of the battery. Thus, it is possible to easily find each battery intended for use. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the base material is made of any of a paper material, a resin, a metal, and a film and is provided to a container configured to contain at least the one battery. Thus, the user can quickly find the container that contains a desired battery and use the battery in the container. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the base material is made of any of a paper material, a resin, a metal, and a film and is enclosed together with the battery in a container configured to contain at least the one battery. Thus, the user can quickly find the container enclosing this label and use the battery in the container. 
     In an aspect of this disclosure, the base material is made of a raw material of a container configured to contain at least the one battery. Thus, the user can quickly find the container that contains the desired battery and use the battery in the container. 
     Meanwhile, another aspect of this disclosure is a method of manufacturing a label for a battery, the method including preparing a base material and applying a phosphorescent material onto a surface of the base material so as to display information concerning the battery. According to this method, it is possible to manufacture a label for a battery which is capable of autonomously emitting light based on energy accumulated therein under a use condition of the battery in the dark such as at night-time or in a blackout. Thus, a user of the battery can quickly find and use the desired battery. 
     The above description of the embodiments has been made in order to facilitate the understanding of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure can be changed and modified without departing from the gist of the disclosure, and also encompasses such equivalents. 
     For example, arrangements, directions, positions, standards and the like of the figures and the characters provided by the phosphorescent printing on the external label  100  can be changed as appropriate. Although the battery  50  is assumed to be a cylindrical dry battery in this embodiment, the shape and the type of the battery  50  are not limited to the foregoing. For instance, the battery may be of a different shape or a different type such as a secondary battery or a button battery. 
     In the case of using the label for a battery according to this embodiment, it is desirable that the user of the battery  50  keep the battery  50  in a bright place for a certain period so as to accumulate the energy in the phosphorescent print region.