Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6722501?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=patent:+7360079
Timestamp: 2014-09-20 23:00:21
Document Index: 153404575

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 24', 'art 26', 'art 24', 'art 26', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 26', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 94', 'art 96', 'arts 96', 'arts 94', 'arts 96', 'arts 96', 'art 94', 'art 94', 'art 94', 'arts 76', 'arts 74', 'arts 74', 'art 154', 'art 156', 'art 154', 'art 156', 'art 156', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 156', 'art 156', 'art 156', 'art 154', 'art 154']

Patent US6722501 - Having stretch release adhesive for temporary adherence to surfaces - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA package assembly including a housing that has an attachable portion and a manually removable portion. Also included is a length of attachment strip material having opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends. The length of attachment strip material...http://www.google.com/patents/US6722501?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6722501 - Having stretch release adhesive for temporary adherence to surfacesAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6722501 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/083,091Publication dateApr 20, 2004Filing dateFeb 26, 2002Priority dateFeb 26, 2002Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2472201A1, CN1305739C, CN1639014A, DE60319679D1, EP1478576A1, EP1478576B1, US20030159961, WO2003072443A1Publication number083091, 10083091, US 6722501 B2, US 6722501B2, US-B2-6722501, US6722501 B2, US6722501B2InventorsMichael D. Hamerski, Ronald C. JohanssonOriginal Assignee3M Innovative Properties CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (17), Classifications (12), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetHaving stretch release adhesive for temporary adherence to surfacesUS 6722501 B2Abstract A package assembly including a housing that has an attachable portion and a manually removable portion. Also included is a length of attachment strip material having opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends. The length of attachment strip material has a first part adhered along the outer surface of the attachable portion of the housing, and a second part extending from one end of the first part; and that second part of the length of attachment strip material is disposed to restrict adhesion between it and a planar surface to which the first part of the length of attachment strip material is adhered to support the housing along that surface. The manually removable portion of the housing is manually removable from the attachable portion of the housing to afford stretching of the first part of the length of attachment strip material by pulling its second part away from its first part, thereby removing the first part of the attachment strip material from between the attachable portion of the housing and that surface.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to package assemblies including attachment strips comprising stretch release adhesive by which the package assemblies may be temporarily adhered to surfaces.
BACKGROUND Package assemblies are known that include attachment strips comprising stretch release adhesive such as the attachment strips commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation �Command (trade mark) Adhesive�, and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,206 (Bries et al) filed Sep. 20, 1994, or the corresponding International Published Application WO 95/06691. Using such an attachment strip a housing of one of the package assemblies can be adhered to a surface so that articles can then be removed from the package assembly. Then, when subsequently desired, the attachment strip can be stretched to remove it from between the housing and the surface. Generally, that attachment strip comprises a stretchable laminate including a central layer of polymeric foam (e.g., polyolefin foam), and two layers of stretchable polymeric film (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene film, with linear low density and ultra linear low density polyethylene film being preferred) bonded along opposite major surfaces of the layer of foam. The attachment strip also includes two layers of stretch release adhesive on opposite sides of that stretchable laminate, both of which layers are spaced from one end of the stretchable laminate so that the portion of the stretchable laminate extending beyond the two layers of adhesive forms a tab that can be manually engaged to stretch the attachment strip. One of the layers of stretch release adhesive can be adhered to the housing of the package assembly, and the other to a surface (e.g., a planar vertical surface of a wall) to which it is to be adhered so that the package assembly is supported along that surface by the attachment strip. When that attachment strip is then sequentially stretched by manually pulling on the tab portion, the layers of stretch release adhesive will release from both the housing and the surface so that the package assembly can be separated from the surface. While such attachment strips are very useful and effective for releasably adhering the package assembly along a surface, they are more expensive than may be desired for use on certain types of package assemblies, particularly those that are inexpensive and/or may be used for only a short time, such as package assemblies including discount coupons dispensed at the point of sale, such as in an isle of a grocery store, or including facial or cleaning tissues or the like. That expense of the attachment strips arises, at least in part, from the procedures needed during manufacturing of the attachment strips to leave the non-adhesive coated tab portion of the attachment strips and the manner (i.e., typically manual) by which such attachment strips are applied to the housing.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a package assembly including an attachment strip comprising stretch release adhesive that can have the attachment and release properties described above for the attachment strip commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation �Command (trade mark) Adhesive�, but which attachment strip is significantly less expensive to manufacture and to apply to a housing of the package assembly than the prior art attachment strip described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein, like parts are identified with like reference numerals in the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectioned view taken approximately along line 2�2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectioned view taken approximately along line 4�4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectioned view taken approximately along line 7�7 of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectioned view taken approximately along line 10�10 of FIG. 9; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing there is illustrated a first embodiment of a package assembly according to the present invention generally designated by the reference numeral 10. Generally, the package assembly 10 comprises walls forming a housing 12 similar to the housing described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,699, the content whereof is incorporated herein by reference. The housing 12 has an outer surface 13, and an inner surface 14 defining a cavity in which items 17 (e.g., discount coupons or sheets) may be stored and from which those items 17 may be removed through an opening 16 in the housing 12. The housing 12 includes an attachable portion 18, (which is a major portion of the housing 12), and a manually removable portion 19 (which is a minor portion of the housing 12). Also included in the package assembly 10 is a length 20 of attachment strip material having opposite ends 21 and 22, and opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends 21 and 22. The length 20 of attachment strip material has a first major part 24 adhered along the outer surface 13 of a first wall 25 included in the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12, and a second minor part 26 extending from one end of the first part 24, which second part 26 is positioned along and adhered to an inner surface of the manually removable portion 19 of the housing 12. The manually removable portion 19 of the housing 12 is a minor portion of a second wall 27 included in the walls forming the housing 12, with a major portion of that second wall 27 being included in the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12. The manually removable portion 19 of the housing 12 is removeably attached to that major portion of the second wall 27 by lines of weakness 29 (e.g., score lines or rows of perforations). The first and second walls 25 and 27 are disposed at an angle (i.e., about a right angle) with respect to each other. A release liner 28 extends along a major surface of the first part 24 of the length 20 of attachment strip material, which major surface is opposite the major surface of the first part 24 that is adhered to the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12. That release liner 28 is removable to afford adhering the first part 24 of the length 20 of attachment strip material to a planar support surface (e.g., the vertical surface of a wall or display shelf) to support the housing 12 along that surface. When all of the items 17 have been removed from the housing 12, or when it is otherwise desirable to remove the housing 12 from such a support surface to which it was adhered, the manually removable portion 19 of the housing 12 can be manually removed from the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12 by breaking the second wall 27 along the lines of weakness 29 around the manually removable portion 19. Such removal affords manual stretching of the first part 24 of the length 20 of attachment strip material to remove it from between the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12 and that support surface to which it was adhered by pulling the removable portion 19 of the housing 12 (and thereby the second part 26 of the length 20 of attachment strip material that is adhered to the removable portion 19 of the housing 12) away from the first part 24 of the length 20 of attachment strip material to stretch and thereby release the adhesion of that first part 24 from the support surface and from the attachable portion 18 of the housing 12.
Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawing there is illustrated a fourth embodiment of a package assembly according to the present invention generally designated by the reference numeral 80. Generally, the package assembly 80 comprises first and second or front and rear walls 95 and 97 joined along one edge 93 to form a housing 82 having an outer surface 83, and an inner surface 84 defining a cavity. End portions of items or sheets 86 of paper in a stack are positioned and held in that cavity as by adhesive and/or staples 87 so that portions of those sheets 86 of paper projecting from the housing 82 can be removed from the stack (e.g., a calendar or the large �Post it� brand note pad commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation �Post-it (trade mark) EASEL PAD # 556). The housing 82 includes an attachable portion 88, (which is a major portion of the housing 82), and two manually removable portions 89 (which are minor portions of the housing 82). Also included in the package assembly 80 are two lengths 90 of attachment strip material each having opposite ends 91 and 92, and opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends 91 and 92. Each length 90 of attachment strip material has a first major part 94 adhered along the outer surface 83 of the portion of the rear or second wall 97 included in the attachable portion 88 of the housing 82, and a second minor part 96 extending along and adhered to the inner surfaces of one of the manually removable portions 89 of the housing 82. That adhesion to those inner surfaces provides at least a part of means for restricting adhesion between the second parts 96 of the lengths 90 of attachment strip material and a planar support surface when the first parts 94 of the lengths 90 of attachment strip material are adhered along that planar support surface. Each manually removable portion 89 of the housing 82 includes minor portions of the first and second walls 95 and 97 adhered to opposite surfaces of one of the minor parts 96. The manually removable portions 89 of the housing 82 are removeably attached to the major portion of the housing 82 by lines of weakness 99 (e.g., score lines or rows of perforations) therebetween. L-shaped slots 85 can be formed in the second or rear wall 97 so that the portions thereof included in the manually removable portions 89 of the housing 82 can be lifted out of the plane of that rear wall 95 during manufacture of the package assembly 80 to facilitate applying the lengths 90 of attachment strip material to the housing 82, after which those portions of the rear wall 95 can be pressed against and adhered to the minor parts 96 of the lengths 90 of attachment strip material. A release liner 98 extends along a major surface of the first part 94 of each of the lengths 90 of attachment strip material opposite the major surface of that first part 94 adhered to the attachable portion 88 of the housing 82. That release liner 98 is removable to afford adhering the first part 94 of the length 90 of attachment strip material to a surface (e.g., the vertical surface of a wall or cabinet) to support the housing 82 along that surface. When all of the major portions of the sheets 86 have been removed from the portions of the sheets 86 retained in the housing 82, or when it is otherwise desirable to remove the housing 82 from a support surface to which it has been adhered by the lengths 80 of attachment strip material, the manually removable portions 89 of the housing 82 can be manually removed from the attachable portion 88 of the housing 82 by breaking the first and second walls 95 and 97 along the lines of weakness 99 around the manually removable portions 89. The manually removable portions 89 of the housing 82 to which the second parts 76 of the lengths 70 of attachment strip material are adhered can then be pulled away from the first parts 74, thereby stretching and releasing the adhesion of those first parts 74 from the support surface and the attachable portion 88 so that the attachable portion 88 can be removed from the support surface.
Referring now to FIGS. 16, 17, and 18 of the drawing there is illustrated a seventh embodiment of a package assembly according to the present invention generally designated by the reference numeral 140. Generally, the package assembly 140 comprises walls forming a housing 142 having an outer surface 143, and an inner surface 144 defining a cavity in which items may be stored. All of the walls could be of pasteboard, or, alternatively, some of the walls forming the housing may be of transparent polymeric material to form a housing of the type sometimes called a �blister pack� which holds products for sale and is typically hung from a commercial display rack. The housing 142 includes an attachable portion 148 (which is the major portion of the housing 142), and a manually removable portion 149 (which is a minor portion of the housing 142). Also included in the package assembly 140 is a length 150 of attachment strip material having opposite ends 151 and 152, and opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends 151 and 152. The length 150 of attachment strip material has a first major part 154 adhered along a first or rear portion 143 a of the outer surface 143 on a first wall 155 included in the housing, and has a second minor part 156 extending from one end of the first part 154. That second part 156 extends around an edge 157 of that first wall 155 and extends along and is adhered to a second or front outer portion 143 b of the surface 143 on the first wall 155 that is opposite the rear portion 143 a of the surface 143. The manually removable portion 149 of the housing 142 is a minor portion of an outer layer of the first wall 155 of the housing 142, with a major portion of that first wall 155 being included in the attachable portion 148 of the housing 142. The first wall 155 could be formed from a single layer of pasteboard, or could be formed by two layers of pasteboard joined or folded along the edge 157. The manually removable portion 149 of the housing 142 can be partially separated from that major portion of the first wall 155 by lines of weakness 159 (e.g., score lines or rows of perforations), and, if needed, a cut or slot can be provided across the end of the manually removable portion of the housing at the edge 157. The edge 157 and the second or front portion 143 b of the outer surface 143 on the first wall 155 are disposed at angles (i.e., about 90 degree and 180 degree angles respectively) with respect to the rear portion 143 a of the surface 143 on the first wall 155 which provides means for restricting adhesion between the second part 156 of the length 150 of attachment strip material and a planar support surface when the first part 154 of the length 150 of attachment strip material is adhered along that planar support surface. A release liner 147 extends along a major surface of the first part 154 of the length 150 of attachment strip material, which major surface is opposite the major surface of the first part 154 that is adhered to the attachable portion 148 of the housing 142. That release liner 147 is removable to afford adhering the first part 154 of the length 150 of attachment strip material to a planar support surface (e.g., the vertical surface of a wall or display shelf) to support the housing 142 along that surface. When it is desirable to remove the housing 142 from such a support surface to which it was adhered, the second part 156 of the length 150 of attachment strip material and the manually removable portion 149 of the housing to which it is adhered can be manually pulled away from the rest or major portion of the first wall 155, causing the first wall 155 to break along the lines of weakness 159. If the first wall 155 is a single layer of pasteboard, it can delaminate. If the first wall 155 is formed from two layers of pasteboard the manually removable portion can be part of only one of the layers. Such pulling away of the second part 156 and removable portion 149 affords manual pulling of the second part 156 of the length 150 of attachment strip material and the removable portion 149 of the housing 142 adhered to it away from the first part 154 of the length 150 of attachment strip material (see FIG. 18) to stretch and thereby release the adhesion of that first part 154 from the support surface and from the attachable portion 148 of the housing 142.
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