Abstract:
An adhesive notepad comprising a plurality of sheets of notepaper with first and second adhesive regions applied to the rear surface thereof. The second adhesive region is disposed at a spaced junction from the first adhesive region and is oriented to allow substantially the entire length of the rear surface of a sheet of notepaper to lie substantially in abutting contact with an outer surface of an object to which the sheet is applied. The first adhesive region may also include areas free of adhesive which

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     This invention generally relates to notepads. More particularly, the invention relates to notepads which comprise sheets having an adhesive applied to the rear surface and which may be individually removed from the notepad and applied to the outer surface of an object. Specifically, the invention relates to an adhesive notepad which comprises sheets which have more than one adhesive region applied to the rear surface and therefore has a reduced tendency to flag as well as notepads with shaped adhesive areas.  
         [0003]     2. Background Information  
         [0004]     Notepad sheets having an adhesive strip at one end are frequently used in business settings for writing brief notes relating to files or documents or for numerous other applications. These notepad sheets, or sticky notes as they are frequently referred to, have a tendency to flag when they are removed from the pad and then stuck to another surface. Flagging is the term given to the curling up of one corner of the sticky note and is the result of the “memory” of the paper. Flagging tends to cause the lower end of the sticky note to pull away from the outer surface of the object to which the note is applied. This makes the sticky note vulnerable to accidental removal from the object to which it has been applied. The amount of flagging of a sticky note depends upon the grade of paper from which it is made, the thickness of the paper and the type of release coating applied to the upper surface. The degree of flagging tends to relate to the stickiness of the adhesive, so that the stronger the adhesive used on the note, the greater the tendency of that note to flag when it is removed from the notepad. The quality of a sticky note is generally judged by how well it tends to grip the outer surface of an object as well as the degree to which the note tends to flag.  
         [0005]     There is therefore a need in the art for an adhesive notepad in which the adhesive applied to the sheets is strong enough to allow for easy adherence to surfaces of objects, but which has a decreased tendency to flag when adhered to a surface.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The adhesive notepad of the present invention comprises a plurality of sheets of notepaper that have a first and a second adhesive region applied to the rear surface of the sheets and to adhesive notepads comprising a plurality of sheets of notepaper that have less adhesive at the corners of the sheet. The location and orientation of the adhesive regions on the notepaper allows the rear surface of the sheet of notepaper to stay in abutting contact with the outer surface of the object to which the sheet is applied and will tend to reduce the tendency of the sheet to flag.  
         [0007]     In a first embodiment of the invention, the first adhesive region is applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet and the second adhesive region is applied substantially along the midline of the sheet but in a direction perpendicular to the first adhesive region.  
         [0008]     In a second embodiment of the invention, the first adhesive region is applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet and the second adhesive region comprises a plurality of discrete beads of adhesive distributed over the remainder of the rear surface of the sheets, preferably in rows and preferably proximate the side and lower edges of the sheet.  
         [0009]     In a third embodiment of the invention, the first adhesive region is applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet and between the side edges of the sheet and the second adhesive region is applied proximate the lower edge of the sheet and substantially parallel to the first adhesive region.  
         [0010]     In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the first adhesive region is applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet, but the upper corners of the sheet are adhesive free. The second adhesive region comprises a discrete bead of adhesive applied proximate each lower corners of the sheet.  
         [0011]     In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the first and second adhesive regions are applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet and the regions are separated from each other by areas that are free of adhesive.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, are set forth in the following description and are shown in the drawings and are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with the prior art, showing flagging of the notepaper at one of the lower corners of the same;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the sheet of adhesive notepaper through line  2 - 2 - of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, and showing a lack of flagging of the sheet;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a side end view of the sheet of adhesive notepaper through line  4 - 4 - of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the sheet of adhesive notepaper of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , there is shown a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with the prior art, generally indicated at  10  and applied to a surface  12 . Sheet  10  has an upper edge  14 , a lower edge  16 , a front surface  18  and a rear surface  20 . An adhesive strip  22  is applied on rear surface  20  proximate upper edge  14 . It may be seen particularly from  FIG. 2 , that a lower corner  24  of sheet  10  of the prior art is flagging and thereby causing lower edge  16  of sheet  10  to lie a distance X outwardly from surface  12 . This is undesirable as lower corner  24  may be snagged accidentally and thereby cause sheet  10  to peel off the surface  12 .  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIGS. 3-5 , there is shown a first embodiment of a sheet of adhesive notepaper in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated at  50 . Sheet  40  is applied to a surface  52 . Sheet  50  has an upper edge  54 , a lower edge  56 , a front surface  58  and a rear surface  60 . A first adhesive region  62  is applied proximate upper edge  54 . First region  62  is a solid strip of adhesive applied from one side edge  64  to the other side edge  66 . A second adhesive region  68  is applied to rear surface  60 . Second region  68  is substantially perpendicular to first region  62  and lies generally proximate the middle of rear surface  60 . Second region  68  preferably extends from lower edge  56  of sheet  50  and joins up with first region  62  thereby forming a T-shaped band of adhesive on the rear surface  60  of sheet  50 . When sheet  50  is applied to surface  52  by pressing first and second regions  62 ,  68  into contact with surface  52 , then, as can be seen in  FIG. 4 , little to no flagging of sheet  50  occurs.  
         [0024]     A second embodiment of a sheet of adhesive notepaper is shown in  FIG. 6  and generally indicated at  150 . Sheet  150  has an upper edge  154  and lower edge  156 . A first adhesive region  162  is applied to rear surface  160  of sheet  150  and extends from side edge  164  to side edge  166 . A second adhesive region  168  is applied to rear surface  160  and comprises at least one and preferably a plurality of discrete beads  170  of adhesive. Beads  170  may be randomly scattered across rear surface  160 , but preferably are positioned in spaced apart rows. It is also preferable that at least one of the rows of beads  170  is positioned proximate side edges  164  or  166  or proximate lower edge  156 .  
         [0025]     A third embodiment of a sheet of adhesive notepaper is shown in  FIG. 7  and generally indicated at  250 . Sheet  250  has a first adhesive region  262  applied to rear surface  260  proximate upper edge  265  and a second adhesive region  268  applied proximate lower edge  256 . First and second regions  262 ,  268  preferably are solid strips of adhesive which extend from side edge  264  to side edge  266 . First and second regions  262 ,  268  are substantially parallel to each other.  
         [0026]     A fourth embodiment of a sheet of adhesive notepaper is shown in  FIG. 8  and generally indicated at  350 . Sheet  350  has a first adhesive region  362  applied proximate upper edge  354 , but first region  362  is not a solid strip extending from side edge  364  to side edge  366 . Instead, sheet  350  has upper corner areas  372  on rear surface  360  to which no adhesive is applied and areas  372  are consequently free of adhesive. The lack of adhesive in upper corner areas  372  reduces the tendency of sheet  350  to flag. Second adhesive region  368  comprises two discrete beads  370  positioned proximate lower edge  356  of sheet  350  and spaced slightly inwardly of lower corner areas  374 .  
         [0027]     A fifth embodiment of a sheet of adhesive notepaper is shown in  FIG. 9  and generally indicated at  450 . Sheet  450  has an upper edge  454  and a lower edge  456 . A plurality of first and second adhesive regions  462  and  464  are applied to rear surface  460  of sheet  450  proximate upper edge  454 . First and second regions  462 ,  464  preferably are triangular in shape and the bases  476  and  478 , respectively, of the first and second regions are substantially coplanar. Areas  480  which are adhesive free separate first and second adhesive regions  462 ,  464 . Additionally, upper corner areas  472  of sheet  450  preferably are adhesive free. The reduced amount of adhesive across rear surface  460  of sheet  450  proximate upper edge  454  tends to reduce the tendency of sheet  450  to flag.  
         [0028]     The following description regarding use of the adhesive notepad uses the reference numbers for the first embodiment of the same, but it will be understood that all embodiments of the invention are used in a like manner. During manufacture, the first and second regions of adhesive  62 ,  64  are applied to the rear surfaces  60  of a plurality of sheets  50  of notepaper and the adhesive notepad (not shown) is formed by stacking the plurality of sheets  50  vertically one on top of the other. When a consumer wishes to use an individual sheet  50  of notepaper, the sheet  50  is removed from the notepad by grasping one of lower corners  74  ( FIG. 3 ) and pulling the sheet  50  free from the notepad. Sheet  50  is then applied to an outer surface  63  of an object, such as a document, by bringing rear surface  60  of sheet  50  into contact with outer surface  63  and pushing first adhesive region  62  and second adhesive regions  64  into gripping contact therewith. As may be seen from  FIG. 4 , the tendency for sheet  50  to flag is greatly reduced and the rear surface  60  of sheet  50  stays substantially parallel to outer surface  63  along its entire length from upper edge  54  to lower edge  56 . With respect to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the invention, the reduced amount of adhesive applied proximate the upper edge of the sheet tends to reduce the tendency of the sheet to flag.  
         [0029]     It will be understood that the location and orientation of the first and second adhesive regions may be varied somewhat without departing from the scope of the present invention, providing the location and orientation of the adhesive regions allows substantially the entire length of the rear surface of the sheet to remain substantially in abutting contact with the outer surface of an object once the sheet is applied thereto. It will also be understood that with reference to the first embodiment of the invention, more than one strip may be applied as the second adhesive region lying perpendicular to the first adhesive region. Furthermore, the second adhesive region does not need to connect to the first adhesive region to form a T-shaped adhesive zone. A space may separate the first and second adhesive regions without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0030]     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.  
         [0031]     Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.