Composite Label Web

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the art of composite webs of pressure sensitive labels.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

A prior art composite label web with two-part sale labels is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,427 granted Feb. 12, 1980 to Joseph J. Grass. Prior art patents using tamper-indicating cuts in a label web are U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,427 granted Dec. 7, 1965 to Irving Kaplan, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,083 granted June 1, 1974 to William A. Jenkins. It is known in the United States in the art of two-part labels of the "sale label" type to provide tamper-indicating cuts in the (permanent) label part which is intended to remain attached to the product, for example X-shaped cuts disposed wholly within the boundary of the permanent label part, or spaced longitudinal cuts in the permanent label part which cause the permanent label part to shred upon attempted removal.

According to the invention there is provided a label which is capable of being dispensed from a hand-held labeler and applied to a product and yet has a section which will separate when an attempt is made to remove the label from the product. The separable section is provided by a line of weakening in the label. The line of weakening is preferably spaced from both the leading and trailing edges of the label, but extends to one free side edge of the label. The line of weakening should be spaced from the leading edge of the label to prevent the leading marginal edge of the label from following around the delaminator or drooping upon application of the label to a product. This can cause the label to be improperly applied. The line of weakening should preferably be spaced from the trailing edge of the label to prevent the separable section from being pulled apart from the remainder of the label during application of the label. The line of weakening includes cuts completely through the label which meet the free side edge of the label. This facilitates separation of the separable section upon attempted removal from a product. The pressure sensitive adhesive also holds the separable section to the remainder of the associated label part because the adhesive bridges the separable section and the adjacent label part. The cuts that form the line of weakening are preferably completely through the label, except for frangible lands spaced from the free side edges of the label. The line of weakening is essentially comprised in the preferred embodiment of a leading portion and a trailing portion, both of which are inclined with respect to the lengthwise or longitudinal direction along the carrier web. The leading portion preferably has one frangible land and the trailing portion also has one frangible land. The lands and the adhesive are adequate to hold the separable section in the plane of the label, that is, prevent separation of the separable section until the label has been applied to the product. And yet, attempted removal causes the separable section to separate upon fracture of the frangible lands.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational, diagrammatic view of a labeler for using a composite label web in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the composite label web with a portion of one label peeled back to expose the carrier web and the underside of the label;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the label applied to a product; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one of the label parts (the sale part) as having been removed and showing an attempt to remove the other part and separation from its separable section.

The composite label web 10 of the invention can be used in a commercially available type of hand-held labeler sold by Monarch Marking Systems, Inc., Dayton, Ohio U.S.A. as illustrated in their U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,747 granted on Sept. 26, 1978 to Paul H. Hamisch, Jr. Such a labeler 11 is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 of the present application. The composite web 10 which is wound into a roll R is guided to a platen 12 disposed opposite a print head 13. The composite web 10 includes a carrier web 14 to which labels 15 are releasably adhered. The carrier web 14 is caused to undergo a sharp change of direction at a delaminator 16 at which the leading label 15' is thereby caused to delaminate from the web 14 as the web 14 is advanced by a toothed driver 17. Movement of the driver 17 stops before the leading label 15' is entirely delaminated so that the trailing marginal edge of the leading label 15' is still adhered to the carrier web 14 and the leading label 15' is beneath an applicator 12', as shown in FIG. 1. The driver 17 takes the form of a wheel having peripherally spaced teeth 18. The print head 13 and the driver 17 are sequentially operated in response to movement of an actuator 19.

The composite web 10 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 in which part of one label is peeled back. The labels 15 are shown to be two-part labels which are separated into first and second label parts 20 and 21 by a longitudinally extending line of weakening 22. The cuts 22 can be formed by any suitable method, as by perforating, creasing, or scoring. Although the line of weakening 22 is shown to be spaced midway between free side edges 23 and 24, other spacings can be used. The carrier web 14 is shown to have a release coating on its upper surface indicated by light stippling 25. The underside of only the first label part 20 of each label 15 is shown to have a uniform coating of pressure sensitive adhesive indicated by heavy stippling 26. As shown the adhesive 26 extends between the free side edge 23 and the line of weakening 22. The carrier web 14 has a series of cuts 27 with which teeth 18 of the driver 17 are adapted to engage. The cuts 27 extend through the carrier web 14 and preferably extend through the labels 15 as well as indicated at 27'. The travel of the web 10 in FIG. 2 is in the direction of arrow X toward the delaminator 16.

Each label 15 is provided with a line of weakening 28 which defines a separable section 29 in the first label part 20. The line of weakening 28 is comprised essentially of a leading portion 30 and a trailing portion 31. The labels 15 are formed by butt cuts 32 which define the respective leading and trailing edges of adjacent labels 15. The leading portion 30 of the label 15 is closer to the leading edge of that label, and the trailing portion 31 is closer to the trailing portion of the label 15. The leading portion is shown to be comprised of two cuts 33 and 34 through the label 15 spaced by a frangible land 35. The land 35 can either be uncut or it can be made to extend only partly through the label 15. The cuts 33 and 34 of the leading portion 30 are inclined in one direction at an acute angle A with respect to the longitudinal direction of web travel. The trailing portion 31 is shown to be comprised of two cuts 36 and 37 through the label 15 spaced by a frangible land 35'. A land, such as the land 35, should be provided in the leading portion 30 even if the land 35' is omitted. The cuts 34 and 38 are joined as indicated at 39. The cuts 36 and 37 of the trailing portion 31 are inclined in the reverse direction at an acute angle B with respect to the longitudinal direction of web travel. The angles A and B are shown to be equal. The leading and trailing portions 30 and 31 are thus equal in length and form sides of an equilateral triangle having a base at free side edge 23. Because of the inclination of both leading and trailing portions 30 and 31, the line of weakening 28 passes progressively, essentially one point-at-a-time, about the delaminator 16. Even though the cut 33 extends all the way to the free side edge 23, it does not follow about the delaminator 16 because of its progressive encounter with the delaminator 16. The adhesive 26 offers some assistance in holding the separable section 29 in the plane of the remainder of the first label part 20 because the adhesive 26 bridges the separable section and the remainder of the first label part 20. Also, the lands 35 and 38 tend to maintain the separable section in the plane of the remainder of the first label part 20.

FIG. 3 shows the label 15 as applied to a product P and FIG. 4 shows the attempted removal of the label 15 from the product P. The adhesive 26 is preferably of the permanent type and thus removal of the remainder of the first label part 20 without destruction thereof is most difficult. It is even more difficult to avoid destroying the first label part 20 because of the ease with which the separable portion 29 is separated as shown in FIG. 4. The lands 35 and 38 fracture readily and the permanent type adhesive under the portion 29 adheres the portion 29 securely to the product P. Thus, any attempt to re-use the label part 20 would be readily apparent, and thus the label 15 is considered to be of the tamper-indicating type.

By way of example, not limitation, each of the angles A and B is between about 42 degrees and about 52 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment the angles A and B are each about 47 degrees.

Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of the invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.