HK1163326B - Label media having a substrate and a two-sided releasable liner - Google Patents

Description

Label media with substrate and double-sided releasable liner

Cross Reference of Related Applications

Not applicable.

Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development

Not applicable.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to print media, and in particular to label media supported by a releasable liner for use in a handheld printer.

Background

There are a number of U.S. patents that disclose label media that can be used to mark or identify objects such as electrical wires. Some label media designs include a series of identical die cut labels supported by a releasable liner. The liner is passed through a printer, such as a hand-held thermal transfer printer, in a length or "web" direction so that the indicia is printed on the labels. The liner may include means for cooperating with the registration system of the printer to control the amount of label entering the printer and to properly position the label relative to the print head. After printing and exiting the printer, the label is removed from the liner and slid onto or wrapped around the object to be identified.

There are many combinations of labels and liners that can be provided in different colors, forms and sizes depending on the label application. However, the size of the label media design, particularly the label design size positioned in the "cross-web" direction, is limited by the size of the dedicated printer. For example, label media that is narrow in the "cross-web" direction is suitable for use in compact hand-held printers, i.e., compact hand-held printers cannot accommodate label media that is wider in the "cross-web" direction. Compact printers are therefore often used to provide labels with few printed symbols or indicia that would otherwise be difficult to interpret. In addition, in some cases, the area of label media used to print indicia is also limited by the area of the laminate adjacent to the indicia covered when the label is applied to an object to be identified.

Given the limitations of previous designs, it is desirable to design label media that is wider in the cross-web direction and that can be used in compact printers.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides label media for use in a label media printer to form a wider label. In some embodiments, the label media includes a releasable liner having a first face and a second face joined by a longitudinal edge. A first side of a substrate is adhered to the first and second sides of the releasable liner and at least a portion of the substrate is receptive to ink.

In some embodiments, the label media includes a releasable liner having a first side and a second side opposite the first side in a thickness direction. The first and second faces are joined by a longitudinal edge. The label media further includes a substrate having a first adhesive side adhered to the first and second sides of the releasable liner. The substrate further includes a second surface opposite to the first adhesive surface in the thickness direction. At least a portion of the second side is receptive to ink.

In some embodiments, the label media includes a releasable liner. The releasable liner includes a first side having a release coating and a second side. The second face is opposite to the first face in a thickness direction and also has the release coating. The releasable liner further includes a first longitudinal edge joining the first and second panels, and a second longitudinal edge joining the first and second panels opposite the first longitudinal edge in a width direction. The label media further includes a substrate having a first adhesive side adhered to the first and second sides of the releasable liner. The substrate further includes a second surface opposite to the first adhesive surface in the thickness direction. At least a portion of the second side is receptive to ink. A fold of the substrate is aligned with the first longitudinal edge of the releasable liner. The substrate further includes a first and a second longitudinal edge joining the first adhesive side and the second side of the substrate. The first and second longitudinal edges of the substrate are spaced apart from the second longitudinal edge of the releasable liner.

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiments do not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, however, and reference is made therefore to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention.

Drawings

The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll of label media of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the label media taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, viewed along the length of the label media;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the label media of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roll of label media in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the label media taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4, viewed along the length of the label media;

fig. 6 is a front view of the label media of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

Refer to fig. 1-3. The label media 10 of the present invention includes a releasable liner 12 supporting a substrate 14. The label media 10 is generally elongated in a length or web direction and thinned in a thickness direction so that it can be wound lengthwise to form a roll 50 and placed in a recess of a printer or attached to a media cartridge of a printer. It should be noted that the construction of the label media 10 is generally uniform in length, although other dimensions of the releasable liner 12 and substrate 14 may vary depending on the particular printing application.

The releasable liner 12 includes a first side 16 and a second side 18 opposite the first side 16 in a thickness direction, wherein the substrate 14 is releasably adhered to the first side 16 and the second side 18. It should be clear that the term "thickness direction" here refers to a direction perpendicular to the first face 16 and the second face 18. The releasable liner 12 also includes a first longitudinal edge 20 and a second longitudinal edge 22 joining the first face 16 and the second face 18. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the releasable liner 12 may be composed of one or more layers of material, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, etc., without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, the first side 16 and the second side 18 of the releasable liner 12 preferably include a release coating, such as a silicon-based coating, to enable the label to be adhered to an object to be identified or to the label itself after removal from the releasable liner 12.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1-3, the substrate 14 is generally elongated. The substrate 14 has a width perpendicular to the length and thickness directions or a width across the web direction, and preferably is greater than the width of the releasable liner 12 when the substrate 14 is removed from the liner 12 and positioned flat. As shown in fig. 2, the substrate 14 includes a first side 24 and a second side 26 joined by longitudinal edges 30 and 32. An adhesive layer coated on the first side 24 adheres the substrate 14 to the releasable liner 12. Substrate 14 is preferably a thermal transfer tape with an acrylic adhesive, such as bellyb-427.

In order to make the overall width of the label media 10 substantially equal to the width of the releasable liner 12 as it passes through the printing mechanism of a printer, the substrate 14 is folded over and releasably adhered to opposite sides of the releasable liner 12. In particular, the first adhesive side 24 of the substrate 14 is releasably adhered to the first and second sides 16, 18 of the releasable liner 12. At least a portion of the second side 26 of the substrate 14 may be adapted to receive ink from a printing mechanism of a printer. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate 14 includes a flap 28, the flap 28 being formed by releasably adhering the first adhesive side 24 to the first and second sides 16, 18 of the backing 12. The flap 28 is aligned with the first longitudinal edge 20 of the releasable liner 12.

The substrate 14 can be easily removed from the releasable liner 12 by spacing at least one of the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 of the substrate 14 from an adjacent edge of the liner 12. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second longitudinal edges 30 and 32 of the substrate 14 are spaced widthwise from the second longitudinal edge 22 of the releasable liner 12 to provide open faces 34 and 36 on the first and second faces 16 and 18, respectively, of the liner 12. The substrate 14 is not attached to the second longitudinal edge 22 or the open faces 34 and 36. The open faces 34 and 36 allow an operator to easily position the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 to remove the substrate 14 from the releasable liner 12.

Substrate 14 may be composed of multiple individual layers of different materials without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in another embodiment shown in fig. 4-6, the label media 110 includes a releasable liner 112 as described above for supporting a substrate 114, and the substrate 114 includes material that enables lamination of the label media 110. A first material 115 of the substrate 114 is transparent or such that indicia printed on an ink receptive material 117 of the substrate 114 are viewable through the first material 115. That is, after a portion of the substrate 114 is removed from the releasable liner 112, the first material 115 may be placed so as to cover and laminate the ink receiving material 117.

A first adhesive side 124 of the first material 115 is releasably adhered to the first side 116 and the second side 118 of the releasable liner 112. A portion of a second side 126 of the first material 115 in the thickness direction opposite the first adhesive side 124 is aggressively adhered to a first side 127 of the ink receiving material 117. The first material 115 includes a fold 128 formed by releasably adhering the first adhesive side 124 to the first side 116 and the second side 118 of the liner 112. The flap 128 is aligned with the first longitudinal edge 120 of the releasable liner 112. A first longitudinal edge 130 and a second longitudinal edge 132 of the first material 115 joining the first face 124 and the second face 126 are spaced widthwise from the second longitudinal edge 122 of the releasable liner 112 so as to provide open faces 134 and 136 as described above. The first material 115 may be comprised of plastic or other specialized laminate material. However, other specialized materials recognized by those skilled in the art may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the embodiment disclosed in fig. 4-6, the ink receptive material 117 is not as wide as the first material 115. That is, a first longitudinal edge 138 of the ink receiving material 117 is spaced widthwise from the first longitudinal edge 120 of the liner 112 and the flap 128, while a second longitudinal edge 140 of the ink receiving material 117 opposite the first longitudinal edge 138 is aligned with the second longitudinal edge 132 of the first material 115. A second surface 142 of the ink receiving material 117 opposite the first surface 127 in the thickness direction receives ink from a printing mechanism of the printer. As to the materials, ink receptive material 117 may be comprised of one or more layers of material, such as paper, plastic, etc., and substrate 114 may be a thermal transfer ribbon having translucent and opaque layers, such as Bedy B-427.

From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that the present invention advantageously provides a wide label media having a compact form and on which a number of symbols or indicia can be printed that are more easily interpreted than previous designs. Additionally, in some embodiments, the label media includes a wider print area and a laminate for protecting the print area.

The label media of the present invention is particularly suited for use in hand-held printers having a relatively compact housing due to the use of narrow label media. However, the label media of the present invention may also be used with other types of printers, such as desktop printers. A dedicated printer includes components such as a printing mechanism for printing indicia on the label media, a device for passing the label media to be printed through the printing mechanism, a cutting device for separating the printed label media from the roll of label media, and an electronic component, such as a microprocessor, for controlling the components. The dedicated printer may also include a keyboard with alpha, numeric and function keys for entering alphanumeric information and instructions relating to the indicia to be printed, and an image display device for assisting an operator using the printer. However, it is preferred that the dedicated printer not have a registration system so that labels of various lengths can be provided.

While there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A label media comprising:

a releasable liner having a first face and a second face spaced from the first face in a thickness direction, the first and second faces being joined by a first longitudinal edge, the releasable liner having a width perpendicular to the thickness direction;

a substrate having a first side adhered to said first and second sides of said releasable liner and at least a portion of a second side of said substrate being receptive to ink, said substrate having a width parallel to a width of said releasable liner and said width of said substrate being greater than said width of said releasable liner when said substrate is removed from said releasable liner and positioned flat; and

wherein the substrate and the releasable liner together extend in a length direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and the width of the releasable liner and the substrate, and the substrate and the releasable liner are wound together in the length direction to form a roll.

2. The label media as in claim 1, in which said substrate comprises a first material having said first side and said second side, and an ink receptive material adhered to said second side of said first material, and said first side of said first material is adhered to said first side and said second side of said releasable liner.

3. The label media as in claim 2, in which said first material is transparent and ink printed on said ink receptive material is visible through said first material when said label media is affixed to an object and said first material covers the ink printed on said ink receptive material.

4. The label media as in claim 2, in which said releasable liner includes a second longitudinal edge, said first material includes first and second longitudinal edges spaced from said second longitudinal edge of said releasable liner, said ink receptive material includes a longitudinal edge, and said longitudinal edge of said ink receptive material is aligned with said second longitudinal edge of said first material.

5. The label media as in claim 1, in which said releasable liner includes a second longitudinal edge and said substrate includes first and second longitudinal edges spaced from said second longitudinal edge of said releasable liner.

6. The label media as in claim 1, in which said substrate is a thermal transfer tape.

7. A label media comprising:

a releasable liner having a first face and a second face opposite the first face in a thickness direction, and the first and second faces being joined by a longitudinal edge and both having a release coating;

a substrate having a first adhesive side of said release coating releasably adhered to said first and second sides of said release liner and a second side opposite said first adhesive side in said thickness direction, and at least a portion of said second side being receptive to ink;

wherein said substrate has a width and said releasable liner also has a width, and when said substrate is removed from said releasable liner and positioned flat, said width of said substrate is greater than said width of said releasable liner.

8. The label media as in claim 7, in which said substrate includes a flap aligned with said longitudinal edge.

9. The label media as in claim 7, in which said releasable liner includes a second longitudinal edge and said substrate includes first and second longitudinal edges spaced from said second longitudinal edge of said releasable liner.

10. The label media as in claim 7, in which said substrate is a thermal transfer tape.

11. A label media comprising:

a releasable liner comprising

A first side having a release coating;

a second face having the release coating opposite the first face in a thickness direction;

a first longitudinal edge joining said first and second faces;

a second longitudinal edge opposite the first longitudinal edge in a width direction joining the first face and the second face;

a substrate, comprising:

a first adhesive side adhered to said first side and said second side of said releasable liner;

a second side opposite the first adhesive side in the thickness direction, wherein at least a portion of the second side is receptive to ink;

a hem aligned with the first longitudinal edge of the releasable liner; and

first and second longitudinal edges joining the first adhesive side and the second side of the substrate, wherein the first and second longitudinal edges of the substrate are spaced apart from the second longitudinal edge of the releasable liner;

wherein said substrate has a width and said releasable liner also has a width, and when said substrate is removed from said releasable liner and positioned flat, said width of said substrate is greater than said width of said releasable liner.

12. The label media as in claim 11, in which said substrate comprises a first material having a first adhesive side and a second side, and an ink receptive material adhered to said second side of said first material, and said first adhesive side of said first material is adhered to said first and second sides of said releasable liner.

13. The label media as in claim 12, in which said first material is transparent and when said label media is attached to an object and said first material covers ink printed on said ink receiving material, said ink printed on said ink receiving material is viewable through said first material.

14. The label media as in claim 11, in which said substrate is a thermal transfer tape.