U.S. patent application number 13/803157 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for wrapping material and method of manufacturing the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is MCNAIR LAW FIRM. Invention is credited to Stan Skelton.
Application Number | 20140263590 13/803157 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51523116 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140263590 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Skelton; Stan |
September 18, 2014 |
Wrapping Material and Method Of Manufacturing The Same
Abstract
The invention relates generally to a method and material for
wrapping items using separate wrapping portions of a predetermined
length that are attached and released at their ends using a
perforation. The wrapping portions include a repositionable
multi-layered adhesive disposed at a single lateral end of each
wrapping material so that when the wrapping portions detach at the
perforation, the multi-layered adhesive securely bonds at least one
wrapping portion around the circumference of the item being wrapped
at the end of a wrapping cycle.
Inventors: |
Skelton; Stan; (Greenville,
SC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MCNAIR LAW FIRM |
Greenville |
SC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51523116 |
Appl. No.: |
13/803157 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/87.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 65/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/87.01 |
International
Class: |
B65D 65/14 20060101
B65D065/14 |
Claims
1. A wrapping material comprising: a first wrapping portion and a
second wrapping portion, wherein both said first and second
wrapping portions have an upper surface having adhesive
characteristics along the entire upper surface and a lower surface
having non-adhesive characteristics; a multi-layered adhesive
disposed on said lower surface of said second wrapping portion at a
point that is generally adjacent to a first lateral end of said
second wrapping portion, wherein said multi-layered adhesive
comprises a first adhesive layer permanently bonded to said lower
surface of said second wrapping portion and a second releasable
adhesive layer disposed on said first adhesive layer that is
permanently bonded to said first adhesive layer; a perforation
releaseably connecting said first lateral end of said second
wrapping portion to a second lateral end of said first wrapping
portion; wherein said perforation allows said first and second
wrapping portions to detach at a predetermined point during a
wrapping cycle so that at the end of the wrapping cycle said
multi-layered adhesive releaseably attaches said lower surface of
said second wrapping portion to said upper surface of said second
wrapping portion, and wherein an item is securely wrapped so that
the item does not contact any adhesive from said second wrapping
portion; and, wherein said first lateral end of said second
wrapping portion may be repositioned with respect to said upper
surface of said second wrapping portion.
2. The wrapping material of claim 1 wherein said lower surface of a
second lateral end of said second wrapping portion is completely
non-adhesive.
3. The wrapping portion of claim 1 wherein said first adhesive
layer and said second releasable adhesive layer remain adhered to
said second wrapping portion at the end of a wrapping cycle.
4. A wrapping material comprising: a first wrapping portion; a
second wrapping portion; a multi-layered adhesive disposed on said
second wrapping portion, wherein said multi-layered adhesive
comprises a first adhesive layer having a lower surface permanently
bonded to said second wrapping portion and a second releasable
adhesive layer having a lower surface that is permanently bonded to
an upper surface of said first adhesive layer; a perforation
releaseably attaching said first wrapping portion to said second
wrapping portion during a wrapping cycle.
5. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said multi-layered
adhesive is disposed at a point that is generally adjacent to a
first lateral end of said second wrapping portion.
6. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said second wrapping
portion has a first lateral end and a second lateral end, wherein
said multi-layered adhesive is disposed generally adjacent said
first lateral end and said second lateral end is completely
non-adhesive.
7. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said multi-layered
adhesive is disposed on a lower surface of said first lateral end
and said lower surface of said second lateral end is completely
non-adhesive.
8. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said first wrapping
portion and said second wrapping portion each have an upper surface
and a lower surface and one of said upper surface and said lower
surface has adhesive characteristics along the entire length and
width of said surface.
9. The wrapping material of claim 8 wherein said multi-layered
adhesive is disposed on the surface opposite of said surface having
adhesive characteristics along the entire length and width of said
surface.
10. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said second wrapping
portion detaches from said first wrapping portion at the end of a
wrapping cycle and said multi-layered adhesive releaseably attaches
to a portion of said second wrapping portion so that the item is
wrapped and said second releasable adhesive layer does not contact
the item being wrapped.
11. The wrapping portion of claim 10 wherein said second wrapping
portion has a upper surface and a lower surface and said
multi-layered adhesive is disposed on said lower surface so that
when the wrapping cycle is complete, the multi-layered adhesive
releaseably attaches said lower surface to said upper surface.
12. The wrapping portion of claim 4 wherein said first adhesive
layer and said second releasable adhesive layer remain adhered to
said second wrapping portion at the end of a wrapping cycle.
13. The wrapping material of claim 4 wherein said first wrapping
portion and said second wrapping portions have two opposing lateral
ends and at least one of said two opposing lateral ends is tapered
to guide the wrapping portions into a wrapping machine.
14. The wrapping material of claim 4 further including a metalized
tag carried by an upper surface of one of said first wrapping
portion and said second wrapping portion to instruct a wrapping
machine when to cause a dispensing roll to dispense said second
wrapping portion and when to cease dispensing said second wrapping
portion.
15. A method of manufacturing a wrapping material comprising the
steps of: providing a dispensing roll of wrapping material
perforating the wrapping material at a predetermined length to
create a first wrapping portion and a second wrapping portion, each
having a first lateral end and a second lateral end; and creating a
multi-layered adhesive by applying a first adhesive layer to a
portion of a first lateral end of said second wrapping portion and
applying a second releasable adhesive layer on top of said first
adhesive layer.
16. The method of manufacturing a wrapping material of claim 15
further comprising the step of providing a second lateral end
opposing said first lateral end that is completely
non-adhesive.
17. The method of manufacturing a wrapping material of claim 15
further comprising the step of providing one of an upper surface
and a lower surface of the wrapping material with adhesive
characteristics along the entire surface.
18. The method of manufacturing a wrapping material of claim 17
further comprising the step of disposing said multi-layered
adhesive on a surface that is opposite of said surface having
adhesive characteristics.
19. The method of manufacturing a wrapping material of claim 15
further comprising the step of providing at least one of said first
and second lateral ends with a taper to guide the wrapping portions
into a wrapping machine.
20. The method of manufacturing a wrapping material of claim 15
further comprising the step of disposing a metalized tag carried on
an upper surface of one of said first wrapping portion and said
second wrapping portion to instruct a wrapping machine when to
cause a dispensing roll to dispense said second wrapping portion
and when to cease dispensing said second wrapping portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to wrapping materials that are
wrapped around a dispensing roll and are perforatedly connected to
one another. The wrapping material is used to wrap an item and
includes a number of perforations defining separate wrapping
portions so that each wrapping portion easily releases from the
remainder of the roll of wrapping portions at the end of a wrapping
cycle to wrap an item.
[0003] 2) Description of Related Art
[0004] Wrapping materials that use interlocking systems are
generally known in the art. These interlocking systems releaseably
attach two wrapping portions, each of which have an adhesive layer
disposed at both lateral ends of the wrapping portion. More
specifically, each wrapping portion includes a first lateral end
upon which a low adhesive releasable layer is disposed and a second
lateral end upon which a high adhesive layer is disposed. The two
wrapping portions are secured together by attaching the releasable
adhesive layer of a first wrapping portion to the highly adhesive
layer of a second wrapping portion.
[0005] The disadvantage of using a system that requires both
lateral ends of the wrapping portions to have an adhesive layer
disposed thereon is that the item being wrapped, or a portion
thereof, is likely to come in contact with the lower adhesive layer
and thus some of the adhesive, which is disclosed as preferably
being silicone, may stick or be otherwise transferred to the item
being wrapped. For illustrative purposes only, if the wrapping
portions described in the prior art were used to wrap a bale of
cotton, at least a portion of the cotton would contact the
releasable adhesive layer. This posses two potential problems.
First, the cotton could stick to the releasable adhesive layer
should the releasable layer possess a sufficient tackiness. Because
cotton is sold by weight, any cotton that sticks to the prior art
wrapping systems constitutes a lost profit. Even if the releasable
adhesive did not possess a sufficient tackiness to cause the cotton
to stick to the releasable layer, some of the releasable adhesive
could be transferred to the cotton, thereby adversely affecting the
ability to subsequently dye the cotton as is often done.
[0006] Another disadvantage with the prior art is that it uses a
high adhesive in order to bond the wrapping portions and to secure
the wrapping portion around the item being wrapped at the end of a
wrapping cycle. The first disadvantage with using a high adhesive
to bond the wrapping portions is that it must be protected from the
rollers of the wrapping machine. Otherwise, the wrapping portion
will become jammed in the wrapping machine. Accordingly, the prior
art requires certain folding systems to protect the high adhesive.
This complicates the manufacturing process.
[0007] The second disadvantage with the high adhesive is that there
is little room to correct for errors occurring during the
manufacture and/or use of the wrapping material. As disclosed by
the prior art, each wrapping portion should terminate exactly even
with the end of the adhesive layer on the lateral ends of the
wrapping portions and that the wrapping portions should be cut
exact to ensure that the lateral ends exactly align to protect the
high adhesive layer. If such alignment is not initially achieved,
there is no way to re-align the lateral ends and the wrapping
portion cannot be used.
[0008] The third disadvantage with using a high adhesive is that
once the wrapping portion is secured around the circumference of
the item being wrapped, the lateral end having the high adhesive
cannot be repositioned to account for any errors in wrapping the
item. Moreover, the user may not reposition the lateral end for the
purpose of placing identifying cards underneath the lateral end so
as to keep the identifying card secured to the item in a manner
that it is shielded from the elements such as rain.
[0009] Another limitation of the prior art wrapping material is
that its use of a laminate to provide the adhesive qualities
necessary to bond the wrapping portions to one another and/or to
secure a wrapping portion around the circumference of an item to be
wrapped prevents the wrapping material from be easily recycled
because the laminate is made of a different materials than those
from which the wrapping portions are manufactured.
[0010] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a wrapping material that includes a repositionable
differential adhesive disposed on only one lateral end of the
wrapping material so that the adhesive included on the wrapping
material does not contact the item being wrapped.
[0011] It is a further object to provide a wrapping material that
includes repositionable differential adhesive that does not require
covering or protecting while the wrapping material is on a roll so
that the first wrapping portion may be connected to the second
wrapping portion by a perforation so that at the end of a wrapping
cycle the second wrapping portion may tear away from the roll and
be wrapped around the item to be wrapped.
[0012] It is a further object to provide a wrapping material that
includes repositionable differential adhesive that the lateral ends
of the wrapping material to be adjusted during the manufacture
and/or use of the wrapping material.
[0013] It is a further object to provide a to provide a wrapping
material that may have a lateral end that may be repositioned
during the wrapping cycle or at the completion of the wrapping
cycle once the item has been wrapped with the wrapping
material.
[0014] It is a further object to provide a wrapping material that
is easily recycled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] A wrapping material comprising a first wrapping portion and
a second wrapping portion, wherein both the first and second
wrapping portions have an upper surface having adhesive
characteristics along the entire upper surface and a lower surface
having non-adhesive characteristics; a multi-layered adhesive
disposed on the lower surface of the second wrapping portion at a
point that is generally adjacent to a first lateral end of the
second wrapping portion, wherein the multi-layered adhesive
comprises a first adhesive layer permanently bonded to the lower
surface of the second wrapping portion and a second releasable
adhesive layer disposed on the first adhesive layer that is
permanently bonded to the first adhesive layer; a perforation
connecting the first wrapping portion to the second wrapping
portion that allows the first and second wrapping portions to
detach at a predetermined point during a wrapping cycle so that at
the end of the wrapping cycle the multi-layered adhesive
releaseably attaches the lower surface of the second wrapping
portion to the upper surface of the second wrapping portion, and
where in an item is securely wrapped so that the item does not
contact any adhesive from the second wrapping portion; and, wherein
the first lateral end of the second wrapping portion may be
repositioned with respect to the upper surface of the second
wrapping portion.
[0016] In one embodiment, the lower surface of a second lateral end
of the second wrapping portion is completely non-adhesive.
[0017] In one embodiment the first adhesive layer and the second
releasable adhesive layer remain adhered to the second wrapping
portion at the end of a wrapping cycle.
[0018] In one embodiment, the first wrapping portion and the second
wrapping portion each have an upper surface and a lower surface and
one of the upper surface and the lower surface has adhesive
characteristics along the entire length and width of the surface.
Moreover, the multi-layered adhesive is disposed on the surface
opposite of the surface having adhesive characteristics along the
entire length and width of the surface.
[0019] In one embodiment, the second wrapping portion has a upper
surface and a lower surface and the multi-layered adhesive is
disposed on the lower surface so that when the wrapping cycle is
complete, the multi-layered adhesive releaseably attaches the lower
surface to the upper surface.
[0020] In one embodiment, the first adhesive layer and the second
releasable adhesive layer remain adhered to the second wrapping
portion at the end of a wrapping cycle.
[0021] In one embodiment, the first wrapping portion and the second
wrapping portions have two opposing lateral ends and at least one
of the two opposing lateral ends is tapered to guide the wrapping
portions into a wrapping machine.
[0022] In one embodiment, the wrapping material includes a
metalized tag carried by an upper surface of one of the first
wrapping portion and the second wrapping portion to instruct a
wrapping machine when to cause a dispensing roll to dispense the
second wrapping portion and when to cease dispensing the second
wrapping portion.
[0023] In at least one embodiment a method of manufacturing a
wrapping material comprising the steps of providing a dispensing
roll of wrapping material; perforating the wrapping material at a
predetermined length to create a first wrapping portion and a
second wrapping portion, each having a first lateral end and a
second lateral end; and creating a multi-layered adhesive by
applying a first adhesive layer to a portion of a first lateral end
of said second wrapping portion and applying a second releasable
adhesive layer on top of said first adhesive layer.
[0024] In one embodiment, the method of manufacturing a wrapping
material further comprises the step of providing a second lateral
end opposing said first lateral end that is completely
non-adhesive.
[0025] In one embodiment, the method of manufacturing a wrapping
material further comprises the step of providing one of an upper
surface and a lower surface of the wrapping material with adhesive
characteristics along the entire surface. In a further embodiment,
the method of manufacturing a wrapping material further comprises
the step of disposing said multi-layered adhesive on a surface that
is opposite of said surface having adhesive characteristics.
[0026] In another embodiment, the method of manufacturing a
wrapping material further comprises the step of providing at least
one of said first and second lateral ends with a taper to guide the
wrapping portions into a wrapping machine.
[0027] In another embodiment, the method of manufacturing a
wrapping material further comprises the step of disposing a
metalized tag carried on an upper surface of one of said first
wrapping portion and said second wrapping portion to instruct a
wrapping machine when to cause a dispensing roll to dispense said
second wrapping portion and when to cease dispensing said second
wrapping portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The construction designed to carry out the invention will
hereinafter be described, together with other features thereof. The
invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the
following specification and by reference to the accompanying
drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the
invention is shown and wherein:
[0029] FIG. 1 shows perspective view of the wrapping material in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0030] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the lower surface of the
wrapping material in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention;
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a side elevation view of adhesives of the
wrapping material in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention;
[0032] FIGS. 4-5 illustrate the steps of wrapping an item in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 6 shows a cross-section view of the wrapping material
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0034] FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of the wrapping material in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and
[0035] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the wrapping material in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0036] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one
or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives,
while one or more other aspects can meet certain other objectives.
Each objective may not apply equally, in all its respects, to every
aspect of this invention. As such, the preceding objects can be
viewed in the alternative with respect to any one aspect of this
invention. These and other objects and features of the invention
will become more fully apparent when the following detailed
description is read in conjunction with the accompanying figures
and examples. However, it is to be understood that both the
foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed
description are of a preferred embodiment and not restrictive of
the invention or other alternate embodiments of the invention. In
particular, while the invention is described herein with reference
to a number of specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that
the description is illustrative of the invention and is not
constructed as limiting of the invention. Various modifications and
applications may occur to those who are skilled in the art, without
departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as
described by the appended claims. Likewise, other objects,
features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent from this summary and certain embodiments described below,
and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such
objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from
the above in conjunction with the accompanying examples, data,
figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, alone
or with consideration of the references incorporated herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0037] With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be
described in more detail.
[0038] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the wrapping
material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
The wrapping material 10, being prepared in FIGS. 1-2, includes at
least two wrapping portions 12 and 14, with predetermined lengths.
In at least one embodiment, each wrapping portion 12 and 14 has a
length of approximately 69 feet and a width of approximately one
hundred and four inches. The wrapping material 10 can be made from
polyolefins, such as polyethylene, or other suitable polymeric
material that is approximately 40 to 120 microns thick and 50 to
400 centimeters in width. In at least one embodiment, each wrapping
portion 12 and 14 has a length of approximately 21 meters and a
width of approximately 264 centimeters. Additionally, the wrapping
material 10 may also be clear or pigmented. In at least one
embodiment, the wrapping material may have a first surface that has
adhesive characteristics and a second surface that has non-adhesive
characteristics. In at least one embodiment, the material's upper
surface has adhesive characteristics along the entire length and
width of the material and the lower surface has non-adhesive
characteristics. In other embodiments, however, it could be that
the lower surface has the adhesive characteristics and the upper
surface has the non-adhesive characteristics. The material used for
the wrapping material 10 is in no way limited to the materials
discussed above and can include netting or other suitable wrapping
material, regardless of whether such material occurs naturally or
is man-made.
[0039] The length and width of each wrapping portion 12 and 14
should be enough to at least cover the circumference or perimeter
of the item (not shown) to be wrapped. In at least one embodiment,
the wrapping portions have a length that is longer than the
circumference and/or perimeter of the item to be wrapped so that
the wrapping portion may be secured to itself rather than to the
item being wrapped. Accordingly, the length and width of the
wrapping material can vary depending on the size and shape of the
item to be wrapped and the wrapping application.
[0040] In FIG. 1, the first wrapping portion 12 is disposed upon a
roll of wrapping material 13 having a plurality of releaseably
attached wrapping portions (1, 2, 3 . . . n). The second wrapping
portion 14 is the wrapping portion that will be used to wrap an
item (not shown) in the present wrapping cycle. Each of the
wrapping portions 12 and 14 include two opposing lateral ends 16
and 18. In FIG. 1, the lateral end 18 of the second wrapping
portion 14 is connected to the lateral end 16 of the first wrapping
portion 14 by a perforation 15.
[0041] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the second wrapping portion 14
that will be used to wrap the item includes a repositionable
differential adhesive area 22 that is disposed on the lower surface
of the second wrapping potion at a point that is generally adjacent
to the second wrapping portion's lateral end 18 so that the
adhesive area extends along substantially the entire width of the
second wrapping portion's lateral end 18. In another embodiment,
the adhesive area 22 does not extend along the entire width of the
wrapping portion's lateral end 22. By not extending the adhesive
area along the entire width of the lateral end, a non-adhesive
portion is left so that the lateral end may be easily repositioned
with respect to the first wrapping portion 12 or with respect to
the end that is opposite lateral end 18 once the wrapping portion
14 has completed a wrapping cycle.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 3, the adhesive layer and the
arrangement of its components may be more clearly seen. The
adhesive area 22 comprises a first highly adhesive layer 26 having
a bottom surface that is permanently bonded to the second wrapping
portion at a point that is generally adjacent to the lateral end
18. The highly adhesive layer 26 also has a top surface that is
permanently bonded to the bottom surface of a releasable adhesive
layer 28, thus permanently bonding the releasable adhesive layer 28
to the second wrapping portion 14. The highly adhesive layer 26 can
be any adhesive generally known in the art that is suitable to
permanently bond the releasable layer 28 to the second wrapping
portion 14. In at least one embodiment, this highly adhesive later
could highly adhesive layer used in the differential adhesive
marketed by 3-M under the Model No. Repositionable Tape 665 and/or
Repositionable Tape 9425.
[0043] The releasable adhesive layer 28 has a lower adhesive
characteristic than the highly adhesive layer 26 and allows the
adhesive area 22 to be repositioned one or more times, as deemed
necessary during the wrapping process, without compromising the
adhesive characteristics of the releasable adhesive layer 28.
Unlike the prior art, the releasable layer 28 allows the wrapping
portion to be placed through a wrapping machine without the
adhesive area 22 becoming stuck to any portion of the wrapping
machine and therefore causing the wrapping portion to become jammed
in the machine. The releasable layer 28 may comprise any suitable
material, including but not limited to, silicone that may be
applied to the first highly adhesive layer by methods generally
known in the art. In another embodiment, the releasable layer 28
may comprise the repositionable adhesive included in any
repositionable differential adhesive such as the one marketed by
3-M under the Model No. Repositionable Tape 665 and/or
Repositionable Tape 9425. However, other differential adhesive such
as the adhesive sold by Mayzo under the model No. RA-150W Release
Coat or any other releasable or differential adhesive that is
generally known in the art and can be used.
[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, a method of wrapping an item 34
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be
seen. A dispensing roll 13 holds wrapping material 10 having a
plurality of releaseably attached wrapping portions (1, 2 . . . n)
in which adjacent wrapping portions are attached by a perforation
15. By way of example only, the wrapping portions will be dispensed
by an agricultural baler known in the art for baling hay, cotton or
the like (e.g., existing balers and pallet wrapping machines).
[0045] As shown in FIG. 4, the wrapping portions 12 and 14 are fed
from the dispensing roll 13 in direction B such that the second
wrapping portion 14 is wrapped around the item 34 to be baled. The
item 34 is simultaneously rotated in direction C so that it can be
wrapped. In the shown embodiment, second wrapping portion 14 is fed
underneath a rolling pin 36 to ensure that the item 34 is wrapped
tightly and the wrapping portions 12 and 14 are generally
horizontal with respect to the ground. In another embodiment,
however, the dispensing roll 13 could be positioned so that the
second wrapping potion 14 is relatively level with the top of the
item to be wrapped, thus alleviating the need for the rolling pin
36. After a number of turns of the wrap around the item 34 using a
predetermined length of the second wrapping portion 14, the roll of
wrapping material 13 will stop dispensing wrapping material while
the item 34 being wrapped continues to turn in direction C. As seen
in FIGS. 4-5, the continued movement of the item 34 in direction C
causes pressure p1 and p2 to be exerted on the two wrapping
portions in opposite directions. The increased pressure p1 and p2
exerted on the perforation 15 causes the second wrapping portion to
detach from the first wrapping portion 12 at the perforation 15. As
the item continues to rotate, the second wrapping portion 14 wraps
the item and the releasable adhesive layer 28 secures the lower
surface of the second wrapping portion to itself.
[0046] Once the second wrapping portion 14 detaches from the first
wrapping portion 12, the releasable adhesive layer 28 allows the
second wrapping portion's lateral end 18 to complete the wrap and
to secure the wrapping material to the item to be wrapped without
requiring contact between the item and any portion of the adhesive
area 22. Instead, adhesive area 22 adheres to the upper, opposite
surface of wrapping material 14.
[0047] Because the releasable adhesive layer 28 has lower adhesive
characteristics than the first highly adhesive layer 26, the
wrapping portions (1, 2 . . . n) that are rolled on the dispensing
roll 13 are allowed to move smoothly between all the rollers and
various parts of the baler during the wrapping process without the
need for covering the adhesive area 22. However, the releasable
adhesive layer 28 has sufficient adhesive characteristics to create
a sufficient adhesion to securely wrap the item 34 at the end of a
wrapping cycle. Accordingly, the wrapping material 10 of the
present invention can be fed into unmodified wrapping machinery
without the fear of jamming or sticking.
[0048] Once the wrapping cycle has been completed and the item is
wrapped, the releasable adhesive layer 28 allows the user to peel
the lateral end 18 away from the remainder of the wrapping material
so that an identifying card may be placed under the lateral end 18
so that the identifying card is secured to the wrapped item in a
manner that protects the identifying card from elements such as
rain or snow. This identifying card allows the item to be
identified and associated with the proper owner of the wrapped
item.
[0049] As can be seen in FIG. 6, the wrapping material 10 (i.e.
each wrapping portion 1, 2 . . . n) may have an upper surface 38
having adhesive characteristics along the entire surface of said
upper surface 38 and a lower surface 40 having non-adhesive
characteristics along the entire surface excepting for the adhesive
area 22. The lower surface 40 is the surface that is in contact
with the item to be wrapped, thus ensuring that none of the
wrapping material's adhesive comes in contact with the item being
wrapped. The adhesive characteristics is provided by including a
tackifier ingredient during the extrusion process so that the
resulting film has a tackifier ingredient included in the upper
surface 38 but no tackifier in the lower surface 40. In at least
one embodiment a PIB tackifier is used. However, any tackifier
known in the industry that would provide the desired adhesive
characteristics can be used. By providing the upper surface 38 with
adhesive characteristics, one may ensure that the wrapping material
remains tightly wrapped around the item by providing additional
adhesion between the releasable adhesive layer 28 and the upper
surface 38 once the second wrapping portion is wrapped around the
item. Depending on the length of the wrapping portions, the upper
surface may also provide some adhesion between the overlapping
portions of the upper surface 38 and the lower surface once the
wrapping cycle is complete. This helps ensure that that item is
securely wrapped.
[0050] In the embodiment, the adhesive area 22 is disposed on the
lower, non-adhesive surface 40 of the second wrapping portion 14.
In alternate embodiments, however, the lower surface 40 could have
adhesive characteristics along its entire width and length, while
the upper surface 38 is completely non-adhesive.
[0051] Referring now to FIG. 7, in at least one embodiment, each
wrapping portion 12 and 14 has tapered ends to assist with feeding
the wrapping portions into the a baling and/or wrapping machine
(not shown). As with other embodiments, an adhesive area 22 is
disposed generally along the width of lateral end 18 of the
wrapping portions. Moreover, adhesive area may be disposed along
less than the entire width of lateral end and may terminate before
lateral end 18. In at least one embodiment, wrapping portion 14 has
a width of approximately 264 centimeters and lateral ends 16 and 18
have a width of approximately 216 centimeters. In this embodiment
the adhesive area is created in the same manner as discussed in
FIGS. 1-3 and is used to wrap an item in the same manner as
discussed in FIGS. 4-5.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 8 yet another embodiment is disclosed.
In this embodiment each wrapping portion 12 and 14 includes at
least one metalized tag 42 disposed on the upper surface 38 of the
wrapping portions. In at least one embodiment, the metalized tag is
made of a polypropylene film having a first adhesive surface and a
second surface coated with a metal foil. In this embodiment, the
first highly adhesive surface is adhered to the upper surface 38 of
the wrapping portion. In other embodiments, however, the metalized
tag 42 could be any metalized product that could be carried by the
wrapping portions in a manner that will not affect the structural
integrity of the wrapping portion. In at least one embodiment two
metalized tags are included on the upper surface approximately 8
inches from the side edges and approximately 8 inches from the
beginning of the taper.
[0053] As is generally known in the industry, these metalized tags
can be used to regulate the movement of the wrapping and/or baling
machine. In one embodiment, a light source directs a beam of light
across the surface of the wrapping portions, once the sensor
detects a break in the beam of light, which is caused by the
metalized tag's deflection of the light source, powered rollers at
the dispensing roll cease to rotate and the dispensing roll ceases
to feed the wrapping portions. While the dispensing roll ceases to
feed wrapping portion 14, the item 34 continues to rotate so that
the wrapping cycle may be completed as discussed above in FIGS.
4-5.
[0054] The wrapping material is manufactured by creating pieces of
wrapping portion by creating a perforation a predetermined lengths
and cutting the wrapping portions to the desired width, which will
vary upon the item being wrapped. In at least one embodiment, each
lateral end of the wrapping portions will be tapered to aid in
guiding the wrapping portions into the wrapping machine and/or
bailer.
[0055] A first high adhesive layer is then applied generally
adjacent to the first lateral end of the second wrapping portion
and the corresponding first lateral end of the first wrapping
portion. In at least one embodiment, the high adhesive layer is
added to the lower surface of the wrapping portion's lateral end.
In one embodiment, the first high adhesive layer is applied so that
it extends along the entire width of the wrapping portion and to
the distal portion of the lateral end. In other embodiments,
however, the high adhesive layer need not extend the entire width
and/or to the distal portion of the lateral end.
[0056] Once the first highly adhesive layer is applied, a second
low adhesive layer is applied directly to the high adhesive layer.
In at least one embodiment, this is done by applying silicone to
the high adhesive layer. In one embodiment, the second low adhesive
can be the adhesive sold by Mayzo under the model No. RA-150W
Release Coat or any other releasable or differential adhesive that
is generally known in the art. In one embodiment, the second low
adhesive layer is applied so that it covers the entire upper
surface of the first high adhesive layer to ensure that the high
adhesive layer does not contact a wrapping portion and/or an item
being wrapped so that the lateral end will be repositionable. In
alternate embodiments, however, less than all of the high adhesive
layer may be covered by the second low adhesive layer.
[0057] In at least one embodiment, a tackifier ingredient can be
added so that when extruded, the upper surface or the lower surface
of the wrapping portion will have adhesive characteristics the
entire surface. In at least one embodiment, the tackifier is added
so that the upper surface of the wrapping portion has adhesive
characteristics along the entire surface and the multi-layered
adhesive is disposed on the lower surface of the wrapping
portion.
[0058] Because the wrapping material of the present invention does
not use a laminate or a substrate that consists of different
material than the wrapping portions like other materials in the
prior art, the entirety of wrapping portions may be easily and
inexpensively recycled after use without the need for removing the
substrate and/or laminate layers included in the prior art.
[0059] In an alternate embodiment, metalized tags can be added to
the wrapping portion to instruct the wrapping machine as to when to
start the dispensing roll and when to stop it.
[0060] While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been
described using specific terms, such description is for
illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes
and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or
scope of the following claims.
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