U.S. patent number 3,663,343 [Application Number 05/036,209] was granted by the patent office on 1972-05-16 for composite pressure sensitive adhesive sheet structure and process of making the same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to By-Buk Company. Invention is credited to Homer G. Buck.
United States Patent |
3,663,343 |
Buck |
May 16, 1972 |
COMPOSITE PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE SHEET STRUCTURE AND PROCESS
OF MAKING THE SAME
Abstract
A process in which a carrier strip has a release coated web
marginally secured thereto, the latter releasably adherently
mounting a longitudinally extending tape having a pressure
sensitive adhesive on its underside. The release coated strip is
longitudinally severed with the line of severance being spanned by
the adhesive coated tape. Subsequently, the combined span of the
tape and a marginal portion of the release coated stock that is
freely superposed on the carrier strip, are transversely slit
defining a plurality of discrete pressure sensitive adhesive backed
sections of tape, each provided with a corresponding tab by means
of which each discrete section of tape can be peeled from the
composite structure for application to another article. The process
produces a roll of individually dispensible, pressure sensitive
adhesive tape sections, each with its corresponding tab being so
angularly related to the length of the composite structure as to
facilitate winding up of the product, in the process of
manufacture, to protectively enclose the tabs between successive
coils of the carrier strip. Upon unwinding of the roll through a
specially adapted guide means of a dispensing apparatus, each tab
is individually projected out of the plane of the carrier strip to
provide clearance for grasping a free end of the tab stripping the
associated adhesive backed sheet article from the roll. The carrier
strip and tape may have different characteristics of light
reflectivity, controlling an automatic feed system for the
dispensing apparatus, cooperatively associated with a photoelectric
light cell or the like.
Inventors: |
Buck; Homer G. (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Assignee: |
By-Buk Company (N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
21887278 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/036,209 |
Filed: |
May 11, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/42.2;
206/820; 226/10; 206/409; 221/70 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H
35/0006 (20130101); B31D 1/024 (20130101); B65H
39/16 (20130101); B26D 1/04 (20130101); B65H
2301/43151 (20130101); Y10T 428/149 (20150115); Y10S
206/82 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B31D
1/00 (20060101); B26D 1/01 (20060101); B31D
1/02 (20060101); B26D 1/04 (20060101); B65H
35/00 (20060101); B65H 39/16 (20060101); B65H
39/00 (20060101); B32b 003/16 (); B32b
007/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;161/38,39,406,145,146,147,167 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Drummond; Douglas J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A pressure sensitive adhesive composite assembly comprising:
a carrier sheet;
a sheet of material in contacting superposition on said carrier
sheet and having a release coating on its upper exposed face, said
release coated sheet being severed into two abutting parts;
means securing one of said two parts of said release coated sheet
to an edge portion of said carrier sheet to prevent relative
lateral displacement therebetween;
a section of tape having an underside carrying a pressure sensitive
adhesive coating in substantially continuously contacting adherence
with said two parts of said release coated sheet across their
contiguous abutting portions to hold said two parts of said release
coated sheet in abutment; and
said section of tape having area and shape characteristics to leave
exposed a marginal portion of the second of said two parts adapted
to serve as a tab for peeling said section of tape from said one
part of said release coated sheet.
2. A composite assembly as in claim 1 in which said coating on the
exposed face of said superposed sheet has relatively high release
properties.
3. A composite assembly as in claim 1 in which said section of tape
has a greater portion of the area of its adhesive coated underside
in contact with said first one of the two parts of said superposed
sheet than is in contact with said second part.
4. A composite assembly as in claim 1 in which:
the area of mutual contact of the adhesive coated underside of said
tape and said second, tab part of said superposed sheet is adapted
to permit lateral separation of said second, tab portion from said
tape in response to tension in said second, tab part when the
balance of the area of adhesive coated underside of said section of
tape is held against lateral displacement on a surface.
5. A composite assembly as in claim 1 in which:
said section of tape is of oblong parallelogram plan configuration
and comprises a metallic foil,
said second tab part being arranged as a longitudinal extension of
said section of tape.
6. A composite assembly as in claim 1 in which said two parts of
said release coated sheet constitute but cut parts thereof.
7. An article of manufacturing comprising:
an elongated carrier strip;
an elongated strip of flexible sheet material, having an upwardly
facing release coated surface, in parallel contacting superposition
on said carrier strip;
an elongated flexible tape having a pressure sensitive adhesive on
the underside thereof in parallel adherently contacting
superposition on the upper surface of said release coated
strip;
said release coated strip being longitudinally divided into
discrete, contiguous first and second marginal portions along a
line that is spanned by said tape whereby said discrete portions
are adhesively held against relative lateral displacement;
longitudinally extending means securing said first marginal portion
of said release coated strip to said carrier strip;
said tape having that longitudinal edge on said second marginal
portion of said release coated strip spaced from the edge of said
second marginal portion;
said tape and said release coated strip being divided into discrete
areas along lines extending transversely thereof at intervals
spaced longitudinally thereof to define a plurality of discrete
sections of said tape and of said second marginal portions of said
release coated strip;
each of said sections of tape being adhesively secured to a
corresponding discrete section of said second marginal portion of
said release coated strip with a tab area of the release coated
strip defined between said edges of said tape and said second
marginal portion;
each of said tab areas serving to peel the corresponding section of
tape from adherent contact with said first marginal portion.
8. An article as in claim 7 in which:
said carrier strip has a width exceeding the width of and
underlying said second marginal portion of said release coated
strip;
said article being coiled with successive coils of said carrier
strip protectively enclosing a coil of said discrete sections of
said second marginal portion therebetween.
9. An article as in claim 7 in which said release coated strip is
longitudinally butt cut to define said two marginal portions.
10. An article as in claim 7 in which said tape and said release
coated strip are butt cut to define said discrete portions.
11. An article as in claim 7 in which said first marginal portion
of said release coated strip is adhesively secured to said carrier
strip.
12. An article as in claim 7 in which said lines along which said
tape and said second marginal portion of said release coated strip
are divided each have a length exceeding the combined span of said
tape and said second marginal portion.
13. An article as in claim 12 in which said tape incorporates a
lamination of metallic foil and is of uniform width whereby each
discrete area of said tape has an oblong parallelogram
planform.
14. An article as in claim 12 in which:
said carrier strip has a width exceeding the width of and
underlying said second marginal portion of said release coated
strip;
said article being coiled with successive coils of said carrier
strip protectively enclosing a coil of said discrete sections of
said second marginal portion therebetween;
said article being coiled in a take-up direction for inserting each
of said discrete areas of tape into the coil in advance of the
corresponding discrete area of said second marginal portion.
15. An article as in claim 7 in which each of said discrete areas
of tape has a greater area of adhesive contact with said first
marginal portion than with said second marginal portion.
16. An article as in claim 7 in which the area of mutual contact of
the adhesive coated underside of said tape and said second marginal
portion of said release coated strip is adapted to permit lateral
separation of said discrete area of said second marginal portion
from the corresponding discrete area of tape in response to tension
in said tab area of said second marginal portion when the balance
of the area of adhesive coated underside of the corresponding
discrete area of tape is held against lateral displacement on a
surface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process of continuously
manufacturing a roll of a composite strip structure providing a
series of individually dispensable pressure sensitive adhesive
backed sheet articles, the resulting product, and improvements in
apparatus for dispensing the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The article of manufacture of this invention includes a base or
carrier strip having a parallel strip or web mounted thereon in
contacting superposition, the latter having a release coated top
side on which a length of pressure sensitive adhesive backed sheet
material is releaseably adherently mounted. One edge or marginal
portion of the release coated stock is secured to the underlying
corresponding marginal portion of the base stock, the remaining
width of the release coated stock remaining in freely contacting
superposition on the base stock. The release coated stock is
longitudinally severed but the separate portions are held in
contiguous abutment and against relative displacement by the
pressure sensitive adhesive backed underside of a tape. Discrete
sections of the tape are formed by a transverse slitting operating
which simultaneously forms discrete areas of the free marginal
portion of the release coated stock to provide tabs by means of
which each separate label or the like can be peeled from the
marginally secured portion of the release coated stock. The area of
mutual contact of each discrete section of tape with its
corresponding tab is so adjusted, taking into consideration the
nature of the release coating and the tackiness of the pressure
sensitive adhesive, that after the freed end of the tape section is
placed in its finally intended position, the tab can be withdrawn
from adherent contact with the underside of the article by
laterally sliding the tab out of contact with the underside of the
tape article, after which the then unadhered portion of the article
can be pressed into adherent contact in its final position.
The process of this invention lends itself to high speed production
of a longitudinal series of butt cut, contiguous, pressure
sensitive adhesive backed sheet articles, each with its
corresponding tab for removing each article from the assembly for
ultimate application. The carrier or base stock, the release coated
stock and an adhesive backed tape are fed at the same linear speed,
continuously, to be sequentially brought into contacting
superposition. An adhesive is first applied to an edge of the
carrier strip after which the release coated stock is pressed
thereonto, the two pieces of stock thereafter being adherently held
against lateral displacement. Subsequently, the release coated
stock is longitudinally severed adjacent the area of marginally
applied adhesive to define first and second marginal portions of
the release coated stock. The guide rolls and pressure rolls of the
apparatus maintain the second marginal portion of the release
coated stock in freely contacting superposition on the carrier
stock until the adhesive backed tape is linearly applied across the
line of severance of the release coated stock, the two marginal
portions thereafter being tied against displacement by the tape.
Subsequently, the second marginal portion of the release coated
stock and the tape are transversely severed into discrete portions
at intervals spaced longitudinally of the composite structure.
The lines of severance of the tape and second marginal portion of
the release coated stock are preferably butt cuts and, preferably,
disposed slant-wise, rather than along lines normal to a
longitudinal edge of the composite structure. The lines of
severance are so angularly related to the normal that during
winding up into a roll of the completed product each discrete area
of tape precedes its corresponding tab in entry into the roll. As a
consequence, each coil of individual tabs is fed into the roll
without deformation and is protectively enclosed between successive
coils of the base stock or carrier strip.
The same preferred slant-wise severance of the tape and second
marginal portion or tabs facilitates individual delivery of each
section of tape and its corresponding tab, either manually or in an
automatic dispenser. In unwinding from a roll of the composite
product, each tab precedes its associated section of tape whereby
the free end of the tape or tab can be grasped to peel the tape
section from the first marginal portion of the release coated
stock. As the tabs formed out of the second marginal portion of the
release coated stock are merely in freely contacting superposition
on the carrier strip, the latter may be deformed out of the plane
of the tabs by an appropriate guide means, thus presenting each
individual tab projecting forwardly in a position for easy pickup,
with clearance, out of the plane of the base or carrier stock. By
choosing a reflectivity of the base stock which differs from the
reflectivity of the sheet article the composite strip assembly can
be advanced incrementally through an automatically controllable
dispenser apparatus by properly optically orienting a photoelectric
cell system at the dispensing station of the apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrative of the process
of carrying out the invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a longitudinal segment of the
completed composite product, portions of successive layers being
broken away to illustrate distinct stages in the process of
manufacture;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the means of application of a
pressure sensitive adhesive backed sheet article made in accordance
with the invention;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the completed
ultimate and use of the adhesive backed sheet article;
FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic sectional view of an apparatus
adapted for dispensing the individual pressure sensitive adhesive
backed articles;
FIG. 6 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view on the line 7--7 of FIG. 2,
on an enlarged scale, showing the relationship of the several parts
of a single unit of the composite structure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is useful in the manufacture of a wide
variety of pressure sensitive adhesive backed flexible sheet
articles, for example labels, markers, tabs, bandages, film or tape
splices, and other articles consisting of an essentially flexible
segment of sheet material bearing a pressure sensitive adhesive on
the underside thereof. For purposes of illustrating the process and
resulting product of the invention, it will be described in
conjunction with the manufacture of a metallic faced splicing tab
of the type used in joining together adjacent ends of a sound
recording tape.
Referring to FIG. 1, there are shown portions of strips of a
carrier paper 10, a transfer adhesive tape 11, a release coated
paper 12 and a pressure sensitive adhesive backed tape 13. While
not shown, it will be understood that each of these strips is fed
from an appropriately located supply roll thereof, all being
mounted on an apparatus for synchronously feeding the various
strips through rolls and dies mounted on the apparatus at the same
linear speed.
The carrier strip 10 is preferably made from a hard, die-cutting,
calendered stock and is fed from its supply roll over a guide
roller 15 whereon the transfer adhesive tape 11 comes into
contacting superposition therewith, after having been trained over
a guide roller 16. The adhesive bearing tape 11 is one of a variety
of commercially available products, typically a release coated
paper bearing a stripable layer of adhesive. It will be observed
that the supply roll of the transfer tape 11 is so aligned with the
carrier strip 10 that the adhesive is laid along one margin or edge
portion of the carrier strip, in a relatively narrow swath.
Thereafter, the layers 10 and 11 pass under a pressure roller 17,
adapted to firmly press the adhesive of the tape 11 onto the
carrier strip 10, and around a series of guide rollers 18, 19 and
20. A roller 21 takes the paper backing from the tape 11, leaving a
swath of adhesive 22 deposited on the upper surface of the carrier
strip 10. The paper backing of the tape 11 is spirally conducted
away to be wound up on a waste roll 23.
The strip or web 12, on its upper side, is provided with a silicone
release coating, which has relatively high release properties. As
is shown in FIG. 1, the strip 12 is brought into parallel
contacting superposition with the adhesive bearing carrier strip 10
between a pair of rollers 25 resulting in the two strips being
secured together against displacement, although the major portion
of the width of the release coated strip 12 is merely in freely
contacting superposition on the carrier strip, rather than being
adhered thereto.
The marginally joined strips 10 and 12 are now passed over a roller
26, positioned in opposition to a rotary die 27 that is formed
adjacent one end with a circumferentially extending circular cutter
28. It will be observed that the cutter 28 is offset from the
adjacent edge of the carrier strip 10 a distance slightly greater
than the width of the adhesive strip 22, as best seen at the left
hand end of FIG. 2. The cutter 28 is adapted to slit only through
the stock of the release coated strip 12, thus severing the strip
12 into a first marginal portion 12a and a wider, second marginal
portion 12b, that remain in contiguous abutment along the line of
severance 29 produced by the rotary die 27. Thus, the first
marginal portion 12a is essentially permanently adhered to the
carrier strip 10 while the second marginal portion 12b remains in
freely contacting superposition on the carrier strip.
The roll of tape 13 employed in this example comprises a strip of
thin material coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive and covered
with aluminum foil. The tape may be a polyester film, such as
Mylar, having the aluminum foil laminated to one surface thereof,
the resulting laminated tape 13 thus having a pressure sensitive
adhesive coated underside. The tape 13 is relatively narrow, as
compared to the strips 10 and 12, and the supply roll thereof is
disposed in alignment with the line of severance 29. Accordingly,
the tape 13 is fed onto the upper release coated side of the strip
12, beneath a roller 30, spanning the line of severance 29 to tie
the portions 12a and 12b in contiguous abutment.
The composite of the strips 10 and 12 and tape 13 is next passed
over a roller 31 in opposition to a rotary die 32 that is formed
with at least one longitudinally extending cutting edge 33. For
simplicity of illustration, the rotary die 32 illustrated as being
formed with but a single cutting edge 33. It will however be
appreciated that a plurality of such cutting edges may be formed on
the die and may take the form of straight rather than helical
cutting edges. In either event, the cutting edge 33 is adapted to
slit the tape 13 and strip 12 transversely, without penetrating the
carrier 10, thus producing a plurality of butt cut slits 34 at
intervals longitudinally of the composite strip. The slits 34 may,
if desired, be along lines normal to the longitudinal edges of the
strips 10 and 12. However, it is preferred to form the rotary die
32 with helically extending cutting edges 33 whereby to produce
slant-wise slits 34 extending transversely of the tape 13 and strip
12, at angles other than normal to the longitudinal edges of the
composite strip.
As a result of the slitting by the rotary die 32, the tape 13 is
divided into a series of discrete sections 13a while the second
marginal portion 12b of the strip 12 is formed into discrete
sections 12c providing a pull tab for each section of the tape
13.
Finally, the composite product is wound into a roll 35. As the roll
35 is turned in the take-up direction, the successive coils of the
carrier strip 10 receive the tabs 12c therebetween to protectively
enclose them. In this connection, the slant-wise orientation of the
slits 34 is such that each tape section 13a precedes its
corresponding tab 12c in entry into the roll 35. As a result, the
otherwise free tabs 12c are successfully brought into the roll
without deformation thereof and the roll 35 can be handled during
transportation and in a dispenser without danger of deforming the
tabs.
It will be seen that the process just described provides a roll of
individually dispensable pressure sensitive adhesive backed sheet
articles 13a. Referring to the right-hand end of FIG. 2, it can be
seen that each of the articles 13a may be individually removed from
a length of the roll 35 merely by grasping the free end of a tab
12c to turn and pull it in a direction to peel the section 13a from
the release coated surface of the marginal portion 12a, the latter,
of course, remaining glued to the carrier 10.
In this connection, attention is drawn to the different areas of
adhesive contact between the underside of the section 13a and the
marginal portion 12a, on the one hand, and the end of the
corresponding tab 12c, on the other hand. Preferably, the greater
area of contact is with the first marginal portion 12a in order to
insure peeling the section 13a from the marginal portion 12a,
rather than accidentally separating the tab 12c from its associated
section 13a. At the same time, it is desirable to determine the
optimum area of contact between a tab 12c and the underside of a
tape section 13a, taking into consideration the tackiness of the
particular adhesive involved and the qualities of the release
coating on the upper surface of the tab, such that the tab 12c may,
in effect, be slid laterally from the section 13a upon final
application of the tape section.
It will be observed that a section 13a of pressure sensitive backed
adhesive sheet material is removed from the composite assembly
merely by lifting and pulling on the tab 12c. The section 13c can
thus be removed without involving any contact of the fingers with
the adhesive on the underside of the article 13a or even with the
edges thereof. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there are illustrated
ends 45 and 46 of a recording tape to be spliced together by
application of one of the sections 13a. It will be seen that the
section may be brought into parallel alignment with the ends 45 and
46, in position to span the abutting terminal end portions of the
tapes and applied by manual pressure on top of the section 13a. The
tab 12c can thereafter be pulled laterally in the direction of the
arrow 47, in effect sliding the tab out of contact with the
underside of the section 13a. Thereafter, as is illustrated in FIG.
4, finger pressure may be applied to deflect the previously
unadhered portion of the section 13a into contact with the tape end
46. Since manual contact with the adhesive on the underside of the
tape section 13a has been completely avoided, the integrity of the
splice is greatly enhanced.
Referring to FIG. 2, note should also be taken of the oblong
parallelogram configuration of the tape section 13a, achieved by
virtue of the slantwise slitting of the tape. In connection with
the use of sheet articles 13a intended for use in splicing sound
recording tape and the like this parallelogram configuration is of
particular utility both in attaining the proper alignment of the
section 13a with the tape ends and, also, in connection with
inhibiting mechanical displacement of the section 13a from the
splice once it has been finally applied.
In FIGS. 5 and 6 there is illustrated an apparatus adapted for
automatically dispensing the tape sections 13a from a roll 35. A
housing 50 incorporates a top wall 51 over which a weighted guide
plate 52 is superimposed. The top wall 51 and guide plate 52 thus
define a channel therebetween through which the composite is
channelled towards a forward wall 53 of the housing. At its rear
end, the top plate 52 is formed with an upwardly and rearwardly
projecting curved section 54 whereby individual tabs 12c will be
deflected downwardly onto the carrier strip 10, into contacting
superposition thereon, as the roll 35 turns in the unwinding
direction.
The apparatus has a dispensing station at the junction of the
forward wall 53 and the top wall 51 of the housing. This dispensing
station includes a roller 54 mounted for rotation on a horizontal
axis and over which the carrier strip 10 is turned to be deflected
downwardly for passage through a clearance space provided between
the front surface of the front wall 53 and a cover plate 55. Also
mounted at the dispensing station, on an appropriate bracket 57, is
a housing 58 containing a prefocused light source 59 and
photoelectric cell 60.
The roll 53 may be provided with a leader comprising a blank
portion of the carrier strip 10 that is initially passed through
the guide means just described to have its end connected to a
wind-up drum or spool 61. A sufficient length of leader is provided
whereby its end may be so connected to the wind-up drum and
advanced sufficiently to bring the first tab 12c on the carrier
strip 10 through the dispensing station, with the corresponding
tape section 13a at rest in a position to intercept a ray 62
focused by means (not shown) onto the section 13a, to be reflected
as a ray 63 directed into the photoelectric cell 60.
The photoelectric cell 60 comprises a portion of a circuit (not
shown) including a relay and adapted to start and stop a motor or
the like drivingly engaged to the wind-up drum 61. Thus, so long as
a tape section 13a is in position to reflect light from the source
59 onto the cell 60 the motor drive circuit remains open and the
wind-up drum 61 is deactivated. However, upon the foremost and
forwardly projecting tab 12c being grasped and the corresponding
tape section 13a being peeled from the first marginal portion 12a,
the control circuit is closed, actuating the relay in order to turn
the wind-up drum 61 through an arc sufficient to bring the next
article 13ainto the dispensing position. Thereupon, the light from
the source 59 is again reflected from the upper surface of a
section 13a into the photoelectric cell 60, deactivating the
control system. In this connection, while the control system just
described has been successfully employed with a metallic foil faced
tape section 13a, it will be appreciated that it may also be
employed with sections 13a not incorporating any metallic face. All
that is required is a difference in reflectivity between the upper
surface of the particular tape section 13a under consideration and
that portion of the underlying first marginal portion 12a normally
covered by the section 13a. For example, one of the surfaces may
comprise a specular reflector while the other surface may comprise
or have the characteristics of a diffuser, or both surfaces may be
specular or diffuse, or may very in color or hue, but appropriate
filters may be interposed in the line of the reflected ray 63 to
discriminate between any differing characteristics of light
reflected from two differently optically reflecting surfaces.
Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that the guide means for the
composite structure, at the dispensing station, is adapted to
separate the individual tabs 12c from the normally underlying
supporting strip 10. Thus, as the composite tape is fed outwardly
of the housing 50, since the free end of each tab precedes the tape
section 13a to which it is joined, a sufficient portion of the
length of the tab is supported in the horizontal plane to project
forwardly from the front wall of the housing while that portion of
the carrier strip 10 originally disposed immediately thereunder has
been turned downwardly into the channel defined between the forward
wall 53 and the cover plate 55.
Although the invention has been described in its preferred form
with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the
present disclosure of the preferred form has been made by way of
example and that numerous changes in the details of construction
and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *