Apparatus for Dispensing Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Labels onto a Substrate
AssigneeAvery Dennison Corporation
InventorsKevin O. HENDERSON, Victor P. HOLBERT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A labeling apparatus comprises a separation member configured to promote detachment of an adhesive label from liner web. Adhesive labels are fed to the separation member such that a surface of the facestock contacts the separation member. The separation member has a surface exhibiting a tack such that the tack force between the facestock and the separation member is greater than the release force between the release liner and the adhesive layer of the labels. The labels become associated with the separation member, and the label is applied to a surface of a substrate by contacting the exposed adhesive layer with a surface of a substrate, which causes the adhesive label to detach from the separation member.
Claims35
An apparatus for dispensing adhesive labels from a liner web onto a substrate comprising:
- a feed roll for housing a roll of label material comprising a plurality of adhesive labels disposed on a release liner;
- the adhesive labels comprising a facestock having an upper surface and a lower surface, and an adhesive layer disposed adjacent the lower surface of the facestock and in contact with the release liner;
- a separation member for removing the adhesive labels from the release liner;
- a nip member disposed adjacent the separation member;
- and
- a take-up roll for winding the release liner;
- wherein the label material is oriented such that the upper surface of the facestock contacts the separation member as the label material is fed through the apparatus, and the separation member has a surface providing an attaching force between the upper surface of the facestock and the surface of the separation member that is greater than the release force between the adhesive layer and the release liner, and the attaching force of the surface of the separation member promotes separation of the adhesive labels from the release liner as the upper surface of the facestock contacts the separation member,
- wherein the separation member is selected from the group of materials consisting of a tackified surface, a textured surface, a surface comprising depressions shaped like miniature suctions cups or small pores, and an elastomer having a shear modulus value of less than 0.25 MPa and a Young's modulus of less than 0.50 MPa, and
- wherein the separation member is a conveyor belt.
A method of applying a pressure sensitive adhesive label to a surface of a substrate comprising:
- providing a continuous roll of label material comprising a plurality of adhesive labels releasable attached to a release liner web, the adhesive labels comprising a facestock having an upper surface and a lower surface, and an adhesive layer disposed adjacent the lower surface of the facestock and in contact with the release liner;
- feeding the label material through a labeling apparatus such that the upper surface of the facestock engages a separation member, where the separation member has a surface providing an attaching force between the surface of the separation member and the facestock that is greater than the release force between the release liner and the adhesive layer, and the adhesive label detaches from the release liner and associates with the separation member;
- and
- contacting a surface of a substrate with a leading edge of the adhesive layer of the adhesive label associated with the separation member, wherein the tack force between the adhesive layer and the substrate is greater than the attaching force between the upper surface of the facestock and the surface of the separation member, and the adhesive label detaches from the separation member and is applied to the surface of the substrate,
- wherein the separation member is selected from the group of materials consisting of a tackified surface, a textured surface, a surface comprising depressions shaped like miniature suctions cups or small pores, and an elastomer having a shear modulus value of less than 0.25 MPa and a Young's modulus of less than 0.50 MPa, and
- wherein the separation member is a conveyor belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.