Method of making an elongate strip for the production of sealing members for containers

A method of making an elongate strip for the production of a sealing member, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) applying a plurality of elongate strips of a first adhesive to one of a membrane and a first sheet, wherein the elongate strips of the first layer of adhesive are generally of uniform width with parallel edges and are parallel to one another;
• (b) applying the membrane and the first sheet together, whereby they are bonded together by the strips of the first adhesive to form an elongate strip, having composite portions where the membrane and the first sheet are bonded together by the first layer of adhesive and at least one separated portion where the first sheet is free from the membrane;
• and
• (c) coating a side of the membrane remote from the first sheet with an additional layer of adhesive.

A method of making an elongate strip for the production of a sealing member, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) applying a plurality of elongate strips of a first adhesive to one of a membrane and a first sheet, the elongate strips being generally of uniform width and being parallel with one another;
• (b) applying the membrane and the first sheet together, whereby they are bonded together by the strips of the first adhesive to form an elongate strip, having composite portions where the membrane and the first sheet are bonded by the first layer of adhesive and at least one separated portion where the first sheet is free from the membrane;
• (c) coating a side of the membrane remote from the first sheet with an additional layer of a hot melt bonding material, which can be melted to bond a sealing member cut from the strip to the lip of the container;
• and
• (d) die cutting sealing members from the elongate strip, each of which sealing member includes a part of a composite portion and a part of a separated portion of the elongate strip, the first sheet in the separated portion of the sealing member forming a tab;
• wherein the first layer of adhesive bonds the first sheet and membrane together so strongly that, for a sealing member cut from the resultant elongate strip and bonded to the lip of a container by the hot melt bonding material, the first sheet and the membrane can be removed as a unit from the lip of the container to open the container.