Self-laminating rotating cable marker label with breakaway portion

#This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/051,976 entitled “Self-Laminating Rotating Cable Marker Label,” filed May 9, 2008, to the extent allowed by law.

#The invention relates to a cable identification label that rotates about the cable to allow the label to be read at any position and, more particularly, to a self-laminating cable marker label with a breakaway portion that allows the label to rotate on the cable after installation, and permits the label to be applied to a terminated cable without disconnecting a previously connected cable.

#It is important that cables used to make electrical and mechanical connections between control, operating, and other systems be properly labeled to allow cables to be moved, added to such systems, changed, repaired, and/or identified for trouble shooting maintenance. In some cases, such labels are required, such as to meet ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A compliance pursuant to the Administrative Standard for Commercial Telecommunications Infrastructure (2002).

#Certain examples of the present invention are illustrated by the accompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention, or that render other details difficult to perceive, may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular examples illustrated herein.

#FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the rotatable film and label combination strip of an embodiment of the present invention wrapped around a cable, showing the different portions of the film and the location of the perforation in the illustrated embodiment;

#FIG. 2 is a plan view of the film and label combination strip of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the location of the first adhesive pressure sensitive area of the film, the second print-on or pre-printed label portion, the third over laminate portion, and the location of the perforation between the first and second portions of the illustrated embodiment;

#Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the self-laminating rotating cable marker label of the present invention is illustrated. FIG. 1 shows the combination film and label strip 10 wrapped around a cable 12. Cable 12 is normally surrounded by a cable jacket (not shown). Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the combined film and label strip 10 comprises an elongated strip of thin film material 14 made of transparent flexible material such as vinyl, polyolefin, polyester or other suitable material. The film material 14 comprises a first portion or area 16 having a pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the underside 18 (FIG. 1). A second portion of strip 14 comprises a print-on or pre-printed label area 20. No adhesive is applied to the underside of printed label area 20, and the underside of strip 14 opposite area 20 has a low friction outer facing surface. In an embodiment, the printed label area 20 is located on a second side of strip 14 opposite the underside 18 of strip 14. A perforation 22 extends through the film strip 14 and across the width of strip 14 adjacent or at the junction of first adhesive area 16 and printed label area 20. Strip 14 also includes a third clear over-laminate portion 24 having a transparent pressure sensitive adhesive area 26 applied to the underside, such that third portion 24 provides a clear, transparent over-laminate area, for purposes to be explained.

#Referring to FIG. 2, the forward end of the strip 14 is designated A, the general location of perforation 22 is designated B, the end of the printed label area 20 is designated C, and the trailing end of strip 14 is designated D. As seen in the embodiment of the invention described in FIG. 1, when strip 14 is initially wrapped around cable 12, the adhesive area 16 extending along strip 14 between A and B attaches first adhesive area 16 to cable 12, providing an anchor for further wrapping strip 14 around cable 12. In the illustrated embodiment, first adhesive area 16 of strip 14 is wrapped a distance greater than three hundred sixty degrees around cable 12, for example four hundred fifty degrees as suggested in FIG. 2, such that first adhesive area 16 is attached to cable 12 over a circumferential distance relative to the diameter of the cable 12. In addition, first adhesive area 16 is attached to itself over ninety degrees in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1.

#In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, when first adhesive area 16 is wrapped a total of four hundred fifty degrees around cable 12, perforation 22 is in the position B shown in FIG. 1, with position B approximately ninety degrees from position A. However, the first adhesive area 16 may be wrapped around cable 12 over other circular distance ranges depending on the diameter of cable 12, such that first adhesive area 16 is always firmly anchored to cable 12. The angular wrapping parameters mentioned above are exemplary only, and other circular wrapping distances may be utilized within the scope of the present invention.