Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EL-TABBED DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE ROLL AND METHOD OF PREPARATION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to double-sided tape and a method of creating a
longitudinal "tab" in the release liner along the entire length of a roll of
double sided
tape.
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll of double sided tape with at least one
longitudinal or el-tab along the circumference of the entire roll of double
sided tape.
These rolls having the el-tab already within the roll can be placed directly
into
specialized cutting machines. The machines, such as by way of example, rotary
pressure rollers, are equipped with a shaped cutting blade normally used for
cutting
regular non tabbed rolls of double sided tape into irregular shapes conforming
to
product articles intended to be adhesively attached to supporting structures.
In the prior
art, double sided tape is first cut into the desired shapes using these
machines, and
tabs are later created for each piece of cut tape individually to facilitate
removal of the
liner during application.
The rolls according to the present invention of el-tab double sided tape
eliminates
the extra step of individually adding tabs to each irregularly shaped piece of
double
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sided tape. The irregular shaped pieces of tape with the tabs already in place
can be
easily stacked, packed and shipped to the customer. Regardless of the final
shape of
the cut pieces of double sided tape, the liner can be removed easily by
pulling the el-tab
without damaging the crucial adhesive.
Since the el-tab runs along the entire roll of tape, the el-tab rolls
according to the
present invention are able to be cut into extremely long or large pieces of
double sided
tape.
Summary of the Invention
One object of the present invention is to provide a roll of double-sided
adhesive
tape, comprising an elongate carrier strip, with a length and a standardized
width with a
pair of opposing edges, defining a pair of opposing planar faces that are
separated by a
thickness that is substantially smaller than either the length or width, a
layer of
pressure-sensitive adhesive applied to each of the opposing faces, and a first
release
liner strip in removable registration atop one of the adhesive layers, and a
second
release liner in registration atop the other adhesive layer, at least one
continuous loop
between said opposing edges formed between the first or second release liner
strip and
corresponding adhesive layers upon which it is in registration, said loop
defined by a
portion of the release liner between the opposing edges out of registration
with the
adhesive layer before resuming the registration.
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Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in
the
course of the following detailed description.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, embodiments
thereof
will now be described:
FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a cut piece of a double-sided tape having the
improvement of an el-tab in the release liner, with one side already stuck
onto a first
surface;
FIGURE 2 is a drawing of one embodiment of the mechanism for manufacturing the
el-
tab double sided tape;
FIGURE 3 is a drawing of an enlargement of one section of one embodiment of
the
mechanism for manufacturing the el-tab double sided tape; and
FIGURE 4 is a drawing of an enlargement of one embodiment of a tab flattening
device.
Description of a Preferred Embodiment
Referring to Figure 1, a sectional view of a cut piece of double-sided tape 1
is
shown. The tape 1 has a top side 2 and a bottom side 3 shown adhered to a
surface 4.
Both sides 2 and 3 have an adhesive coating, particularly a pressure-sensitive
adhesive
(PSA) coating applied to them. Both the tape and the adhesive will be familiar
to those
skilled in the art. For example, the tape will typically be a polymeric film,
especially a
polyethylene film. The adhesive, especially the PSA, will typically be an
acrylate
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material. In many embodiments that will be familiar to those in the art, the
tape 1 is on a
roll having a defined width W and rolled length, the thickness of the tape
being generally
substantially smaller than the width. The PSA is applied using known
techniques in a
thin layer on each of the surfaces 2, 3.
In the depicted embodiment of the double sided tape, the bottom side 3 of the
tape 1 is shown attached to part of surface 4 of a product article. The liner
5' (not
shown, formerly attached to bottom side 3) is removed and the part is
adhesively
attached to a desired surface of a product article. In an application of this
type, the
release liner 5' (not shown) will have been previously removed and bottom side
3
applied in a continuous registration atop the surface 4 as is shown.
When top side 2 of tape 1 is required to be bonded to a second surface
according to a manufacturing step or process, the liner 5 is removed to expose
the
adhesive coating of top side 2. This is accomplished by a simple lifting
motion of tab 6,
which releases the liner at edges 7, thereafter promoting the easy removal of
the entire
liner 5 outwardly to the edge.
The integral construction of the tab 6 with liner 5 has the advantage that a
single
pulling motion of the tab 6 commences the removal of liner 5 from tape 1 in
both
directions at 7 towards the edges of the piece of tape I. Optionally, the tab
6 can be cut
at its apex to allow removal of the liner 5 to either side in two stages.
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As can be seen from Figure 1, the tab 6 is located at a distance from tape
edge
18 of tape 1. The advantage of locating the tab 6 away from tape edge 18 is
that during
the operation of removing liner 5 the disengagement of liner 5 from the top
adhesive
side 2 takes place in a direction toward the tape edge 18. This eliminates the
"lift-off'
5 effect that would occur underneath at the edge point at stress point 8 if
the lifting of the
liner 5 took place at the tape edge 18.
The solution provided herein is to provide a tape in which the width of the
liner 5
is greater than the width of the tape 1 as shown in Figure 2. Prior to
attaching the
release liner to the tape, excess liner is pulled together, forming a loop or
tab 6 and then
folded upon itself. The liner with the folded tab already in place is then
adhered to the
roll of tape 1. The tab 6 is a portion of release liner not adhesively
attached to the tape.
The new roll of tape has a loop or tab rolled circumferentially around the
longitudinal
axis of the roll of tape.
Location of the release liner 5 in this looped fashion atop the tape 1 allows
the
roll of tape to be wound upon itself in a roll, so that it may be dispensed in
a manner
similar to that used with conventional single-sided adhesive tape or regular
double sided
tape. For example, the tabbed roll may be placed directly into cutting
machinery, such
as for example, rotary pressure rollers equipped with a steel-rule die. In
rolling the tape
up into a roll, at least one tab runs continuously along the entire length of
the roll of
tape. The length of tab 6 is equal to the length of the roll of tape.
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While the illustrated embodiment shows a single loop formed in the release
liner
along its registration on the tape 1, it is evident that a plurality of loops
or tabs may be
formed in the liner. A plurality of longitudinal tabs in spaced apart
relationship may be
desired for irregular shaped pieces of tape.
In one embodiment, some or all of the loops may be cut transversely at the
apex
of the loop. This allows the separate ends to serve as tabs which may be
readily
grasped and pulled to perform the peeling operation as required.
Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the machine 20 consists of two feed rolls,
one for
the protective liner 5 and one for the roll of tape 1. The tape 1, earlier
joined with the
carrier liner (not shown) on the bottom side 3, has a top side 2 free to bind
with the
protective liner 5.
The protective liner 5 has a width greater than the width of the roll of tape
1.
From the feed roll, the protective liner 5 is drawn towards a roller 11
passing underneath
a double wheel 12. A portion of liner is drawn toward the middle of the double
wheels
12. As the liner 5 gets pulled toward the middle of the two wheels, a small
amount of
liner 5 is collected between the two wheels. The width of liner 5 is decreased
after the
formation of tab 6 by the double wheels 12. The collected liner gathered by
the double
wheels then passes beneath a tab flattening device 15. The tab flattening
device 15
consists of a bell shaped stopper like device 16 with a smooth and flat bottom
and an
inverted screw 17. The liner collected by the double wheels 12 runs between
the
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bottom of the stopper like device 16 and the head of the inverted screw 17,
thereby
flattening the excess liner and forming a uniformly dimensioned tab 6
throughout the
entire length of the roll of liner.
The liner 5 now containing tab 6 continues past roller 11 towards the winding
roller 10, where the liner adheres to the roll of tape 1. The adhesive tape 1
and the
tabbed liner 6 are rolled together on the final tape log 9.
A close up of the flattening device 15 is shown in Figure 3. Tab 6 is formed
by
the creation of slack in the protective liner 5 by the double wheels 12 and
the flattening
device 15.
As stated, an advantage of the manufacture of tab 6 which is rolled
circumferentially around the longitudinal axis of the roll of tape is the
ability to provide a
continuous tab running the entire length of the final tape log 9. A roll of
tape with tab 6
running through the entire length can be easily used with various rotary dies
and other
dies. The final tape log 9 can be fed into the specialized cutting machine
resulting in a
continuous stamping of irregular shapes by the rotating die wherein each
irregular
shape contains at least one tab. This method allows for efficient nesting of
the parts
and is a significant feature reducing matrix waste.
The width of the tape 1 is adjustable and the number of tabs 6 running through
the entire length of the tape 1 is also adjustable by adding additional double
wheels 12
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and flattening devices 15. The spacing of the tabs 6 is determined by
controlling the
spacing between the double wheels 12 and correspondingly, the flattening
devices 15.
The number of tabs created in the liner and the distance between each of the
tabs as well as the width and length of roll of tape is customizable to the
desired final
piece of irregularly shaped tape. Once those parameters are chosen, the tape
with the
longitudinal tabs in place can be placed directly into the exiting machinery
to be cut.
Other advantages, which are inherent to the structure, are obvious to one
skilled
in the art. The embodiments are described herein illustratively and are not
meant to
limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Variations of the foregoing
embodiments will
be evident to a person of ordinary skill and are intended by the inventor to
be
encompassed by the following claims.
