Protective Articles

Abstract

A protective article is disclosed including a sheet with a first surface, and at least one adhesive portion arranged on the first surface. The adhesive is a water-based adhesive, such as a water-based acrylic adhesive, that allows the sheet to be non-permanently adhered to an object. The adhesive may be sprayed, rolled, printed, or stamped onto the first surface.

Claims

1. A method of manufacture of a protective article, the method comprising the steps of: providing a sheet with a first surface; and applying at least one adhesive portion on to the first surface; wherein the or each adhesive portion comprises a water-based adhesive that allows the sheet of material to be non-permanently adhered to an object.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive portion(s) is/are applied on to the first surface from either side of the sheet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the at least one adhesive portion on to the first surface comprises spraying the water-based adhesive, or rolling the water-based adhesive, or printing the water-based adhesive, or stamping the water-based adhesive.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water-based adhesive comprises a water-based acrylic adhesive.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water-based adhesive comprises one or more colouring agents, dyes and/or pigments.

6. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the step of folding the sheet such that an adhesive portion is brought into engagement with an adhesive-free portion of the first surface, or such that a first adhesive portion is brought into engagement with a second adhesive portion.

7. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the step of initially folding the sheet before the application of the adhesive.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive portion(s) is/are applied to form a strip of adhesive extending a distance along the first surface.

9. The method according to claim 1 comprising the step of drying the at least one adhesive portion.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein drying the at least one adhesive portion comprises applying heat from a heat source, optionally wherein the heat source comprises an infra-red heat source.

11. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising varying the rate of application of the water-based adhesive and/or varying the properties, e.g. chemistry, composition and/or colour, of the water-based adhesive.

12. An apparatus for applying adhesive to a sheet comprising: an adhesive applying means operable to spray, roll, print or stamp a water-based adhesive on to a first surface of the sheet, so as to provide at least one adhesive portion on the first surface of the sheet, the water-based adhesive allowing, in use, the sheet to be non-permanently adhered to an object.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the adhesive applying means is operable to vary, e.g. in accordance with a predetermined program or on demand from an operator, the rate of applying of the water-based adhesive and/or the properties, e.g. chemistry, composition and/or colour, of the water-based adhesive.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 comprising one or more of: a delivery means for delivering water-based adhesive to the adhesive applying means; and a storage container for the water-based adhesive.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 comprising one or more of: a sheet delivery means configured to place the sheet so as to present the first surface of the sheet to the adhesive applying means and one of more folding means for folding the sheet along a fold.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12 comprising a drying means arranged to dry the adhesive portion(s) on the first surface.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the drying means comprises a heat source, optionally an infrared heat source.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the heat source is controllable to vary the drying rate.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12 comprising one or more of: a cutting means for cutting the sheet of material; and an embossing means, a printing means and/or a stamping means for imparting a surface texture or decoration to the sheet.

20. An apparatus for manufacturing a protective article comprising the apparatus according to claim 12.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0095] The invention is described in further detail below by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0096] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0097] FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention;

[0098] FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention;

[0099] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention;

[0100] FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention;

[0101] FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention; and

[0102] FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of a protective article according to another example embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0103] FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a protective article according to an example embodiment of the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 100. The protective article may be intended for use as a protective garment, such as a napkin, dental napkin, apron, bib, table cloth or furniture cover. The sheet of material 100 may be flexible and/or may be made from any suitable material, including card, cloth, woven fabric, plastic, or single or multiple plies of paper.

[0104] The sheet of material 100 has a first surface 101 with two adhesive portions 102 arranged thereon. The adhesive portions comprise a water-based adhesive, which may be a water-based acrylic adhesive.

[0105] The adhesive portions 102 may have been produced by spraying, rolling, printing, or stamping the water-based adhesive on to the first surface 101. The water-based adhesive may have been sprayed, rolled, printed, or stamped from above or below the sheet of material 100. The water-based adhesive may have been sprayed at any suitable angle to the first surface 101.

[0106] FIG. 2 illustrates schematically another embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 200 comprising a single adhesive portion 202 that has been applied to a first surface 201 of the sheet of material 200. Adhesive portion 202 may be sprayed, rolled, printed or stamped onto the first surface 201. The sheet of material 200 is folded (as indicated by curved arrow 204) along a first fold 203 such that the adhesive portion 202 is brought into engagement with another part of the first surface 201. The adhesive portion 202 may be disengaged from the first surface 201 by unfolding the sheet of material 200.

[0107] The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 may be advantageous over other methods of covering the adhesive portion(s). It does not require a cover to be attached to the adhesive portion 202, which would increase the thickness of the folded sheet of material 200. Additionally, as adhesive portion 202 may engage with any part of the first surface 201, less accuracy is required in folding the sheet of material 200, and no restriction is placed on the position or length of the first fold 203. Furthermore, when the sheet of material 200 is in use, for example as a napkin, if adhesive portion 202 is not required, a small piece of the first surface 201 may be folded to engage with it, such that the adhesive portion is covered but the majority of the sheet of material 200 is still available for its intended use, for example preventing food from getting on clothes in the case of a napkin.

[0108] FIG. 3 illustrates schematically an alternative embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 300. In this embodiment, a first portion of adhesive 302a and a second portion of adhesive 302b are applied to a first surface 301 of the sheet of material 300. Adhesive portions 302a and 302b may be sprayed, rolled, printed, or stamped onto the first surface 301. The sheet of material 300 is folded (as indicated by curved arrow 304) along a first fold 303 such that the first adhesive portion 302a and second adhesive portion 302b are brought into engagement with each other. The adhesive portions 302a and 302b may be disengaged by unfolding the sheet of material 300.

[0109] In some embodiments, the adhesive strength of two adhesive portions 302a and 302b brought into engagement with each other may be greater than the adhesive strength of one adhesive portion brought into engagement with an adhesive-free portion of the first surface (e.g. as shown in FIG. 2). In some situations, this may be preferable to prevent the sheet of material 300 unfolding until desired. In other situations, such as where the protective article is a napkin for use by the elderly, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 may be preferable, if less force is required to open the napkin. In any event, it will be appreciated that the ease with which the protective article can be unfolded, in use, may be varied and/or controlled by modifying the properties of the adhesive portion(s), e.g. the chemistry, amount and/or concentration of adhesive and/or the size and/or arrangement of the adhesive portion(s).

[0110] FIG. 4 illustrates schematically another embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 400 with a strip of adhesive 404 extending across a first surface 401 of the sheet of material 400, parallel and relatively close to an edge of the first surface. The strip of adhesive 404 may be located on an edge or next to an edge of the first surface 401. The sheet of material 400 is folded (as indicated by curved arrow 405) along a first fold 403 that is perpendicular to the adhesive strip 404, such that one part of the adhesive strip 404 is brought into engagement with another part of the adhesive strip 404. For example, and as shown in FIG. 4, the first fold 403 may bisect the strip of adhesive 404 such that half of the strip of adhesive 404 covers the other half of the strip of adhesive 404 when the sheet of material 400 is folded.

[0111] In some situations, a user of the protective article may temporarily not wish to use the adhesive strip to adhere the sheet of material to an object. By locating a strip of adhesive near an edge of the first surface, the sheet may be folded such that the adhesive strip is covered by the first surface, whilst leaving the majority of the first surface available to cover an object.

[0112] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 500 with an adhesive strip 504 applied substantially parallel and close to an edge of a first surface 501 of the sheet of material 500. Adhesive strip 504 may be sprayed, rolled, printed or stamped onto the first surface 501. A portion 505 of the first surface 501 is located between the adhesive strip 504 and the edge of the first surface 501. The portion 505 may be folded (as indicated by curved arrow 507) along a fold 506, such that portion 505 covers adhesive strip 504 without covering the rest of the first surface 501.

[0113] During manufacture of the protective article, after a first fold has been made to cover at least partially the adhesive portion(s), at least one further fold, e.g. a second fold, may be made.

[0114] FIG. 6 illustrates schematically another exemplary embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 600, with an adhesive strip 604 sprayed onto a first surface 601 of the sheet of material 600. Adhesive strip 604 may be sprayed, rolled, printed or stamped onto the first surface 601 A second surface 607 comprises the opposing face of sheet of material 600 from the first surface 601.

[0115] The sheet of material 600 is folded along a first fold 603 in the manner described in respect of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4. The first surface 601 is covered during this fold, so that the second surface 607 is now the outward face of the sheet of material 600.

[0116] The sheet of material 600 is subsequently folded (as indicated by curved arrow 609) along a second fold 608 such that one part of the second surface 607 is brought into contact with another part of the second surface 607. In the illustrated example, the second fold 608 is perpendicular to the first fold 603. One or more further folds, e.g. a second fold, may be desirable to reduce the areal dimensions of the sheet of material for packing and transportation.

[0117] It should be understood that a second fold may be made in any other embodiment of the protective article, and particularly in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0118] Alternatively, a fold may be made such that the second surface 607 is brought into contact with itself prior to the application of the adhesive portion 604 on first surface 601.

[0119] In embodiments such as this, the first surface on to which the adhesive portion(s) is/are applied comprises the outward face of a folded sheet of material. Optionally, one or more further folds may be made after application of the adhesive portion.

[0120] FIG. 7 illustrates schematically another embodiment of a protective article according to the invention. The protective article comprises a sheet of material 700 with a first surface 701 having two adhesive portions 702a, 702b arranged thereon. Each adhesive portion 702a, 702b is covered by a removable cover 708a, 708b. Each removable cover 708a, 708b has a tab portion 709a, 709b that is adapted to be grasped by a user. By pulling on tab portion 709a, cover 708a can be removed, exposing adhesive portion 702a, which can be used to adhere the sheet of material 700 to an object. Similarly, by pulling on tab portion 709b, cover 708b can be removed, exposing adhesive portion 702b, which can be used to adhere the sheet of material 700 to an object. The removable covers 708a, 708b may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic or metal foil.

[0121] Although removable covers may add bulk to the protective article, they may be desirable in some circumstances. For example, they may allow a user to select, in use, only one or some of a plurality of adhesive portions to be exposed.

[0122] In the prior art, delays in applying the adhesive have tended to limit the rate at which articles can be manufactured. For instance, some (non-aqueous) solvent-based adhesives may require long drying times, thereby slowing down manufacture. Additionally or alternatively, the use of complicated and/or expensive fume evacuation apparatus may be required when drying such (non-aqueous) solvent-based adhesives, due to release of potentially harmful substances.

[0123] Surprisingly, at least some of these problems can be avoided or at least alleviated by using a water-based acrylic adhesive. Such an adhesive typically does not need to be heated in order to be sprayed, rolled, printed, or stamped, reducing energy costs. Furthermore, the adhesive can be rapidly dried, e.g. in ambient air or, if necessary, by using a heat source such as an energy efficient infrared (IR) lamp. No fume evacuation apparatus is required.

[0124] By using a water-based adhesive, adhesive protective articles can be manufactured at a rate comparable to the rate of manufacture of non-adhesive protective articles. Hence, the manufacture of protective articles in accordance with the invention may be commercially viable.

[0125] Water-based adhesives, e.g. water-based acrylic adhesives, have additional beneficial properties. They are non-flammable, unlike (non-aqueous) solvent-based acrylics, and do not need to be applied in a protective or controlled atmosphere. They can be coloured, unlike hot melt adhesives. Colouring of the adhesive may be desired in order to make the adhesive portion(s) more visible to a user, in order to facilitate positioning of the protective article on the object it is to cover. Alternatively, colouring may be used to match a colour or pattern on the first surface. The water-based adhesive may be coloured by the addition of one or more colouring agents, pigments and/or dyes.

[0126] An additional advantage of water-based adhesives, e.g. water-based acrylic adhesives, over hot melt adhesives is that water-based adhesives may lose a relatively large amount of their volume during the drying process. Thus, an adhesive portion formed of water-based adhesive may be thinner and/or lighter than one formed of a hot melt adhesive. This may be beneficial, since, when a sheet of material is folded, for example to form the usual twice-folded squares that napkins are conventionally packaged as, it may be desirable to minimise the additional thickness caused by the adhesive portions. Any additional thickness will reduce the number of sheets of material that can be packaged and transported together. Reducing the thickness of the adhesive portion therefore reduces the cost of transportation of the protective articles. It has been found that applying a water-based acrylic adhesive has a negligible impact on the resulting thickness of the sheet of material, and so does not significantly increase storage and/or transport costs.

[0127] Spraying, rolling, printing, or stamping the water-based adhesive on to the first surface forms a film of adhesive on the first surface. After drying, a first side of the film of adhesive is permanently adhered to the first surface. A second, opposing side of the film of adhesive may removably adhere to an object, another part of the first surface, or to another adhesive portion. The second side of the film of adhesive may be disengaged from the object, other part of the first surface or other adhesive portion by applying manual force to separate the adhesive portion from the object, other part of the first surface or other adhesive portion.

[0128] When the sheet of material is removed from an object, it should not leave behind any residue. The applicant has found that water-based acrylic adhesives typically do not leave a residue, and so a protective article comprising a sheet with water-based acrylic adhesive portions arranged thereon may be more desirable to a user than other forms of adhesive.

[0129] A suitable commercially available water-based acrylic adhesive may be available in the Aquagrip range from Bostik, Inc.

[0130] After the adhesive portion has dried, it may be desirable to cover the adhesive portion, for example to prevent dirt from sticking to the adhesive portion.

[0131] In embodiments of the invention, the water-based adhesive is of a type that, when dry, can removably adhere to an object, to an adhesive-free part of the first surface, and/or to another adhesive portion.

[0132] Typically, it may be important that applying the water-based adhesive does not slow down the rate at which sheets of material can be produced, and/or does not add significant cost to the manufacture of the protective article. Conveniently, by using a water-based adhesive, the use of spraying, rolling, printing or stamping to apply the water-based adhesive to the surface of the sheet may be facilitated. Spraying, rolling, printing and stamping are examples of a suitably quick and cheap methods of applying adhesive.

[0133] An example of a method according to the invention will now be described. Paper is provided on a roll. The roll of paper is unwound and fed continuously to an apparatus, where a surface of the paper is presented towards a sprayhead. The sprayhead is operated to spray water-based acrylic adhesive on to the surface of the paper being fed past the sprayhead. After the adhesive has been sprayed on to the surface of the paper, the paper is fed past an infra-red lamp arranged to dry the adhesive. The paper is then fed through one or more folding means and a cutting means to produce a desired article, e.g. an adhesive paper napkin.

[0134] In an alternative example, rolling may be used to apply adhesive to the surface. Rolling may be particularly advantageous for applying adhesive as a strip across the surface. In this example, the surface of the paper is presented towards a roller. Adhesive is applied to the roller either by dipping the roller in a reservoir of adhesive, or by pumping the adhesive from the reservoir onto the roller. Excess adhesive is removed from the roller by a scraper blade, leaving a precise layer of adhesive on the roller. The roller is then be rolled across the surface of the paper to apply the adhesive to the paper, for example in an approximately 3 cm wide strip.

[0135] An example of an apparatus according to the invention will now be described. The apparatus may be configured to continuously manufacture a plurality of protective articles such as adhesive paper napkins. The apparatus comprises a means for unwinding paper from a roll and feeding it past a sprayhead such that a surface of the paper is presented towards the spyayhead. The sprayhead is operable to spray water-based acrylic adhesive on to the surface of the paper being fed past the sprayhead. An in-line drying means comprising an infra-red lamp is provided downstream of the sprayhead. In use, the paper is fed past the infra-red lamp arranged to dry the adhesive. Further downstream, the apparatus comprises one or more folding means and a cutting means through which the paper is cut to produce the desired articles, e.g. adhesive paper napkins.

[0136] In other embodiments, the adhesive may be applied by rolling, printing or stamping the adhesive onto the surface of the paper. For example, the sprayhead of the above exemplary apparatus may be replaced with a roller for rolling the adhesive, or means for printing or stamping adhesive onto the surface of the paper.

[0137] It is important to quickly dry the adhesive portions to prevent any slowing of the rate of manufacture of the protective articles. The drying means of the apparatus is operable to rapidly dry the adhesive portions. The drying means may be an IR source or lamp. IR lamps are highly energy efficient, and so the drying step does not substantially increase the electricity cost of the manufacturing process. Any suitable heat source may be used as a drying means.

[0138] In an embodiment, the apparatus may not comprise a drying means, in which case the adhesive portions may be exposed to ambient conditions for a suitable length of time for the adhesive portions to dry.

[0139] However, in a high volume, continuous manufacturing process, such as in the manufacture of paper napkins, the provision of an in-line drying means may be preferred, to ensure that production rates can be maintained.

[0140] Non-adhesive paper napkins can be manufactured at rates of as much as 350 metres per minute or more. The present invention may allow for comparable production rates to be achieved in the manufacture of adhesive paper napkins.

[0141] In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise cutting means for cutting the sheet of into desired dimensions. Typically, the sheet may be cut after adhesive portions have been applied and all desired folds made in the sheet. This may allow adhesive to be applied continuously. For example, when producing the protective article illustrated in FIG. 4, a continuous strip of adhesive may be applied to a long sheet of material 400, which is subsequently cut into smaller pieces. This may have the advantage of reducing the amount of control and precision required from the adhesive applying means.

[0142] Alternatively, a large source of material may be initially cut into sheets of material of desired dimensions, and adhesive portions subsequently may be applied to each sheet of material.

[0143] Optionally, the adhesive applying means may be turned off so that the apparatus can be used to produce conventional, non-adhesive protective articles.

[0144] Conveniently, the apparatus may be incorporated into an existing device for manufacturing protective articles without adhesive portions. Retrofitting old devices in this way may be more cost effective than purchasing a new apparatus for producing protective articles according to the invention. As described above, use of water-based acrylic adhesives within the retrofitted device may allow the device to run at the same rate, or at least at a comparable rate, as before the addition of the new apparatus.

[0145] Advantageously, using a water-based acrylic adhesive allows the adhesive to be sprayed, rolled, printed or stamped directly onto the sheet of material without requiring heating of the adhesive. This can dramatically reduce costs of applying the adhesive. Typically, the water-based acrylic adhesive may be quick to dry, and so can be used in the manufacture of protective articles without slowing down the rate of production.

[0146] In some embodiments of the invention, two portions of adhesive are arranged on the sheet in such a way that they come into engagement with one another when the sheet is folded. Consequently, for example, a napkin according to the invention can be subsequently unfolded and adhered to an object such as a person or a person's clothes.

[0147] Also, because expensive double sided sticky tape need not be used to realise the present invention, the need to dispose of backing strips may be eliminated. This may provide the advantage of significantly reducing manufacturing costs, from the high cost of using double-sided tape seen in the prior art.

[0148] Furthermore, due to the elimination of the requirement for backing strips, less dexterity may be required to apply adhesive to a napkin. The present invention may therefore be implemented quicker using less complicated machinery than that which is already known, thus providing the advantages of further reducing the cost of, and increasing the speed at which, protective articles according to the invention can be manufactured.

[0149] One of the most significant cost factors in the production of napkins is transportation. This results from the very light-weight nature of this product making it inefficient to transport in that the vehicle carrying the product is capable of carrying significantly heavier goods within its volume. It is therefore important in the transportation of napkins that the packaged product is transported in as compacted and compressed form as possible. The use of double-sided tape (or any other reinforcing tape) will increase the bulk of the napkins within their packaging meaning that fewer napkins can be transported per unit of volume. The volume of and weight of the napkins of the present invention is barely distinguishable from that of a plain napkin without adhesive and therefore can be treated exactly like a non-adhesive napkin of the prior art. Indeed once the adhesive has been applied and subsequently folded so that the adhesive has been covered, the napkin can then be handled in exactly the same manner as a non-adhesive napkin.

[0150] It is also the case that heavy woven (non-disposable) napkins are often used to reduce the likelihood of them being dislodged since the heavier fabric is less likely to be blown off the lap of the person wearing it. Although the present invention is equally applicable to heavy fabric napkins, further reducing the likelihood of slippage, the present invention means that there may be less need to use such heavy material which may reduce the cost of laundry and/or make disposable napkins a more environmentally sustainable alternative. Furthermore, the same or similar advantages may be realised, for example, when applying the invention to table cloths, coasters and place mats.

[0151] Furthermore, the present invention may be of particular use for people of limited mobility or in places where mobility is limited. For example, the elderly, people with certain movement limiting disabilities and children may easily lose their napkin and not be able to retrieve it. Similarly in cramped conditions, such as on an aeroplane it may not be easy to reach a dropped napkin. For people who are partially sighted, and for the fully sighted in low light conditions, it is easy to not realise that a napkin is no longer in position. Because the present invention ensures the napkin remains in place this problem is alleviated.

[0152] It is envisaged that the present invention could enable a step-change in the popularity and commercial uptake of adhesive napkins or other protective articles. In particular, the present invention may alleviate one or more of the obstacles to cost-effective manufacture of adhesive napkins or other protective articles.

[0153] Protective articles according to the invention may be used in many applications and environments. For instance, protective articles according to the invention may be used to protect a person's clothing in the case of a napkin, dental napkin, or napkin for medical use. Alternatively, objects such as furniture or parts thereof, e.g. tables, sideboards, work surfaces and the like, may be protected using a protective article according to the invention.

[0154] Napkins and other tableware, e.g. coasters, table cloths, place mats, according to the invention may be particularly useful in the catering and hospitality industries, e.g. for events, in hotels and restaurants, in hospitals and on board aeroplanes, buses, trains or boats such as cruise ships.

[0155] While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, many modifications may be apparent to the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.