STICKER SHEETS AND WRAPPING MATERIAL

Abstract

An adhesive sticker sheet is disclosed comprising a plurality of adhesive stickers for securing wrapping material about an article. The stickers are arranged on a backing sheet such that at least one pair of stickers are adjoining. In one example the adhesive stickers are arranged to be contiguous across substantially the entire backing sheet. Sticker positions are indicated by markings on the reverse of the backing sheet. A method of manufacturing the sticker sheet is also disclosed. Also disclosed is material for wrapping articles, comprising a sheet having a plurality of lines of weakness subdividing the sheet into a plurality of shapes independently separable from the sheet, each shape adapted for the wrapping of an article.

Claims

1. An adhesive sticker sheet comprising: a plurality of adhesive stickers for securing wrapping material about an article, the stickers being arranged on a backing sheet such that at least one pair of stickers is adjoining, and comprising means for aiding manual lifting of the stickers from the backing sheet.

2. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive stickers are arranged to be contiguous, preferably across substantially the entire backing sheet.

3. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein spacings are provided between stickers, preferably between rows or columns of stickers.

4. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein spacings are provided between individual stickers.

5. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim l., wherein the adhesive stickers form part of an adhesive sheet supported on the backing, having a plurality of lines of weakness or cuts subdividing the sheet into a plurality of stickers independently separable from the sheet.

6. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 5, wherein the lines of weakness comprise perforations or scored lines.

7. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 5, wherein the lines of weakness or cuts are arranged such that the plurality of stickers extends across the entire or substantially the entire area of the sheet,

8. The adhesive sticker sheet according claim 1, wherein the stickers are in the form of a plurality of strips, the sheet comprising strips of a plurality of different lengths, each strip having substantially the same width.

9. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein sticker positions are indicated by markings.

10. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 9, wherein the markings are located on the backing sheet or on the sticker.

11. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 9, wherein the markings are printed on the reverse side of the backing sheet so as to be visible through the backing sheet and stickers.

12. The adhesive sticker sheet according claim 9, wherein the markings indicate one or more edges or corners of one or more stickers, the markings preferably comprising lines.

13. (canceled)

14. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the means for aiding manual lifting comprises a formation on the perimeter of a sticker, preferably a cut out or a lifting tab.

15. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the position of the means for aiding manual lifting of the stickers is indicated by a marking.

16. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, further comprising means for anchoring the sheet to a working surface.

17. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 16 wherein the means for anchoring comprises one or more of: a suction pad; a clip; an adhesive pad; and a magnet.

18. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 16 wherein the means for anchoring comprises a first anchoring element located on the adhesive sheet adapted to interface with a corresponding second anchoring element located on the working surface.

19. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive stickers are transparent.

20. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of differently-shaped adhesive stickers.

21. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the stickers have at least one of the following: a thickness of between 30-120 m; a tensile strength of between 20-60 N/cm; an elongation at break value of between 20-60%; and a peel adhesion of between 2-10 N/cm.

22. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 9, wherein the markings correspond to locations of lines of weakness or cuts.

23. The adhesive sticker sheet according to claim 1, wherein the markings correspond to corners, edges or outlines of the stickers and/or comprise a grid of lines corresponding to sticker borders.

Description

[0124] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments that are described with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0125] FIG. 1 shows a sheet of gift wrap;

[0126] FIG. 2 shows two different adhesive sticker sheets;

[0127] FIG. 3 shows an adhesive sticker sheet with inter-sticker spacings;

[0128] FIG. 4 shows an adhesive sticker sheet with a plurality of different stickers;

[0129] FIG. 5 shows an adhesive sticker with a cut-away corner:

[0130] FIG. 6 shows an adhesive sticker sheet with cut-away corners;

[0131] FIG. 7 shows an adhesive sticker sheet with anchoring device;

[0132] FIG. 8 illustrates a manufacturing process for manufacturing a pack of sticker sheets;

[0133] FIG. 9 shows sticker shapes and dimensions for a sticker sheet: and

[0134] FIG. 10 shows two examples of markings printed on the reverse of a sticker sheet.

[0135] Gift Wrap

[0136] FIG. 1 shows a sheet of gift wrap 10. The sheet 10 has been divided up by means of perforations 15 into a plurality of rectangular shapes 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. A user is therefore able to use the perforations 15 to tear off the rectangular shapes 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 from the main body of gift wrap sheet 10 and use the shape as a separate piece of gift wrap material (or multiple shapes may be used together as a single piece if required).

[0137] One or more of the shapes (e.g. shape 20) may be arranged in size and shape for the wrapping of a standard article such as a CD or DVD, and may include markings to assist in wrapping. In this example, shape 20 includes positioning markers 16 to aid in positioning the standard-sized article and a fold line 17 to assist in folding the shape at the right place. Any suitable arrangement of positioning and fold markers may he used, depending on the intended article.

[0138] Sheet 10 is made of 80 gsm paper, although the use of alternative paper weights is possible. For example, a premium gift wrapping material may comprise a paper of a higher paper density or grammage, such as 120 gsm or higher. Alternatively, a different material may be used, such as a strong metallised plastic, which may result in a premium gift wrap of lower density.

[0139] As an alternative to perforations 15, scored lines may be used, or the material may he materially altered by, for example application of heat or pressure, or the introduction of an impurity into the material.

[0140] Adhesive Sticker Sheet

[0141] FIG. 2 shows an adhesive sticker sheet 100 of rectangular adhesive stickers 115 and another adhesive sticker sheet 120 of variously sized rectangular adhesive stickers 122, 124, 126, 128 supported on a backing sheet (not visible in the figure). The adhesive stickers are arranged to be contiguous across substantially the entire backing sheet, that is, there are no spacings between adjoining adhesive stickers so as to make use of the entire backing sheet surface.

[0142] FIG. 3 shows a sheet 200 of variously sized rectangular adhesive stickers 222, 224, 226, 228 with inter-sticker spacings 230 between columns of stickers. The spacings allow for easier engagement with the stickers and facilitate their removal from the backing sheet.

[0143] FIG. 4 shows a sheet 300 of adhesive stickers with a plurality of differently sized and shaped stickers, including stickers which are rectangular, circular, and elliptical.

[0144] FIG. 5 shows an adhesive sticker 400 with a cut-away corner 410. The cut away corner 410 allows for easier engagement with the sticker 400 and facilitates its removal from the backing sheet.

[0145] FIG. 6 shows a sheet 500 of variously sized rectangular adhesive stickers 522, 524, 526, 528 with cut-away corners, the position of one cut-away corner being indicated by a marking 510 to facilitate its location by the user of the adhesive sticker sheet 500.

[0146] FIG. 7 shows an adhesive sticker sheet 600 of adhesive stickers anchored by means of a suction pad 610 to a working surface (not shown).

[0147] FIG. 8 illustrates a manufacturing process for manufacturing a pack of sticker sheets in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. First, in step 802, pre-manufactured adhesive sheets are received. Each sheet comprises a single uncut transparent adhesive sticker layer arranged on a backing sheet. In step 804, a grid corresponding to the sticker shapes is printed on the reverse side of the backing sheet. The grid is preferably printed with sufficiently dark ink and/or sufficiently thick lines so that the grid is at least somewhat visible from the front of the sheet, i.e. through the adhesive sticker layer and backing sheet, to assist the user in identifying the sticker locations/boundaries. Alternatively, a partial grid or other indication may be printed, for example showing the location of sticker corners by way of line segments, dots or other indications. Other information, such as manufacturer/product indications and instructions for use may also be printed. In step 806, the stickers are cut into the desired shapes and sizes by a kiss-cutting process, which cuts through the adhesive sticker layer to form the stickers without cutting through the backing sheet (though an impression may be left on the backing sheet, which may help in identifying the sticker boundaries with or without the printed grid mentioned above). In step 808 multiple sheets are packaged in a card wallet or other suitable packaging. The card wallet may have product information and the like printed on it, and may include a window for inspection of a portion of a sheet inside.

[0148] In a preferred embodiment, the sheet dimensions are 120 mm152 mm, and the card wallet (when assembled) is 130 mm180 mm. The card wallet is assembled from a pre-printed 285 mm255 mm card sheet (e.g. by folding and gluing).

[0149] FIG. 9 illustrates a sticker sheet 900 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The sheet is divided into stickers of different shapes and sizes (two long strips measuring 152 mm19 mm; four medium-length strips measuring 82 mm19 mm, and 8 short strips measuring 41 mm19 mm, though other specific dimensions could be used), in a grid arrangement. Adjacent stickers directly adjoin, so that the strips together form a contiguous block. The stickers extend to the edges of the sheet (120 mm152 mm as indicated above).

[0150] FIG. 10 illustrates two examples of corresponding markings that may be printed on the reverse of the backing sheet to assist in locating stickers. In the first example, the markings are in the form of a complete or substantially complete grid 902 corresponding to the sticker outlines. In the second example, a plurality of individual corner markers 904 are printed at locations corresponding (on the front of the sheet) to the upper left-hand corners of each sticker (the markings in each case are mirrored to ensure they match up with the sticker shapes when printed on the reverse of the sheet).

[0151] Thus, the stickers are arranged in a plurality of different shapes/sizes, with multiple stickers for each shape/size. The stickers are in the form of differently-sized strips each having the same width (19mm) but different lengths. This arrangement is particularly suitable for gift wrapping, where the required width typically does not vary but the required length does.

[0152] Technical characteristics of adhesive tape are commonly described in terms of four key variables: thickness; tensile strength (the force required to stretch the tape by a certain amount); elongation at break (the amount by which the tape may be stretched before breaking); and peel adhesion (the force required to pull a stuck piece of tape free from a surface).

[0153] In certain preferred embodiments, the adhesive stickers described herein may have the following properties: [0154] ThicknessPreferably between 30-120 m, more preferably 40-80 m. In a preferred embodiment the thickness is between 50-70 m, more preferably between 55-65 m. In a particularly preferred embodiment the thickness is approximately 60 m, or exactly 59 m. This can provide adhesive stickers which are slightly thicker than some conventional sticky tapes and thus easy to handle, but thinner than some conventional reinforcing tapes. In another embodiment, stickers with a thickness of between 60-120 m or more particularly 80-110 m may be used, for example approximately 90 m. [0155] Tensile strengthpreferably 20-60 N/cm, more preferably 30-50 N/cm. In a preferred embodiment the stickers have a tensile strength of approximately 40 N/cm. [0156] Elongation at breakpreferably 20-60%, more preferably 30-50%, still more preferably approximately 40%. This can provide stickers which can stretch more than conventional sticky tape before breaking. However, in other embodiments, a lower value closer to conventional sticky tape may he used, for example 10-30%, more preferably 15-25%, or approximately 20%. [0157] Peel adhesionpreferably 2-10 N/cm, more preferably 4-8 N/cm. This can provide stickers which are easy to handle yet have sufficient adhesive strength to reliably secure gift wrap. In some embodiments the stickers may have peel adhesion of approximately 6 N/cm.

[0158] However, other embodiments may have other values for the above properties, outside the indicated ranges, depending on requirements.

[0159] In one preferred example the sticker sheet uses transparent polypropylene with a thickness of 59 microns for the stickers, which are backed with permanent adhesive and provided on a 110 micron thick kraft liner backing sheet.

[0160] It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modification of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.