Field of the invention
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The present invention relates to a package comprising a one-piece wet-glued
label, said package having a substantially rectangular section.
Background of the invention
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Plastic bottles for containing a liquid consumer product are representative of the
various packages for consumer products to which the present invention can
apply; such packages typically comprise, for example, a body of the package
that has a substantially rectangular section, and constructed so as to be filled
with a pre-determined amount of a product, for example under the form of a
liquid, granulates, or a powder. Such packages further comprise a neck that is
closed by a removable closure, and optionally a handle.
Such packages are typically covered by at least one label, so as to provide
information on the contained product, as well as a support of advertisement.
Different processes are known and used in the art to apply labels on such
substantially square packages.
Some labels are attached on the surface of the package by using wet glue.
Such a process does not allow gluing of a one-piece label onto more than one
side at a time, in case the package body has a substantially rectangular
section. However, for packages that have a substantially round section, for
example bottles, such as those used for packing mineral water or wines, it is
possible to apply a one-piece wet-glued label, that covers the whole
circumference of the bottle. Such a label is applied by making the bottle rotate
all along the application of the label. However, such labels have the
disadvantage of covering only small portions of the package since they are
theoretically limited to the surface of one side, as a maximum (in fact, a border
is generally reserved all around the side that is free of decoration, and thus the
labeled surface is even more limited).
Self adhesive labels are used when decoration over an extended surface is
needed. Then, it is possible to use several adjacent sides of a package that has
a substantially rectangular section, as a support for labeling. The process for
applying such self-adhesive labels is well-known in the art.
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In view of the different solutions that exist in the art for labeling packages that
have a substantially rectangular section, it is clear that there is still a need for
such a package, that comprises a one-piece label, said label being glued over
several adjacent sides of the package for an enlarged surface of decoration.
Similarly, there is a need for a process for applying such a label onto such a
package. Wet glue labeling is a faster and cheaper technique than the ones
used for example for wet-gluing one label by side, or for applying self-adhesive
labels.
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It is therefore one main object of the present invention to provide a labeled
package, wherein the label is a one-piece label that is wet glued onto at least
two adjacent sides of the package.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide a process for
labeling a package as described above.
Summary of the invention
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A labeled package having an outer surface, comprising a label which is wet
glued onto a portion of said outer surface, said package having a substantially
polygonal section, the package being characterized in that said label covers at
least two adjacent sides of said package. An appropriate process for labeling
such a package with such a label is provided as well.
Brief description of the drawings
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The invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic top view of the labeling station according to the
present invention.
- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a package showing a label positioned
onto at least two adjacent sides, in accordance with the present invention.
- Figure 3A is a schematic top view showing one portion of a labeling
station according to the present invention. More particularly, a package is
shown which is oriented so that its left to right dimension (i.e., great
length) is positioned towards the gripper cylinder.
- Figure 3B is a schematic top view showing one portion of a labeling
station according to the present invention. More particularly, a package is
shown which is oriented so that its front to back dimension (i.e. small
length) is positioned towards the gripper cylinder.
Detailed description of the invention
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As shown in figure 2, a package (1) is provided which comprises a package
body (10), and an aperture. The package is made out of any suitable material,
such as metal, glass or a thermoplastic material, preferably out of a
polyethylene, or a polypropylene. The package is manufactured by any suitable
process such as, for example, injection molding, injection blow-molding, blow-molding
or thermoforming, in the case of a package made out of a
thermoplastic material; or for example a wrap-around process in the case the
package is made out of cardboard. The package is intended for containing any
type of consumer products such as food or cleaning products or medicine, for
example. Preferably, the package contains a cleaning or laundry product, under
the form of a detergent composition. While such a product can be a liquid,
granulates, or a powder, it is preferably a liquid. The package according to the
present invention can be of any type, such as a can, a tank, a flask, a tub but
preferably, the package is a bottle.
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In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the package comprises a
package body (10), a neck (11) that is closed by a closure, and preferably also
comprises a handle (16). Any further design shall be applied to the package
according to the present invention, such as for example handling grooves to
facilitate handling of the package during usage while preventing slippage, or for
example recesses (12) in the package body (10) that are located around the
portion of said package body (10) onto which a label (17) is to be applied. Such
recesses (12) are to prevent early wearing of the surface of the label (17)
during the conveying or handling operations, when packages bodies are
typically knocked against each other, thus leading to high friction of said
surfaces of said labels.
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The package body (10) has a substantially polygonal section, preferably a
square section, and most preferably a substantially rectangular section. It
comprises at least three, but preferably four sides (13), namely front, back, right
and left sides: for clarity purposes and in the case the package's sides do not
have the same surface, the front and back sides (facing each other) are defined
as the sides with the greatest surfaces, while the left and right sides (facing
each other as well) are defined as the sides with the smallest surfaces. In the
most preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the section is
rectangular, the front to back dimension of the package body (10) is preferably
smaller than the left to right dimension, as shown in figure 2, 3A and 3B. Two
adjacent sides (13) are joined by an edge (14). While the section of the
package is substantially polygonal, the sides (13) of said package preferably
comprise a rectilinear longitudinal direction, and a curved radial direction, said
radial direction being preferably curved at a radius of below 100 degrees, more
preferably below 80 degrees. This curve of the sides is designed so as to
facilitate exhausting of the air from the space between the external surface of
the package and the internal surface of the label (17). Preferably, two sides
(13) are joined by an edge (14) which is not sharp but curved with a radius of at
least 5 degrees, more preferably at least 9 degrees.
The package body (10) comprises at least one labeling portion (15) onto which
a label (17) is to be applied. Said labeling portion (15) of the package body (10)
is preferably constructed as a recessed portion of said package body (10), so
as to prevent early wearing of the label during handling and conveying as
previously described. Said labeling portion (15) is located over at least two
adjacent sides of the package, but in a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it covers the whole circumference of the package.
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In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the package (1) is a bottle.
Said bottle (1) can have any suitable volume, preferably its volume is more than
a quarter liter, more preferably more than half a liter, and most preferably its
volume is more than 1 liter. The bottle (1) preferably comprises a handle (16)
which is more preferably molded integrally with bottle body (10). The bottle (1)
has a neck (11) which comprises a means for securing a closure thereonto.
Said closure can be of any type, for example snapped on via bayonet fitments,
or screwed, but it is preferably removable. While any securing means can be
adapted to the bottle according to the present invention, said means is
preferably a thread that is to be fitted onto a corresponding thread of the
removable closure. Alternatively, said means is a system of at least two plugs
and/or notches for fitting onto at least two corresponding plugs and/or notches
of the removable closure so as to define a bayonet means. Any type of closure
shall be adapted onto the neck (11) of the bottle, such as for example a cap
comprising a dispensing spout or a dosing means. The closure may also
comprise child-deterrent or child-resistant means. It may also be constructed so
as to ensure at first use, that the bottle had never been opened before (i.e.
tamper-evidence feature). The closure can be made out of any suitable
material, such as metal, or a thermoplastic, or a combination of these materials,
but is preferably entirely made out of a polyethylene or a polypropylene.
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A label (17) is glued onto the package. Said label (17) is made out of any
suitable material such as paper or a thermoplastic, preferably a paper material.
It can be coated, printed or varnished as well. In the case the label (17) is made
out of paper, and if the package contains aggressive products, such as
chlorine-based products for example, the label (17) is preferably coated with a
bleach-resistant varnish. Such varnishes are known in the art and typically
comprise for example UV-cured varnishes. The label (17) shall have any
suitable shape and size, so as to cover at least two adjacent sides of the
package body (10). Preferably, said label (17) covers the front, back, and left
and/or right sides of the package. The thickness (or weight) of the label (17)
can have any suitable value but is preferably comprised within the range of 40
to 200 gr./m2, more preferably within the range of 40 to 100 gr/m2. Such labels
are typically made out of a roll of film, or out of a sheet, which is punched so as
to cut the labels at the right shape and size.
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The label (17) is to be positioned in a labeling portion (15) of the package body
(10) which is recessed, so as to be protected from early wearing during the
conveying operations, as previously explained. In the case the label (17) is
made out of a thermoplastic material, said label (17) shall be treated by a
Corona-treatment, or the like, so as to eliminate any electrostatic extra-charge
at the surface of said label (17), and so as to ensure that no electrostatic
interaction will occur between the surface of the package and the label (17)
during the labeling operation, thus ensuring a correct positioning of the label
(17) onto the bottle. Such surface treatments are well-known and used in the
art of labeling. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the package
is a bottle with an integrated handle (16), in such case, the label (17) preferably
covers the side which is opposite to the side comprising the handle (16).
The label (17) shall be designed such as to evenly adapt to the surface of the
package, especially in the portions of said package which comprise recessed
portions or protuberances, such as for example a handle (16). Said label (17) is
printed, so as to be used as a support of information and advertisement. Any
printing technique shall be used, such as for example off-set printing or
flexography. The present invention provides increased labeling surface, by
providing a positioning of the label onto at least two adjacent sides of the
package, while using a gluing technique and label material which are cheap. In
a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the label is continuously
positioned onto the front side as well as the left and/or right side. In another
embodiment of the present invention, the label is applied onto all sides of the
container, so as to cover the whole circumference of the package (i.e. for
example the bottle).
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The label (17) is applied onto the package body (10) by a wet-gluing process
which is further described below. The use of wet glue is known in the art of
applying labels onto cylindrical packages, for example wine bottles. One
advantage of this technique is that it uses cheap materials, for the glue as well
as for the label, and the machinery is also simpler that the one which is used for
example for applying self-adhesive labels. Consequently, the overall cost for
applying wet glue labels on several adjacent sides of a package according to
the present invention, is much cheaper than the known techniques.
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The bottles are conveyed to a labeling station (20), that can be of any suitable
construction, but is preferably a rotary labeling station, as shown in figure 1.
Said rotary labeling station (20) comprises unitary rotating pockets (21) which
have the shape of recesses located along the circumference of said rotary
labeling station (20), each recess being suitable for loading one package, for
example one bottle. Two conveying lines are connected to the rotary labeling
station (20), one of them feeding label-free packages, and the other one for
receiving labeled packages which exit from the rotary station (20).
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A stack of labels is contained into a label feeder (22) which is located next to
the rotary plate. The labels (17) are removed one by one from said stack of
labels, by means of removing means (23) (or "label pallet"). The removing
means (23) has a shape for example as shown in figure 1: it comprises a set of
unitary rotary label supports (23) which are located on the circumference of a
rotating plate. Alternatively and due to the rotating movement, each of the label
supports (23) removes one label (17) from the label feeder (22). The side of the
label (17) which comes in contact with the label support (23) is the external
side, and so the internal side of the label (17) is positioned outwardly, and so
that a predetermined quantity of wet glue is then applied onto said internal
surface of said label (17), as shown in figure 1, by contacting said internal
surface of said label (17) with a gluing roll (24). Said gluing roll (24) is
preferably a rotating cylinder made out of a foam-like material. Said gluing roll
(24) is preferably vertically positioned and continuously fed at its top portion
with wet glue. The amount of wet glue on the surface of said gluing roll (24) is
then dosed by a regulating means, such as for example a scraper (not shown
on the figure).
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Once the internal side of one label (17) has come in contact with the gluing roll
(24) and is coated with glue, it is then transferred to a so-called gripper cylinder
(25) (see figure 1). The gripper cylinder (25) is the means which allows to
transfer the glued labels onto the surface of the packages. In order to apply
labels as previously defined, and in accordance with the present invention, the
transferring means needs to be an adaptive means. As previously explained,
the present invention applies to packages which have a substantially polygonal
section, and thus the distance between the surface of the gripper cylinder (25)
and the labeling portion (15) of the package varies. However, the gripper
cylinder (25) must stay at the same distance from the labeling surface (15) of
the package, while said package is rotating on the rotating labeling station, so
that a label (17) is evenly and correctly positioned onto the surface of a
package.
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Several means shall be used to adapt the distance between the gripper cylinder
(25) from the labeling portion (15) of the package body (10). For instance a
spring shall be used which keeps the gripper cylinder (25) continuously and
substantially pressed against the surface of the package, during the labeling
operation, and especially during the rotation of the package. A preferred means
which allows the gripper cylinder (25) to stay at the same distance from the
labeling portion (15) of the rotating package, is a cam system. In this case, the
gripper cylinder (25) for example, is rotateably attached to a plate, said plate
being mounted into an ellipsoid groove. Said cam system is such that when a
package is rotateably positioned with its front to back dimension oriented
towards the gripper cylinder (25), as shown in figure 3A, the gripper cylinder
(25) is near to the labeling station. Once the package has rotated and its left to
right dimension (i.e. increased side to side dimension) is oriented towards the
surface of the gripper cylinder (25), as shown in figure 3B, said cylinder
translates away from the labeling station (20). In this way, the distance between
the surface of the gripper cylinder (25) and the labeling surface (15) of the
package stays continuously and substantially the same, and the gripper
cylinder (25) is substantially pressed against the surface of the labeling portion
(15) of the package body (10), so that a label (17) can be correctly transferred
from the surface of the gripper cylinder (25) onto the surface of the package.
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Finally, once the label (17) has been positioned onto the package, the labeled
package is transferred to a wiping station (26) (not shown in figure 1). During
the labeling process, some air was forced in the space between the label (17)
and the package. This air tends to wrinkle the surface of the label (17), leading
to unacceptable appearance of the labeled package, as well as creating
weakened zones in the label (17). In order to remove that air, a wiping step is
required which uses a wiping means, for example at least one roll of a foam-like
material, that presses against the surface of the label (17) so as to force the air
out of the space between said label (17) and the package. Said wiping station
can be located for example as an integral part of the rotary labeling station (20),
or can be positioned as a separate element after said rotary labeling station.
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The speed of the labeling machine suitable for applying labels on substantially
square packages according to the present invention is more than 100
bottles/minute for 1 liter bottles, preferably more than 160 bottles /minute, and
most preferably more than 200 bottles/minute.
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For clarity purposes, the directions of the rotating movements of the different
elements are shown in figure 1 and 3 by means of arrows.