Splice tape for imprintable webs
View Patent ↗A splice tape for a thermally imaging web. A polymer tape layer, which is thin and strong, has an adhesive layer on its lower side and a thermally imaging composition on its upper side. The thermally imaging composition is similar to the thermal imaging layer on the web. When two ends of a web are joined, the splice tape is placed thereon to join the two ends. The splice tape may be printed at the same time as the web. The thinness of the splice allows the printing to be consistent at the splice, minimizing blank areas.
1. A three layer splice tape splicing two ends of a two layer printable paper web on only one side, the splice tape comprising:
a thin layer of polymer material, which is sufficiently strong to resist tearing and stretching during printing;
a layer of adhesive applied to one surface of the polymer material; and
a layer of printable thermally imaging composition applied to another surface of the polymer material opposite the adhesive layer;
the printable paper web comprising:
a paper layer; and
a layer of printable thermally imaging composition applied to one side of the paper layer; wherein the adhesive layer of said splice tape is adhered to the thermally imaging composition layer of the paper web.
2. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material is polyester.
3. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material is polypropylene.
4. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material has a thickness of 9-30 microns.
5. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer material has a thickness of 20-25 microns.
6. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the printable paper web has a similar printable thermally imaging composition as the splice tape, so that printed markings appear the same on the splice tape and on the paper web and without a gap due to the thinness of the splice tape.
7. The splice tape according to claim 1 , wherein the splice tape is strong enough to splice the two ends of the printable paper web when applied to only one side.
8. A three layer splice arrangement for joining ends of two webs, each web being two layered and having a printable layer on a paper layer, comprising:
placing the ends of two webs adjacent each other; and
extending a splice tape over only the printable layer on the ends to hold the webs together, the splice tape including a layer of polymer material, a layer of adhesive applied to one side of said polymer material and a layer of printable thermally imaging composition applied to another side of said polymer material opposite said adhesive layer; wherein the adhesive layer of said splice tape is adhered to the printable layer over on the paper layer.
9. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the polymer material is polyester.
10. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the polymer material is polypropylene.
11. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the polymer material has a thickness of 9-30 microns.
12. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the polymer material has a thickness of 20-25 microns.
13. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the printable layer of the web has a similar printable thermally imaging composition as the splice tape, so that printed markings appear the same on the splice and on the web and without a gap due to the thinness of the splice tape.
14. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the polymer material is sufficiently strong to resist tearing and stretching during printing.
15. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the webs are pre-cut label stock.
16. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the webs are thermal imaging stock.
17. The splice arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the webs are carbonless stock.