Pressure sensitive adhesive label for wet irregular surfaces
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to improved self-adhesive labels which are suitable far use in adhering to wet surfaces or wet irregularly shaped surfaces such as that found on fruits and vegetables. The self-adhesive label is made of a water absorbent backing layer having opposing sides and a rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive applied on one side of the backing layer. The adhesive is discontinuously coated as a pattern onto the backing layer to provide areas of the adhesive interspersed with areas which are free of adhesive.
1. A self-adhesive label comprising:
a water absorbent backing layer;
a rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive discontinuously applied as a pattern onto the backing layer to provide areas of adhesive interspersed with adhesive-free areas, wherein the areas which are free of adhesive being at most 90 percent of the total available area of the backing layer;
wherein the label adheres to wet, irregular shaped surfaces.
2. The label of claim 1 , wherein the amount rubber-based pressure sensitive on the backing layer is between 1.6 and 9.0 grams per 100 square inch.
3. The label of claim 1 , wherein the amount rubber-based pressure sensitive on the backing layer is between 3.5 and 7.0 grams per 100 square inch.
4. The label of claim 1 , wherein the area which is free of adhesive is between 5 percent and 90 percent of the total available area of the backing layer.
5. The label of claim 1 , wherein the area which is free of adhesive is between 15 percent and 50 percent of the total available area of the backing layer.
6. The label of claim 1 , wherein the pattern is strips.
7. The label of claim 1 , wherein the rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive is a synthetic rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive mixture comprising a polystyrene-butadiene copolymer and either a styrene-isoprene copolymer or a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer.
8. The label of claim 1 , wherein the rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive is a synthetic rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive mixture comprising a polystyrene-butadiene copolymer and a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer.
9. The label of claim 1 , wherein the rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive is a synthetic rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive mixture comprising a polystyrene-butadiene copolymer, a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer and an aromatically-modified aliphatic tackifier having a 2-methyl-1-propene comonomer moiety and a 1,3-pentadiene comonomer moiety.
10. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer is a paper face stock.
11. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer is a paper face stock having a basis weight of less than 70 pounds per ream as measured in accordance with TAPPI T-410 test method.
12. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer is a paper face stock having thickness of less than 0.0050 inch (121 microns) as measured in accordance with TAPPI T-411 test method.
13. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer is a paper face stock having thickness of between 0.0030 inch (72.6 microns) and 0.0048 inch (121.9 micron) as measured in accordance with TAPPI T-411 test method.
14. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer has flexographic printed indicia.
15. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer has direct thermal printed indicia.
16. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer has thermal transfer printed indicia.
17. The label of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer has ink jet printed indicia.
18. The label of claim 1 , wherein the label adheres to wet, irregular shaped produce surfaces.
19. A self-adhesive produce label comprising:
a water absorbent paper backing layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
a rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive discontinuously applied onto the first surface of the backing layer as a pattern to provide areas of adhesive interspersed with adhesive-free areas, wherein the areas which are free of adhesive being between about 5 to 90 percent of the total available area of the backing layer;
wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive comprises a mixture of a polystyrene-butadiene copolymer, a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer and an aromatically-modified aliphatic tackifier having a 2-methyl-1-propene comonomer moiety and a 1,3-pentadiene comonomer moiety;
a layer of printed indicia applied to the opposing second surface of the backing layer;
wherein the label adheres to wet, irregular shaped produce surfaces.
20. The label of claim 19 , wherein the pattern is strips.