WO1993008025A1

WO1993008025A1 - Adhesive tabs for securing clothing and method

Info

Publication number: WO1993008025A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/009225
Authority: WO
Inventors: Donald M. Lewis
Original assignee: Lewis Donald M
Priority date: 1991-10-22
Filing date: 1992-10-22
Publication date: 1993-04-29
Also published as: DE9401322U1

Abstract

A tab (10) with adhesive (12, 14) on both sides for affixing pieces of clothing together. The tab is preferably made of a relatively stiff clear plastic substrate (11) coated over most of both sides with an adhesive (12, 14). The tab contains an adhesive free zone (20) along one edge which makes handling more convenient and provides a location for conveniently grasping the release liner (16). The adhesive used does not come off the tab and remain on the cloth as a sticky residue when the tab is removed from the cloth. The adhesive used is also soluble in soap and water or dry cleaning fluid to facilitate removal by cleaning.

Description

ADHESIVE TABS FOR SECURING CLOTHING AND METHOD

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an adhesive tab for temporarily attaching pieces of clothing to each other and more particularly to a two- sided adhesive tab for releasably attaching juxtaposed pieces of cloth, such as with ties, scarfs, shoulder pads, and the like.

Fro the earliest times, clothing has been fastened at points of juxtaposition by sewing or tying. Subsequently, releasable fasteners such as buttons, snaps, zippers and VELCRO™ patches were used. These provide means for releasably fastening pieces of clothing to each other, but require cooperating and permanently attached devices affixed to an appropriate location on the clothing.

Temporary and adjustable fasteners, for example tie tacks for ties and brooches for scarves, are also known. However, these often pierce or roughly grip the cloth to which they are attached. In addition, it is generally important that they be decorative, since they tend to be highly visible.

It is known to provide a foam square, coated on both sides with an adhesive, for use in attaching the two lengths of a necktie. The foam squares are opaque and about 2 centimeters square and thus highly visible. The foam material is clumsy to handle relative to a more rigid substrate, and tends to fold on itself and adhere to itself. Direct handling of the adhesive surface is required since no surface large enough to grip and which is not coated with adhesive is provided. The tab thus tends to stick to the fingers of a user, which, combined with the relatively flexible nature of the foam, makes handling the tab difficult and awkward. Removal of such a tab after initial use for repositioning or reuse is very difficult. Any direct handling of the adhesive layer, required in such a tab when it is removed after initial use, tends to compromise its adhesive nature by depositing dirt and oil on the adhesive. The deposit of dirt and oil on the adhesive before it is placed on the tie would also tend to carry dirt and oil to the tie, increasing the likelihood of soiling the tie when using the foam tab.

While each of the above described devices undoubtably has advantages for its intended purpose, the present invention provides an unobtrusive way of temporarily attaching pieces of clothing together and further provides for convenient handling of the tab when it is initially removed from the package, and subsequently when it is handled while removing or rearranging the tab after initial placement. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides an inconspicuous and relatively stiff tab with a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on both sides. This allows a user to position the tab between two pieces of cloth to be attached to each other and to adhesively attach them to each by pressing them together. The attachment is temporary in that the tab may be removed for release, reuse or repositioning merely by pulling the attached pieces apart and then grasping the tab directly.

The tab is made with a relatively stiff though thin substrate of plastic film which aids in the handling of the tab. It may also be made of a transparent substrate and a relatively transparent adhesive so that the tab is relatively transparent.

This provides for tabs which are unobtrusive in use.

In addition, the tab may be provided with a dry edge, that is, a zone along one edge that is free of adhesive on both sides of the substrate. This creates a portion of the tab that does not adhere to the cloth in use, or to the carrier or release liner when stored, as will be described in greater detail below. This dry edge is sized for convenient grasping between the thumb and forefinger of the user. It allows for the handling of the tab without compromising the adhesive layers of the tab by directly touching them and possibly contaminating with oil and dirt from the hands of the user. The dry edge also helps prevent soiling of the clothing by the tab; the adhesive tends to pick up dirt or oil if handled directly and therefore may carry that and deposit it on the clothing. The dry edge also facilitates removal of release liner from the top surface of the tab by providing an unattached edge of the release liner that is easily grasped. It further facilities the removal of the tab from a carrier sheet by providing an unattached edge of the plastic strip that is easily grasped to peel the tab off the carrier sheet.

The adhesive used on the tab ideally has a sufficient degree of solubility in soap and water or in dry cleaning fluid so that, if the tab is left attached to the clothing when the clothing is washed or dry cleaned, the adhesive is washed or dry cleaned off of the tab, and the tab is no longer adhered to the cloth. In addition, if any adhesive comes off the tab and remains attached to the cloth after the tab is removed, that adhesive is readily washed or dry cleaned off the clothing when the clothing is cleaned. (Generally this does not occur, since the adhesive is chosen so that it has a greater affinity and to the plastic substrate than the cloth and therefore does not come off the tab and leave unsightly residue on the clothing when the tab is removed.) It is an object of the invention to provide a tab for releasably attaching pieces of clothing to each other.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tab with adhesive on both sides that has a dry edge to provide an area where any carrier sheet or release liner is not adhesively attached to the tab and thus may be readily grasped and peeled off of the tab. It is another object of this invention to provide a tab for releasably attaching pieces of clothing, which tab has a dry edge for facilitating handling without requiring the user to touch the adhesive covered surface of the tab. It is another object of the invention to provide a tab which is relatively transparent.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tab which is conveniently sized and shaped for handling and use. It is another object of this invention to provide a tab with adhesive which is sufficiently soluble in soap and water or dry cleaning fluid so that it will be cleaned off the clothing in the ordinary course of washing or dry cleaning the garment on which the tab is used.

It is another object of the invention to provide a tab wherein the adhesive used has a greater affinity for the substrate than for cloth so that when the tab is used to attach two pieces of cloth, the adhesive remains attached to the substrate when the tab is removed and thus is not deposited on the cloth.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tab which is part of a package which allows for the convenient portability of such tabs without their becoming adhered to the pocket of the carrier.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tab which is carried in a package which protects the adhesive of the tab from contamination by dirt, grease _r lint or the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tab which has a dry edge and which tab is protected by a peel-away cover which is marked to indicate the location of the underlying dry edge when the cover is in place.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying, drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tab of the invention with the release liner removed and with the tab gripped between the thumb and forefinger of a human hand; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a tab of the invention with the protective release liner in place and with the tab attached to a carrier sheet; FIG. 3 is a planar top view of a plurality of the tabs installed on a carrier sheet and juxtaposed beside an envelope of the package for said tabs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring for illustrative purposes only to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the adhesive tab 10 for securing clothing. It comprises a plastic strip 11 which is coated on both the top surface and the bottom surface with layers of adhesive 12, 14 respectively. The plastic strip 11 may be of a clear plastic film such as polyester with a thickness for example, of .025 millimeters where coated with adhesive and .05 millimeters where uncoated as at 20. It may be sized appropriately for its use, for example 22 millimeters x 32 millimeters or 19 millimeters x 32 millimeters. A release liner 16 overlays the top layer of adhesive 12 and the • entire top surface of the plastic strip.

The adhesive layers 12, 14 carried on the upper and lower surface of the plastic strip 11 are of a material with greater adhesive affinity for the plastic strip and for itself than for the pieces of cloth to which it will be attached. This allows for use of the adhesive tab 10 on clothing without leaving adhesive residue on the clothing when the tab is removed.

In addition, the adhesive selected is sufficiently soluble in soap and water or in dry cleaning fluid so that any residue deposited on the clothing will readily be washed or dry cleaned off the clothing. If the tab 10 is left on the clothing when the clothing is washed or dry cleaned, the adhesive would wash off the plastic strip 11 and the plastic strip would then be washed away. A useful adhesive with these properties, might be, for example, the rubber R-40 adhesive offered for sale by 3M Industrial Specialties Division. The adhesive on the preferred embodiment does not cover the entire upper surface of the plastic strip 11, nor does it cover the entire lower surface. There is a zone 20 of the tab 10 which does not have adhesive coating on either the top or bottom surface of the plastic strip. This zone may be described as a dry edge. The plastic strip 11 may be thicker at the dry edge, for example .05 millimeter, then elsewhere where it may be, for example, .025 millimeter, and the adhesive layer may be, for example .0125 millimeter. Thus the .025 millimeter area of the plastic strip is overlain with two .0125 millimeter layers of adhesive for a total thickness of .05 millimeter. The dry edge 20 has a thickness of .05 millimeter that the tab 10 is of uniform thickness throughout.

The dry edge 20 extends along the entire width of the tab. Since the release liner 16 covers the entire plastic strip 11 including the dry edge, the dry edge provides for a region where the release liner is not adhesively attached to the tab 10. This allows for easy grasping of the edge of the release liner to peel it off of the tab. In addition, if the tab is attached to a carrier sheet 18 as will be described below, the dry edge is not attached to the underlying carrier sheet. The dry edge thus presents a convenient area at which to grasp the tab to easily peel it off of the carrier sheet.

The dry edge 20 is of an appropriate size to be easily grasped between the forefinger and thumb of an adult human, for example 6.5 millimeter inch deep along the entire width of a tab. It is thus useful for handling the tab to place it on an article of clothing, or to remove the tab from an article of clothing. Since it provides in essence a handle that is not part of the adhesive portion of the tab 10, it is possible to handle the tab without touching the adhesive layers 12, 14. This allows for ease of handling since the tab will not stick to the fingers of a user and the user will not deposit oil or dirt on the adhesive material. If oil or dirt were to be deposited onto the adhesive layers, the adhesive ability of those layers would be compromised. In addition, a soiled tab might soil a garment on which it is placed.

When stored or carried, a tab 10 may be located on a carrier sheet 18 which may contain multiple tabs, possibly of different sizes. The carrier sheet is made of an appropriate material such as silicon impregnated or coated paper which has loose adhesion to the tab 10 but does not have significant residue that would separate from the carrier sheet and coat the adhesive layer 14 of the tab when it is removed. The tab is thus affixed to the sheet but is easily removed by peeling the tab away from the carrier sheet, without any ^' significant loss of adhesive material onto the carrier sheet or significant compromise of the adhesive ability of the tab by coating of the adhesive layer with residue from the carrier sheet.

The carrier sheet 18 may be folded in half and placed into an opened ended envelope 22. That envelope is open at both its ends, 24,26. One end 26 has a curved portion 28 cut-out of the edge. The carrier sheet is of a size and shape such that when it is folded in the middle 30 it is approximately as wide as the envelope and thus fits snugly into the envelope

22. It is also as long as the envelope, so that when fully inserted, the surface of the carrier sheet is exposed through the cut-out 28. This allows the user to remove the carrier sheet from the envelope by pushing the exposed carrier sheet so that the other end of the sheet protrudes from the envelope and may be grasped and removed, or by pulling directly on the exposed carrier sheet at the location of the cut-out and pulling it entirely out of the envelope. This arrangement allows the outer surface of the carrier sheet at the cut-out to be exposed to the user, while permitting it to be protected by the envelope everywhere else. The release liner 16 described above may be printed with indicia such as parallel lines 32 to indicate the location of the dry edge 20. The release liner thus serve the dual function of protecting the adhesive layer before use, and indicating to the user where the dry edge is located so that the tab may be conveniently grasped to remove the release liner, peel the tab off the carrier strip, and handle the tab without the clumsy and frustrating problem of grasping the tab on its adhesive surface. In use, a person might have a package consisting of multiple tabs affixed to a folded carrier sheet 18 in an envelope 22. He or she could remove the folded carrier sheet from the envelope by pushing it directly at the cut-out 28 to push the other end of the folded carrier sheet part way out of the envelope and then grasping the exposed part and pulling out the carrier sheet all the way out, or by pulling it directly at the location of the cut-out. The carrier sheet could then be unfolded, and the user could select the tab he or she wished to use. By reference to the indicia 32 on the release liner 16 the user could locate the dry edge 20, and at that location, grasp the release liner and peel it off of the adhesive top layer 12. He or she could then grasp the tab at the dry edge and peel it off the carrier sheet 18. Holding the dry edge between the forefinger and the thumb so as to avoid touching either adhesive layer 12, 14, the user could place the tab 10 between two pieces of cloth to be secured to each other, for example between the two lengths of a necktie or between a scarf and the shoulder of a dress. The items of clothing are then pressed together at the location of the tab, and the doύble-sided adhesive tab acts to fasten them together. To remove the tab from the clothing after use, or to reposition it during use, the tab could be easily grasped at the location of the dry edge and pulled loose. Since there would be no need to handle the tab on its adhesive surfaces, and since the adhesive material would remain on the strip rather than be left on the cloth, the adhesive nature of the tab would not be compromised and the tab could be reused or repositioned without significant loss of adhesive ability. If the tab was inadvertently left attached to the clothing, and the clothing then washed or dry cleaned, the tab would be removed since the adhesive material would dissolve in the soap and water or dry cleaning fluid and the remaining plastic strip would then be washed away.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A tab for releasably fixing surfaces of cloth together comprising: a stiff substrate of thin plastic film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a front edge; a first pressure sensitive adhesive layer coating at least a portion of said top surface; a second adhesive layer coating at least a portion of said lower surface; said first and second adhesive layers comprised of an adhesive that is soluble in soap and water or in dry cleaning fluid, said first adhesive layer having a greater affinity for said stiff substrate than for cloth., such that attaching and then removing said tab to cloth does not leave a residue of adhesive on said cloth.

2. A tab as in claim 1 wherein said adhesive is a rubber based adhesive.

3. A tab as in claim 1 wherein said stiff substrate is transparent.

4. A tab as in claim 3 wherein said first adhesive layer and said second adhesive layer are transparent.

5. A tab as in claim 1 wherein said first adhesive layer and said second adhesive layer are coextensive with each other and are spaced back from said front edge, creating an adhesive free zone on said stiff substrate along said front edge and for some distance in from said front edge along both said top and said bottom surfaces.

6. A tab as in claim 5 wherein said adhesive free zone is of a width to be conveniently grasped between the thumb and forefinger of an adult, human.

7. A tab as in claim 5 wherein the entire top surface of said first adhesive layer and a portion of said adhesive free zone are overlain with a detachable release liner, said release liner having less adhesive affinity with said first adhesive layer than between said first adhesive layer and said stiff substrate, so that when the release liner is removed, it does not remove said first adhesive layer from said top surface.

8. A tab as in claim 7 wherein entire bottom surface of said second adhesive layer is underlaid with a detachable carrier sheet, said carrier sheet having less adhesive affinity with said second adhesive layer than between said second adhesive layer and said rigid strip, so that when said tab is removed from said carrier sheet, said second adhesive layer remains affixed to said stif substrate and does not remain on said carrier sheet.

9. A tab as in claim 7 wherein said release liner contains printed indicia indicating the location of said adhesive free zone.

10. A plurality of tabs as described in claim 8, further comprising: an envelope formed of two overlying sheets of material, each said sheet having an outer surface, a front edge, a top edge, a rear edge, and a bottom edge, said sheets being sealed to each other along said top edges and said bottom edges, and being unattached at said front edges and said rear edges; said carrier sheet being formed of a material to which said adhesive has significantly less affinity than said adhesive has for said stiff substrate, and said carrier sheet sized and configured so that when folded, it is shaped slightly narrower than said envelope whereby it can be slid into said envelope; and said outer surface comprised of a material suitable for printing indicia thereon.

11. A plurality of tabs as described in claim 10 wherein the two overlying sheets form a curved cut-out along the front edge of each, each said cut-out aligned with the other cut-out.

12. A method for releasably fixing pieces of clothing together comprising the steps of: providing a relatively stiff, double sided tab of thin plastic film with adhesive on each side; positioning said tab between pieces of clothing; applying pressure to said pieces of clothing at the location of said tab.