Neck band using straight-tear film

Abstract

An improved neck band is provided for a container having a neck and removable closure at the end. The neck band is prepared from a straight-tear film, preferably a polypropylene film that has been oriented in a single direction. The neck band is provided with a tab and is attached to the neck and removable closure so that when the tab is pulled, the polymer material separates along a line around the circumference of the neck adjacent the skirt of the removable closure.

1 . A neck band for a container with a neck and a removable closure for the neck, the neck band comprising: a straight-tear film that can be manually torn in circumferential manner around the neck of the bottle when positioned on the bottle.  
     
     
         2 . The neck band of  claim 1  wherein the straight-tear film is a polypropylene film that has been oriented substantially in a single direction.  
     
     
         3 . The neck band of  claim 2 , which also includes a tear-initiating feature to facilitate the separation of the neck band around the circumference of the bottle.  
     
     
         4 . The neck band of  claim 3  wherein the tear-initiating feature is a pull tab.  
     
     
         5 . The neck band of  claim 4  wherein the tear-initiating feature enables the removal of a portion of the neck band.  
     
     
         6 . The neck band of  claim 5  wherein the tear-initiating feature enables the separation of the neck band into an upper portion and a lower portion without the removal of a portion of the neck band.  
     
     
         7 . The neck band of  claim 2  wherein the polypropylene-based material is selected from the group consisting of PRIIMAX® NA 350 and DL2 films  
     
     
         8 . The neck band of  claim 7  wherein the polypropylene-based material has a thickness between about 1.0 to 6.0 mil.  
     
     
         9 . A container comprising: 
 a bottle having a neck and a mouth at the outer axial end of the neck;    a removable closure at the mouth for opening and closing the container, said closure having an annular skirt;    a neck band encircling and attached to both the neck and the removable closure, said neck band comprising a straight-tear film that can be manually torn in a circumferential manner around the neck of the bottle when positioned on the bottle.    
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 9  wherein the straight-tear film is a polypropylene film that has been oriented substantially in a single direction.  
     
     
         11 . The neck band of  claim 10  which also includes a tear-initiating feature to facilitate the separation of the neck band around the circumference of the bottle.  
     
     
         12 . The neck band of  claim 11  wherein the tear-initiating feature is a pull tab.  
     
     
         13 . The neck band of  claim 11  wherein the tear-initiating feature enables the removal of a portion of the neck band.  
     
     
         14 . The neck band of  claim 11  wherein the tear-initiating feature enables the separation of the neck band into an upper portion and a lower portion without the removal of a portion of the neck band.  
     
     
         15 . The neck band of  claim 10  wherein the polypropylene-based material is machine-direction oriented only.  
     
     
         16 . The neck band of  claim 15  wherein the polypropylene-based material has a thickness between about 1.0 mil and 6.0 mil.  
     
     
         17 . The neck band of  claim 10  wherein the removable closure is a twist cap.  
     
     
         18 . A method of making a neck band for use on a container with a neck and a removable closure on the neck comprising: 
 feeding a directionally oriented polypropylene-based material to a printing machine so that a neck band is printed on the material in a manner so that the material has its direction of weakness in a circumferential manner around the neck of the bottle when positioned on the bottle;    die cutting the neck bands imprinted on the directionally oriented material.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  which also includes varnishing the neck bands.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  which also includes rolling the material after printing and die cutting.