Sheet with Selectively Activated Adhesive

Abstract

An index card assembly which allows selective adherence of an index card to a mounting surface is disclosed. A base paper layer of the index card has a front side and an opposite back side. The paper layer has an upper edge with a portion of the paper layer removed to define a paperless zone which includes a gap across the upper edge. A cover layer having an outer face and an inner face is adhered by pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on its inner face to the front side of the paper layer. The cover layer is aligned to cover the paperless zone with a top of the cover layer extending across the gap of the paperless zone. The adhesive on the inner face of the cover layer is thus exposed across the paper zone on the back side of the paper layer. The thickness of the paper layer prevents the adhesive from contacting a surface abutting the back side of the paper layer in the absence of the application of a threshold level of pressure against the outer face of the cover layer.

1 - 41 . (canceled)  
   
   
       42 . A sheet which may be selectively secured to a mounting substrate comprising: 
 a first substrate having a writeable surface on one side thereof and a mounting surface on a second opposite side thereof; and    pressure layer including pressure sensitive adhesive exposed on the second side of the first substrate, and a standoff element on the second side of the first substrate, the standoff element having a height greater than a height of the adhesive,    wherein in the absence of a threshold level of pressure applied to the pressure layer, the pressure sensitive adhesive is spaced from the mounting substrate, and    wherein the sheet is deformable such that a threshold level of pressure applied to the pressure layer brings the pressure sensitive adhesive into sheet-securing engagement with the mounting substrate.    
   
   
       43 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the pressure layer comprises: 
 the first substrate having an aperture defined therein; and    a second substrate having a first adhesive face and a second pressure face, the first adhesive face being adhered to the writeable surface of the first substrate and extending across the aperture,    wherein the second substrate is deformable such that a threshold level of pressure applied to the pressure face thereof brings the adhesive into contact with the mounting surface.    
   
   
       44 . The sheet of  claim 43  wherein the aperture is open along one edge of the first substrate.  
   
   
       45 . The sheet of  claim 43  wherein the second pressure face of the second substrate bears indicia.  
   
   
       46 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein upon removal of the sheet from the mounting substrate, the pressure layer substantially returns to its original undeformed shape.  
   
   
       47 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the first substrate is selected from a group consisting of paper, card stock, cardboard, plastic film, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       48 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the first substrate has an upper edge with a portion of the first substrate being removed to define a paperless zone which includes a gap across the upper edge; and wherein the pressure layer includes a cover layer having an outer face and an inner face, the cover layer having pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on its inner face, with the cover layer adhered thereby to the writeable surface of the first substrate to cover the paperless zone in an alignment where a top edge of the cover layer extends across the gap of the paperless zone and the adhesive on the inner face of the cover layer is exposed across the paperless zone on the second side of the first substrate.  
   
   
       49 . The sheet of  claim 48  wherein the standoff element comprises a portion of the first substrate which has a thickness and the cover layer is sufficiently flexible to bow across the thickness and the paperless zone to place at least a portion of the adhesive exposed thereon into adhering contact with the mounting substrate.  
   
   
       50 . The sheet of  claim 45  wherein the indicia includes color.  
   
   
       51 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the adhesive is a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive.  
   
   
       52 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the standoff element comprises a portion of the first substrate which has a thickness sufficient to space the adhesive exposed on the cover layer from a surface in abutting engagement with the second side of the first substrate, in the absence of a pressure applied to the outer face of the cover layer urging it toward the surface.  
   
   
       53 . The sheet of  claim 52  wherein a plurality of said sheets aligned in a stacked orientation fail to adhere together, absent the application of pressure to the outer faces of their respective cover layers.  
   
   
       54 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the standoff element comprises: 
 a first generally linear raised element on the second side on the first substrate; and    a second generally linear raised element on the second side of the first substrate, the second raised element aligned generally parallel to and spaced from the first raised element,    wherein at least a portion of the pressure sensitive adhesive exposed on the second side of the first substrate is between the first and second raised elements and has a height lower than the first and second raised elements.    
   
   
       55 . The sheet of  claim 54  wherein each of the raised elements may be selected from the group consisting of a continuous strip, a discontinuous strip, a bead, a plurality of beads, a rib of the first substrate, a plurality of ribs of the first substrate, a plurality of peaks of the first substrate, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       56 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the first substrate has an upper edge, and wherein the pressure layer comprises: 
 a score line on the first substrate which is spaced from and parallel to the upper edge of the first substrate; and    a cut formed through the first substrate, the cut extending from a first end on the score line toward the upper edge to a first turn, extending from the first turn along and spaced from the upper edge to a second turn, and then extending from the second turn away from the upper edge to a second end of the cut on the score line.    
   
   
       57 . The sheet of  claim 56  wherein the cut has a portion thereof which extends parallel to the upper edge of the first substrate.  
   
   
       58 . The sheet of  claim 56  wherein a spacing portion of the first substrate is defined by the upper edge thereof, the score line, and the cut.  
   
   
       59 . The sheet of  claim 58  wherein the pressure layer further comprises: 
 the adhesive being disposed on the second side of the first substrate above the score line; and    the spacing portion of the first substrate being folded over so that the adhesive thereon is bonded to the second side of the first substrate, thereby defining an upper non-folded tab portion of the first substrate bearing adhesive, and thereby forming a raised layer on the second side of the first substrate which defines the standoff element and which has a thickness sufficient to space the adhesive on the tab portion from the mounting substrate in the absence of the threshold level of pressure.    
   
   
       60 . The sheet of  claim 58  wherein the pressure layer further comprises: 
 the adhesive being disposed on the second side of the first substrate below the score line; and    the spacing portion of the first substrate being folded over so that at least a section thereon is bonded to the second side of the first substrate by the adhesive, with the folded over spacing portion forming a raised layer, relative to adhesive exposed adjacent thereto, which defines the standoff element and which has a thickness sufficient to space the adhesive exposed from the mounting substrate in the absence of the threshold level of pressure.    
   
   
       61 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the standoff element comprises a layer of masking material applied over portions of the adhesive.  
   
   
       62 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the pressure layer comprises: 
 a recess formed on the second side of the first substrate, the first side of the first substrate having no surface discontinuities relative to the recess, and the adhesive on the second side of the first substrate is disposed only within the recess, the recess having a depth, relative to an unrecessed portion of the second side of the first substrate, which is sufficient to space the adhesive from the mounting substrate in the absence of the application of the threshold level of pressure.    
   
   
       63 . The sheet of  claim 62  wherein the first substrate has an upper edge, and wherein the recess has an upper border which extends along and is spaced from the upper edge of the first substrate.  
   
   
       64 . The sheet of  claim 63  wherein the first substrate has first and second side edges, and wherein the recess extends across the first substrate from first side edge to the second side edge thereof.  
   
   
       65 . The sheet of  claim 42  wherein the exposed pressure sensitive adhesive has an edge on the second side of first substrate, and wherein the pressure layer comprises: 
 a spacer layer of material on the second side of the first substrate adjacent the edge of the exposed pressure sensitive adhesive, the spacer layer having having a shape relative to the adhesive and having a height greater than a height of the adhesive, said shape and height of the spacer layer being sufficient to space the adhesive from the mounting substrate in the absence of the application of the threshold level of pressure.    
   
   
       66 . The sheet of  claim 54  wherein the first raised element is adjacent to and defines a first border for the pressure sensitive adhesive zone.  
   
   
       67 . The sheet of  claim 66  wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive zone is disposed on a first section of the substrate, and wherein the first section of the substrate is deformable such that a threshold level of pressure applied to the first side of the substrate brings the pressure sensitive adhesive zone into sheet-securing engagement with a mounting substrate.