TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter described herein relates to a method of manufacturing a flexible film or multilayer laminated film tube with registered / unregistered hot foil stamping.
BACKGROUND
Decorative packaging, currency bills, labels, plastic or coated board containers, Tee shirts, leather garments, wallet, key chains and many other objects used in different applications often display patterns, images or text in shining metal look or in specific color on their surfaces. These applications include a colored or metallic hot stamping foil in place of ink for printing onto a substrate. Surface of a metallic hot foil stamping / printing plate is cast or engraved to provide raised or depressed or same level text, pattern or image and held by a heated fixture.
Flexible packaging tubes made from extrusion process as available in prior art are produced by surface printings or pasting preprinted stickers for explaining the product specification or with decorative images. The method of manufacturing such tubes by direct overlap sealing of outer and inner layers of web ends across its width also exists in the prior art, but this method is applicable only when outer and inner layer materials are suitable for joining together by heat or other means. These products do not have holographic image prepared by hot foil stamping/printing method.
The present subject matter overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by facilitating a flexible packaging tube made from flexible film/laminated film, with hot foil stamping / printing registered / unregistered already done on the web surface besides other printing.
SUMMARY
As per the present subject matter, flexible packaging tubes are made from single layer or multi layer laminated flexible, printed or unprinted, are hot foil stamped / printed

with or without Hologram. The hot foil stamping / printing on the web is registered or unregistered with respect to pre-printed text, images or holograms.
The subject matter describes making flexible tubes with hot foil stamped web with subject raised, same level or depressed surface on the web.
The substrate with registered / unregistered hot foil stamping / printing is in the form of continuous flexible film web in rolls, either of single layer or made of multiple layer laminate. The film layer(s) are made from polymeric materials, woven or non-woven materials.
The laminate web edges butting together may or may not get fused together depending upon the polymeric materials used in various layers of the film/laminate.
In one embodiment of the present subject matter, the tube is manufactured by joining the edges of the film/laminate. In this embodiment, the inner surface/layer is joined with outer surface/ layer by fixing a separate strip(s) of fine thickness overlapping said ends. The fine strip(s) can be fixed on outer surface or on inner surface or on both the surfaces of the film/laminate edges. The strip(s) may be of single layer film or may be multiple layer laminate.
In another embodiment of the subject matter, the tube is manufactured by joining the edges of the film/laminate explains the joining process of inner surface/layer with outer surface/ layer by overlaying of a thin strip embedded in the thickness of the outer surface /layer or in the inner surface/ layer or in both inner and outer surface/ layers.
In yet another embodiment of the present subject matter, the fine strip(s) may be prefixed on the film/laminate web, in which it is fixed therewith prior to the sealing of the butt edges for obtaining the tube. In this embodiment, the film/ laminate includes the fine strip protruding outside the edge of outer surface along the length of the web. The open end of the thin strip is subsequently sealed to the outer surface/layers of the other end of

the film/laminate, thereby covering the film/laminate butt edge portion to increase the sealing strength. The same process may be adopted in case of fixing the thin strip on inside surface of the film/laminate.
Further, in another embodiment, the thin strip may not be fixed with the film/laminate prior to the butt edge joint, and may be provided to the inner and outer surface/layer of the tube after the butt joining is done. The thin strip may be a single or multiple layer polymeric film suitable for sealing/fixing with respective surfaces of the film/laminate layers utilized for obtaining the tube. For example and by no way limiting the scope of the present subject matter, the thin strip may be single layer film of PE, PET, BOPP, PVC, CPP etc., or the strip may be multi layer film with the combination of two or more of any of PE, PET, BOPP, PVC, CPP, EVOH etc, depending upon requirement of the laminate, which is utilized for making the tube.
The hot foil printing can be registered with respect to any print already existing on the film or laminate web.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The aforementioned aspects and other features of the present disclosure will be explained in the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates the single layer & multi layer laminated flexible packaging films / materials & registration of imprint as substrate for making the tubular product.
Figures 2a to 2d depict the method of joining the edges of the film/laminate according to one embodiment of the present subject matter.
Figures 3a to 3c depict the method of joining the edges of the film/laminate according to another embodiment of the present subject matter.

Figures 4a to 4c depict two methods of fixing the thin strip(s) according to the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiments of the present subject matter are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present subject matter is not limited to these embodiments which are only provided to explain more clearly the present subject matter to the ordinarily skilled in the art of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals are used to indicate like components.
FIGURE 1 illustrates a single layer film (1) & multi layer laminated flexible packaging films / materials (2), (3), (4) & registration of imprint (8) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The single layer flexible film (1) is used in packaging application. Such film is made of one or more polymer or combinations of suitable polymers having only one layer. A multi layer laminate structure is shown as (5) where the flexible packaging film / material has one or more layers laminated together to form a single identity. Here (2), (3) & (4) are shown as three single layer films laminated together. Each layer is made of suitable polymer or combination of polymers depending upon the properties desired from the laminate like moisture barrier, opacity, strength, puncture resistance, impact strength, seal ability, printability, UV protection etc.
FIGURES 2a to 2d illustrate a tubular packaging showing the joining techniques for inner and outer surface of the film/laminate. As shown in figure (2a), the joining of the edges of the film/laminate is done by fixing a separate strip(s) "9" of fine thickness overlapping said ends "12". The fine strip(s) can be fixed on outer surface of the film/ laminate "10"as shown in figure "2b" or on inner surface of the laminate "11" as shown in figure "2c" or on both the surfaces as shown in figure "2d" of the film/laminate. The strip(s) may be of single layer film or of multilayer laminated film.

The material of outer and inner surface are having properties such that inner and outer surfaces can not join together, but a material on the fine strip surface can be joined with either inner surface or outer surface or both the surfaces of the substrate web.
Alternatively, suitable adhesives may be used between the fine strip surface and substrate web surface(s) to facilitate the joining of the substrate and fine film surface(s).
FIGURES 3a to 3c illustrate a tubular packaging showing the joining techniques of inner and outer surface of the film/laminate according to another embodiment of the present subject matter. The present embodiment explains the method of joining the edges of the film/laminate where the joining of inner surface/layer with outer surface/ layer is done by overlaying of a thin strip "9" as shown in the figure. Such strip is embedded only on the outer surface "10" only as shown in figure "3a" or only in inner surface "11", as shown in figure "3b" or in both inner and outer surfaces as shown in figure "3 c".
For configuring the tube via fixing or embedding the strip "9" as described earlier, the strip "9" may be prefixed/pre-embedded or post-fixed/post-embedded to the edge of the film/laminate, and will described with reference to FIGURES 4a to 4d.
FIGURES 4a and 4b illustrate the thin strip "9" prefixed or pre-embedded to edge of the film/laminate prior to configuring the tube. Specifically shown in FIGURE 4a, the thin strip "9" is fixed to a top surface of the edge of the film/laminate prior to configuring the tube. However, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the strip "9" may be fixed to a bottom surface and/or to the top and bottom surfaces both of the film/laminate for configuring the tube. Further, shown in FIGURE 4b, the thin strip "9" is embedded to the top surface of the edge of the film/laminate prior to configuring the tube. However, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the strip "9" may be pre-embedded to the bottom surface and/or to the top and bottom surfaces both of the film/laminate for configuring the tube.

Referring now to FIGURES 4c and 4d, the strip "9" is fixed over or embedded in the film/laminate after edges thereof are bought in proximity to each other to configure the tube. Specifically, shown in FIGURE 4c, the strip "9" is fixed to the top surface upon bringing the opposite edges proximate to each other. However, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, such strip may also be fixed to the bottom and to the top and bottom both upon bringing the opposite edges proximate to each other. Referring now to FIGURE 4d, the strip "9" is embedded to the top surface upon bringing the opposite edges proximate to each other. However, such strip may also be fixed to the bottom and to the top and bottom both upon bringing the opposite edges proximate to each other.

I/We claim:
1. A method of manufacturing a flexible film / laminate packaging tube or the like
provided with hot foil stamping, the method comprising:
adjoining opposite edges of the flexible film / laminate to each other; and providing at least one strip over the adjoining edges of the flexible film/ laminate.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edges of the flexible film are butt sealed.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible film comprises a single layer or multi layer laminated flexible, printed or unprinted film with or without a Hologram.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible film is made up of polymeric materials, woven or non-woven materials.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip is provided on the outer surface or inner surface or on both the surfaces of the film/ laminate overlapping the adjoining edges of the flexible film/ laminate.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip is embedded in the thickness of the outer surface or the inner surface or both surfaces of the film/ laminate, overlapping the adjoining edges of the flexible film / laminate.
7 The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip(s) is prefixed/pre-embedded with one edge of the flexible film/ laminate on outer or inner or both the surfaces of flexible film/ laminate.
8 The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip(s) is post fixed /post-embedded
on outer or inner or both the surface of flexible film/ laminate.
9 The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymeric material of the strip is
selected in such a manner that the strip gets sealed with the inner or outer or both
surfaces of the flexible film/ laminate.
10 The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip is adhered on the outer or
inner or both the surfaces of the flexible film/ laminate by means of adhesives.
11. A flexible packaging tube provided with hot foil stamping, the flexible packaging
tube comprising:
a flexible film having opposite edges; wherein the opposite edges of the flexible film are adjoined to each other and at least one strip is provided on the outer/inner or both the surfaces of the flexible film/ laminate overlapping the adjoining edges of the flexible film / laminate.