EP0928701A2

EP0928701A2 - Dispensing adhesive peelable page markers

Info

Publication number: EP0928701A2
Application number: EP98308749A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Junichi c/o Ko-Pack Int.(Europe) Ltd. Kobayashi
Original assignee: Ko-Pack International (Europe) Ltd
Current assignee: Ko-Pack International (Europe) Ltd
Priority date: 1997-10-27
Filing date: 1998-10-27
Publication date: 1999-07-14
Also published as: EP0928701A3

Abstract

Method of making devices for dispensing adhesive peelable page markers, and such page markers themselves, provides a mounting for an assembly of such page markers. The page markers are arranged in the form of an array in which the page markers form a horizontally-extended stack disposed edge-to-edge or spaced apart. The arrays are assembled on the mountings by an in-line or all in-one-pass process of web merger. Also a page marking device for a multi-page printed products such as a magazine or journal, and a corresponding method of using same provides an adhesive mounting portion of the page-marking device which includes an extendable display element adapted to carry and display printed text, data or the like and which can be moved between an extended display position and a retracted or folded condition.

Description

A first aspect of this invention relates to a method of making devices for dispensing adhesive peelable page markers, and to such page markers themselves. The invention provides page markers which are particularly applicable to the convenient page-marking of magazines, journals, books such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias, trade catalogues, newspapers and the like. Indeed, this aspect of the invention is applicable to any multi-page printed or other product where there is a requirement for page marking to assist rapid page identification.
Previously proposed page markers have been provided comprising the usual assembly of multiple sheets, each provided with at least a zone or line of peelable adhesive whereby the individual markers can be peelably adhered to selected pages to provide the usual function.
The known products of this kind are usually supplied in the form of a block or stack comprising twenty five or fifty or more sheets, which can be peeled off one at a time and used for the purpose in question. Such an arrangement is a considerable advance over the use of non-adhesive slips of paper as bookmarks, but it suffers from the limitation that it frequently happens that a book or magazine or newpaper user does not have access to such a supply of page markers just when he or she needs it, when reading or studying otherwise than at a desk or other location where a supply of office-type requisites can be conveniently stored.
Accordingly, a requirement has been identified for a more convenient supply of page markers applicable to magazines, journals, books, newspapers etc, and it is this field with which the present invention is principally concerned, although it may find application in related fields.
An existing proposal to meet this particular requirement is the provision of a dispensing device in which a small supply of page markers is provided in an envelope format dispensing device which is formed with a slit or slot in the envelope, such slit or slot being disposed generally horizontally when mounted on the page of the book or magazine, and the envelope being provided internally with a small supply of adhesive peelable page markers arranged in a vertical stack, with the successive markers being adhesively linked to each other so that the manual withdrawal of a given one through the slit or slot causes the next marker to be pulled outwards until it partly emerges through the slit or slot and disengages from the marker being dispensesd, whereby the particular marker removed is ready for adhesion to a page, and the next marker is projecting outwardly, ready for the dispensing operation to be repeated.
Such an arrangement is satisfactory in some respects. Namely that each page marker is rendered highly accessible by virtue of its outward projection from the dispensing slit or slot. However, the dispensing device itself has a significant thickness due to the thickness of the vertical stack of markers and which is accentuated by the mechanical/adhesive relationship between successive markers, and likewise by the dispensing envelope itself, whereby the assembly is not particularly well adapted for use in mass circulation publications which of necessity are handled in stacks consisting of many tens of publications, whereby the localised internal thickness or width of the page marker dispensing device serves to cause instability, lack of uniformity, potential damage to adjacent pages, and related shortcomings. Additionally, the method of manufacture of this prior proposal is inevitably complex and therefore relatively uneconomic for mass circulation publications which require a dispensing device of considerable simplicity and offering economy of production.
Accordingly, we have identified a need for a method and a product related to the dispensing of adhesive peelable page markers, offering improvements in relation to one or more of the matters discussed above, or indeed generally.
According to the invention there is provided a method and a device and a product as defined in the accompanying claims.
In an embodiment of the invention an assembly of adhesive peelable page markers comprises an array of at least two such markers disposed in a horizontally-extended stack and with at least the major part of their non-adhesive surfaces exposed. The page markers are disposed in edge-to-edge or indeed in spaced-apart relationship and carried on a mounting which may comprise a page or card for a magazine, book, catalogue etc, and which may be bound into such a multi-page article. In another embodiment, the mounting comprises a page of a booklet label, and the latter is itself caused to be adhered to a relevant page of a multi-page article in which the page markers are to be used. In this way, the use of an array of page markers disposed as a horizontally-extending stack rather than a vertically-extending stack enables the page markers themselves to present a flat and generally linear surface to face the adjoining page, and the page markers thus adding only a one-layer thickness addition to the page in question, and thus without the localised and disruptive vertical stack which has been characteristic of prior art proposals. The present invention is not strictly limited to the provision of only a one-layer thickness of page markers, and (depending upon the materials used therefor, and its laminar thickness) the invention contemplates two or three or slightly more layers, but in each case, the page markers of each layer are disposed in the described horizontally-extended stack, meaning that they are arranged either edge-to-edge or spaced apart a little, but in both cases they co-operate to provide a laterally-extended upwardly-facing surface to distribute the load applied when the magazine, journal, book etc is arranged as part of a vertical stack.
Turning now to the method of manufacture of the page marker dispensing device, this involves the use of web systems, and the merger of same, in a label-type press, or a similar press, so that the array of horizontally-extended stacks or assemblies of page markers are transferred to and carried on their associated mountings (for example, a page of a book, a card, or a page of a booklet label) by merger of a web of mounting elements and a web of arrays of page markers. For example, the web of page markers may comprise or even consist of a web of page marker material which is stamped and printed/coloured appropriately so that the web can be readily separated into edge-joined arrays of two or more such page markers disposed relative to each other in the defined manner. Such an arrangement of page markers can be readily separated into individual arrays at a relatively high speed, and these arrays can be simultaneously transferred in the web-merger process to the likewise rapidly incoming and merging web of mounting pages and cards or the like.
A second aspect of this invention relates to a method and apparatus for commercial labelling, tabbing, page-marking and the like.
An example of an application of the invention is to systems for the labelling and page-marking of commercial journals, periodicals, newspapers and other publications, notably systems in which the end-user of the publication in question has available to him/her a supply of adhesive and usually peelable page markers for application to chosen pages of the publication so that matters of interest can be more readily relocated for future reference and study.
Systems for the page-marking of books, journals and the like range from the well known Post-It (Trade Mark) notelets, as supplied by stationery stores, through to previously proposed systems for tabbing and page marking directories and other compendia of information, and representative examples of these are mentioned below.
US 5,411,168 and US 5,551,595 and US 5,518,144 and US 5,158,205 disclose systems for dispensing small vertical stacks of adhesive notepaper including a dispensing envelope with a slot between opposed flaps for sheet withdrawal in sequence from the stack. The systems provide convenience of dispensing which is counterbalanced by physical space requirements which impose limitations on the utility of the system for in-situ utilisation within journals, magazines and the like, due to the cumulative effect of the inevitable width requirements arising from the vertically-stacked configuration of the notelets and the associated dispensing envelope.
WO94/12357 discloses a device for marking pages and/or individual sections of an information carrier such as a book or directory and provides a sheet for carrying removable marking elements which can be peeled from the carrier and adhered to selected pages of the book, as shown in Fig 1 of the drawings.
US 4,680,210 discloses an elongate directional marker having a triangular head and an elliptical body. The markers are manufactured in an array by pattern-gluing adhesive stripes to a face stock, and laminating a liner to the face stock and die-cutting the markers out of the face stock so that the triangular heads of the markers are intermeshed in alternating orientation on the adhesive strips.
US 5,462,783 (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) discloses a label-dispensing sheet for incorporation within a book such as a telephone directory, dictionary or the like, and includes a facing sheet of heavy paper stock releasably secured to a relatively thin backing sheet or liner by a pressure sensitive adhesive and containing a series of alphabetical labels or tabs adapted to be applied to the pages of the book to designate the various alphabetical headings etc.
Thus, systems exist which permit tabbing and page-marking of journals, books and the like but we have identified a need for an improved system which meets the needs of the commercial product and/or service provider in terms of drawing attention to the relevant product and/or service indicia, preferably in a three-dimensional manner and preferably also without physical limitations in terms of product dimensions (notably depth when secured between successive pages of a publication), and/or which is able to offer the facility of a tabbing function in combination with a labelling or information function relating to a product and/or service.
According to the invention there is provided a method and apparatus as defined in the accompanying claims.
In an embodiment of the invention described below, there is provided a method for creating a three-dimensional presentation of a product and/or service indicia wherein a mounting for a series of adhesive page-markers or notelets is provided, to which the markers are peelably secured and which carry the relevant product and/or service name or indicia for peelable adhesive application to various selected pages at differing locations within the depth (front-to-back) of the corresponding book or journal. As a result, after application of the page markers to the pages of the book or journal at said spaced locations, there is produced an array of projecting page-markers or tabs, each carrying the relevant product or service name or indicia, for future reference by the user.
In the embodiment the indicia or name-carrying page markers are initially provided as a horizontally-extended array on a mounting which is surfaced with release material to promote easy peeling of the page markers for use. The mounting for the page markers carries related product and/or service identification or technical/ commercial information which is commercially linked with the relevant product or service name or indicia carried on the page markers themselves. Typically, the page -markers will be mounted on an advertising zone in the publication and after being peelably removed for page-marking purposes and after being affixed to chosen pages of the publication, the result is that the product or service name or indicia is now carried at several locations on the external surface of the publication and in a prominent manner so that the same or other users of the publication thereby have the particular product or service identification drawn to their attention significantly more effectively then would otherwise be the case. Moreover, this is achieved without any significant additional expense in terms of the advertisement itself, and the three-dimensional effect is created by the user her or himself, which likewise is directly cost effective for the commercial organisation concerned.
In another embodiment of the invention described below there is provided a significantly modified format of page-marking or tabbing device in which the name or indicia-bearing aspects of the preceding embodiment described above are further enhanced. More specifically, in this embodiment the page-marking or tabbing device is in a hybrid format which incorporates both a tabbing or page-marking element which, in use, is adapted to project laterally outwardly from the edge of a page so as to provide the tabbing or page-marking function. However, in combination with this function there is also provided an extended function in relation to the main body of the page-marker or tab, which is adhesively securable to a page to be marked. By providing additional and foldable elements as part of the main structure of the page marker or tab there is created a new page-marking or tabbing product which offers entirely new opportunities for the product or service provider to bring that product or service to the attention of the end user.
Thus, in the case of this embodiment, not only does the end user have the opportunity to carry out the page-marking function (as in the preceding embodiment) using tabs or page markers which themselves, in their projecting and page-marking portion, carry a name or indicia relating to the relevant product or service, but in addition there is provided the complementary function and commercial opportunity to provide in the adjacent portion of the product supporting and complementary textual and/or graphic information serving to amplify the relevant characteristics of the identified product and/or service.
Thus, in one embodiment, the page marker is a hybrid structure which incorporates not only a page-marking and product or service-identifying projecting tab, but also an integrally-formed booklet label which is readily opened to provide amplification of the data relating to the product or service concerned. The booklet label carries at its reverse side the relevant peelable adhesive whereby the assembly is readily secured to the chosen page at a chosen location for page-marking purposes. However, when so-located the booklet label is available to be opened for further investigative interaction with the book or journal reader in confirmation of the interest initially created by the page marker or tab itself.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig 1 shows a perspective view of a multi-page book or magazine incorporating a device for dispensing adhesive peelable page-markers in accordance with the invention;
Fig 2 show a perspective view of the device of Fig 1 prior to assembly in the book or magazine;
Fig 3 shows an array of three sample page-marking devices for use in the manner shown in Figs 1 and 2 and incorporating product and/or service indicia in the upper tab or projection portions of the page-markers;
Fig 4 shows another array of page-marking devices which, in this embodiment, comprise folded display portions forming part of a booklet label construction which is openable in the manner illustrated in Fig 5 and also has, projecting laterally thereof, the darker tab or projection portions seen at the right hand side in Fig 4;
Fig 5 shows somewhat diagrammatically the internal structure of the booklet label portion of each of the four page markers seen in Fig 4 and illustrating the manner in which these can be opened and closed for display purposes; and
Fig 6 shows a flow diagram illustrating the manner of manufacture of the products of Figs 1 to 5.
As shown in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings, a device 10 for dispensing adhesive peelable page markers 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 comprises a mounting 36 for an assembly of the page markers, such mounting 36 providing access to the page markers for manual removal by peeling, for peelable adhesive attachment to a printed or other page to act as a marker therefor.
The assembly of page markers 12 to 34 is provided in the form of an array of 12 such page markers disposed in a horizontally-extended stack with the individual markers arranged edge-to-edge (but it would be possible for them to be disposed in at least partially overlapping arrangement) with their non-adhesive surfaces 38 exposed and facing upwardly.
Turning now to further details of the construction of the main elements of device 10 mentioned above, we consider first the device 10 itself. In this embodiment, device 10 is in the form of a page for a book or magazine in which mounting 36 comprises a paper page 40 which is bound into book or magazine 42 in the same manner as any other page, using adhesives and/or thread-type binding techniques as is wellknown in the art. Page 40 comprises a binding strip 44 for this purpose.
It will be understood that mounting 36 may comprise any suitable materials for the application in question, ranging from various grades of paper through plastics sheet to card where appropriate. In some cases, according to market requirements, a publication may conveniently be provided with an inserted and separable card which otherwise is constructed in a similar manner to page 40, but is not bound into the magazine, and may include advertising or other commercial material printed thereon.
As shown in Figs 1 and 2, the adhesive peelable page markers 12 to 34 are provided in the form of an array 46 of such page markers which are of elongated rectangular format with their longitudinal edges 48 disposed in horizontal edge-to-edge relationship as a continuous strip 50 extending lengthwise of page 40 from near the top edge 52 to near the bottom edge 44.
Each page marker is formed of a light duty paper or plastics sheet material and may be coloured at its outer end 56 (to enhance its page marking visual characteristics), and is provided with a layer of peelable adhesive 58 on one side only at its other or inner end for adhesion purposes. The portion of each page marker which, in use, will be within and between the book or magazine (usually about three quarters of the length of the page marker) may be transparent, and likewise the adhesive 58 may be transparent or translucent, so as to permit reading through it if by accident or design it is placed over any printed material 60 while in use. Printed material 62 (below page markers 12 to 34 may be provided relating to the mode of use of the page markers, or to any related commercial concept. For example, a page marker itself or text printed on its mounting page or card could relate to a particular item in that particular publication, so that the reader is invited to place the page marker on an identified page of the publication, which page relates to a particular technical or commercial subject.
Turning now to the manner of manufacture of the device 10 and its adhesive peelable page markers 12 to 34, the process is generally as follows.
With regard to the apparatus to be employed for manufacturing purposes, we make reference to our own published European patent EP 0324764 B (our reference P50746EP) which relates to the in-line and all-in-one pass manufacturing technique for labels and like products utilised in the label presses of Ko-Pack International (Europe) Ltd and the entire disclosure in our prior EP specification is incorporated herein by reference for disclosure purposes.
The manufacturing technique for the dispensing device 10 of the present invention comprises providing two webs which are merged or joined in the label press so that there are produced individual mountings 36 carrying arrays 46 of page markers 12 to 34 in accordance with the principles of the invention described above and as shown in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings.
Thus, with regard to the provision of the arrays of the page makers, a first longitudinally-extending web is provided for carrying multiple arrays of the adhesive peelable page markers disposed in succession lengthwise. In the embodiment, this web is formed from the page marker sheet material, provided in the form of a web, and coated with adhesive and die-cut as part of the in-line process. The die-cut web is then caused to separate into arrays or strips of twelve individual page markers 12 to 34, which are separated from each other and transferred to their respective mountings 36, as part of the in-line process.
As to the mountings 36, these are likewise provided in the form of a web. In the case where device 10 comprises paper pages for a magazine, then the corresponding web is of paper which is duly printed, and if necessary adhesively coated along binding strips 44 if appropriate, printed at 60 and 62 and die-cut for page separation prior to merger with the first web, at which stage the arrays 46 of page markers are transferred to their individual pages 40, whereupon these pages are immediately available for binding purposes, which can follow immediately, or else can be performed as an entirely separate operation.
As shown in Figs 1 and 2, the arrays of page markers 12 to 34 provide a convenient and very accessible source for a small supply of page markers, such as will be well sufficient for the purposes of a single publication. These are provided on a page which carries a single-thickness half-page width zone of markers, which thus presents a uniform and generally flat surface to co-operate with the adjacent page 64 of the magazine or book 42. The individual page markers are readily removed by lifting the non-adhesive ends (remote from the spine of the book) in the manner shown for page marker 34 in Fig 1.
In the case where the mounting 36 is a card or part of a booklet label, the manufacturing process is substantially the same, but with the substitution of the appropriate alternative sheet material for the paper web which in the above embodiment provides book or magazine page 40.
It is to be understood that the general arrangement described thus-far in relation to Figs 1 and 2 is intended to provide a general disclosure relating to one mode of use of the page-marking devices in relation to the pages of a book or other publication. The details of the actual structure of the page-markers themselves is to be understood to be in accordance with matters described below in relation to Figs 3, 4 and 5.
Thus, as shown in Fig 3, a page-marking device 100 for a multi-page printed product such as the magazine or journal seen in Fig 1 is adapted to be peelably adhesively securable to selected pages of said magazine or journal with a tab or projection portion or element 102 projecting outwardly from an edge of a page of the journal to provide the page-marking function.
Page-marking devices 100 each comprise an adhesive mounting portion 104 which itself comprises an adhesive strip or sheet element 106 having an adhesively treated face (the lower face in Fig 3) to effect the peelable adhesion to a selected page of the journal.
The tab or projection element 102 of each device 100 is generally coplanar with the mounting portion 104 and projects laterally of the mounting portion when the latter is affixed to a selected page of the journal.
As also shown in Fig 3, page-marking device 100 includes, on each such device, indicia material in the form of text 108 and graphics 110 for identifying a related product and/or service. Moreover, it will be noted that in the embodiment of Fig 3 the textual indicia material 108 is located on the tab element 102 of each of the devices 100 whereby, in use, an end user applying the devices 100 to the pages of a book or journal as shown in Fig 1 will effect 3-dimensional display of the indicia material.
Turning now to the embodiment of Figs 4 and 5, this comprises a related structure which is numbered in a corresponding manner to the embodiment of Fig 3 but with the numerical indication of parts increased by 100. Thus the page-marking devices in Fig 4 are identified a 200, their tabs at 202, the adhesive mounting portions at 204, the strip or sheet elements at 206, the text (Japanese text) at 208, and the graphics at 210.
In this embodiment the structure of the mounting portion 204 differs significantly from that of the embodiment of Fig 3 in that it is constructed in accordance with the structure shown in Fig 5 in which two extendable display elements 212, 214 are provided which are adapted to carry and display printed text or data or graphics thereon and which can be displayed in the extended configurations shown in Fig 5, or the relatively confined and non-extended or retracted condition shown in Fig 4.
As can be readily seen in Fig 5, display element 212 comprises folded portions 216, 218, 220 which can be folded downwards as indicated in Fig 5 to a fully flat condition in which they are retained in position by display element 214, which is the upper face of the device 200 as seen in Fig 4. A rupturable perforation strip may be provided between edges 222 and 224 or a line of peelable adhesive may be provided on one of these faces, adjacent the edge.
In use, page marker device 200 is affixed to a page of the book or journal with the tab 202 projecting from the edge of the page and the openable booklet label structure provides information relating to a product advertised on the mounting page seen in Fig 1. The printed matter within the extendable structure relates to the relevant product or service which the user has identified on the page seen in Fig 1 and provides further confirmation of required data relating thereto.
Turning again to the method of production of the page-marking devices and their mountings, as shown in Fig 6, this comprises the steps shown at A to E on the left hand side in Fig 6 for producing the page marker mountings, and the steps C to H for production of the page-marker arrays, followed by their in-line web merger at J.
The production of the page-marker mountings commences at A with a web of sheet material for the mountings which at B is subjected to the successive printing and die-cutting functions which are a feature of the programme of text/graphics and size data of control programme C. The steps are carried out in apparatus as described, for example, in our own published European patent EP 0324764 B (our reference P50746EP) which relates to the in-line and all-in-one pass manufacturing technique for labels and like products utilised in the label presses of Ko-Pack international (Europe) Ltd. The entire disclosure in our prior EP specification is incorporated herein by reference for disclosure purposes.
The result of the printing and die-cutting functions at B (carried out at more than one location within the in-line press) produces the defined page marker mounting product at D leading to the web of printed page marker mountings at E.
Likewise, at steps F, G and H in Fig 6 the page-markers themselves are produced from a web of page-marker sheet material at F which is printed and adhesively treated and die-cut at steps F and G, thus being effected in the press of our prior patent, to produce the web of horizontally-extended arrays of page-markers at step H.
Then, the assembly of the respective webs of page-marker mountings and the horizontally-extended arrays of page-markers are merged at J to produce the web of page-marker arrays on printed/die-cut mountings shown at K. It is these assemblies which are then mounted in the printed journals, books or magazines as described above.
Many modifications can be made by the person skilled in the art within the scope of the claims hereof, including modifications to the structure and format of the individual page markers, the numbers of these, the spacing of these, the disposition on the page or card and other like modifications. In the case where a booklet label is used to provide the dispensing device, of course the number of page markers within the booklet is controlled by the available space and thus the size of the booklet itself.

Claims

A method of making devices for dispensing adhesive page markers, said devices comprising:

a) a mounting for, and an assembly of, adhesive and peelable page markers;

b) said mounting providing access to said adhesive and peelable page markers for manual removal by peeling for peelable adhesive attachment to a page to serve as a marker therefor;

c) said assembly of adhesive and peelable page markers comprising an array of at least two adhesive and peelable page markers disposed in a horizontally-extended stack and generally with least at the major part of their non-adhesive surface exposed; and

d) said method comprising providing a first longitudinally-extending web carrying multiple arrays of said adhesive peelable page markers disposed in succession lengthwise thereof; and

e) said method further comprising a second longitudinally-extending web carrying multiple items of said mounting for an assembly of adhesive peelable page markers, said mountings being disposed in succession lengthwise of said web; and

f) said method further comprising merging said first and second webs and causing said arrays of adhesive peelable page markers to be carried on said mountings therefor.
A method according to claim 1 characterised by said mounting comprising a page or card for a magazine or book or dictionary or encyclopaedia or the like, and said method comprising the step of binding said page or card into said magazine or book or the like.
A method according to claim 1 characterised by said mounting comprising a page of a booklet label and said method comprising adhering said booklet label to a page of a magazine or book or the like.
A device for dispensing adhesive peelable page markers, said device comprising:

a) a mounting for, and an assembly of, adhesive and peelable page markers;

b) said mounting providing access to said page markers for manual removal by peeling for peelable adhesive attachment to a printed or other page to act as a marker therefor;

c) said assembly of adhesive or peelable page markers comprising an array of at least two page markers disposed in a horizontally-extended stack and disposed generally with at least the major part of their non-adhesive surface exposed.
A device according to claim 4 characterised by said mounting comprising a page or card for a magazine or book or the like, and adapted to be bound into such page or book or the like.
A device according to claim 4 characterised by said mounting comprisng a page of a booklet label which booklet label is adapted to be adhered to a page of a magazine, book or the like.
A page-marking device for a multi-page printed product such as a magazine or journal and adapted to be peelably adhesively securable to selected pages of said printed product with a tab or projection element thereof projecting laterally outwardly from an edge of a page of said journal to provide said page-marking function, said page-marking device comprising:

a) an adhesive mounting portion comprising an adhesive strip or sheet element having an adhesively treated face to effect said peelable adhesion to a selected page; and

b) a tab or projection element which in use is generally coplanar with said mounting portion and projects laterally thereof when the mounting portion is affixed to a selected page;
characterised by

c) said mounting portion comprising, in addition to having said tab or projection element projecting laterally thereof, an extendable display element adapted to carry and display printed text or data or graphics or colour thereon which can be displayed in the extended configuration of said display element or relatively confined in the non-extended or retracted condition thereof.
A page-marking device according to claim 7 characterised by said display element forming one portion of an openable booklet label construction.
A method of producing a three-dimensional display of textual and/or graphic material comprising a product and/or service indicia, the method comprising :

a) providing printed matter comprising said indicia; and

b) causing said printed matter and indicia to be adhered to a product at three-dimensionally disposed locations thereon;
characterised by

c) providing said printed matter in the form of an array of page-markers adapted to be adhesively secured to the pages of a book or other publication;

d) said page-markers comprising adhesive portions to adhere to a page of a book or the like and tab or projection portions adapted to project laterally outwardly from the pages of a book or other publication when secured thereto by said adhesive portions; and

e) said tab or projection portions carrying said product and/or service indicia as printed textual and/or graphic data located on said tabs or projections; and

f) said method comprising the step of causing said array of page markers or tabs to be mounted within or on a book or other publication having an appreciable depth in terms of stacked pages and making apparent to an end user of the publication the intended function of said page-markers or tabs as such, whereby they become distributed at three-dimensionally disposed locations on various pages of said publication.
A method according to claim 9 characterised by said page-markers' adhesive portions comprising a label structure carrying printed graphic and/or textual matter related to said indicia.