The Dow Chemical Company

William D Carmody

William R Park

Gordon E Gould

Rolls of household or consumer type films or wrapping materials are provided with a curled leading edge that is ideally suited as a grasping tab for starting initial withdrawal of the film such as from a standard consumer type dispensing carton. The invention is applied to films exhibiting relatively high residual shrinkage or stress relaxation and is practiced by applying a coating to, or alternately solvent treating, the leading edge, in a manner that unbalances the rate of shrinkage at the opposite surfaces of the edge, thereby inducing a curling effect. Further attributes of such a starting feature would include easy identification of the leading edge, and the lessening of sensitivity to tear propagation such as from a notch or a like tear propagating flaw as may be left in the leading edge by the film cutter bar.

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Midland, MI, United States of America

William D Carmody