Coating apparatus – Rubbing transfer of solid coating material onto work
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-12
2003-07-29
Edwards, Laura (Department: 1734)
Coating apparatus
Rubbing transfer of solid coating material onto work
C118S257000, C156S577000, C156S579000, C242S588300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599363
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the construction of a coating film transfer tool for use in transferring a transfer layer provided on one side of a tape in a strippable state to a coating film receiving surface, and more particularly to a coating film transfer tool which can easily attain the replacement of a coating film transfer tape that has been used up with as few operations as possible.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a plurality of types of coating film transfer tools have been devised for use in transferring repairing paint or an adhesive layer to the surface of a piece of paper or the like.
These coating film transfer tools are mainly divided into products of a disposable type and products of a replaceable type in which a coating film transfer tape that has been used up is replaced with a refill coating film transfer tape for reusing the tool. With products like those of the former disposable type, since the internal construction of the coating film transfer tool can be made simple, products can be produced and provided at relatively low cost but lots of wastes are produced. Thus, there has existed a problem from viewpoints of conservation of resources and reduction in amount of wastes to be discharged.
To this end, in recent years attention is paid to coating film transfer tools of the replaceable or refilling type, but the following problems are provided by products currently sold in the market place.
Since the refilling type coating film transfer tool is intended to conserve the resources and to reduce wastes, it is ideal that only a used-up coating film transfer tape is replaced with no other accessory members existing which are to be replaced together with the used-up tape. However, since the replacement of only the coating film transfer tape is difficult to be implemented by the user with ease, in practice, certain members have to be replaced together with the used-up coating film transfer tape. Looking carefully at products currently marketed discloses the fact that quite a lot of constituent members are practically replaced together with a used-up coating film transfer tape, although it is desirable that the number of constituent members to be replaced together with a used-up coating film transfer tape is as low as possible.
For example,
FIG. 21
shows a refill coating film transfer tape
800
according to an invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-286927. To explain specifically with reference thereto, conventionally there have been marketed many products in which a coating film transfer tape is provided as a cartridge with a view to facilitating the replacement of coating film transfer tapes. In such a product, normally replaced are a coating film transfer tape
805
, a core
801
for the coating film transfer tape, a take-up reel
802
, a cartridge base
803
, a transfer head
804
and the like. To observe the operation of the coating film transfer tape here, the coating film transfer tape is supplied by the supply reel, a coating film is transferred by the head and the transfer film is taken up by the take-up reel. Since these operations are carried out in a series fashion, it is true that constituent members related to the series of operations are integrated into a cartridge with a view to facilitating the replacement of coating film transfer tapes. However, replacement of many members which still function properly together with a used-up coating film transfer tape is totally a waste, and such replacement does not seem to meet the original object to conserve the resources and reduce wastes.
In addition, even among the cartridge type refilling products, there are those having a simple construction and fewer constituent members to be replaced. However, with those products, operations needed to complete the replacement often tend to become more complicated by an extent to which the number of members to be replaced is reduced.
To cope with this, techniques were devised for eliminating the drawback of the aforesaid cartridge type coating film transfer tool. For example, the invention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-2724 is one of them.
As shown in
FIG. 22
, a transfer head
900
and a supporting arm
901
for supporting the transfer head
900
are provided integrally rotatably on a coating film transfer tool according to this invention, and as shown in
FIG. 23
, a refill coating film transfer tape
1001
attached to a coating film transfer tape holder
1000
can easily be attached. Namely, when coating film transfer tapes are replaced, the head
900
and the arm
901
are rotated to produce a state shown in
FIG. 22
, in which state the refill coating film transfer tape
1001
fixed onto the holder
1000
and a take-up reel
1002
can be attached to a coating film transfer tool main body from thereabove. After the coating film transfer tape has been attached, when the head
900
and the arm
901
are rotated counterclockwise the coating film transfer tape is automatically set to the head and is also taken up to eliminate the slack of thereof, whereby the replacement of coating film transfer tapes can easily be implemented. In many cases, the largest concern of the user with the refilling type coating film transfer tools is that he or she has to engage a refill coating film transfer tape that has replaced the used-up one with the head. However, according to the aforesaid construction, the refill coating film transfer tape can be brought into engagement with the head without any special operation being performed by the user, and furthermore, the coating film transfer tape can also be automatically adjusted to eliminate the slack thereof. It can be said from this that the superior mechanism can be provided by the invention. In general, there is a tendency that the ease with which coating film transfer tapes are replaced is in contradiction to the number of constituent members to be replaced, and trying to limit the replacement work only to the replacement of a used-up coating film transfer tape while reducing the number of constituent members to be replaced forces the user to perform cumbersome operations such as manually engaging the coating film transfer tape with the head and then adjusting the take-up real to eliminate the slack of the tape. However, according to this invention, the necessity of performing such cumbersome operation can be obviated.
Furthermore, the constituent members to be replaced are limited to the coating film transfer tape, the take-up reel, the coating film transfer tape core and the holder, and therefore, conservation of the resources is achieved remarkably largely when compared with a product in which most of the internal mechanism of the coating film transfer tool are designed to be replaced.
However, there still exists a room for improvement even with such a product, and further conservation of the resources, reduction in amount of wastes, as well as simplification of operations required for replacement of coating film transfer tapes have been demanded. For example, with the prior art product, when coating film transfer tapes are replaced there are required to be operated five steps of {circle around (1)} opening the main body case, {circle around (2)} rotating the head and the arm, {circle around (3)} replacing coating film transfer tapes, {circle around (4)} rotating the head and the arm to be returned to the original positions, and {circle around (5)} closing the main body case. Although these operations are not difficult to operate once the user get used to performing them, the user is forced to feel it cumbersome to implement the operations, and hence there is a risk that a poor image may be imparted to the product.
Then, the present invention was made in view of the problem inherent in the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a coating film transfer tool which can implement the replacement of transfer tapes with as fewer operations as possible while the simplicity and convenience provided
Edwards Laura
Plus Stationery Corporation
Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman
LandOfFree
Coating film transfer tool and method for replacing coating... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Coating film transfer tool and method for replacing coating..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Coating film transfer tool and method for replacing coating... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3104561