Printed matter – Having revealable concealed information – fraud preventer or... – By removeable material
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-14
2003-03-18
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3722)
Printed matter
Having revealable concealed information, fraud preventer or...
By removeable material
C083S678000, C083S695000, C083S862000, C283S081000, C283S098000, C283S108000, C283S904000, C428S042200, C428S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533325
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to business forms which include an identification or promotional card for advertising, insurance, membership, and many other identification or promotional functions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of cards, cards are either affixed onto the form or they are an integral part of the form. It is well known in the forms industry to attach a plastic (or other suitable material) laminate onto a paper form using an adhesive which adheres the laminate sufficiently to the form to allow normal machine handling (printing, folding, etc.) and yet allows the card to be removed or peeled off by the recipient or end user. Such cards are often referred to as “affixed cards” and the material for such cards may be polyvinyl chloride, vinyl, and many other plastics, or even paper, with thicknesses typically between approximately 0.008 and 0.035 inch (8 to 35 mils).
In many applications, it is desirable to add printing or other data to the exposed surface of the card after it is adhered to the paper form but still in the machinery making the form (e.g., in-line printing). The stiffness of the card due to its thickness and material, the removable or peelable nature of the affixed card, and the height of the card above the supporting form can interfere with the printing process. Laser printers, for example, may jam or even become damaged when processing forms with affixed plastic cards. The raised edges of the card may catch on surfaces in the printer or the card may unintentionally come off the form (called “pre-dispensing”) as the form traverses the non-linear paper path inside the printer.
Attempts have been made to improve the laser printability of affixed cards by recessing the cards into the form. One example recesses the card into a hole which is die-cut into the form. Two continuous ribbons of tape retain the card once it is placed in the die-cut aperture. This card is a separate piece added to a business form, as distinguished from a technique known a “integral” cards, discussed below, in which the card substrate is formed from the material of the business form itself. Other attempts to render affixed cards more amenable to modern in-line printers build up a separate layer of paper surrounding the cards or debosses the paper sheet to form a recess to receive the card to provide a smoother, less abrupt transition from the surface of the form to the surface of the card (on which it is desired to print).
Integal cards (also known as integrated cards) were developed to provide an identification card function with alternate materials and to improve compatibility with laser printers. Integral cards can be less costly than affixed cards and typically provide improved laser printer compatibility because the height of the print surface of the card relative to the surface of the form is reduced. The terms “integral” and “integrated” refer to the fact that at least one layer of a card is made of the form material itself. Prior integral cards include one in which a portion of the form receives at least one plastic laminate on at least one surface of the form (although integral cards may also be provided without laminates). The plastic laminate is often polyester with a thickness of approximately 1 to 5 mils. Other laminates may also be selected with different stiffness, transparency, ink or toner receptivity, cost and other characteristics. The laminate is bonded to the surface of the form, typically by a pressure-sensitive adhesive, although many different types of adhesive may be employed.
The form and laminate are then perforated in a closed path within the perimeter of the laminate to define an integral card. The central portion within the perimeter of the die-cut perforation defines an integral card portion; and the perimeter portion outside the die-cut and within the boundary of the lamination defines a border or frame portion. Again, the terms “integral” and “integrated” refer to the fact that the form ply itself provides one layer of the resultant card, as opposed to an affixed card which adheres a separate card onto a surface of the form and the form merely acts as a carrier.
The perforation of prior art perforated integral cards (as distinguished from “peel-out” cards, to be described below) typically extends continuously around the intended perimeter of the card and provides ties or connections between the card portion and the border portion. These ties typically measure about 0.008 inch (8 mils) wide or wider and are as thick as the combined thickness of the form stock and the laminates. As used herein, the “width” of a tie in a perforated card is the distance between adjacent perforations, and the “thickness” is the dimension of the tie parallel to the cutting motion of the perforator. To provide sufficient structure to secure the card to the form in “perforated” cards, there are typically six to eight ties per inch of perimeter of the die-cut perforation, but the number of ties per inch may vary considerably.
A major drawback to the prior art perforated integral card is that the ties are quite strong, especially when the card is laminated with one or two plastic layers. The strength of the ties makes it difficult for the end user to separate the card from the form. The ties must be broken or torn as the card portion is pushed out of the form. Also, the removed card shows evidence of the torn ties. The torn ties are unsightly and the edge of the card feels rough to the touch. The torn ties may even cause abrasions to the skin when polyester is used as the laminate layer or layers.
Another attempt to improve the integral card disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,497 is referred to herein as a “peel-out” card. It involves special, usually proprietary materials providing a peel interface to hold the card in the business form until use. As opposed to rupturing perforations to remove the card out from the die-cut opening in the form, “peel-out” approaches provide an integral card which can be removed by peeling the card out of the die-cut opening using a special series of laminates and adhesives to obviate the use of perforations. The special series of laminates consists of
(i) a backer ply;
(ii) a plastic laminate;
(iii) an adhesive or other means to bond the backer ply to the plastic laminate while permitting the two to be separated by a peeling action (the peel interface); and
(iv) a pressure-sensitive adhesive to bond the plastic laminate to the form.
The special series of laminates are applied to a portion of the form sheet and a perimetrically continuous (or “closed”) die-cut defines the card portion and a frame portion. In this case, however, the die has a uniform cutting edge, not a notched perforator edge; and it penetrates the form and plastic laminate, but not the backer layer. The backer layer is the tying or connecting medium which secures the card in place during subsequent processing. The die-cut card portion is secured to the backer ply until it is peeled out. In some cases, a few (approximately four to eight) weak ties may interrupt the otherwise continuous die-cut and provide additional means (besides the peel bond to the backer ply) to retain the card portion on the form so it does not separate during processing in laser printers. The “peel-out” structure also includes an integral card with a patterned bonding layer between the backer and the laminate to make it easier initially to peel-out or break-out the card while providing sufficient bond to retain the card during processing, especially in a laser printer.
The special series of laminates and adhesives providing peel interfaces are proprietary items available from a limited number of suppliers. These materials are typically expensive and may not have uniform peel-out characteristics from one product or batch to another, and they do not provide a practical way for the form manufacturer to control or change the peel-out characteristic, as would be desirable. Another disadvantage of the peel-out card is that it requires very precise control of the depth of the
Carter Monica
Emrich & -Dithmar
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Tamarack Products Inc.
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