Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – With work feeding or handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-06
2001-06-12
Sells, James (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
With work feeding or handling means
C156S522000, C156S579000, C156S582000, C100S176000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244322
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to master processing apparatuses, such as laminating and adhesive transfer apparatuses.
It is a common practice to protect documents and other items such as business cards by laminating them in clear plastic coverings. It is also a common practice to make articles such as stickers and labels by a process of adhesive transfer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,584,962 and 5,580,417 are directed to devices which are capable of performing both laminating and adhesive transfer operations.
The laminating or adhesive transfer operation performed by these devices, however, may result in a bending of the finished product because the product is allowed to fall downward as it is discharged from the device. Also, the finished product may be susceptible to curling caused by differences in shrinkage which occur in the manufacturing of substrate layers used to produce the final product. Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for a laminating and adhesive transfer apparatus which supports the finished product of a laminating or adhesive transfer operation in a generally horizontal orientation to prevent such curling or bending.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to meet the above-mentioned need. In order to achieve this object, there is provided a laminating and adhesive transfer apparatus for use with a pair of removable feed rolls. The removable feed rolls carrying a supply of stock material to be unwound. The apparatus comprises a frame constructed and arranged to removably mount the feed rolls. A pair of nip rollers are rotatably mounted to the frame. The nip rollers define a nip area therebetween with a feed side and a discharge side. An actuating mechanism is constructed and arranged to affect nip roller rotation. The frame is constructed and arranged such that, when the feed rolls are removably mounted thereto, a master can be inserted between the feed rolls, the stock materials can then be unwound from each of feed rolls so as to be disposed on opposing sides of the master, and the master and the stock materials can thereafter be fed together into the feed side of the nip rollers. The nip rollers are constructed and arranged to apply pressure to the master and stock materials being fed into the feed side of the nip rollers so as to perform a laminating or adhesive transfer process to the master and stock materials and subsequently discharge the processed master and stock materials outwardly from the discharge side. An exit tray provides a substrate supporting surface positioned and configured to receive and support the processed master and stock materials being discharged from the nip rollers in a substantially flat relation to thereby prevent downward bending of the processed master and stock materials.
It is also advantageous to sever the master and stock materials being discharged from the rollers. To this end, the present invention further provides a cutting assembly disposed on the discharge side of the nip rollers. The cutting assembly is positioned and configured to cut transversely through the processed master and stock materials being supported in substantially flat relation on the exit tray so as to separate a portion of the processed master and stock materials from the portion being discharged from the nip rollers. Preferably, the cutting assembly comprises a blade mounted for transverse cutting movement in a transverse direction of the tray and the tray comprises a groove formed in the substrate supporting surface and extending in the transverse direction. The blade is mounted such that a portion thereof extends into the groove and below the supporting surface, thereby enabling the blade to cut through an entire thickness of the processed master and stock materials during the transverse cutting movement.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a cutting assembly for severing the finished product. In the apparatuses of the '417 and '962 patents, the cutting blade is mounted on a pivoting arm. Manual movement pivots the arm to move the blade into engagement with an anvil. Although this arrangement does provide a cutting function, when the blade becomes dull it may not cut effectively through the entire product thickness, thus requiring second or third cutting movements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laminating and adhesive transfer apparatus with a cutting assembly configured to ensure that the entire thickness of the finished product is cut in one cutting stroke. In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a laminating and adhesive transfer apparatus for use with a pair of removable feed rolls. The removable feed rolls carry a supply of stock material to be unwound. The apparatus comprises a frame constructed and arranged to removably mount the feed rolls. A pair of nip rollers are rotatably mounted to the frame. The nip rollers define a nip area therebetween with a feed side and a discharge side. An actuating mechanism is constructed and arranged to affect nip roller rotation. The frame is constructed and arranged such that, when the feed rolls are removably mounted thereto, a master can be inserted between the feed rolls, the stock materials can then be unwound from each of the feed rolls so as to be disposed on opposing sides of the master, and the master and the stock materials can thereafter be fed together into the feed side of the nip rollers. The nip rollers are constructed and arranged to apply pressure to the master and the stock materials being fed into the feed side of the nip rollers so as to perform a laminating or adhesive transfer process to the master and stock materials and subsequently discharge the processed master and stock materials outwardly from the discharge side. A substrate supporting surface is positioned and configured to receive and support a portion of the processed master and stock materials being discharged from the nip rollers. A cutting assembly is disposed on the discharge side of the nip rollers. The cutting assembly is constructed and arranged to be moved in a transverse direction so as to cut through the processed master and stock materials being supported on the surface. The cutting assembly has a blade with a portion thereof extending downwardly below the supporting surface. The downward extent of the blade portion enables the blade to cut through an entire thickness of the processed master and stock materials during the aforesaid transverse cutting movement.
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Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Sells James
Xyron Inc.
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