Incremental printing of symbolic information – Light or beam marking apparatus or processes
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-03
2004-06-22
Pham, Hai (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Light or beam marking apparatus or processes
C101S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06753895
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to product identification and more particularly to the ability to mark cold glass, such as cold glass picture tube components.
Marking of cold glass becomes even more challenging when subsequent downstream processing involves high temperature, e.g., Lehr processing of glass picture tubes. Another example is flat glass where individual pieces require bar code identification when they are cut from a larger parent piece. These pieces may be later tempered. If they are tempered, the markings must survive high annealing temperatures, e.g., about 600° C. A further example is individual piece identification of catalytic converter ceramic cores, which may need to survive high temperature (e.g., 600° C.) temperatures during downstream coating and curing processing.
Glass part manufacturers and processors require individual piece marking, which may be produced and/or applied on-site and, when used, provides high contrast (e.g., black/white) man readable and/or machine readable (e.g., bar code) indicia that can be read using standard readers (e.g., bar code readers).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,479,208 discloses labels that are produced onto hot (e.g., just out of the mold) glass components by a tape transfer technique. The present invention is addressed to the marking of a wide variety of relatively cooler (from ambient temperature to about 800° F.) glass pieces, which may or may not experience high temperature downstream processing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for marking cold (e.g., about room temperature to 800° F.) substrates (e.g., glass, ceramics, metals) commences by creating a tape of a carrier backing bearing a laser ablatable, non-tacky coating with optional barrier and release coatings between the carrier backing and the coating. The coating is laser ablated to form one or more of alphanumeric characters or graphics on the carrier backing. The ablated coating on the carrier backing is heated to form a tacky film of the coating on the carrier backing. The tacky film is roller transferred from the carrier backing onto a pliable transfer pad. Finally, the tacky film is roller transferred from the pliable transfer pad onto the cold substrate for its marking.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5333548 (1994-08-01), Fadner
patent: 6479208 (2002-11-01), Robertson
patent: 6516716 (2003-02-01), Robertson et al.
Infosight Corporation
Mueller and Smith LPA
Pham Hai
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