Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1995-05-26
1999-04-20
Mayes, Curtis
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
1562722, 1562733, 1562755, 1562757, 156289, B32B 3124, B32B 3112
Patent
active
058955410
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet for transferring a relief pattern and to a method for transferring relief patterns using this sheet, and relates particularly to a technique for forming a relief pattern on this relief pattern transfer sheet and transferring this pattern to the decorated surface.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
When conventionally applying a relief pattern of raised letters, symbols, or other raised marks on a sign plate, watch face, or similar flat surface, one side of the base 70 being decorated is processed by a monolithic molding and drawing press to form a simplified character 71 as a raised impression, and the entire surface of base 70 is then coated (see prior art FIG. 9 (A)). When base 70 is plated rather than being coated, a transparent protective coating is applied to the surface of base 70 to protect or insulate the surface. In this case, that part of the protective coating layer corresponding to simplified character 71 is cut away using a diamond bit or is removed by grinding or polishing to expose the surface of base 70, and a decorative plating layer 72 is then formed.
Alternatively, as shown in prior art FIG. 9 (B), the surface of base 70 is finished as specified, and simplified character 71 is then formed as a raised impression by an embossing technique using a press. In this case, too, however, the surface (bare metal) of base 70 is exposed by cutting with a diamond bit or grinding, and a decorative plating layer 72 is then formed over the exposed area.
Note that in both methods shown in prior art FIGS. 9 (A) and (B), anodizing is used instead of plating when base 70 is aluminum.
With both of the methods shown in prior art FIGS. 9 (A) and (B), however, a profile is required for press molding or injection molding, but profiles used in such processes are expensive and require a relatively long time to manufacture. As a result, manufacturing small lots of many different products incurs relatively high costs with long delivery times. In addition, the use of a profile imposes strict limits on the product shape, e.g., manufacturing long, thin parts, finely detailed parts, and parts with complex relief patterns is difficult. In addition, because simplified character 71 is integral to base 70, it is difficult to use different finishing processes for base 70 and simplified characters 71.
Another method is shown in prior art FIG. 9 (C). In this method, holes 73 are formed in the face of base 70, and simplified character 74, which is formed separately from base 70 by a press, injection molding, or other process, is then implanted to holes 73 in base 70. In this method, the individually manufactured simplified character 74 is coated with the decorative finish 76 before being implanted to base 70. Note that pins 75 of simplified character 74 are treated with adhesive or are crimped or caulked to secure simplified character 74 in base 70.
The problem with this method is that a profile must be used to manufacture raised simplified characters 74, and as stated above such materials are expensive. In addition, processing and handling small components such as simplified characters 74 is tedious and time-consuming. In order to insert pins 75 to holes 73, it is also necessary to form pins 75 on simplified character 74, form holes 73 in base 70, and to position pins 75 to holes 73 with good precision. Each of these additional processes requires additional time.
A decorating method using relief pattern transfer sheet 80 as shown in prior art FIG. 10 (A) is described in Japanese patent laid-open number 1991-50000 as a method of resolving these problems. With this relief pattern transfer sheet 80, adhesive layer 82 and metal vapor deposition film 83 comprising plastic film 83a and metal vapor deposition layer 83b are laminated to the surface of parting sheet 81, and decoration is applied as follows.
First, an ink layer 85 of the specified pattern is formed on the surface side of metal vapor deposition film 83 using printing plate 84 as shown in prior art FIG. 10 (B).
REFERENCES:
patent: 3054175 (1962-09-01), Spreter
patent: 3721557 (1973-03-01), Inoue
patent: 4552829 (1985-11-01), Masaki
patent: 5232814 (1993-08-01), Graves et al.
Horiuchi Hideki
Iwanami Wataru
Kanai Taiyo
Kobayashi Koichi
Mayes Curtis
Seiko Epson Corporation
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