Method for Equipping a Carpet or a Planar Support with Electronic Components, Apparatus for the Method, and a Carpet or Planar Support Comprising Electronic Components

• US 20090117312A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Berker GmbH & Co. KG (Hager Tehalit Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Berker GmbH & Co. KG (Hager Tehalit Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Lauterbach, Christl, Peetz, Stefan, Hanelt, Matthias
• Application Number:
  US11/992,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117312A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/47
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 1/021 the label being applied by movement of the labelling head towards the article B65C1/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0003 Use of RFID labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/1826 the suction means being a movable vacuum arm or pad
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/1869 and being transferred directly from the backing strip onto the article
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/027 the material being suitable for use as a textile, e.g. woven-based RFID-like labels designed for attachment to laundry items markings attached to laundry items in general D06F93/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1335 Cutter also delivers cut piece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/163 Next to unitary web or sheet of equal or greater extent

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for equipping a carpet (3) with electronic components (2). In order to create a method which ensures that the electronic components can be applied to the carpet in an efficient and accurately locatable manner, the electronic components (2) that are fixedly joined to a support material are glued to the carpet (3) with the aid of the supports (4).

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. Method for equipping a carpet (3), which has a front side and a rear side (21), with electronic components (2), wherein the electronic components (2), which are fixedly connected to a component carrier material forming a component carrier (4), are adhered to the carpet (3) by means of the component carrier (4) after they have been separated from a carrier web (6), the electronic components (2) being in a component carrier (4) formed to be double-layered, and, for the adhering, either adhesive previously applied to the carpet is used or the adhesive is applied to the carrier web immediately before placing of the components (2) on the carpet backing (21) or the component carrier has a self-adhesive layer.

31. Method according to claim 30, wherein the components (2) are adhered to the rear side (21) of the carpet (3).

32. Method according to claim 30, wherein the components (2) are located between a first backing (23) and a second backing (24) of the carpet (3) or the planar support (3).

33. Method according to claim 30, wherein the components (2) are separated before the adhering by suitable severing of the component carrier material, whereby the component carriers (4) are formed, and the components (2) are adhered in a prescribed grid pattern to the carpet (3) or the planar support (3).

34. Method according to claim 33, wherein the severing of the component carrier (4) is effected between two carrier holding stations.

35. Method according to claim 30, wherein holding of the component (2) on a carrier holding station is effected by vacuum.

36. Method according to claim 30, wherein a separated component (2) is applied to the carpet (3) or the planar support (3) by means of a movable holding part.

37. Method according to claim 30, wherein in the case of a self-adhesive layer, this layer is initially provided with a covering and the covering is removed before application of the component (2) or the component carrier (4) to the carpet (3) or the planar support (3).

38. Method according to claim 30, wherein the components (2) are pre-mounted on a continuous carrier roll (5).

39. Apparatus (1) for application of electronic components (2) to a planar support (3), for example floor covering, in particular in the form of a carpet, film or paper, the components (2) being pre-mounted, applied to a continuous carrier web (6), and a separation station being subsequently associated with the carrier web (6), in order to separate the components (2), wherein the separating station consists of two support tables (7, 8), which are located one after the other in the direction (r) of transport of the carrier web (6), and that a cutting station (16) is located between the support tables (7, 8), that a handling device (17) is associated with the further support table (8), and that the handling device (17) transports the separated component (2) or its component carrier (4) from the further support table (8) to the carpet (3) or the planar support (3) by means of vacuum.

40. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein one support table (7, 8) has a drive roller (14).

41. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein one support table (7, 8) has a vacuum device (10).

42. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the handling device (17) transports the component (2) onto a rear side of the carpet (3) or the planar support (3).

43. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein application of adhesive to the component carrier (4) is effected on the further support table (8) in the course of advancing transport of the carrier (4).

44. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the component carrier (4) has a self-adhesive layer with a film covering, and that the film covering is removed in the region of the further support table (8).

45. Planar support (3), for example floor covering, in particular a carpet, film or paper, having a front side and a rear side and equipped with electronic components (2), the components being stuck onto the rear side of the planar support (3) by means of a component carrier (4), wherein the support has a first backing and a second backing, and that the components are located between the first backing and the second backing.

46. Support according to claim 45, wherein the components (2) are applied in a grid pattern having a regular longitudinal and transverse spacing.

47. Support according to claim 45, wherein the components (2) are applied by means of a component carrier (4) which is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the carpet (3).