METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORATING ARTICLES

• US 3,718,517 A
• Filed: 02/19/1970
• Issued: 02/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas L. Berg
• Original Assignee: Thomas L. Berg
• Inventors: Berg, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borchelt, Benjamin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hanley, James M.
• Application Number:
  US05/012,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 156/230,234,238,240,361,384,475,540-542,566,567
• US Class Current: 156/234
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/14 on articles of finite length
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 19/06 Printing and embossing between a negative and a positive forme after inking and wiping the negative forme; Printing from an ink band treated with colour or "gold"
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2219/43 Three-dimensional articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1705 Lamina transferred to base from adhered flexible web or sheet type carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1771 Turret or rotary drum-type conveyor

Abstract

A method and apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article or ware wherein the article is initially positioned on a holding mandrel mounted to a rotary table while at a loading station. The article is subsequently advanced to a decorating station whereat a layer of transfer material is interposed between the article and a printing die. The transfer material is caused to engage the article being decorated with the die being moved across the outer surface thereof whereby a portion of the transfer material is caused to adhere to the article. Further means are provided to register the articles with respect to one another, accommodate surface irregularities on the article, permit uniform decorating of the article, accommodate tapered articles, allow for rapid changeover and adjustment of the machine, permit multi-color decorating, as well as others.

Claims

1. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article which comprises:

a. a rotary table for advancing the article to a decorating station;

b. at least one article holding means rotatably mounted to said rotary table;

c. a die disposed adjacent to said decorating station;

d. a layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

e. means for moving said die in a first direction toward the article to cause said layer of transfer material to engage the article being decorated; and

f. means for moving said die in a second direction along a substantially straight line in a path tangential to and across the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the article being decorated to cause at least a portion of said layer of transfer material to be transferred thereto.

2. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article which comprises:

a. a rotary table for advancing the article to a decorating station;

b. at least one article holding means rotatably mounted to said rotary table;

c. a die disposed adjacent to said decorating station;

d. a layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

e. means for moving said die in a first direction toward the article to cause said layer of transfer material to engage the article being decorated;

f. means for moving said die in a second direction along a substantially straight line in a path tangential to and across the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the article being decorated to cause at least a portion of said layer of transfer material to be transferred thereto; and

g. a pivotally adjustable mounting means for said die whereby the entire surface of said die may be adjusted with respect to the article so as to engage the outer surface of the article to be decorated.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for moving said die in a first direction comprises a pneumatic cylinder.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 which further includes resilient means interposed between said die and said pneumatic cylinder to permit relative movement between said die and the article being decorated thereby compensating for surface irregularities on the article being decorated.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means For moving said die in a second direction includes a drive means, a sprocket coupled to and driven by said drive means, and a chain engaging said sprocket and attached to said die.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said pivotally adjustable mounting means comprises a support plate for mounting said die, pivotal mounting means at one end of said support plate, and a screw adjustment means for pivoting said die with respect to said article holding means.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 which further includes means for heating said die, means for regulating the temperature of said heated die, and said layer of transfer material is adapted to be applied to the article upon the application of heat and pressure.

8. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article by means of the hot stamping process which comprises:

a. a rotary table disposed to rotate about a horizontal axis;

b. a plurality of mandrels extending along a horizontal axis and rotatably mounted to said rotary table for holding the articles to be decorated;

c. means for intermittently driving said rotary table to advance an article to a decorating station;

d. a substantially flat die having said flat portion thereof lying in a substantially horizontal plane and disposed adjacent to said decorating station, said die including on the flat surface thereof raised characters in the form of the design to be imparted to the article being decorated;

e. a horizontally disposed layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

f. means intermittently engagable with one of said plurality of mandrels for rotating said article mounted on said mandrel relative to said rotary table while at said decorating station; and

g. means interconnecting said plurality of article holding mandrels so that each of said mandrels is rotated simultaneously with said mandrel at said decorating station thereby registering each of the articles mounted on said mandrels with respect to one another.

9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said means for intermittently driving said rotary table comprises a drive means, and a geneva mechanism having one end thereof coupled to said drive means and the other end thereof coupled to said rotary table.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes a rotatable member engaging said layer of transfer material, and means interconnecting said rotatable member with said means for rotating said article relative to said rotary table so that said layer of transfer material is conveyed at substantially the same velocity as the outer surface of the article being decorated.

11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes means for moving said die across the outer surface of the article being decorated so that at least a portion of said layer of transfer material is transferred thereto.

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said means for moving said die across the outer surface of the article being decorated includes a drive means, a sprocket coupled to and driven by said drive means, and a chain engaging said sprocket having one end thereof attached to said die.

13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 12 which further includes a second sprocket, a second chain engaging said second sprocket having one end thereof attached to said die, and means coupling said second chain and said means for rotating said article thereby providing a common drive means for said article rotating means and said means for moving said die across the article being decorated.

14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11 which further includes a sensing means disposed at the end of the stroke of said die moving across said article, said sensing means being in electrical communication with said intermittent drive means so that as said die reaches the end of said stroke said rotary table is advanced to position another article at said decoratinG station.

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes means for radially adjusting said plurality of mandrels on said rotary table whereby the distance of each of said plurality of mandrels from said decorating station may be adjusted to accommodate a different size article.

16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes means for heating said die, means for regulating the temperature of said heated die, and said layer of transfer material is adapted to be applied to the article upon the application of heat and pressure.

17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes a pivotally adjustable mounting means for said die whereby the surface of said die may be adjusted to engage the outer surface of the article to be decorated.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8 which further includes means for ejecting a decorated article from said mandrel holding the article.

19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means for ejecting the decorated article comprises pneumatic means disposed at a station beyond said decorating station and operatively communicating with the interior of said mandrel to cause the article to be ejected therefrom.

20. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of articles at a plurality of decorating stations which comprises:

a. a rotary table;

b. a plurality of mandrels rotatably mounted to said rotary table for holding the articles to be decorated;

c. means for intermittently driving said rotary table to advance the articles being decorated to a first and second decorating station, each of said decorating stations being spaced from one another so that the article positioned at said first station is different then the article positioned at said second station;

d. a pair of spaced apart dies each of which is disposed adjacent one of said decorating stations and adapted to engage one of the articles to be decorated thereat;

e. a layer of transfer material interposed between each of said dies and an article at each of said decorating stations;

f. means for moving each of said pair of dies in a first direction toward the respective decorating stations to cause said layers of transfer material to engage the article being decorated thereat; and

g. means for moving each of said pair of dies in a second direction along a substantially straight line in a path tangential to and across the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the article being decorated at the respective decorating stations to cause at least a portion of said layers of transfer material to be transferred to the article being decorated thereat.

21. An apparatus in accordance with claim 20 which further includes means interconnecting said plurality of article holding mandrels so that each of said mandrels is rotated simultaneously with said mandrels at said decorating stations thereby registering each of the articles mounted on said mandrels with respect to one another.

22. An apparatus in accordance with claim 20 wherein said means for moving said pair of dies in a first direction comprises a pneumatic cylinder, and which further includes resilient means interposed between each of said pair of dies and said pneumatic cylinder to permit relative movement between each of said pair of dies and the article being decorated thereby compensating for surface irregularities on the article being decorated.

23. An apparatus in accordance with claim 20 which further includes means for conveying said layer of transfer material interposed between each of said dies and an article at substantially the same velocity as the outer surface of the article being decorated.

24. An apparatus in accordance with claim 20 which further includes a pivotally adjustable mounting means for each of said dies whereby the surface of each of said dies may be adjusted to engage the outer surface of the article to be decorated.

25. An apparatus in accordance with claim 20 which further incluDes means for heating each of said pair of dies, means for regulating the temperature of each of said heated dies, and said transfer material is adapted to be applied to the articles upon the application of heat and pressure.

26. A method of decorating the outer surface of an article at a plurality of decorating stations which comprises:

a. advancing the article on a rotary table to the first of said plurality of decorating stations and holding it thereat;

b. moving a die in a first direction toward the article at the decorating station to cause a layer of transfer material to engage the article to be decorated;

c. moving the die in a second direction along a substantially straight line in a path tangential to and across the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the article to be decorated;

d. rotating the article with respect to the die at a speed such that the velocity of the outer surface of the article being decorated is substantially the same as the speed of the die moving across the article;

e. synchronizing the moving of the layer of transfer material between the die and the article being decorated with the rotational speed of the article and the die moving thereacross thereby imparting a portion of the transfer material onto the article in the form of a decorative design;

f. advancing the article on the rotary table from said first station to the second of said plurality of decorating stations and holding it thereat; and

g. repeating said steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) at the second of said plurality of decorating stations.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26 which further includes the step of:

a. ejecting the article from the rotary table once the article has been decorated.

28. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article which comprises:

a. a rotary table;

b. a plurality of mandrels rotatably mounted to said rotary table for holding the articles to be decorated;

c. means for intermittently driving said rotary table to advance an article to a decorating station;

d. a die disposed adjacent to said decorating station;

e. a layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

f. means for rotating said article mounted on said mandrel relative to said rotary table while at said decorating station;

g. means interconnecting said plurality of article holding mandrels so that each of said mandrels is rotated simultaneously with said mandrel at said decorating station thereby registering each of the articles mounted on said mandrels with respect to one another; and

h. means for radially adjusting said plurality of mandrels on said rotary table whereby the distance of each of said plurality of mandrels from said decorating station may be adjusted to accommodate a different size article.

29. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article which comprises:

a. a rotary table;

b. a plurality of mandrels rotatably mounted to said rotary table for holding the articles to be decorated;

c. means for intermittently driving said rotary table to advance an article to a decorating station;

d. a die disposed adjacent to said decorating station;

e. a layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

f. means for rotating said article mounted on said mandrel relative to said rotary table while at said decorating station;

g. means interconnecting said plurality of article holding mandrels so that each of said mandrels is rotated simultaneously with said mandrel at said decorating station whereby registering each of the articles mounted on said mandrels with respect to one another; and

h. means for ejecting a decorated article from said mandrel holding the article, said ejecting means comprising pneumatic means disposed at a station beyond said decorating station and operatively communicating with the interior of said mandrel to cause tHe article to be ejected therefrom.

30. An apparatus for decorating the outer surface of an article which comprises:

a. a rotary table for intermittently advancing the article to a decorating station;

b. at least one article holding means rotatably mounted to said rotary table;

c. a die disposed adjacent to said decorating station;

d. a layer of transfer material interposed between said die and the article at said decorating station;

e. a pneumatic cylinder for moving said die in a first direction toward the article to cause said layer of transfer material to engage the article being decorated;

f. means for moving said die in a second direction along a substantially straight line in a path tangential to and across the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the article being decorated to cause at least a portion of said layer of transfer material to be transferred thereto; and

g. resilient means interposed between said die and said pneumatic cylinder to permit relative movement between said die and the article being decorated thereby compensating for surface irregularities on the article being decorated.