Credit card embossing system

• US 4,789,420 A
• Filed: 04/24/1987
• Issued: 12/06/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Business Systems Incorporated (Output Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Business Systems Incorporated (Output Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: LaManna, Richard J., Cucksey, Edward L., Hinton, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMMONS, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US07/042,427
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 156/540-542, 156/238, 156/242, 156/234, 101/38
• US Class Current: 156/540
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/387 with automatic plate transport systems, e.g. for credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B44B 5/0076 having a series of embossing tools each of which can be brought into working position
• CPC Class Codes: B44B 5/0095 using computer control means
• CPC Class Codes: B44B 5/024 Work piece loading or discharging arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B44B 5/026 Dies B44B5/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1705 Lamina transferred to base from adhered flexible web or sheet type carrier

Abstract

An embossing system is disclosed for embossing cards with characters of at least two pitches. A number of embossers equal to the number of lines of characters to be embossed on the card are positioned in line. Each embosser is dedicated to the embossing of a particular line of characters with a particular pitch. A common transport belt conveys the cards from an input hopper past the embossing stations of each of the in line embossers to a wait station. During embossing, the transport belt is moved from the current longitudinal position to the longitudinal position where the closest next character(s) are to be embossed by any one of the embossers. The embossed cards are conveyed from the wait station to a topper which applies topping to the embossed characters.

Claims

1. A topper for applying a topping to embossed cards comprising:

(a) a card transporting means for moving cards from a wait station to a topping station where topping is applied to characters on embossed cards;

(b) a support surface having a first end and a second end, the support surface being rigid with respect to force applied between the first and second ends in a direction which is orthogonal to a surface of the card having the embossed characters;

(c) a flat surface for rigidly supporting a back surface of an embossed card located at the topping station and connected to the first end of the support surface, the back surface being the surface of the embossed card to which topping is not applied;

(d) a heated platen which is movable from a first position remote from the surface of the card which has the embossed characters to be topped to a second position at which a surface of the platen forces a topping bearing foil into contact with the embossed characters to heat fuse the topping to the embossed characters, the platen having a face which contacts the topping bearing foil in the second position and which is substantially parallel to the flat surface in moving from the first position to the second position;

(e) a suspension for supporting the platen including a base having first and second ends, first and second parallel flexible members which have a cross section with an elongated dimension being orthogonal to the direction of motion between the first and second positions and which have first and second ends, the first ends of the first and second flexible members being connected respectively to the first and second ends of the base;

(f) an attachment plate carried by the platen having first and second parallel ends, the first and second ends of the attachment plate being respectively connected to the second ends of the first and second flexible members;

(g) means for moving the platen from the first position to the second position which causes the flexible members to bend while maintaining a substantially parallel relationship with each other and the surface of the platen substantially parallel to the support surface during movement from the first position to the second position, the means for moving the platen having a movable member which is connected to the platen and being connected to the second end of the support surface; and

(h) a source for providing the topping bearing foil between the surface of the platen and the support surface.

2. A topper in accordance with claim 1 wherein the flexible members are metallic and function to radiate and conduct heat from the heated platen.

3. A topper in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a rotatable support means for a roll of topping bearing foil;

(b) a first foil guide mounted below the heated platen and support surface;

(c) a second foil guide mounted above the platen and set back from the support surface to cause the foil to form an acute angle between the foil and the support surface of the card between the second guide and the card at the time the topping is fixed to the embossed characters of the card by the heated platen; and

(d) foil take up means for causing the foil to be unwound from the roll of foil, moved over the first foil guide, past the heated platen and support surface, over the second foil guide and to the take up means.

4. A topper in accordance with claim 1 wherein a slot extends between the first and second foil guides and the support surface on one side of the heated platen to permit a continuous strip of foil to be routed over the guides from the one side and an intermediate section of the support surface is disposed on the other side of the platen.

5. A topper in accordance with claim 4 wherein the intermediate section is narrower than the first and second ends in a direction orthogonal to the direction of motion of the platen in moving from the first position to the second position.

6. A topper in accordance with claim 3 wherein the second foil guide is spring biased in a first position and is pivotable from the first position in a direction toward the second end of the support surface to a second position, the acute angle being greater for the second position of the foil guide than the first position, the foil guide being pivoted toward the second position when the foil take up means is activated to cause the foil to be peeled away from contact with the embossed characters by the increase in the acute angle.

7. A topper in accordance with claim 2 further comprising control means for controlling the means for moving the platen to cause a force to be applied by the platen against the embossed card to be topped which is proportional to the number of characters which are embossed on the embossed card.

8. A topper in accordance with claim 3 wherein the take up means is programmable to set the amount of foil to be taken up after topping each card.

9. A topper in accordance with claim 2 further comprising a transporting means for moving embossed cards from the wait station to the topping station including a channel extending from the remote station to the topping station which engages an edge of an embossed card during movement from the wait station to the topping station and means for engaging an edge opposed to the edge engaged by the channel for moving an embossed card from the remote station to the topping station.

10. A topper in accordance with claim 9 wherein the means for engaging an edge of the card opposed to the edge engaged by the channel for moving an embossed card comprises a plurality of driven rollers having their axes of rotation in a line when contacting an edge of a card disposed above the channel, each driven roller having a peripheral surface which engages the edge of an embossed card being driven from the remote station to the topping station and means for rotating each driven roller.

11. A topping mechanism in accordance with claim 10 wherein the axis of each driven roller has a first position vertically spaced from the channel and a suspension which permits vertical deflection of the axis upward from the first position to a second position to permit cards of varying width to be moved from the remote position to the topping position.

12. A topper in accordance with claim 11 wherein the card transporting means further comprises an additional driven roller which engages a face of an embossed card and an idler roller which engages an opposed face of the embossed card opposite the position of the additional driven roller which moves a card to be embossed from the wait station to a first one of the driven rollers which engages an edge of an embossed card, the additional driven roller and opposed idler roller being upstream from the other driven rollers.

13. A topper for applying a topping to embossed characters of embossed cards each having a number of embossed characters comprising:

(a) a topping station to which cards are moved and at which a topping material is applied to embossed characters;

(b) means for supplying the topping to the topping station;

(c) a heated platen which is moved by a driving means from a first position, at which topping is not applied to the embossed characters of a card at the topping station, to a second position at which the characters are topped by the heated platen by forcing the topping against the characters to cause fusing of the topping to embossed characters; and

(d) control means for causing a force to be applied by the driving means to the heated platen during topping which is proportional to the number of characters embossed on the card.

14. A topper in accordance with claim 13 wherein the driving means has two modes of operation in moving the heated platen from the first position to the second position, the first mode being the moving of the heated platen from the first position to a reference position and the second mode being the moving of the heated platen from the reference position to the second position during which the force proportional to the number of embossed characters on the card is applied.

15. A topper in accordance with claim 14 wherein the driving means comprises:

(a) an electric motor; and

(b) an eccentric drive driven by the electric motor including a link which couples the eccentric drive to the heated platen, rotation of the eccentric drive causing the heated platen to be driven from the first position to the second position.

16. A topper in accordance with claim 14 wherein the control means causes the driving means to be stalled so that the heated platen remains in the second position for a time sufficient to fuse the topping to embossed characters on a card.

17. A topper in accordance with claim 13 wherein the control means comprises a register for storing the number of characters which is embossed on the card being topped.

18. A topper for applying topping to embossed characters of embossed cards comprising:

(a) a topping station to which cards are moved and at which a topping material is applied to embossed characters, the topping station having a surface against which a card rests when topping is applied to the embossed characters;

(b) means for supplying the topping to the topping station;

(c) a heated platen which is movable by a driving means from a first position, at which topping is not applied to the embossed characters of a card at the topping station, to a second position at which the characters are topped by the heated platen forcing the topping against the characterss to cause fusing of the topping to the embossed characters; and

(d) means for suspending the heated platen, for movement between the first position and the second position and back to the first position, from a base located remote from the driving means while maintaining a face of the platen substantially parallel to the surface against which the card rests during topping at the second position and including first and second flexible members coupled to the heated platen and to the base with the members bending during movement of the heated platen.

19. A topper in accordance with claim 18 further comprising means for conducting and radiating heat away from the driving means.

20. A topper in accordance with claim 19 wherein the first and second flexible members the means for conducting and radiating heat away from the driving means.

21. A topper in accordance with claim 20 further comprising means, disposed between the heated platen and the driving means, for isolating the driving means from heat generated by the heated platen means.

22. A topper in accordance with claim 21 wherein the means for isolating comprises a plastic member for attaching a heating element to another portion of the heated platen.

23. A topper in accordance with claim 18 wherein the first and second flexible members are parallel when the heated platen is in the first position and have a cross section with an elongated dimension orthogonal to the direction of motion between the first and second positions, the flexible members bending upon movement between the first and second positions with opposed surfaces remaining substantially parallel.

24. A topper in accordance with claim 23 wherein the cross section of each of the flexible members has a width which is parallel to the direction of motion between the first and second positions.

25. A topper in accordance with claim 23 further comprising an attachment plate, carried by the heated platen having first and second parallel ends, the first and second ends of the attachment plate being respectively connected to the first and second flexible members at a point remote from the base.

26. A topper in accordance with claim 18 further comprising a support surface, having first and second ends which is rigid with respect to a force applied between first and second ends in a direction orthogonal to the surface against which the card rests when topping is applied, the first end being connected to the driving means and the second end being connected to the surface against which the card rests.