Method and apparatus for printing a light scannable image

• US 4,884,505 A
• Filed: 03/11/1988
• Issued: 12/05/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micropore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Porelon, Inc. (Micropore, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nunally, Charles M., Piepmeier, Arthur L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US07/166,672
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 101/426, 101/376, 101/348, 101/327-332, 101/337, 101/35, 101/401.1, 101/77, 101/349, 101/83, 101/492, 29/32, 264/45, 264/125, 264/134, 521/51, 521/72, 428/304.4, 428/314.2, 428/315.5, 428/321.3
• US Class Current: 101/492
• CPC Class Codes: B41N 2207/02 Top layers
• CPC Class Codes: B41N 2207/14 characterised by macromolecular organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B41N 7/06 for inking rollers construction of inking rollers B41F31/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249975 Void shape specified [e.g., crushed, flat, round, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249978 Voids specified as micro
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249996 Ink in pores

Abstract

This invention relates to an ink impregnated material, particularly an ink roll, useful in the printing of high contrast images suitable for laser scanning. The ink roll according to the invention is a microporous polymeric structure impregnated with an ink. The ink is repetitively transferable to a surface in sufficient quantity to produce thousands of visible images. The invention further provides a method for printing a light scannable, coded image, and an apparatus therefor.

Claims

1. In a method of printing high density, sharp images which includes transferring a high density image-producing ink from an ink roll to a printing surface, and contacting said printing surface to an object to be printed, the improvement which comprises:

said ink roll comprises a microporous structure containing from about 40 to about 90% by weight of ink based on the total weight of said ink roll;

said microporous structure is formed by mixing from about 8 to about 50% by weight of plastic powder with about 10 to about 90% by weight of water-soluble salt, and from about 10 to about 50% by weight of a water-soluble C₂ -C₅ alkanediol, in the absence of heating and under vacuum, heating the resulting mixture in a mold to melt said plastic powder to form a cohesive structure conforming to said mold, leaching said salt and said alkanediol from said structure, and drying said structure; and

said method further comprises a step of contacting said printing surface with a smoothing roller after contact with said ink roll and prior to the contact of the printing surface with the object to be printed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plastic powder:

is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, propylene, polyethylene vinylacetate copolymers and mixtures thereof;

has an average particle size before mixing of from 1 to 80 microns; and

is present in an amount of from about 10% to about 25% by weight in said mixture.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said water-soluble salt:

is selected from the group consisting of sodium nitrate, sodium chloride, and mixtures thereof; and

is present in an amount of from about 40% to about 65% by weight in said mixture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said water-soluble alkanediol is present in an amount of from about 20% to about 40% by weight in said mixture;

and said salt is present in an amount of from about 40% to about 65% by weight in said mixture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein leaching of said salt and said alkanediol further comprises contacting said structure with water.

6. An apparatus for printing a light scannable, coded image, comprising:

a support structure;

an ink roll rotatably disposed on said support structure, said ink roll comprising a generally cylindrical polymeric structure impregnated with an ink;

a coater roll having a type face defining a light scannable code thereon, rotatably disposed for mating rotational contact with said ink roll to transfer ink from said ink roll to said type face; and

a smoothing roll rotatably disposed on said support structure for rolling contact with said type face to smooth ink on said type face, said smoothing roll being positioned for contacting said type face on said coater roll subsequent to contact between said type face and said ink roll;

wherein said support structure further comprises a mounting plate, hinge means for pivotally mounting said mounting plate to a surface, a support arm disposed parallel to the direction of rotation of said ink roll, said smoothing roll, and said coater roll, and a plurality of parallel axles secured to said support arm for rotatably supporting said rolls.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising parallel axles supporting each of said ink roll, said coater roll, and said smoothing roll, the axle of said smoothing roll being disposed intermediate said ink roll and said coater roll relative to the direction of rotation of each of said rolls.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said smoothing roll has a smooth, hard cylindrical surface which contacts said type face.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said type face defines a laser scannable bar code.

10. An apparatus for printing an ink image, comprising:

a mounting plate,

hinge means for pivotally mounting said mounting plate to a surface,

a support arm mounted on said mounting plate;

a pair of parallel axles secured to said support arm;

an ink roll rotatably disposed on one of said axles, said ink roll comprising a generally cylindrical polymeric structure impregnated with an ink; and

a coater roll having a type face rotatably disposed on a second one of said axles for rotational contact with said ink roll to transfer ink from said ink roll to said type face.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a smoothing roll rotatably disposed for rolling contact with said type face to smooth ink on said type face, said smoothing roll being positioned for contacting said type face on said coater roll subsequent to contact between said type face and said ink roll, and means for rotatably mounting said smoothing roll on said support arm at a position parallel to and offset from an imaginary plane defined by lengthwise axes of said ink roll and said coater roll.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said typeface comprises means for defining a light scannable bar code image, and said typeface is elongated in its lengthwise direction and secured along its length in conforming contact with an outer cylindrical surface of said coater roll.