Card assembly apparatus

• US 5,080,748 A
• Filed: 08/21/1990
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bostec Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bostec Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Bonomi, Jaime
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Payne, Jeffrey G.
• Application Number:
  US07/570,403
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 156/64, 156/350, 156/361, 156/362, 156/363, 156/364, 156/378, 156/468, 156/552, 156/556, 226/3, 226/20, 226/22, 226/23, 271/227, 271/228, 198/345.1, 198/463.2
• US Class Current: 156/364
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2425/00 Cards, e.g. identity cards, credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/226 Laminating sheets, panels or inserts between two continuous plastic layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/1833 Positioning, e.g. registration or centering
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 15/423 Driving means for reciprocating squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/26 with auxiliary supports to facilitate introduction or renewal of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/14 Associating sheets with webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/17 Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1734 Means bringing articles into association with web

Abstract

A current assembly apparatus and associated method for producing laminated cards such as credit cards including providing means for feeding printed card sheets to a laminating station and at the same time feeding top and bottom overlay webs also to the laminating station. The top overlay web is provided with a series of parallel-disposed magnetic stripes. Means are provided for controlling the feeding of the top overlay web and the card sheets so as to feed them concurrently to form a lamination. Means are also provided for controlling the inter-positional relationship or registration between the card sheet and the overlay web to maintain a predetermined positional arrangement between the magnetic stripe and a predetermined position on the card sheet.

Claims

1. Card assembly apparatus for producing a laminated card comprising;

a stock of printed card sheets,

means for feeding the sheets one at a time to a laminating station, the means for feeding including conveyor table means to transfer the sheets from the stock to the lamination station and to guide and retain the sheets in a direction transverse to a feeding direction as the sheet is transferred,

a source of an overlay web having arranged thereon a series of parallel disposed magnetic stripes,

means for feeding the overlay web so as to form a lamination with the sheets,

and means for altering the position, in a direction transverse to the feeding direction, of the conveyor table means in response to the positioning of one of the magnetic stripes so that each of the stripes is overlaid in alignment with a predetermined transverse position on each of the card sheets as the sheets are fed from the conveyor table means to the laminating station.

2. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said card sheets are flat and are adapted to be printed in separate individual card format.

3. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said card sheet has multiple lengthwise card segments, the number of which correspond to the number of magnetic stripes.

4. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein each card segment is separated into a plurality of individual cards.

5. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said overlay web is provided in a continuous roll.

6. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein the stock of card sheets includes a stack of individual sheets having a length substantially less than the length of the continuous roll web.

7. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 6 including means for cutting the web to a length comparable to each sheet length.

8. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling feed includes selectively operated feed rollers.

9. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for cutting the web to a length comparable to card sheet length.

10. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for detecting web position includes a magnetic stripe detector.

11. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for at least temporarily affixing the web and card sheet.

12. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a source of a second overlay web and means for feeding the second web also to the laminating station.

13. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein one overlay web is for covering one side of the card sheet and the second overlay web is for covering the opposite side of the card sheet.

14. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the second overlay web is a plain transparent web.

15. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the conveyor table means includes a table having guides for engaging transverse sheet edges and a conveyor belt means disposed to contact a surface of the sheet opposite a surface of the sheet that contacts the table, the conveyor belt means being fixedly attached to the table.

16. Card assembly apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein the means for controlling includes linear motors for transversely moving the table.

17. A system for producing a laminated card sheet having a plurality of card cores thereon, each of the cores including a magnetic stripe, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of card stock sheets each having a plurality of card cores thereon, the cores being oriented in rows aligned in a feeding direction and transverse columns;

conveyor table means to transfer each of the sheets in sequence in the feeding direction from the means for storing to a laminating station while retaining the sheets stationarily in a direction transverse the feeding direction;

means for directing, in the feeding direction, a substantially transversely stationary overlay web to the lamination station, the overlay web including a series of parallel disposed magnetic stripes positioned in the feeding direction so as to each correspond to one of the rows of credit card cores upon each of the sheets; and

means for transversely repositioning the conveyor table means in response to detection of the transverse position of at least one of the magnetic stripes so that each of the sheets is aligned to converge with the overlay web, each of the magnetic stripes being positioned at a predetermined transverse location upon each of the rows of card cores as each of the sheets is transferred from the conveyor table means to the laminating station.

18. The system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the means for transversely repositioning includes a magnetic stripe detector oriented to signal transverse misalignment of the stripe as it passes therethrough.

19. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein the means for transversely repositioning includes at least one linear motor for moving the conveyor table means back and forth in a direction transversely to the feeding direction.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein the conveyor table means includes a table for supporting the sheets and means for guiding opposing edges of the sheets to retain them transversely to the feeding direction.

21. The system as set forth in claim 20 wherein the conveyor table means includes conveyor belt means fixedly attached to the table and contacting a surface of the sheets to move them in the feeding direction upon the table.