Apparatus and method for marking a rubber article with a message readable by a light scanning device

• US 5,527,407 A
• Filed: 12/30/1992
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Belski, Gary T., Gartland, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAYES, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US07/998,290
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 156/540, 156/541, 156/542, 156/64, 156/86, 156/234, 156/235, 156/238, 156/240, 156/277, 156/361, 156/116
• US Class Current: 156/64
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2037/0046 In-mould printing, in-mould transfer printing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0025 Applying surface layers, e.g. coatings, decorative layers, printed layers, to articles during shaping, e.g. in-mould printing moulding on preformed layers as inserts B29C70/68; applying fluent material to surfaces in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/726 Decorating or marking the sidewalls before tyre vulcanization protecting, decorating, marking tyre sidewalls B60C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/728 Decorating or marking the sidewalls after tyre vulcanization protecting, decorating, marking tyre sidewalls B60C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/744 Labels, badges, e.g. marker sleeves
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 13/001 Decorating, marking or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/12 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with cutting, punching, piercing, severing or tearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1705 Lamina transferred to base from adhered flexible web or sheet type carrier

Abstract

An apparatus and method for supplying a graphic label that is readable with a light scanning device with such label placed on a rubber article. The graphic bar code label is optically interpreted with a bar code reader.

Thus, the cured substrate with the label with the graphic message is produced by using thermal transfer techniques. For this purpose, the ribbon in contact with the substrate passes by a print head and the ink can be selectively heated with this operation being synchronized by computer operation. When the ribbon is stripped away, the ink is left where heating occurred on the substrate material. The printed substrate exits and is cut to produce labels of desired length. The label is placed on a curable article and the label and substrate are subjected to curing conditions to effect transfer of the label to the cured substrate which may now contain the message in solely, alphanumeric, bar codes, human readable characters, and logos or mixtures of them. The bar code message is normally printed as a series of vertical bars and spaces of varying widths to supply the message in readable form with the light reflected from the series of varying width bars and spaces.

Claims

1. Apparatus for marking a cured rubber substrate with a graphic message that can be read by a scanning unit including:

a means to hold a thermal transfer ribbon and advance said ribbon to a printer on demand from a signal from an electronic means, said printer contacting said ribbon to print a heat transferable graphics on a substrate;

means to sever or cut said substrate to give a label on a curable rubber article;

means to subject said label on said curable rubber article to curing conditions in a curing means to transfer a graphic message to said curable rubber article; and

a means to read light reflected from the message on the cured rubber article.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means of the apparatus is capable of holding and advancing a ribbon of a heat resistant polyester film whose gauge is less than 1 mil with a silver or white pigmented thermal ink coating.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a heat resistant polyester film whose gauge is from 1 to 20 mils thick and capable of receiving a heat transferred ink graphic.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 herein the label is placed on the curable rubber article to effect a mirror image transfer of the graphics on the label to the rubber article and reverse transfer of a bar code to the rubber article.

5. The method of labeling a tire comprising the steps of:

making a label in a tire building station by

(1) activating a means to advance a heat transfer ribbon to and through a print head,

(2) activating said print head to selectively heat a portion of the ribbon to produce a message on a substrate consisting of a film of polyester or thin rubber in response to the direction of the workman of said station and

(3) severing said substrate with the message to produce a label;

placing the message of said label on and in contact with an uncured tire in said station;

curing said uncured tire in a mold with pressure and temperature to get a cured tire having the message transferred to said cured tire; and

then reading to identify the message on the tire.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the label is placed on said uncured tire to reverse print a bar code label, on said tire by mirror image transfer of the graphics on the label to the tire during said curing.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the message is readable by a scanner that is activated by reflected electromagnetic radiation.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein any reflection of the electromagnetic radiation supplies an electrical input to a computer to store said input and allow said input to be printed in a print form.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the label is placed on a black curable rubber tire to reverse print a white or silver bar code label to the rubber tire, wherein the printed silver or white bars act as the reflected spaces between the non-printed bar formed by black loaded rubber backing material of the rubber tire.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the message is readable by a scanner that is activated by reflected electromagnetic radiation.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein any reflection of the electromagnetic radiation supplies an electrical input to a computer to store said input and allow said input to be printed in a print form.

12. A method of placing a graphic message on a cured tire comprising:

providing a tire builder at a tire building station with an apparatus for the builder to advance a thermal link transfer ribbon through a printhead and activation means that controls advance of said transfer of said transfer ribbon;

advancing said ribbon thereby;

directing an activation means to control the printhead to print a graphic message on a substrate;

severing said substrate to give a label;

placing said label on an uncured tire;

curing said uncured tire to transfer the graphic message from the label to said cured tire; and

then reading the graphic message on said cured tire.