Time indicator

• US 5,930,206 A
• Filed: 05/24/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brady Worldwide Incorporated (Brady Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Temtec Inc. (Brady Corporation)
• Inventors: Haas, David J., Haas, Sandra F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US08/862,000
• Time in Patent Office: 794 Days
• Field of Search: 368/327, 116/200
• US Class Current: 368/327
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/00 Apparatus which can be set and started to measure-off predetermined or adjustably-fixed time intervals without driving mechanisms, e.g. egg timers
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 13/04 using electrochemical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/00 Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people registering or indicating the working of machines or vehicles G07C3/00, G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/30 Parking meters registering or indicating waiting time of vehicles by means driven by the vehicle G07C5/02; coin-freed parking meters G07F17/24
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/207 in the form of a badge to be worn by a person

Abstract

A time indicator comprising a front part and a rear part, the rear part comprising an ink pattern layer overlaying a rear support member. The front part comprises a transparent front support layer, and an opaque adhesive layer having a front ink display surface, the adhesive layer capable of dissolving the ink pattern on the rear part, whereby contacting the front part with the rear part by applying the opaque adhesive layer onto the ink pattern layer activates the dissolution and migration of ink in a selected time interval from the ink pattern layer, through the opaque adhesive layer to the front ink display surface for viewing through the transparent front support layer.

Claims

1. A time indicator comprising a front part and a rear part, the rear part consisting of:

an ink pattern layer of a uniform pattern of dots of a soluble ink overlaying,

a rear support member;

the front part consisting of;

a transparent front support layer, and

an opaque adhesive layer having a front ink display surface, the adhesive layer capable of dissolving the ink pattern on the rear part,

whereby contacting the front part with the rear part by applying the opaque adhesive layer onto the ink pattern layer activates the soluble ink to dissolve the dots, the soluble ink dots gradually bleeding and blending together and then migrating through the opaque adhesive activator in a selected time interval from the ink layer, through the opaque adhesive layer to the front ink display surface for viewing through the transparent front support layer.

4. The indicator of claim 1, wherein the transparent front support layer is a clear plastic sheet.

5. The indicator of claim 1, wherein the opaque adhesive layer has a white color and the ink has a contrasting color.

6. The indicator of claim 1, wherein the ink is composed of a dye material.

7. The indicator of claim 1, wherein the indicator is a security badge.

8. The indicator of claim 7, wherein the front print display surface has identification indicia for identifying the user of the badge.

9. The indicator of claim 8, wherein the indicia includes a plurality of printed letters describing the category of the user, and includes at least one line for writing in the name of the user.

10. The indicator of claim 1, further comprising a release overlaying the opaque adhesive layer before assembly thereof which is removed during assembly of the front part to the rear part.

17. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a parking permit.

18. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a transit ticket.

19. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a self expiring wrist band ticket.

20. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a warning sign.

21. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a retail sales sticker.

22. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a self expiring label for a pharmaceutical label.

23. The time indicator of claims 1 or 12, wherein the time indicator is a dynamic price tag.

2. A time indicator comprising a front part and a rear part, the rear part consisting of:

an ink pattern layer of a uniform pattern of dots of a soluble ink overlaying, a rear support member;

the front part consisting of;

a transparent front support layer,

a transparent absorption layer overlaying the front support layer, and

an opaque adhesive layer having a front ink display surface overlaying the absorption layer, the adhesive layer capable of dissolving the ink pattern on the rear part,

whereby contacting the front part with the rear part by applying the opaque adhesive layer onto the ink pattern layer activates the soluble ink to dissolve the dots, the soluble ink dots gradually bleeding and blending together and then migrating through the opaque adhesive activator in a selected time interval from the ink layer, through the opaque adhesive layer to the front ink display surface for absorption by the absorption layer for viewing through the transparent front support layer.

3. A time indicator comprising a front part and a rear part, the rear part consisting of:

an ink pattern layer of a uniform pattern of dots of a soluble ink overlaying,

a rear support member;

the front part consisting of;

transparent front support layer, and

a patterned opaque adhesive layer having a front ink display surface, the adhesive layer capable of dissolving the ink pattern on the rear part,

whereby contacting the front part with the rear part by applying the opaque adhesive patterned layer onto the ink pattern layer activates the soluble ink to dissolve the dots, the soluble ink dots gradually bleeding and blending together and then migrating through the opaque adhesive activator in a selected time interval from the ink film layer, through the opaque adhesive layer to the front ink display surface for viewing through the transparent front support layer.

11. A patterned indicator comprising:

a first substrate consisting of first and second surfaces, an indicia area on the first surface and a first pattern of a uniform pattern of dots of a soluble ink printed in the indicia area;

a second substrate having first and second surfaces consisting of;

an opaque adhesive activator means on the first surface of the second substrate;

wherein when the first surface of each substrate are put into adhesive contact, the ink and the adhesive activator coact to cause the soluble ink to dissolve the pattern of dots to cause them to gradually bleed and blend together and migrate through the opaque adhesive activator to cause a change visually perceptible through the second substrate in a selected time interval.

12. A patterned indicator comprising:

a first substrate consisting of first and second surfaces and at least two indicia areas on the first surface and a uniform pattern of dots of a soluble ink printed in each of the indicia areas;

a second transparent substrate consisting of first and second surfaces and

an opaque adhesive activator means on the first surface of the transparent substrate;

wherein when the first surface of each substrate overlay and are put into adhesive contact, the soluble ink and adhesive activator coact to dissolve the dots of the soluble ink, whereby the soluble ink dots gradually bleed and blend together and migrate through the opaque adhesive activator to cause a change visually perceptible through the transparent substrate overlaying the first indicia area in a first selected time interval, and a change visually perceptible through the transparent substrate overlaying the second indicia area in a second selected time interval, the first selected time interval differing from the second selected time interval.

13. The patterned indicator of claim 12, wherein each ink pattern has a substantially uniform distribution of dots with a predetermined dot-to-dot distance.

14. The patterned indicator of claim 13, wherein the dots are substantially the same geometric shape.

15. The patterned indicator of claim 14, wherein the dot-to-dot distance of the uniform patterns of dots in the at least two indicia areas differ.

16. The patterned indicator of claim 13, wherein the respective dot-to-dot distance of the a uniform pattern of dots in the at least two indicia areas is substantially the same and each respective uniform pattern of dots has dots of differing geometric shape or size.