In-line microembossing, laminating, printing, and diecutting

• US 6,694,872 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Holographic Security Concepts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Holographic Label Converting, Inc.
• Inventors: Bohn, Bill L., LaBelle, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colilla, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/635,302
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 101/23, 101/24, 101/25, 101/28, 156/209
• US Class Current: 101/23
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 19/02 with embossing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/028 by embossing

Abstract

Conventional methods of making holographic labels use separate, stand-alone machines for embossing, laminating, printing, and diecutting. This means that embossed material must be transferred and loaded into the laminator, that laminated material must be transferred and loaded into the printer, and that printed material must be transferred and loaded into the diecutter. Unfortunately, transferring and loading material into the separate machines is not only time consuming but also introduces errors, particularly in achieving accurate registration, or alignment, of embossed, printed, and diecut patterns. Accordingly, the inventors devised an in-line rotary microembosser for use with a rotary laminator, printer, and/or diecutter. One embodiment, or implementation, of the invention includes a rotary microembosser operatively coupled in line with a rotary laminator, a rotary printer, a rotary diecutter, or another web processing device to concurrently process a continuous web. The apparatus not only eliminates one or more of the machine-transfer and machine-loading delays which occur when using a separate embosser, laminator, printer, and diecutter, but also reduces the need to correct registration errors at each separate machine.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising an embosser, a laminator, a printer, and a diecutter arranged in a line to operate concurrently on at least one continuous web, with the printer arranged to receive a portion of the one continuous web after the laminator receives it and the embosser arranged to receive the portion of the one continuous web before any printing.

2. Apparatus comprising an embosser arranged in line with a laminator, and a printer to operate concurrently on at least one continuous web, with the printer arranged to receive a portion of the one continuous web after the laminator receives it and the embosser arranged to receive the portion of the one continuous web before any printing.

3. Apparatus comprising:

an embosser for embossing reflective or diffractive images onto a first continuous web;

a laminator aligned with the embosser for receiving the first continuous web and laminating a second continuous web to the first continuous web while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web;

a printer aligned with the laminator for receiving the first and second laminated webs and printing on the first continuous web while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web, with the printer arranged to receive the one continuous web after the embosser receives it; and

a diecutter aligned with the printer for receiving the first and second webs and diecutting the first or second webs while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web and the printer prints on the first continuous web;

wherein the embosser is arranged to emboss a portion of the one continuous web before the apparatus prints on the portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the embosser includes a shimroller and means for attracting a shim to at least a portion of the shimroller.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the embosser includes at least one base roller, with the base roller having a work surface comprising a polyimide or a polyamide.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the embosser includes:

a shimroller;

at least one base roller; and

means for automatically raising the base roller relative the shimroller in response to starting the embosser and lowering the base roller relative the shimroller in response to stopping the embosser.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the embosser includes means for holding an embossing shim, comprising:

one or more shimclamps for clamping a portion of the shim; and

one or more magnetic members for magnetically attracting one or more portions of the shim.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, where the embosser is configured to emboss holographic images.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the embosser comprises a roller having an internal heating element.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least two separate shimclamps for clamping an embossing shim to the roller.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the shimclamps is laterally adjustable relative the other shimclamp.

12. Apparatus comprising:

embossing means for embossing holographic images onto a first continuous web;

laminating means aligned with the embossing means for receiving the first continuous web and laminating a second continuous web to the first continuous web;

printing means aligned with the laminator to receive the first and second laminated webs and to print on the first or the second continuous web; and

diecutting means aligned with the printer to receive the first and second webs and to cut the first and second webs; and

wherein the embossing, laminating, printing, and diecutting means are arranged to operate concurrently on respective portions of the first continuous web and the embossing means is arranged to emboss a portion of the first continuous web before any printing.

13. Apparatus comprising:

a rotary embosser for embossing one or more reflective or diffractive images onto a continuous web;

a rotary printer aligned with the rotary embosser for printing on a portion of the continuous web while the embosser embosses another portion of the web; and

a rotary diecutter aligned with the printer for diecutting a portion of the continuous web while the embosser and the printer respectively emboss and print other portions of the web;

wherein the embosser is arranged to emboss a portion of the continuous web before the apparatus prints on the portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the rotary embosser is placed ahead of the diecutter to process a portion of the continuous web before the portion is processed by the diecutter.

15. Apparatus comprising:

an embosser for embossing reflective or diffractive images onto a continuous web;

a printer aligned with the embosser for printing on the continuous web while the embosser embosses reflective or diffractive images on the continuous web, the printer arranged to receive a portion of the continuous web after the embosser receives it; and

a diecutter aligned with the printer for receiving and diecutting the continuous web while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the continuous web and the printer prints on the continuous web;

wherein the embosser is arranged to emboss reflective or diffractive images onto aa portion of the continuous web before the apparatus performs any printing on the portion.

16. Apparatus comprising:

a rotary microembosser for embossing a continuous web; and

a web-processing assembly aligned with the rotary microembosser for processing the continuous web during operation of the rotary microembosser, wherein the web-processing assembly comprises two or more of a laminator, a printer, a diecutter, and an automatic number printer and wherein the rotary micro-embosser is arranged to emboss a portion of the continuous web before the apparatus prints on the portion.

17. Apparatus comprising:

an embosser for embossing reflective or diffractive images onto a continuous web;

a laminator aligned with the embosser for receiving the continuous web and laminating a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing web to the continuous web, while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images onto the continuous web; and

a printer aligned with the laminator for receiving the continuous web and the pressure-sensitive adhesive backing web;

wherein the embosser is arranged to emboss a portion of the continuous web before the apparatus prints on the portion.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein reflective or diffractive images include holographic images.

19. Apparatus comprising:

an embosser for embossing reflective or diffractive images onto a first continuous web;

a laminator aligned with the embosser for receiving the first continuous web and laminating a second continuous web to the first continuous web while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web;

a printer aligned with the laminator for receiving the first and second laminated webs and printing on the first continuous web while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web, with the printer arranged to receive the one continuous web after the embosser receives it; and

a diecutter aligned with the printer for receiving the first and second webs and diecutting the first or second webs while the embosser embosses the reflective or diffractive images on the first continuous web and the printer prints on the first continuous web;

wherein the embosser comprises a roller having an internal heating element, and at least two shimcollars for clamping an embossing shim to the roller, with each shimcollar spanning a gap between a trailing edge and a leading edge of the embossing shim when the embossing shim is clamped to the roller.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the at least two shimcollars is laterally adjustable relative the other shimcollar.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the roller has a cirumference and each of the at least two shimcollars forms an arc having a length more than one half the circumference.