Method and apparatus for coating a thin film substrate

• US 8,383,201 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acupac Packaging, Inc. (Knowlton Development Corporation Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Acupac Packaging, Inc. (Knowlton Development Corporation Inc.)
• Inventors: Berry, Craig J., Klauser, Walter, Stephens, George
• Primary Examiner(s): FLETCHER III, WILLIAM P
• Application Number:
  US11/846,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20080057201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 427/256, 427/258, 427/261, 427/286, 427/420, 118/323, 426/89, 426/274, 426/416
• US Class Current: 427/258
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/0254 Coating heads with slot-shaped outlet B05C5/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/265 Extrusion coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2252/02 of indefinite length
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/06 to obtain multicolour or other optical effects B05D5/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A method including passing a substrate by at least one slot die in at least a first direction and applying at least one coating to the substrate with the slot die, where the slot die is moved in a direction transverse to the at least first direction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a dissolvable and edible thin film substrate, the dissolvable and edible substrate being affixed to a release liner or non-woven material;

passing the substrate by at least one slot die attached to a movable carriage in at least a first direction; and

applying a first coating to a first area of the substrate with the slot die, where the slot die is moved in a direction transverse to the at least first direction; and

applying a second coating to a second area of the substrate different from the first area, both the first coating and second coating being applied to the substrate in a substantially non-linear fashion.

2. The method of claim 1 where the at least one slot die comprises at least two slot dies, the method further comprising independently moving the at least two slot dies transversely to the at least first direction for applying at least the first and second coating.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least two slot dies are moved in opposite directions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first coating and the second has a different characteristic, where the different characteristic includes one or more of a color, flavor, smell, thickness, texture and medicinal characteristics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first coating is applied to the substrate in a pattern, the pattern comprising one or more of a letter, word, drawing, zig-zag pattern, arcuate pattern, overlapping pattern or helix pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising passing the substrate coated with the first coating by the at least slot die in the first direction a second time, the coated substrate being coated with the second coating in a second transverse direction, the second transverse direction being different than the transverse direction of the first coating.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising moving the slot die in a first transverse direction for a first predetermined time period, moving the slot dies in at least a second transverse direction for a second predetermined time period at the expiration of the first predetermined time period, and continuously repeating the movement of the slot die in the first transverse direction and the second transverse direction as the substrate moves by the slot die.