Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PIGGY-BAC~C ~E'1LECTI~IE 5330
~ACKGitOUND AND SUP~HARY OE' THE INVENTION
Reflective decals are used by most states to
validate on a year-by-year basis automobile license
plates, and for other purposes. Typically, a decal
is made from conventionally available reflective
material (such as acrylated urethane retroflective
film), and the individual decals are individually
glued to a decal carrier in order to be sent in the
mail. This procedure is not as efficient as desired.
According to the present invention, a method of
making reflective decals, particularly for
automobile license plates, is provided which is
highly mechanized, and results in the quick and
accurate production of the decals in an effective
manner, and allows them to be readily applied to
individual carriers by conventional automated
labeling machines (e. g. blow-on techniques).
According to one aspect of the present
invention, a method of making reflective decals
comprises the following steps: (a) Moving in a
given direction a first web of reflective material
comprising a reflective face stock layer, a first
adhesive layer, and a first liner layer, the first
adhesive layer sandwiched between the reflective
face stock and first liner layers. The first web is
typically commercially purchased reflective film,
such as an acrylated urethane retrore~l.ective film
available from Easson under the trademark "FASIGN"
7500~series, or available from 3M under the trade
designation "SCOTCHLITE" Reflective Sheeting 5330.
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(b) Applying a second adhesive layer to the moving
first web first liner layer, and applying a second
liner layer to the second adhesive layer to produce
a second web: (c) Moving the second,web in a given
direction. (d) Printing the moving second web
reflective face stock to provide indicia thereon.
(e) Drying the printed indicia. (f) Die cutting the
printed second web to separate a matrix containing
reflective stock, first adhesive, first liner, and
second adhesive surrounding printed decals, the
decals spaced from each other and connected by the
second liner. (g) Removing the matrix material ~rom
association with the decals, and second liner to
produce a third web containing the decals spaced
along the second liner. And (h) applying the decals
from the third web to a carrier so that the second
layer of adhesive affixes the decals to the carrier.
There may also be the further steps, between
steps (g) and (h) of taking up the third web and
subsequently letting off the third wek~ and applying
the decals to a carrier by blow-on techniques (e. g.,
using a Fasson Mark Vg labeler). Step (d) may be
practiced by printing with UV ink in which case step
(e) is practiced using a UV dryer, and it is also
desirable, between steps (e) and (f), to coat the
printed reflective face stock with overprint varnish
(such as a scuff resistant UV overprint varnish) and
then drying it (e. g., UV drying the varnish).
Step (b) is typically practiced by applying a
1.5 mil polyester liner as the second liner. Step
(d) is practiced to apply indicia indicating a year
to the second web, and also typically by applying
consecutive numbers to the second web.
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According to another aspect of the present
invention, a method of making reflective decals is
provided comprising the following steps: (a) Moving
in a given direction a first web of reflective
material comprising a reflective face stock layer, a
first adhesive layer, and a first liner layer, the
first adhesive layer sandwiched between the
reflective Ease stock and first liner layers. (b)
Applying a second adhesive layer to the moving first
web first liner layer, and applying a second liner
layer to the second adhesive layer to produce a
second web. (c) Moving the second web in a given
direction. (d) Printing the moving second web
reflective face stock with W ink tp provide indicia
thereon. (e)' W drying the printed indicia. (f)
Die cutting the printed second web to separate a
matrix containing reflective stock, first adhesive,
first liner, and second adhesive surrounding printed
decals, the decals spaced from each other and
connected by the second liner. (g) Removing the
matrix material from association with the decals,
and second liner to produce a third web containing
the decals spaced along the second liner. And (h)
taking up the third web into a roll.
According to yet another aspect of the present
invention, a method of making automobile license
plate reflective decals is provided using a web
comprising a reflective face stock, a first adhesive
layer, a first liner, a second adhesive layer, and a
second liner, by tire following steps: (a) Printing
the web reflective face stock to provide indicia
thereon. (b) Drying the'printed indicia. (c) Die
cutting the printed web to separate a matrix
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containing reflective stock, first adhesive, first
liner, and second adhesive surrounding printed
decals, the decals spaced from each other and
connected by.the second liner. (d) Removing the
matria~ material from association with the decals,
and second liner to produce a second web containing
the deoals spaced along the second liner. And (e)
applying the decals from the second web to a carrier
so that the second layer of adhesive affixes the
decals to the carrier.
It is the primary object of the present
invention to provide an effective automated method
for making reflective decals, typically for
automobile license plates. This and other objects
of the invention will become clear from an
inspection of the detailed description of the .
invention, and from the appended claims.
HRIEF DESCRIlPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a top plan schematic view of an
exemplary first web utilized in the practice of the
method of the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a is a longitudinal cross sectional
view, with the various components shown exaggerated
in size for clarity of illustration, of a second web
made from the first web of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of an exemplary
third web, according to the invention, made from the
second web of FIGURE 2;
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FIGURE 4 is a is a longitudinal cross sectional
view, with portions exaggerated in sire for clarity
of illustration, showing~the application of a decal
from the web of FIGURE 3 onto a decal carrier; and
FIGURE 5 is a side schematic view of exemplary
apparatus practicing the method of the present
invention.
DETAINED DJESCRIPTIOI~ OF THE DRAWINGS
An exemplary commercially available first web
utilised in the practice of the method of the
present invention is shown schematically in FIGURE
1. It includes a reflective face stock layer 11,
from which decals will ultimately be constructed,
the decals shown in phantom line at 12 in FIGURE 1.
The conventianal reflective~material web 10
illustrated in FIGURE 1 may comprise an acrylated
urethane retroreflective film with a permanent
pressure sensitive adhesive and a liner, such as
sold by Fasson under the trademark "FASIGN", 7500
series. Alternatively, it can be reflective
sheeting such as sold by 3M under the trademarks
"SCOTCHLITE" or "ENSURE°', typically SCOTCHLITE
Reflective Sheeting 5330, SCOTCHLITE Validation
Sheeting 5390, SCOTCHLITE Validation Security
Sheeting 5350, or ENSURE Validation Security
Sheeting.
Accarding to the present invention, a
conventional web 10 is made into a piggy-back
construction. As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the
conventional purchased components comprise the
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reflective face stock 11, from the first permanent
pressure sensitive adhesive layer 14, and first
liner layer 15, such as a conventional kraft liner.
In order to make a piggyback construction, a second
permanent adhesive layer 16 is added to the first
liner 15, and a second liner layer l7 is placed over
the second pressure sensitive adhesive layer 16.
The second liner 17 may comprise a polyester liner,
such as a 1.5 mil clear polyester silicone coated
(both sides) liner. This produces the second web 18
of FIGURE 2, the second web 1~ typically made from
the first web 10 by applying the second adhesive
layer 16 and second liner layer 17 to the moving
first web 10, using conventional techniques.
The second web 18 is formed into a third web
having spaced decals 20,.which are printed with .
indicia 21, and also sequentially numbered as
indicated at 22 (see FIGURE 3). The areas
surrounding the decals 20, indicated by reference
numeral 23 in FTGURE 3, contained matrix material
that was removed so that only tk~e decals 20 on the
second polyester liner 17 remain as the~third web 24.
As indicated in FIGURE 4, -the third web 24 is
utilized with a conventional labeling machine, such
as a Fasson Mark VI labeler, to apply the decals 20
to a decal carrier 25, the liner 17 being removed
and replaced by the decal carrier 25. Individual
labels 20 and individual decal carriers 25 are then
mailed to automobile licensees (or for other uses of
the method o~ the invention, other reflective decal
users).
FIGURE 5 illustrates the equipment utilized to
produce the third web 24 (FIGURES 3 and 4) from the
second web 18 (FIGURE 2)..
The second web 18, in roll form, and mounted on
roll let-off device 27, is associated with a 1b00
Webtron Flexographic Press which has been modified
for this purpose. The web 18 (with the reflective
face stock 11 on the outside, and "up", during
processing) passes through a consecutive numbering
unit 28, which may apply the indicia 22 (see FIGURE
3) to the web 18. It then passes to a UV ink privet
deck 2g ~in which UV ink is used to print on the
reflective face stock 11. Things that can be
printed -- as indicated by indicia 21 in FIGURE 3 --
includes the year ("93'°), which may indicate the
year of automobile license renewal, and the State
("Plevada°'), or other desired indicia. The web 18
then passes on,' if desired, to a second UV ink print
deck 30, and then to a conventional UV dryer, where
the printing (e. g., indicia 21) is dried.
Preferably, some sort of protective coating is
provided over the reflective face stock 11 which has
been printed with the indicia 21, 22. This may be
accomplished at the print deck 32 where an overprint
varnish is applied, a°.g.,. by flood coating the face
stock 11 with a scuff resistant UV overprint
varnish. The varnish is then dried in the UV drier
33, and the web 18 then moves onto the optional
flexo print deck 34, and then to a conventional die
cutting unit 35. At the die cutting unit 35, the
matrix material surrounding the decals 20 -- the
absence o~ the matrix material being indicated by
reference numeral 23 in FIGURE 3 -- is cut so that
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it is separate from decals 20, by cutting through
the web 18 down to -- but not through -- the second
liner layer 17. At the. next stage in the apparatus
of FIGURE 5, the matrix material is removed, e.g.,
by pull-roll assembly 36, and the matrix material
take-up 37. which rolls the matrix material into the
roll 38. The matrix material includes the face
stock 11, first adhesive layer 14, kraft liner 15,
and second adhesive layer 16 for all those areas of
the original web 18 except for the decals 20. Since
the adhesive 16 has a greater affinity for the liner
15 than.the silicone coated polyester liner 17, it
is removed with the rest of the matrix material from
the areas 23.
P.fter tare matrix material is removed (36
through 38), the web 24 is taken up on the take-up
mechanism 40. Normally, the application of the web
24 to the decal carriers 25 does not take place on
the equipment of FIGURE 5. Typically, this is done
at a location remote from the equipment illustrated
in FIGURE 5, such as. by utilizing a conventional
Fasson Mark VI labeler. Utilizing the labeler, as
schematically illustrated in FIGURE 4, the bottom
liner 17 is removed and discarded, exposing the
second adhesive 16 on tine first liner 15. The decal
2Q is placed into position and affixed to the
carrier 25 by the second adhesive layer 16. Once
the carrier 25, with attached decal 20, is received
by the ultimate user, he or she can remove the
reflective stock 11 with adhesive 14 thereon from
the liner 15 (and adhesive 16 and carrier 25), and
apply the decal 20 to another surface, such as an
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automobile license plate, with the pressure
sensitive adhesive 14.
Tt will thus be seen that according to the
present invention a highly automated efficient
method of making reflective decals is provided.
While the invention has herein been shown and
described in what is presently conceived to be the
most practical and preferred embodiment,,it will be
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that
many modifications.may be made thereof within the
scope o~ the invention, which scope is to be
accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended
claims which encompass all equivalent methods and
procedures.
