The present invention relates to a system and method of embellishing media, and more particularly to a media embellishing template.
The papercraft and scrapbook industry has become widely popular seeing explosive growth in recent years. Many people have taken up the hobby of keeping mementos and photos in scrapbooks and they wish to personalize their collections using embellished media, such as template cut and/or embossed paper and the like.
Typical known systems for embellishing media use a press for pressing the media against a template to embellish the media. These systems use a template having an embellishing surface for embellishing the media during pressing. The embellishing surface may be a die cut blade for die cutting the media. The embellishing surface may be a recess or protrusion for embossing the media. It is desirable to provide a template for embellishing media in a variety of different ways.
According to the present invention, a new and improved multi-function embellishing template for embellishing media is provided.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, the embellishing template includes a body having a media abutment surface and an aperture in the media abutment surface extending through the body, and an embellishing wall extending from the media abutment surface and terminating in an embellishing surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of forming a media embellishing template from a template blank having body with a first side and a second side disposed opposite the first side is provided. The method includes placing resist on a first side of a template blank, placing resist on a second side of the template blank, exposing the first side to etchant, exposing the second side to etchant, etching the surface of the first side not covered by the resist to form a media abutment surface and an embellishing wall extending from the media abutment surface, the embellishing wall terminating in an embellishing surface, and etching the surface of the second side not covered by the resist to form at least one aperture extending through the template.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of embellishing media with a press is provided. The method includes placing sheet media against an embellishing template first surface, the first surface having an embellishing wall extending therefrom and terminating in an embellishing surface and an aperture formed therein and extending through the embellishing template, pressing the media against the embellishing template first surface, pressing the media into the aperture forming a protruding embellishment in the media, pressing the media against the embellishing surface forming a second embellishment in the media.
The advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
The invention may take form in certain components and structures, preferred embodiments of which will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:
It is to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific examples and characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
The term “embellish” as used herein refers to altering the appearance of media. Media can be embellished by cutting, such as for example by die cutting with a template, and/or by embossing and/or by stenciling. The term “embossing” as used hereinafter refers to forming a three dimensional impression of a template in the media. The embossing is dry embossing which does not use heat. The media can be sheet material suitable for embellishing including, but not limited to, paper, card stock, cardboard, metal, such as for example metal foil or other thin metals, and plastic, among others.
Referring to
The template body 14 includes a first surface 20 disposed on the first side 16 for abutting or contacting a first side 22 of the media 12 during pressing. The first surface 20 includes one or more apertures 24, which can also be referred to a through holes or windows, extending through the template body 14. Each aperture 24 includes an aperture wall 26 extending through the template body 14, from the first side 16 to the second side 18.
The templates 10a, 10b shown in
The template body 14 also includes an embellishing wall 30 having raised wall surface 32 extending from the first surface 20 and terminating in an embellishing surface 34. The embellishing surface 34 can be an edge, sharp enough to cut through the media 12 to create a cut edge 40 on the media 12 by generating a sufficient force against the embellishing surface 34 during pressing. In this example, the embellishing wall 30 can be referred to as a blade, a die cut blade, or a ribbon die blade, and the embellishing surface 34 can be referred to as a blade edge. However, the amount of force applied to the media 12 and template 10a by the press during pressing can be varied, as described below. Accordingly, lower forces may be generated during pressing so that the blade 30 only creates a protrusion 44 in the media 12 forming a protruding embellishment 44 extending from the second side of the media 23 as shown in
In other embodiments, such as the template shown generally at 10b in
The embellishing wall 30 shown in
In an alternate embodiment of the template, shown generally at 10c in
The embellishing wall 30 can circumscribe the one or more apertures 24. For example, as shown in
The template body 14 is preferably a unitary or one-piece unit formed of the template material described above. However, as shown in the alternate embodiment of
Referring to
The system 100 can further include a rigid platen plate assembly 130 for transferring press forces 120 from the press members 118 to the media 12 and template 10a for pressing the media and template together during pressing. The platen plate assembly can also distribute the press forces 120 when press members 118 that are not generally planar, such as roller press members, are used in the press 116. The platen plate assembly 130 can include a first flat portion 132, also referred to as a “Cut Matt”, and a spaced apart second flat portion 134, also referred to as an “Emboss Matt” for pressing the media 12 and template 10a therebetween. The platen plate assembly 130 is formed of a rigid material, an example of which can include high density polyethylene, or polystyrene, among others. The first and second flat portions 132, 134 can be joined together, for example by a hinge, or they can be separate pieces. In the example provided herein, the platen plate first and second portions 132, 134 are about 0.335 inches thick, though other thicknesses can be used.
The system 100 can further include a spacer 121 disposed between the press members 118 for transferring press forces 120 from the press members to the media 12 and template 10a. The spacer 121 can abut the template 10a or the media 12. Different spacers 121 having different physical properties can be used to vary the press force characteristics applied to the media 12 and template 10 during pressing by press members 118 which are disposed apart by fixed distance, or reach a fixed distance apart, during pressing.
The spacer 121 can be formed having a wide range of hardnesses to accomplish different functions during pressing as described below. Further, different spacers 121, each having a different thickness can be used to vary the magnitude of the press forces 120 applied to the media 12 and template 10 by press members 118 which are disposed a fixed distance apart, or reach a fixed distance apart, during pressing.
In one example, the spacer 121 can be a rigid spacer 122 formed of a rigid material, examples which should not be considered limiting, include high density polyethylene and polystyrene. The rigid spacer 122 can be slightly pliable or resilient to be capable of regularly coming into contact with the embellishing surface 34 without prematurely dulling it. The rigid spacer 122 can have a hardness ranging from about D60 Shore to a Rockwell C hardness of about 60. In the example provided herein, the rigid spacer 122 can have a thickness of about 0.062 inches, though other thicknesses can be used in accordance with the dimensions of the press member 118 spacing and platen plate thicknesses and the thicknesses of the media 12 and template 10.
The rigid spacer 122 can be placed between a platen plate 130 (or press member 118) and the template 10a or media 12 for die cutting the media with the embellishing surface 34 during pressing. For example, a first pressing operation can be performing by forming a stack, also referred to as a “sandwich” 136, which is pressed between the press members 118. The sandwich 136 is formed by placing the rigid spacer 121 on top of the platen plate second flat portion 134 and then placing the template 10c on top of the spacer. Next the media 12 is placed on top of the template 10a, and the platen plate first flat portion 132 is then placed on top of the media. Alternatively, sandwich 136 can be formed with the spacer 121 placed on top of the media as shown in
After pressing in the first press operation, the die cut media will be nested within the embellishing wall 30 as shown in
The spacer 121 can also be an elastomeric embossing pad 123 formed of a resilient or elastic material which deforms when the press forces 120 are applied during pressing and returns to its original shape when the press forces are removed. In the example provided herein, the embossing pad 123 can have a thickness of about 0.062 inches, though other thicknesses can be used in accordance with the dimensions of the press member 118 spacing, platen plate thicknesses, and the thicknesses of the media 12 and template 10.
The die cut media 12a can be embossed in a second press operation. A second sandwich 138 is formed by placing the template 10a on the platen plate second flat portion 134 and then placing the die cut media 12 on top of the template, nested within the embellishing wall 30. Next, an elastomeric embossing pad 123 is placed on top of the media 12 and the platen plate first flat portion 132 is placed on top of the embossing pad. The second sandwich 138 is then fed between the rollers 118 as they are turned for pressing the second press operation. The template 10a is pressed together with the die cut media 12a between the press members 118 which apply press forces 120 of sufficient magnitude to press the media against the first surface 20 of the template body 14 and into the aperture(s) 24 extending through the template body 14 to form one or more corresponding protruded embellishments in the media (see 60 in
In another example, the elastomeric pad 123 is used to embellish the media with the template 10 in a single press operation. The press forces 120 press the media 12 into the aperture(s) 24 for embossing the media and press the media against the one or more embellishing surface 34 for embossing and/or die cutting the media. By using different embellishing walls 30 having different embellishing surfaces 34, the media 12 can be die cut and embossed by the embellishing walls in one press operation.
As described above, achieving what can considered to be a suitable embellishment in the media 12 can require different press force characteristics depending on such things as the type of media material (heavier, thicker material requires greater press forces, whereas lighter materials such as thin foils require less press forces), the amount of detail to be transferred from the template to the media (templates having smaller apertures 24 for creating finer detailed embellishments can require greater press forces), and the type of embellishment sought (such as die cutting or embossing). Examples of these press force characteristics which can be adjusted can include, but are not limited to, the magnitude of the press forces 120 generated against the media 12 and embellishing template 10, the magnitude of the pressure applied to the media 12 and embellishing template 10 from the press forces, and the spread of the press forces over the media and embellishing template.
One way of creating different press force characteristics can include using different elastomeric embossing pads 123 having different preselected hardnesses when pressing the media and the embellishing template 10 in the press 116. The press force 120 can be adjusted by using an elastomeric pad having a higher hardness for generating greater press forces and a lower hardness for generating lower press forces. It has been found that elastomeric pads having a hardness on the Shore hardness scale ranging from about A20 to about A80, and more preferably ranging from about A40 to about A65, can be used. Further, the elastomeric pad 123 can be omitted during pressing to generate greater press forces 120.
Referring again to
Referring to
The template 10d can be made by forming an embellishing wall 30 extending from a first template body surface 20 and terminating in an embellishing surface 34 and forming an aperture 24 in the first template body surface extending through the template body 14. Referring now to
A resist is then applied to the surfaces of the template blank 200. The resist prevents the portions of the template blank 200 disposed beneath it from being removed by the etching substance during etching. A layer of resist 206 is placed on the first side 202, and a layer of resist 208 is place on the second side 204. The resist 206, 208 can be a photo sensitive polymer film, such as Riston® by Dupont, or other suitable resists. In one example, which shouldn't be considered limiting, the resist includes two thin pieces joined along an edge and the template blank 200 is slipped between them. The template blank 200 and resist is then passed through heated rollers which laminates or melts the resist onto the template blank surfaces 202 and 204 to form the resist layers 206 and 208.
A first mask, shown generally at 210 in
A second mask, shown generally at 216 in
Light, such as for example Ultra-Violet (UV) light, is then directed towards the masks 210 and 216. The light travels through the light admitting portions 212 and 218 striking the photoresist 206 and 208 below them. The portions of the resist receiving the light, shown as 206a and 208a in
An etching substance, also referred to as an etchant or chemical etchant, is then applied to the template blank 200 suitable for chemically etching the surface of the template blank for removing the portions of the template blank. In this example, Ferric Chloride 38 baume, from Phibro-Tech, Inc. is used, though other etchants of different strength or types of etchants can be used for etching the template blank. Both sides of the template blank 202, 204 are exposed to the etching substance. The sides 202, 204 can be exposed simultaneously. The etchant etches the first and second sides 202, 204 removing portions of template blank material corresponding to the portions not covered by the resist 206a, 208a. On the first side 202, the etchant removes portions of the template blank 200, to a depth equal to approximately one half the thickness T, thereby leaving template material forming the embellishing wall 30. On the second side 204, the etchant removes portions of the template blank 200, to a depth equal to approximately one half the thickness of the template blank, to form the apertures 24 extending through the template. The depth of the etching can be defined by controlling the length of time the etchant is allowed to etch the template material and the strength of the etchant.
It has been found that the embellishing wall 30 can be made having a sharper embellishing surface 34 by flash etching the entire first side 14 of the template 10 including the embellishing wall 30. After the first etching step is performed as described above, any remaining resist, such as the resist disposed over the embellishing wall 30 is removed. The entire first side 14 is then flash etched by exposing it to the etchant for a time period of about 1 minute to about 3 minutes. The same etchant used in the first etching step can be used in the flash etching step. In the flash etching step, the etchant etches the corners of the embellishing wall between the wall surface 32 and the embellishing surface 34 to round over, and thus sharpen, the embellishing surface. The embellishing surface 34 can be made more sharp by flash etching for a longer period of time and less sharp by flash etching for a shorter period of time.
The template 10 described herein can be manufactured simply and inexpensively and can provide a wide range of uses. A single template 10 can be used to embellish the media 12 in three different ways including embossing, die cutting and stenciling. The system 100 and method for embellishing media described herein can vary the characteristics of the press forces 120 applied to the media 12 and template 10 to provide pleasing embellishments from a wide variety of different media.
The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding specification. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/049,443 filed on Feb. 2, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,634 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/627,701, filed Nov. 12, 2004 and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/541,478 filed Feb. 3, 2004, and is a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 10/814,003, filed Mar. 31, 2004 now abandoned, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
332300 | Stollstorff | Dec 1885 | A |
753740 | Rockstroh | Aug 1901 | A |
1453405 | Platt | May 1923 | A |
1658823 | Willard | Feb 1928 | A |
2005340 | Jaffin et al. | Jun 1935 | A |
2056321 | Haumont | Oct 1936 | A |
2112011 | Byerlein | Mar 1938 | A |
3094091 | Peccerill | Jun 1963 | A |
3584522 | Smafield | Jun 1971 | A |
3584572 | Apicella | Jun 1971 | A |
3643303 | Kanarek | Feb 1972 | A |
3754327 | Lisa | Aug 1973 | A |
3850059 | Kang | Nov 1974 | A |
3935811 | Lenz et al. | Feb 1976 | A |
3936384 | Williams | Feb 1976 | A |
3946195 | Lyons et al. | Mar 1976 | A |
4155801 | Provancher | May 1979 | A |
4204468 | Harrison | May 1980 | A |
4215194 | Shepherd | Jul 1980 | A |
D257777 | Eichenberg et al. | Jan 1981 | S |
4257251 | Jury | Mar 1981 | A |
4278017 | Conjura | Jul 1981 | A |
4328067 | Cesano | May 1982 | A |
4361085 | Schutz | Nov 1982 | A |
4386123 | Coburn, Jr. | May 1983 | A |
4503110 | Skene | Mar 1985 | A |
4574693 | Fink et al. | Mar 1986 | A |
4711800 | DiVincenzo | Dec 1987 | A |
D296565 | Eichenberg et al. | Jul 1988 | S |
4781205 | Shakley | Nov 1988 | A |
4867057 | Bradley et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4928588 | Mathis | May 1990 | A |
4960659 | Sagou | Oct 1990 | A |
5046415 | Oates | Sep 1991 | A |
5057401 | Borysko et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
5255587 | Eichenberg et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
D341842 | Eichenberg et al. | Nov 1993 | S |
5290384 | Ketelhohn et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
D359967 | Eichenberg et al. | Jul 1995 | S |
5488889 | Kang | Feb 1996 | A |
5571280 | Lehrer | Nov 1996 | A |
5628226 | Weissman | May 1997 | A |
5660105 | Benson et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5693454 | Munoz | Dec 1997 | A |
5722319 | Hirano | Mar 1998 | A |
5733465 | Kitamura et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5762811 | Munoz | Jun 1998 | A |
5775213 | Hyde | Jul 1998 | A |
5782156 | Collins | Jul 1998 | A |
5900160 | Whitesides et al. | May 1999 | A |
6007754 | Crawford et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6032565 | Okonski et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6076444 | Okonski | Jun 2000 | A |
6186936 | Smith et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6223641 | Kang | May 2001 | B1 |
6444075 | Schneider et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6582615 | Hutchison et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
6619195 | Corcoran et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6626965 | Workman et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6715394 | O'Dell et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6766733 | Collins | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6994024 | Corcoran et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7055427 | Caron | Jun 2006 | B2 |
20010000860 | Smith et al. | May 2001 | A1 |
20020178935 | Corcoran et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030019370 | Corcoran et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20040112196 | Corcoran et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040118304 | Corcoran et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20050126407 | Hixon et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
614618 | Jun 1935 | DE |
164 247 | Jun 1921 | GB |
410199360 | Jul 1998 | JP |
2003-272998 | Sep 2003 | JP |
WO 01 17794 | Mar 2001 | WO |
WO 03016035 | Feb 2003 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Embossing Arts Co., catalog, Sep. 1, 1997, advertising brass stencil. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090104570 A1 | Apr 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60627701 | Nov 2004 | US | |
60541478 | Feb 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11049443 | Feb 2005 | US |
Child | 12341146 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10814003 | Mar 2004 | US |
Child | 11049443 | US |