Claims
- 1. An embossing apparatus for embossing a card or sheet material, comprising:
- (a) a supporting frame;
- (b) an embossing wheel rotatably supported by the supporting frame for rotation about an axis of rotation, the embossing wheel having spaced apart punch and die sides, an embossing location being defined intermediate the punch and die sides;
- (c) opposing punch and die character blocks spaced in a ring around the periphery of each side of the embossing wheel, the character blocks being retained around the periphery by retaining bands, the character blocks being slidably retained for movement in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation, the character blocks having a face portion pointing toward the embossing location and a lip portion pointing toward the wheel's axis of rotation, the character blocks being slidable between a card engaging position and a home position;
- (d) guide means for aligning and supporting a card between the punch and die sides of the embossing wheel;
- (e) transport means for moving the card so that a desired character embossing location on the card is positioned at the embossing location;
- (f) wheel rotation means for rotating the embossing wheel so that desired character blocks are aligned with the character embossing location on the card;
- (g) hammer means for moving the desired character blocks on each of the punch side and die side of the wheel into the card engaging position so as to emboss a character at the character embossing location on the card;
- (h) hammer drive means mounted on the frame for driving the hammer means against the character blocks aligned with the character embossing location on the card;
- (i) resilient character return means located intermediate each side of the wheel and the lip portion of the character blocks and engageable with the lip portion of the character blocks for pushing the character blocks back to the home position following the embossing stroke; and
- (j) pushers mounted on the hammer drive means engaging the character return means so that the character return means does not engage the character blocks at the point of embossing.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hammer drive means comprise a solenoid at either side of the embossing wheel, each solenoid having a shaft driving the hammer means upon actuation of the solenoid.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the repeatable hammer stop means comprises the body of the solenoid.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide means includes a card bow control guide plate on the punch side of the card, the card bow control guide plate positioned so that card bowing during embossing is minimized.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hammer means are adjustable relative to the card bow control guide plate for minimizing card bowing.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character return means comprises a spring loaded disk engaging a lip portion of the character blocks.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the duration and power of the hammer drive means shaft strokes are varied for maintaining consistent emboss height.
- 8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein movement of the transport means and rotation of the embossing wheel for embossing the next character is determined from a computer program.
- 9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate comprises a substantially planar plate located on either side of the card embossing position and having a notch allowing the associated punch and die blocks to strike an embossing location on the card while supporting the card around the sides and bottom of the character embossing location.
- 10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hammer drive means include bumpers for absorbing shock of the plate striking the hammer stop means during embossing.
- 11. A card embossing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a rotatable card embossing wheel including spaced apart punch and die sides rotating about a common axis of rotation, an embossing location being defined intermediate of the punch and die sides;
- (b) a framework supporting the wheel;
- (c) axially aligned associated punch blocks and die blocks located about the periphery of the punch side and die side of the embossing wheel, respectively, individual pairs of the punch blocks and die blocks being alignable with the embossing location by rotation of the wheel about the axis of rotation;
- (d) hammer means located on each side of the embossing wheel for urging the punch block and die block aligned with the embossing location toward the embossing location;
- (e) solenoid means including a solenoid shaft and mounted on a framework at either side of the embossing wheel for driving the hammer means;
- (f) card guide means located intermediate of the punch and die sides of the embossing wheel for positioning a character embossing location on a card proximate the embossing location intermediate of the punch and die sides of the wheel and for supporting the sides and bottom of the card during embossing of the card, the card guide means including a notch proximate the character emboss location;
- (g) stopping means for stopping the motion of the solenoid shaft at a repeatable embossing position so that character embossing height on the card is consistent;
- (h) character return plate means being resiliently biased for returning the punch blocks and die blocks to a home position axially removed from the embossing position;
- (i) card transport means for holding the card and moving the card through the embossing wheel intermediate of the punch and die sides; and
- (j) the solenoid shafts including pushers engaging the character return plate means so that the character return plate means does not engage the punch blocks or die blocks during embossing.
- 12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the card guide means is positioned so that as the card bows during embossing, the card engages the card guide means and bowing is minimized.
- 13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the hammer means are adjustable relative to the card guide means for minimizing card bowing.
- 14. A card embossing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a framework;
- (b) card transport means for transporting a card horizontally and vertically relative to the framework;
- (c) an embossing wheel including associated punch and die sides having a multiplicity of axially aligned corresponding punch and die character blocks spaced around the periphery of the wheel, the embossing wheel being rotatable about an axis of rotation;
- (d) card support means located between the punch side and the die side of the embossing wheel for supporting the card during the embossing process and for reducing actual deflection of the card, the card support means including a card bow control guide plate on the punch side of the card, the card bow control guide plate positioned so that card bowing during embossing is minimized;
- (e) wheel drive means for aligning selected pairs of the punch and die character blocks on the embossing wheel with an emboss location;
- (f) character block drive means for striking the selected punch and die blocks aligned with the emboss location so as to emboss a character onto the card, the card bow control guide plate engaging the card on either side and below the embossed location; and
- (g) stopping means having a repeatable stop location for maintaining consistent character embossing height on the card.
- 15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the character block drive means is adjustable relative to the card bow control guide plate for minimizing card bow.
- 16. A method for embossing cards comprising the steps of:
- (a) transporting a card to a card embossing mechanism having an embossing wheel including a punch side and a die side which have associated aligned character blocks spaced about the periphery of the wheel, the embossing mechanism further having a card bow control guide plate on the punch side of the card, the card bow control guide plate positioned so that card bowing during mechanism is minimized;
- (b) rotating the embossing wheel so that a selected pair of associated character blocks is aligned with a character embossing location on the card, the card bow control guide plate engaging the card on either side and below the character embossing location;
- (c) actuating opposing drive solenoids so that the solenoid shafts drive hammers against the associated character blocks, forming a raised letter on the card;
- (d) moving the card to the next character embossing location and repeating the wheel rotating and solenoid actuating steps for the desired character and repeating the steps until the embossing is completed; and
- (e) transporting the card to the next card processing station.
- 17. An embossing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a framework;
- (b) card transport means for transporting a card horizontally and vertically relative to the framework;
- (c) an embossing wheel including associated punch and die sides having a multiplicity of axially aligned corresponding punch and die character blocks spaced around the periphery of the wheel, the embossing wheel being rotatable about an axis of rotation;
- (d) card support means located between the punch side and the die side of the embossing wheel for supporting the card during the embossing process and for reducing actual deflection of the card, the card support means including a card bow control guide plate on the punch side of the card, the card bow control guide plate positioned so that the card bowing during embossing is minimized;
- (e) wheel drive means for aligning selected pairs of the punch and die character blocks on the embossing wheel with an emboss location, the card bow control guide plate engaging the card on either side and below the embossed location; and
- (f) character block drive means for striking the selected punch and die blocks aligned with the emboss location so as to emboss a character onto the card.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of now abandoned application Ser. No. 07/464,569, filed Jan. 16, 1990, which is a continuation of now abandoned Ser. No. 07/276,234, filed on Nov. 23, 1988 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (42)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
630896 |
Nov 1961 |
CAX |
1228790 |
Sep 1960 |
FRX |
8703539 |
Jun 1987 |
WOX |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
464569 |
Jan 1990 |
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Parent |
276234 |
Nov 1988 |
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