Patent Application
20060124237
The present invention relates to a device and method for performing a master processing operation on a selected substrate.
Typically, to laminate a document, a user must use a laminator, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,417. However, the cost of a laminator may not make economic sense for the infrequent or one-time user. To this end, the art has provided laminating sheets. These laminating sheets typically comprise two laminating films, at least one of which has a pressure-sensitive adhesive on the inner surface thereof, and a release liner positioned between the films. To use a laminating sheet, the user separates the sheets and removes the release liner; places the item to be laminated in position on one of the sheets; brings the sheets back together; and then applies pressure to the films to ensure the pressure-sensitive adhesive bonds the films securely together. Typically, the user will have to spend a fair deal of effort in applying pressure to ensure any entrapped “air bubbles” are freed from between the films. These air bubbles are created because the two laminating films are brought together manually, and the typical user tends to attend to aligning and securing the edges of the films together before smoothing out the center.
One aspect of the invention provides a device for performing a master processing operation on a selected substrate. The device comprises a base substrate; an adhesive carrier substrate having an inner surface facing the base substrate; a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive provided on the inner surface of the adhesive carrier substrate; and a release liner separating the base substrate from the adhesive carrier substrate. The release liner is folded along a fold line extending in a transversely extending direction to define two portions, one of which is an activating portion. The release liner has an outer surface facing the inner surface of the adhesive carrier substrate and also an inner surface of the base substrate. The outer surface is a release surface. The base substrate is separable from the release liner and the adhesive carrier substrate to enable the selected substrate to be positioned in a master processing position. The activating portion enables the master processing operation to be performed with the selected substrate in the master processing position by pulling the activating portion of the release liner in an activating direction generally perpendicular to the transverse direction and generally parallel to the base substrate and the selected substrate so as to progressively remove the release liner from the adhesive carrier substrate and cause the pressure-sensitive adhesive to adhere to the selected substrate and any peripheral portions of the base substrate extending adjacent the periphery of the selected substrate.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for performing a master processing operation on a selected substrate. The method comprises:
This methodology may be performed in a device with or without a folded activating portion on the release liner.
Other objects, advantages, and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
The Figures show a device, generally indicated at 10, for performing a laminating operation on a selected substrate 12. As will be discussed in further detail below, the invention may be used to perform any kind of master processing operation, including, for example, laminating, adhesive transfer, and/or magnet making. However, the invention will first be discussed in the context of a laminating operation for purposes of conveying a basic understanding of the invention.
The device 10 shown in the Figures is an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting. The device 10 comprises a base substrate 14 and an adhesive carrier substrate 16. The adhesive carrier substrate 16 has an inner surface 18 facing the base substrate 14. A layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive (not shown) is provided on the inner surface 18 of the adhesive carrier substrate 16.
The base substrate 14 and the adhesive carrier substrate 16 may be made of any material, and may be transparent or translucent laminating films. For example, each of these substrates 14, 16 may be a transparent bi-axially oriented polypropylene laminating film. Also, the base substrate 14 could be a polypropylene while the base substrate 14 could be a polyester. These examples are in no way intended to be limiting. Further, the base substrate 14 and the adhesive carrier substrate 16 may have any shape or configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, that shape is rectangular. Alternatively, the shape of these substrates 14, 16 could be circular, ovular, triangular, or any other conceivable shape. Further, the substrates 14, 16 need not be identical, although that is preferable. As shown in
The pressure-sensitive adhesive used may be of any type, including, but not limited to, a UV cured adhesive, an acrylic based emulsion, holt melt applied or any other type of adhesive. The adhesive may be provided on the inner surface 18 in any manner, including by pattern coating or coating the entirety of the inner surface 18. Preferably, but not necessarily, when the adhesive carrier substrate 16 is a transparent or translucent laminating film, the adhesive will likewise be essentially transparent so as to minimize obscuring of the selected substrate 12.
A release liner 22 separates the base substrate 14 from the adhesive carrier substrate 16. The release liner 22 is folded along a fold line 23 extending in a transversely extending direction to define two portions. In the illustrated embodiment, these two portions are a following portion 24 facing the inner surface 18 of the adhesive carrier substrate 16 and an activating portion 26 facing the inner surface 29 of the base substrate 14. The release liner 22 has an outer surface 28 facing the inner surface 18 of the adhesive carrier substrate 16 on the following portion 24 thereof and also facing the inner surface 29 of the base substrate 14 on the activating portion 26 thereof. The outer surface 28 is a release surface. At the least, the part of the outer surface 28 on the following portion 24 should be a release surface, but the outer surface 28 on the activating portion 26 may also be a release surface. The release liner 22 may be made of any suitable material and the release characteristics of the outer surface 28 may be provided in any way. For example, the release liner 22 may be a paper web with at least the outer surface 28 thereof coated with any suitable release material, such as, for example, a silicone. Likewise, the release liner 22 may be made of bi-axially oriented polypropylene and coated with any suitable release material, such as, for example, a silicone.
In the illustrated embodiment, the activating portion 26 includes a tab 32 extending out from between the base substrate 14 and the adhesive carrier substrate 16 for facilitating manual grasping and pulling thereof. The presence of this tab 32 is not necessary and should not be considered limiting. The activating portion 26 may be tapered toward the tab 32 as shown in
The base substrate 14 is separable from the release liner 22 and the adhesive carrier substrate 16 to enable the selected substrate 12 to be positioned in a master processing position between the release liner 22 and the base substrate 14 when the base substrate 14, release liner 22 and adhesive carrier substrate 16 are folded back into parallel relation, which position can be appreciated from the positioning of the selected substrate 12 in
The activating portion 26 enables the laminating operation to be performed with the selected substrate 12 in the master processing position by pulling the activating portion 26 of the release liner 22 by the tab 32 in an activating direction 30 generally perpendicular to the transverse direction and generally parallel to the selected substrate 12 and the base substrate 14. This action progressively removes the following portion 24 from the adhesive carrier substrate 16 and withdraws the release liner 22 from between the adhesive carrier substrate 16 and the base 14 and selected substrates 12. The movement of the release liner 24 may be described as a progressive rolling or peeling motion. This enables the pressure-sensitive adhesive to adhere to the selected substrate 12 and any peripheral portions of the base substrate 12 extending adjacent the periphery of the selected substrate 12 and affecting adhesive bonding between the base substrate 14, the selected substrate 12, and the adhesive carrier substrate 16. Once the release liner 22 is fully withdrawn from between the substrates, the operation is completed and the liner 22 may be discarded.
In the illustrated embodiment, the activating portion 26 of the release liner 22 faces the base substrate 14 and the selected substrate 12, and the following portion 24 faces the adhesive carrier substrate 16. However, the invention may be practiced with these portions reversed, i.e., with the activating portion 26 facing the adhesive carrier substrate 16 and the following portion 24 facing the selected substrate 12.
The inventors believe that the embodiment of
In the situation where the activating portion 26 is adjacent the adhesive carrier substrate 16 and the following portion 24 faces the base substrate 14, the invention still functions effectively. The inventors believe that in this embodiment, the tension applied to the adhesive carrier substrate 16 by pulling the activating portion 26 plays a more significant role in bringing the adhesive carrier substrate into contact with the base substrate 14 and the selected substrate 12. This is because the activating portion 26 is engaged directly with the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and more tension is likely to be created as a result of the release surface 28 sliding over the adhesive in the activating direction.
In either embodiment, the inventors believe static cling may also play a role in assisting the base substrate 14 and adhesive carrier substrate in coming together, particularly where very thin films are used.
The explanation provided above is provided solely for purposes of explaining how the inventors believe the device operates, and is not intended to be binding or limiting.
The term “base substrate” should not be construed as denoting a bottom substrate, a substrate devoid of adhesive or a substrate on which the selected substrate 12 is necessarily placed during the processing operation. To the contrary, the base substrate 14 could be the top substrate and the user could place the adhesive on the release liner 22 during the processing operation. Also, the base substrate 14 could have a layer of adhesive thereon.
Alternative embodiments of the device 10 may be developed for other purposes. As described herein, the device 10 is used for laminating, but other uses for this technology are envisioned, and thus the device may be broadly referred to as a master processing device and the method performed therewith may be broadly referred to as a master processing operation. For example, the device 10 could be modified for use as a magnet making device. In a magnet making device, the adhesive carrier substrate 16 would be a magnetic substrate such as is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2001-0042590A1, incorporated herein by reference. Optionally, the base substrate 14 may be a transparent or translucent laminating film with the inner surface thereof having an affinity for bonding with the pressure-sensitive adhesive. This would enable the magnet substrate to be mounted to a backside of the selected substrate 12 and the laminating film to be mounted to the front side, thereby protecting the selected substrate 12 and creating a laminated magnet. Alternatively, the base substrate 14 could be a mask substrate that has an affinity for the adhesive and can be pulled away to strip off any excess adhesive on peripheral portions of the magnet substrate adjacent the selected substrate 12, thus creating an unlaminated magnet with no excess adhesive around the periphery of the selected substrate 12.
Likewise, the device 10 could be modified for use as an adhesive transfer device. In an adhesive transfer device, the adhesive carrier substrate 16 would be an adhesive transfer substrate and the inner surface thereof would be a release surface. As such, when the pressure-sensitive adhesive is bonded to the selected substrate 12, the selected substrate 12 and the adhesive transfer substrate can be separated with the adhesive remaining on the selected substrate 12. Optionally, the base substrate 14 may be a mask substrate and the inner surface thereof may have an affinity for bonding with the pressure-sensitive adhesive. The mask substrate can be pulled away from the selected substrate 12 and the adhesive transfer substrate to strip off any excess adhesive on peripheral portions of the transfer substrate adjacent the selected substrate 12.
The base substrate 104 and adhesive carrier substrate 106 may be formed as a single piece and folded in half to define the two substrates. Preferably, however, they are formed as separate substrates and bonded together either by fusing or adhesive at the ends thereof as illustrated.
A release liner 110 separates the two substrates 104 and 106. The release liner 110 is folded at an end thereof to define an activating portion 112 and a following portion 114. The activating portion 112 is significantly shorter than the following portion 114 (e.g., less than 10% of its length). The release liner 110 has an outer surface 116 that is a release surface at least on the following portion 114 thereof. Optionally, the outer surface 116 may also be a release surface on the activating portion 112 simply for cost-effectiveness, as it is easier to simply coat the whole surface 116 prior to folding than controlling the application of release material to exclude the activating portion 112.
The activating portion 112 includes a tab 118. This tab is not essential, but is provided for ease of manual grasping by the user. The tab 118 may have use instructions printed thereon (e.g., “Pull” with an arrow pointing in the activating direction).
To use the device 100, the user places the adhesive carrier substrate 106 on a planar surface (such as a desktop) and folds the base substrate 114 back so it rests flat on the planar surface (see
The selected substrate 102 is positioned in its master processing position on the base substrate 104. To ensure the selected substrate is positioned perpendicular to the activating direction, its edge may be tucked into the nip defined where the base and adhesive carrier substrates 104 and 106 are joined. Advantageously, an edge of the selected substrate 102 may be contacted with the adhesive on the adhesive carrier substrate 116 exposed by the standout of the release liner 110 to help adhere it in place against movement during the operation. Such placement of the selected substrate 102, however, is not necessary.
With the selected substrates in its master processing position, the user can then pull the activating portion 112 in the activating direction 120 so as to progressively remove the release liner 110 from the adhesive carrier substrates 106 and progressively pull the adhesive carrier substrate 106 over and into contact with the base substrate 104 and the selected substrate 104. This action can be appreciated from
The inventors believe the same principles of operation discussed above underlie the operation of this alternative embodiment. Any variations mentioned above for the earlier embodiments may be used for this alternative embodiment.
An advantage of both embodiments is that because the release liner is pulled so that the adhesive carrier substrate is engaged progressively with the selected substrate and the base substrate, there is less chance for air bubbles to form. While some air bubbles may occur, the progressive action of the device makes such occurrences less likely, or at least the bubbles will not be as large as with the prior art devices discussed above. Additionally, the pulling action on the release liner brings the substrates together in a smooth progressive manner that facilitates accurate alignment. These advantages are examples of advantages achieved by the illustrated embodiments and are not intended to be limiting or exclusive of other advantages that may be realized. Also, because the user only needs to pull the release liner to affect bonding, the user does not have to handle the adhesive carrier substrate with the adhesive exposed, thus reducing the chances of getting adhesive on his/her hands or mistakenly folding the carrier substrate so that it sticks to itself.
The device of the invention may be used for other applications and in other contexts, and the examples provided herein should not be considered limiting.
The foregoing embodiments have been provided to illustrate the structural and functional principles of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting. To the contrary, the present invention is intended to encompass all modifications, substitutions, and equivalents, within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/727,561, filed Dec. 5, 2003 and currently pending, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/433,606 filed Dec. 16, 2002 and now abandoned, the entire contents of which are both incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60433606 | Dec 2002 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10727561 | Dec 2003 | US |
| Child | 11346441 | Feb 2006 | US |
