Patent Application
20230123447
The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a visual display assembly. It finds application particularly in a visual display assembly that can be used as an anti-counterfeiting device or—unique among its kind—for labels on products and/or lighters.
Today, many products or lighters are subject to counterfeiting.
The lighter is known and conventionally comprises a lighter body that is equipped with a reservoir and an igniter. The reservoir is a fuel tank. The igniter can be of different types, particularly a piezoelectric-type igniter, a friction igniter, or simply electric. A friction igniter has a thumbwheel that causes friction upon contact with a spark stone. In the latter case, the igniting of a lighter involves the manipulation of the wheel, generally with the thumb. Upon completing the manipulation of the thumbwheel, the thumb then presses, almost simultaneously, on a push-button of a valve that releases fuel. The release of fuel occurs at the very moment the spark occurs, thus producing the flame.
In the context of piezoelectric ignitions, the push-button is actuated by a user's finger, generally the thumb. When the thumb is pressed on this pusher, a first displacement of this pusher compresses a spring. Continuation of this support suddenly releases the spring. This then strikes a piezoelectric quartz, which also produces a spark. The production of the spark is also simultaneous with the release of the fuel as a result of the consecutive action on the push-button, that opens the fuel valve.
Lighters are widely used and often employed as promotional items.
The type of film used for decoration (sleeve or label) is either glossy or matt. The drawback of this type of film is that it is not scratch-resistant and can be torn off easily. In addition, the film used for decoration is easy to reproduce, and there are counterfeit lighters whose existence is related to the reproduction of the film for decoration.
It is one of the objects of the disclosure to have a film that is used for decoration but is unique among its kind.
The present disclosure aims to remedy these drawbacks with a completely innovative approach.
To this end, according to a first aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a visual display assembly, the method being characterized in that it comprises:
By virtue of these arrangements, it is possible to print an image on the curved portion of the lenticular film.
The disclosure also relates to a method for manufacturing a visual display assembly to be applied to a lighter.
Other advantages in general or related to the product is a use as an anti-counterfeiting device. More specifically, the assembly is useful as an anti-counterfeiting device on product labels.
The ink or varnish makes it possible to mask the 3D effect in one place in order to visually isolate it, detaching it from the decoration by placing it in the foreground.
The pattern is a square, for example.
The disclosure is advantageously implemented according to the embodiments and the variants set out below, which are to be considered individually or in any technically operative combination.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises a step of applying an adhesive layer to the second surface of the transparent material. The layer is configured such that it cannot be peeled off.
By virtue of these arrangements, it is possible to peel off and re-glue the film on the product, such as a lighter, making it possible to avoid manufacturing rejections.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises providing a flexible support on which a pattern, image, or text is printed, the flexible support being positioned beneath the second surface of the transparent material film.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises a step of applying an adhesive layer beneath the flexible support, the adhesive layer being configured such that it can be peeled off and then re-glued at least once without leaving a trace of the adhesive layer.
The layer is configured so as not to leave traces of adhesive on the product during its detachment.
The adhesive layer beneath the flexible support is provided in order to hold the assembly on a product or a silicone support.
In one embodiment, the screen-printing fabric has at least 70 threads/cm.
In one embodiment, the thickness of the layer of ink or varnish is between 40 microns and 70 microns.
In one embodiment, the screen-printing fabric is colored.
In this way, it makes it possible to block the diffusion phenomena and to have the best possible definition during the exposure of the artwork.
According to a second aspect, the present disclosure relates to a visual display assembly which is characterized in that it comprises:
Given that the advantages, aims, and particular characteristics of this assembly are similar to those of the method which is the subject of the present disclosure, they will not be repeated here.
According to a third aspect, the present disclosure relates to a lighter comprising:
the lighter being characterized in that it further comprises:
More specifically the assembly in a piezoelectric, electrical, or friction wheel system that can be turned by a user in order to produce sparks directed toward the fuel released from the valve, the piezoelectric, electrical, or friction wheel assembly being mounted on the lighter body such that at least a portion thereof is exposed for manipulation and rotation by the user.
Given that the advantages, aims, and particular characteristics of this lighter are similar to those of the method which is the subject of the present disclosure, they will not be repeated here.
Other advantages, aims, and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description, which is provided for the purpose of explanation and is in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
The film 20 has lenses that are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows. The film 20 consists of an array of lenses. The array of lenses is composed of round-based lenses or square-based lenses.
The film 20 of transparent material or the lenticular film 20 makes it possible to create different points of view of an image or a plurality of images on several levels. In one exemplary embodiment, there are three levels.
In one exemplary embodiment, the multiple images that are visible in the lenticular film 20 comprise a wallpaper pattern. The lenticular film 20 also comprises an overlay pattern.
The difficulty consists in printing graphic elements having clear contours that are faithful to the models to be reproduced and have a flat and smooth surface condition.
This figure makes it possible to demonstrate the flow of the ink or the varnish 22 among the array of lenses. This gives an impression of blurred and ill-defined contours. The present disclosure seeks to solve this problem.
The method comprises a certain screen printing step as a means of printing on the first surface of the film 20 of transparent material.
Screen printing is used as the means of printing in order to achieve the objective of eliminating the unwanted bleeding effect.
This means makes it possible to control and qualify the various parameters mentioned below, namely depositing a thick film of ink or varnish 22 with sufficiently clear and precise contours.
This figure shows the film 20 of transparent material to which ink or varnish 22 is applied. The screen-printing fabric 21 is positioned over the film 20 in proximity thereto. Proximity is understood to mean that it is approximately 3 mm with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 mm. This is to allow good, clean, and precise detachment of the screen-printing fabric 21 after the passage of the ink or the varnish 22 while avoiding any risk of smudging.
The screen-printing fabric 21 comprises a portion that allows the ink or varnish 22 to pass through so that it can be deposited on the first surface of the film 20. The screen-printing fabric 21 has solid portions, called capillary film, having sharp edges around the area that allows the ink or varnish 22 to pass through.
In an exemplary embodiment, the screen-printing fabric 21 consists of a solid portion that does not allow ink or varnish 22 to pass through and at least one zone for passage of ink or varnish 22.
The solid portion or capillary film makes it possible to obtain the lowest possible roughness value in order to allow repetition of the wiping. The Rz value is 5 microns with a tolerance of up to 7 microns.
The roughness value is so low that it can be the that the surface of the solid area or of the capillary film is not rough.
The screen-printing fabric 21 comprises 90 threads/cm in order to allow a relatively substantial deposit of ink or varnish 22, with a tolerance of between 71 threads/cm and 120 threads/cm depending on the fineness of the pattern to be reproduced.
The screen-printing fabric 21 is colored in order to block diffusion phenomena and to have the best possible definition during the exposure of the artwork.
The thickness of the ink or the varnish 22 is between 40 microns and 70 microns.
For good printing quality (clear and precise contours+smooth surface of the printed patterns), the ink or varnish 22 has the rheological properties below, according to one exemplary embodiment:
According to one exemplary embodiment, the ink or the varnish 22 is modified in order to adapt its rheological behavior and adapt it to the irregular surface of the lenticular film 20.
According to Examples:
Agents of thixo base type, +3% by weight±1%, are added to the ink or to the varnish 22 depending on the fineness and the detail of the patterns to be reproduced.
Gelling agents are added in order to increase the initial viscosity by up to 1% (±0.2%).
Silicone-type tensioning agents are added in an amount of 2%±0.5% so as to promote the smoothing of the ink or the varnish 22 and to prevent “orange peel” phenomena after printing.
After printing, there is a step of drying the ink or varnish 22 under the ultraviolet tunnel. The time between printing and passage under the ultraviolet tunnel is increased in intervals on the order the minutes or, according to one example, two minutes, as opposed to 5 seconds on average, as is customary in the profession. The ink or varnish 22, which has become strongly thixotropic, is thus allowed time to regain its initial viscosity and for it to regain a good “smoothness” before being dried definitively.
This figure also shows a squeegee 23 that is passing (displaced) over the ink or varnish passage zone 22. In other words, squeegee 23 is movable, more specifically with respect to the screen-printing fabric (21) and/or the film (20) of transparent material. The squeegee 23 makes it possible, with a certain amount of pressure and at a certain displacement speed, to remove the excess ink or varnish 22.
The printing speed is 8 meters/minute (with a tolerance of plus or minus 1 m/minute) that is adapted to the rheology of the very viscous ink or varnish 22.
The squeegee 23 has a Shore hardness of 75±5. More specifically, the squeegee 23 has a Shore A hardness of between about 70 to about 80, more specifically between about 72 to about 78, and in particular about 75. The determination of the Shore hardness, more specifically of the Shore A hardness, is not particularly limited and may be performed with a durometer e.g. according to ISO 868. The squeegee 23 profile is rectangular. The inclination of the squeegee is 75° (±5°) relative to the screen-printing fabric 21.
According to one example, the squeegee is sharpened every 2 hours and changed according to its state of wear in order to maintain high precision during printing.
The vertical pressure that is applied to the squeegee must be controlled with care and be adjusted to the non-printing limit, meaning that removing the pressure does not allow the ink or varnish 22 to pass through the screen-printing fabric 21.
The pressure adjustment makes it possible to bring the lower surface of the screen-printing fabric 21 into contact with the top of the lenses of the film 20 without causing any deformation of the printing squeegee.
Too much pressure causes more ink or varnish 22 to pass through the fabric than necessary and promotes the flow and uncontrolled bleeding of the ink or varnish 22 on the lenticular support.
The assembly is composed of the following different layers:
In this figure, the arrow NV shows a layer of varnish that masks the 3D effect. The arrow V shows the 3D effect.
This involves depositing a transparent varnish or ink on the flexible 3D lenticular film. This has the effect of completely neutralizing the 3D effect obtained with the flexible 3D lenticular film.
In the example shown, the varnish is selectively deposited with the desired design at the desired location. The varnish thus makes it possible to mask the 3D effect, which can pose a detriment to the correct reading of a graphic element such as fine text or a logo, for example.
Adding varnish to an element of the decoration makes it possible to visually isolate it, detaching it from the decoration by placing it in the foreground, which adds an additional plane to the initial 3D motif.
It is attractive from a marketing perspective to highlight the logo of a brand, for example.
The advantage of the 3D layer is that these provisions further increase the difficulty in counterfeiting the product and, consequently, enhance its anti-counterfeiting aspect.
The method comprises the following steps:
During step 104, the squeegee 23 is rectangular in shape and is inclined relative to the normal plane of the screen-printing fabric at an angle of between 70° and 80°.
More specifically a movable squeegee 23 is particularly suitable for being used on a curved, elliptical and/or essentially cylindrical surface.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR2002313 | Mar 2020 | FR | national |
This application is a National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/EP2021/055945, filed on 9 Mar. 2021, now published as WO2021180737 and which claims priority from French Application FR2002313, filed on 9 Mar. 2020.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/055945 | 3/9/2021 | WO |
