The present invention relates to a screen-printing apparatus, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a screen-printing apparatus for printing indicia in spaced intervals on a medium.
Printing an indicium on multiple objects or multiple times on the same object at spaced intervals is a common practice. This can be done for a number of purposes including branding, decoration, identification, and the like. Stamping is a common method for embossing an indicium on multiple objects. However, printing by repetitive stamping on a surface of an object may often result in the nonuniform application of indicia. Measuring the exact position for stamping on the object may be laborious and time-consuming. Still, stamping by hand may produce uneven results.
Therefore, a desire is there for a printing apparatus for uniformly printing a pattern in spaced intervals on a surface.
Hereinafter, the term “ink” is interchangeably used with other terms “paint”, “colorant”, or similar dye.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The principal object of the present invention is therefore directed to a screen-printing apparatus for printing indicia on regularly spaced intervals on a print receiving surface.
It is another object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus is a handheld instrument.
It is still another object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus is compact and portable.
It is yet another object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus is economical to manufacture.
It is a further object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus provides for uniform printing of an indicium on regularly spaced intervals or discrete intervals.
It is still a further object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus provides a faster application of the prints.
It is an additional object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus is easier to operate.
It is still an additional object of the present invention that the screen-printing apparatus provides an accurate and quick repetitive application of the same mark in discrete intervals.
In one aspect, disclosed is a handheld screen-printing apparatus for repetitive application of an indicium on a surface at regularly spaced intervals or predefined discrete intervals quickly and uniformly. The screen-printing apparatus includes a wheel of suitable diameter having a shaft traversing the center of the wheel. The shaft is rotatably mounted to a housing, wherein at least a bottom portion of the wheel is protruded from the housing. An elongated handle coupled to the housing, wherein the handle can be grabbed by a hand for moving the screen-printing apparatus on a surface, the periphery of the bottom of the wheel in contact with the surface. A control unit can be mounted on the housing and the control unit can have a user interface for receiving a configuration/instruction. A digital encoder coupled to the housing and can measure the angular rotation distance of the wheel. A screen frame mounted to the housing, the screen frame can interchangeably receive a screen. The screen has one or more voids that form the shape of the indicia to be printed. The screen frame can be positioned on the housing, such as to be in spatial relationship with a surface and when the ink is sprayed on an upper surface of the screen, the ink passes through the voids in the screen forming the Indicium on the surface. In one case, the frame can be moved up and down relative to the medium. The screen-printing apparatus further includes an ink supplying unit having one or more nozzles positioned to spray the ink on the upper surface of the screen. The ink can be ink, colorant, or paint. The ink supplying unit can be aerosol paint. A solenoid can be mounted on the housing and operable coupled to the ink supplying unit for triggering the spray of ink.
These and other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein and the summary will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention.
Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent.
Disclosed is a screen-printing apparatus for applying a repetitive pattern or indicia at regularly spaced intervals or predefined discrete intervals on a surface, such as the surface of a paper, cardboard, cloth, board, and the like. Referring to
A shaft 110 can traverse through the center of the wheel 105 as shown in
On top of the housing can be seen a control unit 120 that may include a microprocessor. The control unit 120 can also include a user interface for interacting with the user. The user interface can be a screen with buttons on it that allow the user to input parameter requirements for the operation of the screen-printing apparatus, such as setting the increment spacing and zeroing the measurement. The user can provide configuration, such as intervals at which the print has to be made, calibration of the wheel, setting the starting point, and the like. The user can also program a sequence of printing indicia, wherein all the intervals may or may not be the same. The user can program a sequence of applying the pattern, such as the first print when the wheel completes one round and the next print when the wheel completes two rounds. The sequence may be repeated, for example when a pattern has to be made on continuous objects, such as a roll of packaging. One sequence of repeatedly printing the mark at discrete intervals can be defined for one packaging, and the sequence can be repeated on subsequent continuous packaging in the roll. The user interface can also be a separate user device, such as a smartphone that can wirelessly connect to the control unit.
An elongated bar 125 can be seen that extends upwards at an angle from the housing. Bar 125 has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the bar can be coupled to the housing using a fastener, such as a nut and a bolt. Alternatively, the bar can also be welded to the housing. The distal end of the bar can have a handle that can be grabbed by a hand for operating the disclosed screen-printing apparatus. The bar is extended at an acute angle rearward, such as a user can grab the handle and push the assembly forward, wherein the wheel rotates on the surface forward without significant slip.
A digital encoder 130 (shown in
The screen-printing apparatus may also include a screen assembly 135 mounted to the housing. The screen assembly 135 may include a screen frame that can be mounted to the housing. The screen frame can interchangeably receive a screen for printing. An exemplary embodiment of the screen can be seen in
The ink can be supplied by an ink supplying unit 140 mounted to the housing 115 and positioned to be in a spatial relationship with the screen. The ink supplying unit 140 can be an aerosol canister having one or more nozzles. The nozzles can be positioned to spray the ink on the upper surface of the screen. One or more nozzles can be provided for uniform spraying of the ink over voids in the screen. The ink can be sprayed with sufficient force such that the ink can pass through the voids of the screen and prevent any droplet formation.
The ink supplying unit 140 can be operated through a solenoid 145 also coupled to the housing 115. The solenoid 145 can be operably coupled to the control unit 120, such as the control unit can actuate the solenoid 145 to trigger the ink supplying unit 140 for printing the indicia. The control unit 120 at the interval specified by the user can trigger the solenoid to activate the ink supplying unit for a predefined duration. The structure and functioning of a solenoid are known in the art. In one case, the solenoid 145, the screen assembly 135, and the ink supplying unit 140 can be collectively adjusted in position, such as moving up and down.
The screen-printing apparatus 100 may also include a wheel lock unit 150 that can be used to align the wheel 105 at the beginning of a surface to be measured that has a vertical edge at the beginning of the measurement such as a rim joist so that the wheel is ensured to start at zero without being minutely misaligned in the placement process.
The screen-printing apparatus can be powered by batteries or can receive power from Mains AC power through an AC to DC adaptor. The battery can be an inbuilt rechargeable battery or a replaceable battery.
In one exemplary embodiment is disclosed a method of repeatedly printing an indicium at regularly spaced intervals or predefined discrete intervals using the screen-printing apparatus. First, the desired screen for the mark to be printed can be installed in the screen-printing apparatus. The spray paint canister can also be installed into the holder. Once the screen-printing apparatus is functional, the user can provide the interval parameter. The control unit can include some pre-set parameters that can be directly selected by the user. For example, the control unit can show two pre-set 16 inches and 24 inches in the center. Otherwise, the user can manually enter the value. The wheel locks can be engaged to mark the beginning. If not using the wheel locks, to set the beginning of the marker, place the wheel at the beginning of the interval to be marked and press “Zero Marker” on the user interface.
For the ¾ inches adjustment, two-wheel locks can also be provided.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.
This application claims priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/992,656, filed on Mar. 20, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.