Patent ID: 8325318
Filing Date: 2012-12-04
Classification: B32B,G01N

Abstract:
1. A system for producing an information storage/readout device for use in a system for continuously manufacturing liquid-crystal display elements, the system for continuously manufacturing liquid-crystal display elements being configured to work with a roll of a continuous optical film laminate which comprises a continuous polarizing composite film including an adhesive layer and having a width conforming to a long or short side of a liquid-crystal panel formed in a given size, and a continuous carrier film releasably laminated on the adhesive layer, the system for continuously manufacturing liquid-crystal display elements being configured to form a plurality of slits in the continuous optical film laminate fed out from the roll, along a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction thereof, to make it possible to sequentially cut a plurality of polarizing sheets each having a given length corresponding to the long or short side of the liquid-crystal panel from the continuous optical film laminate and to laminate the sheets to respective ones of a plurality of the liquid-crystal panels so as to continuously manufacture liquid-crystal display elements, the information storage/readout device comprising an information storage medium which stores therein slitting position information created based on the position of a defect detected by an inspection of a continuous polarizing composite film included in a continuous optical film laminate to indicate defective-polarizing-sheet slitting positions defining a defective or defect-containing polarizing sheet, and normal-polarizing-sheet slitting positions defining a normal or defect-free polarizing sheet, in the continuous inspected optical film laminate, and a roll of the continuous inspected optical film laminate which is provided with an identification indicia, wherein the continuous optical film laminate includes the defect-containing polarizing sheet and the defect-free polarizing sheet, the system for producing an information storage/readout device comprising: a polarizing composite film forming unit configured to laminate a continuous protective film on at least one of opposite surfaces of a continuous polarizer to form an continuous polarizing composite film on which the adhesive layer is not yet formed; an inspection unit configured to inspect the continuous polarizing composite film which the adhesive layer is not yet formed to detect a defect contained in the continuous polarizing composite film on which the adhesive layer is not yet formed; slitting position information creating means configured to, based on the position of the defect in the continuous polarizing composite film on which the adhesive layer is not yet formed, create the slitting position information indicative of the normal polarizing sheet-slitting positions and the defective polarizing sheet-slitting positions defining respective ones of the normal polarizing sheet and the defective polarizing sheet in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the continuous polarizing composite film on which the adhesive layer is not yet formed; a continuous inspected optical film laminate forming unit configured to releasably laminate a continuous carrier film to the continuous inspected polarizing composite film on which the adhesive layer is not yet formed through an adhesive layer to form the continuous inspected optical film laminate; an information storage medium forming unit configured to store the slitting position information in a storage medium to thereby form the information storage medium, in a manner usable by the system for continuously manufacturing liquid-crystal display elements to, during feeding of the continuous inspected optical film laminate, form a plurality of slits in the continuous inspected optical film laminate along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a surface opposite to the continuous carrier film to a depth reaching a surface of the continuous carrier film adjacent to the adhesive layer so as to make it possible to cut the normal polarizing sheet and the defective polarizing sheet from the continuous inspected optical film laminate individually; an identification providing unit configured to create the identification indicia in association with the slitting position information and provide the identification indicia on the continuous inspected optical film laminate; a taking up unit configured to wind the continuous inspected optical film laminate provided with the identification indicia, into a roll to provide the roll of the continuous optical film laminate, wherein the continuous optical film laminate includes the defect-containing polarizing sheet and the defect-free polarizing sheet, and the taking up unit is configured to wind the continuous inspected optical film laminate without separating the defect-containing polarizing sheet from the defect-free polarizing sheet; and a control unit configured to control respective operations of at least the polarizing composite film forming unit, the inspection unit, the slitting position information creating means, the continuous inspected optical film laminate forming unit, the information storage medium forming unit, the identification providing unit and the taking up unit, in an inter-related manner.