Holder for use with device for imprinting indicia on a flexible article

A holder for use in a device for imprinting indicia on a flexible article such as a duffel bag, tote bag, T-shirt or the like through the application of heat, the holder being positively located for positioning indicia strips in proper oriented position in overlying relation on the article. A heating block is movable into positive engagement with the indicia strips as they overlie the article, wherein indicia is transferred from the strips by heat of the heating block onto the article for the permanent imprinting thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a holder for use in a portable device for 
transferring indicia from a carrier onto a flexible article by the 
application of heat thereto. 
The application of indicia such as identifying lettering or numbers and 
designs to flexible articles such as duffel bags, tote bags, articles of 
clothing and the like has usually been accomplished heretofore upon 
purchase of the article in a retail establishment by either ink stenciling 
or monograming by embroidery or by ironing individual letters onto the 
article. Although ink stenciling of indicia onto flexible articles 
accomplished the purpose intended, this technique was somewhat laborious 
and required special stenciling equipment and ink that necessitated 
appropriate skills on the part of the individual who applied the indicia 
to the flexible article. Some commercial processes for imprinting indicia 
or designs on flexible articles also accomplished the purpose intended, 
but necessarily had to be performed at a location where appropriate 
equipment was available for use. This kind of equipment was obviously 
complicated and expensive and could not be employed in a retail 
establishment. 
Prior to the instant invention some efforts have been made to employ 
transfer printing techniques that utilize heat for transferring indicia to 
flexible articles. This technique had certain advantages in that the 
indicia as transferred was relatively permanent as applied, but the 
indicia had to be individually transferred usually with a hand iron and 
was not only laborious but produced inconsistent and unsatisfactory 
results. Other devices known heretofore have also utilized the heat 
transfer principle for transferring indicia onto flexible articles, but 
these devices were relatively complicated and expensive, which 
economically prohibited the wide spread use thereof. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The holder as embodied in the present invention is used with an imprinting 
device that provides for imprinting indicia on a flexible article such as 
a tote bag, duffel bag, T-shirt, and the like and includes a base on which 
a pad for receiving the article thereon is mounted, the pad defining an 
imprinting station. Stop means are located adjacent to the pad and 
imprinting station for positively locating the article in oriented 
imprinting position at the imprinting station. With the article located in 
oriented position at the imprinting station, the indicia holder is placed 
in position as determined by the stop means, which properly locates 
indicia strips carried by the holder in aligned and oriented position in 
overlying relation on the article. With the indicia strips properly 
located in engagement with the article, a heating member mounted on the 
base is moved into positive engagement with the indicia strips. The 
indicia is formed of a special ink that is heat responsive for transfer 
onto the article, and as transferred the indicia will remain on the 
article substantially for the life thereof. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder 
for use in a portable imprinting device for evenly transferring indicia in 
aligned and oriented relation onto a flexible article by the application 
of heat thereto. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become 
apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection 
with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, the imprinting 
device that is used in the present invention is illustrated and is 
generally indicated at 94. As shown, the imprinting device 94 is utilized 
for imprinting indicia such as lettering, numerals, designs and the like 
on flexible articles, an example of which is a duffel bag. The duffel bag 
can be formed of any conventional cloth material and normally includes a 
draw string having ends that extend outwardly of grommeted openings to 
provide a closure for the bag. A more complete illustration of the duffel 
bag and a tote bag on which indicia are imprinted is disclosed in 
co-pending application Ser. No. 589,784. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the imprinting device 94 includes a base 
generally indicated at 18 that is defined by a base board 20 to which a 
block 22 (FIG. 2) is secured at an end thereof. Also formed as part of the 
base 18 is a base plate 24 that is preferably formed of a metal material 
and that is secured to the block 22 and base board 20 by a bracket 
assembly 26 mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 24. As 
illustrated in FIG. 1, the bracket assembly 26 includes spaced apart walls 
28 that extend in a vertical direction and to which horizontal flanges 30 
are joined at right angles relative thereto. A bottom plate 32 bridges the 
space between the flanges 30 and cooperates with bolts 34 to fix the 
bracket assembly 26 to the base plate 24 and base board 20. 
Mounted for pivotal movement on the bracket assembly 26 is a handle 
generally indicated at 36 that includes a bar 38 having a hand grip 39 
formed on the outermost end thereof. Joined to the bar 38 in angular 
relation thereto is an elongated lever 40 that is defined at the inner end 
thereof by spaced portions 41, the spaced portions 41 being pivotally 
connected to the walls 28 of the bracket assembly 26 by a pin 42. As 
shown, the outermost ends of the spaced portions 41 are disposed in 
face-to-face engaging relation to define the elongated lever 40 as it is 
connected to the bar 38. Also mounted for pivotal movement between the 
spaced walls 28 of the bracket assembly 26 is a heating block support bar 
44 that projects outwardly from between the walls 28 and is pivotally 
connected thereto by a pivot pin 46. An over-center connector 48 
interconnects the support bar 44 to the lever 40 by means of the pivot 
pins 50 and 52, respectively. 
Mounted on the outermost end of the heating block support bar 44 is a 
heating block generally indicated at 54 and that is formed with a heating 
surface 56. The heating block 54 is hollow for receiving a heating element 
therein to which current is supplied through an electrical lead 58. The 
heating block 54 is mounted on the outermost end of the support bar 44 by 
a bolt 60 that extends through the bar 44 and through brackets 62, the 
brackets 62 being fixed to the face of the heating block 54 that is 
opposite to the heating surface 56. An end plate 64 is also fixed to the 
heating block 54 and is removable therefrom to provide access to the 
interior of the member 54. As will be described, the heating block 54 is 
movable from the upper or inoperative position thereof as illustrated in 
FIG. 1 to a bottom or operative position illustrated in FIG. 2 upon 
pivotal movement of the handle 36 with respect to the bracket 26. Since 
the heating block 54 is interconnected to the handle 36, through the 
over-center connector 48 it will be moved to a positive locked position 
during the heating operation. 
Mounted on the base plate 24 and spaced from the bracket assembly 26 is an 
elongated foam pad 64 that is substantially rectangular in cross sectional 
configuration. The pad 64 is located on the base plate 24 such that when 
the heating block 54 is moved to the lower position thereof, the heating 
surface 56 is disposed in overlying relation with respect to the upper 
face of the pad 64. As shown, the configuration of the upper face of the 
pad 64 is substantially the same as that of the heating surface 56 and 
thus accommodates substantially the full length of the surface 56 in the 
lower or operative position of the heating block. The pad 64 also defines 
the imprinting station and receives the article on which indicia is to be 
imprinted, as further illustrated in FIG. 2. 
Since placement of a flexible article such as a duffel bag on the pad 64 
that defines the imprinting station must be accomplished in a precise 
manner to positively locate and orient the article and the indicia to be 
imprinted thereon, a stop member 95 is provided. The stop member 95 is 
fixed directly to the base plate 24 and is disposed intermediate the pad 
64 and the bracket assembly 26. As will be described, the stop member 95 
is for use primarily as a stop for special kinds of flexible articles such 
as a tote bag, or duffel bag, and receives a combined holder and stop 
member generally indicated at 96. As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, the 
combined holder and stop member 96 is defined by an upper wall 98 from 
which a lower wall 100 is spaced. An internal longitudinally extending rib 
102 divides the space between the upper wall 98 and lower wall into a wide 
slot 104 and a narrow slot 106. Joined to the upper surface of the upper 
wall 98 and extending the length thereof are spaced ribs 108 and 110 that 
are approximately equally spaced from the adjacent longitudinally 
extending edges of the upper wall 98 to define shelves 112 and 114 
respectively. Each shelf 112 and 114 is formed so as to accommodate the 
indicia holder 80 thereon during the imprinting operation; and as further 
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stop member 95 is formed with a longitudinally 
extending slot 116 that is dimensioned for receiving therein in supporting 
relation either edge of the member 96 that includes shelf 112 or shelf 
114. As will be described below, when a tote bag is to be imprinted, the 
wide slot 104 faces outwardly of the stop member 95 for accommodating an 
edge of a tote bag, the shelf 112 having the word "TOTE" printed thereon 
to instruct the user of the device to insert the edge of a tote bag to be 
imprinted into the slot 116. Similarly, the narrow slot 106 accommodates 
the edge of a duffel bag therein, the shelf 114 being marked with the word 
"DUFFEL" thereon. 
In order to locate the indicia that is to be transferred onto a flexible 
article such as a duffel or tote bag, an indicia holder or letter bar 
generally indicated at 80 is provided; and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 
2, the indicia holder 80 is defined by an elongated plastic member having 
opposed jaws 82 that joined to a base 84. The jaws 82 are formed such that 
they engage at the outermost ends thereof; and since the holder is formed 
of a plastic material, the jaws 82 are separable to receive indicia strips 
86 therebetween. The indicia strips 86 are formed of a special parchment 
paper that is especially treated on the upper surface thereof to receive a 
letter or number 87 thereon that provides for identification of the 
indicia to be transferred. The underside of the strips 86 are treated to 
receive a transfer ink that defines the indicia 88 and that is heat 
responsive wherein upon the application of heat thereto, the ink will be 
transferred onto a surface with which it is contact. A more complete 
description of the strips 86 appears in copending application Ser. No. 
589,784. 
In use of the invention, it is first assumed that a duffel bag is to be 
imprinted with appropriate indicia thereon. The duffel bag is folded and 
then inserted into the narrow slot 106 of the member 96. With the heating 
block 54 located in the retracted position, the member 96 is mounted on 
the stop member 95 by inserting the end of the member 96 opposite to that 
in which the duffel bag is inserted into the slot 116, the rib 110 
abutting against the outer marginal edge of the stop member 95. In the 
mounted position of the member 96 with the duffel bag inserted therein, 
the remaining portion of the duffel bag extends outwardly of the base 
plate 24, and overlies the pad 64 which defines the imprinting station. 
The indicia holder or letter bar 80 with the appropriate indicia carried 
thereby is placed on the exposed shelf 114 as illustrated in FIG. 3, the 
indicia strips overlying the upper surface of the duffel bag, and the 
indicia to be transferred being generally in alignment with the pad 64. 
The handle 36 is thereafter pivoted downwardly to force the heating 
surface of the heating block 54 into engagement with the indicia strips 
and the duffel bag, and a timer 91 may be utilized to audibly indicate the 
termination of the heating period to indicate to the operator that the 
indicia has been transferred to the bag and that the heating block 54 
should be retracted. If is understood that the operation for imprinting 
indicia on a tote bag is similar to that just described, except that the 
member 96 is reversed in position on the stop member 95, wherein the wide 
slot 104 is exposed for receiving the tote bag therein, and the letter bar 
80 carrying the appropriate indicia is thereafter placed on the shelf 112. 
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure 
embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art 
that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive 
concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein 
shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the 
appended claims.