Apparatus for embossing Braille labels

An apparatus for manually embossing a Braille label, comprising a work platform, means for securing a label to be embossed to the platform, an embossing lever movably secured to the platform, the lever having an embossing pin extending therefrom, wherein the lever is operatively arranged to be moved to cause the pin to emboss the label; and, means for precisely positioning the embossing pin above the label.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for embossing labels, and, 
more particularly, to an apparatus for embossing Braille labels. 
Braille is a well-known system of writing for the blind which uses 
combinations of raised dots which are read by the fingers. The method was 
developed by a French teacher of the blind, Louis Braille, and was first 
introduced in 1824. 
The Braille system uses "Braille cells", each of which comprises six dots 
arranged in two vertical rows of three dots each. Sixty three different 
dot patterns can be formed by the six dots, and twenty six of these have 
been assigned letters of the Roman alphabet. Other combinations represent 
numerals, punctuation, etc. A table of the Braille alphabet and numerals 
is reproduced herebelow: 
##STR1## 
Recently enacted federal legislation mandates sweeping reforms designed to 
assist the visually impaired. The Americans with Disabilities Act, hailed 
as the most far-reaching civil rights legislation in recent history, was 
signed into law in 1990, with portions of the law taking effect in 1992, 
1993 and 1994. In a nutshell, the law requires businesses which serve the 
public to remove barriers and become more accessible to the disabled. 
Businesses affected by the law include shopping malls, health-care 
providers, banks, movie theaters, museums, schools, health clubs, 
restaurants and hotels and other public accommodations. 
An important part of the law mandates the use of Braille or raised letter 
signs. Under the guidelines, signs designating handicapped parking spaces, 
passenger loading zones and van accessible spaces must be in Braille. 
Handicapped accessible entrances also must have Braille signs, as must 
those leading into public transportation facilities such as bus stations 
or airports. 
Interior signs such as room numbers and names, identification of places 
within the building, directional and informational signs must be in 
Braille or raised letters. Elevators must also have Braille or raised 
lettering. 
Quite simply, the Americans with Disabilities Act has created a niche in 
the signage industry which did not previously exist. In particular, with 
respect to the Braille and raised character requirements, the law 
requires: 
Raised and Brailled Characters and Pictorial Symbol Signs (Pictograms) 
Letters and numerals shall be raised 1/32 in, upper case sans serif or 
simple serif type and shall be accompanied with Grade 2 Braille. Raised 
characters shall be at least 5/8 in (16 mm) high, but no higher than 2 in 
(50 mm). Pictograms shall be accompanied by the equivalent verbal 
description placed directly below the pictogram. The border dimension of 
the pictogram shall be 6 in (152 mm) minimum in height. 
Federal Register/Vol. 56, No. 144/Friday, Jul. 26, 1991, Section 4.30.4 at 
page 35659. 
Presently, there are several different methods and machines which are 
capable of making acceptable Braille signs which meet ADA requirements. 
Unfortunately, all of the available machines are simply too expensive for 
small sign shops. The methods have other disadvantages as well. 
In one method, a computer-directed X-Y router is used to cut the Braille 
into plastic. A large amount of material is cut away, leaving only the 
raised Braille dots where desired. Unfortunately, these machines are very 
expensive, usually in the range of $ 21,000 to $ 27,000, beyond the range 
of many small sign shops. 
Another method is that of acid etching into magnesium. This system is 
inherently hazardous, is very costly because of the acid holding tanks and 
related equipment, and requires expensive ventilation systems as well. 
Moreover, the system is limited to metal work. 
Still another method is that of forming with PCV plastic. This is a very 
time consuming method which requires two basic pieces of equipment. First, 
a Braille embosser capable of embossing 100# paper stock to create a mold. 
Then, a vacuum form machine is used to form the PVC over the paper. The 
finished product is thick and bulky. 
Still a further method uses a computer-controlled X-Y embosser. In this 
method, a sheet of sign stock is placed on a table with a piece of rubber 
underneath. The computer program moves a male embossing die across the 
work piece and embosses at a relatively high rate of speed, one dot at a 
time. There are several disadvantages to this system. First, the machine 
is very expensive, usually in the range of $ 17,000 to $ 20,000. Second, 
the sheet must be cut perfectly after embossing to separate the Braille 
legends. The quality of the embossing is not high because no female die is 
placed underneath the workpiece during embossing. 
Finally, injection molding may be used but is extremely costly. Individual 
molds typically cost thousands of dollars and are useful only in producing 
many identical signs. This is simply impractical for the small sign shop 
which must produce a variety of signs. 
Thus, it is seen that a need exists for a new method of embossing Braille 
labels, which labels preferably meet the requirements of the Americans 
With Disabilities Act. The new method should be inexpensive and simple to 
implement. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is an apparatus for manually embossing a Braille 
label, including a work platform, means for securing a label to be 
embossed to the platform, an embossing lever movably secured to the 
platform, the lever having an embossing pin extending therefrom, wherein 
the lever is operatively arranged to cause the pin to emboss the label, 
and, means for precisely positioning the embossing pin above the label. 
A primary object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and easy to 
use manual embosser for creating Braille labels, including all recognized 
Grade 1 and Grade 2 Braille.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the Braille label embosser 1 of the 
invention. The apparatus broadly comprises work platform 6 supported by 
feet 5, means for securing a label to be embossed 4, and embossing lever 
15. 
The lever is secured to lever housing 13 which, in turn, is slidably 
mounted to guide shaft 11 and rides on the shaft through bearing 12. The 
guide shaft is secured at both ends by supports 10. The lever is 
operatively arranged to move back and forth along the guide shaft in the 
direction A--A shown in FIG. 1. The lever is also operatively arranged to 
move into and out of the housing in the direction B--B as shown in FIG. 1. 
Finally, the lever is operatively arranged to rotate about guide shaft 11 
in the direction .THETA. as shown in FIG. 1. 
The label to be embossed 3 is held in place on the platform by the securing 
means 4 above a first female die pattern 7. The first female die pattern 7 
comprises a plurality of equally spaced cells 28 which extend across the 
platform in a single row which is parallel to the guide shaft. Each cell 
comprises six depressions 9 which correspond to dots in a standard Braille 
cell. 
Mounted on the underside of lever 15 is embossing pin 19, which is used to 
emboss the label. Secured to the top side of the lever is knob 18 which is 
held by the operator to guide the lever and embossing pin during 
positioning and embossing. 
Integral with lever 15 is sight glass 16 which may be a magnifier having 
crosshairs for precise positioning of the lever and embossing pin. 
Directly under the sight glass is Braille pattern 2 which is secured to 
first riser block 25 by retaining means 4'. Riser block 25 is in turn 
permanently mounted to platform 6. In a preferred embodiment, riser block 
25 is clear, i.e., transparent. 
It may be constructed of glass, polycarbonate, clear acrylic, or any other 
suitable material. Mounted adjacent and parallel to first riser block 25 
is second riser block 26 which contains second female die pattern 7'. 
Pattern 7' comprises a plurality of equally spaced alignment cells 29 
which extend across the platform in a single row which is parallel to and 
perfectly aligned with the first female die pattern. Each alignment cell 
comprises six depressions 8 which correspond to dots in a standard Braille 
cell. 
Adverting to FIG. 2, which is a partial side crosssectional view taken 
generally along line 2--2 in FIG. 1, it is seen that an indexing pin 22 is 
mounted in a spring-loaded manner to the underside of lever 15. Also shown 
in FIG. 2 is lightbulb 24 mounted directly beneath clear first riser block 
25. 
Operation of the apparatus is best understood with reference first to FIG. 
3. A translucent Braille pattern 2 is secured to riser block 25 by 
retaining means 4'. This pattern contains an inverted replica of the 
Braille to be produced on the label. The pattern may be produced by any 
conventional means, such as a computer controlled laser printer driven by 
software which converts ordinary words, characters, numerals, etc. to 
Braille. In a preferred embodiment, the pattern is translucent, i.e., 
paper, mylar or the like, and the dots are printed on the pattern. 
After the Braille pattern is secured, the operator would next secure a 
label to be embossed using retaining means 4. This label 3 should be 
placed on the platform so that the label is parallel with pattern 2. 
Otherwise, the label may have to be trimmed to ensure that the Braille 
cells are aligned with the edges of the label. Proper alignment of label 3 
is aided by grid 31 which is scribed into platform 6. Proper alignment of 
pattern 2 is aided by grid 31' which is scribed into riser block 25. Both 
grids contain vertical and horizontal lines to assist in alignment. 
Once the pattern 2 and label 3 are secure, the operator merely positions 
the crosshairs 17 of the sight glass 16 directly above a dot on pattern 2. 
This is done by moving the lever into or out of housing 13, and by moving 
the lever back and forth as necessary on guide shaft 11. When the 
crosshair is directly over a selected dot, indexing pin 22 (also shown in 
FIG. 2) will be forced by spring 23 into a depression 8 of a Braille cell 
29 on riser block 26. Since die pattern 7 is perfectly aligned with die 
pattern 7', the embossing pin 19 is assured of correct position as long as 
indexing pin 22 has snapped into a proper depression in pattern 7'. It is 
important to note in FIG. 2 that indexing pin 22 is closer to riser block 
26 and female die pattern 7' than embossing pin 19 is to embossing pattern 
7. Thus, the operator receives positive feedback via indexing pin 22 to 
indicate that embossing pin 19 is properly aligned. 
Once proper alignment and positioning has been achieved, the operator 
depresses lever 15 with knob 18 which drives embossing pin 19 downward 
toward platform 6 and into an appropriate depression 9. This action thus 
creates a dimple 20 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) in label 3. It should be 
noted that, as lever 15 is depressed, indexing pin 22 is forced upwardly 
into lever 15. Thus, indexing pin 22 is arranged to be normally biased 
downwardly toward the platform by spring 23, but may also be forced 
upwardly into the lever when the lever is depressed. 
To facilitate proper alignment, lightsource 24 functions as a backlight to 
illuminate pattern 2. This is an optional element and may be omitted if 
desired. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the operator has proceeded to emboss label 3 from right 
to left, duplicating the Braille on pattern 2 on label 3. The finished 
product is shown in FIG. 4 as a label 3 containing Braille cells comprised 
of raised bumps 21. The label is shown as mounted beneath corresponding 
Roman letters on sign 30. 
Although the present invention has been described herein with a certain 
degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present 
disclosure has been made as an exemplification of the preferred embodiment 
of the present invention, and the scope thereof is not considered limited 
by that description, but rather, is defined by what is hereinafter 
claimed.