Patent Publication Number: US-2013248116-A1

Title: Device for transferring decorative rigid bodies onto a substrate

Description:
The invention relates to a device for transferring decorative rigid bodies onto a substrate. The rigid bodies or elements are provided with a transfer strip accommodating the elements until transfer takes place. 
     As of recently, glass crystals are not only used for making pieces of jewelry, but increasingly also for decorative purposes such as on various substrates. E.g., glass crystals are nowadays found on clothing, glass bottles or electronic equipment for individualising these articles. To date, there has not been a satisfactory way of positioning such elements, as in particular glass crystals, in the form of two-dimensional patterns on paper, cardboard or other flat articles, in particular printable articles. 
     It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a device with which a user is enabled to arrange and fix elements such as glass crystals in two-dimensional patterns on paper or other flat, printable substrates. 
     The object is solved, according to a first aspect, by a cartridge having parallel and non-coplanar uptake and supply reels. The cartridge further comprises at least one guide reel. A transfer strip providing the decorative rigid bodies is carried by the supply and uptake reels and is guided by the guide reel. 
     According to a second aspect, the transfer strip employed for providing the decorative rigid bodies has a plurality of arrayed pouches for accommodating the elements, and a succession of through-recesses is formed in one of its side rims for transport within the cartridge. 
     According to a third aspect, an apparatus comprising a casing accommodating the uptake reel, supply reel, guide reel and transfer strip further includes a plunger arranged for exerting a force on each one of the decorative bodies individually so as to protrude the respective decorative body from the casing, where it may come into contact with the surface of the substrate. 
     According to a fourth aspect, a method for fixing decorative rigid bodies onto a surface of a flat substrate comprises positioning one of the decorative rigid bodies relative to the surface at a distance from the surface, and exerting a force on the decorative body so positioned individually so as to bring the respective decorative body into contact with the surface of the substrate so as to adhere it thereon. 
     Further aspects and embodiments are set out in the dependent claims. 
     According to an embodiment, a first and a second reel and a transfer strip (or carrier tape) are housed in a casing, the transfer strip supporting the decorative rigid bodies (or elements). Furthermore, the casing accommodates a plunger which has access to the side of the transfer strip facing away from the elements. Activating the plunger will transfer one element from the transfer strip onto a (sufficiently nearby) surface of an article. This assembly is particularly compact and allows positioning the entire casing accurately in a desired position vis-à-vis a surface of a substrate, before transferring the decorative element exactly in the desired position in the surface. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the plunger comprises at least one piston spaced a short distance from the transfers trip, and reciprocatingly movable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transfer strip. The plunger serves to apply a decorative element accurately on the underlying surface. It is also envisaged to apply plural elements simultaneously, using a plunger with accordingly larger dimensions. In another embodiment, the transfer strip may have two or more rows of elements, and there is one piston for each row. 
     The piston suitably is activated by a drive such as an electric positioning motor displacing the respective element by a predefined amount: In a first, initial position, the piston does not quite contact the element of the transfer strip. In a second, final position, the piston moves the element onto the surface of the substrate and applies a force onto it such that the element is pressed onto the surface with sufficient pressure to adhere it. The positioning motor serves to achieve these goals. Other drives such as by means of a solenoid coil up to a predefined stop, are also envisaged. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the end of the piston facing towards the transfer strip, is rounded. When the piston is in the second position, the transfer strip follows the rounding and is thereby released from the transferred element in a successive manner, thus more easily. 
     According to another embodiment, the transfer strip is moved to a position in which an element (usually the last one in a row) is positioned under the piston (i.e., between the piston and the surface of the substrate) by a drive such as a step motor, before transferring the element. 
     According to an embodiment, the transfer strip has, along its entire length, a plurality of through-recesses or through-holes engaging with a toothed gear driven by the step motor. This avoids slip in the drive and helps accurately forwarding the transfer strip. The through-holes may be provided on both sides of the strip. 
     In another embodiment, the first and/or second reel are biased so that the transfer strip is tightened between them. This helps in releasing elements reliably from the transfers trip, in the desired position. 
     In another embodiment, the casing has a first casing part and a second casing part. The first and second reel and the transfer strip are accommodated in the first casing part, and the drive units and the plunger are accommodated in the second casing part. In this assembly, after all the decorative elements have been applied, the first casing part is replaceable by a fully loaded new first casing part. 
     Suitably, the driving units are powered by an integrated voltage source such as a battery. In this embodiment, the device does not require an external voltage supply and is thereby made portable and stand-alone. 
     In an embodiment, the elements (or rigid decorative bodies) are mounted on the transfer strip by an adhesive so as to reliably fix them in the transfer strip until application. The adhesive may be an adhesive tape. The adhesive may be provided on the face of the transfer strip facing away from the elements, and holes are formed in the transfer strip so as to provide a contact between the adhesive and the elements. 
     In another embodiment, an adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to the faces of the elements facing away from the transfer strip. The pressure sensitive adhesive develops its adhesive force only upon exertion of a certain pressure such as that provided by the piston, but not when there is only slight contact such as when coiled on the supply reel. In order to avoid premature adhering of elements to other parts of the transfer strip, the pouches in the transfer strip may be dimensioned so as to space apart the elements from the adjacent turn of the coiled transfer strip. 
     Suitably, a plurality of electrical contacts are provided at a surface of the casing via which the drive units are in electrical contact to control circuitry accommodated in the casing. Thereby, the device is readily controllable by external electrical input commands. 
     According to another embodiment, the device has essentially the outer dimensions of a common printer cartridge and is adapted for being mounted in a cartridge mount of an ink-jet printer. The elements may then be brought into the desired position on a sheet of paper positioned in the ink-jet printer, in that a first direction is defined by the forwarding direction of the sheet of paper, and a second direction is defined by the transverse motion of the cartridge mount. 
     According to an embodiment, the elements have bodily (three-dimensional) shape and are in particular glass crystals. 
     Accordingly, the surface of an article such as a sheet of paper may be decorated with glass crystals. In an embodiment, the glass crystals have a base in the range of 1.5 to 3 mm in (largest) diameter and a height of about 0.5 to 2 mm. The shapes in which the glass crystals are arranged may be one of ornaments, schematic patterns, characters and numbers. 
     According to an embodiment, a cartridge for accommodating a transfer strip carrying an array of decorative bodies each having at least one flat surface comprises an uptake reel carrying a first portion of the transfer strip without decorative bodies; a supply reel carrying a second portion of the transfer strip with the array of decorative bodies; and at least one guide reel for guiding the transfer strip from the supply reel to the uptake reel along a strip pathway, wherein the guide reel is positioned between the uptake reel and the supply reel along the strip pathway, wherein the uptake reel and the supply reel are parallel and non-coplanar. 
     According to an embodiment, a transfer strip including an array of decorative bodies each having an outer face comprises a receiving layer having an array of pouches, each pouch surrounding at least one of the arrayed decorative bodies, wherein the receiving layer has holes sized and positioned to allow each one of the decorative bodies to pass through one of the holes when transferred from the respective pouch onto a substrate, wherein the decorative bodies have an adhesive applied on at least one of their faces oriented essentially parallel to the plane of the strip, and wherein the transfer strip has a plurality of through-recesses formed in a longitudinal side rim. 
     According to an embodiment a transfer strip including an array of decorative bodies each having an outer face comprises a tacky layer adhering to each of the arrayed decorative bodies on sides of the decorative rigid bodies opposite to their outer faces, the array extending in a longitudinal direction of the strip; and a stabilizing layer affixed to the tacky layer, and having an array of pouches, each pouch surrounding at least one of the decorative bodies, wherein the stabilizing layer has holes sized and positioned so that each of the decorative bodies is registered with one of the holes, wherein the decorative bodies have a pressure sensitive adhesive applied on their outer faces, and wherein the transfer strip has a plurality of through-recesses formed in a longitudinal side rim. The cartridge may accommodate the transfer strip as described above. 
     According to an embodiment, a device for transferring decorative bodies onto a substrate from a transfer strip carrying an array of such decorative bodies each having a flat surface comprises an uptake reel carrying a first portion of the transfer strip without decorative bodies; a supply reel carrying a second portion of the transfer strip with the array of decorative bodies; at least one guide reel for guiding the transfer strip from the supply reel to the uptake reel along a strip pathway, wherein the guide reel is positioned between the uptake reel and the supply reel along the strip pathway; and a casing accommodating the uptake, supply and guide reels, wherein the casing further accommodates a piston arranged for exerting a force on each one of the decorative bodies individually so as to protrude at least the flat surface of the respective decorative body from the cartridge. In the device, the transfer strip may be the one described above, or the casing includes the cartridge as described above. The device may further comprise an actuator for moving the piston. The device may further comprise a tractor mechanism for moving forward the transfer strip by a predefined distance after an individual decorative body has been released from the transfer strip. The tractor mechanism may comprise a biasing spring adapted to exert a pulling force on the transfer strip; and a lever arranged to alternately block the motion of the transfer strip and the motion of the piston. 
     According to an embodiment, a system comprises the transfer strip as described above, the device as described above, and a displacement apparatus such as a printer, e.g. an ink-jet printer, adapted to move a flat substrate such as a sheet of paper in a first direction and to move the cartridge in a second direction parallel to the plane of the substrate and non-parallel, in particular orthogonal to the first direction, the system holding the cartridge such that the direction of protrusion is non-parallel to the plane of the substrate, whereby the protruded decorative bodies come into contact with selectable positions on the substrate. 
     According to an embodiment, an apparatus for transferring decorative rigid bodies each having at least one flat side from a transfer strip carrying the decorative rigid bodies onto a substrate comprises a first reel for carrying the transfer strip with the decorative rigid bodies; a second reel for receiving the transfer strip after the decorative rigid bodies have been transferred to the substrate; and a piston, located at a position between the first reel and the second reel as measured along the transfer strip, and adapted for individually bringing the decorative rigid bodies into contact with the substrate. 
    
    
     
       Further advantages and features are apparent from the detailed description below in relation to exemplary embodiments and the appended drawings. These show: 
         FIG. 1  a cross section of a cartridge according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2   a  a close-up side view of the transfer strip accommodated in the cartridge of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2   b  a top view of a transfer strip; 
         FIG. 3  a first step of the application process; 
         FIG. 4  a second step of the application process; 
         FIG. 5  a third step of the application step; 
         FIG. 6  a perspective front view of another embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  a perspective bottom view of the device shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  a back view of the device shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  a side view of a second casing part according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  a perspective view of the device shown in  FIG. 6 , where the first and second casing parts have been separated; 
         FIG. 11  another embodiment of an apparatus for transferring elements onto a substrate; and 
         FIG. 12  a sketch drawing of a printing system employing the apparatus of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  shows a device for transferring elements onto a surface of an article, the device generally indicated by the reference character  11 . First and second reels  15 ,  17  are arranged in a casing  13 . On the first reel  15  a transfer tape (or strip)  19  is wound, which is windable onto the second reel  17 . The first and second reel  15 ,  17  are biased against each other, so that the transfer strip  19  between them is also always tightened. 
     Turning to  FIG. 2   a,  this shows the transfer strip  19  enlarged (section A in the dotted circle). At its outer face (as seen from the device), the transfer strip  19  carries elements or rigid decorative bodies such as glass crystals  21 , mounted in succession in one or several adjacent rows in an arrayed fashion (such as with constant pitch). As an alternative to glass crystals, other decorative or functional bodies are likewise envisaged, for certain applications depending in part on the substrate or its surface. The glass crystals may have a base diameter ranging from 2.5 mm to 3 mm, and a height from 1 mm to 1.5 mm. The glass crystals (or other elements)  21  are held to the transfer strip  19  by an adhesive such as an adhesive tape  23 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the glass crystals are accommodated in pouches (or pockets, or chambers)  24 , which may be formed in succession on the transfer strip. In the coiled-up state (on the first, or supply reel  15 ), the pouches are dimensioned so that overlying glass crystals  21  are mutually spaced apart. The transfer strip  19  has through holes (shown in  FIG. 7  described below) in which the glass crystals are accommodated. The glass crystals  21  are flush with the surface of the transfer strip  19  facing away from them, and are held to the transfer strip by the adhesive tape  23 . At their surfaces facing away from the transfer strip  19 , the glass crystals  21  are provided with a pressure sensitive transfer adhesive  25 . A transfer adhesive, in this context, is understood to be an adhesive film devoid of a support matrix, as opposed to an adhesive tape. As shown in  FIG. 2   a,  the glass crystals may have frusto-pyramidal or frusto-conical shape. This shape makes application easier, as the area to which the transfer adhesive is applied, is larger than the area which adheres to the adhesive tape. In the variant of  FIG. 2   b,  the pouches  24   b  (crystals not shown) are spaced apart from one another, and generally U-shaped notches  22  extending through the thickness of the transfer strip  19   b  are formed in one of the side rims  20 , to engage with a toothed gear for transport. In other embodiments, the spacing apart of the subsequent pouches is independent from the side rim notches. The spacing amount D of the pouches plus their size S adds to give the pitch P′ of the pouches, which may equal that of the notches P″. The notches may thereby be staggered with respect to the pouches. 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , the transfer strip  19  is guided first around guide reel  27  approximately parallel to the bottom face of the casing  13 . The guide reel  27  has a lateral guide for keeping the transfer strip  19  in track when spooling it from the first reel  15  to the second reel  17 . Next to the guide reel  27 , a plunger in the shape of a piston  29  is mounted a short distance above (inwards) the transfer strip. The piston is driven by a positioning motor  31  shown schematically in  FIG. 1 . The positioning motor  31  in use advances the piston  29  from a first, retracted position to a second, advanced position. Thereby, the glass crystal  21  to be applied protrudes from the casing  13  through the opening  32 . This process is shown in more detail in relation to  FIGS. 3 to 5 : The transfer strip  19  is moved until a glass crystal  21  is substantially exactly underneath the piston  29 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the piston is moved from its first position to its second position. In so moving, it presses the transfer strip  19  underneath along with the glass crystal  21  onto the surface of an article such as a sheet of paper  33 . The end of the piston  29  contacting the transfer strip  19  is formed with a rounded shape. This leads to the transfer strip  19  being bent more at the protruded piston  29  than if the piston had a flat end. As a result, the adhering area between the transfer strip and the glass crystal  21  is reduced during application of the glass crystal, leading to reliable releasing of the glass crystal  21  from the transfer strip  19 . The glass crystal  21  is pressed onto the sheet of paper  33  by the piston  29 . In this position, the transfer adhesive  25  exhibits a far higher adhesive force than the adhesive tape  23 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the transfer strip  19  therefore readily releases from the glass crystal  21  when the piston  29  is retracted into the first position. 
     Along its entire length, the transfer strip  19  has on one of its side rims a plurality of successively arranged through-recesses. These through-recesses engage with a toothed gear  35  which in turn is driven by a step motor  37 . The connection between the toothed gear  35  and the step motor  37  may e.g. be accomplished by a toothed belt  39 . The step motor  37  positions crystals  21  exactly underneath the piston  29  until the transfer strip  19  is completely spooled from the first reel  15  onto the second reel  17 . It is envisaged that after all the crystals have been used up, a fresh set of reels including a fully loaded transfer strip  19  may be inserted in the casing  13 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , a stand-alone power supply such as a battery  41  is provided in the casing  13 . The battery supplies the positioning motor  31 , the step motor  37  and control circuitry  43  with electric power. The electric or electronic components, respectively, are advantageously mounted on a printed circuit board  45 . Via electrical terminals  47 , the device  11  is enabled to receive external control signals which can be forwarded by the control circuitry  43  to the positioning motor  31  or the step motor  37 , as the case may be (usually alternatingly). 
       FIGS. 6 to 10  show another embodiment of the device in which the casing  13  has a first casing part  49  and a second casing part  51 . The drive units are accommodated in the second casing part  51  and the reels  15 ,  17  and the transfers trip  19  are accommodated in the first casing part  49 . This two-part assembly enables separating the first casing part  49  from the second casing part  51  after all the crystals  21  have been applied. A new first casing part  49  housing a transfer strip  19  fully loaded with glass crystals  21  may then be mounted on the second casing part  51 . 
     In  FIG. 7 , it can be seen that in this embodiment the glass crystals  21  are arranged in twp adjacent rows in the transfers trip  19 . Through-recesses (in this example, through holes  52 ) engaging with the toothed gear  35  are also discernible. In a variant, U-shaped notches are instead formed in the side rim, rather than circular through holes some distance away from the rim. Each row has its own piston  29  which urges the individual glass crystals out of their support. This means that in this embodiment, when applying a glass crystal  21 , the transfer strip  19  is transsected by the respective piston  29 . 
     The pistons  29  are pivotably fastened to the second casing part  51  are therefore remain with same when the first casing part  49  is replaced.  FIG. 8  shows the second casing part in which the positioning motor  31 , the step motor  37 , the pistons  29   n,  the batteries  41  and the control circuitry  43  are accommodated. The positioning motor  31  is coupled to the pistons  29  via a gear  53 . The gear  53  ensures that at any time only one piston engages with the transfer strip  19 .  FIG. 9  shows the electrical contacts mentioned above and the drive shaft  55  of the step motor  37 , which engages with the toothed gear  35  when the first and second casing parts  49 ,  51  are connected with one another. 
     In  FIG. 10 , the first casing part  49 , which may be regarded a replacement cartridge, and the second casing part  51 , which may be regarded a drive cartridge, are shown separated. The first casing part  49  is readily replaced by a new one, awhile the second casing part with its drive units can be used many times. 
     In an embodiment, the casing  13  is dimensioned so as to fit in the cartridge holder of an ink-jet printer. The electrical contacts  47  are in this case positioned on the casing in a manner that control and printing commends, respectively, may be received from the ink-jet printer. Glass crystals  21  are applicable at substantially any position of a sheet of paper  33  through the motions of the device  11  in a first direction in the ink-jet printer and an orthogonal forwarding (second) direction of the sheet of paper  33 . Employing special software, the device can be controlled by the ink-jet printer in a manner that various two-dimensional patterns can be generated with the glass crystals  21  on the sheet of paper  33 . This includes ornaments, schematic patterns and characters. 
       FIG. 11  shows another device in which a casing  13  housing an uptake reel  17  (indicated by dashed circle) and a supply reel (not shown for simplicity) in a parallel, non-coplanar arrangement (similar as in  FIG. 1 ) is mounted to e.g. a printer by means of an adapter  61  screwed or bolted to the printer. The supply portion of the transfer strip  19  is loosely coiled on the supply reel, led around a guide member  63  and a guide reel  27  to a transfer reel, or pair of transfer reels  65  rotatable about a hub  67 . The transfer reel(s) has (have) a generally polygonal shape, in this example hexagonal, the length of one side matching the pitch of the transfer strip, whereby the glass crystals are positioned accurately at the centers of the sides of the polygon in that the spaces between the pouches bend around the corners of the polygon. The hub has a cylindrical or double-frustoconical through hole  69  for guiding a piston  29  therethrough for application of individual glass crystals. A base  60  comprises the piston  29  integrally formed with, or fixedly secured to a clamp  71  providing a connection for an external actuator (not shown). Actuation will move the clamp  71  and piston  29  from a first, retracted position R to a second, protruding position T in which the piston extends through the hub opening  69  and acts on the glass crystal (not shown) underneath. When moving downward, the base  60  also acts, by means of a coil spring  73 , on an interceptor member  75  blocking rotation of the transfer reel(s)  65 . After completion of the transfer of the respective glass crystal, the base  60  is retracted, in some embodiments aided by the action of a further coil spring  77 . Retraction of the base  60 , and interceptor member  75 , again allows rotation of the transfer reel(s)  65 , so that the constant pull of spring-biased uptake reel  17  acting on the uptake portion of the transfers trip  19  (arrow U) will forward the transfer strip  19 . The retraction motion at the same time, by means of an intermitting gear  79 , causes the forwarding motion of the transfer strip to be blocked after the transfer strip has moved by one pitch. The device is then ready for the next actuation of the piston, with the next glass crystal in the array or row positioned underneath same. 
     In some environments, it may be desirable to always keep the applicator device  11  away from the surface of the substrate  33 . For this purpose, there may be one or more spacer tabs  81  positioned adjacent the opening  32  through which the glass crystals are protruded. 
       FIG. 12  schematically shows the apparatus  11  fixedly attached (e.g. bolted or screwed) to a cartridge holder  97  of a printer  83 . The printer  83  moves a sheet  33  of paper or other flat material in the left/right direction (horizontal double arrow), e.g. by means of rollers  95  driven by a paper feed drive  93  in turn controlled by a printer control  91 . The printer  83  further comprises an actuator  87 , also controlled by the printer control  91 , for moving a holder  89  by means of e.g. a lever  85 . The holder  89  is adapted to be engaged with the clamp  71  of  FIG. 11 . The actuator moves the holder  89 , and therefore the clamp  71 , in the up/down direction (vertical double arrow). The printer control  91  further controls a cartridge actuator  99  to move the cartridge holder  97  in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. In this manner, it is possible to quickly move the sheet  33  of paper and the apparatus  11  with respect to one another so that the desired location is reached, and a glass crystal can be transferred to the sheet of paper by a downward motion of the lever  85  for adhering a glass crystal in the desired position. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       11  device for transferring elements onto a substrate 
       13  casing 
       15  first (supply) reel 
       17  second (uptake) reel 
       19  transfer strip 
       21  glass crystal (or element) 
       23  adhesive tape 
       24  pouches in transfer strip 
       25  transfer adhesive 
       27  guide reel 
       29  plunger or piston 
       31  positioning motor 
       32  opening 
       33  sheet of paper, article 
       35  toothed gear 
       37  step motor 
       39  toothed belt 
       41  battery 
       43  control circuitry 
       45  printed circuit board 
       47  electrical contacts (terminals) 
       49  first (replacement) casing part 
       51  second (permanent) casing part 
       52  through-recesses, through holes 
       53  gear 
       55  drive shaft 
       60  base 
       61  adapter 
       63  guide member 
       65  transfer reel(s) 
       67  transfer hub 
       69  through hole 
       71  clamp 
       73  coil spring (interceptor) 
       75  interceptor member 
       77  coil spring (retraction) 
       79  intermitting gear 
       81  spacer tab(s) 
       83  printer 
       85  lever 
       87  lever actuator 
       89  holder 
       91  printer control 
       93  feed control 
       95  rollers 
       97  cartridge holder 
       99  cartridge actuator 
     The above described embodiments are merely exemplary and do not limit the present invention. The person skilled in the art will realize that various modifications are possible without leaving the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.