Patent Abstract:
The present application discloses a master processing apparatus. One aspect of the application relates to the use of a take-up roll in the apparatus. Another aspect of the application relates to the use of a take-up roll in a cartridge mountable to the apparatus. Yet another aspect of the application relates to a cover for the apparatus. Still another aspect of the invention relates to a cartridge including a pressure applying assembly mounted therein.

Full Description:
The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/564,587, filed May 5, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,281 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application of Ensign, Jr., Application No. 60/132,680, filed May 5, 1999, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. The present application also claims priority to U.S. Application of Velasquez, Application No. 60/160,631, filed Oct. 20, 1999, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to master processing apparatuses. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,584,962 and 5,580,417 each disclose a laminating and adhesive transfer apparatus. The &#39;417 patent discloses a removable cartridge having a pair of rolls mounted therein and that is configured to be removably mounted to the apparatus frame. The &#39;962 patent discloses an apparatus which is configured to be used with a pair of removable feed rolls. In contrast to being mounted in a removable cartridge, the feed rolls of the &#39;962 patent are individually removably mounted to the apparatus frame. Each of these devices can be used to either laminate a selected substrate or to apply an adhesive to the selected substrate. 
     To perform an adhesive transfer operation with either device taught in the above patents, both a feed roll having an adhesive transfer substrate coated with an adhesive layer and a feed roll having an adhesive mask substrate are removably mounted to the frame either individually or together in a cartridge. The substrates are unwound and fed through a set of nip rollers. A selected substrate is fed between the transfer and mask substrates and a crank handle is manually operated to rotate the nip rollers. The rotating nip rollers cooperate to apply pressure to the substrates and discharge the substrates outwardly therefrom. The applied pressure causes the adhesive layer to bond to both the selected substrate and the portions of the mask extending around the selected substrate. 
     The discharged substrates can then be severed and the mask substrate can be peeled away from the transfer and selected substrates. As the mask substrate is being peeled away, the portions of the adhesive layer surrounding the selected substrate remain bonded to the mask substrate and are stripped away from the transfer substrate. The resulting article consists of the selected substrate, the transfer substrate, and the portion of the adhesive layer bonded to the selected substrate. The mask substrate can then be discarded and the selected substrate can be peeled off the transfer substrate for adherence to a desired contact surface. The advantage of the process performed by the apparatuses of the &#39;962 and &#39;417 patents is that it reduces the chances of excess adhesive getting on an operator&#39;s hands or other undesired surfaces because all the excess adhesive not bonded to the selected substrate is bonded to the mask substrate and discarded therewith. 
     Manually peeling back the mask substrate, however, does not entirely eliminate the chances of getting the adhesive on the user&#39;s hands or other surfaces due to the fact that the user still must manually handle the mask substrate. Also, the mask substrate may be dropped or otherwise mishandled to cause the adhesive thereon to get on undesired surfaces. Thus, there exists a need for an adhesive transfer device, which can effectively transfer adhesive to a selected substrate and substantially eliminate all chances of sticking extra adhesive to undesired surfaces. 
     To meet this need, the present invention provides an adhesive transfer apparatus for applying adhesive to a selected substrate. The apparatus comprises a frame, a first feed roll carrying a supply of an adhesive transfer substrate, and a second feed roll carrying a supply of an adhesive mask substrate. The adhesive transfer substrate has a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive disposed on an adhesive carrying side thereof. The adhesive mask substrate has a bonding side to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive will bond. The first and second feed rolls are rotatably mounted to the frame and are positioned such that the selected substrate can be inserted between the transfer substrate and the mask substrate. In the illustrated embodiment, the feed rolls are removably mounted either directly or indirectly to the frame for replacement when desired, but may be fixedly mounted to the frame as part of a discardable low cost apparatus. Preferably, the feed rolls may be mounted together in a unitary cartridge; however, it is contemplated that the feed rolls may be removably mounted to the frame individually as in the aforementioned &#39;962 patent, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. 
     A take-up roll is rotatably mounted to the frame. The adhesive mask substrate has a lead end portion thereof connected to the take-up roll. The manufacturer may take the appropriate steps to connect the mask substrate to the take-up roll or the end user can unwind the mask substrate and connect the lead end thereof to the take-up roll. As with the feed rolls, it is preferred that the take-up roll be mounted in a unitary cartridge along with the feed rolls; however, it is contemplated that the take-up roll may also be individually mounted to the frame or may be fixed in the frame as part of a low cost discardable apparatus. 
     A pressure applying assembly is constructed and arranged to apply pressure to the transfer substrate and the mask substrate with the selected substrate inserted therebetween. The pressure applying assembly may have a pair of cooperating pressure applying structures. These pressure applying cooperating structure may be provided by only one nip roller and a fixed opposing structure with which the nip roller cooperates; a pair of cooperating rotatable nip rollers; or a pair of non-rotatable structures disposed adjacent to one another. Examples of such non-rotatable structures may include resiliently flexible wipers that engage the opposing sides of the substrates fed therebetween to apply pressure thereto or rigid fixed or spring-biased members narrowly spaced apart to apply pressure to substrates having more than a minimum thickness fed therebetween. Further, it is possible that the entire pressure applying assembly or portions thereof may be indirectly removably mounted to the frame by a unitary cartridge along with the feed rolls and the take-up roll. This arrangement is advantageous because the substrates on the feed rolls can be pre-loaded into their operating positions by the manufacturer, thus obviating the need for the end user to attempt loading the substrates. However, it is within the scope of the present invention to have the pressure applying assembly be directly mounted to the frame instead of being mounted within a removable cartridge for removable mounting to the frame. Additionally, the adhesive may be coated on the radially outer surfaces of the transfer substrate and the pressure applying assembly may be provided by one or more springs that press the feed rolls directly together in a nip roller so that they function as nip rollers to apply pressure to the selected substrate and affect the adhesive transfer. 
     The apparatus is constructed and arranged such that, when the selected substrate is inserted between the adhesive transfer substrate and the adhesive mask substrate, an adhesive transfer operation can be performed wherein (a) the transfer substrate, the mask substrate, and the selected substrate are moved together in a feeding direction (b) the pressure applying assembly applies pressure to the transfer substrate and the mask substrate with the selected substrate inserted therebetween to cause the adhesive on the adhesive carrying side of the adhesive transfer substrate to adhesively bond to one side of the selected substrate and to any portions of the bonding side of the mask substrate which extend adjacent the periphery of the selected substrate and are engaged directly with the adhesive layer, and (c) the take-up roll rotates to wind up a discharged portion of the mask substrate to which the pressure has been applied along with any portions of the adhesive layer bonded to the bonding side of the discharged portion remaining bonded thereto and being substantially removed from the adhesive carrying side of the transfer substrate. 
     It can be thus appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention offers an easy and clean method for transferring an adhesive to a selected substrate. The apparatus of the present invention is advantageous over the apparatuses described above in that the user does not have to manually handle the adhesive mask substrate after the transfer operation has been performed. The mask substrate is simply wound up on the take-up roll, thus obviating any opportunities for the mask substrate to be mishandled or otherwise adhered or stuck to undesired contact surfaces. 
     Preferably, the feed rolls, the take-up roll, and the nip roller assembly are all mounted together in a unitary cartridge. This arrangement is preferred because it allows the manufacturer to load the transfer and mask substrates into their operating positions before distributing the cartridge to the end user. One of the problems with the known adhesive transfer apparatuses described above is that the end user must align the substrates together and insert them between the nip rollers properly before commencing the adhesive transfer operation. Because the substrates can be preloaded in the apparatus of the present invention, this step is obviated and the end user simply has to insert the cartridge into the machine without any additional intervening steps before commencing the adhesive transfer operation. However, it is to be understood that the principles of the present invention are not limited to such a unitary cartridge and may be broadly applied to any conceivable arrangement irrespective of whether a cartridge is used. Specifically, it is contemplated that the pressure applying assembly may be permanently mounted within the frame and the take-up rolls and feed rolls may be individually removably mounted to the frame. Further, it is contemplated that the two feed rolls may be mounted in a unitary cartridge and the take-up roll may be individually mounted separate from the cartridge. Also, the rolls may be permanently mounted to the frame so that the entire apparatus is discarded when the supplies are spent. 
     Another aspect of the present invention relates to a removable cartridge for use in a generic master processing apparatus. Specifically, this aspect of the invention relates to mounting the pressure applying assembly within the cartridge itself rather than mounting it within the frame as in known apparatuses such as those disclosed in the &#39;417 and &#39;962 patents. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, this aspect of the invention provides a removable cartridge configured to be used with master processing apparatus for processing a selected substrate. The apparatus comprises a frame and an actuator. The cartridge comprises a cartridge body structure constructed and arranged to be removably mounted to the apparatus frame, a first feed roll rotatably mounted to the body structure and carrying a supply of a first supply substrate, and a second feed roll rotatably mounted to the body structure and carrying a supply of a second supply substrate. A layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive is disposed on at least one of the first and second supply substrates. 
     A pressure applying assembly has a pair of pressure applying cooperating structures mounted to the cartridge body structure. The pressure applying cooperating structures are constructed and arranged to apply pressure to substrates fed therebetween. The first and second supply substrates are disposed between the cooperating structures with the layer of adhesive disposed between the substrates. The first feed roll, the second feed roll, and the pressure applying assembly are constructed and arranged such that, when the cartridge body structure is removably mounted to the frame, the selected substrate can be inserted between the cooperating structures of the pressure applying assembly and between the portions of the first and second supply substrates disposed between the cooperating structures. The pressure applying assembly is constructed and arranged to be operatively connected to the actuator when the cartridge body structure is removably mounted to the frame such that, after the selected substrate has been inserted between the cooperating structures of the pressure applying assembly and between the portions of first and second supply substrates, operation of the actuator will affect cooperating structure movement so as to (a) perform an adhesive transfer process wherein the selected substrate, the first supply substrate, and the second supply substrate are fed through the pressure applying assembly to affect adhesive bonding between the selected substrate and the supply substrates and (b) discharge the processed substrates outwardly from the pressure applying assembly. 
     It can be appreciated that an apparatus constructed in accordance with this aspect of the present invention allows the manufacturer to pre-load the substrates to the pressure applying assembly and thus obviates the need for the end user to have to do so him or herself. This arrangement is particularly advantageous for end users who tend to interchange between different types of cartridges often. In the known adhesive transfer apparatuses, the user must unload the supply substrates from the pressure applying assembly and remove the first cartridge and then reload the supply substrates for a second cartridge each time it is desired to change cartridges. With a cartridge constructed in accordance with the principles of this aspect of the invention, the user can simply remove the old cartridge and replace the cartridge with a new cartridge, and continue interchanging therebetween quite easily because there is no need to unload and reload the transfer substrates into and out of a single pressure applying assembly on the apparatus frame. 
     This aspect of the invention is not limited to adhesive transfer devices and may be practiced in laminating apparatuses, adhesive transfer devices, combinations thereof, or any other master processing apparatus. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an adhesive transfer apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the view being taken from the front thereof; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  taken from the rear thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the removable cartridge thereof ready to be inserted into the apparatus, the perspective being taken from the front thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 4  taken the rear thereof; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the removable cartridge shown in isolation from the apparatus, the view being taken from the front thereof;  FIG. 7  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 6  taken from the rear side thereof; 
         FIG. 8  an exploded perspective view of the removable cartridge; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing a nip roller and a take-up roll of the cartridge isolated from the cartridge body and one-way drive gears and the crank handle isolated from the apparatus frame; 
         FIG. 10   a  is a perspective view of a one-way drive gear used to drive the take-up roll; 
         FIG. 10   b  is a view similar to  FIG. 10   a  taken from the opposing side; 
         FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are perspective views of a one-way drive gear used to drive the nip roller; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view showing the interior of one-half the removable cartridge; 
         FIG. 13  is a view similar to  FIG. 12 , with the feed rolls, the take-up rolls, and the nip roller mounted in place and being shown in phantom with the mask and transfer substrates disposed in their operative positions; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of second embodiment of an adhesive transfer apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a front elevational view of the apparatus of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  17 — 17  of  FIG. 16 ; and 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  18 — 18  of  FIG. 16 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an adhesive transfer apparatus, generally indicated at  10 , constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The apparatus  10  comprises a frame  12  having a feeding opening  14  and a discharge opening  16  facing outwardly from opposing forward and rearward sides of the frame  12 , respectively. The frame  12  also has a cartridge receiving opening  18  facing laterally outwardly from one side wall  20  of the frame  12 . The other side wall  22  of the frame  12  has an actuator in the form of a manual crank handle  24 . A removable cartridge, generally indicated at  26 , is removably mounted within the frame  12  by insertion through the cartridge receiving opening  18 . 
     As can be best seen from  FIG. 3 , the frame  12  comprises two molded plastic body halves  28 ,  30  which are secured together by fasteners or any other suitable arrangement. The side walls  20 ,  22  are fastened to the exterior of the body halves  28 ,  30  by fasteners, adhesives, a snap fit relation, or any other suitable attachment arrangement. The frame  12  has a forwardly extending substrate supporting surface  32  disposed adjacent to the discharge opening  16 . The frame  12  also has a rearwardly extending substrate supporting surface  34  located adjacent the feeding opening  14 . These surfaces  32 ,  34  will support substrates being fed into and discharged from the apparatus  10 . 
     Side wall  20  has an opening  36  formed therethrough and body half  28  also has an opening  38  formed therethrough. These openings  36 ,  38  have substantially identical configurations and face laterally outwardly in alignment with one another when the frame  12  is assembled to define the aforesaid cartridge receiving opening  18 . 
     Body half  28  has an integrally formed inwardly extending lower arcuate wall  40  and body half  30  has a corresponding similar inwardly extending lower arcuate wall (not shown) which engages lower arcuate wall  40  when the body halves  28 ,  30  are assembled together. The lower arcuate walls extend along the lower edge of the opening  38  on body half  28 . 
     A forwardly extending wall member  42  and a rearwardly extending wall member  44  are formed integrally with opposing ends of the lower arcuate wall  40 . A convex wall member  45  is formed integrally with wall member  44  opposite lower arcuate wall member  40 . A forwardly extending wall member  46  and a rearwardly extending wall member  48  are formed integrally with the lower arcuate wall on body half  30 . A convex wall member  49  similar to wall member  45  is formed integrally with wall member  45  opposite the lower arcuate wall member. When the two body halves  28 ,  30  are assembled together surfaces of the forwardly extending wall members  42 ,  46  cooperate to define substrate supporting surface  32  and surfaces of the rearwardly extending wall members  44 ,  48  cooperate to define substrate supporting surface  34 . 
     An integrally formed upper arcuate wall  50  extends inwardly from body half  28 . The upper arcuate wall  50  extends along the top edge of the opening  38  on body half  28 . Body half  30  has a similar integrally formed upper arcuate wall which is not shown and engages the upper arcuate wall  50  when the body halves  28 ,  30  are assembled together. 
     Body half  30  has an integrally formed side wall portion  52  which protrudes outwardly therefrom in a convex manner. The side wall portion  52  has a configuration similar to the cartridge receiving opening  18 . Specifically, the side wall portion  52  is located directly opposite the cartridge receiving opening  18  when the frame  10  is assembled and is formed integrally with the lower arcuate wall portion of body half  28 . The side wall portion  52  has two cylindrical portions  54 ,  56  defining cylindrical openings  55 ,  57  for receiving one-way gears  58 ,  60  therein, respectively. 
     Side wall  20  has an aperture (not shown) formed therethrough. The crank handle  24  is positioned adjacent to the aperture and a shaft portion  62  of a drive gear  64  is connected to the crank handle  24  through the aperture. The connection may be threaded, snap fit, adhesive or any other suitable connecting arrangement. 
     The drive gear  64  has a generally circular pulley portion  66  with a generally circular groove  68  extending therearound. One-way drive gear  58  also has a generally circular pulley portion  70  with a generally circular groove  72  formed therearound. A tensioned driving element in the form of an elastomeric cord  73  extends around both pulley portions  66 ,  70 , and is received in the grooves thereof  70 ,  72 . This pulley arrangement causes the one-way gear  58  to rotate as the drive gear  64  is being rotated by the crank handle  24 . 
     The drive gear  64  also has a set of gear teeth  74  (seen in  FIG. 9 ) formed thereon axially inwardly of the pulley portion  66 . One-way drive gear  60  has a set of gear teeth  76  which engage with gear teeth  74  in an intermeshed relationship so that rotation of the drive gear  64  will also cause rotation of one-way gear  60  as a result of the intermeshed gear relationship. 
     The removable cartridge  26  comprises a cartridge body structure  78  formed by assembling two molded plastic cartridge body halves  80 ,  82  together. The cartridge body structure  78  has a discharge opening  84  and a feeding opening  86 . As best seen in  FIG. 8 , each cartridge body half  80 ,  82  has a substantially flat wall portion  88 ,  90  extending inwardly from the feeding opening  86 . When the body halves  80 ,  82  are assembled together these wall members  88 ,  90  are engaged with one another to define a substantially flat substrate supporting surface  92 . When the cartridge  26  is inserted into the frame  12  the substrate supporting surface  92  is continuous with substrate supporting surface  34  at the feeding opening  14  of the frame  12 . Each cartridge body half  80 ,  82  also has an integrally molded protecting wall member  94 ,  96  extending inwardly and downwardly towards wall members  88 ,  90  and spaced thereabove. These inwardly and downwardly extending wall portions  94 ,  96  are engaged with one another when the cartridge body halves  80 ,  82  are assembled together and prevent items other than substrates and articles of similar size from being inserted into the cartridge  26  through the feeding opening  86 . 
     When the cartridge  26  is assembled, the body halves define a pair of opposing side walls  98 ,  100 , a top wall  102 , a front wall  104 , and a rear wall  106 . The feeding opening  86  is formed in the rear wall  106  and the discharge opening  84  is formed in the front wall  104 . The top wall  102 , the front wall  104 , and the rear wall  106  meet at three rounded corner portions. 
     Side wall  100  has a pair of generally cylindrical gear receiving portions  108 ,  110  extending outwardly therefrom. Each gear receiving portion  108 ,  110  has an inner wall portion  112 ,  114  with an opening  116 ,  118  formed therethrough. A triangular stop member  120  extends outwardly from each inner wall portion  112 ,  114 . 
     A generally cylindrical nip roller  122  extends transversely inside the cartridge  26 . The roller  122  has a central shaft  124  with a hexagonal gear connection portion  126  at one opposing end thereof. The gear connection portion  126  is connected to a one-way clutch gear  128  which is received within cylindrical gear receiving portion  108  through opening  116 . The other end of the nip roller  122  is rotatably journaled inside the side wall  98  so that rotation of one-way slip clutch gear  128  rotates the nip roller  122 . The shaft  124  is covered by a rubber outer sleeve  130 . The shaft  122  has a set of ribs  132  which are received within slots  134  inside sleeve  130  to prevent the sleeve  130  from rotating relative to the shaft  122 . 
     Below the nip roller  122  and engaged therewith is a fixed nip roller bearing structure  121  with a rounded end portion  123 . When substrates are fed between the nip roller  122  and the rounded end portion  123 , the nip roller  122  is rotated to feed the substrates forwardly and to apply pressure to the substrates in cooperation with the rounded end portion  123  of the fixed nip roller bearing structure  121 . Together, the nip roller  122  and the nip roller bearing structure  121  may be considered to comprise a pressure applying assembly, generally indicated at  125 . The term pressure applying assembly  125  encompasses arrangements with one nip roller (as shown) bearing against a fixed structure, two nip rollers (as shown in the aforementioned &#39;962 and &#39;417 patents), or even three or more nip rollers for complicated high-end applications. Further, the term pressure applying assembly encompasses arrangements with two fixed structures which are disposed closely adjacent one another such that substrates fed therebetween are compressed together to effect application of pressure. Basically, the term pressure applying assembly is intended to encompass any conceivable arrangement for applying pressure to substrates. 
     A generally cylindrical take-up roll  136  extends transversely inside the cartridge  26 . The take-up roll  136  has a central shaft  138  with a configuration similar to the shaft  124  of the nip roller  132 . The shaft  138  has a hexagonal gear connecting portion  140  on one end thereof. The gear connecting portion  140  is connected through opening  118  to a one-way slip clutch gear  142  which is received within the gear receiving portion  110 . The other end of the take-up roll shaft  138  is rotatably journaled inside side wall  98  so that rotation of one-way slip clutch gear  142  rotates the take-up roll  136 . 
     Each slip clutch gear  128 ,  142  has a generally circular configuration with opposing faces. A set of clutch gear teeth  144  are formed on each face of each clutch gear  128 ,  142 . Each individual clutch gear tooth  144  has a sloped surface  146  which extends both circumferentially and axially with respect to the face of the gear  128 ,  144  on which it is formed and a generally axially extending engaging surface  148  which intersects with the upper end of the sloped surface  146 . 
     Each one-way slip clutch gear  58 ,  60  has a pair of integrally molded one-way driving members  150  extending both circumferentially and axially therefrom. Each drive gear  58 ,  60  has a circumferentially and axially extending sloped surface  152  and a generally axially extending engaging surface  154  at the free end thereof. The one-way clutch gears  58 ,  60  are positioned inside the cylindrical gear receiving portions  108 ,  110 , respectively, with the driving members  150  thereof extending inwardly towards the apparatus interior. 
     When the cartridge  26  is inserted through the cartridge receiving opening  18  and into the frame  12 , the lower arcuate wall member  40  and the upper arcuate wall members  50  cooperate to guide the cartridge  26  into its operating position and support it thereat. In this operating position, the one-way clutch gears  128 ,  142  engage one-way slip clutch gears  58 ,  60 , respectively. Manual rotation of the actuator  24  in a normal driving direction (clockwise as viewed in  FIG. 3 ) rotates drive gear  64  so as to rotate one-way gear  58  in a clockwise driving direction and one-way gear  60  in a counterclockwise driving direction. As a result of this rotation, the engaging surfaces  154  on driving members  152  engage the engaging surface  148  of each one-way clutch gear  128 ,  142  to drive take-up roll  136  in a clockwise driving direction and nip roller  122  in a counterclockwise direction. 
     Manual rotation of the crank handle  24  in a reversing direction opposite the driving direction rotates one-way drive gear  58  in a counterclockwise direction and rotates one-way drive gear  60  in a clockwise direction. As a result of this rotation, the sloped surfaces  152  of driving members  150  ride or slip over the sloped surfaces  146  so that the one-way clutch gears  128 ,  142  are not rotated. Further, the stop members  120  are positioned such that the engaging surfaces  148  of the clutch gear teeth  144  will abut the stop members  120  to prevent rotation of the clutch gears  128 ,  142  opposite their respective driving directions and hence prevent counter-rotation of the nip roller  122  and the take-up roll  136 . These interengaging pairs of slip clutch gears may be considered to constitute a one-way clutch mechanism. 
     A pair of feed rolls  160 ,  162  are mounted within the cartridge  26  and extend in a transverse direction. The upper or first feed roll  160  has a generally cylindrical cardboard core  164  and a supply of an adhesive mask substrate  166  wound around the core  164 . The preferred adhesive mask substrate is a thin plastic sheet, but any substrate material having an affinity for allowing an adhesive to bond thereto may used. Such materials may include paper, cloth or any other suitable material. 
     The lower or second feed roll  162  has a generally cylindrical core  168  and a supply of an adhesive transfer substrate  170  wound around the core  168 . The adhesive transfer substrate  170  is preferably a differential release liner with one or more layers of a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on one side thereof. A differential release liner is a paper sheet which is coated with silicone or a similar material on one or both sides such that one side has a lower affinity for allowing adhesives to bond thereto than the other side. The other side may or may not be treated as long as the two sides have different adhesive affinities. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer(s) are coated on the less treated side of the release liner and the substrate  170  is wound around the core  168  with the adhesive layer(s) facing generally radially inwardly and the more treated side of the release liner facing generally radially outwardly. Thus, the adhesive layer(s) on one portion of the release liner will be engaged with the more treated side of a radially inwardly adjacent portion of the release liner. When the adhesive substrate  170  is unwound, the adhesive layer(s) remain bonded to the less treated or non-treated side of the release liner portion being peeled away because the more treated side of the radially inwardly adjacent release liner portion has a lower affinity for allowing adhesive to bond thereto. The adhesive layer may be a single layer of a permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive, such as an acrylic emulsion or rubber based adhesive, as taught in the aforementioned &#39;417 and &#39;962 patents, the entirety of which are hereby incorporated into the present application. The adhesive layer may also comprise a permanent adhesive layer and a repositionable adhesive layer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. application of Neuburger, Ser. No. 09/343,676, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. 
     As can be best seen in  FIG. 8 , cartridge body half  80  has a pair of integrally molded frustroconical feed roll mounting portions  172 ,  174 . The upper and lower feed rolls  160 ,  162  are rotatably mounted on these mounting portions  172 ,  174  with the mounting portions  172 ,  174  being received inside the feed roll cores  164 ,  168 . As best seen in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the other cartridge body half  82  also has a pair of partial frustroconical mounting portions  176 ,  178 . The mounting portions  176 ,  170  are only two-thirds complete in the circumferential direction of the imaginary cone which defines the frustroconical shape of the mounting portions  176 ,  178 . A braking member  180 ,  182  integrally formed with the cartridge body half  82  occupies the space where the remainder of the partial frustroconical mounting portions would otherwise be located. The upper and lower feed rolls  160 ,  162  are rotatably mounted on these mounting portions  176 ,  178  with the mounting portions  176 ,  178  being received inside the cores  164 ,  168 . The braking members  180 ,  182  extend inwardly into the cartridge  26  and the cores  164 ,  168  engage the braking members  180 ,  182  to flex them slightly outwardly. The resiliency of the plastic material forming the braking members  180 ,  182  biases the brakes  180 ,  182  inwardly against the cores  164 ,  168 . As a result of this inward bias, friction will be created between the brakes  180 ,  182  and the cores  164 ,  168  during rotation of the feed rolls  160 ,  162 . This frictional resistance will pre-tension the substrates as they are being unwound and prevent overrunning of the feed rolls  160 ,  162 . Also, the biased engagement between braking members  180 ,  182  and the cores  164 ,  168  will prevent the feed rolls  160 ,  162  from rotating until a predetermined amount of torque or rotational force is applied to the feed rolls  160 ,  162 . Thus, the braking members  180 ,  182  also prevent feed roll rotation when the cartridge  26  is not being used. 
     One advantage of the frustroconical mounting portions  172 ,  174 ,  176 ,  178  is that a pre-tensioning force is created even if the feed roll cores  164 ,  168  do not have a wide enough inner diameter to slide over mounting portions  176 ,  178  far enough reach the braking members  180 ,  182 . In that event, the interior of the feed roll cores  164 ,  168  will be tightly engaged with the exterior surfaces of the mounting portions  172 ,  174 ,  176 ,  178  in a wedged relationship to affect the braking/pre-tensioning effect described above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the adhesive mask substrate  166  is disposed in its operating position by unwinding a lead end portion thereof and feeding the lead end portion into the nip roller assembly  125 . The lead end portion is then fed upwardly over a pivotally mounted substrate guiding member  184  and connected with the shaft  138  of the take-up roll  136 . The lead end portion may be connected by inserting the lead end portion between the ribs on the shaft  138  and rotating the shaft  138  until the mask substrate  166  is wound over the lead end portion a sufficient number of times to be securely held. Also, the connection may be provided by adhering the lead end portion to the shaft  138 . 
     Alternatively, the mask substrate  166  can be unwound and the lead end portion thereof can be attached to the take-up roll shaft  138  before the cartridge  26  is assembled. In that event, the mask substrate  166  would be held loosely between the upper feed roll  160  and the take-up roll  136  and extending over the guiding member  184 . The feed roll  160  and the take-up roll  136  are then mounted to one of the cartridge body halves  80 ,  82 . The nip roller  122  is then rotatably mounted with the mask substrate  166  positioned between the fixed supporting structure  121  and the nip roller  122 . When the cartridge  26  is finally assembled, the take-up roll  136  may be rotated to take-up any slack in the mask substrate  166 . 
     The adhesive transfer substrate  170  may then be disposed in its operating position by inserting a lead end portion thereof into the nip roller assembly  125  between the nip roller  122  and the fixed nip roller bearing structure  121 . The nip roller  122  is rotated to feed the lead end portion of the adhesive transfer substrate  170 . As a result of this feeding, the adhesive transfer substrate  170  will adhesively bond to the mask substrate  166 . This adhesive bonding prevents the transfer substrate  170  from backing out of the pressure applying assembly  125  because the take-up roll  136  cannot rotate in an unwinding direction due to stop member  120 . 
     With the transfer substrate  170  and the mask substrate  166  in their respective operating positions, the cartridge  26  may be inserted into the frame  10  through the cartridge receiving opening  18 . The one-way clutch gears  142 ,  144  of the cartridge  26  will engage the one-way drive gears  58 ,  60  of the frame  12 . In this position, rotation of the actuator will cause rotation of both the take-up roll  136  and the nip roller  122  in the manner described above. 
     To perform an adhesive transfer operation, a selected substrate  186  is fed through the frame feeding opening  14 , the cartridge feeding opening  86 , and into the pressure applying assembly  125  with the mask substrate  166  and the transfer substrate  170  disposed in their operating positions on respective opposing sides thereof. The actuator  24  is rotated or otherwise manually operated (or power operated) so that the nip roller  122  and the take-up roll  136  rotate simultaneously. Together, the mask substrate  166 , the selected substrate  186 , and the transfer substrate  170  are fed through and discharged from the pressure applying assembly  125 . During this feeding the nip roller  122  cooperates with the fixed nip roller bearing structure  121  to apply pressure to the three substrates so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive on the transfer substrate  170  is bonded to (a) the selected substrate  186  and (b) any portions of the mask substrate  166  which extend around the periphery of the selected substrate  186 . The rotation of the take-up roll  136  pulls the mask substrate  166  upwardly away from the selected substrate  186  and the transfer substrate  170  as they are discharged from the pressure applying assembly. As a result, any portions of the adhesive layer which are bonded to the mask substrate  166  are stripped away from the release liner of the transfer substrate  170 . In other words, the adhesive layer portions bonded to the mask substrate  166  will remain bonded to the mask substrate  166  as the substrate  166  is being taken up by take-up roll  136 . 
     It should be noted that the actuator  24  may be geared only to the take-up roll  136  via a one-way gear and the nip roller  122  may remain unconnected to the actuator. In this arrangement, the actuator  24  would rotate the take-up roll  136  such that the take-up roll  136  pulls the substrates through the pressure applying assembly. The bonding between the substrates in this situation would be sufficient to ensure that pulling the mask substrate  166  with the take-up roll  136  also pulls the transfer substrate  170  without significant slippage therebetween. This arrangement obviates the cost of gearing the nip roller  122  to the actuator  24 . 
     The transfer substrate  170 , with the selected substrate  186  bonded thereto, continues to move out the cartridge discharge opening  84 . An upwardly facing surface  188  of the fixed substrate supporting structure  121  and the substrate supporting surface  32  at the frame discharge opening  16  support the transfer substrate  170  (and hence the selected substrate  186 ) in a substantially flat relation as they are being discharged from the pressure applying assembly  25 . By supporting the transfer and selected substrates  170 ,  186  in a substantially flat relation, downward bending or curling of the substrate  170 ,  186  is substantially prevented. The frame  12  may carry a cutting device for severing the discharged substrates, such as the one shown in U.S. patent application of Paque, Ser. No. 09/189,273, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference, or any other suitable arrangement. Otherwise, scissors or tearing may be used to cut the transfer substrate  170 . 
     The resulting article is the transfer substrate  170  and the selected substrate  186  bonded together by one or more adhesive layers sandwiched therebetween. Substantially all of the adhesive not covered by the selected substrate  186  has been stripped away by the mask substrate  160 , which is now wound up on the take-up roll  136 . Thus, a user can simply peel back the selected substrate  186  from the transfer substrate  170  and adhere the substrate  186  to any desired contact surface. There is no need to handle or discard the mask substrate  166  because it is wound up on the take-up roll  136 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of an adhesive transfer apparatus  200  constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The apparatus  200  comprises a frame, generally indicated at  202 , a removable cartridge, generally indicated at  204 , and an actuator, generally indicated at  206 . 
     The frame  202  comprises an outer decorative shell, generally indicated at  208 . The shell  208  includes an injection molded plastic bottom pan portion  210  having a floor  212 , a lower front wall portion  214 , a lower rear wall portion  216 , and lower side wall portions  218 ,  220  all integrally molded together. The shell  208  also includes an injection molded central body portion  222  having an upper front wall portion  224 , an upper rear wall portion  226 , an upper side wall portion  228 , and an upper side wall portion  230  all integrally molded together. An injection molded, generally C-shaped cover member  231 , which is part of the shell  208 , removably mounts between the upper edges of the upper side wall portions  228 ,  230  and has a shape that is complementary to those edges. The central body portion  222  mounts on top of the bottom pan portion  210  with the front wall portions  214 ,  224  cooperating to form a front wall  232 , the rear wall portions  216 ,  226  cooperating to form a rear wall  236 , side wall portions  218 ,  228  cooperating to form side wall  234 , and side wall portions  220 ,  230  cooperating to form the opposite side wall  238 . 
     The frame  202  also includes an internal sub-frame  240 . This sub-frame can be best appreciated from  FIG. 15 . The sub-frame  240  includes an injection molded main sub-frame body portion  242 , a pair of injection molded opposing side walls  244 ,  246 , and an injection molded upper sub-frame portion  248 . 
     The sub-frame main body portion  242  has a generally planar bottom wall  250 , a front wall  252 , a rear wall  254 , and a generally planar substrate supporting wall  256  all integrally molded together. The bottom wall  250  has a pair of resilient tabs  258  on the side edges thereof. The substrate supporting wall  256  has a generally planar substrate supporting surface  260  with a groove  262  extending laterally thereacross. 
     The side walls  244 ,  246  each have a tab receiving opening  264  at the lower edge thereof and a plurality of tabs  266  extending inwardly from forward and rearward edges thereof. The front and rear walls of the sub-frame main body portion  242  have ribs  268  formed on the side edges thereof. Also, the side walls  244 ,  246  each have a pair of cooperating tabs  270  that extend inwardly adjacent and opposite one another. The substrate supporting wall  256  has a pair of tab engaging posts  272  extending downwardly therefrom. The side walls  244 ,  246  are assembled by placing the tab receiving openings  264  over the tabs  258  and pivoting the walls  244 ,  246  upwardly so that the tabs  266  engage and ride over the ribs  268  and then resiliently snap over the same to secure the walls  244 ,  246  in upright relation. Likewise, the cooperating pair of tabs  270  ride over the posts  272  and then resiliently snap over the same on opposing sides thereof to further secure the walls  244 ,  246 . 
     The side wall  244  of the sub-frame  240  has a pair of generally cylindrical gear mounting posts  274 ,  276  formed integrally thereon. A toothed idler gear  278  is rotatably mounted on the gear post  274  and an anti-reversing member  280  is also rotatably mounted on post  274 . A knob-driven gear  282  is rotatably mounted on post  276 . The gears  278  and  282  are intermeshed so that rotation of one counter-rotates the other. 
     The assembled sub-frame  240  (minus the upper sub-frame cover portion  248 ) is mounted inside the bottom pan portion  210  and is secured in place by a plurality of threaded fasteners  284  that are inserted through apertures  286  on the floor  212  and threaded into apertures on the bottom wall  250  of the sub-frame main body  242 . The central shell body portion  222  mounts on top of the pan portion  210  and over the sub-frame  240 . The front wall  252  of the sub-frame body portion  242  has a pair of tabs  288  with openings formed therethrough and the substrate supporting wall  256  of the sub-frame body portion  242  likewise has a pair of tabs  290  with openings and formed therethrough. The central body portion  222  of the shell  208  has two pairs of posts  292 ,  294  with threaded bores therein. These posts  292 ,  294  engage the tabs  288 ,  290  so that the openings and bores are aligned. Threaded fasteners  296  are inserted therein to secure the main shell body portion  222  to the sub-frame  240 . 
     The upper side wall portion  228  of the shell central body portion  222  has a circular opening  298  formed therethrough. A rounded knob  300  which provides the actuator  206  connects to the knob-driven gear  282  through this opening such that manual rotation of the knob  300  rotates the knob-driven gear  282 . A crank may be used in place of the knob. Alternatively, an AC or battery operated motor driven system or any other suitable arrangement may be used as the actuator  206 . 
     The removable cartridge  204  used in this embodiment of the invention includes a cartridge body structure  304 , a first feed roll  306 , a second feed roll  308 , and a take-up roll  310 . The cartridge body  304  includes a pair of injection molded side walls  312 ,  314 , an injection molded transverse nip roller bearing structure  316  with a generally triangular cross-sectional shape, an injection molded substrate supporting wall  318 , an injection molded feed side protective wall  320 , and an injection molded discharge side protective wall  322 . Each side wall  312 ,  314  has a pair of hubs  324 ,  326 , a pair of tab receiving openings  328  for mounting tabs  329  on the substrate supporting wall  318 , a pair of tab receiving openings  330  for mounting tabs  331  on the discharge side protective wall  320 , and an opening  332  for mounting the ends of the discharge side protective wall  322 . Each side wall  312 ,  314  also has an opening  334  for receiving the take-up roll  310  and side wall  314  has a hub  336  for mounting the take-up roll driving gear  338  that drives the take-up roll  310 . 
     The first feed roll  306  has an axle  340 , a core  342 , and a wound supply of adhesive mask substrate  344  with a bonding side as discussed previously. The axle  340  is mounted in hubs  324  and the core  342  is rotatably mounted on the axle  340  to enable unwinding of the substrate  344 . The second feed roll  308  has an axle  346 , a core  348 , and a wound supply of adhesive transfer substrate  350  with adhesive coated on an adhesive carrying surface thereof as discussed previously. The axle  346  is mounted in hubs  326  and the core  348  is rotatably mounted to the axle  346  to enable unwinding of the adhesive transfer substrate  350 . 
     As can be best appreciated from the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 17 , the cartridge  204  is removably mounted within the frame  202 . Specifically, the cartridge  204  is removably mounted such that the adhesive transfer take-up roll  308  is received between the front and rear walls  252 ,  254  of the sub-frame main body portion  242  and the upper substrating supporting surface  352  substrate supporting wall  318  of the cartridge  204  is aligned with the upper substrate supporting surface  354  of substrating supporting wall  233 . 
     The hub  336  slides inside an upwardly facing generally U-shaped recess  356  on wall  244  to the position as shown in  FIG. 18 . The mask substrate  344  extends between the take-up roll  310  and the supply roll  306 . Specifically, the mask substrate  344  is connected to the take-up roll  310  such that rotation of the take-up roll  310  in a clockwise direction (as viewed in  FIGS. 17 and 18 ) winds up the masks substrate  344  thereon. 
     While the cover member  231  and the sub-frame cover portion  248  are still removed, a nip roller  358  is placed within the frame  202  and inside the cartridge  204  so that it rests on top of the nip roller bearing structure  316  with the mask and transfer substrates  344 ,  350  sandwiched therebetween. The nip roller  358  has an axle  360  protruding from each end thereof. The sub-frame cover portion  248  has a pair of elongated legs  362  depending downwardly therefrom. Each of these legs  362  provides an arcuate axle engaging surface  364  at the lower end thereof. The cover member  231  then mounts atop the central body portion  222  in snap-fit relation to press the sub-frame cover portion  248  downwardly with the axle engaging surfaces  364  engaging the respective axles  360  to force the nip roller  358  in pressure applying relation against the nip roller bearing structure  316  with the mask and adhesive transfer substrates therebetween. 
     The sub-frame cover portion  248  also has a tab  366  that depends downwardly therefrom on one side thereof. This tab  366  has an arcuate surface  368  at the lower edge thereof. The tab surface  368  engages a hub  370  provided on the gear carrying end of the take-up roll&#39;s axle  372 . By way of the downward pressure from the snap-fit relation of the cover member  231 , the tab  366  helps ensure that the gear  338  on the end of the take-up roll  310  is maintained in proper intermeshed with the roller gear  278 . 
     The take-up roll  310  has a rubber sleeve  374  that slides over the axle  372 . As mentioned before, the lead and portion of the mask substrate  344  is attached to this core  372  so that rotating the take-up roll  310  in the wind-up direction winds up the mask substrate  344  from the pressure applying assembly. 
     To remove the cartridge  204  for replacement thereof, the user removes the cover member  231  and the sub-frame cover portion  248 . Then, the user lifts the cartridge  204  upwardly out of the frame  202  and replaces it with a new cartridge. 
     The frame  202  in this embodiment may be of any configuration and is not limited to the outer shell sub-frame arrangement illustrated. The use of the outer shell/sub-frame arrangement is advantageous from a manufacturing viewpoint in situations where the manufacturer desires to produce a variety of apparatuses with different external configurations. In that situation, the manufacturer can use the same sub-frame for each of the varying apparatuses in combination with different outer shells. Thus, the manufacturer can use common internal parts to produce apparatuses with different external configurations. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to such an arrangement. 
     To use the apparatus  200  of this second embodiment, the user places a selected substrate on the feed-side substrate supporting surfaces  352  and  354  and advances the selected substrate in between the nip roller  358  and the nip roller bearing structure  316  of the pressure applying assembly, so that the leading edge of the substrate contacts the adhesive on the adhesive transfer substrate  350 . Then, the user rotates the knob  300  in a clockwise direction (as viewed in  FIG. 18 ) to effect clockwise rotation of the knob-driven gear  282 . This in turn rotates the idler gear  278  in a counter-clockwise direction via its intermeshed relation with the knob-driven gear  282 . In turn, such counter-clockwise rotation of the idler gear  274  rotates the take-up roll gear  338  and hence the take-up roll  310  in a clockwise direction via their intermeshed relation. 
     This clockwise rotation of the take-up roll  310  causes the mask substrate  344  to wind up on the take-up roll  310 , thus unwinding it from its supply roll  306  and pulling it through the pressure applying assembly. Because of the downward pressure applied by the nip roller  358 , the adhesive on the adhesive transfer substrate  346  adheres to the bonding side of the mask substrate  344  and to the inserted leading edge of the selected substrate. This adherence causes the selected substrate and the adhesive transfer substrate  346  to be pulled through the pressure applying assembly along with the mask substrate  344  as the knob  300  continues to be rotated. 
     As the substrates advance together through the pressure applying assembly, the nip roller  358  and the nip roller bearing structure  316  cooperate to apply pressure to the substrates so that the adhesive on the transfer substrate  376  adheres to the selected substrate and the portions of the mask substrate  344  exposed around the periphery of the selected substrate. The mask substrate  344  with the excess adhesive thereon is wound up on the take-up roll  310  and the transfer substrate  346  with the selected substrate adhesed thereto are discharged from the pressure applying assembly onto the substrate supporting surface  260 . The user can then cut off the discharged portion of the transfer substrate  346  either with scissors or by running a blade along lateral groove  262  through the substrate  346 . Then, the selected substrate can be peeled off the transfer substrate  346  and adhered to a contact surface as desired. 
     The anti-reversing member  280  comes into play when the user attempts to rotate the knob  300  in a reverse direction, which in counter-clockwise in the illustrated embodiment. During rotation of the idler gear  278 , friction is created between the idler gear  278  and the anti-reversing member  280  such that the anti-reversing member  280  tends to rotate in the same direction as the idler gear  278 . During normal operation of the apparatus (clockwise rotation of the knob  300 ) the anti-reversing member  280  is held against a post  378  in a disengaged position with the idler gear rotating relative thereto in its proper counter-clockwise direction. In this disengaged position, the wedging tooth  380  on the anti-reversing member  280  is maintained out of engagement with the teeth of the idler gear  278  and the knob-driven gear  280 . However, rotation of the knob  230  in the opposite or reverse direction cause the idler gear  278  to rotate in an improper clockwise direction. This causes the idler gear  278  to rotate the anti-reversing member  280  by the friction therebetween in a clockwise direction until the wedging tooth  380  is wedged in between the teeth of knob-driven gear  282  and the idler gear  278 . As a result of this wedging, further rotation of the gears in this improper direction is prevented and thus rotation of the take-up roll  310  in an unwinding direction is minimized. This prevents unwanted unwinding of the mask substrate  344  on the take-up roll. 
     Preferably, the apparatus is of a desktop size with an external configuration that allows it to be manually handled and carried by a single person. However, the principles of the present invention are not limited by size and the apparatus of a large size for industrial heavy use applications. 
     It should be noted from  FIGS. 14 and 16  that the lateral width of the opening  376  through which the selected substrate is fed is slightly narrower than the width of the mask and transfer substrates  344 ,  346 . This ensures that the adhesive on the transfer substrate  346  can adhere to at least the edges of the mask substrate of  344  during operation to effect efficient advancement of all the substrates. If a selected substrate of greater width than the mask and transfer substrates  344 ,  346  were allowed to be fed into the apparatus, then the situation may occur where no bonding takes place between the transfer and mask substrate  344 ,  346  and turning of the knob  300  may cause the mask substrate  344  to simply slip over the top of the selected substrate without pulling the transfer substrate  346  and selected substrate through the pressure applying assembly. However, this feature is preferred and not necessary and should not be considered to limit the invention. 
     In the broader aspects of the invention, the apparatus may be of the type that does not have an actuator. In this type of apparatus, the user pulls on the free end of the transfer substrate to advance the selected substrate, the mask substrate and the transfer substrate together through the pressure applying assembly. In that arrangement, a nip roller in the pressure applying assembly would be geared or otherwise connected by a belt or the like to the take-up roll. Advancement of the substrates would rotate the nip roller, which in turn rotated the take-up roll to wind up the mask substrate. An example of such a construction is disclosed in U.S. patent application of Velasquez et al, Ser. No. 60/160,631, the entirety of which is incorporated into the present application in its entirety for all purposes. 
     It can thus be appreciated that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It is to be understood that the foregoing specific embodiment has been provided to illustrate the structural and functional principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, the present invention is intended to encompass all changes, alterations, and substitutions within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8