Abstract:
An impression mold for relief art, for applying slightly three-dimensional pattern on a piece of paper or a card, comprises at least a mold plate and a pattern piece connected to the mold plate. One surface of the mold plate defines an area of molding, which includes a multitude of retaining holes. The pattern piece has one side provided with a predetermined pattern to be impressed and the opposite side provided with a retaining member, whereby the pattern piece can be quickly removed from the mold plate, and whereby other pattern pieces can be quickly arranged on the mold plate.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to impression molds for relief art, more particularly to an impression mold for relief art in which the pattern is replaceable, thereby reducing printing time and production cost.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     To enhance three-dimensional visual effect and add values to printed pattern, relief art is commonly used. The traditional impressed patterns of relief art are realized by an impression mold pressing on a piece of paper, which is categorized into manual impression molds, impression cylindrical molds and metallic impression molds. In manual impression molds, a copper plate having the negative mold corresponding to the pattern to be impressed is placed under a piece of paper. The paper sheet is then pressed by a push rod with a round head, whereby the paper sheet is deformed toward the depressions of the negative mold, therefore producing bulged pattern of relief art on the other side of the paper. This means for producing works of relief art is time-consuming and of high labor cost.  
         [0003]     An impression cylindrical mold includes a cylinder whose surface is provided with a predetermined pattern. The impression cylindrical mold, sometimes heated, is rolled against a piece of paper and causes facial deformation over the impressed paper, whereby a pattern of relief art can be produced.  
         [0004]     A metallic impression mold comprises a pair of metallic plates or a metallic plate and a plastic plate. A piece of paper is sandwiched by the plates. A pattern of relief art will be produced on the paper via a process of metallic stamping or casting.  
         [0005]     All of the above mold types have the disadvantage that the pattern to be impressed is not replaceable. Namely, one mold can print only one pattern. To print another pattern, a new mold has to be made, which is not only expensive but time consuming.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an impression mold for relief art wherein pattern pieces are removable, and they can be rearranged freely on a mold frame. Therefore, the problems of fixed pattern, high mold cost and multiple molds can be solved. The present invention is indeed a practical way to produce works of relief art. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows the first pattern pieces attached on the first mold plate in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  shows the second pattern piece being attached on the combination of the first pattern pieces and the first mold plate shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  shows the assembly of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the impressing device for the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the impression mold wherein a paper is sandwiched.  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  shows the impression mold of the first preferred embodiment being fed into the impressing device.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a side view showing the impression mold of the first preferred embodiment being fed into the impressing device.  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  shows a paper sheet with a pattern of relief art produced by the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is the second preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein the pattern pieces are attached on the impression mold plate. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the first preferred embodiment of the present invention as an impression mold for relief art comprises a first mold plate  1 , a multitude of first pattern pieces  2 , a second mold plate  3  and a multitude of second pattern pieces  4 , thereby forming an impression mold for relief art with replaceable pattern pieces and capable of organizing new patterns. Therefore, it can provide a user with a simple, inexpensive and practical impression mold.  
         [0018]     On one side of the first mold plate  1 , there a mold frame  12  around the edge of the first mold plate  1 , which defines a mold area  11  therein. There is further a set of retaining holes  13  on the mold area  11  and at least a positioning pin  14 . At one edge on the opposite side of the first mold plate  1 , there is a plurality of antislip strips  15 .  
         [0019]     Each of the first pattern pieces  2  is a plate main body  21  of predetermined size and shape, whose one side is provided with a predetermined pattern embodied in a depressed pattern portion  22 . The opposite side of the plate main body  21  is provided with at least one retaining member  23  corresponding to one of the retaining holes  13  on the first mold plate  1 . Thereby, the first pattern pieces  2  are detachable.  
         [0020]     One side of the second mold plate  3  is provided with another mold frame  32  and a bulged mold area  31 . The second mold plate  3  can be coupled with the first mold plate  1 , in which the mold area  31  corresponds to the mold area  11 . The mold area  31  is also provided with a set of retaining holes  33 , and the mold frame  32  is provided with at least one positioning pin  34  that corresponds to the positioning pin  14  on the first mold plate  1 . At one edge on the opposite side of the second mold plate  3 , there is a plurality of antislip strips  35 .  
         [0021]     Each of the second pattern pieces  4  is a plate main body  41  of predetermined size and shape, whose one side is provided with a predetermined pattern embodied in a bulged pattern portion  42 . The bulged pattern portion  42  corresponds to the depressed pattern portion  22  on a first pattern piece  2 . The opposite side of the plate main body  41  is provided with at least one retaining member  43  corresponding to one of the retaining holes  33  on the second mold plate  3 . Thereby, the second pattern pieces  4  are detachable.  
         [0022]     Thereby, a user can choose a set of first pattern pieces  2  and their corresponding second pattern pieces  4  to render a pattern on the first mold plate  1  and the second mold plate  3 . Thereby, the impression mold assembled can be used to produce the pattern, in the form of relief art, on a piece of paper. Further, since the pattern pieces ( 2 ,  4 ) are detachable, different pattern to be printed can be easily arranged on the impression mold. To finalize the impression, a impressing device  5  is used to process the impression mold, whereby a pattern of relief art on a paper sheet will be formed.  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the impressing device  5  is preferably a roller device having a machine base  51  and a plurality of rollers  52 ,  52   a.  At one end of the roller  52 , there are gears  53 ,  54  that are engaged with the gear  56  within the machine base  51 , whereby a handle  55  mounted on the gear  56  will be urged to drive the rollers  52 ,  52   a  through the gears. The rollers  52 ,  52   a  will impress the mold composed of the first mold plate  1 , the second mold plate  3  and the piece of paper therebetween. Since the surfaces of the rollers  52 ,  52   a  are made of a soft material such as silicon plastic, the first mold plate  1  and the first pattern pieces  2  will not be damaged by the impression.  
         [0024]     Referring to FIGS.  5  to  8 , the process of applying a pattern of relief art on a piece of paper will be illustrated. A first pattern piece  2  and a corresponding second pattern piece  4  are chosen to be respectively attached on the first mold plate  1  and the second mold plate  3  by inserting the retaining members  23 ,  43  into the retaining holes  13 ,  23 . A piece of paper is place between the first mold plate  1  and the second mold plate  3 , sandwiched by the coupled first pattern piece  2  and second pattern piece  4 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The coupling between the first pattern piece  2  on the first mold plate  1  and the second pattern piece  4  on the second mold plate  3  can be precisely aligned by the engagement between the positioning pins  14  and  44 . The combined structure of the first mold plate  1 , the second mold plate  3  and the piece of paper  6  therebetween can be smoothly fed into the impressing device  5 , between the rollers  52 ,  52   a , with the help of the edge antislip strips  15 ,  35 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The assembled mold is guided through the rollers  52 ,  52   a  by turning the handle  55  and subsequently the gears  56 . This will apply a predetermined pressure on the mold passing through the impressing device  5 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The first pattern pieces  2  and the corresponding second pattern pieces  4  will produce a pattern of relief art on the piece of paper  6 . Further, the first pattern pieces  2  and the second pattern pieces  4  can be removed from the mold when the processing through the impressing device  5  is done.  
         [0025]     Since the first mold plate  1  and the second mold plate  3  are all provided with retaining holes  13 ,  33 , a user can conveniently choose first pattern pieces  2  and the corresponding second pattern pieces  4  of different predetermined patterns to produce a variety of patterns of relief art on paper.  
         [0026]     Meanwhile, since the first pattern pieces  2  and the second pattern pieces  4  are respectively attached onto the first mold plate  1  and the first pattern pieces  2  through the insertion of the retaining members  23 ,  43  into the corresponding to the retaining holes  13 ,  33 , the pattern pieces ( 2 ,  4 ) can be easily detached from and rearranged on the mold plates ( 1 ,  3 ) to form various patterns of relief art. This is a substantial improvement from an impression mold of the prior art whose pattern is fixed. Therefore, the present invention can reduce of cost of impression painting.  
         [0027]     The removable pattern piece  8  is detachably connected to the mold plate  7 . Each of the pattern pieces  8  is a slab body having a surface provided with a predetermined pattern for relief art and an opposite surface with at least one retaining member corresponding to the retaining holes  73 , whereby the pattern pieces  8  can be attached onto the mold plate  7 . Thereby, the pattern pieces  8  will produce the predetermined pattern on a piece of paper as the mold plate  7  is being guided through an impressing device  5 .  
         [0028]     The present invention is thus described, and it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.