Patent Description:
Various apparatuses and methods of printing are disclosed in the patent literature and on the internet. Patent publications disclosing apparatuses and methods of printing include: <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; and <CIT>; <CIT>; <CIT>; and <CIT>. In addition, Xennia Technology has posted a video on You Tube entitled "Digital Outdoor Textile Printing" that shows a printing process on a moving banner material using a print mechanism that moves in an indexing manner. Other types of apparatuses and methods include the apparatus and method disclosed in U. Patent Application Pub No. <CIT>, "Apparatus and Method for Applying a Label to a Non-Ruled Surface", filed in the name of Broad.

A number of current efforts are being directed to printing, particularly inkjet printing, on three-dimensional articles such as bottles and the like. Current printing apparatuses may either be of the single pass or the multi-pass type. Single pass apparatuses have the advantage that they are faster than multi-pass apparatuses. Multi-pass apparatuses can achieve better quality, but since the print heads must pass over the article multiple times in an indexing fashion, they are slower than single pass apparatuses. Unfortunately, with current inkjet technology and current printing apparatuses, the quality of labels that can be formed by printing directly on three-dimensional articles is not as good as that formed on separately printed flat labels. Most of the efforts appear to be directed to attempting to improve the quality of single pass apparatuses. A need exists for improved apparatuses and methods of printing, particularly for printing on three-dimensional articles.

<CIT> discusses an inkjet recording system and an inkjet recording method for recording one or more faces of a recording medium having a stereoscopic shape according to an inkjet method.

<CIT> discusses a printing system including a rotating platen having an axis of rotation and configured to support a substrate, and a printhead configured to eject drops in a direction parallel with the axis of rotation onto the substrate supported by the rotating platen.

The present invention is directed to a method for depositing a substance onto an article, in accordance with the claims.

The embodiments of the method, apparatus(es), and articles shown in the drawings are illustrative in nature and are not intended to be limiting of the invention defined by the claims. Moreover, the features of the invention will be more fully apparent and understood in view of the detailed description.

The present invention is directed to a process for depositing a substance onto an article. The term "method" may be used interchangeably herein with the term "process".

<FIG> and <FIG> show an apparatus <NUM> for depositing a substance <NUM> on at least one article <NUM>. This apparatus <NUM> is not covered by the claims. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> comprises an article conveyor <NUM> that conveys at least one article <NUM> past at least one station 25A at which a substance deposition device <NUM> is located. The term "conveyor", as used herein, refers to devices that move articles generally, and is not limited to conveyor belts.

The apparatus <NUM> can be used to deposit a substance or material <NUM> on numerous different types of three-dimensional articles <NUM>. Such articles include, but are not limited to: caps, closures, bottles; boxes; cans; cartons; containers; laundry dosing balls; razors; components of consumer products such as razor blade heads and handles; sprayer triggers; tubs; tubes including, but not limited to tampon tubes; and deodorant stick containers. The articles may include primary packages for consumer products, including disposable consumer products. Additional articles include components of containers or packages including, but are not limited to: bottle caps; and bottle preforms that are subsequently blown into the form of a finished bottle. The apparatus <NUM> can be used to convey and print empty containers, partially filled, or full containers. The containers can have a rigid or flexible structure in whole or in part. Such containers may be capped or uncapped. The articles can be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to: plastic, metal, and/or cardboard.

The substance deposition device(s) ("deposition device") <NUM> can deposit any suitable substance (or "material") on the article <NUM>. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to: inks (including UV-curable inks, and acrylate-based inks), coatings, and lotions. The material can be deposited in any suitable form. Suitable forms include, but are not limited to: liquids, powders, and hot melts (the latter being solids that may be heated to flow). The material can be deposited in any suitable pattern. Suitable patterns can be regular or irregular and include, but are not limited to: designs, images, text, an indicium, a texture, a functional coating, and combinations thereof. The deposition device <NUM> can be any suitable type of device including, but not limited to an inkjet print head, nozzles, and other types of material deposition devices.

The apparatus <NUM> and method may create one or more types of relative motion between the articles <NUM> and the deposition device(s) <NUM>. The relative motion can be created by: moving the article(s) <NUM> with respect to the deposition device <NUM> or by moving both the article(s) <NUM> and the deposition device <NUM> relative to each other. There may be more than one different type of relative motion between the article(s) <NUM> and the deposition device(s) <NUM>. In cases in which the apparatus and method create more than one different type of relative motion between the articles and the deposition device, these will be referred to herein as a first type of relative motion, a second type of relative motion, etc..

The first type of relative motion, shown by arrow F in <FIG>, can be provided for any suitable purpose. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first type of relative motion is created when the conveyor <NUM> provides an at least partially non-linear motion of travel between the articles <NUM> and the deposition device <NUM>. This type of relative motion can be provided in order to subject the article <NUM> to more than one cycle past (or "pass" by) the deposition device <NUM>. The deposition device <NUM>, in such a case, can be stationary or fixed relative to the ground; or, it can be movable (as described below). If the deposition device <NUM> is movable, it may have its movement limited to a particular direction and a particular amount. The article(s) <NUM> passes by the deposition device <NUM> at least two times. The article(s) <NUM> can pass by the deposition device <NUM> any suitable number of times including, but not limited to: <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. times up to twenty or more times.

The at least partially non-linear motion is achieved by providing the article conveyor <NUM> in the form of a re-circulating loop. The re-circulating loop can be in any suitable configuration. The conveyor <NUM> may move (and, thus, move the articles <NUM>) in a curvilinear path such as a circular path; or in a path that comprises both linear portions and curvilinear portions. Non-limiting examples of such paths include: circular paths, elliptical paths, race track configured paths, and other closed loop paths. The re-circulating loop comprises during at least a portion thereof, moving the article(s) <NUM> about an axis that is different from (e.g., offset from) the article's own axis. Thus, spinning the article about its own axis (such as spinning a can about its own axis on a mandrel), would not be considered to be a "re-circulating loop".

<FIG> shows one non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus <NUM> for depositing a substance <NUM> such as printing on at least one article <NUM>. The articles <NUM> are moved along an arcuate path relative to the deposition device <NUM>. More specifically, the conveyor <NUM> shown in <FIG> moves the articles <NUM> in a circular path P in a "turret" type rotating device. As shown in <FIG>, the conveyor <NUM> has an axis of rotation A. The axis of rotation A may be oriented in any suitable orientation, including in a vertical orientation (so that the conveyor rotates like a carrousel), a horizontal orientation (so that the conveyor rotates like a Ferris wheel), or some orientation between horizontal and vertical.

The re-circulating loop allows the article(s) to be presented to the deposition device multiple times at a higher rate (articles per unit time) than a linear-moving carriage-type device to enable multi-pass deposition of material on the article(s) <NUM>. For instance, one type of flatbed carriage-type device that uses two passes to deposit a substance on a three-dimensional article prints at a rate of <NUM> articles per minute. Depending on the size of the article(s), the method of the present invention may be capable of printing up to <NUM>, or more, articles/minute.

The conveyor <NUM> can be any suitable type of device for conveying the article(s) <NUM> past the deposition device <NUM>. Suitable conveyors include, but are not limited to: turret conveyors, star wheel conveyors, endless loop conveyors which may be in the form of tracks, belts, chains, and the like. As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the conveyor <NUM> may comprise a carrier <NUM> and at least one optional holder <NUM> for an article <NUM> that is joined to the carrier <NUM>. The term "joined to" encompasses configurations in which an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element; configurations in which the element is indirectly secured to the other element by affixing the element to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element; and configurations in which one element is integral with another element, i.e., one element is essentially part of the other element. If there is more than one holder <NUM>, the holders may be joined to the carrier <NUM> in any suitable arrangement. Suitable arrangements include, but are not limited to a radial array about a circular carrier <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the carrier <NUM> may rotate in the direction of the large arrow F in a horizontal plane, H, about an axis A, which in this case is vertical. In <FIG>, the direction of rotation F is clockwise. In other embodiments, the direction of rotation may be counter-clockwise. Typically, the conveyor <NUM> will rotate in the same direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise, as the case may be) between passes of the article(s) past the deposition device(s) <NUM>. Thus, the conveyor <NUM> may, but will typically not rotate clockwise between one pass of the articles past the deposition device(s) <NUM>, and then rotate counter-clockwise during another pass (or vice versa). The conveyor <NUM> may rotate at a constant velocity, or the velocity of rotation may be varied, if desired. The rotation of the conveyor <NUM> may be continuous, or if desired, intermittent. The article(s) <NUM> will have a vector, V, representing the direction of movement of (and velocity of) the article <NUM> at any given place along the path P which the article is conveyed.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the deposition device <NUM> and the holders <NUM> can be in several possible positions relative to the carrier <NUM>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, it may be desirable for the deposition device(s) <NUM> to be disposed above the portion of the carrier <NUM> containing the holders <NUM> holding the articles <NUM>. In <FIG>, the articles <NUM> will be moving in the horizontal plane H. When they are under the deposition device <NUM>, the direction of movement V of the articles <NUM> is a perpendicular line that extends into the plane of the drawing figure. In such a case, the substance <NUM> will have a direction of application D that is substantially parallel to the vertical axis A, and substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the article is moving (which in this case, is the horizontal plane H). When it is said that direction of application D is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane H, the direction of application may, but need not be exactly perpendicular to the direction of article movement.

In <FIG>, the carrier <NUM> also rotates in a plane, such as in a horizontal plane H about a vertical axis A. In this embodiment, which is not covered by the claims, the articles <NUM> will also be moving in the horizontal plane H in a direction where V is a perpendicular line that extends into the plane of the drawing figure when they are adjacent the deposition device <NUM>. However, in this embodiment, the direction of application D is parallel or substantially parallel to the horizontal plane H, and the article holder <NUM> is located on the side of the periphery of the carrier <NUM> so that the articles <NUM> will face the deposition device <NUM>. In such a case, the articles <NUM> will be moving in the horizontal plane H and the substance <NUM> will have a direction of application D that is parallel to the horizontal plane H (instead of substantially perpendicular as in <FIG>). However, in this embodiment, the direction of application D is also perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement V of the article(s) (but in another manner in three-dimensional space) when the article is in position adjacent the deposition device <NUM> for the application of a substance to the article.

The deposition device(s) <NUM> could be located inside the path of travel P of the articles <NUM>. In addition, if the carrier <NUM> in either of the embodiments shown in <FIG> is tilted so that it lies and rotates within a vertical plane (or in some plane oriented between horizontal and vertical), the direction of application D may still bear the same relationship to the plane of rotation described in those embodiments, but the plane of rotation will either be vertical or oriented between horizontal and vertical, as the case may be.

<FIG> shows an apparatus <NUM> for depositing a substance <NUM> on at least one article <NUM>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, which is not covered by the claims, the article conveyor <NUM> is in a race track configuration. This type of conveyor will have two parallel axes about which the conveyor <NUM> and the articles <NUM> rotate during at least a portion of the path of travel. These axes are designated A1 and A2. The apparatus <NUM> shown in <FIG> can have any of the properties described above with respect to the apparatuses shown in <FIG>, <FIG> including, but not limited to its orientation (horizontal or vertical), and arrangement of the deposition device(s) <NUM> relative to the conveyor <NUM>, and arrangement of any article holders <NUM> thereon. In such a race track embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, it is possible to arrange the deposition device(s) <NUM> so that the article(s) <NUM> is moving either on a curvilinear path or a linear path past the deposition device(s) <NUM> depending on whether the deposition device(s) <NUM> is located at one of the ends <NUM> of the race track shaped path, or along one of the sides <NUM> of the race track shaped path. In either case, the path along which the articles <NUM> move is still in a continuous loop, and when the article(s) <NUM> are moved past a given deposition device <NUM> a second (or subsequent time), the article will be moving in the same direction as when it was moved past the deposition device <NUM> the first time. in accordance with the invention <FIG> shows in accordance with the invention an apparatus <NUM> for depositing a substance on at least one article <NUM>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the article conveyor <NUM> is substantially in the configuration of a cylinder, but has recesses therein which provide receptacles for at least one article <NUM>. The conveyor <NUM> can be provided with <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM> or more receptacles. In the embodiment shown, there are four receptacles, each of which is shown with an article <NUM> therein. The receptacles can be of any configuration suitable for holding the article(s) <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the conveyor <NUM> rotates about axis A, such as in the direction of arrow F. The conveyor <NUM> has a radius R. This embodiment is particularly useful when the portion of the surface <NUM> of the article <NUM> to have a substance deposited thereon has the same curvature, or substantially the same curvature as the substantially cylindrical conveyor <NUM>. For example, that portion of the surface <NUM> of the article may have substantially the same radius as the radius It of the conveyor <NUM>. (Thus, the outwardly-facing portions of the surface <NUM> of the articles <NUM> may, along with the conveyor <NUM> at least partially form (or completely form) a cylindrical surface. ) The apparatus <NUM> may also have an optional device <NUM> for drying or curing the substance deposited on the articles. The drying or curing device <NUM> can be positioned at any suitable location relative to the conveyor <NUM>, such as on the opposite side of the conveyor <NUM> relative to the deposition device <NUM>.

The apparatus shown in <FIG> can otherwise have properties described above with respect to the apparatuses shown in <FIG>, <FIG> including, but not limited to its orientation (horizontal or vertical). The substance deposition device <NUM> located adjacent to the conveyor <NUM> may also be movable. For example, the conveyor <NUM> may be spinning clockwise (or counter-clockwise), and the substance deposition device <NUM> may be movable longitudinally (parallel to axis A) inward (into the direction of the page) and/or outward. The apparatus shown in <FIG> may provide the advantage that it maintains the same distance between the surface <NUM> of the articles <NUM> and the deposition device without the need to move the deposition device <NUM> toward and away from the surface <NUM> of the articles <NUM> to adjust to the curvature of the same.

Thus, as shown and described above, the first type of relative motion F can be contrasted with current multiple pass printing processes and apparatuses that typically involve moving a carriage containing a print head linearly back and forth over an article and indexing the carriage or the article. The first type of relative motion F can also be contrasted with current multiple pass printing processes and apparatuses that hold the print head steady and index an article relative to the print head. Unlike indexing motions, in the case of the first type of relative motion F, the path along which the article(s) <NUM> move (and any axis defining the same) may remain fixed between cycles. Thus, neither the axis, nor the path P needs to shift between cycles.

The articles <NUM>, if three-dimensional, will typically have at least two opposing ends. For example, a bottle will have a base and a top. The articles <NUM> may also have a front, a back, and sides. The articles <NUM> will also have a surface <NUM>. The articles <NUM> may be solid as in the case of some razor blade handles, or hollow in the case of bottles, for example. If the articles are hollow, they will also have an interior. The surface of the articles <NUM> may be flat or curved. The entire surface need not be either flat or curved. For example, the surface of the articles <NUM> may have: portions that are flat; portions that are curved; or, the surface may have both flat portions and curved portions. For instance, in the case of bottles, at least a portion of the surface may have a convex curvature. It is also possible that some articles may have a surface in which a portion thereof has a concave curvature.

The method and apparatus are particularly useful for printing on articles with curved surfaces. The apparatus and method deposit the substance <NUM> on the surface of the article(s) <NUM>. The apparatus and method are also particularly useful for printing directly on the surface of the article(s) <NUM>. For instance, instead of attaching a pre-printed label to an article such as a bottle, the apparatus and method can be used to directly print the subject matter of the label on the article. Of course, the apparatus and method are not limited to printing subject matter which serves as a label on the articles. The apparatus and method are also useful in printing designs and the like on articles.

The articles <NUM> can be in any suitable orientation on the article conveyor <NUM>. For example, the articles <NUM> may be situated in an upright orientation, or an upside down orientation on the conveyor <NUM> (and in any article holders <NUM>). Alternatively, the articles <NUM> may lay flat on the conveyor <NUM> (and in any article holders <NUM>). The only requirement is that the portion of the surface of the articles <NUM> on which the substance <NUM> is to be deposited should be exposed to the deposition device <NUM> at the time it is desired to deposit the substance <NUM> on the article <NUM>.

The conveyor <NUM> can hold any suitable number of articles at a given time. Suitable numbers of articles <NUM> can range from <NUM>-<NUM>, or more articles. If there are multiple articles on the conveyor at a given time, they may be referred to herein as a "batch" of articles. The batch of articles will typically all travel on the same path P, until the articles are removed from the conveyor <NUM> for subsequent processing. The number of articles <NUM> on the conveyor <NUM> at a given time may be less than, equal to, or greater than the number of deposition device(s) <NUM> disposed adjacent the conveyor <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> may, thus, provide a cost advantage in comparison to certain other apparatuses by using fewer deposition device(s) including, if desired, only one deposition device on the apparatus.

The deposition device <NUM>, as discussed above, can be print heads, nozzles, and other types of material deposition devices. The deposition device <NUM> is a non-contacting type of deposition device. By "non-contacting", it is meant that the deposition device <NUM> does not contact the surface of the article(s) <NUM> on which the substance <NUM> is to be deposited. In the case of print heads, any suitable type of print heads can be used including, but not limited to inkjet print heads, piezo print heads, electrostatic print heads and/or printing valve print heads. The print heads may be of a drop-on-demand type of deposition device. By "drop-on-demand", it is meant that the print heads can apply droplets of ink only where needed such as to form a pattern in the form of words, figures (e.g., pictures), or designs. Ink jet print heads are typically digitally actuatable and can print images provided by a computer.

Ink jet print heads will typically comprise multiple nozzles <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the print head has a length with a linear axis L. The nozzles <NUM> are typically generally aligned in rows and are configured to jet ink in a particular direction that is generally parallel to that of the other nozzles. The nozzles within each row on a print head can be aligned linearly. Alternatively, as shown in dashed line in <FIG>, the nozzles <NUM> may be in one or more rows that are oriented diagonally relative to the longer dimension (or length) of the print head. Both such arrangements of nozzles can be considered to be substantially linearly arrayed. The inkjet print heads can comprise any suitable number and arrangement of nozzles therein. One suitable inkjet print head contains approximately <NUM> nozzles per inch (per <NUM>). The Xaar <NUM> is an example of a suitable print head for use herein, and is available from Xaar of Cambridge, UK.

The droplets of ink formed by an ink jet print head can range in diameter from about <NUM> microns or less to about <NUM> microns, or more. The droplets of ink can be distributed in any suitable number over a given area. Typically, in ink jet printing, the ink droplets form a matrix in which the number of drops per inch (DPI) is specified in the direction of movement of the print head or article to be printed, and in a direction on the surface of the article perpendicular thereto. A two dimensional representation of such a matrix of ink droplets <NUM> is shown in <FIG>. (It will be appreciated that in the process described herein, such an array may be formed on an at least partially three-dimensional (e.g., curved) surface. ) The application of ink drops provided on the surface of the article to form a digital image can range from about <NUM>, or less up to about <NUM>,<NUM> or more drops per inch (DPI) in at least one direction. In some cases, the droplets of ink can be deposited in a matrix that ranges from <NUM>,<NUM> to <NUM>,<NUM> drops per inch in at least one direction. In some cases, the droplets of ink may be deposited in a matrix that is greater than <NUM>,<NUM> drops per inch in at least one direction.

The apparatus <NUM> can comprise any suitable number, arrangement, and type of deposition device(s) <NUM>. For example, the apparatus may comprise between <NUM>-<NUM>, or more, deposition device(s) <NUM>. Thus, there may be a plurality of deposition devices <NUM>. The deposition device(s) <NUM> may be arranged in a spaced apart relationship along the article conveyor <NUM>. Alternatively, one or more of the deposition device(s) <NUM> may be positioned adjacent and in contact with another one of the deposition device(s) <NUM>. The deposition device(s) <NUM> may be positioned above the articles <NUM> in the article conveyor <NUM>.

When the deposition device(s) <NUM> comprise print heads, one or more of the deposition devices <NUM> may comprise a printing unit (or "printing station"). The ink jet print heads may be configured to print black, or color. Each printing unit may comprise any suitable number of print heads, from one to four or more. For example, in some cases, the printing unit may comprise four print heads for a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black)) color scheme for producing different color sets of a multicolor print. The printing unit may also comprise additional print head(s) for additional colors, e.g., white and or special colors, for a priming coat as a first printing step or for a base layer, e.g., an adhesive, and/or for applying a transparent sealing or protective coating. In some embodiments, there may be multiple continuously re-circulating loops, such as one or more for a base coat, one or more for a decoration coat, and one or more for a top coat.

The apparatus <NUM> may further comprise one or more additional stations or devices that are positioned at any desired location along the conveyor <NUM>. Such additional devices may include, but are not limited to pre-treatment devices <NUM> for pre-treating the surface of the articles, such as flame treatment, corona treatment, and plasma jet treatment devices. Such additional devices may also include devices <NUM> for drying or curing the articles after printing or other treatment (such as ultraviolet (UV) light sources or electron beam sources).

The substance, such as the ink(s) may be applied directly to the article(s) <NUM> in a predetermined pattern. The term "predetermined pattern", as used herein, refers to any type of printed pattern including but not limited to words, figures (e.g., pictures), or designs that is determined prior to the initiation of printing. As discussed above, an inkjet printed image is typically made up of a plurality of ink droplets that are arranged in a matrix of droplets or pixels.

The deposition device, such as print head(s) <NUM> deposits only a portion of the predetermined pattern on each article <NUM> in each pass of the article past the deposition device <NUM>. The portion of the predetermined pattern may take several possible forms. For instance, the predetermined pattern will typically cover a given area of the article. In some embodiments, a first portion of the total area of the pre-determined pattern (e.g., the upper half of an image) may be printed on the article during the first pass of the article past the print head(s) <NUM>. Then, in a subsequent pass (such as the second pass), another portion (or the remainder of the image (such as the lower half)) of the image may be printed on the article. Of course, such embodiments are not limited to printing half of the image in one pass, and the other half in a second pass. Any suitable portion of the image can be printed in each pass in any suitable number of passes to form a complete image.

According to the invention, as shown in <FIG>, the deposition device(s) <NUM> is programmed to deposit a plurality of spaced apart material deposits such as ink droplets 42A that form a portion of the predetermined pattern on a first pass, and then on the second, and any subsequent passes, the deposition device(s) <NUM> fills material deposits such as ink droplets 42B at least some of which are located in between the material deposits such as droplets 42A deposited on the first pass. Together, the portions of material such as ink deposited in the first pass and subsequent pass or passes make up the total predetermined pattern shown in <FIG>. The patterns of ink droplets deposited in an embodiment such as shown in <FIG> may be considered to be intermixed or interleaved. One advantage of intermixed or interleaved printing is that any defects in the printed image resulting from one or more of the nozzles on a print head not working will be less apparent than if the entire image is printed in a single pass with such defective nozzle(s).

The apparatus and method described herein is not limited to the examples shown in the drawings. It will be appreciated that the apparatus and method described herein allows any portion of any predetermined pattern to be applied to an article during each pass. In addition to printing any portion of the predetermined pattern of ink during each pass, the predetermined pattern could also comprise a base coat under the ink and/or a protective coat such as a clear coat disposed over the ink. In such cases, if desired, the base coat may be applied under all, or only a portion of the predetermined pattern of ink. Likewise, if desired, the clear coat may be applied over all, or only a portion of the predetermined pattern of ink.

In some embodiments, in order to deposit different portions of the predetermined pattern, the apparatus and method may create more than one type of relative motion between the articles <NUM> and the deposition device <NUM>. For instance, the print head(s) <NUM> may move relative to the article(s) <NUM> in order to align with a different portion of the article(s) <NUM> between passes such as between the first and second (or subsequent) pass of a given article <NUM> past the print head <NUM>. The print head(s) <NUM> may move in any suitable manner relative to the article(s), with any suitable type of movement.

<FIG>, <FIG> show the direction of such a second type of relative motion, S. In certain embodiments, in addition to the recirculating motion of the conveyor (the first type of relative motion), the second type of relative motion S may involve moving the substance deposition device, such as the print head(s) <NUM>, in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of application D of the substance on the article. In the embodiment shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the direction of second type of relative motion S is parallel to the plane H. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the direction of second type of relative motion S is parallel to the axis A and perpendicular to the plane H. In both cases, when the substance is being applied to the article, the direction of second type of relative motion S is substantially perpendicular to the direction of article movement and velocity V (in one sense in three-dimensional space).

The substance deposition device <NUM> may move between one position such as S1 and another position, such as S2. In some embodiments, if the deposition device <NUM> is an ink jet print head, the positions S1 and S2 may be established such that when the deposition device <NUM> is at these positions, the ink nozzles <NUM> will be positioned entirely outside of one side of the area on the surface of the article <NUM> that is to be provided with the predetermined pattern. In such an arrangement, when the print head <NUM> is moved with respect to the article <NUM>, all of the nozzles will be capable of applying ink to the article <NUM> from one side of the area on the surface of the article <NUM> that is to be provided with the predetermined pattern to the opposite side of the area to be provided with the predetermined pattern. Of course, S1 and S2 can be set so that the deposition device <NUM> will move to any suitable extent with respect to the article(s) <NUM>.

In some cases, the print head(s) <NUM> may print while moving at least part of the distance between one position such as S1 and another position S2 when an article <NUM> is in position adjacent thereto for receiving a substance such as ink thereon. In some cases, the print head(s) <NUM> may print while continuously moving from one position to another position when an article <NUM> is in position for receiving a substance such as ink thereon. In other cases, the print head <NUM> may index between subsequent passes of a given article <NUM> past the print head <NUM> before it starts printing again. In other words, the print head <NUM> may move or shift a certain distance in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the nozzles L between subsequent passes of a given article <NUM> past the print head <NUM>. In the case of an indexing print head <NUM>, the print head <NUM> may be stationary when printing.

Other types of relative motion are also possible. For example, in certain embodiments, it may be desired to move the article <NUM> in order to present a different portion of the article to the deposition device <NUM>. For instance, the article <NUM> could be turned or rotated in any suitable manner between the first and subsequent pass of a given article <NUM> past the print head <NUM>.

If there is more than one deposition device <NUM>, one or more deposition devices may be movable and one or more deposition devices may be stationary. If there is more than one movable print head <NUM>, the different print heads <NUM> may all move with the same type of movement. Alternatively, certain print heads <NUM> can move with one type of movement, and other print heads <NUM> can move with a different type of movement.

If desired, the surface of the article can be treated prior to printing. Common surface treatment techniques include flame treatment, corona treatment, and plasma jet treatment. If desired, the deposited material <NUM> may be cured after any pass, including after each pass. For example, if the substance <NUM> is a UV-reactive ink, such an ink could be cured after one or more passes by exposure to UV light or an electron beam.

After the desired predetermined image is applied to the article(s) <NUM>, the article(s) in the batch of articles may be transferred by the conveyor <NUM> to another conveyor or apparatus for further processing. For example, if the article(s) <NUM> are bottles, the bottles may be transferred from the conveyor <NUM> to a filler, and capper.

For example, a dimension disclosed as "<NUM>°" is intended to mean "about <NUM>°".

Claim 1:
A process for depositing a substance onto an article in a predetermined pattern, the process comprising:
providing a non-contacting substance deposition device (<NUM>);
providing at least one three-dimensional article (<NUM>) which has a surface;
providing a conveyor (<NUM>) configured to transport the at least one article in a closed loop path past said substance deposition device at least twice; said process further comprises:
creating a re-circulating relative motion between the at least one article and the device, such that the at least one article passes by the device at least two times; and
during the relative motion, for each of the at least one articles, depositing a substance onto at least a portion of the surface of the article by using the device, wherein in each pass, the deposition device deposits only a portion of the total predetermined pattern to be formed, and the article is passed by the device at least twice to form the predetermined pattern;
wherein a substance is deposited on the article in the form of a plurality of spaced apart material deposits (42A) during a first pass by the substance deposition device, and a substance is deposited in the form of a plurality of spaced apart material deposits (42B) during a subsequent pass by the substance deposition device, wherein at least some of the material deposits made by said subsequent pass are located in between the material deposits made during a first pass to form an intermixed pattern of material deposits;
wherein the relative motion is created, at least in part, by moving the article with respect to the deposition device;
each time the at least one article passes the deposition device, the article is moving in the same direction; characterised in that
the conveyor (<NUM>) is substantially in the configuration of a cylinder that is rotatable about an axis (A) and which comprises recesses, which recesses providing receptacles for at least one article (<NUM>); wherein the cylindrical conveyor (<NUM>) has a radius R, and wherein a portion of a surface (<NUM>) of the article (<NUM>) has the same curvature, or substantially the same curvature, as the substantially cylindrical conveyor (<NUM>)..