Patent ID: 7182019

Claim:
A screen printing apparatus for printing images onto a three dimensional surface of a substrate, said apparatus comprising: a screen assembly including a screen and a screen frame, said screen being formed of a flexible mesh material and at least a portion of said screen being porous so as to allow passage of a printing medium there through said porous portion, said screen frame generally defining a perimeter about said screen and supporting said screen within said perimeter; a substrate fixture defining at least one support surface supporting said substrate generally in registration with said screen assembly; a shaping assembly including a plurality of shapers dispersed about the surface of the screen each being movable between retracted and extended positions such that at least two shapers are extended to different lengths, in said extended positions said shapers being engaged with said screen assembly, whereby moving of at least some of said shapers to said extended positions causes said screen to generally conform to the three dimensional surface of the substrate; a squeegee assembly including a squeegee, said squeegee assembly being flexible along its length such that said squeegee is continuously conformable along a contact edge to said three dimensional surface when drawn there along; and a mechanism coupled to said squeegee assembly and adapted to draw said squeegee along said screen so as to force at least some of the printed medium through said porous portion of said screen and onto the three dimensional surface.