Patent ID: 8491737

Claim:
A method of producing a continuous web of an optical film laminate adapted for use in a system for sequentially manufacturing liquid-crystal display elements by laminating optically functional film sheets formed to respective ones of liquid-crystal panels, the optically functional film sheets being formed to have a predefined dimension corresponding to a dimension of the liquid-crystal panels of a predefined size, the method comprising steps of: laminating a continuous web of a protection film on at least one of opposite surfaces of a continuous web of a polarizer film to form an optically functional film having a longitudinal direction; inspecting surfaces and inside of the optically functional film to detect a position of a defect existing in the optically functional film; releasably laminating a continuous web of a carrier film on the continuous web of the optically functional film by an adhesive layer to form a continuous web of the optical film laminate, wherein the optically functional film includes at least one defect-free region and at least one defective region, the at least one defect-free and at least one defective region being defined along the longitudinal direction of the optically functional film in accordance with the position of the detected defect, said defect-free region having a predefined length corresponding to said dimension of the liquid-crystal panels, said defective region including at least one defect and defined as a region having a predefined length which is different from the length of said defect-free region, the length of the defective region being defined across said position of the defect; and sequentially forming slit lines in a transverse direction of said optical film laminate at a side opposite to said carrier film to a depth reaching a surface of said carrier film adjacent to said adhesive layer to form, on the carrier film, at least one defect-free, normal optically functional film sheet having no defect and at least one defective optically functional film sheet having at least one defect, and separated from the normal sheet, to thereby form a continuous web of the optical film laminate with slit lines including optically functional film sheets.