AU695797B2

AU695797B2 - Improvements in colour matching

Info

Publication number: AU695797B2
Application number: AU34330/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dean Anthony Dinnan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-10-18
Filing date: 1995-10-18
Publication date: 1998-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-18
Also published as: AU3433095A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 DEAN ANTHONY DINNAN

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT o o r a r s o as ee Invention Title: Improvements in colour matching The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it lknown to me:- I1~C The present invention relates to a method and means for colour matching, particularly, but not exclusively, in relation to colour matching for paint repairs to vehicles and the like.

Existing colour matching systems, as used in the automotive repairs industry by spray painters, employ such as metallic non-magnetic cards or flexible magnetised cards. It is often a problem while colour matching metallic and pearl paint finishes that existing metallic non-magnetic cards must be held in place by an assistant so as to allow inspection of the colour match from different angles. Such hand-held colour matching cards are mostly made from metal and, once a colour matching card of that form is sprayed with a clear coat, it cannot be recoated and must be washed off repeatedly. This slows the process of achieving a rapid colour match and also makes it impossible to store every colour matching card once a match has been achieved. Existing metal colour matching cards also do not sit flush on a panel, so that the raised surface of the colour card adds further difficulty to achieving a ready match.

An example of flexible magnetised cards is a product marketed under the brand name Raymac. The flexible magnetised cards that are currently in use are relatively expensive and have some reusability, but after a number of colour matching sprays have been applied, they must be discarded. This known colour matching system uses a flexible magnetised card sprayed with a formulation approximating the colour to be matched.

When the card has dried it is placed on the surface to be resprayed adjacent the colour to be matched. A decision is then made as to whether the colour 25 match is correct and, if not correct, the paint batch is tinted based on the painter's knowledge and skill. The magnetised card is resprayed with the tinted paint and. once dry. the card is again placed adjacent the colour to be matched on a body panel. There may be a number of iterations of that process of colour matching before a satisfactory match is achieved.

whereafter a suitable quantity of paint is formulated with the required tints and the spraying job completed.

Disadvantages with flexible magnetised paint matching cards is their unitary expense, as well as the fact that they cannot easily be shaped around relatively sharp edges or curves when attempting to colour match, such as might occur between a vehicle bonnet and a front guard panel of that vehicle. Another problem arises in that the surface of existing flexible II Imagnetised cards is not conducive to mulliple spray coats ol paint and soon take on a low quality finish.

To ameliorate the problems of existing colour cards. the present invention proposes a relatively inexpensive colour matching system that employs a sheet, such as bonded paper, backed by a releasable adhesive so that the sheet is removable from a release sheet In another form, the present invention proposes a method of colour matching which employs a paintable surface of sheet material having a releasable adhesive backing, wherein the sheet material is adapted to mould and adhere to the shape of a surface panel or area of an article.

In a still further form, the present invention provides a library system of colour matching cards as aforesaid.

In a preferred form, the colour matching cards of the invention are produced from a bonded paper having an adhesive backing which is releasable from a support surface. In this embodiment, the bonded paper can be adhered to any panel, say of a vehicle, and shaped to allow inspection of the colour card at all angles, so as to ensure the closest colour match possible even where there are sharp edged junctions between adjacent panels.

In a particularly preferred form, the colour cards of this invention can be stored in an album on a release paper, together with information detailing the job, quote number and rematched formulation to achieve the desired colour match. By this means the colour match for a particular vehicle can be stored for future use as required, together with an appropriate 25 indexing system to locate that information in future, thereby avoiding the need to achieve a colour match for that vehicle or other vehicles having the same colour code should they require future repairs. A considerable saving of time and hence money in achieving a future colour match for the same vehicle or other vehicles is possible.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of preformed bonded paper sheet for use in accord with an embodiment of the invention, the sheet having a releasable adhesive backing surface and mounted on a release sheet: Fig. 2 is the sheet of Fig. 1 with strips of bonded paper removed ready for use in a library system; and

I

Fig. 3 is the sheet of Fig. 2 mounted with coloured cards and formulation information for those cards.

The sheet material of Figs. 1- 3 is as sold under the brand name Mastertac removable and comprises horizontal score lines 11 and vertical score lines 12.

To produce the configuration of Fig. 2, horizontal strips 20 are removed as are vertical strips 21, leaving a top horizontal band of colour card material 22 and an intermediate band 23, as well as respective colour cards 24 and As shown in Fig. 3, the colour cards 24 and 25 have been sprayed with respective colours and the formulation information and job details relative to those colours are recorded on the bands 22 and 23.

In use, to achieve a colour match a blank card 24 or 25 is sprayed with paint to provide an approximate match, whereafter the tinting of the sample 15 paint batch is carried out and the colour card 24 or 25 is resprayed with successively modified batches until a satisfactory colour match is achieved by being placed, when dry, on a panel to be sprayed adjacent the existing colour. Once the desired match is achieved, a paint batch for the job is formulated and the colour card for that job returned to its release paper sheet 20 adjacent the recorded job details and tint formulation required to achieve that colour.

Advantageously, the embodiment as described employs a colour matching card 24 or 25 which can be adhered to and readily peeled from the work surface to be resprayed. Due to the inexpensive nature of the colour 25 card, its final matching colour can be stored in a library of sheets as per Fig. 3.

It will be appreciated thet any releasal-ie adhesive backed paper or sheet can be employed in putting the present invention into effect provided that its non-adhesive surface can be readily c'ated with a finish to approximate a finished surface.

The advantages inherent in the present invention will be readily appreciated by the motor vehicle repai:' industry, even though its use is not limited to that field. The invention can be employed in any environment where colour matching is required in similar manner to spray painting of motor vehicles.

Once an album or library is obtained, colour matching cards 24, can be separately purchased as required, It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications mav be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive e a e o* e e p 1-

Claims

1. A surface finish matching system for determining a matching surface finish to a surface finish on an article, the system comprisig a sheet of thin flexible material backed by a releasable adhesive wherein the sheet is removable from a release sheet and from a surface of an article to be surface finish matched, the non-adhiesive facc of the sheet of thin flexible material being adapted to be coated by a surface finishing material to be applied to the surface of the article, and wherein in use the sheet is coated with a beleived matching surface finish whereafter the sheet is adhered to the article and assessed as a match but if no acceptable match is prox ided then the cycle of coating, adhering and assessing is repeated until an acceptable surface finish match is achieved such that the article can then be coated with that acceptable surface finish match.

2. A surface finish matching system as claimed in claim 1 comprising a o 15 plurality of release sheets containing respective sheets of this flexible material releasably adhered there to. A surface finish matching systemn as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the sheets of this flexible material are of bonded paper. A surface finish matching system as claimed in any one ofthe 20 preceding claims formed as a library of sheets of the flexible adhesive backed 0 material wherein such thin sheet is at least partially coated in a different surface finish. A mnethod of colour matching comprising applying a coating of colouring material to the surface of a sheet of thin flexible material having a 25 releasable adhesive backing, adhering the coated sheet to the surface of an article to be colour matched adjacent a section of the article finished with the colour to be matched, assessing the quality of the colour match amid adjusting the colour of the colouring material in dependence on the assessed quality of the match, removing the adhered sheet from the surface of the article and repeating the coating, adhering, assessing, adjusting and removing steps until a desired colour match is achieved.

6. A surface finish matching system for determuining matching surface finishes on articles substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A preformed release sheet and adhered sheet of thin flexible material when used in determining matching surfaces finishes on articles substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of colour matching substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this Twenty nineth day of June 1993 DEAN ANTHONY DINNAN Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F B RICE CO o r a s~ o r s sc o r o r oo \PA RA -o4 I I ABSTRACT A colour card system for colour matching of surface finishes uses releasable adhesive backed paper sheets that can be adhered to the surface of an article or a release sheet and which can be coated to match the desired surface finish. 6 oC U. a S* a a. *t* a. a S I