GB2069412A

GB2069412A - Stencils and method for multiple alignment and registration

Info

Publication number: GB2069412A
Application number: GB8028336A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-02-14
Filing date: 1980-09-02
Publication date: 1981-08-26
Also published as: FR2475940B3; FR2475940A1; DE3028602A1; JPS56129199A

Abstract

Stencils are provided for multiple alignment and registration in applying 'lettering' or design configurations to a surface. Each stencil 42 has at least one letter or design opening 43-45 and a set of registration openings 46-48. A design and a plurality of registration marks are created by applying a coating of paint, chalk, or the like to a surface through each design opening and selected registration openings. The design may be repeated or a new design may be added to the surface by aligning at least two of the registration openings of a stencil with at least two of the registration marks provided by the first stencil. Pairs of registration openings or, as shown, all four registration openings, are preferably different to prevent application of a second stencil the wrong way up. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Stencils and method for multiple alignment and registration This invention relates to stencils and, more particularly, to a stencil and method of stencil alignment and registration which utilize registration openings in the stencil.

Stencils have been used for generations for lettering and design patterns. However, there has continued to be a problem with aligning letters and/or numerals adjacent to each other in order to create words or numbers with proper letter and/or numeral spacing. In addition, stencil users have found it difficult to maintain a straight base line for each letter/number and have also found it difficult to maintain proper alignment when creating multicolored designs or repeating patterns.

The problems with the prior art stencils have been overcome by my invention. Small openings are provided at predetermined locations in the stencil in order to align adjacent latters and/or numerals. In order to provide registration of multiple designs, all stencils of a particular set have the same registration openings in terms of size, shape, sequence, and location. When one or more stencils are utilized consecutively to create a repeated pattern, the registration openings of the stencils have a shape and location so as to properly align each individual stencil for a repeat pattern or design.

In the description and claims that follow hereafter, the word 'letter' is intended to include the numerals as well as the letters of the alphabet, and in more general terms, all characters that are used to represent language.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a first stencil which will be used to create a multi-colored design; Fig. 2 shows the resulting pattern and registration marks from spraying the first stencil of Fig. 1 and also shows a second stencil which is about to be placed over the design and aligned with the registration marks; Fig. 3 shows the design obtained by spraying the second stencil of Fig. 2 after the second stencil has been aligned with the registration marks from the first stencil; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a design stencil; Fig. 5 shows the design and four registration marks obtained by spraying the stencil of Fig. 4 and also shows the stencil repositioned in order to be aligned with two of the registration marks for repeating the design;; Fig. 6 is a plan view of another design stencil having the numerals 1 and 2 cut out in the end portions thereof as registration openings; Fig. 7 shows the design and four registration marks obtained by spraying the stencil of Fig. 6 and the stencil repositioned in order to be aligned with two of the registration marks for repeating the design; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a set of stencils with registration openings for creating a mural design; Fig. 9 is a plan view of a set of overlapping stencils which are aligned by registration marks; Fig.10 is a plan view of a stencil having registration openings in the shape of numerals;; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a set of overlapping stencils of the type shown in Fig. 10 which are aligned by matching the numerically shaped registration openings of each stencil with the same numerically shaped registration openings of adjacent stencils; Fig. 12 is a plan view of a stencil displaying a portion of the alphabet from A-J with registration openings adjacent each letter; Fig. 1 3 is a perspective view showing the letter B of the stencil of Fig. 12 being sprayed; and Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the stencil of Fig. 12 being used to spell the word "BiG", Referring first to Fig. 1, a stencil 20 is provided with a design opening 21 in the central portion thereof and small openings 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d adjacent the corners of the stencil. A specific design may be started by placing this stencil on a surface and applying a first color of paint or other marking material onto the surface through the opening 21 to create the colored design 23 shown in Fig. 2. At the same time, registration marks 24a through 24d are made by applying the same color to the surface through the registration openings 22a-22d.

A second stencil 25 has registration openings 26a through 26d and three design openings 27, 28, and 29. After stencil 20 is removed from the sprayed surface, stencil 25 may be placed on the surface so as to align the registration openings 26a-26d with the registration marks 24a-24d which were made by the stencil 20. The multicolored design 30 shown in Fig. 3 is created by applying a different color or marking material onto the surface through the design openings of the second stencil 25 while maintaining the alignment between the registration openings 26a-26d.

It will be understood that the registration openings of each stencil are located relative to the design opening so that the various design openings will be properly superimposed.

Additional colors can be added to the design 30 if desired by aligning the registration openings of another stencil with the registration marks, and the design can be repeated by moving the stencil to the right, left, up, or down, as will be explained more fully with respect to the other figures of the drawing.

The process of stencil alignment and registration can also be used to locate and create a repeating design pattern on a surface. Fig. 4 shows a design stencil 32 having a curving design opening 33. The left hand end portion of the stencil has two registration openings, a small circular opening 34 in the upper left corner and a small square opening 35 in the lower left corner.

The right hand end portion of stencil 32 has similar registration openings 36 and 37.

The first portion of a design is created by placing stencil 32 on a surface and applying paint or the like to the surface through the design opening 33 and registration openings 34-37.

After the paint has dried, the pattern created by the design opening 33 may be repeated. Fig. 5 shows the painted pattern 38 created by applying paint through the design opening 33 and marks 39-42 created by the registration openings 34-37. The pattern is repeated by moving the stencil 32 to the position in which the registration openings 34 and 35 are aligned with the painted registration marks 41 and 42. The circle and square configurations for each pair of registration openings permit proper alignment to be made without confusion and ensure that the stencil will not be turned upside down or rotated 1800.

Thereafter, paint is applied to the surface through the design opening 33 and the registration openings 31 37. The pattern may be repeated as many times as desired by aligning a pair of the registration openings of the stencil with a pair of registration marks created by the previous spraying. The registration openings 34-37 are positioned relative to the design opening 33 so that a continuous curve is created when the pattern is repeated.

Figs. 6 and 7 show another stencil for creating a repeating pattern. A stencil 42 is provided with three design openings 43, 44 and 45, and four registration openings 46-49 are provided in the form of numerals 1 and 2. Fig. 7 illustrates the three designs 43a, 44a, and 45a and the four registration marks 46a, 47a, 48a, and 49a created by spraying the stencil 42 and shows the stencil 42 repositioned so that a pair of registration openings 46 and 47 are aligned with the registration marks 48a and 49a. Once the proper alignment is obtained, the user again sprays the stencil, thereby repeating the pattern.The registration openings 46-49 are positioned relative to the design openings 43-45 so that uniform spacing is maintained between the individual patterns 43a, 44a, etc. when the design is repeated. It is understood that a pattern may be created and repeated by utilizing more than one stencil by aligning the registration openings of each stencil with the registration marks provided by the previous stencil.

Multiple stencils having varying design patterns therein can be used to create a mural-type design.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, a set of stencils 51 through 59 can be overlapped and aligned by matching the shapes of the registration openings in the stencils. Each of the stencils has four registration openings having different geometric shapes-triangles, circles, squares, and rectangles. Thus, the stencils can be positioned and matched by aligning correspondingly shaped registration openings. For example, stencil 51 can be properly aligned with stencils 52, 54 and 55.

This is accomplished by overlapping stencils 51, 52, 54, and 55 so that the rectangular registration opening 51 c aligns with rectangular opening 52a, circular registration opening 51 d aligns with circular openings 52b, 54c, and 55a, and triangular registration opening 51 b aligns with triangular opening 54a. The other stencils are similarly overlapped for proper alignment. Each of the stencils is provided with a design opening which is omitted for convenience.

Figs. 10 and 11 show the same type of keyed registration format using numerals instead of geometric openings. Stencil 61 has a numerai in each corner portion thereof to provide registration openings 61a-61d. Fig. 11 illustrates the overlapping of stencils 61-69, which is similar to the overlapping shown in Fig. 9. It will be understood that other types and designs of registration openings could be used other than the geometric and numeric shapes that are illustrated.

Figs. 12, 13, and 14 illustrate a spacing and alignment system for alphabet stencils. Referring to Fig.12, stencil 70 has four registration openings 71 for each of the letters A through J. As shown in Fig. 13, the user lays the stencil 70 on a surface and shields all of the letters with paper sheets 72 except the letter B and the four registration openings 71 a-7 1 d associated therewith. (If the second letter to be sprayed will be positioned to the right of the first letter, only the two right hand openings 71 c and 71 d need be exposed and sprayed.) After the letter B and the registration openings are sprayed, the stencil 70 is removed and the sprayed letter B is permitted to dry.Additional letters are added to the surface by aligning the registration openings on the left hand side of the next letter with the right hand registration marks created by the previous spraying. Fig. 14 illustrates the two left hand openings 71 associated with the letter G aligned with the two right hand registration marks created by spraying the letter I in order to form the word "BIG".

This process is repeated for each letter in the word. When starting the next word, the portion of the stencil having the desired letter is moved to the right two letter spaces from the previously sprayed letter. Thus, the right hand registration marks last sprayed are not lined up with the left hand registration openings of the next desired letter. Rather, these registration marks are aligned with the registration openings of the letter to the left of the next desired letter. If there is no letter to the left of the next desired letter, the next letter can be aligned in other ways, for example, by lining up the registration openings with a line drawn through the previously sprayed registration marks.

From the foregoing it will be understood that 7a number of variations in using the stencils are possible. For example, if all four registration openings in a stencil are the same, the pattern can be repeated in any direction, i.e., to the left, right, up, or down. If the top two registration openings are the same and the bottom two registration openings are the same but the top and bottom openings are different the pattern can be repeated only in the right and left directions but not in an up and down direction. If the left two registration openings are the same and the right two registration openings are the same but the left and right openings are different, the pattern can be repeated only in the up or down directions and not to the right or left. If all of the registration openings are different, successive stencils can be used by super-imposing each stencil so that the registration openings thereof are aligned with the registration marks provided by the previous stencil.

While in the foregoing specification detailed descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention were set forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that many details given herein may be varied considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A stencil having one or more letter (as hereinbefore defined) openings and a pair of registration openings adjacent each side of the or each letter.

2. A stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening.

3. The stencil of claim 2 in which the registration openings of each pair have different configurations.

4. A set of stencils, each of the stencils having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening, each pair of registration openings of each stencil being alignable with a pair of registration openings of another stencil.

5. A method of stencil alignment and registration comprising the steps of: placing a stencil on a surface at a desired location, the stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening; applying marking material to the surface through the design opening and at least a pair of registration openings of the stencil to create a design and at least a pair of registration marks; repositioning the stencil so that a pair of the registration openings are aligned with the registration marks, and applying marking material to the surface through the design opening.

6. A method of stencil alignment and registration comprising the steps of: placing a first stencil on a surface at a desired location, the stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening; applying marking material to the surface through the design opening and at least a pair of registration openings of the first stencil to create a design and at least a pair of registration marks; removing the first stencil; placing a second stencil on the surface, the stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design openings; aligning a pair of registration openings in the second stencil with a pair of registration marks provided by said first stencil; and applying marking material to the surface through the design opening of the second stencil.

7. The method of claim 6 in which each of the first and second stencils has a left hand pair of registration openings and a right hand pair of registration openings, the left hand registration openings of the second stencil being aligned with the registration marks provided by the left hand registration openings of the first stencil whereby the second stencil is placed on the surface of the same location which was occupied by the first stencil.

8. An article having stencilled thereon a pattern comprising an array of letters (as hereinbefore defined), or a design, which pattern has been applied to the article through a stencil as defined in Claim 1, or a set of stencils as defined in Claim 4, or by using a method as defined in Claim 2 or 3.

8. The method of claim 6 in which each of the first and second stencils has a left hand pair of registration openings and a right hand pair of registration openings, the left hand registration openings of the second stencil being aligned with the registration marks provided by the right hand registration openings of the first stencil whereby the design opening of the second stencil extends to the right of the design provided by the design opening of the first stencil.

9. A method of stencil alignment and registration comprising the steps of: placing a stencil on a surface at a desired location, the stencil having one or more letter (as hereinbefore defined) openings and a pair of registration openings adjacent each side of the or each letter opening; applying marking material to the surface through a first letter opening and at least a pair of registration openings associated with said first letter opening to create a letter and at least a pair of registration marks on the surface; repositioning the stencil so that a pair of registration openings associated with a second letter opening are aligned with the registration marks; and applying marking material to the surface through the second letter opening.

10. A stencil substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the Figures 1,2,4,6,8, 10 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A set of stencils substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the Figures 8 and 9, or in the Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of stencil alignment and registration substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the Figures 1 to 3, or Figures 4 and 5, or Figures 6 and 7, or Figures 8 and 9, or Figures 10 and 1 or Figures 12 to 14 of the accompanying drawings,

13. An article having stencilled thereon a pattern comprising an array of letters (as hereinbefore defined), or a design, which pattern has been applied to the article through a stencil as defined in any one of the Claims 1 to 3 and 10, or a set of stencils as defined in either of the Claims 4 and 11, or by using a method as defined in any one of the Claims 5 to 9 and 12.

New claims or amendments to claims fiied on 27th May 1981 Superseded claims 1 to 1 3 New or amended claims

1. A stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening, the registration openings of each pair having different configurations.

2. A method of stencil alignment and registration comprising the steps of: placing a stencil on a surface at a desired location, the stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening; applying marking material to the surface through the design opening and at least a pair of registration openings of the stencil to create a first print of the design opening and at least a pair of registration marks; repositioning the stencil so that a pair of the registration openings are aligned with the registration marks, the registration openings being positioned relative to the design opening so that the design opening abuts or overlaps said first print of the design opening; and applying marking material to the surface through the design opening to create a second print of the design opening, the first and second prints of the design opening forming a continuous design.

3. A method of stencil alignment and registration comprising the steps of: placing a stencil on a surface at a desired location, the stencil having a design opening and a pair of registration openings adjacent each end of the design opening; applying marking material to the surface through the design opening and at least a pair of registration openings of the stencil to create a first print of the design opening and at least a pair of registration marks; repositioning the stencil so that a pair of the registration openings are aligned with the registration marks, the registration openings being positioned relative to the design opening so that ;; the design opening is spaced from the first print of the design opening, and applying marking material to the surface through the design opening to create a second print of the design opening, the first and second prints of the design opening being separated to form a repeating design.

4. A set of stencils, each of the stencils being generally rectangular and having a design opening and four registration openings, each registration opening being positioned adjacent a corner of the stencil, each pair of adjacent registration openings of one stencil being alignable with only one pair of adjacent registration openings of only one other stencil.

5. A stencil substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the Figures 1,2,4,6,8,10 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A set of stencils substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the Figures 8 and 9, or in the Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A method of stencil alignment and registration substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the Figures 1 to 3, or Figures 4 and 5, or Figures 6 and 7, or Figures 8 and 9, or Figures 10 and 11, or Figures 12 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.