GB2224003A - Adhering sheets to a continuous web - Google Patents

Description

2'_4 0 0 3 22

SPECIFICATION TITLE OF THE INVENTION ADHESION MACHINE FOR STICKING MATERIAL

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an adhesion machine for a sticking material stuck to a part of the surface of a continuous material, especially to an adhesion machine for a sticking material for covering confidential information borne on the surface thereof.

Description-of the Prior Arts

Mails bearing confidential information such as bank account have been increasing lately and to cope with the situation a type of postcard has been developed having in it a column for such confidential information which is kept covered by a stuck sticking material in transit by mail and the due recipient, when he has received it can see such information with ease.

As the device for adhering the sticking material to the surface of a single postcard has hitherto been known a device for adhering the pressure sensitive adhesive layer formed on the back of the sticking material by pressing it onto a postcard-sized piece of paper.

With the device for adhering to a portion of a single postcard the sticking material with a pressure-sensitive 1 adhesive layer formed on the back thereof, the pressuresensitive adhesive layer of sticking material tends to stick to the surface of single postcard when it comes into slight contact therewith, hence, for instance, the forward edge portion of the sticking material is not in the ideal position of the single postcard, initial adhesion takes to result in failure of sticking exactly in place, that is, high is the probability of sticking miss.

Moreover, with a conventional sticking material comprising pressure sensitive layer, it is essential to give in advance to the surface of the single postcard a peeling treatment such as silicone treatment if the sticking material is to be made peelable therefrom. For that, however, it is essential to provide a device for such treatment or incorporate such a mechanism in the adhesion machine, this inevitably resulting in an increase of the manufacturing cost.

SAMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an adhesion machine for a sticking material which is capable of adhering a sticking material exactly in place and also enables dispensing with a special treatment such as release treatment of postcard material such as single postcard.

2 The present invention relates to an adhesion machine for a sticking material comprising a continuous paper transfer unit for transferring a continuous material separable into pieces of a proper size continuously or intermittently# a sticking material transfer unit for transferring a sticking material with a heat adherent resin layer formed on the back thereof to a proper position in the surface of the continuous material before it is adhered to the material surface there, an initial pressing and heating unit for pressing and heating the forward edge of the sticking material sent into place by the sticking material transfer unit, a flat pressing and heating device for pressing and heating flat the sticking material whose forward edge has been adhered to the surface of the continuous material and the continuous material, and a sticking material forming device which cuts a sheet of sticking material matching the size of the constituent unit of the continuous material or smaller than it.

According to the present invention, constituent single pieces of a continuous material are successively transferred along an optimum direction continuously or intermittently at a proper interval, the forward edge of the sticking material is overlapped on a part of the surface of the aforementioned continuous material. When the sticking material has been positioned in place. the initial pressing and heating device presses a part of the forward edge of the sticking material 3 is pressed against the continuous material for simultaneous pressing and heating, then thewhole or part of the sticking material is pressed and heated by the flat pressing and heating device so that the sticking material is adhered in place on the surface of the continuous material.

Since the initial pressing and heating device and flat pressing and heating device are designed to melt the heat adherent resin formed on the back of the sticking material to adhere to the surface of the continuous material, the surface of the continuous material can be made peelable off the sticking material without e.g. release treatment and by changing structure of each portion of heat adherent resin layer, that is, the sticking material can be peeled off by the difference in adhesive force. Hence this adhesion machine does not call for incorporation of a special mechanism for peeling treatment and there is no need for providing it separately.

The aforementioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodilnent of invention with reference to the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Fig. 1 is a perspective view generally showing an 4 0 adhesion machine for a sticking material.

Fig. 2A is a plan view showing a continuous paper prior to adhesion of the sticking material.

Fig. 2B is a plan view showing the continuous paper to which the sticking material has been adhered.

Fig. 2C is a cross-sectional view of sticking material.

Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are illustrative views of an adhesive portion transfer unit.

Fig. 4 is another perspective view showing the essential parts of sticking material transfer unit.

Fig. 5A is still another perspective view showing the vicinity of the sticking material cutting device downstream of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 5B is another illustrative view showing the essential parts behind the sticking material cutter.

Fig. 6A is a further perspective view showing the essential parts of the sticking material, and Fig. 6B is an illustrative view showing essential parts behind it.

Fig. 6C is an illustrative view showing the way of the pressing and heating device functions.

Fig. 7 is a graph showing the time chart of the adhesion machine shown in Fig. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the whole of the adhesion machinei while Fig. 2A is a plan view showing an example of continuous paper used in this adhesion machine.

The continuous paper 10 used in this adhesion machine is, as shown in Fig. 2A, if the desired paper unit is postcard-sized, formed to be separable into postcard materials 12. That is, perforations are suitably formed on the boundary lines of each postcard material 12 to define each postcard, and at both ends of the continuous paper 10 sprocket holes 14 are continuously formed at proper intervals.

Then, mainly referring to Fig. 2C, a sticking material 16 to be stuck to cover the part in which confidential information e.g. financial or insurance report or advice is described. The sticking material 16 comprises base material 18, which is made of a relatively sof t material such as paper and synthetic resin sheet which can be cut by a pair of scissors, and a suppression layer 19 is formed on one main surface of this base material 18.

The surface of the suppression layer 19 of this base material 18 is coated by extruding with a heat adherent resin such as an EVA-based adhesive, or gravure or silk-screen printed with the same dissolved in a solvent or dispersed in water to thereby form a heat adherent resin layer 20.

on the main surface of the heat adherent resin layer 20 there is formed partiallly an adhesion retarding layer 22 6 which acts lowering the adhesiveness of this heat adherent resin layer 20 and let it weakly -adhere to the postcard material 12. The adhesion retarding layer 22 is composed of substances which exhibits adhesiveness at a higher temperature than the melting point of the heat adherent resin 20 or does not exhibit any adhesiveness.

In this embodiment, at the upside and downside of the postcard material 12, that is, the sprocket holes 14 sides of the continuous paper 10, portions where the adhesion retarding layer 22 is not formed are present in a fixed width. Moreover at the front end of the sticking material 16 in the breadthwise direction of the continuous paper 10, portions where the adhesion retarding layer 22 is not formed are present to expose the heat adherent resin layer 20 in spots. Thus, adhesion takes place weaker at the portion where the adhesion retarding layer 20 is formed and stronger at the portion where not formed.

Next, an adhesion machine for adhering the sticking material 16 to the surface of the continuous paper 10 will be explained.

The adhesion machine 30 of the sticking material comprises a continuous paper transfer unit 32 which is designed to feed the continuous paper 10 to the position where the sticking material 16 is adhered.

The continuous paper transfer unit 32 includes transfer 7 sprockets 36 formed substantially on opposite ends of a adhesion machine body 34, and an adhesive portion transfer device 38 which is formed substantially in the center of the adhesion machine body 34 to transfer the continuous paper 10 in the transferring direction by a suitable distance which, in the present embodiment, corresponds to the length of a sheet of sticking material 16 adhered to the postcard material 12. The transfer sprockets 36 which are designed to rotate belts formed with projections which engage to the sprocket holes 14 of the continuous raw paper 10, successively engage the projections to the sprocket holes 14 to transfer the continuous raw paper 10.

The adhesive portion transfer device 38, as shown in Fig. 3A, includes a continuous papter transfer cum 44 secured to a shaft 42 disposed across the front and rear of the adhesion machine body 34. A suitable groove is formed in the body of the continuous paper transfer cum 44 which gives suitable vertical and front-to-back movements to a link mechanism 46 by its unif orm rotation. By the action of the link mechanism 46, an adhesive portion transfer table 48 fixed to the link mechanism 46 is moved back and forth continuously or intermittently. That is, the link mechanism 46 includes a link 46b which is fixed rockably to the adhesion machine body 34 with a pivot shaft 46a and a link 46c fixed rotatably to the adhesive portion transfer table 8 48, and the link 46b is pivotally fixed to the link 46c. The adhesive portion tranfer table 48 is move back and forth through the link mechanism 46 by rotation of the continuous paper transfer cum 44.

The amount of continuous paper 10 transferred in the continuous paper transfer unit 32, as shown in Fig. 3B, is detected by a synchronizing device 49. That is, a portion of the adhesive portion transfer table 48 is connected to a timing belt 49c mounted between timing pullies 49a and 49b provided at the front and rear of the adhesion machine body 34 by a connecting piece 49d, thereby the transferrig distance of the adhesive portion transfer table 48 is detected by a pulse signal from an encoder 49e coupled to the timing pully 49b to control the rotation of a pulse motor which is a drive source formed on the continuous paper transfer unit 32 for the overall control.

Next, a transfer unit of the sticking material 16 which is adhered to the surface of the continuous paper 10 fed successively by the continuous paper transfer unit 32 will be explained with reference to Fig. 4, Fig. SA and Fig. 5B.

The sticking material transfer unit 50 includes a reel 52 whereon the rolled continuous sheet 16a of the sticking material continuously formed by the sticking material 16 is mounted, a sticking material detector 54 which detects the transferring amount of the continuous sheet 16a pulled 9 out f rom the reel 52 and the arrival of the continuous sheet 16a at a specified position to output the electrical signal to a controller of the sticking material transfer unit 50, and a sticking material cutter 56 which is disposed on the downstream side from the sticking material detector 54 to cut the continuous sheet 16a into a suitable length.

In the sticking material transfer unit 50, at the front and rear of the sticking material cutter 56 wich cuts the continuous sheet 16a, a pair of sticking material carriers 58 comprising rubber rings fixed to a shaft and rotatable as contacting each other are disposed.

The continuous sheet 16a of the sticking materials clamped between the rings of the pair of sticking material carriers 58 is carried to the suitable position on the sufrface of the continuous paper 10 by the rotation of the sticking material carriers 58.

The sticking material cutter 56 includes cutter blades 60a and 60b. The cutter blades 60a and 60b are fixed to a cutter body 62 pivotally about pivot axes 60c at one end and to a link machanism 64 at the other end (refer to Pigs. 5A and 5B).

The link mechanism 64 is f.Lxed pivotally to a cutter shaft 66 fixed pivotally to the cutter body 62 through a fixed piece 68, and the cutter shaft 66 is connected to a disc 72 formed with a cum groove through links 70a and 70b as -z shown in Fig. 5B. The disc 72 is fixed to the shaft 42 which secures the continuous paper transfer cum 44.

Accordingly, as the disc 72 rotates the cutter shaft 66 is rotated by the action of cum groove formed in the disc 72 through the links 70a and 70b, thereby the cutter blades 60a and 60b are pivoted about the pivot axes 60c fixed to the cutter body 62 to cut the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking material into the suitable size.

Next, a pressing and heating unit 80 which adheres the sticking material 16 to the continuous paper 10 will be explained with reference to Figs. 6A and 6B.

In the embodiment, the pressing and heating unit 80 includes a linear pressing ahd heating device 82 which presses the front end of the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking materials linearly in the breadthwise direction of the continuous paper 10 to adhere it primarily thereto, and a flat pressing and heating device 84 which adheres the sticking material 16 adhered to the continuous paper 10 at its front end by the linear pressing and heating device 82 to the continous paper 10.

The pressing and heating unit 80 includes a square-frame transfer pedestal 86. To the transfer pedjstal 86, a linear heater 88 forming the linear pressing ahd heating device 82 and a plate heater 90 forming the flat pressing and heating device 84 are secured. The plate heater 90 has substantially 11 the same area as the sticking material 16.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a press roller 92 is fixed pivotally to the transfer pedestal 86. The press roller 92 is designed to press the sticking material 16 adhered to the continuous paper 10 by the plate heater 90 to ensure close adhesion. The transfer pedestal 86 onto which the linear heater 88 and flat heater 90 are mounted is fixed movably above the adhesive portion transfer table 48, thereby the continuous paper 10 is transferred between the linear heater 88, plate heater 90 and press roller 92 and the adhesive portion transfer table 48. The transfer pedestal 86 is designed to advance back and forth together with the adhesive portion transfer table 48 along the transferring direction of the continuous paper 10.

The transfer pedestal 86 is fixed to a support 94 secured upwardly at the side of adhesive portion transfer table 48 through a link mechanism 96 movably vertically such that the linear heater 88 and plate heater 90 can be attached to the adhesive portion transfer table 48 and detached from it.

That is, an approximately L-shaped link 96a of the link machanism 96 is fixed pivotally to the transfer pedestal 86 at one end, and to the support 94 pivotally at its center by a shaft 98. A pair of same link mechanisms 96 on the upstream and downstream sides are connected by a turnbuckle 12 96b at the other end of the link 96a so as to operate similarly. The shaft 98 is fixed pivotally to the support 94, thereby the transfer pedestal 86 is moved vertically together with the linear heater 88 and plate heater 90.

The shaft 98 is connected to a disc 102 formed with a cum groove through another link mechanism 100 disposed at one end. The disc 102 is fixed to the shaft 42 to which the continuous paper transfer cum 44 and disc 72 are secured.

The link mechanism 100 includes a rocking and straight moving link mechanism 100A constituted by a guide 101a provided with a slot in the center, a rotor 101b which moves in the slot while rotating and a link 101c connecting the shaft 98 and the rotor 101b. Additionally, the link mechanism 100 includes a vertically moving link mechanism 100B which moves the guide 101a vertically and constituted by a link 101d connected to the guide 101a, a link l0le fixed pivotally to the link 101d, another link l0lg connected to the other end of the link l0le through a pivot shaft 101f, link 101h connected pivotally to the link l0lg and a link 101j connected to the link 101h at its one end and fixed to the adhesion machine body 34 by a pivot axis 101i.

By the action of cum groove formed in the disc 102, the vertically moving link mechanism 100B is actuated, and by the action of the link mechanism 100B, the guide 101a moves up and down in a slot 101k formed vertically in the adhesion 13 machine body 34, thereby the link 101c of the rocking and straight moving link mechanism 100A is rocked, rotating the shaft 98 at a suitable angle to move the transfer pedestal 8 6 vertically by the action of another link mechanism 96 previously described.

In the embodiment, though the linear heater 88 and plate heater 90 are secured integrally to the transfer pedestal 86, they are each controlled by temperature controllers (not shown) separately to keep suitable temperatures.

Reason for controlling the heater temperature separately is to enabling a delicate adjustment depending upon characteristics or the like of the heat adherent resin layer 320 formed on the sticking material 16.

Now, operating conditions of the adhesion machine of the sticking material will be explained with reference to time charts shwon in Fig. 7.

A prescribed amount of continuous paper 10 is transferred by the transfer sprockets 36 of the continuous paper tranfer unit 32.

The adhesive portion transfer table 48, in the present embodiment, is moved from the downstream side to the upstream side of the continuous paper 10, as movement line n23)shown in Fig. 6C.

While, as the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking material is transferred from the reel 52 by the sticking 14 1 material transfer unit 50, the sticking material detector 54 detects a detecting mark, an arrow in this embodiment, formed on the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking material, and by the detecting signal of the sticking material detector 54, the continuous sheet 16a is stopped temporarilly as well as the adhesive portion transfer table 48. At this time, the sticking material cutter 56 is actuated and the cutter blades 60a and 60b cut the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking material into a suitable size, that is, a sheet of sticking material 16 by the action of cum groove in the disc 72.

The front end of the sticking material 16 cut into the suitable size by the sticking material cutter 56 is positioned at the optimum location on the continuous paper 10, pressed and heated linearly in the breadthwise direction of the continuous paper 10 by the lineal pressing and heating device 82 forming the pressing and heating unit 80 to adhere primarily to the continuous paper 10, as movement line() shown in Fig. 6C.

Then, simultaneously with pressing and heating, the continuous paper 10 is trabsferred by a fixed distance, corresponding approximately to the length of the sticking material 16 in this embodiment, to the downstream side by the action of continuous paper transfer unit 32, as movement line) shown in Fig. 6C. That -is simultaneouslyt with pressing is and heating of the sticking material 16 and postcard material 12 which were positioned under the flat pressing and heating device 84 in the previous cycle, the sticking material 16 is transferred by the prescribed distance as the continuous paper 10 moves to the downstream side.

After the adhesive portion transfer table 48 has moved by a prescribed amount on rails 104, the lineal pressing and heating device 82 and flat pressing and heating device 84 are again detached from the adhesive portion transfer table 48 by the action of cum groove in the disc 102 and positioned thereabove as movement line(2)shown in Fig. 6C. At the same time, the lineal pressing and heating device 82 and flat pressing and heating device 84 are moved together with the adhesive portion transfer table 48 inversely to the flaw of continuous paper 10, or to the prescribed position on the original upstream side as movement linek@)shown in Fig. 6C. At this time, the press roller 92 presses the sticking material 16 while rotating.

Then, at the front end position of the followi4g sticking material 16 transferred in the next cycle through cutting and other processes of the continuous sheet 16a of the sticking materials, the adhesive portion transfer table 48 and the linear pressing and heating device 82 and flat pressing and heating device 84 forming the pressing and heating unit 80 are reengaged, as movement line()shown in 16 Fig. 6C. At this time, the sticking material 16 transferred in the previous cycle is positionedunder the flat pressing and heating device 84. The continuous paper 10 in the next cycle adhered with the front end of the sticking material 16 is transferred by a prescribed distance by the action of the continuous paper transfer unit 32, as movement line () shown in Fig. 6C, and at the same time the front sticking material 16 transferred previously in the earlier cycle is pressed and heated by the flat pressing and heating device 84.

That is, when the sticking material 16 adhered at its front end is positioned under the flat pressing and heating device 84, initial upstream position, which is pressed to the surface of the adhesive portion transfer table 48 by the action of cum groove formed in the disc 102 to press and heat the sticking material 16.

Meanwhile, the transferring distance of the continuous paper 10 is restricted by a pulse sent from the encoder disposed on the continuous paper transfer unit 32, and transfer of the sticking material transfer unit so, sticking material cutter 56 and pressing and heating unit 80 is controlled by a central processing unit 106. However, the continuous paper 10 is designed not to advance reversely in response to the backward movement of the adhesive portion transfer table 48 and the linear pressing and heating device 82 and flat pressing and heating 17 device 84 of the pressing and heating 80.

The pressing and heating unit 80 thus repeats a cycle of f orward movement, reflection point (downstream side), backward movement and reflection point (upstream side), and the sticking material 16 is adhered suitably to the surface of the postcard material 12 constituting the continuous paper 10 as shown in Fig. 2B.

The continuous paper 10 thus covered with the sticking material 16 partly is folded suitably before separated.

Although the present invention has been particularly described and illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that such description is for illustrative purpose only and not restrictive. The spirit and scope of the present invention is, therefore, to be determined solely by the appended claims.

18

Claims (6)

1. An adhesion machine for a sticking material comprising a continuous material transfer unit which transfers a continuous material formed to be separable into single pieces of a proper size continuously or intermittently; a sticking material transfer unit for moving the sticking material with a heat adherent resin layer formed on the underside thereof to a proper position on the surface of the continuous material to be subsequently adhered thereto; an initial pressing and heating unit for pressing the forward edge of the sticking material sent in by the aforementioned sticking material transfer unit to the surface the continuous material and heating the same; Flat pressing and heating device in which the sticking material, whose forward edge is adhered to the surface of the continuous material, and the continuous material are pressed and heated in a flat manner; and a sticking material forming device for forming the aforementioned sticking material dimensioned the same as or smaller than the unit piece constituting the aforementioned continuous material.

2. An adhesion machine for a sticking material, wherein said pressing and heating unit is connected with longitudinally reciprocating device moving along the path of 19 1 the aforementioned continuous material, and said heating and pressing unit moved forward and backward by said reciprocating device is connected with a contact ing-parting device so that said sticking material is pressed against the surface of said continuous material at the time of moving forward and parting at the time of moving rearward.

3. An adhesion machine for a sticking material according to claim 1, wherein said initial pressing and heating unit includes a linear pressing and heating device.

4. An adhesion machine for a sticking material according to claim 1, wherein said initial pressing and heating unit and flat pressing and heating device are mounted on the transfer pedestal.

5. An adhesion machine for a sticking material according to claim 1, which further comprises a press roller for pressing said sticking material stuck to the surface of said continuous material by means of said flat pressing and heating device.

6. An adhesion machine for a sticking material according to claim 1, wherein said initial pressing and heating unit and said flat pressing and heating device are controlled by a thermostat at different temperature levels.

Published 1990 at The PatentOffice. State House, 66 71 High Holborn, London WCIR4TP.Further copies maybe obtainedfrom The Patent Office Sales Branch, St Mary Cray. Orpington. Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techinques ltd. St Mary Cray. Kent, Con. 1187