GB2244255A

GB2244255A - Badges and method of making badges

Info

Publication number: GB2244255A
Application number: GB9011517A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Lee Mills
Original assignee: COWELL Ltd W S
Current assignee: COWELL Ltd W S
Priority date: 1990-05-23
Filing date: 1990-05-23
Publication date: 1991-11-27
Also published as: GB9011517D0

Abstract

The invention relates to badges and a method of making badges which are printed with information common to a series of such badges and adapted to receive a strip to carry individual information such as a name. The badges are made by taking a base sheet (12) of at least 300 microns thickness and routing out at least one groove (13) at least 150 microns deep. The surface of the base sheet is printed with information (14 fig 1, not shown) common to a series of badges and with a background colour darker than the base sheet while leaving substantially all the grooved area (13) blank. The base is then printed with adhesive (15) except in the grooved area and about one millimetre above and below the grooved area and this adhesive is used to adhere to the base strip a top transparent sheet (16). A series of badges are then punched out from the composite sheet formed by the base sheet (12) and top sheet (16) these badges being sealed around their edges apart from the ends of the grooves and having nicely finished edges. The groove can then accept the name strip. The badge is used for displaying information on a door or gate. <IMAGE>

Description

BADGES AND METHOD OF MAKING BADGES This invention relates to badges and a method of making badges, particularly badges which are printed with information common to a series of such badges and can receive a strip to carry individual information such as a name.

An object of the invention is to make economically a series of badges with a pleasing appearance and finish.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method of making a badge which comprises a) taking a base sheet of a material at least 300 (preferably greater than 400) microns thickness and routing a groove at least 150 microns deep (preferably substantially 200 microns deep) across the base sheet, b) placing a transparent top sheet on the base sheet and causing it to stick to the base sheet except in the grooved area to form a composite sheet, c) one of the upper surface of the base sheet and the surfaces of the top sheet having printed thereon information common to a series of badges while leaving the grooved area substantially blank, and d) punching out from the composite sheet a badge so as to produce a badge having finished edges which are sealed except at the ends of the grooves.

Normally a series of badges will be punched from a single repetitively printed composite sheet.

The invention extends to a badge so made.

Preferably, the base sheet is a card which is white or a pale colour and which can be printed on easily by conventional techniques such as silk screen printing.

Preferably the printing includes an overall background colour which is darker than the colour of the card.

With advantage, the printing extends into the groove at each edge for a distance of about 1 millimetre. The top sheet may for example be a PVC gloss sheet having a thickness of about 200 microns.

Preferably, adhesive is printed on the base sheet except in the grooved area before the top sheet is applied.

This is preferably a dry stick adhesive of a form which will stay wet for a considerable period, for example up to two days. However, other adhesives or ultrasound welding might be used to stick the sheets together.

In a preferred form, the groove is approximately 200 microns deep, 13 to 15 millimetres wide and arranged 9 to 11 millimetres from the bottom of each rectangular badge. The printing leaves a clear strip having a width approximately two millimetres less than the width of the groove. With advantage the adhesive is printed with a blank strip 2 to 4 millimetres wider than the groove, preferably 3 millimetres wider.

With advantage, for assembly, the base sheet is placed face up in a knock up tray against a register corner and the top sheet is then placed face up laid on the base sheet in the knock up tray so that the two are in exact register and the badge or badges is/are punched out.

One embodiment of badge, in accordance with the invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a diagramatic front view of a badge, and Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II with the thicknesses exaggerated for illustration.

A badge of size eight to ten cms. by five to seven cms. has a base sheet 12 of opaque white paper or plastics material card of at least 400 micron thickness. The base sheet has its front surface routed to provide a groove 13 across it ten millimetres from the bottom, fourteen millimetres wide and 200 microns deep. The front surface of the base strip is printed with information as illustrated at 14 and with a dark background leaving a twelve millimetre wide clear strip starting eleven millimetres from the bottom of the badge and thus coinciding with the groove but with the top and bottom millimetre of the groove printed with the background colour. The printed surface is then printed with a dry stick adhesive 15 leaving a seventeen millimetre blank strip over the grooved area and extending 1 '1/2 millimetres above and below the groove.A top sheet 16 of clear PVC gloss material of approximately 200 microns thickness is secured by the adhesive over the top surface of the card and adheres thereto except in the area of the groove. The edges of the card are nicely finished and the front sheet is sealed all around the edges to the base sheet except at the ends of the groove. The groove can then accept a strip, for example bearing a name, anything up to 3 sheets thickness.

In order to form a series of badges, preferably the base sheet initially has an area many times that of each individual badge formed right across it with one or more grooves and printed repetitively with the printing for each individual badge. The base sheet so printed and with the dry stick adhesive formed thereon is laid face up in a knockup tray against a register corner, the top sheet is laid face up on the base sheet in the knock up tray so that the two will stick together lightly. The badges are then punched out from the base sheet as normal card using normal finishing techniques. The pressure from the ram punching will seal the two sheets permanently together producing a good seal and a nicely finished edge.

Each badge may be of any convenient size and may contain more than one groove. The badges may for example be used for display of information on a door or gate rather than for attachment to a person.

Claims

1 A method of making badges which comprises: (a) taking a base sheet of a material of at least 300 microns thickness and routing at least one groove at least 150 microns deep across the base sheet, (b) placing a transparent top sheet on the base sheet and securing it to the base sheet except in the grooved area(s) to form a composite sheet, (c) one of the upper surface of the base sheet and the surface of the top sheet having printed thereon information common to a series of badges, and (d) punching out from the composite sheet a badge so as to produce badges having finished edges which are sealed except at an end or the ends of the or each groove.

2 A method according to claim 1 in which the base sheet material has a thickness greater than 400 microns.

3 A method according to claim 2 in which the groove has a depth of at least 200 microns.

4 A method according to any of claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the top sheet is secured to the base sheet by adhesive.

5 A method according to claim 4 in which the adhesive is deposited over the whole area of the base sheet except the groove or grooves and one to two millimetres each side of the or each groove.

6 A method according to any of claims 1 to 5 in which the base sheet is white or of a pale colour and the printing includes a background colour darker than that of the base sheet, which background colour covers substantially the area of each badge apart from the groove, thus leaving the majority of the or each grooved area blank.

7 A method according to claim 6 in which the background printing extends into the edge of the or each grooved area for distance of substantially one millimetre.

8 A method according to any of claims 1 to 7 in which the or each groove is thirteen to fifteen millimetres wide.

9 A method according to any of claims 1 to 8 in which the base sheet is repetitively printed and a plurality of substantially identical badges are punched out from the composite sheet, the punching serving to seal the edges permanently and produced nicely finished edges.

10 A method of making a series of badges substantially as described herein.

11 Badges formed by the method of any of claims 1 to 10.

12 A series of badges formed substantially as described herein with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.