JPH0421427A - Frosting method for card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform a uniformly frosting treatment to a card at a relatively low pressure, and thus preventing the card from deforming by holding a card between a frosting plate and a elastic receiving table being narrower than the frosting plate, and effecting a frosting treatment the smooth layer within the range of the breadth of the elastic receiving table. CONSTITUTION:To cards such as a commuter pass, a platform ticket, and various pre-paid cards, recording capable of forming and eliminating reiterately is effected visually. With respect to the recording surface 13 of a card 1 having a smooth layer 11, a frosting (surface roughening) treatment is conducted for making it into a frosting surface 15. The frosting treatment is carried out at the temperature of a glass transfer temperature (Tg) or higher and a melting point (Tm) or lower of resin of the smooth layer 11. The card 1 is held between a frosting plate 2 and the elastic receiving table 3. The breadth W3 of the elastic receiving table 3 is made narrower than the breadth W2 of the frosting plate 2. The frosting treatment is accomplished throughout the range of the breadth W3 of the receiving table 3. All pressure from the frosting plate 2 is applied to the card 1, and hence, the pressure can be rendered low. Since the receiving table does not exist on the part of the edge 22 of the frosting plate 2 and therefore pressure does not concentrate thereon, the card l never deforms.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is for repeatedly forming and erasing clearly visible recorded images on cards that are used repeatedly, such as commuter passes, admission passes, and various prepaid cards. The present invention relates to a method for frosting the surface of a card.

(Prior Art) Commuter passes for public transportation, admission permits for event venues and buildings, etc. are used repeatedly every day, or there is no means for checking unauthorized boarding or unauthorized entry due to management reasons.

In recent years, some systems have begun to use magnetic cards to check and check the cards, and since it is not possible to visually check the presence or absence of a check, there is a risk of a check being omitted due to equipment problems, which is an inconvenience for both administrators and users. I was feeling it.

Also, various prepaid cards include magnetic cards and I/O cards.
C cards are used, but since the recorded contents cannot be directly checked, it is not possible to easily check the payment amount or balance, which poses a problem in terms of guaranteeing the contents to the users.

Previously, there were methods of printing usage details on the card each time the card was used, and methods of displaying the approximate value of the remaining amount by punching a hole, but these methods could not erase the records and had a limited amount of records, and the number of times the card was used was limited. It is not suitable for cards that have a large number of charges or that require accurate balance display.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously proposed a method that can repeatedly create and erase visible records on commuter passes and various prepaid cards.

The method involves using a card with a smooth layer made of synthetic resin on the surface, forming a heat-erasable frosted surface on the smooth layer, and heat-erasing the frosted surface to return it to a smooth surface. This method creates a visually visible image based on the contrast between the frosted surface and the smooth surface, that is, the difference in light reflectance.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As a method for frosting a card, as shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. One possible method is to hold card 1 between the two.

However, if a uniform frosting process is to be performed using this method, it is necessary to increase the contact pressure, and in this case, a concentrated load is applied to the end portion 202 of the frosting plate, causing the problem of deformation of the card. Furthermore, when this frosting process is performed inside a vending machine, ticket vending machine, ticket inspection machine, etc., for example, it is not preferable to increase the contact pressure due to equipment constraints.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention applies heat-erasable frosting uniformly and under low pressure in order to record visible, repeatable and erasable records on cards such as commuter passes, admission tickets, and various prepaid cards. The present invention provides a method for forming

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a card manufactured by the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing how to use the card, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the frosting method of the first invention, and FIG. The figure is a sectional view showing the frost treatment method of the second invention, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the second invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a strike processing method.

To explain the card obtained by the present invention with reference to FIG. 1, the card 1 is made by laminating a smooth layer 11 made of synthetic resin and a support layer 12 such as a strong polyethylene terephthalate sheet or paper. Recording side 13
The other surfaces are printed 14 to display necessary explanations and decorative designs. Further, the card 1 usually has a function of storing information, performing calculations, etc. by providing a magnetic layer or the like.

To explain how to use this card using Figure 2, (A
The recording surface 13 of the card 1 having the smooth layer 11 as shown in ) is subjected to frosting (surface roughening) treatment as shown in FIG.

By performing this frosting at a temperature that is higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) and lower than the melting point (Tm) of the resin of the smooth layer 11, the frosted surface retains a distortion that tends to return to the original smooth surface by heating.

To record on this card, as shown in (C), when the frosted surface 15 of the card is partially heated at a temperature higher than the frosting temperature, only the heated portion returns to a smooth surface, and the frosted surface 15 becomes smooth. Due to differences in surface reflectance, letters, etc.
16 pictures of figures, symbols, etc. will appear. Heating can be performed by applying a heated stamp in close proximity or by pressing, using a laser beam, using a thermal head used in a normal thermal printer, or the like.

When erasing a record, the entire surface of the recording surface 13 is frosted to erase the image 16. This frost treatment, like the first frost treatment,
Do the following to retain distortion internally. As a result, the card 1 returns to the state shown in (B) before image formation, and can be used repeatedly thereafter.

The present invention relates to the frosting process from (A) to (B) or from (C) to (B) in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. Place card 1 between card 3 and card 3.

The frost plate 2 has a frosted surface 21 on the lower surface and is heated by a heater 23. 24 is a heat insulating board.

The support stand 3 is made of an elastic material such as rubber in its entirety or surface, and is placed on an anvil 31.

Here, for the elastic support, the width W3 of the stand 3 is the width W2 of the frost plate 2.
It is important to make it smaller than that. This relationship is vertical,
You need to do this on both sides.

The difference in width between the frost plate 2 and the support plate 3 is (W - W3
)/2 and about 1 mm is sufficient.

The frosting process is performed over a range of the width W3 of the tray 3.

As a result, all the pressure from the frost plate 2 is applied to the card 1, making it possible to lower the pressure.Furthermore, since there is no receiver at the end 22 of the frost plate 2, pressure is not concentrated on the card 1. is not deformed.

This frosting process is performed on the smooth layer 1 in order to retain distortion.
The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin No. 1 or higher, the melting point (T m
) at the following temperatures. At temperatures lower than Tg, frosting does not cause distortion, or the distortion that occurs is rapidly released without heating.

Further, at temperatures higher than Tm, the formed frost does not have distortion and cannot be erased even by reheating, so that the object of the present invention cannot be achieved.

In the case of non-quality resins, they often do not show a clear Tm, but in that case, the flow start temperature is defined as Tm, and in the case of crosslinked resins that generally do not show a Tm, the flow start temperature (
or decomposition temperature) or below. Furthermore, when a mixed resin or a copolymer resin exhibits two or more Tg's, the higher Tg may be used as the reference.

For heating, the frost plate 2 may be heated as shown in the figure, or the card 1 may be heated.

As for the condition of the frost, the surface roughness of the frost surface 15 is 1 to 1 according to the 10-point average roughness Rz of JIS-B-0601.
A range of 0 μm is preferred.

If there is no groove of Rz or 1 μm, even if a smooth image 16 is formed on the frosted surface during recording, it is difficult to determine the presence or absence of the image.
If the thickness exceeds 10 μm, it will take time to smooth the surface during recording, and the heating temperature will need to be increased, which is disadvantageous in terms of equipment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the second invention, in which a frosted head 4 having a frosted surface 41 or a curved surface and an elastic receiver having a curved surface are placed between a base 5 (the receiver is a roll) and a card. 1 and perform frosting.

The frost head 4 is fan-shaped, and swings preliminarily around a rotating shaft 46, and is heated to an appropriate temperature by a heater 43.

The roll 5 of the receiver can rotate and move up and down.

During frosting, the card 1 is fed in the direction of the arrow, and when the card 1 reaches a predetermined position, the receiver raises the roll 5 and rotates it in the card 1 feeding direction, and also swings the frost head 4 in the card 1 feeding direction. Perform the frosting process by moving the

Thereafter, the receiver lowers the roll 5, and the frost head 4 is returned to its original position by the spring 45.

In another example shown in Figure 5, to Frost...! The head 4 is formed into a roll, and its entire surface is a frosted surface 41, and the frost head 4 is heated from the outside by a heater 43.

According to these methods, since the frost head 4 and the card 1 are in line contact, the frosting process can be performed with low pressure, and the card 1 will not be deformed by concentrated loads.

Furthermore, there is no fear that air will be caught between the frost head 4 and the card 1.

In the present invention, the resin and L constituting the smooth layer 11 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polymethyl (meth)acrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polycarbonate, A
Various resins such as BS resin or copolymer resins thereof can be used alone or in combination. Among them, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polymethyl (meth)
Non-grade resins such as acrylate and polycarbonate are preferred because they are easy to handle.

Furthermore, crosslinkable acrylic resins, crosslinkable urethane resins, or the various resins mentioned above can be treated with crosslinking agents, electron beams, gamma rays, etc.
It is possible to use resins that are crosslinked to the extent that they do not lose their heat fluidity.

The thickness of the smooth layer 11 is usually in the range of 5 to 200 μm,
There is no particular limit to the overall thickness of the card 1, but it is 0.1
It is approximately 3 mm.

As this smooth layer 11, a film or sheet formed by extrusion molding or the like may be used, or it may be formed by coating.

The method of the present invention can also be applied to a case where a smooth recording surface is partially frosted to make frosted characters, figures, etc. appear.

The card obtained by the method of the present invention can visually display the main information recorded in the magnetic layer etc. as an image, and can be used for checking entrances and exits to transportation facilities and facilities, restaurants, shops, etc. It can be used to record and display the amount spent and balance on prepaid cards used in vending machines, etc.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to uniformly frost a card with a relatively low pressure, and there is no problem such as deformation of the card, and the frosting can be performed in various devices. suitable for

(Example) (Comparative example) A polyethylene terephthalate sheet (188 μm thick) was used as the support layer 12, and a smooth layer 11 (15 μm thick colorless transparent polyvinyl chloride resin, 7 g 70°
C, Tm 202° C.), and printed 14 leaving a recording surface 13 of 1010×20 to create the card shown in FIG.

Then, on the recording surface, a frost plate 20 is formed by forming a frosted surface with an Rz of 3 μm on a 1010×20 smooth metal plate by electric discharge machining, and a rubber support stand 30 with a width sufficiently larger than that is used to record the first frosted surface. 150°C by the method shown in Figure 6.
When frosting was performed for 20.1 seconds, a load of 25 kg or more was required to transfer the frost uniformly, and as a result, a dent of about 1 mm was created at the edge of the frost.

(Example 1) A 1010 x 20 rubber receiver was frosted on a 12 x 22 mm frost plate in the same manner as in the comparative example except that a stand was used, and a uniform frost was transferred with 5k (l). Furthermore, no dents were formed at the edges of the frosted portion.

(Example 2) On the same card as the comparative example, the frosted surface had an Rz of 3 μm,
Frost head 4 with a curved surface of 50 mmH and a diameter of 6
The 0 mm rubber bridge was frosted using the roll 5 in the manner shown in FIG. 4 at 150° C. for 0.1 seconds.

As a result, a uniform frost can be transferred with a load of 3kq,
There were no dents at the edges of the frosted part.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a card manufactured by the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing how to use the card, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the frost processing method of the first invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the second invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional frost processing method. ... Card 5 ... Frost surface ... Frost board ... Width of frost board ... Elastic receiver is width of base ... Frost head 11 ... Smooth layer 16 ... Image 3 ... The elastic support is a stand 5...The support is a roll Patent applicant Mitsubishi Plastics Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney Kumi Kondo Daiichiro

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A smooth layer of synthetic resin is formed on at least a portion of the surface of the card, and the smooth layer is frosted at a temperature above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the resin to retain distortion. A card frosting method, wherein the card is sandwiched between a frost plate and an elastic cradle whose width is narrower than that of the frost plate, and the smooth layer is frosted within the width of the elastic cradle. Processing method. 2. A smooth layer of synthetic resin is formed on at least a portion of the surface of the card, and the smooth layer is frosted at a temperature above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the resin to retain distortion. A method for frosting a card, which comprises sandwiching a card between a frost head having a bulging curved surface and an elastic cradle, and frosting the smooth layer while rotating the frost head and the elastic cradle. .