US1993806A - Method of making a printed impression on leather or similar material having a mottled surface - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 11935;- F. A. PUTNAM 1,993,306

. METHOD OF MAKING A PRINTED IMPRESSION ON LEATHER 1 0R SIMILAR MATERIAL HAVING A MOTTLED SURFACE Filed Aug. 1'7, 1932 Fig.1. I

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Patented Mar. 12, 1935 I UNITED E VPA'TENTQOFFICYEI METHOD OF' MAKING A- PRINTED IMPRES- SIGN ON LEATHER OR SIMILAR MATE-' RIAL HAVINGA MOTTLED SURFACE Fred A. Putnam, Keene, N. H., "assignor to 'Markem Machine Company, Keene, N. 11., a corporation of New Hampshire Application August 17, 1932,: Serial No. 629,092 3 v i 1. Claim'.- (Cl. 41-26).

' In the manufacture of some articlesg such for instance as shoes or hats, it is customary'to' place on some part of the article a printed impression giving certain data concerning the article. In the case of shoes, for instance, it'is commonto print on the lining on some other part of the shoe the data indicating the size if the shoe, the case number, the stock number, etc. In the case of articleslike hats it is more or less customaryto print on the hat band either the name of the hat or the trade-mark under which the hat is-sold or some other similar data.

If the surface of the material on which the printed impression is to be made is mottled or variegated the printed impression is often not easy to read because of the mottled or variegated character of the surface. Leather known to the trade as merrichrome leather is an example of leather which has a mottled surface which is of such a character that a printed impression thereon is rather difiicult to read.

I An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of making a printed impression on material of this character which will stand out distinctly and can be easily read.

In carrying out my improved method I apply to the mottled face of the material on which the printed impression is to be made and at the spot where such impression is to be printed a background of a color preferably contrasting with the color of the ink with which the printed impression is to be made so that when the printed impression is applied to the background it will stand out prominently and can be easily read.

This background can be laid on the mottled surface either before or after the printed impression is made, the important thing being that when the operation is completed the printed impression appearson a background which has a color contrasting with that of the ink with which the printed impression is made.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claim.

Figs. 1 and 2 show different steps in making a printed impression according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a View of the die or element which may be used for applying the background;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the die showing it in a printing head of a marking machine and showing its manner of use.

Inasmuch as the invention is applicable to the making of printed impressions on articles of various kinds I have not shown in the drawing any particular. article of manufacture ,but have instead illustrated the invention as it would be carried out 'in applying a printed impression to a piece of leather or similar material having a mottled surface, which piece of leather might be part of a shoe or "part of any other article of manufacture.

"In the drawing l'is a piece of leather or similar material'which has a mottled surface 2 on which it is desired to make the printed impression. As stated above this. piece of leather or similar material 1 might be part of a shoe or part of any other article of manufacture.-

Because of the character of the mottled or variegated surface 2 an ordinary printed impression applied to said surface 2 would be quite difficult to read. In order to make such printed impression easily readable I propose to apply to the variegated or mottled surface 2 at the point where the printed impression is to be made, a backbround 3 which will preferably be of a color contrasting with that of the ink with which the printed impression is to be made. Such background 3 may be laid on the surface 2 in any suitable or approved way. One convenient way is to employ a die or stamp constructed to take ink or its equivalent and apply this ink or its equivalent to the mottled surface 2 to form the background 3.

The printed impression which is formed on the background is indicated at 4 and in the form in which the invention is illustrated this printed impression is one which might be used on shoes and it gives the size of the shoe, the case number and the stock number. The character ofthe printed impression, however, will vary according to the article to which it is to be applied.

The shape and extent of the background may also be varied according to the character of the article to which the process is applied. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention I have provided a'diamond-shaped background formed with a border.

A suitable die for laying this background 3 on the mottled surface 2 is shown in the drawing and it comprises a body member 6 having a recess 7 in its face in which is received a pad 8 of felt, rubber or similar ink-retaining material which is of the size and shape of the desired background 3. With this form of die the background 3 can be laid on the mottled surface 2 by first inking the surface of the pad 8 and then pressing the pad against the mottled surface 2 as shown in Fig. 4. In said figure the body member 6 is shown as carried in a printing head 9 of any usual marking machine and which is adapted to be moved toward and from a work support or platen 10.

The piece 1 to have the background printed thereon may be placed on the workv support 10 and then the printing head 9 may be operated to bring the inked surface of the pad 8 against the mottled face 2 of the element 1 thereby producing on said mottled face 2 the background- 3, which preferably will be of a uniform color.

In the particular construction shown the background 3 is provided with a. border 11 and this may be provided for by making the body 6 of the printing element with a border-printing portion 12 which surrounds the pad 8 but is spaced there from. This border-printing portion 12 will have a face adapted to take ink from an inking pad and transfer it to the mottled face 2 at the time that the background is printed.

The printed impression 4 may be laid on the material 1 either before or after the background is applied thereto. If the background 3 is laid on the mottled surface 2 then the printed impression 4 will be printed on the background 3 to produce the final result shown in Fig. 2. The ink used in making the printed impression 4. will have color which contrasts. sufficiently with the color of the background so that the printed impression can be easily read.

Under some conditions it may be satisfactory to first lay the printed impression 4 on the mottled surface 2 and then afterwards lay the background 3. For instance, if in making the printed impression 4 the type characters are caused to be embedded more or less in the surface 2 so that the printed characters will be below said surface 2 then it will be possible to lay the background on the mottled surface 2 after the printed impression is made. The laying of the background would not obliterate the printed impression because of the fact that the characters forming the printed. impression 4 are sunken somewhat below the surface 2 on which the background is laid.

While I have described some ways in which the invention may be practised I do not wish to be limited thereto.

' I claim:

The method of making a printed impression on merrichrome leather which has a uniformly mottled surface, which consists in coloring the uniformly mottled surface of the leather at the place where the printed impression is to be made to form a background which obscures the mottled character of the mottled surface and printing the printed impression on said place in a color which contrasts with that of the background.

FRED A. PUTNAM.

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