WO2003096312A1 - Advertising panel and process of making same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an advertising panel (40) and a process of making same. The panel (40) includes a lamination having a graphic substrate (18) with a first surface carrying a digitally printed advertising information (20) and a second surface, a transparent overlay (16) of a substantially high impact resistant material such as polycarbonate adhered to said first surface, and an underlay (not shown) of a substantially high impact resistant material which can also be polycarbonate, adhered to said second surface and/or a transparent protective film (36) of a substantially scratch resistant material such as embossed PVC fixed on the exposed surface of the overlay. The lamination may have a second adhesive layer on the second surface of the graphic substrate for fixing to the underlay or a support member (42). The support member may have a substantially smooth surface to which the second adhesive layer or the underlay is fixed. The underlay is fixed to the support member by means of an adhesive and/or mechanical securing means. The support member can be a conveyor belt, or a pallet or slat of a carousel type conveyor. A process of making an advertising panel is also disclosed.

Description

ADVERTISING PANEL AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to an advertising panel having its information

bearing substrate contained in a lamination, and a process of making same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Advertising information is generally carried on a sheet-like material which

may be paper or cardboard. As the sheet-like material can be easily damaged by

tearing and scratching, it is, in use, fixed to a signboard that is supported on a

support post or frame, or to a wall, in order to avoid contact with objects. The

sheet-like advertising material is therefore not suitable for use on a surface on which

objects are placed, such as a conveyor surface at a supermarket checkout, or a

carousel at the arrival hall of an airport, or on a floor surface of a shopping centre.

Yet, the shopping centres, the supermarket conveyors and the air port

carousels are the ideal targets for advertising or promotion of products and services,

as shoppers and passengers flying by air need to use these facilities. It is therefore

desirable to have advertising materials that can be used on surfaces subject to

impact of and scratching by objects.

OBIECT OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to substantial alleviate or to reduce to a certain

level one or more of the prior art disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in an advertising panel

including a lamination having a graphic substrate with a first surface carrying advertising information and a second surface, a transparent overlay of a

substantially high impact resistant material adhered to said first surface, and an

underlay of a substantially high impact resistant material adhered to said second

surface and/or a transparent protective film of a substantially scratch resistant

material fixed on the exposed surface of the overlay.

It is preferred that the graphic substrate is opaque and the advertising

information is transferred to the first surface thereof by a printing, photocopying or

imaging process. More preferably, the advertising information is digitally printed

on the first surface.

The overlay is preferably a polycarbonate sheet for conferring improved

strength to the lamination. The underlay may also be a polycarbonate sheet.

A first adhesive layer may be provided between the first surface of the

graphic substrate and the overlay. The first adhesive layer is preferably a double

sided adhesive film.

The protective film may have an adhesive coated surface for fixing to the

overlay. Advantageously, the protective film is of an embossed PVC material to

minimise slip.

The lamination may have a second adhesive layer on the second surface of

the graphic substrate for fixing to the underlay or a support member. In preference,

the second adhesive layer is a double sided adhesive film.

The support member may have a substantially smooth surface to which the

second adhesive layer or the underlay is fixed. Preferably, the underlay is fixed to

the support member by means of an adhesive and/or mechanical securing means. The mechanical securing means can be one or more screws arranged to fix the

underlay to the support member.

The support member can be a conveyor belt, or a pal let or slat of a carousel

type conveyor.

In another aspect therefore the present invention resides in a process of

making an advertising panel including the steps of:

(a) cutting a transparent sheet of a substantially impact resistant material into at

least one shaped overlay, and where used, cutting a sheet of a substantially

impact resistant material into at least one shaped underlay;

(b) transferring advertising information onto a first surface of a graphic substrate;

(c) bonding said at least one overlay to said first surface of the graphic substrate

with a first layer of adhesive;

(d) forming a lamination of the at least one overlay bonded with the graphic

substrate;

(e) adhering said at least one underlay to a second surface of the graphic

substrate with a second layer of adhesive, and/or a transparent protective

film of a substantially scratch resistant material on the exposed surface of

the overlay in the formed lamination.

It is preferred that the process includes another step of:

(f) forming a further lamination of the transparent protective film bonded with

the previously formed lamination .

The process may also have a step of: (g) trimming excess of the graphic substrate and the protective film along profile

of the at least one overlay.

Said adhering step may include bonding a third adhesive layer to the second

surface of the graphic substrate or the underlay.

It is preferred that the transferring step involves printing or photocopying or

imaging. More preferably, the advertising information is digitally printed on the

first surface.

It is preferred that the cutting step involves cutting the at least one overlay

and/or the at least one underlay into a crescent or rectangular shape that

substantially conform to the shape of a support member to which the panel is to be

fixed.

The process can also include the step of fixing said underlay to the support

member by means of adhesive and/or mechanical securing means. The mechanical

securing means may be one or more screws. The underlay may be so fixed to the

support member before being bonded to the substrate.

The support member can be a pallet or a slat of a carousel type conveyor.

The advertising panel made by the process may be substantial ly as described

under said one aspect of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the system of the present invention can be readily understood

and put in practically effect the description will now refer to the accompanying

drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the present invention and

wherein:- Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a laser cutting station where a

transparent sheet of a substantially impact resistant material is profile cut to form

shaped overlays according to an embodiment of the process according to the

present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a printed graphic substrate for

laminating with overlays shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows the step of peeling plastic cover sheets on the overlays;

Figure 4 shows the step of applying first and second adhesive layers on

respective first and second sides of the graphic substrate;

Figure 5 shows a laminating station with a jig for aligning the overlays to the

graphic substrate shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross section view of the laminating station shown in Figure

5;

Figures 7 and 8 show the steps of fixing a protective film for lamination at

the laminating station;

Figure 9 shows the step of trimming excesses around the overlays;

Figure 10 shows one of the completed advertising panels according to an

embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a cross section view of the completed panel shown in Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the application of the advertising

panels made according to the embodiment of the present invention, to a carousel

type conveyor with crescent shaped pallets; and Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the application of the advertising

panels made according to the embodiment of the present invention, to a carousel

type conveyor with rectangular shaped slats.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The process of making an advertising panel according this invention may

have a laser cutting station where sheets of polycarbonate of a size such as

2400mm X 1200mm X 1 .5mm is cut into overlays and or underlays of a

predetermined shape, such as crescent shaped overlays that conform with the shape

of crescent shaped pallets of a carousel conveyor generally used at the arrival hall

in an air portterminal. The predetermined shape is selected from digital image files

stored in a recordable media such as a hard disk in a computer.

The process may also have a printing station where advertising information

is printed on a good quality white photographic substrate, a bonding station where

a double sided adhesive film is bonded to each of the printed side and the non

printed side of the substrate, and a laminating station where the bonded substrate

is positioned in a jig frame and the cut overlays are arranged in an array over the

double sided adhesive film on the printed surface, for forming a lamination thereof.

The exposed surface of the polycarbonate overlays is then applied with a non slip,

embossed PVC film that is substantially scratch resistant for a further lamination

step. The lamination is then trimmed along the profile of the overlays to separate

advertising panels that each carry a part of the advertising information. If an underlay is used, the underlay can be fixed to a support member such

as a pallet of a pallet loop conveyor by adhesive and/or screws, and the lamination

is bonded to the underlay.

Figure 1 schematically shows a cutting station 10 having a bed (not shown)

on which a polycarbonate sheet 12 is positioned. The station 10 has a laser cutting

device 14 that can move transversely across and longitudinally along the sheet 12.

The laser cutting device 14 is under control of a controller (not shown) which

controls the device 14 to move and cut the overlays 16 and/or underlays (not

shown) in accordance to a predetermined profile stored in an image file on a

computer.

Figure 2 schematic shows a white graphic substrate 18 with advertising

information 20 printed on one surface.

Figure 3 shows the step of peeling the protective cover sheets 21 and 22

from a cut overlay 16.

Figure 4 shows the application of double sided adhesive films 24 and 26 to

the printed substrate 18. As shown, the film 26 is applied to the printed side of the

substrate 18.

Figures 5 and 6 show a laminating station 30 having a jig frame 32 in which

the overlays 16 are placed over the adhesive film 26 and aligned in a juxtaposed

relationship. A heated lamination roller 34 supported on the jig frame 32 is then

controlled to contact and applied heat to the exposed surface of the layers in the

frame 32 and move along the frame 32 to form a lamination. A scratch resistant, non slip, embossed PVC over laminating film 36 with its

protective cover 38 peeled off to reveal its adhesive surface as shown in Figures 7

and 8 is then applied to the exposed surface of the layer of polycarbonate overlays

16 for lamination therewith.

Individual advertising panels 40 that each carry a part of the advertising

information is then separated by cutting along the profile outline of the overlays 16

as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 11 shows a cross section of the layers in the

panel 40.

Figure 12 shows the process of fixing the panels 40 to pallets 42 of a

carousel conveyor 50. The double sided adhesive film 24 of each panel 40 has a

paper backing which must be peeled off to expose the expose its pressure sensitive

adhesive surface. Before applying the panels 40, the top surface of each of the

pallets 42 is rendered substantially smooth so thatthe exposed surface of the double

sided adhesive film 24 of each of the panels 40 has a large contact surface for

bonding and can therefore bond more effectively to the pallets 42. Each panel 40

is placed on and aligned with a pal let 42 before applying pressure thereto for fixing

to the pal let 40. Alternatively, the underlays is fixed to the top surface of the pallets

42 by means of an adhesive and screws (not shown), and the panels 40 are adhered

to the underlays.

As seen in Figure 12, the panels 40 are placed sequentially in an array of the

pallets 42 so thatthe parts of the advertising information 20 carried thereon appear

to be unbroken when the array of pallets 42 are in a straight section. In a curved section the parts of the information 20 are still recognisable as they are only slightly

out of alignment.

Figure 13 shows a carousel conveyor 60 with overlapping slats 62. The

panels 40 for the slats 40 are dimensioned to extend partially into the overlapping

region as shown.

The polycarbonate overlays 16 and the underlays when used in the panels

40 are relatively high strength and can withstand normal impact force caused by

luggage items placed on them. The protective PVC film 36 is substantially scratch

resistant and has a non slip quality. Accordingly, the advertising information 20

carried on the substrate 18 would not be damaged by the luggage items and would

remain clearly visible through the layers of materials above it. When fixed to the

pallets 42 by screws, the underlays are fixed in position whereby preventing

misalignment of the panels 42 due to movement of the pallets 42 or slats 62, and

substantially minimise damage to the graphic substrates 18.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the

present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to

those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the

invention as herein set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1 . An advertising panel including a lamination having a graphic substrate with

a first surface carrying advertising information and a second surface, a transparent

overlay of a substantially high impact resistant material adhered to said first surface,

and ether an underlay of a substantially high impact resistant material adhered to

said second surface, and/or a transparent protective film of a substantially scratch

resistant material fixed on the exposed surface of the overlay.

2. The panel according to claiml wherein the graphic substrate is opaque and

the advertising information is transferred to the first surface thereof by a printing,

photocopying or imaging process.

3. The panel according to claim 2 wherein the advertising information is

digitally printed on the first surface.

4. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the overlay is a

polycarbonate sheet.

5. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the underlay is a

polycarbonate sheet.

6. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the first adhesive

layer is provided between the first surface of the graphic substrate and the overlay.

7. The panel according to claim 6 wherein the first adhesive layer is a double

sided adhesive film.

8. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the protective film

having an adhesive coated surface for fixing to the overlay.

9. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the protective film

is of an embossed PVC material.

10. The panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the lamination

having a second adhesive layer on the second surface of the graphic substrate for

fixing to the underlay or a support member.

11. The panel according to claim 10 wherein the second adhesive layer is a double sided adhesive film.

12. The panel according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the support member having a substantially smooth surface to which the second adhesive layer or the underlay is fixed.

13. The panel according to any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the underlay is fixed to the support member by means of an adhesive and/or mechanical securing means.

14. The panel according to any one of claims 10 to 13 wherein the support member is a conveyor belt, or a pallet or slat of a carousel type conveyor.

15. A process of making an advertising panel including the steps of:

(a) cutting a transparent sheet of a substantially impact resistant material into at

least one shaped overlay, and where used, cutting a sheet of a substantially impact resistant material into at least one shaped underlay;

(b) transferringadvertising information onto afirstsurface of a graphicsubstrate;

(c) bonding said at least one overlay to said first surface of the graphic substrate

with a first layer of adhesive,

(d) forming a lamination of the at least one overlay with the graphic substrate; (e) adhering either a transparent protective film of a substantially scratch

resistant material to the formed lamination adjacent to exposed surface of

the overlay, and/or adhering said at least one underlay to the formed

lamination adjacent to a second surface of the graphic substrate.

16. The process according to claim 1 5 further includes the step of:

(f) forming a further lamination of the transparent protective film bonded with

the previously formed lamination .

17. The process according to claim 15 or 16 having the further step of:

(g) trimming excess of the graphic substrate and where used, the protective film

and/or the at least one underlay along profile of the at least one overlay.

18. The process according to any one of claims 1 5 to 1 7 wherein the transferring

step involves printing or photocopying or imaging said advertising information on

said first surface.

19. The process according to claim 1 8 wherein the advertising information is

digitally printed on the first surface.

20. The process according to any one of claims 15 to 19 wherein the cutting step

involves cutting the at least one overlay and/or the at least one underlay into a

crescent or rectangular shape that substantially conform to the shape of a support

member to which the panel is to be fixed.

21. The process according to claim 1 9 or 20 wherein the support member is a

pallet or a slat of a carousel type conveyor

22. The process according to any one of claims 15 to 22 wherein said adhering

step includes bonding a third adhesive layer to the second surface of the graphic

substrate.

23. The process according to any one of claims 19 to 21 wherein said at least

one underlay is fixed to the support member by means of adhesive and/or

mechanical securing means.

23. The process according to claim 22 wherein the underlay is fixed to the

support member before being bonded to the graphic substrate.

24. An advertising panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference

to the drawings.

25. A process of making an advertising panel substantially as hereinbefore

described with reference to the drawings.