Master processing apparatus

A method of mounting a cartridge to a master processing apparatus, the cartridge including a cartridge body and a pair of feed rolls rotatably mounted thereon each carrying a supply of stock material to be unwound, at least one of the stock materials having adhesive provided thereon,

• the cartridge body including two portions removably coupled together, one of the feed rolls being mounted to one of the two portions and the other of the feed rolls being mounted to the other of the two portions,
• the apparatus comprising (a) a frame, (b) a master processing assembly constructed and arranged such that a master can be inserted into the master processing assembly together with the stock materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the master, the master processing assembly being constructed and arranged to perform a master processing operation wherein the master processing assembly causes adhesive bonding between the master and the stock materials being fed into a feed side thereof, and (c) a cartridge support assembly constructed to support the cartridge in an operative position wherein the stock materials on the feed rolls of the cartridge can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation,
• the cartridge support assembly being moveable from a cartridge receiving position to a cartridge operating position, the cartridge support assembly being constructed such that, as the cartridge support assembly is moved to from the cartridge receiving position to the cartridge operating position thereof, the cartridge support assembly separates the two portions of the cartridge body from one another and individually positions each of the two portions of the cartridge body in individual operative positions wherein the stock materials on each of the feed rolls can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation, thereby establishing the operative position of the cartridge;
• the method comprising:
• mounting the cartridge with the two portions removably coupled together to the cartridge support assembly in its cartridge receiving position;
• and
• moving the cartridge support assembly to its cartridge operating position to cause the cartridge support assembly to separate the two portions of the cartridge body from one another and individually position each of the two portions of the cartridge body in individual operative positions wherein the stock materials on each of the feed rolls can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation, thereby establishing the operative position of the cartridge.

A master processing apparatus for use with a cartridge, the cartridge including a cartridge body and a pair of feed rolls rotatably mounted thereon each carrying a supply of stock material to be unwound, the cartridge body including two portions removably coupled together, one of the feed rolls being mounted to one of the two portions and the other of the feed rolls being mounted to the other of the two portions, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a master processing assembly constructed and arranged such that a master can be inserted into the master processing assembly together with the stock materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the master, the master processing assembly being constructed and arranged to perform a master processing operation wherein the master processing assembly causes adhesive bonding between the master and the stock materials being fed into a feed side thereof;
• and
• a cartridge support assembly constructed to support the cartridge in an operative position wherein the stock materials on the feed rolls of the cartridge can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation;
• the cartridge support assembly being moveable from a cartridge receiving position to a cartridge operating position, the cartridge support assembly being constructed such that, as the cartridge support assembly is moved from the cartridge receiving position to the cartridge operating position thereof, the cartridge support assembly separates the two portions of the cartridge body from one another and individually positions each of the two portions of the cartridge body in individual operative positions wherein the stock materials on each of the feed rolls can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation, thereby establishing the operative position of the cartridge.

A retrofitting kit for converting a master processing apparatus for performing a master processing operation wherein adhesive bonding is affected between a pair of stock materials and a master received therebetween from (a) a first configuration configured for use with a pair of individual removable feed rolls having the stock materials wound thereon with at least one of the stock materials having adhesive provided thereon to (b) a second configuration configured for use with a cartridge including a cartridge body and a pair of feed rolls rotatably mounted on the cartridge body and having the stock materials wound thereon with at least one of the stock materials having adhesive provided thereon,

• the apparatus in at least its first configuration comprising (a) a frame including structure for individually rotatably mounting the pair of individual feed rolls to enable the stock materials to be unwound therefrom, and (b) a master processing assembly constructed and arranged such that a master can be inserted into the master processing assembly together with the stock materials unwound from their respective individual feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the master, the master processing assembly being constructed and arranged to perform a master processing operation wherein the master processing assembly causes adhesive bonding between the master and the stock materials being fed into a feed side thereof,
• the retrofitting kit comprising:
• a cartridge support assembly constructed to be mounted to the frame of the master processing apparatus and to support the cartridge in an operative position wherein the stock materials on the feed rolls of the cartridge can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation.

The combination comprising:

• a cartridge including a cartridge body and a pair of feed rolls rotatably mounted thereon each carrying a supply of stock material to be unwound, at least one of the stock materials having adhesive provided thereon, the cartridge body including two portions removably coupled together, one of the feed rolls being mounted to one of the two portions and the other of the feed rolls being mounted to the other of the two portions;
• and
• a master processing apparatus comprising (a) a frame, and (b) a master processing assembly constructed and arranged such that a master can be inserted into the master processing assembly together with the stock materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the master, the master processing assembly being constructed and arranged to perform a master processing operation wherein the master processing assembly causes adhesive bonding between the master and the stock materials being fed into a feed side thereof, and (c) a cartridge support assembly constructed to support the cartridge in an operative position wherein the stock materials on the feed rolls of the cartridge can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation,
• the cartridge support assembly being moveable from a cartridge receiving position to a cartridge operating position, the cartridge support assembly being constructed such that, as the cartridge support assembly is moved from the cartridge receiving position to the cartridge operating position thereof, the cartridge support assembly separates the two portions of the cartridge body from one another and individually positions each of the two portions of the cartridge body in individual operative positions wherein the stock materials on each of the feed rolls can be fed into the master processing assembly for performance of the master processing operation, thereby establishing the operative position of the cartridge.