Sheet material with index openings and method for making and using

A method of manufacturing a sheet material for a card lamination mechanism, comprising:

• adhering a lamination material to a substrate material;
• ladder cutting the lamination material, without cutting the substrate material;
• removing the ladder cut lamination material, leaving behind a plurality of lamination patches on the substrate material;
• and
• creating index openings through the lamination substrate material so that the index openings are spaced from the resulting lamination patches.

A method of using a sheet material in a card lamination mechanism for laminating a card, comprising:

• loading a sheet material into the lamination mechanism, the sheet material including a strip of substrate material having a length and first and second edges, and a central longitudinal axis midway between the first and second edges;
• a plurality of rectangular transferable transparent elements that have the same size removably disposed on a first surface of the substrate material at spaced locations along the length thereof so that the elements are not directly connected to each other, each transferable element having a leading edge and a trailing edge;
• and a plurality of openings formed through the substrate material at spaced locations along the length thereof between the first and second edges;
• wherein each one of the openings is associated with a corresponding one of the rectangular transferable transparent elements, and for each pair of adjacent transferable elements there is at least one of the openings disposed between the leading edge of one transferable element and the trailing edge of the other transferable element so that the opening does not extend through the transferable elements, and the central longitudinal axis intersects the plurality of openings;
• projecting light from a source of light against the substrate material;
• receiving said projected light;
• detecting the presence of one of the openings in the substrate material from the intensity of the light received;
• providing a signal to a control system when the opening is detected to indicate the position of the rectangular transferable transparent element associated with the detected opening;
• and
• after detecting the presence of the opening, registering the associated rectangular transferable transparent element with a surface of the card to be laminated and laminating the associated rectangular transferable transparent element to the surface of the card.

A method of laminating a plastic card, comprising:

• loading a supply roll of sheet material into a lamination mechanism, the supply roll including a substrate having a length and first and second edges, and a central longitudinal axis midway between the first and second edges;
• a plurality of rectangular transferable lamination patches that have the same size removably disposed on a first surface of the substrate at spaced locations along the length thereof so that the lamination patches are not directly connected to each other, each of the lamination patches having a leading edge and a trailing edge;
• and a plurality of openings formed through the substrate at spaced locations along the length thereof between the first and second edges;
• wherein each one of the openings is associated with a corresponding one of the lamination patches, and for each pair of adjacent lamination patches there is at least one of the openings disposed between the leading edge of one lamination patch and the trailing edge of the other lamination patch so that the opening does not extend through the lamination patches, and the central longitudinal axis intersects the plurality of openings;
• after loading, optically detecting the presence of one of the openings in the substrate by directing light from a light source toward the substrate, and providing a signal to a control system of the lamination mechanism to indicate the position of the lamination patch associated with the detected opening;
• and
• after detecting the presence of the opening, registering the associated lamination patch with a surface of the plastic card to be laminated and laminating the associated lamination patch to the surface of the plastic card using the lamination mechanism.