Embossing roller and method

Apparatus for transfering a thermally transferable coating from a film carrier to a thermoplastically deformable surface of an article comprising thermoplastic material and in the same operation thermoplastically embossing the surface, comprising:

• means for presenting and maintaining the surface stationary;
• means for disposing the film unmoving above the surface;
• means for pre-heating the surface and the film;
• at least one embossing roller movable in a path parallel to the surface, the roller comprising a layer of heat-resistant, resilient material;
• separate, independently movable rings resiliently supported by the resilient material, the rings being disposed adjacent one another across the width of the roller, the rings extending concentrically around the roller and being resiliently movable radially relative to the roational axis of the roller;
• and a plurality of discrete mutually spaced apart rigid lands protruding radially from each ring around the circumference of the ring for being resiliently movable with corresponding movement of the ring;
• means for heating the roller;
• and
• means for urging the roller against the pre-heated film and the pre-heated surface with the axis of the roller extending across the width of the film and the surface to simultaneously force the pre-heated film against the pre-heated surface and force the lands and film portions contacted by the lands into the surface to thereby emboss a plurality of discrete spaced apart three-dimensional indentations across the width of the film and surface;
• the lands on each ring being resiliently movable independently of lands on a separate ring as well as lands on each ring being resiliently movable in response to irregularities in the surface to thereby provide a substantially uniform pattern of embossed indentations across the width and along the length of the surface and to transfer the coating to both the portions of the surface thus indented and the portions of the surface not indented.

An embossing roller comprising:

• a core;
• a layer of heat-resistant, resilient material surrounding the core;
• and
• a plurality of resiliently supported, separate, independently movable rings disposed adjacent one another across the width of the roller and adhered to the resilient material, the rings extending concentrically around the roller and being resiliently movable radially relative to the rotational axis of the roller;
• and a plurality of discrete mutually spaced apart rigid lands protruding radially from each ring around the circumference of the ring for being resiliently movable radially with corresponding movement of the ring, the lands on each ring being resiliently movable independently of lands on a separate ring as well as lands on each ring being resiliently movable in response to irregularities in a surface across which the roller is rolled.