US 4,266,863 AGranted

Device for forming graphics

AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

InventorsElmont E. Hollingsworth, Wm. M. Shea, Daniel M. Spitzer, Jr.

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Abstract

A device for composing graphics comprising a flash lamp for irradiating portions of strip material through a template when an arm supporting the lamp is moved to an exposure position at an exposure station. The template is pressed against the strip at the exposure station between a resilient frame-mounted pad and a transparent plate on the lamp arm by a toggle linkage between the frame and the arm. The template has a rectangular array of windows and is manually positionable on locating pins at the exposure station for different exposures. A positive image of each window is provided on the template, and the locating pins are movable via movement of the lamp arm from a preview position where the image is at the exposure station so the operation can see where the graphic will be formed to an exposure position with the associated window located at the exposure station for exposure. The template also has a code for each window optically readable by the device so that means in the device will advance the strip material a predetermined distance to provide appropriate spacing between graphics along the strip material.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a device useful for forming graphics such as letters, symbols or pictures along a strip of radiation sensitive material, said device comprising:

means for defining an exposure station;
means adapted for positioning a predetermined portion of a said strip at said exposure station;
and
means adapted to be actuated at said exposure station for momentarily irradiating the predetermined portion of a said strip at said exposure station in a sharply defined graphic pattern, including:
a template comprising a thin radiation transparent member with a radiation blocking coating having sharply defined open areas corresponding in shape to graphics to be formed to provide radiation transmissive windows through said template, having a viewing opening adjacent each of said windows, and having for each of said windows a positive image of that window within said viewing opening, which image is positioned with a predetermined relationship with respect to that window;
said template having locating orifices at a predetermined location with respect to each of said windows;
means for mounting said template to register one of the windows at said exposure station comprising locating members adapted to enter said locating orifices;
means mounting said locating members for movement between an exposure position with the window associated with the locating orifices located at said exposure station, and a preview position with the positive image corresponding to the window associated with the locating orifices positioned at the exposure station at the position in which the window is located when the locating members are in their exposure position;
radiation means for briefly irradiating the portion of the strip at said exposure station through the aligned window, comprising a flash lamp;
means mounting said flash lamp for movement between a normal position spaced from said exposure station to afford visible inspection of said template and said radiation sensitive material portion at said exposure station, and an expose position with said lamp closely adjacent the exposure station;
means for operating said flash lamp upon movement of the lamp to its expose position;
and
means coupled between said means mounting said lamp for movement and said means for mounting said template for positioning said locating members in said preview position when said lamp is in its normal position, and for positioning said locating member in said exposure position when said lamp is in its expose position;
the improvement wherein:
said locating members are two spaced parallel upwardly projecting pins;
said windows and positive images on said template are in a rectangular array;
and
said template has a different pair of locating orifices at a predetermined location with respect to each of said windows, with each pair of locating orifices being adapted to receive said locating members to register the associated window at the exposure station on the device.

15 more elements

In a device useful for forming a series of graphics such as letters, symbols or pictures along a strip of radiation sensitive material, said device comprising:

means for defining an exposure station;
means adapted for moving a said strip through said station to position a predetermined portion of the strip at said exposure station;
and
means adapted to be actuated at said exposure station for momentarily irradiating the portion of the strip at said exposure station in a sharply defined graphic patterns, includin:
a template comprising a thin radiation transparent member with a radiation blocking coating having sharply defined open areas corresponding in shape to graphics to be formed to provide radiation transmissive windows through said template;
means for mounting said template to register any one of the windows at said exposure station;
radiation means for briefly irradiating the portion of the strip at said exposure station through the aligned window, comprising a flash lamp, means mounting said flash lamp for movement between a normal position spaced from said exposure station to afford visible inspection of said template and the portion of the strip at said exposure station, and an expose position with said lamp closely adjacent said exposure station, and
means for operating said flash lamp upon movement of the lamp to its expose position, the improvement wherein:
for each of said windows said template has optically readable code means at a predetermined location with respect to that window for indicating a predetermined spacing to be provided for that window;
and
said device includes advancing means for optically reading the code means associated with one of said windows at said exposure station and for operating said means adapted for moving upon movement of said lamp from its normal position to its expose position and back to its normal position to advance said strip past the station a distance indicated by said code means.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.