Method and apparatus for simultaneously hot stamping and embossing sheet-like stock material such as paper

A method for simultaneously embossing and hot stamping a workpiece of sheet-like stock material comprising providing a die means to heat said die to a predetermined temperature, said die having a relief design thereon including recessed areas and adjacent raised areas, providing a counter for said die with said counter including projections conforming in general to said recessed areas of said die but so constructed and arranged that there exists spacing between the counter projecting areas and the die recessed areas in a coacting closed condition of the die and counter, inserting a flexible substrate having heat transferable material thereon between said die and said counter together with stock material, moving said die and counter relatively toward one another to cause compression of said stock material and said substrate between said die and said counter and transfer of said heat transferable material from said substrate at said die design raised areas onto the stock material and embossment of said counter projections into said stock material while precluding or selectively limiting transfer of the heat transferable material on said flexible substrate to said embossed areas of said stock material, and including the step of applying predetermined pressure to said die having said three-dimensional relief design thereon to cause by distortion increased depth of said recessed areas of said relief design, whereby the subsequent embossment of said stock at said recessed areas of said relief design is enhanced during compressive movement of said die and said counter relative to one another.

Apparatus for simultaneously embossing and hot stamping sheet-like stock material comprising a die, means to transmit heat to said die, said die including a relief design thereon including recessed areas and raised areas, a counter for said die, said counter including projecting areas conforming in general to said recessed areas of said die, but so constructed and arranged that there exists spacing between said counter projecting areas and said die recessed areas in a coacting closed condition of said die and said counter, a flexible substrate having heat transferable material thereon, adapted to be disposed between said die and said counter, means to support said die and said counter in generally confronting relation and operable to cause relative compressive movement therebetween to said coacting closed condition for embossing the design of said recessed areas of said die into intermediately oriented stock material and to cause transfer of said heat transferable material from the substrate at said die design raised areas onto the stock material, while preventing or selectively localizing transfer of the heat transferable material on said substrate to the embossed areas of the stock material, and wherein said die comprises a plate=like member comprising top and bottom surfaces with said design being etched into one of said surfaces, with the other surface being deformed outwardly in the vicinity of said recessed areas to increase the depth of the latter, thus enhancing the degree of said embossing of said stock material during said relative compressive movement between said die and said counter.