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US 5,505,130 AGranted
Ink pad assemblies with interchangeable ink-impregnated pads
OwnerJeffrey M. Winstoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-color ink pad assembly with end user configurable pad/plate assemblies. The pad/plate assemblies comprise an absorbent pad impregnated with ink attached to a rigid mounting plate. Attachment means are provided which engage the mounting plate to attach the pad/plate assemblies onto a base such that the user may manually remove and reattach the the pad/plate assemblies to the base in any number of configurations. The end user thus has tremendous flexibility in constructing multi-color inking surfaces.
Claims22
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- at least one locking tab formed on each of the mounting members, and
- a plurality of pairs of locking projections formed on the base;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, the locking tabs engage the locking projections to form a pressure fit that locks the pad/plate assemblies to the base but which allows manual removal of the pad/plate assemblies from the base;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, where the attachment means enables an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and thus obtain various color sequences.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- first and second pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member having a peripheral edge;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- at least one locking tab formed on each of the mounting members, and
- a plurality of locking projections formed on the base;
- wherein
- when the first pad/plate assembly is mounted on the base adjacent to the second pad/plate assembly, the locking tabs of the pad/plate assemblies engage the locking projections and the peripheral edge of the first pad/plate assembly engages the peripheral edge of the second pad/plate assembly to form a pressure flu that locks the pad/plate assemblies to the base but which allows manual removal of the pad/plate assemblies from the base;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, the attachment means thus enabling an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and obtain a plurality of color sequences.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- a plurality of rail members formed on one of the mounting members and the base, and
- a plurality of slots formed in the other of the mounting members and the base, each slot having a slot axis;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, each rail member is received in one of the slots in a manner that prevents relative movement between the pad/plate assemblies and the base in directions other than along the slot axis;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, the attachment means thus enabling an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and obtain various color combinations.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- a plurality of locking pegs formed on one of mounting members and the base, and
- a plurality of locking holes formed in the other of the mounting members and the base, each locking hole defining a hole axis;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, the pad/plate assemblies are displaced towards the base along the bole axes such that the locking pegs engage the locking holes to form a pressure fit that prevents movement of the pad/plate assemblies relative to the base in directions other than along the hole axes but which allows manual removal of the pad/plate assemblies from the base along the hole axes;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, where the attachment means enables an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and thus obtain various color sequences.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- temporary adhesive formed on one of the base and the mounting members, and
- at least one adhesion surface formed on the other of the base and the mounting members;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, the pad/plate assemblies are displaced relative to the base such that temporary adhesive comes into contact with the at least one adhesion surface in a manner that inhibits incidental movement of the pad/plate assemblies relative to the base but allows manual removal of the pad/plate assemblies from the base;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, where the attachment means enables an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and thus obtain various color sequences.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member;
- a single absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where the absorbent pads are impregnated with different colors of ink;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- magnetic material formed on one of the base and the mounting members, and
- magnetically attractable material formed on the other of the base and the mounting members;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, the pad/plate assemblies are displaced relative to the base such that the magnetic material attracts the magnetically attractable material in a manner that prevents incidental movement of the pad/plate assemblies relative to the base but which allows manual removal of the pad/plate assemblies from the base;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other to form a substantially planar inking surface, where the attachment means enables an end user to reconfigure the pad/plate assemblies and thus obtain various color sequences.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base having an upper surface having first and second base edges;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member having first and second perimeter edges;
- an absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where each absorbent pad has a perimeter edge, is impregnated with ink, and has a substantially flat upper surface;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- first and second locking tabs extending from the first and second perimeter edges formed on the mounting members, and
- a plurality of locking projections formed on the base along the first and second base edges;
- wherein
- when the pad/plate assemblies are mounted on the base, the first and second edges of the mounting members are aligned with the first and second edges of the upper surface, respectively, and the locking tabs engage the locking projections to form a pressure fit that attaches the pad/plate assemblies onto the base;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the perimeter edges of any given pair of adjacent absorbent pads abut each other such that the substantially flat upper surfaces of the absorbent pads form a substantially continuous inking surface parallel to, and spaced from, the upper surface of the base.
9 more elements
An ink pad assembly, comprising:
- a base having an upper surface;
- a plurality of pad plate assemblies each comprising
- a mounting member, and
- an absorbent pad attached to each of the mounting members, where each absorbent pad has a perimeter edge, is impregnated with ink, and has a substantially flat upper surface;
- and
- attachment means comprising
- a plurality of slots formed in and radially extending from a center of the base, where each of these slots has a slot axis, and
- a rail member formed on each of the pad/plate assemblies;
- wherein
- when the rail members are inserted into the slots, the rail members engage the base to prevent relative movement between the pad/plate assemblies and the base in directions other than along the slot axes;
- and
- the attachment means allows the pad/plate assemblies to be manually attached to, manually detached from, and randomly reattached to the base such that the perimeter edges of any given pair of adjacent absorbent pads mounted on the base abut each other such that the flat upper surfaces of the absorbent pads form a substantially continuous inking surface parallel to, and spaced from, the upper surface of the base.
9 more elements
A method of forming an ink-pad assembly, comprising the steps of:
- providing an ink pad base hiving a plurality of locking projections formed thereon;
- providing a plurality of mounting members each having a locking tab formed thereon;
- providing a plurality of absorbent pads;
- impregnating the absorbent pads each with a different color of ink;
- attaching one of the absorbent pads to each of the mounting members to form a plurality of pad/plate assemblies;
- attaching at least one of the plurality of pad/plate assemblies to the ink pad base in a first configuration by engaging the locking tabs with the locking projections;
- manually detaching from the ink pad base the at least one pad/plate assembly of the first configuration.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.