Method of bonding a layer of material to a substrate
AssigneeHallmark Cards, Incorporated
InventorsBarbara J. Rich, Larry E. Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method of bonding a layer of material to a substrate is provided in which a laser beam is used to generate heat in a local area on the composite. The heat from the laser beam activates an adhesive to bond the layer to the substrate. Alternatively, the heat from the laser beam locally melts either or both of the substrate and the layer to create the bond. When the bond is created along a closed path, the heat from the laser may also cause the layer to puff away from the substrate. The invention can be used for a variety of purposes such as creating decorative features on greeting cards to give them a novel look and feel.
Claims22
A method of bonding a layer to a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing the layer on the substrate;
- and directing a laser beam onto the layer to activate an adhesive disposed between the layer and the substrate to bond the layer to the substrate.
A method of bonding a layer to a substrate, the method comprising the steps of placing the layer on the substrate;
- and directing a laser beam onto the layer in a closed path to bond the layer to the substrate, wherein heat from the laser beam causes the layer to puff away from the substrate within the closed path.
A method of bonding a layer of thermoplastic material to a paper substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing the layer on the substrate, and directing a laser beam onto the thermoplastic layer to melt a local area of the thermoplastic layer, thereby bonding the thermoplastic layer to the paper substrate.
A method of decorating a greeting card, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing a layer of decorative material on a greeting card stock;
- and directing a laser beam onto the layer to activate an adhesive disposed between the layer and the card stock to bond the layer to the greeting card stock.
A method of bonding a layer to a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing the substrate on the layer;
- and directing a laser beam onto the substrate to activate an adhesive disposed between the layer and the substrate to bond the layer to the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.