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US 6,543,808 B1Granted
Direct thermal printable pull tabs
AssigneeTranslucent Technologies, LLC
InventorsChauncey T. Mitchell, Jr., Daniel R. Fulwiler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved construction for pull-tab game pieces involves the use or two or more substrates, one of which is at least partially transparent. A thermosensitive imaging layer within which game results are direct thermally printed is located between the transparent substrate and an opaque cover layer through which the game results are printed. An opaque substrate precut to form one or more tabs covers the opposite side of the transparent substrate. The game results are revealed by retracting the tabs to view the game results through the transparent substrate.
Claims38
A pull-tab game piece comprising:
- a base substrate that is at least partially transparent and has front and back surfaces;
- a thermosensitive imaging layer on the front surface of the base substrate;
- an at least partially opaque layer covering the thermosensitive imaging layer on the front face of the base substrate;
- a cover substrate partially bonded to the back surface of the base substrate;
- a tab formed in the cover substrate that is at least partially removable for exposing a view through the base substrate;
- and
- the opaque layer providing for:
- (a) transmitting concentrations of heat required to form thermal images in the thermosensitive imaging layer from a thermal print head;
- (b) at least partly obscuring a view of the thermal images formed in the thermosensitive imaging layer from the front side of the base layer;
- and
- (c) visually contrasting with the thermal images formed in the thermosensitive imaging layer as a background against which the thermal images can be distinguished through the back face of the base layer.
8 more elements
A direct thermal printable pull tab comprising:
- a direct thermal printable film having front and back surfaces;
- a thermosensitive imaging layer of the direct thermal printable film being located on the front surface of the direct thermal printable film;
- the direct thermal printable film being at least partially transparent for viewing thermal images formed in the thermosensitive imaging layer through the back surface of the direct thermal printable film;
- an at least partially removable tab mounted on the back surface of the direct thermal printable film overlapping with a printable area of the thermosensitive imaging area;
- an opaque coating on the front surface of the direct thermal printable film covering at least a portion of the printable area of the direct thermal printable film overlapping with the at least partially removable tab;
- and
- the at least partially removable tab and the opaque coating providing for obscuring views of thermal images formed in the thermosensitive imaging layer by direct thermal printing through the opaque layer.
4 more elements
A pull-tab game piece comprising:
- an at least partially transparent base substrate having front and back surfaces;
- a thermally transmissive substrate having front and back surfaces;
- a thermosensitive imaging layer supported on the back surface of the thermally transmissive substrate;
- the back surface of the thermally transmissive substrate being bonded to the front surface of the at least partially transparent base substrate;
- a tab mounted on the back surface of the at least partially transparent base substrate overlapping a region of the thermosensitive imaging layer where thermal images can be formed through the thermally transmissive substrate by direct thermal printing;
- and
- the tab being retractable for viewing the thermal images through the at least partially transparent base substrate.
4 more elements
A direct thermal printable pull tab comprising:
- a base substrate that is at least partially transparent and has front and back surfaces;
- a thermosensitive imaging layer on the front surface of the base substrate;
- a thermally transmissive substrate having front and back surfaces;
- an adhesive layer located between the back surface of the thermally transmissive substrate and the thermosensitive imaging layer for bonding the thermally transmissive substrate to the base substrate;
- a tab mounted on the back surface of the base substrate overlapping a region of the thermosensitive imaging layer where thermal images can be formed through the thermally transmissive substrate by direct thermal printing;
- and
- the tab being retractable for viewing the thermal images through the at least partially transparent base substrate.
4 more elements
A method of making a direct thermal printable pull tab comprising the steps of:
- laminating a cover substrate on one side of an at least partially transparent base substrate;
- overlying an opposite side of the base substrate with a thermally transmissive opaque layer;
- locating a thermosensitive imaging layer between the thermally transmissive opaque layer and the base substrate;
- and
- arranging the cover substrate to include tabs that can be retracted to view thermal images that are direct thermally printed in the thermosensitive imaging layer through the base substrate.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.