Process and system for aligning printed images with perforated sheets
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsJames L. Baggot, Timothy A. Wooley, Justen H. Smith
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Abstract
A system and process for aligning printed images on a rolled product with perforation lines being formed into the product is disclosed. According to the process, the position of printed images are sensed as the images are being printed onto a substrate, such as a tissue strip. The images are printed onto the substrate using a printing device including at least one rotating print roller. In order to maintain the printed images in alignment with perforation lines being formed into the substrate, the speed of the print roller is adjusted in order to adjust the length of the printed images.
Claims12
A process for aligning printed images with perforated sheets on a continuous sheet of tissue paper comprising:
- printing images onto a moving tissue strip using a print roller, the print roller rotating at a speed relative to a speed of the moving tissue strip, the print roller rotating in the same direction as the tissue strip is moving, the images having a length along the direction of the moving tissue strip;
- sensing at least one feature of the printed images;
- forming perforation lines into the moving tissue strip to form individual sheets along the strip having a uniform sheet length, the perforation lines being formed across the tissue strip in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the tissue strip is moving, the perforation lines being formed at regular, constant intervals so as to maintain a uniform sheet length for the individual sheets formed along the length of the tissue strip;
- based upon the position of the sensed feature relative to the perforation lines being formed, adjusting the speed of the print roller in order to adjust the length of the images so as to align the images with the perforation lines in a desired manner;
- wherein the images are printed in a pattern into the moving tissue strip, the printed pattern having a repeat length wherein the length of the repeat length is sensed and is greater than or equal to the length of multiple sheets and the repeat length extends over multiple individual sheets;
- and
- wherein the printed pattern depicts a scene that extends continuously across multiple individual sheets and includes at least one of the images being a first image disposed entirely within the perforation lines and at least one of the images being a second image, distinct from the first image, and traversing over at least one of the perforation lines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.