# US 9,751,253 B2 · Card de-bowing mechanism

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- Number: US 9,751,253 B2
- Document ID: US9751253B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/172,402
- Filed: 2016-06-03
- Published: 2016-09-29
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-05-23
- Assignees: Entrust Datacard Corporation
- Applicants: Entrust Datacard Corporation
- Inventors: Alexander Kelly Zaborowski; David E. Wickstrom; Rajesh Kalachand Juriasingani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751253B2

## CPC

- B29C 53/18: of plates or sheets
- B32B 37/0015: {to avoid warp or curl}
- B32B 37/14: characterised by the properties of the layers
- B32B 38/145: {Printing}
- B65H 29/70: Article bending or stiffening arrangements
- B29L 2017/006: {Memory cards, chip cards}
- B32B 2037/0061: {the apparatus being an office laminator}
- B32B 2425/00: Cards, e.g. identity cards, credit cards
- B65H 2301/512565: involving tri-roller arrangement
- B65H 2701/1914: Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards
- Y10T 156/1002: with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A substrate de-bowing mechanism, system and method are described. The mechanism can include a substrate support, one or more stationary contact members, and one or more dynamic or movable contact members that are adapted to contact the substrate and bend the substrate in a desired direction to reduce or eliminate bowing of the substrate. The mechanism is controlled by a CPU or other controller that can adjust the de-bow parameters of the de-bowing mechanism based on input settings that can be dynamic and/or static settings. The mechanism can be used to de-bow a variety of substrates including plastic cards, passports, and passport pages.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A substrate processing system, comprising:
a substrate transport mechanism that transports a substrate through the substrate processing system in a substrate transport direction along a substrate travel path;
a lamination mechanism disposed along the substrate travel path, the lamination mechanism is configured to apply a laminate to the substrate;
a substrate de-bowing mechanism disposed along the substrate travel path, the substrate de-bowing mechanism has an axial footprint, measured between a pair of movable card contact members at a first home position and that are used to de-bow the substrate, the pair of movable card contact members are disposed on a first side of the substrate travel path when at the first home position and are rotatably movable to a second home position on a second side of the substrate travel path; and
the substrate de-bowing mechanism further includes a stationary card contact member disposed on the second side of the substrate travel path midway along the axial footprint, the stationary card contact member is not movable toward or away from the substrate travel path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a plastic card having a nominal length of 3.370 inches, and the axial footprint is less than about 80 percent of the nominal length.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the system is a desktop card processing machine or a central card issuance system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The substrate processing system of claim 3, wherein the system is a desktop card processing machine.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a print mechanism, and the substrate de-bowing mechanism is downstream of the lamination mechanism.