Items Having Indicia Thereon And Method Of Producing Same

Abstract

Method of addressing and forming envelopes by first printing on one side of alternate perforated sections of fanfolded paper, and then printing on the reverse side of those sections skipped in the first printing. Forming a stack having the printed addresses aligned, and then cutting all the addressed sections into envelope blanks in one diecutting step. Folding and gluing the blanks into addressed envelopes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention pertains to the field of art concerned with forming relatively thin or flat items from a sheet or web of material, such as paper, metal, foil, plastic, textile, cardboard, or any other material which can be bent or folded without severing or parting completely. For example, the invention can be used to form a plurality of design garment patterns, or a plurality of sheet metal products having predetermined embossed or printed indicia and/or shapes thereon.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The closest prior art resides in the envelope addressing and forming field. Such prior art suggests printing addresses on the same side of every section of continuous paper stock, then bursting or slitting the paper, then arranging and aligning the printed section in a stack, and then cutting the envelope blanks. The present invention avoids the necessity of such bursting, slitting, arranging and/or aligning operations, and the attendant labor and equipment therefor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a method of producing items having predetermined indicia and/or predetermined shapes therein, including the step of first feeding a web or sheet of material to an apparatus capable of selectively forming predetermined indicia or shapes at first predetermined locations on a first surface of the web. The next step includes forming predetermined indicia or shapes at the predetermined locations on the first surface of the web. The next step includes feeding the web to an apparatus capable of selectively forming predetermined indicia or shapes at second predetermined locations disposed between the first predetermined locations and on a second surface of the web which is the reverse side of the first surface. The next step includes forming predetermined indicia or shapes at the second predetermined locations on the second surface of the web. The next step includes forming the web zigzag fashion into a stack so that the first and second predetermined locations and the indicia and/or shapes all have substantially identical orientations and face the same direction. The next step includes cutting the stack or sever substantially simultaneously the web into a plurality of the items each having predetermined indicia or shapes thereon.

The invention also provides a sheet or web of material including a first surface having predetermined indicia thereon or predetermined shapes therein at first predetermined locations thereof. The web also includes a second surface having predetermined indicia thereon or predetermined shapes therein at second predetermined locations thereof. The second surface of the web is the reverse side of the first surface. The web is adapted to be formed into a stack wherein the indicia and/or shapes and the first and second predetermined locations all have substantially identical orientations and face the same direction. The web is adapted to be formed into the stack by means of a single fold or bend between adjacent ones of the first and second predetermined locations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a fanfolded stack of paper being fed to a printer for the first printing operation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printed stack of FIG. 1 being fed to a printer for the second printing operation.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the stack after completion of the printing operations of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is perspective view showing the stack of envelope blanks severed from the printed stack of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a template for marking printing location on initial sections of the paper.

FIG. 6 is a view showing guide marks on initial sections of the paper to facilitate alignment of the die cutter with the envelope blank outline.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments are described in connection with a rapid method of computer addressing envelopes before the envelope blank is formed. However, it should be noted that the invention can be readily employed to produce a variety of flat items made of any web, foil or sheet which can be bent or folded without completely severing. For example, the invention can be used to produce metal foil articles having particular repetitive or nonrepetitive embossed shapes and/or indicia thereon.

FIG. 1 shows a fanfolded or zigzag folded stack 11 of paper 12 having uniformly dimensioned sections 13 interconnected by perforated lines 15. Along each edge 17 is a line of tracking holes 19 which mate with the sprockets (not shown) of the tracking mechanism of a high-speed computer printer, indicated by the line labeled 21.

The printer 21 or other apparatus capable of forming predetermined indicia 23 and/or shapes on the web or paper 12 may have an information storage device or be associated with an electronic computer. The information for such shapes or indicia 23, such as a list of different name and addresses, may enter into such storage device or computer by any convenient means, e.g., magnetic tape, operator keyboard, punched cards, disc pack, punched tape, MICR transducer, OCR equipment.

The first printing operation illustrated in FIG. 1 entails printing a different name and address on one side 25 of the paper 12 at a predetermined first location 27 in alternate or every other section, such as sections 13A, 13C, 13E-13U, 13W, 13Y. As the paper 12 emerges from the printer 21, it forms or falls into another stack 29 having section 13A on the bottom and section 13Z on the top of the stack 29, assuming only 26 sections 13 in the continuous paper form.

The top section 13Z of the stack 29 thus formed after the first printing operation, is then fed to the printer 21' (see FIG. 2) for the second printing operation. The printer 21' may be the same apparatus as printer 21, or may be a different or separate apparatus. The paper 12 is now fed so that the printing in the second printing operation occurs in second predetermined locations 31 on the side 33 of the paper 12 opposite to the side 25 printed in the first printing operation.

FIG. 2 shows that the second printing operation prints only on those sections, such as 13B, 13D, 13F-13V, 13X, 13Z, left unprinted by the first printing operation, on the opposite or reverse surface 33 of the paper 12, and with the printed indicia upside down relative to the indicia printed during the first printing operation.

FIG. 3 shows the stack 35 after completion of the second printing operation. In this stack 35 it will be noted that the first and second predetermined locations 27 and 31 are aligned and similarly oriented, and so are the printed indicia 23. Thus, the stack 35 of FIG. 3 is now ready for the die cutting operation to form the envelope blanks 37 from the printed sections. No bursting or slitting of the paper 12 is necessary. Moreover, the stack 35 of FIG. 3 is perfectly aligned and ready for cutting without the need for stack aligning equipment or labor, such as the conventional stack joggler equipment.

FIG. 4 shows the stack 35 of FIG. 3 after having been die cut to form the stack 39 of addressed envelope blanks 37. From this view, it should be evident why it is essential that the printing be placed in the predetermined locations 27 and 31, and that such locations 27 and 31 and the envelope blank contour be carefully positioned relative to the section edges 17.

After the diecutting operation, the stack 39 of addressed blanks 37 may be transferred en masse to conventional envelope blank folding and gluing machinery (not shown) to form the finished addressed envelopes. The inherent alignment of the stacks 35 of FIG. 3 and 4 presents the required oriented and aligned envelope blanks 37 to such envelope converting or folding and gluing machinery.

An optional step is illustrated in FIG. 5 showing a plastic template 41 used to outline by means of a window 43 the predetermined printing location 27 or 31 on the first few sections 13 for each printing run or operation. The template 41 has several stubby pegs 45 or protrusions which fit within the tracking holes 19 to position the template 41 where desired. The resulting printing location outline facilitates aligning the printing apparatus 21 or 21' with the sections 13 to be printed.

Another optional feature is shown in FIG. 6 illustrating a stack 11 of unprinted fanfolded paper 12 having guide marks 47 thereon for aligning the diecutter (not shown) with the desired envelope blank contour. Such guide marks 47 may be formed on some or all of the sections at any time prior to the diecutting operation, and may even be preprinted when paper 12 is manufactured.

The printing apparatus used for the first and second printing operations may be the same apparatus, or two separate apparatus 21 and 21'. When two separate printing apparatus 21 and 21' are used, they may, if desired, be arranged in series to perform the second printing operation immediately after the first printing operation without the necessity of forming an intermediate stack, such as stack 29, after the first printing operation. Such an arrangement would involve feeding the paper strip 12 shown in FIG. 1 directly to the second printing apparatus 21' which should be arranged to perform the second printing operation onto the reverse side 33 thereof and on the sections omitted by the first printing operation. Such an arrangement should result in the printed stack 35 shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with the present invention.

It should be apparent that desired constant or repetitive indicia and/or shapes may be placed on the sheet or web before, during, or after the first and second printing operations. For example, such repetitive, indicia may include the sender's name and address, or the batch style or model number of the items being produced.

The term "envelope" is used throughout this specification and its associated claims in a generic sense to indicate any article to which addresses may be applied, and is intended to include not only mailing envelopes but also cartons, wrappers, business postal cards, and any container which it may be desirable to preaddress or affix predetermined indicia and/or shapes thereto.

The details and sequence of steps performed in carrying out the subject method, as well as the structural details of the web, may obviously be varied within considerable limits without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

I claim

1. A method of producing items having predetermined indicia thereon or predetermined shapes therein, including the steps of:

a. first feeding a web of material to an apparatus capable of selectively forming predetermined indicia or shapes at first predetermined locations on a first surface of said web;

b. forming predetermined indicia or shapes at said first predetermined locations on a first surface of said web;

c. feeding said web to an apparatus capable of selectively forming predetermined indicia or shapes at second predetermined locations disposed between said first predetermined locations and on a surface of said web which is the reverse side of said first surface;

d. forming predetermined indicia or shapes at said second predetermined locations on said second surface of said web;

e. forming said web zigzag fashion into a stack so that said first and second predetermined locations and said indicia or shapes all have substantially identical orientations and face the same direction; and

f. cutting said stack to sever substantially simultaneously said web into a plurality of said items each having predetermined indicia or shapes thereon.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said items are envelopes, said indicia includes different predetermined names and addresses, said stack is die cut to produce a plurality of envelope blanks, and thereafter each envelope blank is formed into an addressed envelope.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein repetitive indicia is formed on said web of material prior to said first feeding operation, said apparatus is part of an electronic computer, and the information for said predetermined indicia is entered into said electronic computer by means of magnetic tape, punched cards, punched tape, disk pack and/or by a keyboard.

4. A method of addressing and forming envelopes, including the steps of:

a. first feeding an elongated sheet of paper, formed of a series of sections interconnected at perforated fold lines, to an apparatus capable of selectively printing different predetermined names and addresses on said sheet;

b. first printing a different predetermined name and address at first predetermined locations on a first surface of said sheet in every other section of said series of sections;

c. feeding said sheet having such printing in every other section to the same said apparatus;

d. printing a different predetermined name and address at second predetermined locations on a second surface of said sheet only in those sections of said series of sections in which said first printing step did not print, said second surface being the reverse side of said first surface of said sheet;

e. forming said perforated sheet into a fanfolded stack having said first and second predetermined printed locations facing the same direction, substantially aligned, and with substantially the same orientation;

f. cutting said stack to form a plurality of envelope blanks; and

g. forming each envelope blank into an addressed envelope.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the information for said different predetermined names and addresses is entered into said apparatus by means of magnetic tape, punched cards, punched tape, disk pack and/or by a keyboard.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said elongated sheet of paper includes a line of tracking apertures along each edge parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sheet, and prior to each of said feeding operations a template having a plurality of protrusions adapted to fit within said tracking apertures is employed to outline on at least the first of said sections of each respective feeding operation said first and second predetermined locations, respectively, so that said apparatus may be aligned with said outline to print said names and addresses within the desired locations.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein said apparatus is an output unit of an electronic computer, and the information for said predetermined names and addresses is stored in said electronic computer prior to said first feeding operation.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein, prior to said first feeding operation, constant indicia is formed on said elongated sheet of paper.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein, prior to said first feeding operation, indicia is formed on one or more of said interconnected sections to facilitate the alignment of an envelope blank cutting die so that said stack cutting operation will be performed accurately.

10. A method according to claim 4, wherein the stack of addressed envelope blanks resulting from said stack cutting operation is transferred en masse to an envelope folding and gluing apparatus which then performs said envelope-forming operation.