US5229190A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Handleable card and method of manufacture
Assignee: NORTH STAR GRAPHICS Inc
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Filing: 1992-03-09
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Granted: 1993-07-20
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Expires: 2012-03-09
Abstract
Abstract A card (10) and a method of manufacturing handleable cards includes providing front and back sheets (44, 46) of thin, flexible, opaque material, depositing images on such sheets by electrophotographic process to affix toner particles (14, 32) on the sheet surfaces, adding sheets (16, 24) carrying thermal adhesive (18, 22) and a thickening sheet (20), to provide a core, aligning the images front and back on the sheets, laminating the sheets and core under heat and pressure to bond the sheets into an integral structure and then cutting the sheets to define individual cards.
Inventors
- 👤 Vaughn M. Clement
- 👤 Stuart M. Pindell
- 👤 Joseph H. Zilligen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:28
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B29/00; B32B29/002; B32B29/005; B32B7/00; B32B7/04; B32B7/12; B32B38/00; B32B38/14; B32B38/145; B42; B42D; B42D15/00; B42D15/02; B32B2250/00; B32B2250/26; B32B2451/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24851; Y10T428/24868; Y10T428/24893; Y10T428/24901; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
As an article of manufacture, a card comprised of: (a) front and back sheets of opaque material, each of said front and back sheets having an inner and an outer surface, each said outer surface having an image formed by toner particles electrophotographically deposited thereon; (b) at least a further sheet providing a core extending between said inner surfaces of said front and back sheets; and (c) adhesive layers bonding each of said front and back sheets to said further sheet to provide an integral laminar structure of a thickness and stiffness to make the card handleable.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
97 words
As an article of manufacture, a card comprised of: (a) front and back sheets of opaque material, each of said front and back sheets having an inner and an outer surface, each said outer surface having an image formed by toner particles electrophotographically deposited thereon; (b) at least a further sheet providing a core extending between said inner surfaces of said front and back sheets; and (c) adhesive layers bonding each of said front and back sheets to said further sheet to provide an integral laminar structure of a thickness and stiffness to make the card handleable.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said structure is on the order of between 0.008 to on the order of 0.020 inches in thickness.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said front and back sheets are each on the order of from 0.003 to on the order of 0.006 inches in thickness.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said core is on the order of 0.003 to on the order of 0.014 inches in thickness.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said adhesive is a thermal adhesive having a preheated dry state to facilitate alignment between said front and back sheets.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said front and back sheets are laser print paper.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said images are related in content between the front and back sheets.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said toner particles cover an area of at least the front sheet in excess of 50 percent of the surface thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that the said toner particles are of multiple colors to form a color image.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
71 words
The card of claim 1 characterized in that said toner particles are secured to said front and back sheets by the application of heat and pressure thereto and said adhesive layers bond each of said front and back sheets to said further sheet in conjunction with said application of heat and pressure to effect the said bond and fix the toner particles to the surfaces of the front and back sheets.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
174 words
As an article of manufacture, a card comprised of: (a) front and back sheets of opaque material having color images on at least one of said front and back sheets formed by the electrophotographic deposition and fixing of multiple colors of toner particles, (b) a core sheet to provide thickness and stiffness to the card, and (c) thermal adhesive sheets extending between the core sheet and the front and back sheets, the front, back, core and adhesive sheets providing an integral laminar structure with the front, back, core and adhesive sheets permanently bonded together and the toner images rendered handleable by the application of heat and pressure thereto with the front and back sheets having a thickness on the order of between 0.003 and 0.005 inches, the core sheet having a thickness on the order of between 0.003 and 0.005 inches and the adhesive sheets having a thickness on the order of 0.003 and 0.010 inches with overall thickness of the card being on the order of between 0.008 and 0.020 inches in thickness.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
174 words
As an article of manufacture, a card comprised of: (a) front and back sheets of opaque material having color images on at least one of said front and back sheets formed by the electrophotographic deposition and fixing of multiple colors of toner particles, (b) a core sheet to provide thickness and stiffness to the card, and (c) thermal adhesive sheets extending between the core sheet and the front and back sheets, the front, back, core and adhesive sheets providing an integral laminar structure with the front, back, core and adhesive sheets permanently bonded together and the toner images rendered handleable by the application of heat and pressure thereto with the front and back sheets having a thickness on the order of between 0.003 and 0.005 inches, the core sheet having a thickness on the order of between 0.003 and 0.005 inches and the adhesive sheets having a thickness on the order of 0.003 and 0.010 inches with overall thickness of the card being on the order of between 0.008 and 0.020 inches in thickness.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The card of claim 11 further characterized in that the card area is from 2 to 5 inches on a side and 3 to 8 inches in length.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4510225A
Cited
US4988591A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-07-19 | 1997-01-18 | 1997-07-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-07-19 | 2001-01-18 | 2001-07-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-07-19 | 2005-01-18 | 2005-07-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |