Abstract: A method of making reflective decals, such as for use on automobile license plates, allows one to utilize conventional reflective face stock, yet in a mechanized and efficient manner affix a decal to a carrier for mailing. A standard web of reflective face stock, adhesive, and first liner is coated with a second adhesive layer (on the first liner) and a second liner is applied. The web is printed and dried, as with UV ink and by UV drying. Sequential numbers can be applied by printing, as can an expiration year, etc. The web is then die cut to separate a matrix containing reflective stock, first adhesive, first liner, and second adhesive, from surrounding printed decals, the decals spaced from each other and connected by the second liner (e.g., 1.5 mil silicone coated polyester).

Abstract: The pharmacy label comprises top and bottom stock faces having pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release liner along one side. The labels are supplied in sheet form for passing through a printer and have die cut areas to provide a reduced width portion in the top face. The bottom face includes cold spot carbon for transferring an image. After printing, the individual labels can be separated from the sheet and the release liner pulled away from the top part and a portion of the bottom part down to a perforation line, exposing adhesive on the bottom part for application of the label to a container.

Abstract: A quick change cassette hole punch unit for punching business forms allows the punch cylinder to be changed in a simple and effective manner. The cassette includes a frame having side members and a top member, and an anvil cylinder mounted on an anvil shaft for rotation about an axis stationary with respect to the frame, and a drive gear also mounted on the anvil shaft. A punch cylinder shaft is mounted on bearing assemblies for reciprocal movement with respect to the frame side members upon rotation of a screw shaft associated with each bearing assembly. The punch cylinder shaft can be disconnected from one of the bearing assemblies, slit with respect to the bearing assemblies to expose a free end, and the punch cylinder mounted on the punch cylinder shaft moved off the free end and replaced. All associated drive gear for the punch cylinder shaft is also replaced at the same time.

Abstract: A law tag for mattresses or other bedding is made from a substrate of laser compatible and printable uniform material stock having sufficient tear resistance to comply with requirements for a law tag on bedding, automatic sewing machine sewability, press printability, and perfability. Law tag indicia is printed on the substrate with heat resistant ink, dried, subjected to static elimination, and then perfed, cut into sheets, and sent to a customer to be laser printed. Contents indicia laser printing is applied to the substrate at the customer's facilities. The sheets are torn along the perfs, bar codes on work tabs separated from the sheets are scanned, and the law tags are sewed to mattresses.

Abstract: A roll of shingled, distinct linerless labels is produced by forming a plurality of the distinct labels (each having a substrate, a release coated first face, and a pressure sensitive adhesive coated second face) by transporting a web at a first speed, automatically severing distinct labels from the web, and after severing accelerating the labels to a second, faster, speed so that the labels are conveyed separated and distinct from each other in a first direction. Using a standard rewind the linerless labels are taken up on a formed roll of shingled linerless labels by rotating the roll with an initial tangential velocity component in the first direction at a third speed, slower than the first speed, so that the distinct labels overlap with the second face of each newly added label engaging the first face of at least one label already on the formed roll. The roll shaft is mounted on at least one articulating arm.

Abstract: A linerless label and method of production thereof are provided which result in a fully utilizable thermal transfer linerless label. A substrate of label material has first and second faces each having first and second substantially parallel first and second edges, and a coating of thermal transfer material substantially completely covers the first face. First and second adhesive release material patterns, such as strips of UV curable silicone, are disposed substantially along the first and second edges of the first face, and first and second adhesive patterns, such as strips of a permanent hot melt adhesive, are disposed substantially along the first and second edges of the second face in alignment with the silicone strips, the patterns covering less than fifty percent of the label faces. The width of the adhesive strips are less than the silicone strips.

Abstract: A label assembly includes a string of a plurality of non-quadrate (e.g., circular) linerless labels disposed in-line with at least one tie about 0.018-0.030 inches in width connecting consecutive labels in the string together. Each label has a first face with adhesive release material and a second face with pressure sensitive adhesive. The string may be in roll form and taken off the roll and run through a burster for bursting the ties between the labels. The labels may initially also be tied to a matrix from which the string labels is continuously separated. The burster may include high and low speed rolls with a non-stick surface between them and a bursting blade above the non-stick surface. Downstream of the high speed rolls is a sensor, and a mechanism for applying the separated linerless labels to a surface, such as a reciprocating plunger, air blast nozzles, a vacuum cylinder, or a conveyor belt.

Abstract: A stuffed mailing envelope is formed from webs of paper. A plurality of insert sheets are constructed from webs of insert paper by variably imaging the insert webs, and then intelligently aligning them and cutting them into aligned sheets, and then folding the aligned sheets to produce a formed insert. A plurality of interconnected envelope blanks are formed from an envelope web of paper, and a plurality of insert sheets (including the formed insert) are collected and placed on each of the envelope blanks while they are interconnected in web form. Then, while conveying the interconnected envelope blanks in web form, the blanks are severed from each other and are formed around the inserts to produce a final mailing envelope containing a plurality of insert sheets. The envelope blank typically has two parallel minor flaps and two parallel major flaps.

Abstract: A linerless pressure sensitive adhesive label comprising a substrate, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer coated onto at least a portion of one side of the substrate, and a continuous protective layer of polyethylene or amide wax substantially overcoating the pressure sensitive adhesive, thereby masking the tackiness of the substrate. Also included is a method of making a linerless pressure sensitive adhesive label comprising the steps of applying a pressure sensitive adhesive to one side of a substrate, and applying a continuous polyethylene or amide wax protective layer substantially over the pressure sensitive adhesive, thereby masking the tackiness of the substrate. Also disclosed is a method of using the linerless pressure sensitive adhesive label comprising the steps of at least partially removing the protective layer to thereby expose the pressure sensitive adhesive and subsequently affixing the label to a surface.

Abstract: Electrically conductive magnetic toner is supplied to an electrostatic printing apparatus by dispensing it pneumatically from one of two different toner bottles mounted on dispenser blocks. The toner passes through a chute into a container having an air previous, toner impervious, bottom. The toner particles are fluidized in the container, and come into contact with the rotating surface of an applicator roller having interior magnets, and the amount of toner which stays on the applicator roller surface is controlled in part by rotating the surface past a metering blade. To periodically declump the toner, a mechanical element is depressed which reverses the direction of the applicator roller, and brings a scraper blade into contact with the surface of the applicator roller, and applies a high level of vacuum to remove scraped off toner.

Abstract: For large users of business forms having multiple use locations, a system and method are provided for eliminating or minimizing warehousing of pre-printed (paper) forms, minimizing the number of paper forms necessary, eliminating or minimizing redundant entry and processing of data, and minimizing forms distribution costs. The forms are designed at a central location, forms automation platform, and any form can be created in a number of different printer formats. The forms may be stored in display images. A central library facility functions as a central respository for business forms in electronic format, which have been transmitted from the forms automation platform. The forms are distributed to specified use locations by the central library depending upon the needs of the various use locations. Forms may be printed directly at a use location, or at a manufacturing facility remote from the use location and then subsequently delivered to the use location.

Abstract: A system and method for the electronic design, storage, and distribution of business forms maximizes all of these functions, utilizing a forms automation platform and a central library facility. The forms automation platform includes customer profile, form profile, form field description, and distribution information files each having a unique customer identifier, and typically also having a unique form identifier, and including detailed information about each form. The central library facility includes customer profile, geographic profile, printer profile, distribution data, form profile, and form output format files; again unique customer identifiers, as well as specific form identifiers, are provided. Forms are automatically distributed by the central library facility to end user sites, at which remote computers are located, by polling for forms to be released, establishing a session with the end users to which release is to be made, and then electronically transferring the forms.

Abstract: The cart includes a cart body tiltable relative to a base mounted on casters. A locking device for maintaining the cart body in selected tilted position relative to the base includes an actuator having a cam surface and a pin biased into a locking position by a spring having a cam follower surface. By displacing the actuator, the cam displaces the pin from an opening in a locking plate carried by the cart body to enable tilting movement of the cart body relative to the base. By displacing the actuator in the opposite direction, the bias of the spring moves the pin into an opening in the locking plate, locking the cart body in a selected angular position relative to the base.

Abstract: A thermal printer prints linerless labels in such a way that printer components will not stick to the adhesive face of linerless labels. Substantially stationary printer components, such as a label guide, transport plate, front panel, and stripper blade, preferably have the adhesive face engaging surfaces thereof plasma coated so that adhesive will not stick to them. An optional cutter provided downstream of the stripper blade also has plasma coated surfaces. A driven platen roller has a surface thereof coated with or covered by a high release silicone, which will not stick to the adhesive, but has high friction characteristics to facilitate drive of the labels. In a direct thermal printer, a plasma coated tear off surface is downstream of the driven platen roller, and stripper belts, a second roller with O-rings, and the like are provided to prevent the labels from wrapping around the driven platen roller.

Abstract: An adsorbent material is mounted on a nozzle plate of an ink jet printer to collect extraneous ink and particles that might otherwise clog the nozzle orifices of the printer. In ink jet printers, ink droplets are propelled from an array of orifices in a nozzle plate in the printer head. During the ink droplet ejection, ink is sprayed or deposited around the orifices. The ink droplets are deposited on a paper web adjacent the nozzle and mist from the droplets drifts back to coat the face of the nozzle plate. This ink coating attracts particles that tend to clog the nozzle orifices. By locating an adsorbent material in close proximity to the nozzle orifice array, the material adsorbs and removes ink coating the nozzle plate before the ink clogs the orifices of the nozzle. A thread is an example of an adsorbent material. The thread slides in a groove across the face of the nozzle plate to draw off the ink coating and particles on the nozzle plate.

Abstract: During the feeding of offset continuous collated business form webs to the slow rollers of a burster, it is important to insure that the top web properly passes through the slow roll section. By providing a number of puller wheels having aluminum cores and sawtooth rubber coverings atop conveyor belts passing over crowned pulleys which are oversped relative to the web speed, proper feed to the burster is provided. Form deflecting fingers extending from the puller wheels to the burster also help. In order to prevent the conveyor belts from running off the crowned pulleys an aligner is provided which has a number of vertical dowel pins with plastic sleeves covering and rotatable with respect to the dowel pins, disposed on each side of a conveyor belt associated with a crowned pulley and puller wheel. The aligner is provided immediately upstream of a rubber covered drive roll for the conveyor belts.

Abstract: A C-fold mailer comprises first, second and third panels foldable about a first foldline with the first and second panels in registration one with the other and a second foldline with the third panel overlying the back side of the first panel. Lines of cohesive are formed along the lateral margins and the first foldline of the first and second panels to adhere the panels one to the other, forming a return envelope. The first panel has a return flap with rewettable adhesive. A third panel has segments of cohesive adjacent its distal edge for registration and adherence to corresponding segments of adhesive.

Abstract: Linerless label stock is produced from a single substrate utilizing a coating machine by moving the substrate through the coating machine and applying a tie coating to the substrate first face, a release coating to the substrate second face, and a pressure sensitive adhesive to the tie coating. The tie coating comprises a dispersion of a pigment, such as silica, with a binder, such as polyvinyl alcohol. The substrate is cut to form individual labels, and is rolled up into a roll with the release coated second face on the outside of the roll. Printing may be applied to the substrate prior to coating, or to the release coating.

Abstract: It is possible to determine whether the correct business form parts have been properly provided in an outgoing package (e.g., mailing envelope) containing a plurality of parts, utilizing a magnetic detector capable of detecting magnetic toner within the package. Dense patterns of magnetic toner are imaged on portions of each of the business form parts, located at different positions on different parts. Then the parts are formed into a package (as by folding about fold lines into a self-contained mailer, or inserting into a mailing envelope), and the package is moved with respect to a magnetic detector. The magnetic detector senses the dense magnetic toner patterns within the package to determine whether all the correct parts are properly in the package by determining whether all business form parts in the package have the detectable magnetic toner indicia patterns on the predetermined portions.

Abstract: Polyamide microcapsules are reacted with an isocyanate emulsion to reduce microcapsule yellowing and decrease microcapsule permeability when used in carbonless copying systems. The isocyanate reacts with the surface of the polyamide shell to close discontinuities in the shell and improve impermeability. The isocyanate also reacts with free amines in the capsule slurry to reduce the presence of free amines that cause yellowing.