Other

Stahls' Inc.

J. D'addario & Company, Inc.

The Gilman Brothers Company

Seal Products, Inc.

Hunt Holdings, Inc.

Bradford Industries, Inc.

American Ink Jet Corporation

Transfer Express, Inc.

Donald R Dressler

Robert A Gatzen

Paul F Doll

Evan Gilman

Vincent Postemski

Sean Kelly

Cyrus Gilman

A display board has a foam core with elastomeric properties with a first display layer affixed on one side and optionally a second display layer affixed on a second side. The elastic foam core can have a closed cell structure and be made from a thermoplastic. The display layers can be heat welded directly to the respective sides of the core with or without additional use of adhesive or the layers can be attached via adhesive only and not heat. The foam core has a Shore 00 hardness of 20-100.

Semi-rigid display board

A heat activatable adhesive and associated method of use, suitable for permanently bonding any kind of display graphic to any mounting substrate at a temperature setting of 110-130 F in a roll or vacuum press laminator. The preferred adhesive is a combination of polyvinyl acetate ethylene emulsion (VAE) and polyurethane dispersions (PUD), each with very different bonding attributes when considered alone. When the adhesive is on a smooth mounting surface such as a coated foam board or the like for bonding against a smooth coated surface of display item, a multiplicity of micro perforations are provided through the adhesive whereby air between the opposed smooth surfaces can escape into the foam board during lamination. Other aspects include a process for manufacturing a foam board for mounting display items, having a perforated adhesive layer.

Ultra low temperature mounting board

A drumhead tone control device employs an annular configuration of polyester film tightly adhered to the periphery of a drumhead membrane. The annular configuration of the tone control device includes radial and/or circumferential relief. The relieved tone control device disrupts transmission of vibrations reflected from the drumhead membrane/drum shell interface. Disruption of reflected vibrations improves the overall tonal quality of the drumhead while use of a tightly adhered polyester sheet close to the periphery of the drumhead playing surface minimizes undesirable alteration of the attack characteristics and fundamental tone of the drumhead.

Drumhead tone control device

The invention is directed to a roll assembly comprising an elongated, substantially rigid, cylindrical roll; a carrier sheet wrapped around the roll, having an inner edge attached to the roll in parallel with the roll axis and upper and lower surfaces with opposed longitudinal edges extending perpendicularly to the roll axis; and a friction strip extending along each longitudinal edge of the upper surface of the carrier sheet, wherein the coefficient of friction of the strips is greater than the coefficient of friction of the upper surface of the carrier sheet. The carrier sheet attached to the roll is preferable a plastic film made of polyester or polycarbonate having a thickness in the range of 5 to 15 mils. This sheet may be made up of one film sheet or multiple sheets. Soft, tacky, rubber friction strips are attached along the longitudinal edges of the upper surface of the sheet and can be is from approximately &#xbd; inch to 2 inches in width and approximately 10 to 30 mils in thickness running for substantially the entire length of the film carrier sheet.

Device for decurling a sheet of paper taken from a roll

A color ink-jet printer is provided, with one pen for dispensing black ink onto a print medium and at least one pen for dispensing color ink onto a print medium. The pen for dispensing black ink contains a fade resistant dye-based ink and the pen(s) for dispensing color ink(s) contain a pigment-based ink(s). Such a color ink-jet printer provides both superior color gamut with contrast and excellent fade resistance. Since the black ink does not need to be chromatic one can employ fade resistant dyes that do not decrease the lightfastness of the whole ink set. In addition, very soluble fade resistant dyes can be used reliably in high concentrations allowing the black ink to provide more optical density than current pigment-based black inks.

Color ink-jet printer with dye-based black and pigment-based color ink

The invention relates to a hot peel carrier for decorative graphics and lettering applied to a substrate wherein the carrier has a film having opposite surfaces and an adhesive having a peel strength which decreases with increasing temperature, the adhesive being on a surface of the plastic film. The invention also provides a laminate for use in applying graphics to a substrate which incorporates the carrier, methods of using and methods of using the carrier and laminate disclosed herein. The various embodiments disclosed herein incorporating the aforementioned hot peel carrier have significant advantages stemming from the fact that immediate after a graphic is heat applied to a substrate, the adhesive of the carrier has substantially no adhesion to either the substrate or to the heated adhered graphic.

Carrier for decorative graphics and lettering

An externally mounted adjustable damping system for drumhead allows the sound characteristics of a drum to be easily adjusted without disassembly of the instrument. The externally mounted adjustable damping system includes a mounting fixture adhesively attached to the outside surface of a drumhead. The mounting fixture defines an annular channel for receiving damping elements of various materials and configurations. The damping elements may be rings or segments of vibration absorbent material placed to achieve the desired sound pattern from the instrument.

Externally mounted adjustable damping system for drum head

An adhesive coating or layer has a differential height barrier structure deposited on the surface of one or both sides. Consequently, a highly aggressive adhesive formulation can be temporarily neutralized so as not to resist sliding of an item being positioned on the surface, until pressure is deliberately applied. Conversely, the adhesive system can be carried by decorative sheet material for easy application of the sheet material to cover a wall or floor, whereby the sheet can be slid into exact position without 'sticking', before permanent adhesion. The present invention may be implemented by forming an array of discrete surface barrier structures which cover 10-30% of the active surface area of the adhesive. The barrier is preferably formed by an array of minute units of hard material or other discrete structures distributed on the adhesive surface and projecting therefrom by about 0.00025-0.0005 inch.

Nontack pressure activated adhesive

A composite film of two layers, including a graphic color layer containing at least 50 wt % thermoplastic polyurethane, at least 10 wt % pigment, and a polyester elastomer, and an adhesive layer containing a thermoplastic adhesive. The color layer contains a non-blooming internal wax lubricant constituting less than about 0.1 wt % of the color layer. A combination including a laminate of two layers, one layer of which contains a polyurethane and the other layer of which includes an amorphous polyester directly adhered to a fabric, the improvement including the layer which contains a polyurethane, having an opaque exposed surface substantially free of surface lubricants. In a process for extruding polyurethane film, the improvement including mixing no more than about 0.1 wt % of a non-blooming internal wax lubricant in the polyurethane, prior to extrusion.

Process of making polyurethane film

A composite film of two layers, comprising a graphic color layer containing at least 50 wt % thermoplastic polyurethane, at least 10 wt % pigment, and a polyester elastomer, and an adhesive layer containing a thermoplastic adhesive. The color layer contains a non-blooming internal wax lubricant constituting less than about 0.1 wt % of the color layer. A combination comprising a laminate of two layers, one layer of which contains a polyurethane and the other layer of which includes an amorphous polyester directly adhered to a fabric, the improvement comprising said layer which contains a polyurethane, having an opaque exposed surface substantially free of surface lubricants. In a process for extruding polyurethane film, the improvement comprising mixing no more than about 0.1 wt % of a non-blooming internal wax lubricant in the polyurethane, prior to extrusion.

Polyurethane film for heat applied graphics

Stock material comprises a plastic substrate having a thickness in the range of about 0.001 to 0.010 inch and melt temperature above about 275.degree. F., and an adhesive layer carried by the substrate and having a thickness in the range of about 0.001 to 0.006 inch and a melt temperature below about 225.degree. F. The adhesive layer has an exposed, textured surface defining a multiplicity of elongated channels. The stock material is used for working a plastic pouch to laminate a photograph or other document. A top flap is joined to a bottom flap so as to lie congruently thereon and form a pocket for receiving a photograph on the bottom flap and beneath the top flap. The bottom and top flaps each have a substrate side external to the pocket and an adhesive side defining the pocket. The adhesive side of at least the top flap, has a textured surface defining a multiplicity of channels. A carrier for use in laminating a document within a plastic pouch, comprises a bottom flap of release material for receiving the pouch with document and a top flap of release material foldable over the bottom flap. Fixture structure, such as a cut-out, projects from at least one of the flaps, for contacting and applying enhanced pressure to the pouch at the edges of the document.

Photographic pouch lamination

The ink transfer decal comprises a carrier sheet having a dimensionally stable base and a coating on the base defining an upper surface of the carrier sheet. The upper surface has a non-tacky, smooth matte finish at ambient temperature. A film of dried thermoplastic ink having at least one color, is printed directly on and adheres to the upper surface of the carrier sheet to form a reverse image graphic. A deposit of thermoplastic adhesive covers the ink, thereby constituting an ink decal for transferring the reverse image graphic to a substrate.

Ink transfer with hot peel carrier

A novel adhesive web or sheet having a carrier backing and an adhesive layer which can be cut with intricate graphic patterns and peeled to leave a reverse image of the desired graphic, as an adhesive on the carrier backing. The adhesive pattern is then transferred to the display or framing substrate, by the application of relatively low heat and pressure. After transfer, the adhesive pattern is right-reading, and serves as the bonding foundation for the ultimate graphic. A graphic sheet having a decorative upper surface, is placed with its lower surface on the adhesive pattern. Relatively low levels of heat and pressure are applied through the top, or decorative surface, thereby attaching the lower surface of the graphic sheet to the adhesive pattern, but not to the remainder of the framing substrate. After cooling, the graphic sheet is peeled away, leaving behind only that portion which bonded to the adhesive pattern. Thus, the observer sees the desired decorative graphic pattern with a raised surface consisting of a portion of the graphic sheet. Preferably, the carrier backing of the adhesive sheet is a transparent plastic, such as 500-700 gauge polyester film, on which a solution coated layer of adhesive including colorant has been applied. Preferably, the coated adhesive layer is a water-based dispersion of ethylene acrylic acid and urethane.

Method and web for applying graphics to framing substrate

A web (14) and associated method for applying lettering to a fabric substrate (12), having a substantially transparent carrier sheet (16) consisting essentially of a plastic film, or layer (18) of pigmented thermoplastic or thermoset material coated on and peelable from the carrier sheet, and an adhesive layer (20) for bonding the pigmented layer to a water repellant substrate such as nylon. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the pigmented thermoplastic material is polyurethane and the adhesive system is a composite layer of a solvent-based urethane adhesive coating (26) on the pigmented layer and a water-based urethane adhesive coating (28) on the solvent-based adhesive coating. The water-based coating preferably includes cross-linking agents.

Adhesive system for athletic lettering and the like

A web is fabricated by coating at least one layer of thermoplastic material, pigmented polyurethane, onto a transparent polyester plastic film. The resulting web can readily be cut by a computer controlled blade to produce virtually any graphic pattern, including intricate or small letters that may be connected or separated from each other, without penetration of the blade through the carrier sheet. The graphic sheet adheres strongly enough to the carrier sheet, with a peel value in the range of 15-30 ounces, to prevent sliding of the graphic sheet relative to the carrier sheet during cutting, yet permitting release of the carrier sheet after attachment of the graphic by the application of heat and pressure. Thus, the present invention provides an 'adhesive up' type of web for polyurethane graphics, whereby the graphic can be cut and peeled from the web, and the graphic, while still adhered to the carrier sheet, placed against the fabric. The transparent plastic carrier sheet permits exact placement of the graphics on the fabric, e.g., on or relative to a shirt pocket.

Growing community of inventors

Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Donald R Dressler