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Inx International Ink Company

Teh Ming Eric Wu

An apparatus and method for preparing a sheeted substrate with a registered structured image in which a resin coated sheeted substrate is provided in the form of a series of spaced sheets with leading or trailing edges acting as reference positions along with a master web with structured images and registration marks. Reference positions of the series of spaced sheets are aligned with the registration mark on the master web and the master web is nipped to the coated sheeted substrate after which curing energy is applied through the master web to the resin coat while the master web and sheeted substrate are in contact. Then the master web is separated from the sheeted substrate to leave a structured image on the sheeted substrate. Registration between the sheeted substrate and the master web may be maintained by varying the relative speed of the master web and the sheeted substrate through stretching of the master web.

Apparatus and method for adding a registered image on a sheeted substrate

The present invention includes preparing a carrier web with uniformly spaced images and corresponding registration marks at regular intervals, applying an energy curable resin coating to the carrier web either uniformly or in selected spots, providing a master web carrying uniformly spaced impressing images and corresponding registration marks at regular intervals where accurate alignment of the registration marks of the carrier web and the master web is achieved by stretching the master web to align the registration marks. The invention also comprises an apparatus including: (1) sensors which sense the location of the registration marks on the carrier web and the master web; (2) a computer programmed to monitor error signals representing the on-the-fly deviation in the alignment of the master and carrier web registration marks and makes determinations of the amount of stretching that must be applied to the master web in order to bring the registration marks into alignment; and (3) means for achieving the appropriate stretching of the master web to produce the desired alignment. In an alternative embodiment, a carrier web may also be prepared with a registered impressed image but a master drum will be used in lieu of the master web and the carrier web will be stretched as necessary to achieve image alignment.

Method for transferring holographic and other microstructure or refractive images onto a web-carried resin coating in registration with printing on the web

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Shanghai, China

Teh Ming Eric Wu