The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 22, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 21, 1998
Joseph W Stempien, Newington, CT (US);
Gerber Scientific Products, Inc., Manchester, CT (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for making a graphic product from a layer of sheet material on a carrier sheet uses stored machine readable data describing the periphery of the graphic product to cut and remove the product from the carrier sheet. The apparatus includes a feeding mechanism for feeding the layer of sheet material and a bonding web adjacent a thermal heating head. The thermal heating head has individual heating elements that are selectively energized to heat the bonding web throughout a patterned heat application area which overlies the portion of the sheet material corresponding to the weed or the graphic product designated for removal. The portion of the layer of sheet material secured to the bonding web is then separated from the carrier sheet. The apparatus can also be used to apply an adhesive inhibitor to one portion of the sheet material so that another portion can be removed with a conventional adhesive transfer web.