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:
Dec. 09, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2001
Applicant:
Inventors:
Richard William Eve, Cambridge, GB;
William Ronald Stuart Baxter, Cambridge, GB;
Assignee:
Inca Digital Printers Limited, Cambridge, GB;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
B65B 6/102 ; B65B 2/106 ; B65B 3/530 ; B65B 6/120 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
B65B 6/102 ; B65B 2/106 ; B65B 3/530 ; B65B 6/120 ;
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for producing a mixed batch of consumer products without the use of a mechanical mixer to carry out the mixing. An image sequencing means is provided which sequences images to be printed by a digitally-controlled printhead. Varying images are placed on consumer products or parts thereof—e.g. cigarette cards—as those products or parts of products pass under the printhead at a point in the production line. The consumer products, once assembled, are packaged directly from the production line to form mixed batches of product—without an additional mixing step.