Method for engraving solid articles with laser beams and the articles produced

Claim 2

The method claim 1 wherein said cells are conical shaped cells each having a major diameter axis and a minor diameter axis intersecting the center axis point of the cell; said solid surface is a liquid transfer roll; said cells are formed and aligned in the roll in substantially parallel rows perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the roll, and a line drawn through the center axis point of a cell in a row and the central axis point of an adjacent cell in an adjacent row forms an angle of between 0° and 60° with a line drawn parallel to the axis of the roll.

Claim 3

The method of claim 2 wherein the angle is between 30° and 60°.

Claim 4

The method of claim 3 wherein the angle is about 45°.

Claim 5

The method of claim 4 wherein the cells are formed and aligned in the liquid transfer roll in substantially parallel rows perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the roll and positioned such that the length of the non-engraved spacing between two cells in a row along a line containing their major diameter axis is between 1 and 1.3 times the length of the non-engraved space between one of said adjacent cells and a cell in an adjacent row along a line containing the center axis point of the cells.

Claim 6

The method of claim 5 wherein the length of the non-engraved spacing between two cells is a row along a line containing their major diameter axis is substantially equal to the length of the non-engraved space between one of said adjacent cells and a cell in an adjacent row along a line containing the control axis point of the cells.

Claim 7

The method of claim 2 wherein the cells are formed substantially equal distance from each other.

Claim 8

The method of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said groups comprises two pulses.

Claim 9

The method of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said groups comprises three pulses.

Claim 10

The method of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said groups comprising four pulses.

Claim 11

A solid article having on at least a portion of the surface of the article a purality of spaced-apart laser engraved cells each cell defining a substantially oval opening in the surface of the article and having a major diameter and minor diameter intersecting a central axial point, said cells aligned in at least two rows in which a line drawn through the major diameter of the cells in one row is substantially parallel to a line drawn through the major diameter of the cell in an adjacent row; at least a portion of the cells in one row each having its minor diameter axis aligned between the minor diameter axis of two spaced-apart cells in an adjacent row; and wherein the length of the non-engraved spacing between two cells in a row along a line containing their major diameter axis is between about 1 to 1.3 times the length of the non-engraved space between one of said adjacent cells and a cell in an adjacent row along a line containing the center axis points of the cells.

Claim 12

The solid article of claim 11 wherein the solid article is a liquid transfer cylindrical article and the cells are aligned so that a line drawn through the center axis point of a cell in one row and through a center axis point of an adjacent cell in an adjacent row forms an angle of between 0° and 60° with a line drawn parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical article.

Claim 13

The solid article of claim 12 wherein the angle is between 30° and 60°.

Claim 14

The solid article of claim 13 wherein the angle is about 45°.

Claim 15

The solid article of claim 14 wherein the cells are substantially equal distance from each other.

Claim 16

The solid article of claim 12 wherein the length of the non-engraved spacing between two cells in a row along a line containing their major diameter axis is substantially equal to the length of the non-engraved space between one of said cells and an adjacent cell in an adjacent row along a line containing the center axis of the cells.

Claim 17

The solid article of claim 12 wherein the liquid transfer cylindrical roll comprises a substrate made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel and wherein said roll is coated with a material selected from the group consisting of chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and mixtures thereof.