Patent US3638564A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3638564A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for silk screening a pattern on an underlying substrate
Assignee: PPG Industries Inc
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Filing: 1970-12-19
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Granted: 1972-02-01
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Expires: 1990-12-19
Abstract
Abstract An elongated worktable has an endless foraminous conveyor belt with an upper conveying run supported on the tabletop surface. The worktable has an orienting station and a coating station. A glass sheet is conveyed by the conveyor belt to the orienting station where a pair of edge engaging members and a pair of end engaging members engage the glass sheet and orient the glass sheet longitudinally and laterally on the conveyor belt. A positive air pressure is applied upwardly through the conveyor belt to urge the glass sheet away from the upper surface of the conveyor belt while the engaging members are orienting the sheet. After the sheet is oriented, the positive upwardly flowing air pressure is stopped and a suction is applied to the conveyor belt to engage the oriented sheet to the upper conveying run of the belt. The conveyor belt, with the glass sheet engaged thereto, is moved a precise measured distance along the work table to the coating station. A silk screen with a predetermined pattern thereon is lowered onto the upper surface of the oriented glass sheet after the upper surface of the silk screen has been flooded with a coating material. A wiper is moved across the upper surface of the silk screen and coating material is forced therethrough onto the upper surface of the glass sheet. While the sheet is being coated, it remains oriented and engaged to the conveyor belt by suction. After the sheet is coated, the silk screen is raised and the coated glass sheet is conveyed along the table while the upper surface of the silk screen is again flooded with coating material.
Inventors
- 👤 Bernard H Prange
- 👤 Dean W Gintert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 05:52
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G49/00; B65G49/05; B65G49/06; B65G49/063; B65G49/064; B41; B41F; B41F15/00; C; C03; C03C; C03C17/00; B65G2249/00; B65G2249/04; C03B; C03B2225/00; C03B2225/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
383 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a flat, fragile substrate comprising, an elongated worktable having a work orienting station and a coating station disposed in longitudinally spaced relation along said worktable, an endless, foraminous conveyor belt having an upper conveying run positioned on the upper surface of said worktable and extending longitudinally through said work orienting station and said coating station, orienting means positioned adjacent to said orienting station, said orienting means arranged to engage said substrate and position said substrate at a preselected location on the upper surface of said endless conveyor belt upper conveying run, said orienting means comprising a first pair of engaging members reciprocally movable relative to said worktable toward and away from each other, said first pair of engaging members operable to engage the side edge portions of said substrate and orient said substrate relative to the longitudinal axis of said worktable, a second pair of engaging members movable reciprocally relative to said worktable toward and away from each other, said second pair of engaging members operable to engage the end portions of said substrate and orient said substrate relative to a transverse axis of said worktable, positive air pressure means positioned below said table and operable to blast air through said upper run of said foraminous conveyor belt to provide a cushion of air between said substrate and said conveyor belt at said orienting station when said engaging members engage said edge and end portions of said substrate, engaging means to engage said substrate to a portion of said conveyor belt upper conveying run so that said substrate moves with said endless conveyor belt conveying run on said worktable, said engaging means including suction means positioned below said worktable and operable to apply suction through said upper run to engage said substrate to said conveyor belt after said substrate is oriented relative to said conveyor belt at said preselected location on said upper surface, means to move said endless conveyor belt a preselected distance along said worktable while said suction means is operating so that said substrate engaged to a portion of said endless conveyor belt is moved to a preselected locaTion at said coating station, and means to apply a pattern of coating material onto the upper surface of said oriented substrate at said coating station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
383 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a flat, fragile substrate comprising, an elongated worktable having a work orienting station and a coating station disposed in longitudinally spaced relation along said worktable, an endless, foraminous conveyor belt having an upper conveying run positioned on the upper surface of said worktable and extending longitudinally through said work orienting station and said coating station, orienting means positioned adjacent to said orienting station, said orienting means arranged to engage said substrate and position said substrate at a preselected location on the upper surface of said endless conveyor belt upper conveying run, said orienting means comprising a first pair of engaging members reciprocally movable relative to said worktable toward and away from each other, said first pair of engaging members operable to engage the side edge portions of said substrate and orient said substrate relative to the longitudinal axis of said worktable, a second pair of engaging members movable reciprocally relative to said worktable toward and away from each other, said second pair of engaging members operable to engage the end portions of said substrate and orient said substrate relative to a transverse axis of said worktable, positive air pressure means positioned below said table and operable to blast air through said upper run of said foraminous conveyor belt to provide a cushion of air between said substrate and said conveyor belt at said orienting station when said engaging members engage said edge and end portions of said substrate, engaging means to engage said substrate to a portion of said conveyor belt upper conveying run so that said substrate moves with said endless conveyor belt conveying run on said worktable, said engaging means including suction means positioned below said worktable and operable to apply suction through said upper run to engage said substrate to said conveyor belt after said substrate is oriented relative to said conveyor belt at said preselected location on said upper surface, means to move said endless conveyor belt a preselected distance along said worktable while said suction means is operating so that said substrate engaged to a portion of said endless conveyor belt is moved to a preselected locaTion at said coating station, and means to apply a pattern of coating material onto the upper surface of said oriented substrate at said coating station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate as set forth in claim 1 in which said means to apply a pattern of coating material to said substrate includes, a silk screen positioned above said worktable at said coating station, positioning means to move said silk screen into overlying oriented position with said substrate therebelow, and reciprocating means to apply a quantity of coating material through said silk screen in a preselected pattern onto the upper surface of said substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate as set forth in claim 2 in which said positioning means to move said silk screen into overlying relation with a substrate positioned therebelow includes, means to first lift one end of said silk screen from said substrate to strip said silk screen from said substrate and prevent damage to the applied coating on said substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
68 words
Apparatus as in claim 1, for applying a pattern on a nonrectangular substrate wherein at least one of said pairs of engaging members comprises means to move said latter engaging members in synchronism and means to pivotally adjust the orientation of said engaging members relative to said means for moving said members in synchronism to orient said engaging members parallel to the orientation desired for said engaged portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
295 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate which includes, an elongated worktable having a work orienting station and a coating station, an endless conveyor belt having an upper conveying run positioned on the upper surface of said worktable, orienting means positioned adjacent to said orienting station, said orienting means arranged to engage said substrate and position said substrate at a preselected location on the upper surface of said endless conveyor belt upper conveying run, engaging means to engage said substrate to a portion of said conveyor belt upper conveying run so that said substrate moves with said endless conveyor belt conveying run on said worktable, means to move said endless conveyor belt a preselected distance along said worktable so that said substrate engaged to a portion of said endless conveyor belt is moved to a preselected location at said coating station, and means to apply a pattern of coating material onto the upper surface of said oriented substrate at said coating station, a pair of vertical support members on opposite sides of said table at said orienting station, said vertical support members extending upwardly above said conveyor belt conveying run, a horizontal guide member secured to said vertical support members and extending across said elongated worktable above said conveyor belt conveying run, a pair of side edge engaging members each secured to one of said vertical support members and supported on said horizontal guide member for reciprocal movement toward and away from each other, and means associated with both of said side edge engaging members arranged to limit movement of said side edge engaging members toward each other to thereby orient a substrate longitudinally on said conveyor belt by engaging the side edges of said substrate with said pair of side edge engaging members.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
295 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate which includes, an elongated worktable having a work orienting station and a coating station, an endless conveyor belt having an upper conveying run positioned on the upper surface of said worktable, orienting means positioned adjacent to said orienting station, said orienting means arranged to engage said substrate and position said substrate at a preselected location on the upper surface of said endless conveyor belt upper conveying run, engaging means to engage said substrate to a portion of said conveyor belt upper conveying run so that said substrate moves with said endless conveyor belt conveying run on said worktable, means to move said endless conveyor belt a preselected distance along said worktable so that said substrate engaged to a portion of said endless conveyor belt is moved to a preselected location at said coating station, and means to apply a pattern of coating material onto the upper surface of said oriented substrate at said coating station, a pair of vertical support members on opposite sides of said table at said orienting station, said vertical support members extending upwardly above said conveyor belt conveying run, a horizontal guide member secured to said vertical support members and extending across said elongated worktable above said conveyor belt conveying run, a pair of side edge engaging members each secured to one of said vertical support members and supported on said horizontal guide member for reciprocal movement toward and away from each other, and means associated with both of said side edge engaging members arranged to limit movement of said side edge engaging members toward each other to thereby orient a substrate longitudinally on said conveyor belt by engaging the side edges of said substrate with said pair of side edge engaging members.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
110 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate as set forth in claim 5 which includes, a pair of spaced transverse support members extending transversely across said worktable at a location above said conveyor belt conveying run, a pair of end engaging members each supported on one of said support members and facing toward each other, said end engaging members including means to reciprocate portions thereof toward and away from each other, and means to limit movement of said end engaging members toward each other to thereby orient a substrate transversely on said conveyor belt by engaging tHe end portions of said substrate with said pair of end engaging members.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
60 words
Apparatus for applying a pattern onto a substrate as set forth in claim 6 which includes, means to rotate said transverse support members and move said end engaging members upwardly above said conveyor belt and said substrate positioned thereon to provide clearance for said substrate while being conveyed on said conveyor belt from said orienting station to said coating station.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
249 words
A method of silk screening a pattern onto a flat, fragile substrate comprising, transporting a substrate on a surface of an endless, foraminous, conveyor belt to an orienting station on a worktable, orienting said substrate on said conveyor belt at said orienting station by directly engaging opposite edge portions of said substrate with pairs of alignment members movable toward one another, applying a positive air pressure upwardly through said conveyor belt at said orienting station and urging said substrate away from the surface of said conveyor belt while orienting said substrate in a desired oriented position relative to said conveyor belt, applying a suction through said conveyor belt at said orienting station after said substrate has been oriented on said conveyor belt to thereby engage said substrate to said conveyor belt, removing said alignment members, conveying said substrate in an oriented position on said conveyor belt a preselected distance on the worktable to a coating station, maintaining said suction through said conveyor belt between said orienting station and said coating station to thereby maintain said substrate in said desired oriented position on said conveyor belt while said substrate is conveyed from said orienting station to said coating station with said alignment members out of engagement with said edge portions, applying a pattern onto the upper surface of said substrate while maintaining said substrate in said oriented position on said conveyor belt at said coating station, and conveying said substrate away from said coating station on said endless conveyor belt.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
249 words
A method of silk screening a pattern onto a flat, fragile substrate comprising, transporting a substrate on a surface of an endless, foraminous, conveyor belt to an orienting station on a worktable, orienting said substrate on said conveyor belt at said orienting station by directly engaging opposite edge portions of said substrate with pairs of alignment members movable toward one another, applying a positive air pressure upwardly through said conveyor belt at said orienting station and urging said substrate away from the surface of said conveyor belt while orienting said substrate in a desired oriented position relative to said conveyor belt, applying a suction through said conveyor belt at said orienting station after said substrate has been oriented on said conveyor belt to thereby engage said substrate to said conveyor belt, removing said alignment members, conveying said substrate in an oriented position on said conveyor belt a preselected distance on the worktable to a coating station, maintaining said suction through said conveyor belt between said orienting station and said coating station to thereby maintain said substrate in said desired oriented position on said conveyor belt while said substrate is conveyed from said orienting station to said coating station with said alignment members out of engagement with said edge portions, applying a pattern onto the upper surface of said substrate while maintaining said substrate in said oriented position on said conveyor belt at said coating station, and conveying said substrate away from said coating station on said endless conveyor belt.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method of silk screening a pattern onto a substrate as in claim 8 wherein said substrate is oriented and aligned with respect to its geographical center at said orienting station.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method of silk screening a pattern onto a substrate of nonrectangular outline as in claim 8, further including the step of orienting said alignment members to be parallel to the desired orientation of the respective edge and end portions of the substrate they engage during said orienting before engaging said substrate edge and end portions.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-01-31 | 1975-08-02 | 1976-02-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-01-31 | 1979-08-02 | 1980-02-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-01-31 | 1983-08-02 | 1984-02-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |