Abstract A technique for producing a pre-distorted design format on a printing plate for use in a print transfer system in which an inked design engraved on the plate is picked up by a soft transfer pad and applied to the irregular surface of an article to be decorated, the pad being forced against the surface and conforming thereto to impress the inked design thereon. In this technique, a physical master is created which is an exact replica of the article to be imprinted, the irregular surface of the master being engraved or otherwise prepared to accept ink to define the design which is to appear on the article. The design on the master is inked, and this inked design is picked up by the transfer pad and applied to the regular surface of a proof sheet, whereby the distortion in the design impressed on the proof sheet reflects the distortion introduced by transferring from the irregular to the regular surface. The desin appearing on the proof sheet is engraved on the printing plate to provide a pre-distorted format thereon which, when inked and transferred to the irregular surface of the article, produces an undistorted imprint thereon.
Inventors
👤 Martin Handweiler
👤 George Castanis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number—
JurisdictionUS
Data Sourcegoogle_patents
Last Synchronized2026-10-29 16:12
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41F; B41F17/00; B41F17/001
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
181 words
The technique for producing a pre-distorted design format on a printing plate for use in a print transfer system in which the inked design on the plate is picked up by a conformable transfer pad and impressed on the irregular surface of an article to be imprinted, the pad being forced against the surface and being distorted to conform thereto, said technique comprising the steps of: A. forming a physical master which is an exact replica of the article to be imprinted; B. treating the surface of the master to create a distortion-free design thereon which is capable of accepting ink; C. inking the design on the master; D. picking up the inked design on the master by the transfer pad and pressing the inked transfer pad onto a proof sheet to produce thereon a distorted design whose degree of distortion reflects the transfer process; and E. producing a printing plate having said distorted design thereon whereby when articles are printed by transfer from said printing plate, the design imprinted on said article conforms to the design on said physical master.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
181 words
The technique for producing a pre-distorted design format on a printing plate for use in a print transfer system in which the inked design on the plate is picked up by a conformable transfer pad and impressed on the irregular surface of an article to be imprinted, the pad being forced against the surface and being distorted to conform thereto, said technique comprising the steps of: A. forming a physical master which is an exact replica of the article to be imprinted; B. treating the surface of the master to create a distortion-free design thereon which is capable of accepting ink; C. inking the design on the master; D. picking up the inked design on the master by the transfer pad and pressing the inked transfer pad onto a proof sheet to produce thereon a distorted design whose degree of distortion reflects the transfer process; and E. producing a printing plate having said distorted design thereon whereby when articles are printed by transfer from said printing plate, the design imprinted on said article conforms to the design on said physical master.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The technique as set forth in claim 1, wherein said transfer pad is teat-shaped.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The technique as set forth in claim 1, wherein said article has a dodecahedron formation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The technique as set forth in claim 1, wherein said physical master is fabricated of the same material as said printing plate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The technique as set forth in claim 1, wherein said treatment of the surface of the master involves etching said design thereon to accept ink.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The technique as set forth in claim 1, wherein said treatment of said surface is a lithographic treatment.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A machine for carrying out the technique set forth in claim 1, said machine comprising a jig to support said master, a platform to support said proof sheet, and a transfer mechanism to transfer said pad from the master to said platform.