GB2548541A

GB2548541A - A method of mounting a plaque on a curved surface

Info

Publication number: GB2548541A
Application number: GB1421487.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Morning Daniel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-12-03
Filing date: 2014-12-03
Publication date: 2017-09-27
Also published as: WO2016087623A1; GB201421487D0

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of mounting a plaque on a curved surface, for example the curved surface of an urn 17. The method comprises the steps of providing a plurality of vinyl sheets (3,11) each having a front surface, a rear surface, an adhesive coating on the rear surface thereof and a removable backing sheet (7) protecting the adhesive (9) coating. Thereafter, the method comprises the further steps of: removing the backing sheet from the first vinyl sheet; aligning the rear surface of the first vinyl sheet (3) with the front surface of a second vinyl sheet (11) and sticking the sheets together; printing indicia (5) onto the front surface of the first vinyl sheet; at least partially (and preferably only partially) removing the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet; and sticking the second vinyl sheet onto the curved surface. This is a simple, straightforward, inexpensive and reliable method of applying a plaque to an urn.

Description

“A method of mounting a plaque on a curved surface”

Introduction

This invention relates to a method of mounting a plaque on a curved surface. The present invention is particularly suited towards mounting a plaque on a vase, an urn, a casket or a trophy having a curved surface. For simplicity, the following description of the invention and examples thereof will refer to an urn however it will be understood that the invention equally applies to these other articles.

There are a number of ways of putting a name and/or other information (hereinafter simply referred to as indicia) onto a receptacle with a curved surface such as an urn, all of which require prior training and expertise. For example, it is known to engrave the indicia onto the urn. The urn may contain a deceased person’s ashes and the indicia may include the deceased’s name, date of birth, date of death and other pertinent information. However, engraving requires special machinery and expertise and generally speaking is expensive. A useful alternative to traditional engraved plaques is described in the applicant’s own granted European Patent No. EP1437234 (validated in the United Kingdom). The method and plaques manufactured in accordance with that method are significantly less expensive than traditionally engraved plaques while still providing an aesthetically pleasing product. However, the plaques manufactured in accordance with the techniques described in EP1437234 are not entirely suitable for mounting a plaque on the curved surface of an urn.

Unfortunately, although the plaques manufactured in accordance with the technique described in EP1437234 can be made sufficiently thin and flexible so that they can be bent to suit the curve of the surface upon which they are mounted, there is a tendency for the plaques to come away from the surface of the urn over time, irrespective of the type of glue used. In particular, the sides of the plaque tend to lift away from the surface of the urn. The Applicant has carried out extensive testing using numerous disparate types of glue and thickness of plate and at best the plaque will remain on in a satisfactory condition approximately 50% of the time. As will be readily appreciated, this is unacceptable in the circumstances and leads to excessive wastage.

The applicant herein has tried other ways of placing indicia on a receptacle with a curved surface but all of these have ended with a very poor result both from an aesthetic and a quality view point which is unacceptable given the nature of the contents of the urn. For example, various attempts have been made to place a pre-printed paper sticker onto the urn. Heretofore, these efforts have proven unsuccessful and these practices also generally result in a high percentage of waste materials which renders them expensive.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of mounting a plaque onto a curved surface that overcomes at least some of the problems with the known techniques, that is relatively inexpensive, simple to perform, and offers a useful alternative to the consumer.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a method of mounting a plaque having indicia printed thereon onto a curved surface comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of vinyl sheets, the vinyl sheets having a front surface and a rear surface, an adhesive coating on the rear surface thereof and a removable backing sheet protecting the adhesive coating; and, in sequence removing the backing sheet from a first vinyl sheet, aligning the rear surface of the first vinyl sheet with the front surface of a second vinyl sheet and sticking that first vinyl sheet onto the second vinyl sheet; printing indicia onto the front surface of the first vinyl sheet of the stack of the first and second vinyl sheets; at least partially removing the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet; and sticking the second vinyl sheet onto the curved surface.

By having such a method, the plaque will no longer have a tendency to come away from the surface of the um. At the same time, the use of a plurality of layers of vinyl will provide an aesthetically pleasing product that is simple to construct and apply to the urn and for all intents and purposes will have the same aesthetic characteristics of a plaque manufactured according to an alternative technique. It has been found by the Applicant herein that a single layer of vinyl, typically having a maximum thickness of 130 microns, is very difficult to place onto a curved surface successfully without air bubbles or creases forming between the vinyl and the surface. Furthermore, dust particles and decorative designs on the urn can be seen through the vinyl which is entirely unsatisfactory. It has been found that by using a plurality of vinyl sheets in this manner, these problems are overcome and an aesthetically pleasing and high quality product is provided.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the step of at least partially removing the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet comprises removing a border portion of the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet and leaving a central portion of the backing sheet in situ on the rear surface of the second vinyl sheet. This is seen as a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this way, the plaque will be generally thicker than would otherwise be the case allowing the plaque to be handled with greater ease and giving the plaque a three dimensional appearance when mounted on the urn. Furthermore, by implementing the method as described, there will be less possibility of visible air bubbles forming under the plaque or creases forming in the plaque as it is applied to the urn, thereby simplifying the mounting of the plaque on the urn.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the area of the second vinyl sheet is greater than the area of the other vinyl sheet. This is seen as a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. By providing a second vinyl sheet with a greater area than the first vinyl sheet, the second vinyl sheet can provide a border to the first vinyl sheet, effectively framing the first vinyl sheet. This is achieved without the use of a plastic backing plate.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the method comprises mounting the first vinyl sheet centrally on the second vinyl sheet so that the second vinyl sheet forms an exposed border surrounding the first vinyl sheet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the initial step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet of the plurality of vinyl sheets. This is seen as a useful embodiment of the invention. A pattern that would suitably frame the indicia on the first printed sheet could be placed onto the second vinyl sheet. Alternatively, the indicia on the second printed sheet could be used to provide a guide for correct placement of the first printed vinyl sheet onto the second vinyl sheet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet comprises printing an alignment guide for the first sheet onto the second vinyl sheet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet comprises printing a frame pattern onto the second vinyl sheet around the periphery of the second vinyl sheet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which there is provided a third vinyl sheet, the third vinyl sheet being positioned intermediate the first and second vinyl sheets and in which instead of sticking the first vinyl sheet directly onto the second vinyl sheet, the method comprises the alternative steps of: aligning the exposed rear surface of the first vinyl sheet with the front surface of the third vinyl sheet and sticking the first vinyl sheet onto the third vinyl sheet; and removing the backing sheet from the third vinyl sheet, aligning the rear surface of the third vinyl sheet with the front surface of the second vinyl sheet and sticking that third vinyl sheet onto the second vinyl sheet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the method comprises the steps of combining two or more vinyl sheets together to form a laminate plaque having a thickness of greater than 150 microns and no more than 500 microns. This will allow for printing of the plaque in a standard home printer and will significantly reduce the cost of manufacture of the plaque.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the method comprises the steps of combining two or more vinyl sheets together to form a laminate plaque in which the vinyl sheets each have a thickness of between 60 and 140 microns and the totally thickness of the laminate plaque is no more than 500 microns.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method in which the method comprises the step of combining two vinyl sheets together, each of the vinyl sheets having a thickness of the order of 125 microns.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figures 1(a) to 1(g) are diagrammatic representations of the method of mounting a plaque onto an urn according to the invention;

Figures 2(a) to 2(i) are diagrammatic representations of a second method of mounting a plaque onto an urn according to the invention; and

Figures 3(a) to 3(f) are diagrammatic representations of a third method of mounting a plaque onto an urn according to the invention.

Referring to Figures 1(a) to 1(g), there are shown a number of drawings illustrating the various stages of construction of a plaque manufactured in accordance with the method of the invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. In figure 1(a), a first sheet of vinyl 3 is provided. The first vinyl sheet 3 has an adhesive coating layer on the rear face (not shown) thereof and a removable backing sheet (not shown) protecting the adhesive coating. Referring to Figure 1(b), the removable backing sheet 7 is peeled away from the first vinyl sheet 3 exposing the adhesive layer 9 underneath. The adhesive layer 9 on the rear face of the first vinyl sheet is then brought into contact with the front face of a second vinyl sheet 11 as illustrated in Figure 1(c), thereby joining the first vinyl sheet to the second vinyl sheet as illustrated in Figure 1(d). This is the constructed plaque 1, ready for printing and subsequent placement on an urn.

It is envisaged that these “blanks”, as illustrated in Figure 1(d) will be provided to customers so that customers can subsequently print the plaques on a standard printer in their own premises. The constructed plaque 1 is inserted into a standard printer (not shown) at the customer’s premises and indicia 5 are printed onto the front face of the first vinyl sheet of the constructed plaque, as illustrated in Figure 1(e).The second vinyl sheet 11 is also provided with an adhesive coating layer on the rear face thereof (not shown) and a removable backing sheet (not shown) protecting the adhesive coating. In Figure 1(f), the backing sheet 13 on the second vinyl sheet 11 is removed thereby exposing the adhesive layer 15 underneath. The plaque 1 is thereafter introduced to the curved surface of the urn 17 (as illustrated in Figure 1(g)), care being taken to ensure that no air bubbles are entrapped between the plaque and the urn.

Referring to Figures 2(a) to 2(i), there is shown a number of drawings illustrating an alternative method of mounting a plaque, indicated generally by the reference numeral 21, onto a curved surface, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. In Figure 2(a), the second vinyl sheet 11 is presented to a printer and a border 23 is printed onto the second vinyl sheet, as illustrated in Figure 2(b). In figure 2(c), a first sheet of vinyl 3 is provided. The first vinyl sheet 3 has an adhesive coating layer on the rear face (not shown) thereof and a removable backing sheet (not shown) protecting the adhesive coating.

In Figure 2(d), the removable backing sheet 7 is peeled away from the first vinyl sheet 3 exposing the adhesive layer 9 underneath. The rear face of the first vinyl sheet 3 is then brought into contact with the front face of the pre-printed second vinyl sheet 11 as illustrated in Figure 2(e), thereby joining the first vinyl sheet to the second vinyl sheet as illustrated in Figure 2(f). This is the constructed plaque 21, ready for printing and subsequent placement on an urn (not shown). It can be seen that the surface area of the second vinyl sheet 11 is greater than the surface area of the first vinyl sheet 3. In this way, the second vinyl sheet below will provide a border 23 for the first vinyl sheet.

The constructed plaque 21 is introduced into a standard printer and indicia are printed on the front surface of the first vinyl sheet mounted on top of the second vinyl sheet, as illustrated in Figure 2(g). In Figure 2(h), the backing sheet 13 on the second vinyl sheet 11 is removed thereby exposing the adhesive layer 15 underneath. The plaque 21 is thereafter introduced to the curved surface of the um 17, as shown in Figure 2(i), care being taken to ensure that no air bubbles are entrapped between the plaque and the urn.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2(a) to 2(i), the second vinyl sheet is printed prior to the first vinyl sheet being applied thereto. However, it will be understood that the second and the first vinyl sheet could be printed together at the same time once the first vinyl sheet has been mounted on the second vinyl sheet. Furthermore, in the embodiment described, a pattern is printed onto the second vinyl sheet however a similar effect may be achieved by scoring the upper surface of the second vinyl sheet to provide a frame-effect pattern that surrounds the first vinyl sheet. Preferably, the upper surfaces of the first and second vinyl sheets will have different finishings to accentuate the first vinyl sheet. For example, the first vinyl sheet could be provided with a finishing that provides the appearance of brushed steel or brushed brass whereas the second vinyl sheet may have a contrasting finish such as a polished metal appearance. This will enhance the aesthetic qualities and perceived value of the plaques.

Referring to Figures 3(a) to 3(h), there is shown a number of drawings illustrating another alternative method of mounting a plaque, indicated generally by the reference numeral 31, onto a curved surface, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. The initial steps can be similar to those described in respect of either Figure 1 or Figure 2. In Figure 3(a) a first sheet of vinyl 3 is provided. The first vinyl sheet 3 has an adhesive coating layer on the rear face (not shown) thereof and a removable backing sheet (not shown) protecting the adhesive coating.

Referring to Figure 3(b), the removable backing sheet 7 is peeled away from the first vinyl sheet 3 exposing the adhesive layer 9 underneath. The adhesive layer 9 on the rear face of the first vinyl sheet 3 is then brought into contact with the front face of a second vinyl sheet 11 as illustrated in Figure 3(c), thereby joining the first vinyl sheet to the second vinyl sheet as illustrated in Figure 3(d). This is the constructed plaque 31, ready for printing and subsequent placement on an urn. In Figure 3(e), the constructed plaque has been fed into a printer and indicia 5 have been printed onto the front face of the first vinyl sheet.

Referring to Figure 3(f), there is shown a rear view of the constructed plaque 31. The second vinyl sheets backing sheet 35 is scored so that there is clearly defined an outer circumferential strip 37 and an inner portion 39. The outer strip 37 of the backing sheet is removed in the known manner leaving the inner portion 39 on the second vinyl sheet 33, as illustrated in Figure 3(g). In Figure 3(h), the constructed plaque 31 is brought into engagement with an urn 17.

As only portion of the backing sheet 35 has been removed from the second vinyl sheet, there will be a layer of backing sheet trapped intermediate the second vinyl sheet of the constructed plaque 31 and the urn 17. This central portion will be raised relative to the remaining front surface of the plaque 31. By removing only part of the backing sheet 35 in this manner, the constructed plaque 31 will be easier to mount onto the urn 17 without creases forming in the plaque and without visible air bubbles forming underneath the constructed plaque 31. This is the preferred embodiment of the present invention where part of the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet is left on the rear surface of the second vinyl sheet and by extension on the constructed plaque as it is mounted onto the urn.

The second vinyl sheet 11 is also provided with an adhesive coating layer on the rear face thereof (not shown) and a removable backing sheet (not shown) protecting the adhesive coating. In Figure 3(g), the backing sheet 13 on the second vinyl sheet 11 is removed thereby exposing the adhesive layer 15 underneath. The plaque 31 is thereafter introduced to the curved surface of the urn 17, as shown in Figure 3(h), care being taken to ensure that no air bubbles are entrapped between the plaque and the urn.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, there are two layers of vinyl used. It will be understood that another, third, intermediate layer of vinyl could be provided in order to provide greater depth and structural integrity to the plaque. Similarly, the techniques described in relating to the plaques 21 and 31 could be combined. For example, in the plaque 21 shown in Figure 2(a) to 2(i), a portion of the backing sheet 7 on the second vinyl sheet 3 may be left attached to the second vinyl sheet. Similarly, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the second vinyl sheet could have a larger area than the first vinyl sheet and a border could optionally be printed onto the second vinyl sheet.

In the embodiments shown, the vinyl sheets used typically have a thickness of between 60 and 140 microns each. At least two and in some cases three vinyl sheets or more may be used to construct the plaque. Preferably, the combined thickness of the vinyl sheets will be greater than 150 microns thick and less than 500 microns thick. Ideally, two sheets of the order of 125 microns thick each will be used in the construction of the plaque according to the present invention.

In this specification the terms “comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising” and the terms “include, includes, included and including” are all deemed interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims: (1) A method of mounting a plaque having indicia printed thereon onto a curved surface comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of vinyl sheets, the vinyl sheets having a front surface and a rear surface, an adhesive coating on the rear surface thereof and a removable backing sheet protecting the adhesive coating; and in sequence: removing the backing sheet from a first vinyl sheet, aligning the rear surface of the first vinyl sheet with the front surface of a second vinyl sheet and sticking that first vinyl sheet onto the second vinyl sheet; printing indicia onto the front surface of the first vinyl sheet of the stack of the first and second vinyl sheets; at least partially removing the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet; and sticking the second vinyl sheet onto the curved surface.
(2) A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of at least partially removing the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet comprises removing a border portion of the backing sheet from the second vinyl sheet and leaving a central portion of the backing sheet in situ on the rear surface of the second vinyl sheet.
(3) A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the area of the second vinyl sheet is greater than the area of the other vinyl sheet.
(4) A method as claimed in claim 3 in which the method comprises mounting the first vinyl sheet centrally on the second vinyl sheet so that the second vinyl sheet forms an exposed border surrounding the first vinyl sheet.
(5) A method as claimed in claim 3 or 4 comprising the initial step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet of the plurality of vinyl sheets.
(6) A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet comprises printing an alignment guide for the first sheet onto the second vinyl sheet.
(7) A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6 in which the step of printing indicia onto the front surface of the second vinyl sheet comprises printing a frame pattern onto the second vinyl sheet around the periphery of the second vinyl sheet.
(8) A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which there is provided a third vinyl sheet, the third vinyl sheet being positioned intermediate the first and second vinyl sheets and in which instead of sticking the first vinyl sheet directly onto the second vinyl sheet, the method comprises the alternative intermediate steps of: aligning the exposed rear surface of the first vinyl sheet with the front surface of the third vinyl sheet and sticking the first vinyl sheet onto the third vinyl sheet; and removing the backing sheet from the third vinyl sheet, aligning the rear surface of the third vinyl sheet with the front surface of the second vinyl sheet and sticking that third vinyl sheet onto the second vinyl sheet.
(9) A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the method comprises the steps of combining two or more vinyl sheets together to form a laminate plaque having a thickness of greater than 150 microns and no more than 500 microns.
(10) A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the method comprises the steps of combining two or more vinyl sheets together to form a laminate plaque in which the vinyl sheets each have a thickness of between 60 and 140 microns and the totally thickness of the laminate plaque is no more than 500 microns.
(11) A method as claimed in claim 10 in which the method comprises the step of combining two vinyl sheets together, each of the vinyl sheets having a thickness of the order of 125 microns.
(12) A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.