U.S. patent application number 14/446383 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-13 for methods, systems and packaging for engraving products.
This patent application is currently assigned to Vistaprint Schweiz GmbH. The applicant listed for this patent is VISTAPRINT SCHWEIZ GmbH. Invention is credited to Marcel Gerber, Mark Hodak, John C. Marcos, Edwin Sanders.
Application Number | 20140332543 14/446383 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44629394 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140332543 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marcos; John C. ; et
al. |
November 13, 2014 |
METHODS, SYSTEMS AND PACKAGING FOR ENGRAVING PRODUCTS
Abstract
Engraving an article of manufacture by receiving the article of
manufacture contained in packaging having a removable portion which
covers a targeted engraving area of the article contained therein,
removing the removable portion of the packaging to expose the
targeted engraving area of the article of manufacture for engraving
the exposed targeted engraving area of the article of
manufacture.
Inventors: |
Marcos; John C.; (Belmont,
MA) ; Gerber; Marcel; (Zurich, CH) ; Sanders;
Edwin; (Eindhoven, NL) ; Hodak; Mark;
(Windsor, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VISTAPRINT SCHWEIZ GmbH |
Winterthur |
|
CH |
|
|
Assignee: |
Vistaprint Schweiz GmbH
Winterthur
CH
|
Family ID: |
44629394 |
Appl. No.: |
14/446383 |
Filed: |
July 30, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12834873 |
Jul 12, 2010 |
8820201 |
|
|
14446383 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/676 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 17/404 20180101;
Y10T 83/04 20150401; Y10T 83/0304 20150401; B65D 5/4204 20130101;
Y10T 409/30112 20150115; B44C 1/228 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/676 |
International
Class: |
B65D 17/00 20060101
B65D017/00 |
Claims
1. A package containing an article of manufacture having a target
engraving area, comprising: a body which holds the article of
manufacture therein; a removable portion formed tenuously integral
to the body of the packaging at one or more tenuous junctions, the
removable cover configured to separate from the body upon
application of force to at least one of the tenuous junctions to
reveal a targeted engraving area of the article of manufacture
contained within the packaging.
2. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more
tenuous junctions comprises perforation.
3. The package of claim 1, wherein the removable cover comprises a
tab, the tab configured to be pulled to thereby apply the force at
the at least one of the tenuous junctions to separate the removable
cover from the body.
4. The package of claim 1, wherein the removable cover comprises a
recess, the recess configured to allow the removable cover to be
gripped and pulled to thereby apply the force at the at least one
of the tenuous junctions to separate the removable cover from the
body.
5. The package of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a recess, the
recess configured to allow the removable cover to be gripped and
pulled to thereby apply the force at the at least one of the
tenuous junctions to separate the removable cover from the
body.
6. The package of claim 1, wherein the removable cover comprises
identical dimensions to the targeted engraving area of the article
of manufacture.
7. A package for holding an article of manufacture, comprising: a
body configured to hold an article of manufacture having a targeted
engraving area; a removable cover formed tenuously integral to the
body at one or more tenuous junctions, the removable cover
configured to cover the targeted engraving area of the article of
manufacture when the article of manufacture is held within the body
of the package and to separate from the body upon application of
force to at least one of the tenuous junctions to reveal the
targeted engraving area of the article of manufacture when the
article of manufacture is held within the body of the package.
8. The package of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more
tenuous junctions comprises perforation.
9. The package of claim 7, wherein the removable cover comprises a
tab, the tab configured to be pulled to thereby apply the force at
the at least one of the tenuous junctions to separate the removable
cover from the body.
10. The package of claim 7, wherein the removable cover comprises a
recess, the recess configured to allow the removable cover to be
gripped and pulled to thereby apply the force at the at least one
of the tenuous junctions to separate the removable cover from the
body.
11. The package of claim 7, wherein the body comprises a recess,
the recess configured to allow the removable cover to be gripped
and pulled to thereby apply the force at the at least one of the
tenuous junctions to separate the removable cover from the
body.
12. The package of claim 7, wherein the removable cover comprises
identical dimensions to the targeted engraving area of the article
of manufacture.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/834,873, filed on Jul. 12, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. ______,
which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to engraving
articles of manufacture, and more particularly to techniques for
simultaneously mass producing engraved articles of manufacture with
potentially different customized engraved patterns.
[0003] Mechanical engraving is the traditional way to produce
engraved articles, and involves the removal of material from the
substrate through mechanical means such as precision drilling and
grinding. With mechanical engraving machines, it is possible to
achieve very precise high-resolution engravings with a substantial
range of depth to result in an engraving having an
ascetically-pleasing appearance.
[0004] Use of a laser is another technique for engraving articles.
Laser engraving involves modification of the optical appearance of
the surface of the article by a laser beam, for example through
ablation of material and/or removal of some of a surface layer.
Other types of laser marking include carbonization (slight burning)
for substrates such as paper, cardboard, wood, or polymers,
transformation (e.g. bleaching) of pigments (industrial laser
additives) in a plastic material substrate, expansion of a polymer,
if e.g. some additive is evaporated, and generation in the
substrate of surface structures such as small bubbles. The ability
of a laser to mark a surface and the quality of the marking depends
on multiple factors, including the wavelength of the laser, the
power of the laser, and the material being marked.
[0005] Many types of articles are engraved. For example, businesses
will often engrave pens, plaques, business card holders, and other
promotional items with information such as the name of a business
or a marketing or other type message. The types of articles and
reasons for engraving such articles are numerous. However, one
common factor in the engraving industry is that the article being
engraved is not typically manufactured by the entity doing the
engraving. More typically, articles are manufactured by a first
entity (e.g., a first company or business), ordered by a second
entity (e.g., a second company or business), and engraved by either
the second entity or yet a third entity (e.g., a third company or
business).
[0006] For the general consuming public, engraving a product is
often considered a luxury due to the extra care, time and expense
involved and the added manufacturing step of performing the
engraving. Accordingly, engraving an item may be reserved for
special occasions or important events or distinctions. Furthermore,
engraving machines have heretofore been directed at engraving a
single article of manufacture at a time. For this reason, orders
for customized engraved articles of manufacture are typically
short-run (for example, 1 to less than 5000) manufacturing jobs and
don't lend themselves to mass-production of multiple different
engraving jobs.
[0007] It would be desirable to have systems and methods that
enable mass production of customized engraved articles of
manufacture.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention is directed at techniques and
packaging for engraving packaged articles of manufacture.
[0009] In an embodiment, a method for engraving an article of
manufacture includes receiving the article of manufacture, the
article of manufacture contained in packaging having a removable
portion which covers a targeted engraving area of the article
contained therein, removing the removable portion of the packaging
to expose substantially only the targeted engraving area of the
article of manufacture, and engraving the exposed targeted
engraving area of the article of manufacture.
[0010] In another embodiment, novel packaging containing an article
of manufacture includes a body which holds the article of
manufacture therein, and a removable cover formed tenuously
integral to the body of the packaging, the removable cover
configured to separate from the body upon pressure applied at the
tenuous junction of the cover with the body to reveal a targeted
engraving area of the article of manufacture contained within the
packaging.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] A more complete appreciation of this invention, and many of
the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the
same becomes better understood by reference to the following
detailed description when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the
same or similar components, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating an online
retail model.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of an online retail
system for customizing and simultaneously engraving multiple
articles of manufacture.
[0014] FIG. 3 is an operational diagram illustrating an engraving
design template.
[0015] FIGS. 4A-4H illustrates exemplary web pages displayed to a
customer during selection and customization of an engraving design
to be engraved on a product.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of a method for detecting undesirable overlay conditions in an
engraving design.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the conversion of a
customized browser-renderable document into a postscript individual
engraving design file.
[0018] FIG. 7A is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a
business card holder that may be engraved.
[0019] FIG. 7B is an isometric view of the business card holder of
FIG. 7A that is packaged in packaging having a removable cover.
[0020] FIG. 7C is an isometric view of the packaged business card
holder of FIG. 7B with the removable cover removed.
[0021] FIG. 7D is an opposite angle isometric view of the packaged
business card holder of FIGS. 7B and 7C showing the bottom of the
package and alignment cutouts.
[0022] FIGS. 8A and 8B are a side view and isometric view,
respectively, of a laser engraving system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIGS. 9A-9B show an isometric view and a top-down view of an
empty business card holder carrier.
[0024] FIG. 9C shows an isometric view of the business card holder
carrier of FIGS. 9A-9B loaded with business card holders.
[0025] FIGS. 10-10C show a business card holder gang template in
various stages of fill.
[0026] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment for
simultaneously engraving multiple articles of manufacture.
[0027] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a computer system which may be
used to implement computing features of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Aspects of the invention include machines and methodologies
for mass production of engraved articles of manufacture.
[0029] It will be understood that, while the discussion herein
describes an embodiment of the invention in the field of engraving
or marking of customized pens and business card holders, it will be
understood that the invention is not so limited and is relevant to
any application for engraving or otherwise marking multiple
products in a single job.
[0030] Hereinafter, the terms "engrave", "engraved", or "engraving"
shall include mechanical engraving, laser engraving, and other
forms of laser marking such as carbonization, pigment
transformation, polymer expansion, and other structural or optical
modification of the material being marked. Furthermore, while the
embodiment (s) described herein will be described in the context of
laser engraving, the principles of mass marking of multiple
customized articles of manufacture shall not be limited
thereto.
[0031] FIG. 1 shows a high-level flow diagram illustrating a model
for offering, selling and producing engraved products containing
various customized engraved designs/patterns through a computerized
environment. The model includes a Create Content component 101
whereby content such as engraving designs, graphics, templates,
etc. which may later be offered as, or incorporated into other,
engraving designs to be engraved on articles of manufacture are
created or otherwise obtained. The model further includes a
Generate Demand component 102 through which customer interest in
engraved products incorporating the content is generated. The
Generate Demand component 102 may comprise, for example, web pages
of an online retailer's website that display one or more products
that can be engraved and various designs that may be engraved on
the products that are available for ordering by a customer. The
model further includes an Order Pipeline component 103 through
which a product to be engraved is selected and customized by a
customer and an order for the engraved product is placed. In an
online retailer's website, the Order Pipeline component 103 may
comprise design tools, discussed hereinafter, that allow the
customer to select a product engraving design template and to
customize text and/or graphical components of the engraving design
prior to ordering one or more engraved products engraved with the
design.
[0032] The model further includes an Order Fulfillment component
104 which accepts orders from the Order Pipeline component 103 and
manufactures or otherwise fills, engraves, and ships the orders to
the customers. In some instances, the Order Fulfillment component
104 includes a warehouse or other storage facility which stores
stock products available and ready for engraving and shipment. In
other instances, the Order Fulfillment component 104 is a
manufacturing facility which manufactures the ordered items and
then engraves them according to the engraving design specified in
the order. In other embodiments, the Order Fulfillment component
104 embodies manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping, and each
component may be performed by different business entities owned by
the same or different parties. In an embodiment, each of the Create
Content component 101, the Generate Demand component 102, the Order
Pipeline component 103, and Order Fulfillment component 104 is
implemented at least in part using one or more computer systems,
for example as illustrated and discussed in connection with FIG.
12.
[0033] A system embodying the model of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. A
Create Content system 220, which may be implemented with one or
more computer systems or servers (for example as described
hereinafter in conjunction with FIG. 11), is used to receive,
obtain, generate, and/or otherwise provision a Content database 202
with content such as template descriptions and associated engraving
design/pattern descriptions usable by one or more Generate
Demand/Order Pipeline servers 230 to customize and specify customer
engraving orders. One or more computer systems (for example as
described hereinafter in conjunction with FIG. 12) implement the
Generate Demand/Order Pipeline servers 230 to serve pages of an
online retailer website in order to generate orders 204 from
customers for articles of manufacture to be engraved. In an
embodiment, the articles of manufacture may be engraved with
engraving patterns selected and/or personalized by the customer.
For example, the article of manufacture may be a plastic or metal
pen or business card holder engraved with customer-selected, and
optionally personalized, text and/or graphics. Orders 204 are
received by one or more Fulfillment Center server(s) 240 and filled
and engraved according to the specifications of the order.
[0034] Each of the Create Content component 101, the Generate
Demand component 102, the Order Pipeline component 103, and Order
Fulfillment component 104 requires its own implementation
considerations. Turning first to the Create Content component 101,
the Create Content component 101 encompasses the implementation of
content that corresponds to engravings that can be edited and
personalized by remote customers over a network 201 such as the
Internet (and then subsequently ordered as engraved articles of
manufacture). For any given article of manufacture, one or more
templates are generated by a human designer (typically operating a
design tool 214 implemented as software executed by one or more
computer processors such on one or more servers 220), or
alternatively, a template may be designed and generated
automatically by software.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows an example business card holder template 300.
As illustrated, a template 300 may includes a graphic (in this case
a graphic of a house), and one or more editable content areas 302
that allow a customer to personalize with their specific
information. For example, a template 300 for a business card holder
as shown in FIG. 3 may include a non-editable graphic 301 and one
or more editable text containers 302 which can be edited by a
customer to fill in their own text.
[0036] Each article of manufacture is engraved in a targeted
engraving area of predefined dimensions. In an embodiment, the
components 301 and 302 are combined with a layout component that
defines the positions of each of the components within an area
corresponding to a targeted engraving area of a particular article
of manufacture. For example, if the article of manufacture is a
business card holder, the targeted engraving area dimensions may be
of a predefined size. Furthermore, the targeted engraving area is
specified to be in a predefined position on the article of
manufacture. The template 300 is described in a template
description 307 and is stored in a content database 202 preferably
in a markup language format such as eXtensible Markup Language
(XML) that can be processed by a web browser to render an image of
the template on a computer display screen.
[0037] The stored content 202 (i.e., template description files 307
and associated components 301, 302) may be provisioned to a server
230 hosting a website. In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2,
the Generate Demand/Order pipeline server 230 serves web pages 233
implementing the retailer's website to customers operating client
computer systems 210. A customer interacts with the website through
a browser 213 executing from program memory 212 under the control
of one or more processors 211. The design and order process is
conducted through the website.
[0038] FIGS. 4A-4G illustrate a sequence of web pages 233 that may
be presented to a customer and served by the Order server(s) 230
during the process of ordering a customized engraved business card
holder by a customer operating a client computer 210. FIG. 4A shows
an introductory web page 400 advertising the business card holders
and inviting the customer to browse designs, via link 401, that may
be engraved on the business card holders. FIG. 4B shows a gallery
of engraving designs that may be selected by the customer to
engrave on a pen. Engraving designs that include customizable text
are shown with sample text content to represent how the pattern
will look when engraved on the pen. The customer may select one of
the designs by clicking on a corresponding link 403a, 403b, 403c,
403d, 403e, 403f.
[0039] FIG. 4C shows a web page 420 presented to a customer after
the customer has selected one of the engraving designs (via link
403f) from the gallery. In the example shown, the customer has
selected an engraving design having a graphical design (climbing
ivy pattern) 426 and customizable text fields 427-430 to allow the
customer to insert a company name, individual name, Job Title, and
Phone/Web address (or other text) specific to the customer. The web
page 420 includes an image of a business card holder 425 engraved
with the sample text and graphical image. The web page also
includes text entry boxes 421-424 where the customer can enter text
to replace the sample text. FIG. 4D shows the web page 420
presented to the user after the user has inserted text for the
company name, individual name, job title, and web/other field into
the corresponding text entry boxes 421-424. As illustrated, in this
embodiment, the image of the engraved business card holder has been
updated to show how the business card holder and engraving will
appear in the final product. In an embodiment, the user-inserted
text in the text entry boxes 421-424 is returned to the server for
conversion to an image and returned to the client computer for
display in the user's browser. Alternatively, the user-entered text
could be rendered directly by the design tool(s) 235 executing in
the client browser.
[0040] In an embodiment, the design tool(s) 235 made available to
the user via the customer's browser may allow the customer
flexibility in positioning the text and graphic components of the
engraving design. For example, the design tool(s) 235 made
available to the user may allow the user to change the font of the
text (see 428 in FIG. 4F) or move the text and/or graphic
components of the design around within the targeted engraving area
of the article (see FIGS. 4E and 4F). Since in the exemplary
embodiment each of the text and graphic components that make up the
design template are separate <XML>-defined components, user
edits to any of the components is easily performed and the final
composite design (i.e., <XML> document defining the
customer's engraving design) is easily updated. For example, the
user may wish to move the text component containing the text "Acme
Business, LTD" to a different position in the targeted engraving
area. FIG. 4E shows the web page 420 displayed to a customer after
the customer has selected the text component containing the company
name text "Acme Business, LTD", as indicated by the dotted line 440
around the text container and the handles (small squares) at the
corners and midpoints of the container outline. Selection of the
text component allows the customer to move the position of the text
container and/or change the size and shape of the text container
using the handles. FIG. 15F shows the selected text component 440
after the selected text component in FIG. 15E has been moved to a
new position that happens to overlap the graphic component 426. In
an exemplary embodiment, such movement or any other
customer-directed changes results to an update to the <XML>
definition of the particular component in the customized
<XML> document representing the user's customized design.
[0041] During the engraving process, the engraving mechanism (e.g.,
mechanical bit or laser) makes a deep cut while engraving the
outline of a design, and a more shallow cut while filling in
(hashing) the inside. If any of the individual components 426-430
of the design overlaps another, this can cause the appearance of
the engraved article to be unexpected or less ascetically pleasing.
For example, in an embodiment where the engraving design comprises
a .PDF file generated from individual text and graphic components
(e.g., as specified in the <XML> document corresponding to a
customer's ordered item), the individual components are converted
to individual vector formulas. Each vector formula is engraved one
at a time instead of the entire design being flattened. Because of
this, the appearance of the final engraved pattern may not be as
ascetically pleasing if portions of the pattern overlap. That is,
this condition may result if a text component overlaps graphic
component, for example as shown in FIG. 4F. In an embodiment, the
design tool(s) are configured to detect a condition where the
content of any of the individual components in the item document
overlap one another. If an overlap of any of the components is
detected, the design tool is configured to generate a modal dialog
to warn the customer of the condition in order to validate the
overlap and to allow the customer to change the position(s) of the
components to avoid the overlap. FIG. 4G shows an example popup
window 450 that is displayed to the customer upon detection of the
overlap condition in the engraving pattern design of FIG. 4F. The
customer may decide to move one or more of the components to remove
the overlap, or may choose to keep the design as-is.
[0042] In an alternative embodiment, individual components (e.g.,
text, graphic, etc.) are prevented by the design tool(s) from
overlapping one another.
[0043] In another alternative embodiment, the completed design is
flattened prior to sending it to the engraving system.
[0044] In yet another embodiment, the modal dialog 450 is presented
to the customer, and if the customer chooses to proceed with the
design with the overlap therein, the final design is flattened
prior to sending it to the engraving system.
[0045] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for
detecting an overlap condition in an engraving design. The method
includes the steps of displaying on a computer display an engraving
design, the engraving design comprising a plurality of design
components (step 501), providing one or more tools that allow the
user to select one or more of the design components and to perform
one or more operations comprising one or more of editing,
re-positioning, and re-sizing of the selected one or more design
components to produce a customized engraving design (step 502),
detecting whether an overlap condition is met wherein content of
any of the design components overlaps content of any other of the
design components (step 503), providing an indication to the user
that the overlap condition exists if the overlap condition is
detected (step 504), allowing the user to perform another operation
(such as editing, re-positioning, or re-sizing one or more of the
components that may or may not result in correction of an overlap
condition) (step 505), providing one or more tools that allow the
user to request engraving of a product with the customized
engraving design (step 506), and causing the engraving design to be
engraved onto a product or other article of manufacture (step
507).
[0046] In an embodiment, detection of an overlap condition is
performed by considering the entire engraving design as a grid of
pixels. Each text or graphic component is implemented in a
transparent container. When text or graphic content is inserted
into the container, only pixels of the container occupied by actual
text or content are non-transparent. For each text or graphic
component, the locations of each of its non-transparent pixels are
recorded relative to the entire grid. If any particular pixel
location is recorded more than once (i.e., the algorithm attempts
to record the location of a non-transparent pixel that has
previously been recorded), that must mean that content from another
text or graphic component exists at that location, so there's an
overlap. The presence of content at a particular pixel can be
determined by the alpha (transparency) value of the pixel.
[0047] A fully transparent container has by default an alpha value
of 0. Visible content has an alpha value greater than 0.
[0048] Returning to FIGS. 4A-4H, and in particular FIG. 4G, the
user may choose to heed the overlap warning message by making
changes to the design to correct the overlap condition using the
editing tools of the design tools, or may choose to proceed with
the design as-is. Once the user is satisfied with the design, the
user may be presented with a checkout process, for example as begun
in FIG. 4H. Web-based checkout procedures are well-known in the
art.
[0049] FIG. 6 diagrammatically represents an exemplary embodiment
of the operation of the item conversion software 241. In this
embodiment, the item conversion software 241 receives an item
document 205 in an XML format, and renders it into an individual
engraving design file 206 such as .pdf or other Postscript
file.
[0050] Returning to FIG. 2, a ganging system 260 executing job
aggregation, or "ganging" software 261, automatically aggregates,
or "gangs together" respective individual engraving design files
702 (e.g., .pdf files) associated with the ordered items to be
engraved with multiple other items to be engraved and which may be
associated with potentially multiple other customer orders, to
produce a gang file 208. The gang file 208 contains the individual
engraving designs of multiple different items to be simultaneously
processed by the engraving system as a single engraving job.
[0051] A "gang" is a grouping of individual engraving designs that
can all be processed together by the engraving system to engrave
multiple different articles in a single engraving job. The process
of choosing which individual engraving designs are part of a gang
is called "ganging." Ganging leads to efficiencies on equipment
with high setup costs and low run costs. It spreads the setup cost
of a print and cut job across many orders.
[0052] Gangs are generated by the ganging system 260 by filling up
gang templates 265. The layout of a gang will depend on the type
and size of the articles, the positions of the articles when
processed by the engraving system, and the positions of the
targeted engraving area(s) on the articles to be engraved.
[0053] For example, in an embodiment, the articles of manufacture
to be engraved in a single engraving job are business card holders
(plastic or metallic), such as shown at 701 in FIG. 7A. For
purposes of illustration of additional features of the inventions
described herein, the business card holder 701 may be processed
while still in its packaging 702, as illustrated in FIG. 7B. For
example, in some retail environments, the business card holder may
be sold plain (without engraving) or engraved. When a business card
holder is ordered plain, it may be contained in packaging when it
arrives at the retailer. If it is to be resold in its non-engraved
condition, then it may be desirable from the standpoint of the
retailer, for purposes of both efficiency and cost-savings, to
retain the original packaging. Retention of the original packaging
also assists in protecting the surfaces of the business card holder
prior to delivery to the end customer.
[0054] However, when the business card holder is to be engraved,
access to the targeted engraving area must be provided to allow the
engraving system to engraving the engraving design on the business
card holder. In order to accommodate both needs, a novel packaging
702 is utilized which protects the body of the business card holder
701 or other article of manufacture while providing a removable
cover 704 which covers the targeted engraving area 710 prior to
removal and which provides access to the targeted engraving area
710 of the article stored therein by the engraving machine when
removed. In an embodiment, the removable cover 704 of the packaging
702 is initially formed integral to the body 703 of the packaging.
The integrity of the connection 705 between the removable cover 704
and the body 703 of the packaging 702 is somewhat tenuous in that
it is designed to give way upon pressure or other force. For
example, in an exemplary embodiment, the removable cover 704 is a
portion of the original packaging 702 that is perforated 705 so
that when a human or a mechanical device pulls the removable cover
704, the removable cover 704 tears easily away from the body 703 of
the packaging 702 to reveal the targeted engraving area of the
article of manufacture therein. The removable cover 704 is
preferably the same dimensions as the targeted engraving area so
that only the targeted engraving area is revealed upon removal of
the cover. In an embodiment, the removable cover 704 includes a
tab, or the removable cover or package body includes a package
recess 706, to allow the removing party (human or mechanical) to
easily grip the cover 704 to pull it off
[0055] FIG. 7C illustrates the business card holder 701 within its
packaging 702 after the removable cover 704 has been removed. As
illustrated, the targeted engraving area 710 is accessible through
the body 703 of the packaging 702.
[0056] Prior to discussion how multiple articles of manufacture are
engraved in a single engraving job, a discussion of the engraving
system 280 will now be presented. Referring to FIG. 8A and 8B,
there is illustrated therein an exemplary embodiment of a laser
engraving system 800 for engraving customized content on articles
of manufacture, such as business card holders, pens, etc. As
illustrated therein, the laser engraving system 800 includes an
engraving table 802 having a carrier 804 mounted thereon for
holding one or more articles 810 to be engraved. The laser
engraving system 800 also includes one or more laser devices 806
that are configured to engrave articles positioned within an
engraving space called an engraving station 805, one or more
processors 814, and memory 815 for storing data and program
instructions readable by the processor(s) 814. In one embodiment,
the engraving table 802 is fixed within the engraving station 805
such that articles 810 mounted thereon are engravable by the laser
device(s) 806. In an alternative embodiment, the engraving table
802 may be mounted on a conveyance system 812 which conveys the
engraving table 802 along a pre-determined path through the
engraving station 805, where it is positioned in place or conveyed
past the output laser beam(s) of the laser device(s) 806. If a
conveyance system 812 is employed, the conveyance system 812 may be
any automated or manual means for conveying the engraving table 802
along the pre-determined path. For example, in one embodiment, the
conveyance system 812 is an automated conveyor belt system under
the control of a computer program. In another embodiment, the
conveyance system 812 is a set of rollers over which the engraving
table slides when manually guided by a human operator.
[0057] One or more processors 814 are coupled to the laser
engraving system 800 for receiving a composite engraving job 209
including an engraving design file representing one or more
individual engraving designs to be engraved on one or more
articles, and for causing laser engraving of the individual
engraving designs in the engraving design file on the one or more
respective articles 810 mounted on the carrier 804. In particular,
processor(s) 814 orchestrate the relative movement between the
article(s) 810 being engraved and the laser device(s) 806. The job
of the processor(s) 814 varies depending on the type of laser
scanning performed by the system, but in general, the job of the
processor(s) 814 is to instruct the relative positioning between
the articles 810 being engraved and the laser device(s) 806, and
the turning on and off of the laser beam(s), to engrave the
received pattern on the article(s) when the article(s) are moved
into the engraving station.
[0058] One or more of the processor(s) 814, memory, and
instructions stored therein that direct the relative movement
between the laser beam(s) and article(s) to be engraved are
together referred to herein as the "scanning system" of the laser
engraving machine 800. In one embodiment, the scanning system is a
flatbed scanning system which spot lases a rasterized image onto an
article positioned on a 2-dimensional (X-Y) focal plane,
left-to-right, line-by-line. In a flatbed scanning system, one or
the other, or both of the article and the laser beam moves. In one
embodiment, the article moves the Y axis and the laser moves in the
X axis.
[0059] In another embodiment, the scanning system is directed at
engraving cylindrical articles, wherein the laser traverses a fine
helix and spot lases the desired image onto the article on a raster
basis.
[0060] In yet another embodiment, a galvo scanning system is
utilized, wherein the article and the laser device remain
stationary, and galvonometers are used to control the position of
mirrors, and consequently the laser beam, to direct the laser beam
at the target. Galvo scanning systems can operate in either a
raster mode or a vector mode. In raster mode, the engraving of the
image is achieved by spot lasing, line-by-line, each pixel of the
digital image. In vector mode, lines are defined according to start
and end points and a curve, and the movement of the laser beam is
coordinated to move along these lines.
[0061] For purposes of the present invention, the scanning system
may be selected to operate in either of the raster or vector mode,
and may be any of the above-mentioned types described herein or
hereinafter developed.
[0062] After the engraving process is complete, the carrier 804
holding the article(s) 810 is removed from engraving station
through either manual or automated means. If automated, in one
embodiment, the processor 814 causes the engraving table 802 to
convey the article(s) 810 on the carrier 804 past the engraving
station to an unloading area.
[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, the engraving system is a laser
engraving system. As known in the industry, a laser is a device
that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process
called stimulated emission. A laser device includes a gain medium
inside a highly reflective optical cavity, as well as a means to
supply energy to the gain medium. The gain medium is a material
with properties that allow it to amplify light by stimulated
emission. Generally, the laser includes a gain medium and at least
two reflectors (e.g., mirrors) arranged such that electromagnetic
radiation (also referred to generally herein as "light") of a
specific wavelength reflects back and forth repeatedly through the
gain medium, increasing power with each amplification. Typically
one of the mirrors, called the output coupler, is partially
transparent and is configured to transmit a low-divergence beam of
electromagnetic radiation characterized by waves of identical
wavelength (i.e., the characteristic wavelength of the laser
device), phase and polarization. The output beam is referred to in
places in this application as a "laser beam".
[0064] The laser engraving process utilizes a laser beam to mark a
visible layer, and therefore the optical appearance, of a targeted
area of an article. This can occur through a variety of mechanisms,
including ablation of material, removal of material, carbonization,
pigment transformation, polymer expansion, and surface structure
generation. The output beam of a laser may be continuous wave or
pulsed wave. The light absorbed by the surface particles targeted
by the laser beam is transformed into heat. For engraving
applications, pulsed wave lasers are generally used to prevent
damage to the article outside the targeted engraving area. With a
pulsed laser, the light absorbed during the optical pulse is still
transformed into heat, but for short time durations. The optical
pulse creates a high instantaneous temperature rise in the material
on a time scale very short compared to the thermal conduction time
constant of the material being engraved, thus mitigating damage to
the material surrounding the target. The pulse length of industrial
lasers typically used for marking is in the range of 0.02-10
microseconds.
[0065] In order to engrave multiple articles of manufacture in a
single engraving job, the carrier 804 must be designed to hold the
multiple articles of manufacture in place with the targeted
engraving areas of the articles accessible by the laser beam or
other engraving means.
[0066] In the illustrative case of engraving business card holders,
it would therefore be desirable to have a carrier that holds
multiple business card holders that can be utilized with the
engraving system 280/800. FIG. 9A depicts an exemplary embodiment
of a business card holder carrier 900 for use in engraving systems.
As illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the carrier 900 is configured to
hold up to four business card holders. The carrier 900 includes a
platen 901 on which a left rail 902, a middle rail 903, and a right
rail 904 are mounted in parallel. The right and left rails are each
configured with two seats 905a, 905b, 905c, 906d having a
horizontal seat backed by a vertical back. The middle rail is
configured with two seats on each side 905e, 905f, 905g, 905h. Each
seat includes at least one prong 915, for reasons discussed
hereinafter. The rails 902, 903, 904 are positioned in parallel
such that the vertical walls of the seats 905 are separated by a
distance that accommodates the width of the business card holder
plus some additional distance for accommodating packaging and
tolerance. When properly inserted in the carrier 900, one side of
the business card holder rests in the seat of one rail and the
other side of the business card holder rests in the seat of the
adjacent rail. The prongs of the opposing seats 905 engage the
sides of the business card holder such that the business card
holder is aligned side to side (along an x-axis) within a designed
tolerance. The seats 905 also have stops 920 to align the business
card holder along the y-axis. The alignment prongs 915 and stops
920 ensure that the targeted engraving areas 710 of the business
card holders 701 are positioned identically from job to job and are
within a known tolerance of a known location in the engraving area
of the engraving station.
[0067] As previously described, in one embodiment, the business
card holders 701 are engraved while still in the packaging 702
(with the removable cover 704 removed). In some cases the packaging
702 can interfere with the alignment of the business card holders
701 in the carrier 900 because they may be loose within the
packaging. In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7D, the
packaging is configured with cutouts 815 in positions that
correspond to the position of the alignment prongs 915 in the
carrier 900. This allows the alignment prongs 915 to engage the
business card holder 701 itself (and not just the packaging 702)
when the packaged business card holder is inserted into a position
in the carrier 900. This ensures accurate x-axis alignment. In an
embodiment, the y-axis alignment is sufficient even with the
presence of the packaging. However, if needed, additional rails may
be provided perpendicular to the rails shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B,
along with corresponding alignment prongs, and corresponding
cutouts may be implemented in the packaging 702 to allow engagement
of the business card holder with additional alignment prongs of the
carrier.
[0068] In an embodiment, articles of manufacture are packaged in
packaging that includes one or more alignment cutouts corresponding
to positions of alignment prongs in the carriers in which they will
be mounted for engraving. In this embodiment, the articles are
inserted into the carrier such that the alignment prongs of the
carrier engage the articles of manufacture through corresponding
cutouts in the packaging in which the article of manufacture is
packaged.
[0069] FIG. 7D shows exemplary packaging 702 having cutouts 714
revealing the business card holder 701 in the places that
correspond to the alignment prongs
[0070] FIG. 9C shows the carrier 900 with four business card
holders loaded therein and the removable covers of the packaging
702 removed to reveal the targeted engraving areas 710 of the
business card holders 701. As illustrated, the business card
holders 701 are aligned along both the x- and y-axes.
[0071] Given a carrier that is fixed in the same position in the
engraving station every time, and having fixed positions in the
carrier for holding articles of manufacture in aligned position, a
gang corresponding to the layout of the articles to be engraved can
be constructed.
[0072] In an embodiment, and with reference to FIGS. 10A through
10C, individual engraving designs from individual orders are
arranged in a layout according to a predefined gang template 1000.
In an embodiment, the gang template 1000 is a postscript file such
as a .pdf file defining a plurality of pre-positioned empty cells
1001. A cell 1001 is a content container of pre-defined dimensions
corresponding to a position and dimensions of a targeted engraving
area of an article mounted on the carrier 900 and positioned in the
gang file layout in a unique pre-defined location in the gang
template 1000. Each empty cell 1001 may be filled with a single
PostScript individual engraving design 206.
[0073] In the examples shown in FIGS. 10A-10C, the gang template
1000 includes four cells 1001 of identical size arranged in 2 rows
and 2 columns corresponding to the positions of the business card
holders in the carrier. Each cell 1001 corresponds to a targeted
engraving area on a business card holder. The cell layout shown in
FIGS. 10A-10C is representative only and will vary across different
types of articles, different targeted engraving areas on the
articles, different numbers of articles accommodated by different
carriers, etc. For example, in one embodiment (not shown), the
carrier holds pens and accommodates 16 pens arranged in 8 rows by 2
columns. The carrier design is different, and the gang layout is
different to correspond to the layout of the carrier and layout of
the targeted engraving areas on the articles mounted in the
carrier.
[0074] Referring back to FIG. 2, the cells 1001 in a gang template
1000 are filled according to an automated ganging algorithm,
executed within the ganging system 260. The ganging system 260
selects a gang template 1000 appropriate to a particular product
(e.g., a business card holder or a pen) and instantiates a gang
template for that particular product. The ganging system 260
selects items scheduled for production and begins filling
corresponding cells of the gang template 1000 with the
corresponding individual engraving designs 206 until the gang is
filled. If the ordered quantity of engraved articles associated
with an individual engraving design is greater than one, then
additional instances of the individual engraving design 206 may be
placed in additional cells of the associated gang template 1000 to
cause the ordered quantity of the item to be engraved.
[0075] The filled gang file 208 is sent to a format conversion
system 270 which converts the gang file 208 into the format
required by the engraving system. In an embodiment, the gang file
208 is a Postscript .pdf file, and the engraving system requires a
vector format file. In alternative embodiments, the engraving
system may receive a raster file which may be the same format as
the gang file or a different format. The converted gang file (or
simply the gang file is no conversion is required by the engraving
system) is the composite engraving job 209 that is received by the
engraving system. A carrier 282 is loaded with the appropriate
articles to be engraved 281 and received by the engraving system
280 into its engraving station. The engraving system 280 engraves
the articles loaded on the carrier according to the composite
engraving job 209. The carrier with engraved articles 283 is then
removed from the engraving system 280, and the engraved articles
are removed from the carrier and sorted into individual orders by a
human or a computerized sorting system 290. The sorted orders may
then be packaged for shipping by a packaging system 295.
[0076] In an embodiment, one pattern may be engraved on the
multiple articles. In this embodiment, the engraving pattern
associated with the engraving job may comprise a single pattern,
and the engraving job may include the engraving pattern
representing a single pattern or include instructions or data for
retrieving the engraving pattern, along with instructions for
repeatedly engraving the pattern on multiple articles in a single
engraving job. The processor(s) may receive the engraving job and
retrieve the pattern and direct the scanning system to engrave the
pattern at various locations corresponding to the respective
targeted engraving areas of the articles on the carrier mounted on
the engraving table. In this embodiment, the processor(s) must be
configured with additional logic so as to instruct the direction of
the laser beam to engrave the pattern multiple times in multiple
locations within the engraving space (i.e., within the dimensions
of the engraving table) of the engraving machine.
[0077] It will be noted that while identical individual engraving
designs may be engraved on each article held on the carrier,
potentially each cell can contain a different pattern. Furthermore,
patterns corresponding to different customers and/or different
engraving orders can be simultaneously engraved onto multiple
different articles within the same engraving job that is sent to
the engraving system.
[0078] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary method for simultaneously
engraving one or more individual engraving designs onto multiple
articles of manufacture. In this method, a carrier implemented
according to the principles of the invention, for example a carrier
900 implemented as in FIGS. 9A-9C, is loaded with articles of
manufacture (step 1101). The carrier is inserted into an engraving
station of a laser machine (step 1102). In an embodiment, the
carrier is mounted on a transport mechanism which conveys the
carrier to the engraving station for engraving of the articles.
Meanwhile, the engraving system receives an engraving job having an
specifically multiple individual patterns to be respectively
engraved onto respective articles 200 loaded in the carrier (step
1103). In an embodiment, each of the individual engraving designs
to be engraved onto each of the articles of manufacture is combined
into a single image or vector file such that placement of the
respective individual engraving design or corresponding vector
instructions in the composite engraving design file corresponds to
the placement of the corresponding article of manufacture (and
targeted engraving area of the corresponding article of
manufacture) on the carrier. Thus, given the composite engraving
design file, the laser engraving system engraves all of the
individual engraving designs onto the corresponding articles of
manufacture through the processing of a single composite engraving
design file, i.e., a single engraving job. In other words, the
laser engraving system itself has no knowledge that it is engraving
multiple articles of manufacture versus engraving a larger area on
a single article.
[0079] The laser engraving system engraves the individual engraving
designs contained in the composite engraving design file onto the
multiple articles of manufacture loaded on the carrier (step 1104).
Upon completion of the engraving job by the laser engraving
machine, the carrier with engraved articles loaded thereon can be
removed from the system 100 and transported to a packaging,
labeling, or other station for further processing (step 1105).
[0080] FIG. 12 illustrates a computer system 1210 that may be used
to implement any of the servers and computer systems discussed
herein. Components of computer 1210 may include, but are not
limited to, a processing unit 1020, a system memory 1230, and a
system bus 1221 that couples various system components including
the system memory to the processing unit 1220. The system bus 1221
may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory
bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using
any of a variety of bus architectures.
[0081] Computer 1210 typically includes a variety of computer
readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media
that can be accessed by computer 1210 and includes both volatile
and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of
example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise
computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage
media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media
includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or
other memory technology, CDROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or
other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium which can be used to store the desired information and
which can accessed by computer 1210. Computer storage media
typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures,
program modules or other data.
[0082] The system memory 1230 includes computer storage media in
the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only
memory (ROM) 1231 and random access memory (RAM) 1232. A basic
input/output system 1233 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that
help to transfer information between elements within computer 1210,
such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 1231. RAM 1232
typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately
accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit
1220. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 12 illustrates
operating system 1234, application programs 1235, other program
modules 1236, and program data 1237.
[0083] The computer 1210 may also include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media. By way of example only, FIG. 12 illustrates a hard disk
drive 1240 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile
magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 1251 that reads from or
writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 1252, and an
optical disk drive 1255 that reads from or writes to a removable,
nonvolatile optical disk 1256, such as a CD ROM or other optical
media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer
storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating
environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape
cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital
video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The
hard disk drive 1241 is typically connected to the system bus 1221
through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 1240,
and magnetic disk drive 1251 and optical disk drive 1255 are
typically connected to the system bus 1221 by a removable memory
interface, such as interface 1250.
[0084] The drives and their associated computer storage media
discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 12 provide storage of
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules
and other data for the computer 1210. In FIG. 12, for example, hard
disk drive 1241 is illustrated as storing operating system 1244,
application programs 1245, other program modules 1246, and program
data 1247. Note that these components can either be the same as or
different from operating system 1234, application programs 1235,
other program modules 1236, and program data 1237. Operating system
1244, application programs 1245, other program modules 1246, and
program data 1247 are given different numbers here to illustrate
that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter
commands and information into the computer 1210 through input
devices such as a keyboard 1262 and pointing device 1261, commonly
referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices
(not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite
dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit 1220 through a user input
interface 1260 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be
connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel
port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 1291 or
other type of display device is also connected to the system bus
1221 via an interface, such as a video interface 1290. In addition
to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output
devices such as speakers 1297 and printer 1296, which may be
connected through an output peripheral interface 1290.
[0085] The computer 1210 may operate in a networked environment
using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as
a remote computer 1280. The remote computer 1280 may be a personal
computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other
common network node, and typically includes many or all of the
elements described above relative to the computer 1210, although
only a memory storage device 1281 has been illustrated in FIG. 12.
The logical connections depicted in FIG. 12 include a local area
network (LAN) 1271 and a wide area network (WAN) 1273, but may also
include other networks. Such networking environments are
commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks,
intranets and the Internet.
[0086] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1210
is connected to the LAN 1271 through a network interface or adapter
1270. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1210
typically includes a modem 1272 or other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 1273, such as the Internet. The modem
1272, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the
system bus 1221 via the user input interface 1260, or other
appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules
depicted relative to the computer 1210, or portions thereof, may be
stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and
not limitation, FIG. 12 illustrates remote application programs
1285 as residing on memory device 1281. It will be appreciated that
the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of
establishing a communications link between the computers may be
used.
[0087] The system and techniques just described have several
advantages. First, multiple articles of manufacture may be engraved
in a single engraving job, resulting in savings of time and
operator attention for loading and unloading articles of
manufacture into the engraving station for engraving. Second, the
articles can be engraved through transparent packaging so that the
articles need not be removed from their packaging prior to
engraving, saving time, cost, and materials.
[0088] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the invented
method and apparatus described and illustrated herein may be
implemented in software, firmware or hardware, or any suitable
combination thereof. Thus, those of skill in the art will
appreciate that the methods and systems described herein may be
implemented by one or more processors executing computer-readable
instructions being stored for execution on one or more
computer-readable media. Alternative embodiments are contemplated,
however, and are within the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0089] Although this preferred embodiment of the present invention
has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *