Automated sign generator
US4467525A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 26, 1982 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 1984 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 26, 2002 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T83/293
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An automated sign generator produces large scale text on sheet material by means of a cutting tool which is guided relative to the material in accordance with preprogrammed data. The sheet material is supported for movement in one coordinate direction relative to the tool by a feed roller, and the cutting tool is supported for movement in an orthogonal coordinate direction parallel to the roller. Several cutting tools are employed and one of the tools is heated to penetrate through a vinyl sign material that is releasably secured by a pressure sensitive adhesive to a paper release liner. A plotting tool can also be substituted for the cutting tool to plot the sign on plain paper. The sign generator is controlled by a microprocessor and the font from which the sign text is prepared in stored in a ROM memory. A keyboard coupled with the microprocessor is utilized to control the machine operation as well as compose the sign text. Controls are included to edit the character spacing for an aesthetically pleasing appearance and to vary the size and positioning of the font characters.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.