Laminated tape for imprinting

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a laminated tape or the like including an adhesive vehicle layer arranged between a clear film and a suitable base, the adhesive vehicle layer being extrudable under combined effects of heat and pressure with a color agent arranged in contact with the adhesive vehicle layer and adapted for transport by the adhesive layer during extrusion so that the base is exposed through a selected area to which heat and pressure are applied, the adhesive layer and color agent being generally viscous under normal conditions in order to assure adhesion within the laminated tape.
It is an associated object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for imprinting laminated tape of the type described above with selected indicia or design features.
The method and apparatus include arrangement of a selected portion of the laminated tape between a heated indicia platen arranged generally adjacent the adhesive layer and a supporting platen on the opposite side of the tape, the heated indicia platen being urged against the tape and toward the supporting platen for extruding the adhesive layer and accordingly transporting the color agent from a selected area defined by the indicia platen.
A laminated tape of the type referred to above provides a number of advantages in accordance with the pesent invention.
Initially, the adhesive layer is selected to have a viscous consistency under normal conditions so that it serves to secure the clear film on one side of the laminated tape to the base on the other side of the adhesive layer.
Within such a combination, the color agent may be either a layer arranged on either side of or within an intermediate portion of the adhesive layer or dispersed within the adhesive layer itself.
It will be immediately apparent that if the color agent is to be formed as a layer, the color agent must also provide suitable adhesive characteristics under normal conditions for maintaining the laminated construction between the clear film, the adhesive layer with the color agent and the base