Wall Plaque Graphic Printing on Face Panel Back Surface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wall plaques face issues such as warped or wavy graphics during manufacturing, misalignment, and damage during lamination, leading to errors and increased costs due to the need for specialized printers and complex lamination processes.

Innovation Solution

Printing graphics directly onto the back surface of transparent or semi-transparent face panels with a sealing compound, ensuring the graphic remains flat and aligned, and using an attachment mechanism to secure the face and back panels together, eliminating the need for laminating paper or film.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a sheet of paper or film with printed information is laminated between face panel and rear panel, then the graphic can be displayed through the face panel, but the paper or film may become warped or wavy making lamination difficult or impossible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegraphic integrityVSAvoidlamination process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the intermediate paper or film substrate from the conventional lamination process. Instead of printing on paper/film and then laminating, the graphic is printed directly onto the back surface of the face panel itself, eliminating the warping issue associated with ink-saturated paper during lamination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the graphic substrate function with the face panel itself. The face panel serves dual purposes: as the transparent/semi-transparent display medium and as the graphic carrier surface, eliminating the need for a separate paper or film layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Manufacturing precision

If standard sized paper is used for graphics smaller than standard sheet size, then trimming is required to achieve desired size, but trimming is time consuming and leads to errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegraphic size accuracyVSAvoidtrimming time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the sizing action during the printing process itself rather than as a subsequent trimming step. The graphic is printed directly at the precise dimensions needed on the face panel back surface, eliminating post-printing size adjustments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Area of stationary object

If graphics are printed on larger than standard sheet size, then a printer that accommodates larger paper is required or multiple sheets are needed, but this increases manufacturing cost and potential for error

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegraphic sizeVSAvoidprinter requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from printing on separate sheets that may require stitching or multiple sheets to printing directly on the face panel surface. This dimensional shift allows graphics of any size to be printed in a single operation directly onto the panel, bypassing printer size limitations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Reliability

If a graphic layer is laminated between face and back panels, then the graphic can be protected and displayed, but the graphic may easily move and become misaligned or crooked during lamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegraphic alignmentVSAvoidlamination alignment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the graphic layer with the face panel by printing directly on its back surface. This eliminates the separate graphic layer that would otherwise move and misalign during lamination, as the graphic becomes an integral part of the face panel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

5Reliability

If conventional lamination process is used to protect the graphic, then the graphic is viewable through the face panel, but the lamination process may cause the graphic to wrinkle, rip, or otherwise sustain damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegraphic durabilityVSAvoidgraphic damage during manufacturing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the graphic from a separate vulnerable layer and integrates it directly into the face panel structure. This eliminates the graphic from the lamination process entirely, removing it from exposure to lamination-induced damage such as wrinkling and ripping.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9224316B2Wall plaque with decorative graphic and methods of making the same

Publication Date: 2015.12.29 QUORUM GROUP LLC

AI summary

Implementations of the present invention provide systems, apparatus, and methods for precisely placing a graphic in a desired position between a face panel and a rear panel. In particular, implementations of the present invention comprise wall plaques having graphics that are printed directly to the back surface of face panels. Printing a graphic directly to the back surface of a face panel may help to ensure that the graphic is flat on the back surface of the face panel and is not misaligned. In addition, printing a graphic directly to the back surface of a face panel may help to eliminate the possibility that the graphic will be wrinkled, torn, or otherwise damaged prior to being laminated on the back surface of a face panel. Implementations of the present invention may also make the manufacturing process more efficient both in terms of cost and time.