Methods and apparatus of producing collectible cards

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9895720-B2
Application number	US-201514709299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

Methods and apparatus of producing collectible cards are disclosed. An example method includes producing a first stack of cards including a first card type and a second card type from a single substrate sheet, separating the first stack of cards into a first sub-stack and a second sub-stack. The first sub-stack includes the first card type and the second sub-stack includes the second card type. The example method includes comparing a first top card of the first sub-stack to a first reference card and, based on the first top card being substantially similar to the first reference card, automatically transferring the first sub-stack to a first tray designated to receive the first card type.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a pack stacker configured to stack a plurality of cards into a stack;
first, second, and third trays;
a pack separator configured to separate the stack into a first sub-stack and a second sub-stack, and, if the first tray cannot accommodate the first sub-stack, further separate the first sub-stack into a third sub-stack and a fourth sub-stack such that the third sub-stack includes a quantity of cards that substantially fills any remaining space in the first tray; and
a pack loader configured to transfer: (1) the first sub-stack to the first tray and the second sub-stack to the second tray if the first tray can accommodate the first sub-stack, and (2) the third sub-stack to the first tray, the second sub-stack to the second tray, and the fourth sub-stack to the third tray if the first tray cannot accommodate the first sub-stack.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a printing press configured to produce a sheet of cards including a first card type and a second card type.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further including a cutter configured to separate the sheet of cards.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a conveyor configured to transport the second sub-stack away from the second tray if the second top card does not meet the second predetermined verification criterion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a verifier is configured to determine if a third top card of the third sub-stack meets a third predetermined verification criterion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a verifier configured to check first and second top cards of the first and second sub-stacks, respectively to determine whether the first top card meets a first predetermined verification criterion and if the second top card meets a second predetermined verification criterion.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first predetermined verification criterion includes one or more of being printed with a predetermined image, free of printing defects, and free of physical defects.

Assignees

• Donnelley & Sons Co

Inventors

• Eastwood David
• Benson Harold Aldridge
• Cholewinski Joe

Classifications

• B65H43/06

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H39/00

  Associating, collating, or gathering articles or webs (combinations of piling and depiling operations, of interest apart from the single operation of piling or depiling B65H83/00; machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together sheets or signatures B42C1/00) · CPC title

• B65H2301/4228

  Dividing piles · CPC title

• B65H43/04

  detecting, or responding to, presence of faulty articles (B65H43/08 takes precedence; diverting faulty articles from main streams B65H29/62) · CPC title

• B65H2301/431

  Features with regard to the collection, nature, sequence and/or the making thereof · CPC title