Adhesive transfer device

The present invention provides an adhesive transfer device (100) comprising a frame (60) and first and second cooperating structures (20,22) each having a substrate engaging surface, the first cooperating structure being a nip roller (22) rotatably mounted to the frame. The selected substrate (40) and the adhesive carrying substrate (14) can be advanced between the cooperating structures with the substrate engaging surfaces thereof cooperating to apply pressure to the substrates. This causes the first portion of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer to adhere to the selected substrate (40) and the second portion of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer to adhere to a pick-up portion of the substrate engaging surface of the nip roller (22). The pick-up portion of the substrate engaging surface of the nip roller (22) has a greater affinity for adhesive bonding than the surface of the adhesive carrying substrate (14) on which the layer is coated so that as the substrates are discharged from between the cooperating structures, the second portion of the adhesive layer remains adhered to the pick-up portion of the nip roller (22) rather than to the adhesive carrying substrate (14). An adhesive pick-up device (30) has an adhesive pick-up surface (32) with a greater affinity for adhesive bonding than the pick-up portion of the substrate engaging surface of the nip roller (22). The adhesive pick-up surface (32) engaging the substrate engaging surface of the nip roller (22) such that, as the nip roller rotates during the adhesive transfer operation, (a) the pick-up portion of the nip roller having the second portion of the adhesive layer adhered thereto engages the adhesive pick-up surface (32) of the pick-up device to adhere to the pick-up surface and (b) the adhesive pick-up device continually advances the adhesive pick-up surface so that the portions of the adhesive pick-up surface with the second portion of the adhesive layer adhered thereto is moved away as the nip roller (22) continues to rotate and is replaced by a portion of the adhesive pick-up surface that is devoid of adhesive.