Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless – Having plural interactive leaves
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-02-27
Hess, Bruce H. (Department: 1774)
Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless
Having plural interactive leaves
C428S195100, C428S207000, C428S328000, C428S346000, C428S352000, C428S354000, C428S913000, C428S914000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06194348
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a thermal transfer sheet and printed matter. More specifically, the invention relates to a thermal transfer sheet capable of suppressing the occurrence of static electricity during transfer onto a material as a transfer image support, and printed matter excellent in antistatic properties.
It has been done to form a gradation image, or a monotone image, such as a character or sign, on a substrate by a thermal transfer process. As the thermal transfer process, sublimation transfer and fusion transfer are used widely.
Of these methods, the sublimation transfer method comprises using a thermal transfer sheet which has, carried on a base sheet, a dye layer containing a sublimation dye as a coloring material fused or dispersed in a binder resin; superimposing this thermal transfer sheet on a substrate; and applying energy corresponding to image information to a heating device, such as a thermal head, to migrate the sublimation dye contained in the dye layer on the thermal transfer sheet to the substrate, thereby forming an image. This sublimation transfer method can control the amount of migration of the dye on a dot basis depending on the amount of the energy applied to the thermal transfer sheet, and is thus excellent in the formation of a gradation image.
Many cards, including identification card, driver's license, and membership card, have been used. These cards have records of various pieces of information which specify the status of the owner, etc. For ID cards, in particular, an image of a photograph of the face is the most important information in addition to character information such as the address and name. Recording of information in such cards is made by the use of the above-described sublimation transfer method which facilitates the formation of various images, characters and signs.
However, a gradation image or a monotone image formed by the sublimation transfer method may undergo fading, because the transferred dye is present on the surface. To avoid this drawback, and prevent forgery or doctoring of image information, a protective layer is provided on the image formed.
As means of forming such a protective layer, there is a method involving the transfer of a protective layer onto a formed image by the use of a thermal transfer sheet provided with a transfer layer. Transfer of this protective layer is carried out using a thermal printer. However, this method has posed the problem that a large amount of static electricity develops during peeling of the protective layer from the thermal transfer sheet, thereby causing poor transport of a material as a transfer image support, or of a thermal transfer sheet, within the thermal printer.
To solve this problem, the customary practice has been to provide an antistatic layer on, or contain an antistatic agent in, the material as a transfer image support, thereby suppressing the occurrence of static electricity during transfer of the protective layer. However, even when the material as a transfer image support is provided with antistatic means, it is difficult to prevent static electricity generated during the peeling of the protective layer from the thermal transfer sheet. Furthermore, the transferred material after transfer of the protective layer has the most facial surface which is not the antistatic layer or the surface containing the antistatic agent. Thus, deposition of static electricity on the transferred material cannot be prevented effectively.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a thermal transfer sheet causing little static electricity during transfer onto a material as a transfer image support, and printed matter excellent in antistatic properties.
To attain this objective, the thermal transfer sheet of this invention is configured to have a protective transfer layer provided on at least part of one of the surfaces of a base sheet so as to be peelable, the protective transfer layer containing an antistatic agent.
The thermal transfer sheet of the invention is also configured to have a protective transfer layer provided on at least part of one of surfaces of a base sheet through a nontransferable release layer so as to be peelable, at least one of the release layer and the protective transfer layer containing an antistatic agent.
The thermal transfer sheet of the invention is also configured such that the protective transfer layer has a multi-layer structure.
The thermal transfer sheet of the invention is also configured such that the protective transfer layer has an antistatic layer containing an antistatic agent.
The thermal transfer sheet of the invention is also configured such that the antistatic agent comprises at least one of a conductive resin, a conductive metal oxide, and a surface active agent, the particle size of the conductive metal oxide is in the range of 10 to 100 nm, the conductive metal oxide is zinc antimonate (ZnO.Sb
2
O
5
), or the surface active agent is a quaternary ammonium salt.
The thermal transfer sheet of the invention is also configured to have a dye layer having one or more colors on the base sheet, or is also configured such that the dye layer and the protective transfer layer are formed in a coplanar, alternate manner or side by side.
The printed matter of the invention is configured to comprise a substrate, an image formed on at least one of the surfaces of the substrate by a sublimation transfer process, and a protective transfer layer provided so as to cover at least part of the image, the protective transfer layer being a protective transfer layer formed by transfer using the above-described thermal transfer sheet.
According to the foregoing present invention, the protective transfer layer contains the antistatic agent, and if the release layer is provided, at least one of the release layer and the protective transfer layer contains the antistatic agent. Thus, the amount of static electricity generated during the peeling of the protective transfer layer is minimized. Furthermore, the protective transfer layer containing the antistatic agent, after its transfer onto a material as a transfer image support, imparts excellent antistatic properties to this material. Printed matter having such protective transfer layer formed on an image by transfer has excellent antistatic properties.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5006502 (1991-04-01), Fujimura et al.
patent: 5965485 (1999-10-01), Mizumachi et al.
Onishi Jiro
Usuki Hideki
Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.
Hess Bruce H.
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P
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