Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless – Having plural interactive leaves
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-29
2003-09-16
Hess, B. Hamilton (Department: 1774)
Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless
Having plural interactive leaves
Reexamination Certificate
active
06620765
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a receptive layer provided on a substrate sheet, and more particularly to a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of a type such that a metal source (a metal ion-containing compound) is contained in the receptive layer and, upon the transfer of a dye, which can be chelated, from a thermal transfer sheet onto the receptive layer, the dye is chelated and is fixed onto the receptive layer, which thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, when a protective layer is transferred on the receptive layer with the image formed thereon, the receptive layer has excellent adhesion to the protective layer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the formation of an image in response to image information by means of thermal printing means, such as a thermal head or a laser, a method has been proposed wherein a thermal transfer sheet provided with a sublimable dye layer, which is transferable upon heating, is used in combination with a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet and the dye is transferred onto the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet while controlling the sublimable dye to form a gradational photograph-like image. This method is advantageous, for example, in that images with continuous gradation can be provided by simple processing from digital image data on a digital camera or a personal computer or image data through a network and television signals and, in this case, the apparatus used is not complicate.
In this type of thermal transfer recording, the sublimable dye used in the thermal transfer sheet plays an important role. Conventional sublimable dyes, however, have a drawback that the formed images have unsatisfactory fastness properties, that is, unsatisfactory lightfastness and fixation. In order to reduce this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 78893/1984, 109394/1984, and 2398/1985 disclose an image forming method wherein a heat diffusive colorant (dye), which can be chelated, is used to form an image of a chelated colorant (a chelate dye) on a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet.
The method for forming an image of a chelated dye is effective for improving the heat resistance and lightfastness of images and the dye fixation. In this method, however, after printing, the dye remaining unreacted is present around the surface of the receptive layer, and thus results in unsatisfactory fastness properties of transferred images. Specifically, when the formed image comes into contact with a finger or when the formed image is continuously in contact with a plasticizer-containing sheet, for example, dropouts occur, making it difficult to maintain the image quality. In order to reduce this problem, an attempt has been made to thermally transfer a protective layer onto an image from a protective layer transfer sheet having a thermally transferable protective layer. This, however, has posed a problem that the metal source (metal ion-containing compound) present in the receptive layer inhibits the adhesion between the protective layer and the receptive layer and the protective layer is easily separated from the receptive layer.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet which, when a protective layer is formed by thermal transfer on an image formed of a chelated dye, can provide excellent adhesion of the protective layer onto the image and can realize good image quality.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising: a substrate sheet; and a receptive layer provided on the substrate sheet, said receptive layer comprising a metal source, a protective layer bonding/holding agent, and a binder resin.
The protective layer bonding/holding agent is preferably a surfactant having a polyoxyalkylene group. The surfactant is preferably a fluorosurfactant or a polyether-modified silicone.
The fluorosurfactant preferably has a straight-chain polyoxyalkylene group, and the polyether-modified silicone is preferably a silicone modified by providing a polyoxyalkylene group on its side chain.
Preferably, the receptive layer contains a release agent.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the content of the protective layer bonding/holding agent is in the range of 0.25 to 7.5% by mass based on the solid content of the whole receptive layer. More preferably, the protective layer bonding/holding agent comprises a component having an HLB value of not less than 5.0.
Thus, in a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a receptive layer provided on a substrate sheet, the incorporation of a metal source in combination with a protective layer bonding/holding agent and a binder resin into the receptive layer enables a deterioration in adhesion between the metal source-containing receptive layer and the transferred protective layer to be prevented by the protective layer bonding/holding agent, and thus can realize a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet which can provide images of a chelated dye possessing excellent quality.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet according to the present invention comprises a substrate sheet and a receptive layer provided on the substrate sheet.
(Substrate Sheet)
The substrate sheet functions to hold the receptive layer, and is heated at the time of thermal transfer. Therefore, the substrate sheet preferably has mechanical strength on a level such that, even in a heated state, the substrate sheet can be handled without any trouble. Materials for such substrate sheets are not particularly limited, and examples of substrate sheets usable herein include: various types of paper, for example, capacitor paper, glassine paper, parchment paper, or paper having a high sizing degree, synthetic paper (such as polyolefin synthetic paper and polystyrene synthetic paper), cellulose fiber paper, such as wood free paper, art paper, coated paper, cast coated paper, wall paper, backing paper, synthetic resin- or emulsion-impregnated paper, synthetic rubber latex-impregnated paper, paper with synthetic resin internally added thereto, and paperboard; and films of polyester, polyacrylate, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polyimide, polyether imide, cellulose derivative, polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, nylon, polyether ether ketone, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether, polyvinyl fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride and the like. Further, for example, white opaque films produced by adding a white pigment or a filler to these synthetic resins and forming films from the mixtures, or foamed sheets produced by foaming the resin may also be used without particular limitation.
A laminate of any combination of the above substrate sheets may also be used. Examples of representative laminates include a laminate composed of a cellulose fiber paper and a synthetic paper and a laminate composed of a cellulose fiber paper and a plastic film. The thickness of the substrate sheet may be any desired one, and is generally about 10 to 300 &mgr;m. When the substrate sheet has poor adhesion to the receptive layer formed on its surface, the surface of the substrate sheet is preferably subjected to primer treatment or corona discharge treatment.
(Receptive Layer)
The receptive layer is provided on one side of the substrate sheet, and comprises a metal source, a protective layer bonding/holding agent, a binder resin, and optional additives such as a release agent. The binder resin is preferably easily dyeable with a sublimable dye. Binder resins usable herein include polyolefin resins, such as polypropylene, halogenated resins, such as pol
Idehara Tomoyuki
Kimura Kazushi
Mishina Ayako
Nishigaya Kyoko
Saito Hitoshi
Dai Nippon Printing Co., Inc.
Hess B. Hamilton
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
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