Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Diffusion transfer dyeing process – transfer sheet and product – Dry heat treatment for penetration
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-11
2003-12-02
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Diffusion transfer dyeing process, transfer sheet and product
Dry heat treatment for penetration
C008S468000, C156S230000, C156S580000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06656230
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a process and a device for applying and/or introducing a coloured decoration respectively to or into an article, in which a substrate with dye is applied against the article so as to transfer dye from the substrate to the article.
The invention is based on prior art as known from EP-A 0 282 859 “Process and device for applying decoration to an article”. In this prior art, a coloured decoration of sublimable dyes is initially applied to a substrate. The substrate may consist of paper, for example. This coloured decoration is then transferred from the substrate to the article to be decorated. The article may consist for example of a suitable plastics or of another material coated with plastics or lacquer for example. For transfer of the coloured decoration, the substrate is positioned over the article and the coloured decoration is transferred by temperature increase from the substrate to the article by means of sublimation. To achieve a uniform arrangement of the substrate against the article and homogeneous pressure distribution, in the cited prior art a cloth of resilient material (e.g. silicone) is positioned over the substrate. Using a vacuum pump, a vacuum is generated over the table on which the article is positioned with the substrate and covering cloth, which vacuum sucks up the substrate and the cloth lying thereover. The present invention may be applied to this prior art, for example, with or without a silicone cloth.
In addition, the invention is based on prior art as known from EP-A 0 573 676 “Use of a substrate with “release” properties for applying lacquer and paint to a substrate” In this prior art, substrates (e.g. of suitable paper) with so-called “release” properties are used for transfer of decoration onto an article. The “release” property of the substrate means that the decoration may be peeled off the substrate in the manner of a “decal” and transferred to the substrate in this way.
The object of the invention is to improve the processes or devices according to the above-mentioned prior art, in particular in relation to the quality of the coloured decoration.
The process according to the invention is characterised in claim 1. According thereto, at least one gas jet is used to promote application of the substrate with the coloured decoration against the article to be decorated. This technique may be used in particular both in the case of the above-mentioned sublimation transfer and in the case of “release” transfer of the coloured decoration. The gas jet causes the substrate to lie closely against the article over the entire area without gas inclusions or other non-uniformities. The gas jet may be passed over the article with the substrate lying thereon (and optionally the resilient cloth lying thereon) in the manner of a “doctor blade”. Gas inclusions are pressed out, ensuring that the substrate lies closely against the article all over.
It is preferably provided that the gas jet has a dimension, in at least one direction, which is small in comparison with the dimension of the article in this direction. It is particularly preferable for the gas jet to take the form of a knife and-to be passed in linear manner over the substrate or the cloth optionally lying thereon. The linear gas jet is preferably of a length which is greater than the width of the article plus the overlapping areas of the substrate or the cloth.
Moreover, if the gas jet takes the above-described knife form, the direction of the line of at least one gas jet forms an angle other than 0° and 90° with the direction of relative movement between gas jet and article.
A further preferred development of the invention, which is used in particular when sublimable dyes are used in the coloured decoration, provides for the gas jet to be heated to a temperature at which it ensures or at least promotes sublimation of the dye and thus transfer thereof from the substrate to the article.
The invention in particular allows the coloured decoration of the article to exhibit a high quality in the edge area, if the gas jet is directed appropriately obliquely at the edge area, wherein it presses the substrate down uniformly on both sides of the edge.
When a heated gas jet is used the jet is preferably positioned obliquely relative to the relative movement between article and jet in such a way that the areas of the substrate which extend towards the gas jet are subject to preheating. The hot air of the gas jet after impingement thus flows in an “upstream” direction with regard to the relative movement between article and gas jet.
The gas jet according to the invention may be used with or without the above-described suction effect using a vacuum pump.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4664672 (1987-05-01), Krajec et al.
patent: 6001206 (1999-12-01), Zaher
patent: 0 282 859 (1991-02-01), None
patent: 0 573 676 (1998-07-01), None
Kampmeier Franz
Walter Thomas
Zaher Maximilian
Bush Industries, Inc.
Einsmann Margaret
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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