Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – At least one aryl ring which is part of a fused or bridged...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-10
2004-04-20
Shosho, Callie (Department: 1714)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
At least one aryl ring which is part of a fused or bridged...
C523S160000, C106S031570, C106S031590, C106S031890, C106S031850, C347S098000, C347S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06723784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coating liquid used in methods for coating recorded images, to an image recording method using that coating liquid, and to a recordings recorded therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the method of coating a recorded image with a laminate film is practiced as a method for protecting the recorded image and enhancing the bond between the recorded image and the base material. With this method, however, because separate process steps are required for supplying the laminate film, coating, and pressure application and the like, the apparatus itself becomes complex. With further innovations needed to effect suitable coatings, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S59-104974/1984 (published), an apparatus is proposed for effecting good and suitable laminate coatings by the new addition, to the process, of an apparatus for detecting laminate film layer displacement. With this, however, the apparatus becomes even larger and more complex.
Ink jet recording, on the other hand, is a method wherewith text or graphics are recorded on the surface of a recording medium by ejecting small droplets of ink from very small nozzles. The ink jet recording procedures being implemented in practice include a method wherewith electrical signals are converted to mechanical signals using an electrostriction transducer, and ink stored in a nozzle head portion is discharged intermittently and text or symbols are recorded on the surface of a recording medium, and a method wherewith a part extremely close to the portion ejecting the ink stored in the nozzle head portion is rapidly heated to generate bubbles, intermittent ejection is effected by the cubical expansion of those bubbles, and text or symbols are recorded on the surface of a recording medium.
The recording liquids used in ink jet recording are mostly water-based in the interest of safety and recording properties, with water soluble dyes frequently used in the coloring agents, as a result of which these suffer the shortcoming of exhibiting inferior light resistance and water resistance. For that reason, various studies have been done on the use of pigments for the coloring agents with the object of gaining light resistance and water resistance in the recordings. With conventional methods, however, the fixation of the pigments to the recording medium is inadequate, which results in problems such as the paper smudging when rubbed with a finger, or a recorded portion becoming unsightly if the recording is marked with a so-called magic marker. Another problem therewith is inadequate glossiness.
As a separate measure, providing a protective coating layer to recordings recorded with ink jet recording procedures has been proposed for some time as a method for improving water resistance, fixation, and glossiness. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S62-101482/1907 (published), for example, a method for fusion-transferring a thermally fusing coating agent onto a recorded image is investigated as a method for imparting water resistance to recordings colored with water soluble dye inks. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H1-141782/1989 (published) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H2-80279/1990 (published), a method is proposed for applying a liquid containing an isocyanate compound to a recorded image, and hardening it, to form a protective coating layer. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-115066/1994 (published), a method in proposed wherewith high-quality recordings exhibiting outstanding bonding can be effected by forming a transparent topcoat layer after recording with an ink jet recording procedure on an ink absorption layer. And in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-262971/1997 (published), a printer is proposed wherewith, by spraying and fixing a laminate agent for laminating the recorded surface of a recording medium, recordings are obtained which can stand up under outdoor use. When such methods are used, however, the laminating apparatus itself is complex, or a hardening and fixing process using heat or UV radiation is required when forming the topcoat layer, or a separate process step is required for applying the film under pressure.
From the perspective of recording light resistance and water resistance, moreover, when a pigment like carbon black or the like is used for the colorant, dispersion in the ink is poor, clogging occurs, and pigment agglomeration occurs during storage, wherefore various kinds of dispersants have been studied. However, when these various dispersants such, for example, as resin dispersants, are merely added, those dispersants induce dispersion by adsorbing to the surface of the pigment particles, but the dispersants become detached from the surface of the pigment particles due to some causative factor or other, wherefore satisfactory dispersing effects have not been obtained. In cases where penetrating agents are added into the ink composition to impart a strong penetrating effect in order to increase the recorded image drying speed, in particular, dispersion stability sometimes deteriorates even more, a phenomenon thought to be caused by dispersant detachment being thereby promoted.
Thereupon, so-called self-dispersing surface-treated pigments (hereinafter called “surface-treated pigments”) have been proposed which improve pigment dispersion by subjecting the pigment particles to a surface treatment and thereby make it possible to disperse and/or dissolve the pigment particles in water without a dispersant. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-195360/1998 (published) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10 330665/1998 (published), for example, self-dispersing carbon black is disclosed wherein a hydrophilic group such as the carboxyl group, carbonyl group, sulfone group, or hydroxyl group is bonded to the surface of the carbon black, either directly or with another atom group intervening. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-3498/1996 (published), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-195331/1998 (published), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-237349/1998 (published), for example, subjecting the surface of carbon black to an oxidation treatment to improve dispersion properties is proposed. And in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-283598/1996 (published), Japanese Patent Application laid-Open No. H10-110110/1998 (published), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-110111/1998 (published), for example, surface-treated pigments are proposed wherein sulfone groups are inducted to the surfaces of organic pigments.
By using such surface-treated pigments as these in inks, it is possible to reduce the contained quantities of dispersants such as the resin dispersants conventionally used, or to avoid using such altogether. As a consequence, the solid matter content in ink compositions can be reduced, wherefore the viscosity of ink compositions can be lowered, the occurrence of clogging suppressed, and limitations on additives relaxed. Thus it is known that surfactants can be added to make fast-drying inks that penetrate faster into the recording medium, that the pigment content can be increased by the measure that the dispersant content can be reduced, and that, therefore, high image quality can be achieved with enhanced coloration.
Nevertheless, although it is possible to raise the image density on the recording medium and obtain high picture quality by increasing the pigment content in inks, new problems have arisen in that fixation or rubbing resistance deteriorates. Such decline in fixation and/or rubbing resistance is particularly conspicuous in glossy recording mediums having smooth surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thereupon, an object of the present invention is to provide a coating liquid that does not require hardening or fixing processes using heat or UV radiation or the like, and also a recording method that, by coating that coating liquid with an ink jet recording procedure, impart
Hara Kazuhiko
Ito Fumitsugu
Komatsu Hidehiko
Ota Hitoshi
Yatake Masahiro
Ladas & Parry
Shosho Callie
LandOfFree
Coating liquid, and image recording method and recording... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Coating liquid, and image recording method and recording..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Coating liquid, and image recording method and recording... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3230396