Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless – Having plural interactive leaves
Patent
1994-12-20
1996-05-28
Hess, Bruce
Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless
Having plural interactive leaves
428195, 4283184, 4283213, 428913, 428914, B41M 5035, B41M 538
Patent
active
055211410
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a binder-less porous donor for producing a dye diffusion thermal transfer image.
A dye diffusion thermal transfer system is broadly used because it can produce an image in a completely dry process with a non-impact system using digitalized image information, the produced image having a high continuous gradation. In this system, image formation has hitherto been carried out by bringing a donor layer comprised of dyes and a macromolecular binder fixed on a donor substrate film in contact with a receptor layer on which an image is to be formed, bringing a thermal head into contact with the surface of the donor substrate film opposite the surface on which donor layer is placed, diffusing the dyes in the donor layer onto the receptor layer perpendicularly to the surface of the receptor layer by the thermal energy supplied from the thermal head, and then fixing the dyes thereon. This system is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1.
Such systems are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 3-13386, 3-65394, 3-65395, and 3-86589. In conventional films using binders, a high affinity between the dyes and the binder is required in order to sufficiently diffuse the dyes in the donor layer. If the affinity is high, a high thermal energy is required for diffusing the dyes into the receptor layer. An energy threshold of diffusion of the dyes also exists. Thus, it is difficult to form an image having both a high continuous gradation and a high optical density at a low thermal energy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a donor film that allows the dyes to be diffused at a low thermal energy, entails no energy threshold to the thermal diffusion of dyes, and is capable of forming an image having a high continuous gradation even in a wide optical density range.
In accordance with the present invention, a novel donor layer is formed by physically locating diffusible dyes in the pores of a porous film having a pore size between 20 and 400 Gurley. By eliminating the need for a binder, the porous film of the present invention allows the dyes contained therein to be diffused onto the receptor layer at a low thermal energy without entailing any thermal threshold.
Thus, the present invention provides a film for producing a dye diffusion thermal transfer image comprising diffusible dyes physically located in the pores of a porous film having a pore size between 20 and 400 Gurley. Advantageously, the porous film contains no binder.
The present invention further provides a process for the thermal diffusion transfer of a color image, comprising placing a color thermal diffusion dye donor sheet in intimate association with a receptor sheet, and heating said donor sheet in a desired pattern at a sufficient temperature and/or pressure to transfer the dyes from the donor sheet to the receptor sheet. The donor sheet comprises a porous polymeric material having a thermally diffusible dye located within the pores of the said porous material. Advantageously, the donor sheet contains no binder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a construction of a general donor film and a comparative image forming system.
FIG. 2 shown the lamination condition of the type 1 laminated film of this invention during the course of production.
FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the image forming system to which the donor film of this invention is applied.
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the image forming system to which the donor film of this invention is applied.
FIG. 5 shows a relation between burn time and the image density obtained in Example 1.
FIG. 6 shows a relation between burn time and the image density obtained in Comparative Example 1.
FIG. 7 shows a relation between burn time and the image density obtained in Comparative Example 2.
FIG. 8 shows a relation between burn time and the image density obtained in Example 2.
FIG. 9 shows a relation between burn time and the image density obtained in Comparative Example 3.
F
REFERENCES:
patent: 4784905 (1988-11-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 4847144 (1989-07-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5352651 (1994-10-01), Debe et al.
Griswold Gary L.
Hess Bruce
Kirn Walter N.
Litman Mark A.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
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