Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-11
2003-11-18
Chen, Vivian (Department: 1773)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C428S480000, C428S483000, C428S212000, C428S213000, C428S215000, C428S216000, C428S334000, C428S336000, C428S339000, C428S304400, C428S317900, C428S318400, C428S319300, C428S319700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06649250
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an opaque image-recording element and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a recording element for an automated printing assembly such as a computer-driven ink-jet printer having excellent ink-receiving properties and high gloss.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical ink-jet recording or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle at high speed towards a recording element or medium to produce an image on the medium. The ink droplets, or recording liquid, generally comprise a recording agent, such as a dye, and a large amount of solvent in order to prevent clogging of the nozzle. The recording agent can also be a pigment. The solvent, or carrier liquid, typically is made up of water, an organic material such as a monohydric alcohol or a polyhydric alcohol or a mixed solvent of water and other water miscible solvents such as a monohydric alcohol or a polyhydric alcohol. The recording elements or media typically comprise a substrate or a support material having on at least one surface thereof an ink-receiving or image-forming layer. The elements include those intended for reflection viewing, which usually have an opaque support, and those intended for viewing by transmitted light, which typically have a transparent support.
While a wide variety of different types of image-recording elements have been proposed heretofore, there are many unsolved problems in the art and many deficiencies in the known products which have severely limited their commercial usefulness. The requirements for an image-recording medium or element for ink-jet recording are very demanding. For example, the recording element must be capable of absorbing or receiving large amounts of ink applied to the image-forming surface of the element as rapidly as possible in order to produce recorded images having high optical density, good color gamut, and fast dry times.
One example of an opaque image-recording element is described in U.S. Pat No. 5,326,391. It consists of a layer of a microporous material which comprises a matrix consisting essentially of a substantially water-insoluble thermoplastic organic polymer, such as a linear ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, a large proportion of finely divided water-insoluble filler of which at least about 50 percent by weight is siliceous, and interconnecting pores. The porous nature of the image-recording element disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,391 allows inks to penetrate the surface of the element to produce text and/or graphic images. However, the cost of producing these elements is relatively high. Also, the image density has been found to be of poor quality, ie., the images have low optical densities and poor color gamut. U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,750 describes an element which addresses the latter shortcomings of image density and color gamut via the application of an upper image-forming layer. This upper image forming layer is a porous, pseudo-boehmite having an average pore radius of from 10 to 80 Å. Such an element, however, has a high manufacturing cost to form the absorbent layer. This is due to the requirements for a porous substrate such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,391.
U.S. application Ser. No. 09/472,487, filed Dec. 27, 1999, describes an open celled, voided support made via coextrusion which provides an opaque image-recording element suitable for use in an ink-jet printer, and which is capable of recording images (including color images) having fast dry times, high optical densities and good color gamut, but which is also capable of being manufactured at a relatively low manufacturing cost. However, the support described in said patent application has a matte surface due to the protrusions in the top layer external surface. Said protrusions are created by the void initiating fillers near the surface during the stretching process. It is desirable to obtain a glossy surface for a “photo quality” ink jet print, while maintaining fast dry time.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
There remains a need for an image-receiving member that has rapid absorption of ink and has a glossy surface(60 degree gloss>30%) and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides an imaging element comprising a base polyester layer, an absorbent polyester layer above said base layer, and a glossy polymer layer above said absorbent layer; wherein said element has a 60° Gardner gloss greater than 30%. In a preferred embodiment the element has an ink absorbency rate resulting in a dry time of less than 10 seconds and a total absorbent capacity of at least 14.0 cm
3
/m
2
.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
The imaging element of the invention has numerous advantages over the prior practices in the art which have been described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/472,487, filed Dec. 27, 1999, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The additional advantage claimed by this invention is that a glossy surface is obtained on an otherwise matte surface. The imaging element of this invention may be made on readily available polyester film formation machines. The imaging element preferably are made in one step with the absorbent layer and the bottom base layer being co-extruded, stretched, and integrally connected during formation. The imaging elements are low in cost, as the one pass formation process leads to low manufacturing cost. The imaging elements have rapid absorption of ink, as well as high absorbent capacity, which allows rapid printing and short dry time. Short dry time is advantageous, as the prints are less likely to smudge and have higher image quality as the inks do not coalesce prior to drying. The imaging elements have the look and feel of paper, which is desirable to the consumer. The imaging element is weather resistant and resistant to curling under differing humidity conditions. The imaging elements further have high resistance to tearing and deformation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein the terms “top”, “above”, “upper” refer to the side or toward the side of the imaging element on which the ink is applied. The terms “lower”, “below” and “bottom” refer to the side or toward the side of the imaging element opposite to that to which the ink is applied.
The layers of the element of this invention have levels of voiding, thickness, and smoothness adjusted to provide optimum ink absorbency and stiffness. Preferably the layers are co-extruded. The polyester sheet has a voided layer to efficiently absorb the printed inks commonly applied to ink-jet imaging supports without the need of multiple processing steps and multiple coated layers. The polyester base layer of the invention provides stiffness to the imaging element of the invention. It also provides physical integrity to the highly voided absorbing layer. The thickness of the base layer is chosen such that the total imaging element thickness is 50 to 500 &mgr;m depending on the required stiffness of the element. However, the thickness of the absorbent polyester layer is adjusted to the total absorbent capacity of the medium. A thickness of at least 28.0 &mgr;m is needed to achieve a total preferred absorbency of at least 14 cc/m
2
. The preferred thickness is between 30 and 60 &mgr;m. Preferably the absorbent capacity is between 14 and 30 cc/m
2
. The rate at which inks are absorbed into the absorbent layer is critical as discussed hereinbefore. The voiding should be such that the voids are interconnected or open-celled. This type of structure enhances the ink absorption rate by enabling capillary action to occur. The element of the described invention has an absorbent layer with an absorbing rate resulting in a dry time of less than 10 seconds. This dry time is measured by printing a color line on the side of the top layer with an ink-jet printer at a laydown of approximately 15 cm
3
/m
2
utilizing typical inks of the following formulation:
Ink
Water
2-Pyrrolidone
Diethylene glycol
1.5 Pentanediol
EHMP
Dye
Fleischer Cathy
Laney Thomas M.
Chen Vivian
Eastman Kodak Company
Meeks Roberts Sarah
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