Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-18
2002-08-06
Hess, Bruce H. (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C428S913000, C428S914000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06428878
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to heat transfer materials, and in particular, heat transfer materials having a fusible coating thereon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of U.S. and International Patents disclose the use of cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate in a variety of compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,756 discloses a hot melt adhesive composition containing cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate as a plasticizer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,188 also discloses the use of cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate as a plasticizer in a thermoplastic composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,695 discloses a xerographic transparency containing cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate as an adhesion promoter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,864 discloses disposable absorbent articles containing cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate as a plasticizer in an adhesive layer of the article. Further, WO 98/43822 discloses thermal dye diffusion coatings containing cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate. Although cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate has been used as a plasticizer and/or adhesion promoter in a variety of applications, the use has been limited.
In recent years, a significant industry has developed which involves the application of customer-selected designs, messages, illustrations, and the like (referred to collectively hereinafter as “customer-selected graphics”) on articles of clothing, such as T-shirts, sweat shirts, and the like. These customer-selected graphics typically are commercially available products tailored for a specific end-use and are printed on a release or transfer paper. The graphics are transferred to the article of clothing by means of heat and pressure, after which die release or transfer paper is removed.
Heat transfer papers having an enhanced receptivity for images made by wax-based crayons, thermal printer ribbons, and impact ribbon or dot-matrix printers, are well known in the art. Typically, a heat transfer sheet comprises a cellulosic base sheet and an image-receptive coating on a surface of the base sheet. The image-receptive coating usually contains one or more film-forming polymeric binders, as well as, other additives to improve the transferability and printability of the coating. Other heat transfer sheets comprise a cellulosic base sheet and an image-receptive coating, wherein the image-receptive coating is formed by melt extrusion or by laminating a film to the base sheet. The surface of the coating or film may then be roughened by, for example, passing the coated base sheet through an embossing roll.
Much effort has been directed at generally improving the transferability of an image-bearing laminate (coating) to a substrate. For example, an improved cold-peelable heat transfer material has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,179, which allows removal of the base sheet immediately after transfer of the image-bearing laminate or some time thereafter when the laminate has cooled. Moreover, additional effort has been directed to improving the crack resistance and washability of the transferred laminate. The transferred laminate must be able to withstand multiple wash cycles and normal “wear and tear” without cracking or fading.
Various plasticizers and coating additives have been added to coatings of heat transfer materials to improve the crack resistance and washability of image-bearing laminates on articles of clothing. However, most plasticizers in use today are unable to significantly improve cracking without negatively impacting the washability of the coating. Cracking and fading of the transferred image-bearing coating continues to be a problem in the art of heat transfer coatings.
What is needed in the art is a heat fusible coating, which substantially resists cracking while maintaining or enhancing the washability of the coating. What is also needed in the art is a heat transfer material having a heat fusible coating thereon, wherein the heat fusible coating has improved crack resistance, fade resistance, and washability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses some of the difficulties and problems discussed above by the discovery of a heat fusible coating for use on a heat transfer material, wherein the fusible coating resists cracking and fading, while having substantially no negative impact on the washability of the coated article. The heat fusible coating of the present invention comprises cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate, which lowers the melt viscosity of the transfer coating and provides a softer hand to the coating.
The present invention is further directed to a printable heat transfer material having a heat fusible coating thereon, wherein the heat fusible coating comprises cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate. The heat transfer material of the present invention comprises a base substrate and one or more coatings on a surface of the base substrate, wherein at least one coating contains cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate.
The present invention also is directed to a method of making a printable heat transfer material having a heat fusible coating thereon, wherein the heat fusible coating contains cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate. The method comprises applying cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate in an unfused state onto a base substrate of a heat transfer material.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a heat fusible coating for use on a heat transfer material, wherein the fusible coating resists cracking and fading, while having substantially no negative impact on the washability of the image-bearing coating. The heat fusible coating of the present invention may be used for a number of applications, in particular, heat transfer applications.
The heat fusible coating of the present invention comprises cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate. The cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate enables the production of a heat fusible coating, which lowers the melt viscosity of the transfer coating and provides a softer hand to the coating. Cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate is commercially available from Velsicol® Chemical Corporation (Rosemont, Ill.) under the tradename Benzoflex® 352. Benzoflex® 352 comprises a mixture of cis and trans isomers of 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate and is available in flake form.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the heat fusible coating comprises Benzoflex® 352 having a particle size smaller than the commercially available flakes. In this embodiment, the flakes of Benzoflex® 352 are ground to a desired particle size. As used herein the phrase “particle size” refers to the average dimensions (i.e., length, width, diameter, etc.) of the particles. Desirably, the heat fusible coating comprises Benzoflex® 352 particles having a particle size of less than 50 microns. More desirably, the particle size is from about 1 micron to about 30 microns. Even more desirably, the particle size is from about 2 microns to about 10 microns.
The Benzoflex® 352 particles have a melting point of about 120° C. The particles can be incorporated into a coating composition in an unfused state, applied to a heat transfer sheet base substrate, and dried at a temperature lower than the melting point. This provides several advantages. The dried coating is readily fused when desired. Further, the unfused coating, containing the Benzoflex® 352 particles, is relatively porous, dull and tack-free, which enhances the printability of the coating. Once fused, the coating is closed, more glossy, and quite tacky, at intermediate levels of plasticizer.
The ground Benzoflex® 352 powder may be easily dispersed in water using a small amount of surfactant. Suitable surfactants include, but are not limited to, Triton® X100, a nonionic surfactant available from Union Carbide, and Tergitol® 15-S40, an ethoxylated alcohol surfactant available from BASF. The amount of surfactant may vary depending on the amount of Benzoflex® 352 particles and o
Grendzynski Michael E.
Hess Bruce H.
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
LandOfFree
Heat transfer material having a fusible coating containing... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Heat transfer material having a fusible coating containing..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heat transfer material having a fusible coating containing... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2923721