Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Ink jet stock for printing – Retransferable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-07
2004-04-06
Hess, Bruce H. (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Ink jet stock for printing
Retransferable
C428S032370
Reexamination Certificate
active
06716493
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP00/08806 which has an International filing date of Dec. 13, 2000, which designated the United States of America and was not published in English.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer useful in forming a transfer image on an image-receiving material such as clothes by a method which comprises forming a record image with the use of an ink jet printer and transferring the record image to the image-receiving material (or member).
BACKGROUND ART
Since an ink jet recording system is easily applicable to full-color image production, and is less noisy and superior in print quality, its system has been employed for recording an image on a transfer sheet. From the viewpoints of safety and suitability for recording, water-based ink is predominantly employed in the ink jet recording, and the recording is carried out by ejecting droplets of ink from a nozzle against a sheet. Therefore, it is essential that not only the sheet quickly absorbs the ink but also the sheet has a high fixability. Moreover, for example, when a record image is thermal-transferred to an image-receiving material such as clothes to form a transfer image by means of this transfer sheet, not only thermal transferability and adhesiveness but also high water resistance and washing resistance are required of the sheet.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 16382/1998 (JP-10-16382A) discloses a transfer medium for an ink jet recording which comprises a release layer and a transfer layer containing a fine particle of a thermoplastic resin and a polymeric adhesive of a thermoplastic resin disposed on a support, and the transfer layer may contain a crosslinking agent. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53000/1998 (JP-10-53000A) discloses a transfer sheet which comprises a peeling layer containing a silicone compound disposed on a support and a transfer layer containing a self-crosslinking-type polymer (e.g., a polymer having a methylol group and/or an alkoxymethyl group) disposed on the peeling layer. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 290560/1997 (JP-9-290560A) discloses an image-receiving sheet for ink jet wherein a transfer layer containing a filler particle, a water-soluble thermoplastic resin and if necessary, water-insoluble thermoplastic resin is disposed on a release support. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 250222/1998 (JP-10-250222A) discloses a thermal-transfer medium for ink jet which comprises a support and a thermal-transfer layer containing a thermoplastic polymeric resin and a thermosetting polymeric resin (e.g., amino resin).
However, these ink-receiving layers are inadequate in ink-fixability and water resistance. In particular, because of insufficient washing resistance, a sharp transfer image can not be maintained for a long term even when a record image is thermal-transferred to clothes or the like.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 78269/1999 (JP-11-78269A) discloses a thermal-transfer sheet in which an ink-receiving layer composed of a cationic polymer and/or an urethane-series polymer, a hydrophilic polymer and a hot-melt adhesive is formed. The thermal-transfer sheet is improved in water resistance, ink-absorption and washing resistance.
However, in the thermal-transfer sheet, ink-absorption and washing resistance are also inadequate. For example, when an ink which is difficult to dry up in a short time is employed, there is possibility that the ink is stuck on a sheet-feeding roller of an ink jet printer. in particular, in case of forming a pale- or light-color area adjacent to a deep-color area, even a little deep-color ink is stuck on a roller and further, is stuck on the pale-color area by contacting with the revolving roller, so that the pale-color area is contaminated to deteriorate an outward appearance. Such a phenomenon is called as stain transfer, and the traditional transfer sheet can not be prevented from the stain transfer. Moreover, the transferred member is washed, and an ink oozes through a surface to decline an image color concentration.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which is such excellent in ink-absorption that the stain transfer does not occur.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which is excellent in water resistance and washing resistance and can maintain a sharp image for a long term in case of thermal-transferring to an image-receiving material (e.g., clothes).
It is still further object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which is superior in water resistance and washing resistance and can form a transfer image having an excellent texture.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The inventors of the present invention did intensive research, and finally found that a transfer layer, which contains at least a porous hot-melt adhesive fine particle having the specific oil absorption, is formed on a support so that an ink-absorption of a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer can be dramatically improved. The present invention was accomplished based on the above findings.
Thus, the transfer sheet for an ink jet printer of the present invention comprises a support, and a transfer layer which is capable of separating from the support and contains a hot-melt adhesive particle, wherein the hot-melt adhesive particle comprises a first porous hot-melt adhesive fine particle having an oil absorption of not less than 50 ml/100 g. The transfer layer may further comprise a second hot-melt adhesive fine particle having an oil absorption of less than 50 ml/100 g, and the ratio of the first hot-melt adhesive fine particle to the second hot-melt adhesive fine particle may be the former/the latter=about 10/90 to 50/50 (weight ratio). The first hot-melt adhesive fine particle and the second hot-melt adhesive fine particle may comprise a nylon fine particle, and the average particle size of the first hot-melt adhesive fine particle and that of the second hot-melt adhesive fine particle may be 1 to 100 mm, respectively. The transfer layer may further comprise a film-forming resin component, and a dye fixing agent and the film-forming resin component may comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polymer, an urethane-series resin and a thermosetting or crosslinking resin. The transfer layer may comprises 10 to 10,000 parts by weight of the hot-melt adhesive particle and 1 to 200 parts by weight of a dye fixing agent relative to 100 parts by weight of the film-forming resin component. Moreover, a protecting layer capable of separating from the support may formed or disposed between the support and the transfer layer.
The present invention also includes a method for producing a transfer sheet which comprises forming, on a release side of a support, a transfer layer comprising a porous hot-melt adhesive fine particle which has an oil absorption of not less than 50 ml/100 g.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The transfer sheet for an ink jet printer of the present invention comprises a support and a transfer layer which is capable of separating from the support and contains a hot-melt adhesive particle. Moreover, a protecting layer capable of separating from the support may be disposed between the support and the transfer layer.
[Support]
As a support, any of supports such as opaque, semitransparent and transparent supports can be used as far as the transfer layer and the protecting layer are capable of separating from the support. Examples of the support usually include a release (releasable) support, for example, a release-treated paper (a release paper), a synthetic paper, a chemical (artificial) fiber paper and a plastic film, each may be treated for providing releasability.
As a synthetic paper, there may be mentioned, a variety of synthetic papers
Nakama Kenji
Nakanishi Hideki
Notsu Kazuo
Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd.
Hess Bruce H.
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