Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Medium and processing means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-31
2002-09-10
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Medium and processing means
C347S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06447110
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent applications:
Ser. No. 09/943,952 by Sadasivan et al, filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Recording Element”;
Ser. No. 09/944,618 by Sadasivan et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Recording Element”;
Ser. No. 09/944,619 by Chu et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method”;
Ser. No. 09/944,547 by Sadasivan et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Recording Element”; and
Ser. No. 09/945,088 by Gallo et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method”;
Ser. No. 09/943,957 by Sadasivan et al filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Recording Element”;
Ser. No. 09/945,035 by Gallo et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method”;
Ser. No. 09/944,971 by Sadasivan et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Recording Element”;
Ser. No. 09/945,085 by Gallo et al., filed Aug. 31, 2001, entitled “Ink Jet Printing Method”;
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an ink jet printing method using an ink jet recording element, more particularly to a porous ink jet recording element.
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 or pigment, and a large amount of solvent. The solvent, or carrier liquid, typically is made up of water and an organic material such as a monohydric alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol or mixtures thereof.
An ink jet recording element typically comprises a support having on at least one surface thereof an ink-receiving or image-receiving layer, and includes those intended for reflection viewing, which have an opaque support, and those intended for viewing by transmitted light, which have a transparent support.
An important characteristic of ink jet recording elements is their need to dry quickly after printing. To this end, porous recording elements have been developed which provide nearly instantaneous drying as long as they have sufficient thickness and pore volume to effectively contain the liquid ink. For example, a porous recording element can be manufactured by cast coating, in which a particulate-containing coating is applied to a support and is dried in contact with a polished smooth surface.
When a porous recording element is printed with dye-based inks, the dye molecules penetrate the coating layers. However, there is a problem with such porous recording elements in that the optical densities of images printed thereon are lower than one would like. The lower optical densities are believed to be due to optical scatter which occurs when the dye molecules penetrate too far into the porous layer.
EP 1,002,660 relates to a porous ink jet recording element comprising fine particles, hydrophilic binder and a water-soluble, cationic polymer. However, there is a problem with this element in that the density of an image printed on such an element using a water-soluble cationic polymer is lower than one would like.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,704 relates to a nonporous ink jet recording element comprising a cationic polymeric vinyl latex and a hydrophilic polymer. However, there is a problem with this nonporous recording element in that images printed thereon dry too slowly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,469 relates to an ink jet recording element comprising mesoporous particles dispersed in an organic binder. In column 8, it is disclosed that the organic binder can be a cationic latex polymer “having less than 10 mole percent of a copolymerizable monomer having a tertamino or quaternary ammonium functionality.” However, there is a problem with this element in that the density of an image printed on such an element with a binder having less than 10 mole percent of a cationic mordant functionality is lower than one would like.
It is an object of this invention to provide an inkjet printing method employing a porous ink jet recording element that provides superior optical densities, good image quality and has an excellent dry time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention, which comprises an ink jet printing method comprising the steps of:
I) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals;
II) loading the printer with ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon an image-receiving layer comprising:
(a) inorganic particles having a primary particle size of from about 7 to about 40 nm in diameter which may be aggregated up to about 500 nm;
(b) colloidal particles having a mean particle size of from about 20 to about 500 nm; and
(c) water-insoluble, cationic, polymeric particles comprising at least about 20 mole percent of a cationic mordant moiety;
III) loading the printer with an ink jet ink composition; and
IV) printing on the image-receiving layer using the ink jet ink composition in response to the digital data signals.
The porous ink jet recording element employed in the printing method of the invention has superior optical densities, good image quality and has an excellent dry time.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Examples of (a) inorganic particles useful in the invention include alumina, boehmite, hydrated alumina, silica, titanium dioxide, zirconium dioxide, clay, calcium carbonate, inorganic silicates or barium sulfate. The particles may be porous or nonporous. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the (a) inorganic particles are metallic oxides, preferably fumed. Preferred examples of fumed metallic oxides which may be used include silica and alumina fumed oxides. Fumed oxides are available in dry form or as dispersions of the aggregates.
While many types of inorganic particles are manufactured by various methods and commercially available for an image-receiving layer, porosity of the image-receiving layer is necessary in order to obtain very fast ink drying. The pores formed between the particles must be sufficiently large and interconnected so that the printing ink passes quickly through the layer and away from the outer surface to give the impression of fast drying. At the same time, the particles must be arranged in such a way so that the pores formed between them are sufficiently small so that they do not scatter visible light.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the (a) inorganic particles may be in the form aggregated particles. The aggregates are comprised of smaller primary particles about 7 to about 40 nm in diameter, and are aggregated up to about 500 nm in diameter. In still another preferred embodiment, the (a) inorganic particles have a mean aggregate particle size of from about 50 nm to about 200 nm.
Examples of (b) colloidal particles useful in the invention include alumina, boehmite, hydrated alumina, silica, titanium dioxide, zirconium dioxide, clay, calcium carbonate, inorganic silicates, barium sulfate or organic particles. Examples of organic particles useful in the invention are disclosed and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos: 09/458,401, filed Dec. 10, 1999; 09/608,969, filed Jun. 30, 2000; 09/607,417, filed Jun. 30, 2000; 09/608,466, filed Jun. 30, 2000; 09/607,419, filed Jun. 30, 2000; and 9/822,731, filed Mar. 30, 2001; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the (b) colloidal particles are silica, alumina, boehmite or hydrated alumina. The particles may be porous or nonporous. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the (b) colloidal particles may be in the form of primary particles. In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the mean particle size of the primary particles may range from about 20 nm to about 500 nm.
The (c) water insoluble, cationic, polymeric particles comprising at least about 20 mole percent of a cationic mordant moiety useful in the invention can be in the form of a latex, water dispersible polymer, be
Baier John M.
Chu Lixin
Gallo Elizabeth A.
Sadasivan Sridhar
Shaw-Klein Lori J.
Cole Harold E.
Shah Manish S.
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