Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Ink jet stock for printing – Gelatin ink receptive layer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-06
2004-12-07
Shewareged, B. (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Ink jet stock for printing
Gelatin ink receptive layer
C428S032290, C428S032300, C347S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06827992
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink image-recording element.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical inkjet recording or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle at high speeds towards a recording element or medium to produce an image on the medium.
The recording elements typically comprise a support or a support material having on at least one surface thereof an ink-receiving or image-forming layer.
In order to achieve and maintain high quality images on such an image-recording element, the recording element must:
Exhibit no banding, bleed, coalescence, or cracking in inked areas,
Exhibit the ability to absorb large amounts of ink and dry quickly to avoid blocking,
Exhibit high optical densities in the printed areas, and
Exhibit freedom from differential gloss.
Have high levels of image fastness to avoid fade from contact with water or radiation by daylight, tungsten light, or fluorescent light.
In addition, an ink recording element should have excellent adhesive strength so that delamination does not occur.
While a wide variety of different types of image recording elements for use with ink printing are known, there are many unsolved problems in the art and many deficiencies in the known products, which have severely limited their commercial usefulness. A major challenge in the design of an image-recording element is laminate adhesion. A typical coating from the prior art comprises a layer containing hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose and a vinyl latex polymer, a layer of pectin, a layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyurethane, and a layer of lime processed osseine gelatin in the order recited. This formulation has demonstrated poor laminate adhesion. U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,624 discloses an inkjet recording element which has a base layer comprised of a blend of polyethylene-acrylic acid and at least one hydrophilic liquid absorbent polymer and an ink transmissive upper layer of methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and blends thereof and an organic acid salt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,507 discloses an inkjet recording element which has a base layer comprised of a blend of polyethylene-acrylic acid copolymer and polyvinylpyrrolidinone and an upper layer which comprises methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose. EP 1 110 745 discloses an inkjet recording element which has a hydrophilic absorbing layer comprising gelatin or poly(vinyl alcohol), a laminate adhesion promoting layer comprising pectin or alginate and a hydrophilic overcoat layer comprising hydroxyethyl cellulose and blends thereof and an organic acid salt. These inkjet recording elements, as disclosed, demonstrate inadequate laminate adhesion. U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,704 discloses an inkjet recording element comprising a hydrophilic image-recording layer and an overcoat layer of a vinyl latex polymer. Coatings utilizing vinyl latex polymers frequently suffer from poor image quality. DE 197 21 238 A1 discloses the use of a single layer of succinylated pigskin gelatin in inkjet papers.
It is an object of this invention to provide an ink recording element which has excellent image quality, less differential gloss, and better laminate adhesion than the elements of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention which comprises an ink recording element comprising at least one solvent absorbing layer comprising an amine inactivated gelatin.
In a preferred embodiment, a specific combination of image receiving layers, each comprised of specific materials and arranged in a specific sequence on a support material, yields excellent ink imaging performance for a wide range of commercially available printing systems, especially with respect to image quality, differential gloss, and laminate adhesion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink recording element comprising a support having thereon a hydrophilic absorbing layer comprising an amine inactivated absorbing gelatin. In a preferred embodiment, the element includes a hydrophilic overcoat layer comprising cellulose ether and a vinyl latex polymer. The recording element may further comprise at least one hydrophilic inner layer comprising poly(vinyl alcohol) located between the hydrophilic absorbing layer and the hydrophilic overcoat layer. Another embodiment of the invention relates to an ink printing method comprising providing an ink recording element as described above, and applying liquid ink droplets thereon in an image-wise manner.
The present invention provides for improvements in laminate adhesion over the prior art. Laminate adhesion is the adhesion of the recording element to the laminate. Compositional changes in any of the various layers may affect laminate adhesion. Lamination as used herein is the process of applying a thin plastic film having an adhesive layer on one side on top of the ink receiving layers, usually with the aid of heat and/or pressure. The film can be glossy, semi-glossy or matte and may contain additives modifying its optical properties. The film usually has a thickness of between 25-250 microns (1-10 mils).
The amine inactivated absorbing gelatin may comprise gelatin where the amino group is inactivated (such as acetylated gelatin, phthaloylated gelatin, malenoylated gelatin, benzoylated gelatin, succinylated gelatin, methyl urea gelatin, phenylcarbamoylated gelatin, and carboxy modified gelatin) and the gelatin has a bloom strength of between 100 grams and 350 grams. The amine inactivated absorbing gelatin may also be used in a blend with unmodified gelatin. For example, succinylated pigskin gelatin may be blended with non-succinylated pigskin gelatin. In such a blend, the succinylated pigskin gelatin is present in an amount between 5% and 95% by weight.
This absorbing gelatin layer may also contain other hydrophilic materials such as naturally-occurring hydrophilic colloids and gums such as albumin, guar, xantham, acacia, chitosan, starches and their derivatives, functionalized proteins, functionalized gums and starches, and cellulose ethers and their derivatives, polyvinyloxazoline, such as poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOX), non-modified gelatins, polyvinylmethyloxazoline, polyoxides, polyethers, poly(ethylene imine), poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), n-vinyl amides including polyacrylamide and polyvinylpyrrolidinone (PVP), and poly(vinyl alcohol) derivatives and copolymers, such as copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PEO-PVA).
The absorbing layer must effectively absorb both the water and the humectants commonly found in printing inks. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the absorbing layer comprises succinylated gelatin or an alkyl-succinate modified gelatin where the alkyl group contains up to 22 carbons or preferably, 6-18 carbons. Also preferred is an alkylsuccinate pigskin gelatin modified with dodecenylsuccinic acid. The amine inactivated absorbing material employed in the ink image-recording layer may be present in any amount which is effective for the intended purpose. In general, the preferred dry layer thickness of gelatin is from about 5 microns to 60 microns, below which the layer is too thin to be effective and above which no additional gain in performance is noted with increased thickness.
The hydrophilic overcoat may comprise cellulose ether or cationically modified cellulose ether, such as methyl cellulose (MC), ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), calcium carboxymethyl cellulose, methylethyl cellulose, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), hydroxybutylmethyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl-hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethylethyl cellulose, and cellulose ether esters such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose phthalate, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose acetate succinate, hydroxypropyl cellulose acetate, esters of hydroxyethyl cellulose and diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride, esters of hydroxyethyl cellulose and 2-hy
Romano, Jr. Charles E.
Teegarden David M.
Blank Lynne M.
Eastman Kodak Company
Shewareged B.
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