Intermediate transfer recording medium, method of forming...

Details Intermediate transfer recording medium, method of forming... Intermediate transfer recording medium, method of forming...

1999-11-03

2001-10-30

Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)

Printing

Processes

Transfer or offset

C156S235000, C428S195100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06308630

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer recording medium used for forming printed products by recording an image beforehand in a receptor layer and thereafter transferring the receptor layer to a transfer-receiving material, a method for forming printed products by using the intermediate transfer recording medium and printed products formed by the forming method.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an intermediate transfer recording medium provided with a hologram mark for setting the position where an image is formed, a method for forming printed products and printed products formed by using the intermediate transfer recording medium.
Moreover, the present invention relates to an intermediate transfer recording medium whose peeling strength in a transfer step is controlled to transfer a receptor layer, in which an image is recorded, to a transfer-receiving material without transfer failures.
BACKGROUND ART
An intermediate transfer recording medium is conventionally used to form printed products by recording an image beforehand in a receptor layer and thereafter transferring the receptor layer to a transfer-receiving material. Because, in this receptor layer, the image is stored by a thermal transfer recording method using a thermal transfer sheet provided with a colorant layer, a high quality image can be formed depending upon the structural materials of the receptor layer. The intermediate transfer recording medium also allow the receptor layer to have superior adhesion to the transfer-receiving material and to be transferred to the transfer-receiving material very adhesively by interposing an adhesive layer. It is therefore preferably used in the case of using transfer-receiving materials which are so resistant to the transfer of colorants that a high quality image cannot be directly formed and which tend to fuse with colorant layers in a thermal transfer step.
FIG. 12
shows a illustrative sectional view of an example of a typical intermediate transfer recording medium. An intermediate transfer recording medium
101
comprises a substrate film
102
and a transfer portion
112
having at least a receptor layer
105
. On the receptor layer
105
, an image
106
is formed by thermal transfer using a thermal transfer sheet provided with a colorant layer. The transfer portion
112
with the image
106
formed on the receptor layer
105
is peeled from the substrate film
102
and transferred to a transfer-receiving material to form the objective image
106
on the transfer-receiving material.
The intermediate transfer recording medium
101
is provided with, for instance, a protect layer
104
to prevent deterioration of the image
106
which has been transferred to the transfer-receiving material, thereby improving each weather resistance and finger print resistance of the image
106
and the receptor layer
105
. It is also provided with a peelable layer
103
to make it easy to peel the receptor layer
105
and other necessary layers from the substrate film
102
. For instance, in an intermediate transfer recording medium
101
as shown in
FIG. 12
, a receptor layer
105
on which an image
106
is formed is transferred to a transfer-receiving material together with a protect layer
104
and a peelable layer
103
. At this time, the receptor layer
105
and other necessary layers (hereinafter called “transfer portion
112
”) are peeled at the boundary between the peelable layer
103
and the substrate film
102
and are transferred to a transfer-receiving material.
The use of such an intermediate transfer recording medium renders it possible to transfer and form a high quality image with high resolution on a transfer-receiving material. Also, printed products can be made by writing and printing necessary matter such as a signature in advance on a transfer-receiving material and thereafter transferring the transfer portion, on which images such as characters and photographs are formed, from an intermediate transfer recording medium. Hence, the intermediate transfer recording medium may be preferably used for producing printed products including identification cards such as passports, credit cards, ID cards, and the like.
It is required for printed products such as passports and credit cards as aforementioned to give security, specifically, high reliability and safety to resist forgery and falsification. Therefore, various ideas have been developed to resist forgery and falsification made by copying.
The applicant of the present invention has filed with the Japanese Patent Office an application for patent on an intermediate transfer recording medium provided with a hologram pattern, micro-characters and the like in its transfer portion and on a printed product obtained by transferring the transfer portion to a transfer-receiving material to prevent forgery and falsification of printed products such as passports and credit cards. This application is Japanese Patent Application No. H10 (1999)-185354, which was not open to public on the priority date of the application of this case. According to the invention, the hologram pattern and the micro-characters formed on the transfer portion are transferred to the transfer-receiving material together with an image thereby making it difficult to forge and falsify the images such as characters and a photograph of face formed on a printed product, giving high reliability and safety.
In the invention of Japanese Patent Application No. H10 (1999)-185354, preferably the transfer portion has a hologram layer and micro-characters are formed in the hologram layer. It is also preferable that the micro-characters be formed by embossing processing. When micro-characters are formed in the hologram layer, it is extremely difficult to forge. Moreover, when the micro-characters are formed by embossing processing, the micro-characters never appear in the case of copying and hence the invention is more reliable and safer. Preferably the micro-characters are 0.2 point or less in size. Further formation of a lathe or scroll work-pattern in the transfer portion has a better effect on the prevention of falsification.
In the invention of Japanese Patent Application No. H10 (1999)-185354, other than the micro-characters and the lathe or scroll work-pattern, a fluorescent latent image is preferably formed by using materials which absorb light in the range of wavelengths of non-visible light including ultraviolet rays and infrared rays, especially materials which absorb light in the ultraviolet ray range. In the case where the fluorescent latent image is formed in the transfer portion, if the transfer portion is released from the transfer-receiving material with the intention of falsifying particulars printed on the transfer-receiving material, the fluorescent latent image is also broken. When a fluorescent latent image is formed on the transfer-receiving material, the adhesion of the surface of the transfer-receiving material does not become uniform and hence the transfer failure and adhesion failure of the transfer portion tend to be caused. If a fluorescent latent image is formed on the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium, such a problem is not posed.
However, in such an intermediate transfer recording medium, the joints formed in a processing of a hologram pattern, that is, the joints between hologram patterns at which a hologram pattern ends, when a hologram pattern is processed one after another, appear at constant intervals. Since an image is formed on the receptor layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium without any consideration given to avoid such a joint between hologram patterns, in some cases, an image is formed on the joints between hologram patterns.
When the intermediate transfer recording medium on which an image is formed in this manner is used to produce a printed product, the joints between hologram patterns are found in the image. The resulting printed product is thereby reduced in product value and hence the use of such an intermediate transfer recor

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