Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-26
2004-11-09
Lorengo, J. A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S238000, C156S240000, C156S272200, C156S247000, C156S289000, C427S148000, C427S331000, C427S398100, C428S914000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06814831
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the formation of images within solid sheets of plastic. More particularly, the present invention relates to a methodology for continuously forming dye sublimation, or dye transfer, images within solid sheets of plastic.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From the advent of plastics, users and manufacturers thereof have sought workable means for imprinting or forming images thereon. Prior imaging technologies suitable for use on other materials, for instance metals, wood, and the like, have not generally met with success when used to perform permanent imaging on plastics. Examples of such prior imaging technologies include, but are not limited to, paints, decals, lacquers, and dyes. In general, the problems associated with utilizing prior imaging or marking technologies center on certain chemical and physical properties of plastics in general.
One of the great advantages of plastics is that they can be formed into complex shapes having inherently very smooth surfaces. While this is an advantage in the manufacture of such plastic objects, the extremely smooth and often chemically resistant nature of plastic surfaces renders the application thereto of paints and the like less than satisfactory. Many paints, for instance enamels, when applied to plastics, tend to flake or peel when the plastic is flexed or when the image is subjected to physical distress, such as abrasion or temperature change.
In searching for a methodology for forming permanent, abrasion-resistant images in sheet plastics, workers in this field have noted that plastics tend to be molecularly similar to certain fabrics which are imaged utilizing a dyeing process known as “dye sublimation”. According to known dye sublimation processes, an image, for instance a decorative design, is formed of sublimation printing inks on a dye carrier, sometimes also referred to as a transfer paper or auxiliary carrier. Dye carriers are often, but not exclusively, formed of paper. Printing the image on the dye carrier is carried out by any of several known printing methods including, but specifically not limited to, offset or rotary printing methods. The print images formed on the dye carrier are transferred by sublimation, also called transfer printing, from the dye carrier to the textile or fabric which is to be decorated with the design.
There are several known dyestuffs suitable for use with dye sublimation printing techniques. The actual dyestuff or dye carrier utilized is not essential to the principles of the present invention, provided that the dyestuff is capable of sublimation. This is to say that the dyestuff sublimates directly to the vapor state from the solid state upon the application of heat. One type of printing ink suitable for sublimation printing is prepared from sublimable dyestuffs utilizing binders and oxidation additives. The term “sublimable” is defined herein to mean capable of sublimation.
Currently, to form a dye sublimation image in a textile, the printed dye carrier is placed with its color-imprinted side on the textile face to be imprinted and is thereafter heated. As soon as the dyestuffs reach a temperature of about 170-220° C., those dyestuffs sublime into the textile and the desired image is thereby formed in that textile.
From the foregoing discussion, it will be appreciated that one of the advantages of dye sublimation printing is that the image is actually formed within the structure of the textile, or substrate, on which it is imprinted. This is in direct contrast to most printing techniques, wherein the image is formed solely on the surface of the substrate. While surface-formed images are completely suitable for many applications, they are less than optimal for others. By way of illustration, in the preceding discussion of dye sublimation images formed in textiles, it will be appreciated that if a textile is subjected to substantial wear, as is a carpet, an image formed solely on the surface of that carpet, or on the surface of the individual carpet fibers, will tend to wear quickly.
It will further be appreciated that most inks suitable for forming surface images tend to be opaque. Again, this is suitable for many applications. However, where it is desirous that the resultant article has a lustrous or translucent property, the use of such opaque inks precludes the desired translucent image.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,332 to Dybvig discloses an early attempt at transfer printing of plastics. According to '332, a photo-sensitive dye carrier having an image formed thereon is placed against a porous paper temporary receptor sheet on a vacuum platen and sufficient vacuum is established to hold the two sheets in close contact and in fixed position. The transfer sheet has a dye coating on the surface contacting the receptor sheet and a photoconductive zinc oxide coating on the outer surface. The outer surface is exposed to a color separation light image from a positive color original, to impart a latent image.
A conductive roller carrying a coating of conductive radiation-absorptive toner particles at a high potential is passed over the exposed surface to deposit toner at the non-light-struck areas. The surface is then briefly exposed to intense infrared radiation causing transfer of dye to the receptor at the infrared absorptive toned areas. The vacuum is then released, and the photosensitive sheet is removed and replaced with a second photosensitive sheet carrying a second dye, and the process is repeated utilizing an appropriate color separation filter. This process is again repeated using a third filter and photosensitive sheet to produce a full three-color intermediate.
One or more portions of the intermediate are then cut from the sheet. These segments are placed against a transparent dye-receptive film in a desired arrangement, and over them is placed a paper dye source sheet having a blue dye coating as previously described, but minus the photoconductive coating of the transfer sheet. The three layers are pressed together and briefly heated. Thereafter the film is removed and is found to retain a brilliantly clear, full-color copy of the detail sections on an equally clear blue background.
U.S. Patent No's. 4,059,471, 4,202,663, and 4,465,728 to Haigh, or Haigh deceased et al. detail methodologies for forming dye transfer images in plastic surfaces, especially thin films. These several patents flow either directly from or as a divisional or continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 540,383 filed Jan. 13, 1975. Each of these patents utilizes a dye transfer process for forming a dye pattern on a dye receptor plastic web, most especially thin films of from 2 to 20 mils in thickness, by interposing a carrier web, for instance a polyolefin carrier web, between the dye receptor plastic web and a transfer web containing dispersed dyes. Thereafter, the several webs are pressed together in close contact and are heated to a sublimation temperature suitable for the dyes, and the several webs are maintained at the sublimation temperature until a substantial portion of the dyes has sublimed and transferred from the transfer web through the polyolefin web to the dye receptor web. Thereafter, the several webs are cooled below the softening temperature of the dye receptor web, and the dye receptor web is separated from the other webs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,092 to Glover teaches a method of sublimatic printing on air-permeable sheet structures, such as carpets or tiles. According to '092, an air-permeable sheet structure is imprinted by placing an air-permeable printing foil carrying on one side thereof a sublimatic dyestuff in a face-to-face relationship, and in close proximity, with the air-permeable sheet structure. The side of the foil having the dyestuff imprinted thereon is placed in contact with the air-permeable sheet structure, and the foil is heated at a temperature and for a period of time suitable to vaporize the dyestuff. At the same time, a gas or vapor pressure differential is applied so as to create a flow of air from a
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Fresco Plastics LLC
Lorengo J. A.
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