Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1996-05-16
2001-07-24
Angebranndt, Martin (Department: 1756)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S235000, C156S239000, C283S077000, C283S086000, C430S001000, C430S002000, C503S227000, C359S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264782
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a print with a hologram, wherein a hologram is laminated onto a print, with an image formed by thermal transfer of a sublimable dye ink or a combination of a sublimable dye ink with a hot-melt ink, in order to prevent fabrication or alteration of print, and a process for producing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a print with a hologram, wherein a hologram is laminated in a durable form on a print containing a photograph-like image, such as an identification (ID) card or a passport, to satisfactorily prevent fabrication or alteration of the print and to improve the long-term storage stability, and a process for producing the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various thermal transfer recording systems are known in the art, and one of them is a recording system in which, using a thermal transfer film comprising a substrate film bearing a hot-melt ink layer containing a colorant, such as a pigment, and a vehicle, such as wax, or a sublimzable dye ink layer formed of a sublimable dye, a resin and the like, a colorant is transferred onto an image-receiving sheet or the like by heating means, such as a thermal head or a laser beam, to form an image.
In particular, a sublimation dye thermal transfer recording system using a thermal transfer film having a sublimable dye ink layer can express density gradation, creates a very sharp image, has excellent halftone color reproduction and gradation reproduction, and can form an image having a quality comparable to that formed by silver salt photography and, hence, is rapidly expanding its market to various applications.
These thermal transfer recording systems enable various images to be simply formed and, hence, have become utilized in prints wherein the number thereof may be relatively small, for example, in the preparation of identification (ID) cards and the like.
In the field of ID cards and the like, the security is particularly important. For this reason, the provision of a hologram image on an ID image formed using the thermal transfer film as described above has been proposed for the purpose of preventing alteration of ID cards and the like (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 159794/1991).
In an ID card or the like, however, the transfer of a hologram layer directly onto a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink by means of a thermal head or a hot stamper or the lamination of a hot-bondable laminate sheet including a hologram layer, that is, a hot-bondable hologram label (seal), onto the transferred image by applying heat and pressure using a hot plate or a hot roll does not pose any problem for some time. However, the resultant print with a hologram unfavorably causes bleeding in an image formed by sublimation dye transfer during use of the print for a long period of time, making it impossible to continue use of the print.
The cause of this unfavorable phenomenon has been considered attributable to the presence of a material, which is likely to cause bleeding of a sublimable dye, such as a resin having a low glass transition point or a plasticizer, incorporated, for the purpose of facilitating the transfer or heat bonding, into an adhesive layer in the hologram layer or the laminate including a hologram layer to be transferred or heat-bonded on the transferred image of a sublimable dye.
In view of the above, the present invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is to provide a print with a hologram, suitable as a print required to have a security property, such as ID cards, which is excellent in sharpness of a full-color image formed by the thermal transfer system, possesses excellent halftone color reproduction and gradation reproduction, has an optical diffraction structure, for preventing fabrication and alteration of the print, laminated onto the print to impart a security property to the print, and is free from the occurrence of bleeding or the like in the transferred image even after storage for a long period of time and excellent also in durability, and a process for producing the same.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The above object can be attained by the following present invention.
Specifically, the invention relates to a print with a hologram, comprising an image-receiving sheet, a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink or a combination of a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink with a transferred image of a hot-melt ink and a protective layer provided in that order on the image- receiving sheet, and a hologram layer laminated onto the protective layer.
The invention also relates to a print with a hologram, wherein the hologram layer is a laminate including a hologram layer, for example, a hot-bondable hologram label (seal).
In the above print with a hologram, the protective layer, particularly an adhesive layer in the protective layer, which is in contact with the surface of the transferred image of a sublimable dye ink is formed of a material not containing a plasticizer, a resin having a low glass transition point or the like.
The invention also relates to a process for producing a print with a hologram, comprising the steps of providing a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink or a combination of a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink with a transferred image of a hot-melt ink on an image-receiving sheet, providing a protective layer on the transferred image, and using a thermal head, a hot stamper (a hot plate), or a hot roll to transfer a hologram layer from a thermal transfer sheet for a hologram and to laminate the hologram layer onto the protective layer
The invention also relates to a process for producing a print with a hologram, comprising the steps of: providing a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink or a combination of a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink with a transferred image of a hot-melt ink on an image-receiving sheet, providing a protective layer on the transferred image, and laminating a laminate including a hologram layer, for example, a hot-bondable hologram label (seal), onto the protective layer by applying heat and pressure using a hot plate or a hot roll.
The construction of the print with a hologram according to the present invention is such that a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink or a combination of a transferred image of a sublimable dye ink with a transferred image of a hot-melt ink and a protective layer are provided in that order on an image-receiving sheet, and a hologram layer or a laminate including a hologram layer, that is, a hologram label (seal) is heat-bonded onto the protective layer.
By virtue of the above construction, the hologram layer or the laminate including a hologram layer imparts a security property to the print, and, since the protective layer (including the adhesive layer) provided on the transferred image of a sublimable dye ink is formed of a material not containing any substance, that causes bleeding of the sublimable dye, such as a plasticizer or a resin having a low glass transition point, the print, even when used or stored for a long period of time, does not cause bleeding, of the sublimation transferred image, attributable to elution or migration of the dye and has improved durability.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4856857 (1989-08-01), Takeuchi et al.
patent: 5217773 (1993-06-01), Yoshida
patent: 5254525 (1993-10-01), Nakajima et al.
patent: 5267755 (1993-12-01), Yamauchi et al.
patent: 5275912 (1994-01-01), Riley
patent: 5296442 (1994-03-01), Fujimura et al.
patent: 5300169 (1994-04-01), Tahara
patent: 5344808 (1994-09-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 0 407 615 A1 (1991-01-01), None
patent: 1-283192 (1989-11-01), None
Kudo Mikiko
Onishi Jiro
Oshima Katsuyuki
Angebranndt Martin
Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
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