Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-21
2002-05-14
Hess, Bruce H. (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C428S212000, C428S341000, C428S342000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06387473
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an ink receptor for ink jet printers, and more particularly, to ink receptor containing a combination of surfactants as additives to reduce formation of mottle and ink bleeding in the resulting image.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ink jet printing has become increasingly popular, particularly for so-called “desk-top publishing”, because of its capability to produce small volumes of printed matter from digital input at high throughput speeds. Recent equipment developments have led to the introduction of multi-color ink jet printers that integrate colored graphics and text. To some extent, however, the applications of ink jet printing have been limited due to the demanding requirements the ink receptors must meet in order to provide high quality text and graphics.
A first factor affecting the image quality is the tendency of inks to “bleed”. Bleeding refers to a phenomenon in which the edges, i.e., the boundaries of a printed area are blurred. Bleeding resistance is required when a large amount of ink is simultaneously applied to a receiving medium as when full color images are formed using multi-color inks since it is necessary that the ink be promptly absorbed without significantly blurring the edges of the multi-color printed area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,803 reduces color bleed by employing high molecular weight colloids, such as alginates, in conjunction with amphoteric surfactants and/or non-ionic amphiphiles. The inks of the invention comprise a vehicle and a dye. The vehicle typically comprises a low viscosity, high boiling point solvent, one or two surfactants at concentrations above their critical micelle concentration (cmc), while the dye typically comprises any of the dyes commonly employed in ink-jet printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,985 discloses an ink-jet receiving transparency comprising a film support having a coating thereon, such coating containing one of two possible general structures of ionic fluorocarbon surfactants. One of these two general structures is characterized by a quaternary ammonium compound having a side chain containing a sulfide linkage; the other general structure contains the element phosphorus. It is disclosed that other fluorochemical surfactants will not provide the benefits of these two structures of exhibiting an improved ability to maintain the edge acuity of ink blocks on the transparency.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,688,603 and 5,707,722 describe an ink jet receiving sheet comprising, a) at least one nonionic fluorocarbon surfactant having a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion, b) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of hydroxycellulose and substituted hydroxycellulose, and c) at least one phase separation additive or at least one alkanolamine metal chelate wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium and aluminum. Such composition being crosslinkable when subjected to temperatures of at least about 90° C. and forming a microporous coating. High density images which are tack-free and permanent, and which have substantially no color bleed are obtained, while drying is very quickly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,796 discloses a receiving sheet for ink-jet recording comprising a support and provided thereon, an ink receiving layer containing a binder, an anionic fluorine-containing surfactant and a cationic fluorine-containing surfactant to provide high and stable image quality.
Japanese Patent Application No. 8-104,055 discloses a receiving sheet for ink-jet recording comprising plastic film base having ink receiving layer comprising polyvinyl acetal resin, cationic fluorine-containing surfactant and nonionic fluorine-containing surfactant at least on its one side, the weight ratio of said compounds being determined according a detailed equation. The sheet has excellent ink receiving properties, water resistance, clarity of recorded images and durability of ink receiving layer. It also has good dot reproducibility and adhesion of its ink receiving layer.
Japanese Patent Application No. 3-286,895 discloses a receiving sheet for ink jet printing comprising a non-porous support and layer containing amorphous titanium dioxide and binder resin. In an example, a polyvinyl chloride sheet was coated with an aqeous dispersion composed of isopropanol, polyvinyl alcohol, amorphous titanium dioxide, high molecular anionic surfactant and fluorochemical nonionic surfactant and then dried to form an ink-absorptive receiving layer on the supporting film.
European Patent Application No. 761,460 describes an ink-jet sheet including a polymer composition laminated on a substrate. The polymer composition comprises 100 parts by weight of water-soluble polymer, 1.0 to 30 parts by weight of a polymer obtained from a monomer which is sparingly soluble in water and which has at least three ethylenically unsaturated groups in the molecule, and 0 to 20 parts by weight of fluorine-containing surfactant or silicon oil, giving good ink absorbability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,372 discloses an ink composition for thermal ink-jet printing consisting of an aqueous solution, a co-solvent, a dye, a pH regulator, a viscosity modifier, a biocide and a mixture of three non-ionic surface-active agents, one of which is diethylene glycol mono-hexyl ether with high HLB, registering between 16 and 18, and the other two are fatty ethoxylate alcohols with a lower HLB, of between 10 and 14. This system of 3 surface-active agents produces surface tensions of between 25 and 45 dyne/cm, preferably between 25 and 38 dyne/cm and even more preferably between 28 and 34 dyne/cm.
Another problem is due to the glossiness, associated with the capacity of a surface to reflect more light in some directions than in others. The glossyness is related to the quantity of reflected light measured at a predetermined angle (generally at 20°, 60° or 85°) respect to incident light and expressed in percentage.
Japanese Patent Application No. 7-137,434 discloses an ink-jet receiving sheet mainly composed of organic particulates of the mean particle diameter of less than 0.1 millimicrons and binder and which contains nonionic surface active agent of more than HLB15 on the support. The ink-jet receiving sheet can have high gloss and good ink absorbency and dot reproductivity without cracking.
Another problem that exists in printing black/grey images is “mottle”. Mottle is defined as the appearance of a spotty or uneven area fill in black/grey areas of out-put and is thought to result from the segregation of the colorant on the paper surface. This problem, which is paper or media dependant, leads to an unsightly or less than ideal image. Thus, there is a need for improved ink receptors that have minimum bleed, no mottle and good glossiness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The ink jet receiving sheet of the invention comprises a support and at least two ink receiving layers, wherein the ink receiving layer farthest from the support comprises a first non-ionic surfactant having a dynamic surface tension lower than or equal to 27 dyne/cm
2
, and in that the other ink receiving layer(s) comprise(s) a second non-ionic surfactant having a dynamic surface tension higher than or equal to 30 dyne/cm
2
.
The ink jet receiving sheet of the invention provides minimum bleed, no mottle and good glossiness.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The ink jet receiving sheet of the present invention comprises a support and at least two ink receiving layers coated on one or both side(s) of the support. When preparing an ink-jet receiving element according to this invention, by coating two or more ink-receiving layers onto a support, it is possible to prepare an ink-receiving element with excellent properties, especially with respect to ink bleeding and mottle.
The ink jet receiving sheet of the invention comprises a selective distribution of non-ionic surfactants having a specific value of dynamic surface tension. In particular, the ink receiving layer farthest from the support comprises a first non-ionic surfactant having a dynamic surface tension lower th
Ghirardo Stefania
Loviglio Giuseppe
Sismondi Alain Dominique
Ferrania S.p.A.
Hess Bruce H.
Mark A. Litman & Assoc. P.A.
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