Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Ink jet stock for printing – Retransferable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2004-04-06
Hess, B. Hamilton (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Ink jet stock for printing
Retransferable
C428S032300, C428S032700, C428S032860
Reexamination Certificate
active
06716494
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer useful in forming a record image with the use of an ink jet printer and transferring the record image to an object (to be transferred) such as clothes (or member), a method for transferring a record image with use of the same, and a fabric(s) or clothes (e.g., woven fabrics) on which a record image is formed by the method for transferring.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since an ink jet recording system is easily applicable to full-color image production, and is less noisy and superior in print quality, the system has been employed for recording an image onto a transfer sheet. From the viewpoints of safety and suitability for recording, a water-based ink is predominantly employed in the ink jet recording, and the recording is carried out by ejecting droplets of ink from a nozzle against a sheet. Therefore, the sheet requires high ink-absorption ability and ink-fixability.
For example, when an ink which is difficult to dry up in a short time is employed, there is possibility that the ink is stuck on a sheet-feeding roller of an ink jet printer. In particular, in the case of using a deep-color ink and a pale- or light-color ink in combination and forming (or printing) a pale- or light-color area adjacent to a deep-color area, the deep-color ink is stuck on a roller even in a small amount, and further the stuck deep-color ink is stuck on the pale-color area by contacting with the revolving roller, so that the pale-color area is contaminated to deteriorate an outward appearance. Such a phenomenon is called as stain transfer.
Furthermore, for carrying out stable print with the use of an ink jet printer having an elaborative mechanism, it is necessary for a sheet to have stability in delivery of a paper and stability of a coating layer (or coat film) on the sheet. If a paper is not delivered stably, a printer is clogged with the paper and it is difficult to form or print a clear or sharp image, and if the coating layer on the sheet comes off at the inside of the printer, the inside of the printer is stained, as a result delivery of a paper or image formation is adversely affected.
On the other hand, for example, when a record image is thermal-transferred to an object such as clothes to form a transfer image by means of this transfer sheet, not only thermal transferability and adhesiveness but also high water resistance and washing resistance are required of a transfer layer of the sheet.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 16382/1998 (JP-10-16382A) discloses a transfer medium for an ink jet recording which comprises a support (or substrate), a release layer and a transfer layer containing a fine particle of a thermoplastic resin and a polymeric adhesive of a thermoplastic resin disposed on the support. However, in the transfer medium, the fine particle is liable to come off the transfer layer, the inside of the printer is apt to be stained, and stain transfer also occurs. Further, the transfer medium is inadequate in ink-fixability and water resistance.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 290560/1997 (JP-9-290560A) discloses an image-receiving sheet for ink jet comprising a release support and a transfer layer formed on the release support, wherein the transfer layer contains a filler particle, a water-soluble thermoplastic resin and if necessary, a water-insoluble thermoplastic resin. However, the sheet is inadequate in thermal transferability and adhesiveness. Moreover, the fine particle is liable to come off the transfer layer. Further, strain transfer occurs, and the transfer layer of the sheet is inadequate in ink-fixability, water resistance, and the texture after transcription.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 168250/2000 (JP-2000-168250A) discloses a thermal-transfer sheet which comprises a support, and an ink-receiving layer which is capable of separating from the support, contains at least a thermosetting resin and a hot-melt adhesive resin and is formed on at least one side of the support. However, stability in delivery of the sheet is not enough, and strain transfer occurs.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which has excellent stability in delivery of a paper, prevents the inside of the printer from staining, and excels in ink-absorption to a degree that stain transfer does not occur.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which is excellent in thermal transferability and adhesiveness.
It is still another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer which is excellent in water resistance, and excellent in texture in case of thermal-transferring to an object (e.g., clothes, fabrics).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventors of the present invention did intensive research, and finally found that by forming a transfer layer, which comprises specific three kinds or species of hot-melt adhesive fine particles on a support, both stability in delivery of a paper of a transfer sheet for an ink jet printer and stainless of the inside of the printer can be dramatically improved and ink-absorption can be improved to such a degree that the stain transfer does not occur. The present invention was accomplished based on the above findings.
That is, the transfer sheet of the present invention comprises a support, and a transfer layer separable from the support and receivable an ink (e.g., an ink droplet), wherein the transfer layer contains a hot-melt adhesive particle. The hot-melt adhesive particle comprises a particle having a melting point of more than 80° C. (A) and a particle having a melting point of not more than 80° C. (B), and the particle (A) comprises a hot-melt adhesive particle having an oil absorption of not less than 50 ml/100 g (A1) and a hot-melt adhesive particle having an oil absorption of less than 50 ml/100 g (A2). The melting point of the particle (A) may be about 90 to 120° C. (in particular, about 100 to 120° C.), and the melting point of the particle (B) may be about 30 to 80° C. (in particular, about 60 to 80° C.). The oil absorption of the particle (A1) is about 70 to 500 ml/100 g (in particular, about 100 to 300 ml/100 g), and the oil absorption of the particle (A2) is not more than 48 ml/100 g (in particular, not less than 47 ml/100 g). The weight ratio of the particle (A) relative to the particle (B) is about 99.9/0.1 to 30/70 (in particular, about 99.5/0.5 to 50/50). The weight ratio of the particle (A1) relative to the particle (A2) is about 80/20 to 1/99 (in particular, about 60/40 to 5/95). The particle (A) and the particle (B) each may comprise a polyamide-series particle (polyamide-series fine particle). The transfer layer may further comprise a film-formable (film-forming) resin component. The film-formable resin component may comprise a hydrophilic polymer, a urethane-series resin, a thermosetting or crosslinkable (crosslinking) resin, and the like. The transfer layer may further comprise a dye fixing agent.
The present invention includes a method for recording or forming an image onto a recording medium with an ink composition, wherein the recording medium comprises the transfer layer of the transfer sheet.
The present invention includes a transfer sheet in which an image is recorded onto the transfer layer of the transfer sheet by an ink jet recording system. Moreover, the present invention includes a method for transferring a record image to an object, which comprises bringing the transfer layer of the transfer sheet into contact with the object, heating the transfer layer, and peeling the transfer layer from a support for transferring the record image to the object. Further, the present invention includes a fabric or clothes, on which a record image is formed by the transferring method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The transfer sheet for an ink jet printer of the present invention comprises a support and a transfer layer s
Iida Jun-ichi
Nakanishi Hideki
Yamada Noboru
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hess B. Hamilton
Seiko Epson Corporation
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