Compositions: coating or plastic – Coating or plastic compositions – Marking
Reexamination Certificate
1996-04-02
2001-01-16
Yoon, Tae (Department: 1714)
Compositions: coating or plastic
Coating or plastic compositions
Marking
C106S031750, C523S161000, C524S236000, C524S238000, C524S239000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174354
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for obtaining a waterproof ink image with decreased color-bleeding when a color image is formed on plain paper. In particular, it relates to an ink useful in image formation by means of an ink-jet recording process and apparatus using the ink.
2. Related Background Art
Ink-jet recording methods include recording by adhering ejected ink or inks to a recording medium such as paper. According to Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 61-59911, 61-59912, and 61-59914, a recording head having high density multi-orifices can be easily used in an ink-jet recording method in which liquid drops are discharged by forming bubbles in the ink by means of thermal energy from an electro-thermal transducer as the discharge energy supplying means. Moreover, an image having high resolution and high quality can be recorded at high speed.
However, conventional inks used for ink-jet recording generally include water as the major component and contain water-soluble solvents having a high boiling point, such as glycol, in order to prevent drying and clogging. Therefore, when recording on plain paper as the recording medium with such inks, the following problem occurs: The image cannot be satisfactorily fixed, and is not formed homogeneously, possibly due to non-homogeneous distribution of fillers and sizing agents on the recording medium surface. In particular, when forming color images, different color inks are continuously overlapped before each color ink is completely fixed on the paper. Thus, at the boundary section of different colors in the image, non-homogeneous color mixing (called “bleeding” below) is observed. Moreover, satisfactory water-proof printing has been increasingly demanded recently.
As a means for solving the above problems, the addition of a compound which improves permeability, such as a surfactant, to the inks is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-65269. Further, an ink mainly containing volatile solvents is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-66976. U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,416 discloses an ink containing a cation dyestuff, an ampholytic surfactant, and a nonionic amphiphilic compound. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,957 discloses an ink containing a water-insoluble dyestuff, a polymeric colloidal compound, and a surfactant. In addition, inks using betaine types of acrylic resins are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 60-96673 and 4-139272.
When using the ink containing a compound, such as a surfactant, which improves the permeability of the ink into the recording paper, as described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-65269, although fixing performance and bleeding resistance can be improved to some extent due to enhanced permeability of the ink into the recording paper, the ink permeates deep into the inside of the paper together with the coloring material. Therefore, there are some problems, such as decreased image density. Also decreased resolution and bleeding are observed at the same time, due to the horizontal spreading of the ink.
In the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-66976, the nozzle in the recording head easily clogs due to the evaporation of the solvent, in addition to the above problems.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,416 intends to provide an ink containing a cation dyestuff, an ampholytic surfactant, and a nonionic amphiphilic compound, in which the diffusion of the coloring material is suppressed by the addition of the ampholytic surfactant in an amount that is at least equal to the critical micelle concentration or more, images obtained from this ink are not entirely satisfactory due to the enhanced permeability of the ink itself caused by the surfactant, similar to the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-65269. In the ink containing a water-insoluble dyestuff, a polymeric colloidal compound, and a surfactant, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,957, the same disadvantages as well as the problems mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,416 exist: Clogging in the head and nozzle occurs due to the precipitation of the water-insoluble dyestuff or coagulation of the colloidal compound.
Moreover, although the betaine types of acrylic resins are used to prevent bleeding of the oil-soluble ink in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-96673, or to improve the stability of the pigment ink in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-139272, high quality images cannot be achieved on plain paper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention intends to solve the aforementioned problems, and in particular, to provide an ink for forming uniform, high quality images with decreased bleeding and good image density, when the recording, especially color recording, is done on plain paper, and to provide an ink-jet recording process and apparatus using such ink.
The present invention further intends to provide an ink for forming high quality images having excellent water-proof properties, and to provide an ink-jet recording process and apparatus using such ink.
The above-mentioned objects can be accomplished by the following embodiments of the present invention.
The first embodiment includes an ink comprising a coloring material, a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the coloring material, and an ampholytic polymer having both anionic groups and cationic groups.
The second embodiment includes an ink comprising a coloring material, a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the coloring material, an ampholytic polymer having both anionic groups and cationic groups, and a compound represented by the following general formula (A):
wherein R
1
represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 48 carbon atoms; R
2
represents a hydrogen atom or (CH
2
)
a
—X
1
where a is an integer of 1 to 4; R
3
represents a hydrogen atom, (CH
2
)
b
—X
2
, or R
4
—Y where b is an integer of 1 to 4; R
4
represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 48 carbon atoms; Z represents (NR
5
C
l
H
2l
)
c
(NHC
n
H
2n
)
d
, where each of l and n is an integer of 2 to 4, c+d is an integer of 0 to 50; Y represents (NR
6
C
m
H
2m
)
e
(NHC
p
H
2p
)
f
, where each of m and p is an integer of 2 to 4, e+f is an integer of 0 to 50; R
5
represents (CH
2
)
g
—X
3
, where g is an integer of 1 to 4; R
6
represents (CH
2
)
h
—X
4
, where h is an integer of 1 to 4; each of X
1
, X
2
, X
3
, and X
4
is selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, salts of the carboxyl group, a sulfonic group, salts of the sulfonic group, and a hydrogen atom; and when each of R
2
and R
3
is a hydrogen atom, it is not that c and e are zero at the same time, and it is not that all of X
1
, X
2
, X
3
, and X
4
are hydrogen atoms.
The third embodiment of the present invention includes an ink-jet recording process comprising adhering an ink on the recording medium as drops by means of an ink-jet system, wherein the ink is the ink of the first or second embodiment.
The fourth embodiment includes an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising an ink reservoir and an ink-jet head for forming ink drops from the ink supplied from the ink reservoir, wherein the ink is the ink of the first or second embodiment.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes an ink-jet recording unit comprising an ink reservoir and a head for discharging the ink as drops, wherein the ink is the ink of the first or second embodiment.
A further embodiment of the present invention includes an ink cartridge comprising an ink reservoir, wherein the ink is the ink of the first or second embodiment.
Still another embodiment of the present invention includes an ink-jet recording apparatus having an ink-jet recording unit comprising an ink reservoir and a head for discharging the ink as drops, wherein the ink is the ink of the first or second embodiment.
A still further embodiment of the present invention includes an ink-jet recording unit comprising a recording head for discharging ink drops, an ink cartridge having an ink reservoir, and an ink supplying section for supplying the ink from the ink
Hattori Yoshifumi
Sanada Mikio
Takizawa Yoshihisa
Yamamoto Mayumi
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Yoon Tae
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