Hand held photochromic marking implement

• US 20070137521A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Banning, Jeffrey, Kugel, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,758,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 106/31.140
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/17 characterised by colouring agents

Abstract

Disclosed is a hand-held photochromic marking implement including a photochromic colorant and solid phase colorant carrier which can be used in direct-to-media marking and a method of forming same.

Claims

1. A hand held marking implement comprising:

a handle portion for gripping said marking implement; and

at least one marking portion comprising a solid phase carrier material and a photochromic colorant.

2. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the photochromic colorant is substantially colorless when inactivated and a predetermined color when activated.

3. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein said photochromic colorant is activated by electromagnetic radiation

4. The marking implement of claim 3, wherein said electromagnetic radiation has an ultraviolet wavelength.

5. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the photochromic colorant comprises at least one of 1′

3′

-Dihydro-1′

,3′

,3′

-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2′

-(2H)-indole], 1,3-dihydro-1,3,3-trimethylspiro[2H-indole-2,3′

-[3H]naphtha[2, 1-b][1,4]oxazine, and mixtures thereof.

6. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the photochromic colorant comprises at least one of bisimidazole compounds, bis-tetraphenylpyrrole compounds, hydrazine compounds, aryl disulfide compounds, stilbene compounds, aromatic azo compounds, and mixtures thereof.

7. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the carrier material further comprises a non-photochromic colorant.

8. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the carrier material includes a mechanical strengthening agent.

9. The marking implement of claim 8, wherein the mechanical strengthening agent comprises a resin tackifier.

10. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the solid phase carrier material comprises at least one low polarity wax.

11. The marking implement of claim 10, wherein the low polarity wax comprises a polyethylene wax.

12. The marking implement of claim 10, wherein the low polarity wax comprises a tetra-amide wax.

13. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein the solid phase carrier material further includes a dye solubility agent.

14. The marking implement of claim 13, wherein the dye solubility agent is a fatty acid.

15. The marking implement of claim 1, wherein said handle portion is embedded within an outer cladding.

16. A method of forming a hand-held marking implement comprising:

forming a flowable solid carrier material including a photochromic colorant;

cooling and shaping said flowable carrier material; and

forming a solid hand-held marking implement comprising a handle portion for gripping said marking implement and a marking portion comprising said solid carrier material and said photochromic colorant.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising shaping said solid hand-held marking implement by cooling said flowable carrier material in a mold.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising wrapping said handle portion with an outer cladding.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the photochromic colorant is substantially colorless when inactivated and a predetermined color when activated.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said photochromic colorant is activated by electromagnetic radiation having an ultraviolet wavelength.

21. A hand held marking implement comprising:

a handle portion for gripping said marking implement; and

at least one marking portion comprising a solid phase carrier material and a photochromic colorant, wherein the photochromic colorant is substantially colorless when inactivated and a predetermined color when activated by electromagnetic radiation.