Selective Heat-Transfer Imaging System and Method of Using The Same
First Claim
1. A heat-transfer imaging system, the heat-transfer imaging system comprising:
- (a) a heat-transfer sheet, the heat-transfer sheet comprising a support portion and an ink-receptive coating, the ink-receptive coating being releasably coupled to the support portion, the ink-receptive coating possessing a melting temperature greater than a heat-transfer temperature, the heat-transfer temperature being no less than about 140°
F. and no greater than about 400°
F.; and
(b) an activating ink, the activating ink being printable on the ink-receptive coating and comprising an agent for lowering the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating in an area contacted with the activating ink to no more than the heat-transfer temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A heat-transfer imaging system and a method of using the same. The heat-transfer imaging system includes a heat-transfer sheet and an activating ink. The heat-transfer sheet and the activating ink are specially formulated so that only the areas of the heat-transfer sheet onto which the ink has been printed become adhesive under heat-transfer conditions. This effect may be achieved by designing the sheet to include an ink-receptive coating whose melting temperature is higher than that typically encountered during normal heat-transfer conditions and by formulating the activating ink to include a plasticizer that, when printed onto the ink-receptive coating, lowers the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating sufficiently so that the modified melting temperature falls within the temperature range encountered during heat-transfer.
28 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A heat-transfer imaging system, the heat-transfer imaging system comprising:
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(a) a heat-transfer sheet, the heat-transfer sheet comprising a support portion and an ink-receptive coating, the ink-receptive coating being releasably coupled to the support portion, the ink-receptive coating possessing a melting temperature greater than a heat-transfer temperature, the heat-transfer temperature being no less than about 140°
F. and no greater than about 400°
F.; and(b) an activating ink, the activating ink being printable on the ink-receptive coating and comprising an agent for lowering the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating in an area contacted with the activating ink to no more than the heat-transfer temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of transferring an image to a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a heat-transfer device; (b) providing a heat-transfer sheet, the heat-transfer sheet comprising a support portion and an ink-receptive coating, the ink-receptive coating being releasably coupled to the support portion, the ink-receptive coating possessing a first melting temperature; (c) providing an activating ink, the activating ink being printable on the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet and comprising an agent for lowering the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating in an area contacted with the activating ink to a second melting temperature; (d) printing an image onto the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet using the activating ink, the activating ink being printed onto a portion, but not all, of the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet, whereby one or more printed areas of the ink-receptive coating and one or more non-printed areas of the ink-receptive coating are produced; and (e) contacting the ink-receptive coating with the substrate using the heat-transfer device operated at an operating temperature of no less than about 140°
F. and no more than about 400°
F., wherein the second melting temperature of the one or more printed areas of the ink-receptive coating is less than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device and the first melting temperature of the one or more non-printed areas of the ink-receptive coating is greater than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device, whereby the one or more printed areas of the ink-receptive coating transfer to the substrate and the one or more non-printed areas of the ink-receptive coating do not transfer to the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A method of transferring at least a portion of an image to a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a heat-transfer device; (b) providing a heat-transfer sheet, the heat-transfer sheet comprising a support portion and an ink-receptive coating, the ink-receptive coating being releasably coupled to the support portion, the ink-receptive coating possessing a first melting temperature; (c) providing an activating ink, the activating ink being printable on the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet and comprising an agent for lowering the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating to a second melting temperature; (d) printing an image onto the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet; (e) printing the activating ink onto a portion, but not all, of the ink-receptive coating of the heat-transfer sheet, whereby one or more activated areas of the ink-receptive coating and one or more non-activated areas of the ink-receptive coating are produced, the one or more activated areas containing at least a portion of the image; and (f) contacting the ink-receptive coating with the substrate using the heat-transfer device operated at an operating temperature of no less than about 140°
F. and no more than about 400°
F., wherein the second melting temperature of the one or more activated areas of the ink-receptive coating is less than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device and the first melting temperature of the one or more non-activated areas of the ink-receptive coating is greater than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device, whereby the one or more activated areas of the ink-receptive coating transfer to the substrate and the one or more non-activated areas of the ink-receptive coating do not transfer to the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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39. The combination of a heat-transfer device and a heat-transfer imaging system, the heat-transfer device being operated an operating temperature of no less than about 140°
- F. and no more than about 400°
F., the heat-transfer imaging system comprising a heat-transfer sheet and an activating ink, the heat-transfer sheet comprising a support portion and an ink-receptive coating, the ink-receptive coating being releasably coupled to the support portion, the ink-receptive coating possessing a melting temperature greater than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device, the activating ink being printable on the ink-receptive coating and comprising an agent for lowering the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating in an area contacted with the activating ink to no more than the operating temperature of the heat-transfer device. - View Dependent Claims (40)
- F. and no more than about 400°
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41. An intermediate assembly for use in heat-transfer, comprising:
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a substrate having first and second surfaces, the first surface having a release layer thereon and an image layer provided over the release layer; and wherein the image layer includes a first area having a first melting point above 400°
F. and a second area having a second melting point less than the first melting point defining a graphic.
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Specification