Secure thermal ink jet printing composition and substrate and method and apparatus utilizing same

• US 6,106,110 A
• Filed: 10/09/1996
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nocopi Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nocopi Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Solodar, Warren, Gundjian, Arshavir
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, MANISH S
• Application Number:
  US08/728,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 106/31.14, 347/101, 347/98, 347/86, 283/73
• US Class Current: 347/86
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/144 using fluorescent, luminescent or iridescent effects
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 7/00 After-treatment of prints, e.g. heating, irradiating, setting of the ink, protection of the printed stock pre-treatment or treatment during printing B41M5/0011; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/32 characterised by colouring agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/50 Sympathetic, colour changing or similar inks

Abstract

A composition and a method and an apparatus for using the composition for secure thermal ink jet printing on a substrate. The thermal ink jet ink composition is clear and is invisible to an unaided human eye in visible light when printed on the substrate.

Claims

1. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge comprising a container for storing ink and a thermal ink jet ink composition stored therein, wherein said thermal ink jet ink composition is a colorless thermal ink jet ink composition comprising:

a) a carrier liquid comprising water; and

b) a latent image recording material comprising a first component A of a color reacting pair A+B;

and wherein information printed on a substrate with said colorless thermal ink jet ink composition is invisible to an unaided human eye in visible light and undecipherable to an unaided human eye in infrared light and ultraviolet light, but is reactable with an activating composition comprising a second component B of said color reacting pair to produce a colored reaction product A+B which is visible to an unaided human eye in visible light.

2. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a carrier liquid which comprises a cosolvent.

3. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a carrier liquid which comprises an antibacterial agent.

4. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a component A which comprises a color developer.

5. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a component A which comprises a color developer, and the color developer is selected from the group consisting of bisphenols, hydroxybenzoates, multi-hydroxybenzoates and phenolsulfonates.

6. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a component A which comprises a color developer, and the color developer is zinc salicylate.

7. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein further comprises a cosolvent selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidinones, glycols, glycolethers, glycerol and dimethylsulfoxide.

8. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises N-methylpyrrolidinone and 1 to 15% of zinc salicylate.

9. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises N-methylpyrrolidinone and 6 to 12% of zinc salicylate.

10. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises dimethylsulfoxide and 1 to 15% of zinc salicylate.

11. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises dimethylsulfoxide and 6 to 12% of zinc salicylate.

12. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises a component A which comprises a color developer, and the color developer is zinc phenolsulfonate.

13. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein further comprises a cosolvent selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidinones, glycols, glycolethers, glycerol and dimethylsulfoxide.

14. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises propylene glycol and 1 to 20% of zinc phenolsulfonate.

15. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the colorless thermal ink jet ink composition held therein comprises propylene glycol and 6 to 18% of zinc-phenolsulfonate.

16. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1-15, which is the ink cartridge of a single ink cartridge system.

17. A thermal ink jet printer ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1-15, which is one ink cartridge in a multiple ink cartridge system.

18. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition suitable for use in a thermal ink jet printer comprising:

a) a carrier liquid comprising water; and

b) a latent image recording material comprising a first component A of a color reacting pair A+B;

wherein information printed on a substrate with said colorless thermal ink jet ink composition is invisible to an unaided human eye in visible light and undecipherable to an unaided human eye in infrared light and ultraviolet light, but is reactable with an activating composition comprising a second component B of said color reacting pair to produce a colored reaction product A+B which is visible to an unaided human eye in visible light.

19. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 18, wherein the carrier liquid comprises a cosolvent.

20. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 18, wherein the carrier liquid comprises an antibacterial agent.

21. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 18, wherein component A comprises a color developer.

22. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 21, wherein the color developer is selected from the group consisting of bisphenols, hydroxybenzoates, multi-hydroxybenzoates and phenolsulfonates.

23. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 22, wherein the color developer is zinc salicylate.

24. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 23, which further comprises a cosolvent selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidinones, glycols, glycolethers, glycerol and dimethylsulfoxide.

25. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 24, which comprises N-methylpyrrolidinone and 1 to 15% of zinc salicylate.

26. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 25, which comprises N-methylpyrrolidinone and 6 to 12% of zinc salicylate.

27. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 24, which comprises dimethylsulfoxide and 1 to 15% of zinc salicylate.

28. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 27, which comprises dimethylsulfoxide and 6 to 12% of zinc salicylate.

29. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 22, wherein the color developer is zinc phenolsulfonate.

30. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 29, which further comprises a cosolvent selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidinones, glycols, glycolethers, glycerol and dimethylsulfoxide.

31. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 30, which comprises propylene glycol and 1 to 20% of zinc phenolsulfonate.

32. A colorless thermal ink jet ink composition according to claim 31, which comprises propylene glycol and 6 to 18% of zinc phenolsulfonate.