Partial imaging of a substrate with superimposed layers
First Claim
1. A method of imaging an imperforate substrate on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said substrate so as to provide said substrate with a print patter, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by means of 1) said substrate having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said substrate and 2) said substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said substrate, said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least one length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto a substantially imperforate base layer and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said base layer, while maintaining the imperforate nature of said base layer, by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said base layer, and wherein said substrate has at least one substantially different material property to said base layer, and wherein at least one of said at least two layers of marking material is applied to said substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with said imaging surface of said substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of partially imaging an imaging surface of a substrate (50) with a plurality of layers of marking material (10) which have at least one common boundary within a print pattern that covers only certain portions of the substrate and not other portions of the substrate. The method includes applying initial superimposed layer of marking material (10) to a base layer (23) and removing portions of the initial superimposed layers of marking material and leaving the desired residual layer portions in the desired print pattern directly applied to the imaging surface of the substrate. The method typically includes the transfer of marking material onto the imaging surface of the substrate. The method has many variants, which can be used to make one-way or other vision control panels, typically using a ceramic ink decal carrier to image a glass sheet with ceramic ink that is then fused onto the glass, which is optionally tempered, in a suitable furnace. Other uses include security printing, seals and labels and a variety of display panels.
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Citations
29 Claims
- 1. A method of imaging an imperforate substrate on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said substrate so as to provide said substrate with a print patter, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by means of 1) said substrate having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said substrate and 2) said substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said substrate, said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least one length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto a substantially imperforate base layer and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said base layer, while maintaining the imperforate nature of said base layer, by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said base layer, and wherein said substrate has at least one substantially different material property to said base layer, and wherein at least one of said at least two layers of marking material is applied to said substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with said imaging surface of said substrate.
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26. A method of imaging an imperforate substrate on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said substrate so as to provide said substrate with a print pattern, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by means of 1) said substrate having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said substrate and 2) said substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said substrate, said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least one length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto a substantially imperforate base layer and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said base layer, while maintaining the imperforate nature of the base layer, by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said base layer and wherein said substrate has at least one substantially different material property to said base layer, and transferring marking material remaining on said base layer to said first portions of said substrate, and wherein at least one of said at least two layers of marking material is applied to said substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with said imaging surface of said substrate.
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27. A method of imagining an imperforate substrate on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said substrate so as to provide said substrate with a print pattern, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by means of 1) said substrate having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said substrate and 2) said substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said substrate, and said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least on length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto a base layer, transferring said at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material to said substrate by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said base layer, and wherein said substrate has at least one substantially different material property to said base layer, and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said substrate, and wherein at least one of said at least two layers of marking material is applied to said substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with said imaging surface of said substrate.
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28. A method of imaging an imperforate substrate on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said substrate so as to provide said substrate with a print pattern, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by means of 1) said substrate having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said substrate and 2) said substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said substrate, and said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least one length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying a base layer to said imaging surface of said substrate, applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto said base layer, and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said base layer by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said base layer, and wherein said substrate has at least one substantially different material property to said base layer, and wherein said base layer is removed from said substrate by being burnt off in a glass tempering regime leaving at least one of said at least two layers of marking material applied to said substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with said imaging surface of said substrate.
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29. A method of forming an imperforate transmuted substrate having a print pattern on a substantially uniform imaging surface of said transmuted substrate, said print pattern comprising at least two superimposed layers of marking material and being defined by said transmuted substrate 1) having at least one of said at least two layers of marking material on first portions of said transmuted substrate and 2) said transmuted substrate being devoid of both of said at least two layers of marking material on other portions of said transmuted substrate, and said at least two superimposed layers of marking material having at least one length of common boundary within said print pattern, said method including applying at least two initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material onto a starting substrate and removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material from said starting substrate by means of a force selectively applied to said marking material while said marking material is being supported by said starting substrate, and wherein said removing portions of said initial, continuous, superimposed layers of said marking material includes (i) pre-cutting said superimposed layers with incisions and (ii) removing said portions of said initial, continuous superimposed layers of said marking material between said incisions, and wherein said starting substrate is transmuted by means of energy applied to said starting substrate such that the transmuted substrate has at least one substantially different material property than said starting substrate, and wherein at least one of said at least two layers of marking material is applied to said starting substrate with a surface thereof directly in contact with a surface of the starting substrate that is transmuted into said imaging surface of said transmuted substrate.
Specification