Decorative molded object having color design image and method of producing the same

• US 7,297,221 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polymatech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Polymatech Company Limited
• Inventors: Hikita, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker; Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazumdar; Sonya
• Application Number:
  US10/717,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20040101662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 156/82, 156/273.5, 156/230, 156/239, 156/240, 156/247, 156/249, 156/277, 156/307.1, 156/307.3, 200/314, 428/64
• US Class Current: 156/240
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/705 characterised by construction, mounting or arrangement of operating parts, e.g. push-buttons or keys
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/028 Printed information
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/03 in transparent keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/034 Coloured areas
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2229/01 Foil transfer process
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A method of producing a decorative molded object which is a resin molded object decorated with a color design image representing a letter, a symbol, a figure, or the like, includes the steps of printing a color design image on an image carrying layer with an output apparatus that collectively outputs color design data to form a coloring agent layer for displaying the color design image on the substrate sheet, transferring the coloring agent layer on the substrate sheet onto a resin molded object to be decorated, peeling the substrate sheet with the transferred coloring agent layer left on the resin molded object to form a color design image layer on the resin molded object and curing, after application and deposition onto the color design image layer, a transparent resin liquid to thereby form a transparent resin layer.

Claims

1. A method of producing a decorative molded object which is a resin molded object decorated with a color design image representing a letter, a symbol, and a figure comprising the steps of:

printing a color design image on an image carrying layer, which is composed of a porous material having, as a bonding phase, inorganic fine particles bound with each other with a binder resin and is arranged on a substrate sheet, with an output apparatus that collectively outputs color design data to form a coloring agent layer for displaying the color design image on the substrate sheet;

curing, after application and deposition onto the coloring agent layer, a transparent resin liquid to thereby form a transparent resin layer;

transferring the transparent resin layer and the coloring agent layer on the substrate sheet onto a resin molded object to be decorated; and

peeling the substrate sheet with the transferred coloring agent layer left on the resin molded object to form a color design image layer on the resin molded object.