Recyclable printed plastic container and method

• US 9,150,325 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Plastipak Packaging Incorporated (Plastipak Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Plastipak Packaging Incorporated (Plastipak Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Uptergrove, Ronald L., Mrozinski, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Carrillo, Bibi
• Application Number:
  US14/528,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20150053584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0011 Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0047 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0064 on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0088 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 7/0009 Obliterating the printed matter; Non-destructive removal of the ink pattern, e.g. for repetitive use of the support
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/02 Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures, designed for pouring contents thermally-insulated containers B65D81/38, A47J41/00; feeding-bottles A61J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/0207 characterised by material, e.g. composition, physical features
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/00 Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/0814 characterised by the composition of the material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2565/385 especially suited for or with means facilitating recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/80 Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging bio-packaging Y02W90/10

Abstract

A recyclable article having an external surface with an image printed thereon by droplets of ink is provided. The droplets of ink comprise a composition that includes a hydrophilic component. In embodiments, the hydrophilic component can facilitate the separation or loosening of the image from the external surface of the container when the image is exposed to a liquid-based solution at an elevated temperature. Methods for facilitating recycling of recyclable articles having printed images are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A recyclable plastic article comprising:

a curved external surface with a digitally-printed image printed directly on the curved external surface, the image comprising cured droplets of ink, and the droplets of ink comprising a composition including a removal-promoting additive;

wherein the digitally-printed image has an adhesion score of at least 6.0 and up through 9.0, and the removal-promoting additive is configured to cause the cured droplets of ink to separate or loosen from the curved external surface of the article when the digitally-printed image is exposed to a liquid-based solution at an elevated temperature of at least about 85°

C.

2. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the liquid-based solution is agitated.

3. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the article comprises a plastic container.

4. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the removal-promoting additive comprises a hydrophilic component.

5. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the removal-promoting additive comprises an acidic component.

6. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein at least two removal-promoting additives are present in the droplets of ink.

7. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the digitally-printed image includes:

a base coat including a plurality of cured base coat ink droplets, and

a secondary coat including a plurality of cured secondary coat ink droplets, the secondary coat being applied to at least a portion of the base coat.

8. The plastic article of claim 1, wherein the article is comprised of one or more of the following materials:

polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene.

9. The plastic article of claim 3, wherein the container is a bottle.

10. The plastic article of claim 5, wherein the acidic component comprises an acidic acrylate oligomer.

11. The plastic article of claim 5, wherein the acidic component comprises a monofunctional acid ester.

12. The plastic article of claim 5, wherein the acidic component comprises an acidic acrylate oligomer and a monofunctional acid ester.

13. The plastic article of claim 5, wherein the acidic component comprises at least about ten percent of the total composition of the droplets of ink.

14. The plastic article of claim 6, wherein one removal-promoting additive comprises a hydrophilic component, and another removal-promoting additive comprises an acidic component.

15. The plastic article of claim 7, wherein the base coat includes white or colorless portions.