Patents Represented by Attorney Chris P. Konkol
  • Patent number: 7718235
    Abstract: The invention relates to an overcoat composition for an imaged image-recording element, the overcoat composition comprising an aqueous carrier, an optional humectant, an optional surfactant, and 0.05 to 20 weight percent, based on the total weight of the overcoat composition, of an addition polymer having an acid number greater than about 110. The invention also relates to a method of making an imaged image recording element having a transparent overcoat, which method comprises forming an image on the image recording element and applying over the image an overcoat composition of the present invention. The overcoat compositions of the invention provide advantageous stain resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David S. Uerz, Hwei-Ling Yau
  • Patent number: 7718237
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising an absorbent support, a porous base layer nearest the support, a porous ink-receiving intermediate layer above the base layer, and a porous ink-receiving upper layer above the intermediate layer. The base layer and intermediate layers are each present in an amount of at least 25 g/m2 and the total dry weight coverage of the base layer, the intermediate layer, and the upper layer is 60 to 130 g/m2 in order to handle high fluxes of ink compositions during printing and to provide high gloss upon calendering. Also disclosed is an advantageous method of making such inkjet recording materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Terry C. Schultz, Lori J. Shaw-Klein, Thomas P. Nicholas, Kenneth J. Ruschak
  • Patent number: 7661806
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon in order, from top to bottom, an upper fusible, porous layer comprising fusible polymeric particles, which particles comprise a thermoplastic polymer with reactive functional groups, the inkjet recording element further comprising a lower crosslinker-containing layer in which a polyfunctional compound has complementary reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking the reactive functional groups on the thermoplastic polymer under fusing. Optionally, an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer is present between the fusible, porous layer and the support. Also disclosed is a method of inkjet printing on the element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Gregory E. Missell, Lawrence P. DeMejo, Xiaoru Wang
  • Patent number: 7655286
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon in order, from top to bottom, a fusible, porous ink-transporting layer comprising fusible polymeric particles, which particles comprise a thermoplastic polymer with reactive functional groups, the ink-transporting layer further comprising a multifunctional compound having complementary reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking the reactive functional groups on the thermoplastic polymer. The ink-transporting layer is over a fusible dye-trapping layer that preferably comprises a mordant. Optionally, an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer is present between the dye-trapping layer and the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lawrence P. DeMejo, Xiaoru Wang, Gregory E. Missell, Allan Wexler
  • Patent number: 7648745
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprises a support having thereon in order, from top to bottom, a fusible, porous top layer comprising fusible polymeric particles that comprise a thermoplastic polymer with reactive functional groups, in combination with a multifunctional compound having complementary reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking the reactive functional groups on the thermoplastic polymer. Optionally, an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer is present between the top layer and the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lawrence P. DeMejo, Xiaoru Wang, Sandra D. Nesbitt, Gregory E. Missell
  • Patent number: 7604342
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for treating an inkjet recording element to improve the image quality of such an element. The method comprises the applying of a solution of an aluminosilicate polymer on said recording element, said aluminosilicate polymer being obtainable by a preparation method consisting in treating an aluminum halide with an alkyl orthosilicate only having hydrolisable substituents or with a mixture of at least one silicon alcoxide only having hydrolisable substituents and at least one silicon alcoxide having a non-hydrolisable substituent with an aqueous alkali in the presence of silanol groups, the aluminum concentration being maintained less than 0.3 mol/l, the Al/Si molar ratio being maintained between 1 and 3.6 and the alkali/Al molar ratio being maintained between 2.3 and 3; and then stirring the resulting mixture at ambient temperature in the presence of silanol groups for long enough to form the aluminosilicate polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Gerard A. Friour, Olivier J. Poncelet
  • Patent number: 7597439
    Abstract: A method of printing on an inkjet recording element having a support having thereon in order: a) a porous upper fusible layer of fusible polymeric materials and a binder, b) a porous ink-receiving layer in which pigmented ink is stratified such that, after fusing the printed element, greater than 50% of the printed pigment colorant particles in the inkjet ink composition is retained in the bottom half of the upper porous fusible layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Allan Wexler, Bruce C. Campbell, Gregory E. Missell
  • Patent number: 7582335
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a material, said method comprising generating a foamed hydrophilic polymer solution, especially of a gelatin or derivative thereof, and treating said foamed hydrophilic polymer solution with sufficient energy and for a sufficiently short time that a polymer foam having an open-cell structure is formed. The invention also provides a material comprising a support and an ink receiving layer supported on the support, the ink receiving layer comprising porous hydrophilic polymer, especially gelatin, and is formed by coating a solution of foamed hydrophilic polymer, especially gelatin, onto a support substrate and drying the coated substrate for a time period selected to be short enough such that an open-cell foam is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joanne S. Hunt, Julie Baker, Alan R. Pitt
  • Patent number: 7569254
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a nanocomposite material includes generating nanoparticles in-situ with a polymer. A nanocomposite material includes a polymer having nanoparticles characterized by a shorter dimension of not more than 50 nm and elongated strands or dense packing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: YuanQiao Rao, David B. Bailey, Samuel Chen, Nancy L. Furbeck
  • Patent number: 7569255
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an ink-receiving medium comprising the steps of providing a support, treating the support with a salt of a multivalent metal cation, and coating upon one or each side of the support at least one porous ink-receiving top layer from an aqueous coating composition consisting of non-cationic components, wherein the non-cationic components comprise a binder and anionic particles of average particle size less than 2.5 microns, wherein the ink-receiving top layer comprises at least 50% of the total solids by weight, such that the water-soluble salt of a multivalent metal cation is able to diffuse into the ink-receiving top layer, the method further comprising drying the coating and optionally calendering the coating. Also disclosed is inkjet media made from such method and a method of printing using such inkjet media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas J. Dannhauser, Douglas E. Bugner, Sharon R. Girolmo
  • Patent number: 7553526
    Abstract: The invention relates generally to the field of inkjet recording media and inkjet printing methods. More specifically, the invention relates to a porous base layer of an inkjet recording element, the base layer comprising precipitated calcium carbonate having scalenohedral morphology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Bruce C. Campbell, Kenneth J. Ruschak, Thomas P. Nicholas, Lisa B. Todd
  • Patent number: 7507451
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprises a support having thereon in order, from top to bottom, a fusible, porous layer comprising fusible multifunctional polymer particles derived from an aqueous dispersion that comprise a thermoplastic polymer with at least two reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking with each other. Optionally, an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer is present between the fusible, porous layer and the support. Also disclosed is a method of inkjet printing on the element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Gregory E. Missell, Lawrence P. DeMejo, Xiaoru Wang
  • Patent number: 7442245
    Abstract: An ink composition for inkjet recording comprising water and a compound represented by the following Structure: wherein at least one of Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 are not hydrogen; each of R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl, R4 is —H, —CH3, —C2H5, or —C3H7, or —CH2O(CH2CHR5O)x4Z4, wherein each R5 is independently hydrogen or methyl; b is 0 or 1; x1, x2, x3, and x4 are each equal to at least 1, the sum of x1, x2, x3 is 3 to 45 when R4 is not —CH2O(CH2CHR5O)x4Z4, and the sum x1, x2, x3, and x4 is from 3 to 60 when R4 is —CH2O(CH2CHR5O)x4Z4. Such compounds have been found to provide improved curl control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James W. Blease, Richard P. Szajewski
  • Patent number: 7413982
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a deposition process for thin film deposition onto a substrate comprising providing a plurality of gaseous materials comprising at least first, second, and third gaseous materials, wherein the first and second gaseous materials are reactive with each other such that when one of the first or second gaseous materials are on the surface of the substrate the other of the first or second gaseous materials will react to deposit a layer of material on the substrate and wherein the third gaseous material is inert with respect to reacting with the first or second gaseous materials. The process comprises flowing the gaseous materials along the length direction of a plurality of elongated channels across the surface of the substrate surface in close proximity thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: David H. Levy
  • Patent number: 7402506
    Abstract: A thin film transistor comprises a zinc-oxide-containing semiconductor material. Such transistors can further comprise spaced apart first and second contact means or electrodes in contact with said material. Further disclosed is a process for fabricating a thin film transistor device, wherein the substrate temperature is no more than 300° C. during fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David H. Levy, Andrea C. Scuderi, Lyn M. Irving
  • Patent number: 7326956
    Abstract: A thin film transistor comprises a layer of organic semiconductor material comprising a tetracarboxylic diimide 3,4,9,10-perylene-based compound having, attached to each of the imide nitrogen atoms a carbocyclic or heterocyclic aromatic ring system substituted with one or more fluorine-containing groups. Such transistors can further comprise spaced apart first and second contact means or electrodes in contact with said material. Further disclosed is a process for fabricating ac thin film transistor device, preferably by sublimation or solution-phase deposition onto a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature is no more than 100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Deepak Shukla, Diane C. Freeman, Shelby F. Nelson
  • Patent number: 7325691
    Abstract: A packaging apparatus includes a base having first ridges and second ridges. The packaging apparatus also include end portions, each of which has a plurality of slots and channels. Each of the channels is adapted to receive one of the first ridges and each of the slots is adapted to receive one of the second ridges. The packaging apparatus also includes a sleeve, which is adapted to be disposed over the base and exteriorly to the first and second ridges. At least a portion of the sleeve element and at least a portion of the end portions comprise a corrugated material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John P. Siy, Kevin R. Barrell, Julie S. Machell, Frances P. Masiewicz, Kevin M. Metzger, Damijan Vujanovic
  • Patent number: 7324264
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of manufacturing micro-cell arrays. Such an array may find use in a number of applications such as, for example, a video display, electronic paper, and signage. The microcell arrays find particular use in electromodulating displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Peter T. Aylward, Thomas M. Smith, Leonard S. Gates, Daniel A. Slater
  • Patent number: 7264856
    Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising, over a porous, ink-receiving layer, a fusible, porous topmost layer comprising a film-forming, hydrophobic binder and fusible, polymeric particles of a non-segmented polyurethane, or salt thereof, comprising repeat units derived from a diisocyanate and a diol component comprising a mixture of diols, said diol mixture comprising: an anionically-substituted diol selected from carboxylic acid-, sulfonic acid-, and phosphonic acid-substituted diol and an ether containing short chain aliphatic diol, wherein the polyurethane has a Tg greater than about 70° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Allan Wexler, Paul D. Yacobucci, Kurt M. Schroeder
  • Patent number: 7252865
    Abstract: Polymer films comprising plasticizer compounds represented by Structure 1 as described in the specification are useful as protective films in polarizing plates for display applications. Methods of manufacturing such polymer films and polarizing plates are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Timothy C. Schunk, Donald R. Diehl, Daniel T. Linehan, Zora T. Marlowe, Deepak Shukla