Patents Examined by Pamela R. Schwartz
  • Thermal transfer recording medium
    Patent number: 6231973
    Abstract: A thermal transfer recording medium is disclosed which comprises a foundation, and an ink layer and an adhesive layer provided on one side of the foundation in this order, the adhesive layer comprising a binder comprising a thermoplastic resin (A) and particles comprising a thermoplastic resin (B) dispersed in the binder, the adhesive layer having an uneven surface resulting from the particles, the thermoplastic resin (A) and the thermoplastic resin (B) being different from each other and the same at least in their main constitutional units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Fujicopian Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Suematsu, Seigo Kato
  • Ink jet recording element
    Patent number: 6228475
    Abstract: An ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon the following layers in the order recited: I) a solvent-absorbing layer of a porous, polyolefin material, and II) an image-recording layer comprising a polymeric binder and colloidal silica having an attached silane coupling agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lixin Chu, Charles E. Romano, Jr., Cheng C. Chen
  • Ink-jet recording sheet and liquid coating composition therefor
    Patent number: 6224971
    Abstract: Proposed are novel ink-jet recording sheet having high water resistance, excellent transparency of the ink-receptive layer, ink absorptivity and color developability as well as the advantages of absence of surface tackiness and blocking and a liquid coating composition for forming the ink-receptive coating layer of the recording sheet. The liquid coating composition comprises, as a uniform blend in an aqueous medium: (A) an acetoacetylated polyvinyl alcohol; (B) a polyvinylpyrrolidone resin; and (C) an acidic aqueous dispersion of a colloidal silica, each in a specified weight proportion, in a limited weight proportion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Somar Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Tomizawa, Sachiko Suzuki, Kuniaki Fukuhara, Naoki Sakazume
  • Printing medium, and ink-jet printing process and image-forming process using the same
    Patent number: 6203899
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing medium, comprising a liquid-absorbent base material, an ink-receiving layer provided on the base material, which comprises a pigment, a binder and a cationic substance, and a surface layer provided on the ink-receiving layer composed principally of cationic ultrafine particles as inorganic particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mifune Hirose, Mamoru Sakaki, Masato Katayama, Masahiko Higuma, Kenichi Moriya, Yuko Nishioka
  • Ink-jet printing cloth, ink-jet printing process and print
    Patent number: 6203888
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ink-jet printing cloth comprising at least two water-soluble neutral salts in a proportion of 0.1 to 30% by weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Aoki
  • Ink jet recording medium
    Patent number: 6200676
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a recording medium comprising a base material, the surface of which is coated with a composition comprising, as an essential component, a polymer having a weight average molecular weight of not less than 20,000 which is obtained by reacting a polyvalent carboxylic acid, or anhydride or lower alkyl ester thereof with a polyhydroxyl compound having a weight average molecular weight of not less than 1,000 obtained by adding ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide to a compound having 2 to 4 active hydrogen atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Miyuki Matsubara, Tokuya Ohta, Masahiro Chiba, Tomomi Kaneko
  • Recording medium and recording method for using the same
    Patent number: 6200670
    Abstract: There is provided a recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink-receiving layer containing alumina hydrate formed thereon, wherein the alumina hydrate is present unoriented in the ink-receiving layer and a diffraction intensity fluctuation &dgr; in a diffraction pattern is not more than 5%, when irradiating an electron beam to a cross section of the ink-receiving layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Hosoi, Akemi Ishizaki, Ako Omata, Katsutoshi Misuda
  • Ink-jet media
    Patent number: 6197409
    Abstract: Media are disclosed having a substrate, water-absorbing layer, and adhesive ink-receiving layer. After being printed with an aqueous pigmented ink, the ink-receiving layer may be laminated to a permanent substrate. Exposure to an energy source may render the printed image more durable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Gregory A. Bodager, Jon Gregory Moehlmann, Daphne Pinto Fickes, Robert Paul Held, Ray Alexander Work, III
  • Water insoluble absorbent coating materials
    Patent number: 6194075
    Abstract: A water insoluble absorbent coating material comprising a water-insoluble network prepared by combining at least one silicon-containing monomer, at least one water- and solvent-soluble polymer, and, optionally, at least one acidic catalytic component, is provided. A water-insoluble absorbent coating material suitable for use as an ink receptive coating layer in an ink jet film is also provided as are ink jet recording media containing such ink receptive coating layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Arkwright, Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven J. Sargeant, Shengmei Yuan, Yang Chen
  • Recording medium for pigment ink
    Patent number: 6187419
    Abstract: A recording medium for pigment ink, which comprises a substrate, a porous layer comprising alumina hydrate, formed on the substrate, and a pigment-fixing layer comprising agglomerates having an average agglomerate particle size of from 0.1 to 0.5 &mgr;m or monodisperse particles having an average primary particle size of from 0.1 to 0.5 &mgr;m, formed on the porous layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kijimuta, Sumito Terayama, Yasumasa Yukawa
  • Thermal transfer recording sheet
    Patent number: 6183858
    Abstract: A thermal transfer recording sheet exhibiting excellent dot transfer at low energy and excellent ink luster of printed graphics comprises a base material and an ink-receiving layer on at least one side of the base material, the ink-receiving layer having a thickness of not less than 1&mgr; and less than 20 &mgr;m and containing a pigment component composed of not less than 30 wt % of calcined kaolin whose oil absorption value is not less than 45% as measured by the Gardner-Coleman method. The ink-receiving layer contains a hydrophobic binder resin that preferably has a glass transition temperature in the range of −30° C. to +30° C. The calcined kaolin preferably has a mean particle diameter of 1-3 &mgr;m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Nisshinbo Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Takeshi Kanazaki
  • Recording sheets containing oxazole, isooxazole, oxazolidinone, oxazoline salt, morpholine, thiazole, thiazolidine, thiadiazole, and phenothiazine compounds
    Patent number: 6180238
    Abstract: Disclosed is a recording sheet which comprises a substrate and a material selected from the group consisting of oxazole compounds, isooxazole compounds, oxazolidinone compounds, oxazoline salt compounds, morpholine compounds, thiazole compounds, thiazolidine compounds, thiadiazole compounds, phenothiazine compounds, and mixtures thereof. Also disclosed is a recording sheet which consists essentially of a substrate, at least one material selected from the group consisting of oxazole compounds, isooxazole compounds, oxazolidinone compounds, oxazoline salt compounds, morpholine compounds, thiazole compounds, thiazolidine compounds, thiadiazole compounds, phenothiazine compounds, and mixtures thereof, an optional binder, an optional antistatic agent, an optional biocide, and an optional filler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Shadi L. Malhotra
  • Printing and recording sheet
    Patent number: 6177197
    Abstract: A printing and recording sheet comprises a substrate and an ink receiving layer of a crosslinked product of a composition which comprises a polymer resin and a crosslinking agent comprising a water-soluble or dispersible carbodiimide compound which is a condensation reaction product obtained by decarbonation condensation of at least one diisocyanate or a mixture of at least one diisocyanate and at least one triisocyanate. The reaction product is blocked at terminal isocyanate groups with a hydrophilic group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Nippon Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuo Imashiro, Ikuo Takahashi, Naofumi Horie, Takeshi Yamane, Shigekazu Suzuki
  • Image transfer material for thermal recording
    Patent number: 6177384
    Abstract: An image transfer material for thermal recording capable of providing a highly precise printing quality suitable for multiple printing operations comprises a base film having, on one of its surfaces a layer of a colouring material. The base film is made of an aromatic polyamide and has a Young's modulus EMD in the longitudinal direction, measured at 20° C. and at a relative humidity of 60%, of at least 6.86 GPa. The base film is in a substantially flat condition and is capable of maintaining a flat condition after having been heat-treated at 200° C. for 10 minutes in the absence of an applied tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Tsuzuki, Masanori Sueoka
  • Recording medium and ink jet recording method
    Patent number: 6174611
    Abstract: A recording medium and a recording method are provided which can realize an image having excellent storage stability. An ink composition comprising a colorant of at least one dye selected from the group consisting of a stilbene azo dye, a triphenylmethane dye, and a xanthene dye is used, and the recording medium having a recording layer comprising silica and a binder, wherein the binder comprises a polymer component, 5 to 55% by weight of a polymer component of the binder is a styrene/butadiene latex, and 20 to 45% by weight of the styrene/butadiene latex is derived from a butadiene monomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation, Nippon Paper Industries, Co.
    Inventors: Akio Owatari, Hiroyuki Onishi, Junichi Iida, Yukio Kobayashi, Yoshihiro Kuroyama, Hiroki Midorikawa
  • Thermal transfer media with a mixture of non-melting solid particles of distinct sizes
    Patent number: 6171690
    Abstract: Thermal transfer ribbons that contain mixtures of carbon black and/or other non-melting solids within the thermal transfer layer provide high density images and reduced melt viscosities for the thermal transfer layer where the mixtures contain at least three different sized particles or mixtures of particles and each of the different sized particles comprise 20 to less than 80 volume % of the total volume of the overall particle mixture. Each of the different sized particles also have particle size values which differ from each by a factor of at least 1.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Frank J. Kenny
  • Universal ink jet drafting film
    Patent number: 6150036
    Abstract: A universal medium for ink jet printing comprises an ink receptor layer formed from a hydrophilic polymer and having a thin top coating of a cationic polymer. The medium can be used with pigment and dye based inks having either aqueous or glycol based solvents systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Azon Corporation
    Inventor: Michael J. Lubar
  • Fast drying ink jet recording medium having a humidity barrier layer
    Patent number: 6146770
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an ink jet recording medium. The ink jet recording medium has an ink absorbent layer provided upon a substrate, with a humidity barrier layer provided upon the ink absorbent layer. The ink absorbent layer comprises a blend of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), poly(vinyl pyrollidone), and a hydrophobic polymer, and the humidity barrier layer comprises a blend of polyethylene oxide and boehmite alumina. The ink jet recording medium is fast drying over different relative humidity conditions, making it particularly suitable for high speed printing applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Arkwright Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven J. Sargeant, Nathan Jones, Joshua Rundus, Shengmei Yuan
  • Ink-jet printing cloth, textile printing method of the same and print resulting therefrom
    Patent number: 6139939
    Abstract: An ink-jet printing cloth is disclosed in which a selected type of polyethylene oxide is incorporated in specified amounts. The polyethylene oxide has a larger viscosity average molecular weight of from 100,000 to 3,000,000 and acts to pretreat a starting cloth material so as to be adequate for ink-jet printing. The ink-jet printing cloth,is highly capable of providing images of great color depth with sufficient brightness and sharpness but freedom from an objectionable bleeding. Also disclosed are a textile printing method using that printing cloth and a print resulting from this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Haruta, Shoji Koike, Makoto Aoki, Koromo Shirota, Aya Yoshihira, Tomoya Yamamoto, Mariko Suzuki
  • Recording sheets containing mildew preventing agents
    Patent number: 6137516
    Abstract: Disclosed is a recording sheet which comprises a substrate, an image receiving coating, and a biocide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Shadi L. Malhotra, Brent S. Bryant, Arthur Y. Jones