Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DescrlPtlon
Multlcolored Fabrlc Prlntlnq Rlbbon
Technlcal Fleld
Thls lnventlon relates to fabrlc rlbbons whlch are
lmpacted by a prlnt element to prlnt more than one color. The
prlnt elements typlcally are fully formed character lmages on
a dalsy wheel or one or more columns of lndlvldual wlres.
Transferable colors are held ln the fabrlc and expressed on to
paper or other prlnt-recelvlng medlum by the pressure of
printlng. The colors are commonly located on the rlbbon ln
strlps whlch extend along the length of the rlbbon or ln
blocks of one color alternatlng wlth blocks of another color
along the length of the rlbbon. Such rlbbons become vlrtually
useless lf the colors blend together durlng storage or use.
Backqround Art
Prlor to thls lnventlon, multlcolored fabrlc rlbbons
were typlcally made uslng standard plgments as the colorlng
matter or dyes as part of the colorlng matter wlth the
dlfferent colors separated by some physlcal barrler or gap.
The average partlcle slze of standard plgments ls nomlnally 4
to 5 mlcrons, whlle dyes are molecular ln slze.
Inks wlth only standard plgments do not blend
together ln ordlnary storage and use. Thls can be attrlbuted
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to the fact that the plgment particles are relatlvely large ln
comparlson wlth dye molecules, and amblent energy (whlch
lncludes thermal, osmotlc, caplllary, Brownlan, and other
forces) ls lnsufflclent to move such plgment partlcles
slgnlflcantly. Dlfferent colored llquld lnks wlth standard
plgments only have been applled slde-by-slde on fabrlc rlbbons
wlthout blendlng, but such rlbbons do not replenlsh used areas
well.
In contrast, dye molecules dlssolved ln a typlcal lnk
vehlcle are so small as to be carrled by the lnk vehlcle and
to move when the lnk vehlcle 18 moved under the stresses of
normal amblent heat, as well as other amblent forces. To
control thls movement, the rlbbon has been deslgned ln a way
to block color movement. Commonly, the weave or contlnulty of
the rlbbon ls physlcally lnterrupted at the boundary between
colors, such as by addlng an adheslve whlch ls hardened or by
crushlng or meltlng the rlbbon.
Thls lnventlon completely avolds any change of the
weave of the rlbbon. In accordance wlth the lnstant
lnventlon, a partlcular colorlng matter, speclflcally flushed
plgments, are used (average nomlnally 1/2 to 1 mlcron,
agglomeratlons up to 2 mlcrons). These are plgments of very
small partlcle slze, but do not tend to mlx even though the
woven fabrlc of the rlbbon ls contlnuous at the boundary
between lnks of dlfferent colors. The very small partlcle
slze has been found to provlde good rlbbon llfe, the partlcles
exhlbltlng sufflclent llmlted moblllty that colors
reconstltute themselves sufflclently near locatlons from whlch
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lmpact prlntlng has occurred.
U.S. Patent No. 385,391 to Underwood et al has an
embodlment shown ln lts Flg. 2 ln whlch no dlfference ln the
rlbbon at the boundary between colors ls speclfled. The other
embodlments of thls patent show embodlments ln whlch barrlers
to mlxlng of colors are created by the manner the rlbbon ls
woven or formed. Slnce the nature of the colorlng matter ln
the Flg. 2 embodlment ls only generally descrlbed, the use of
flushed plgments ls not suggested. U.S. Patent No. 2,590,200
to Neldlch teaches a rlbbon ln whlch the flber of the rlbbon
ls predomlnantly ln the dlrectlon of the boundarles of the
dlfferent colors to prevent mlxlng across the colors.
Although flushed plgments are not wldely used, flushed
plgments are known and generally avallable, and flushed
plgments have been used ln woven rlbbons. No use of flushed
plgments ln multlcolored rlbbons ls known.
U.S. Patent No. 4,574,623 to Neumann ls clted merely as
lllustratlve that flushed plgments are known.
U.K. Patent No. 885,813, Tltled "Improvements ln or
relatlng to Ink Rlbbons," publlshed Dec. 26, 1961, teaches a
multlcolored rlbbon ln whlch the weave of the rlbbon ls not
modlfled to prevent mlxlng. Instead, the llquld vehlcles of
the lnks are selected to be lmmlsclble. In accordance wlth
the lnstant lnventlon the vehlcles are not essentlal to
preventlng mlxlng and the vehlcles for each color may be
ldentlcal.
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Dlsclosure of Inventlon
Thls lnstant lnventlon ls a fabrlc rlbbon havlng
multlcolored reglons of colorlng matter ln a llquld vehlcle.
The colorlng matter of the reglons ls essentlally only flushed
plgments, whlch are plgments of partlcle slze generally less
than 2 mlcrons and of average partlcle slze of nomlnally 1/2
to 1 mlcron. (By contrast, standard plgments are nomlnally 4
to 5 mlcrons ln partlcle slze.) Flushed plgments do not
mlgrate between colored reglons under normal condltlons, and
therefore mlxlng of the colors ls avolded wlthout alteratlon
of the fabrlc or use of a fabrlc wlth speclal characterlstlcs
or reglons.
The vehlcles of the dlfferent colored reglons are not
slgnlflcant ln preventlng mlgratlon, as the flushed plgments
do not mlgrate wlth the vehlcles. Nevertheless, the flushed
plgments have sufflclent moblllty ln reglons from whlch lnk
has been depleted by prlntlng to reflll used areas of the
rlbbon wlth plgment, thus provldlng a rlbbon of long useful
llfe.
Colored strlps havlng essentlally only standard
plgments do not tend to mlx, but the rlbbon llfe from rlbbons
havlng only such standard plgments ls unsatlsfactory because
they do not replenlsh used areas well. Flushed plgments,
belng of very small partlcle slze, do provlde satlsfactory
llfe. Yet, no barrler ls needed to prevent mlxlng between
color reglons. Thls lnventlon also has the potentlal of
preventlng face-to-face mlxlng of the rlbbon colors when the
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rlbbon ls ln a stuffed chamber, whlch is a common cartrldge
deslgn.
Best Mode for Carrylnq Out the Inventlon
Three subtractlve colors of the preferred embodlment
of thls lnventlon are as follows:
Subtractlve Yellow
Component Percent by Welght
Flushed SIC0 Yellow M0 49.7%
12 M0-1434 (Trademarked product
of BASF Corporatlon)
Butoxy ethyl oleate (vehlcle) 44.7%
Castor oll (vehlcle, lncreases 5.6%
vlscoslty)
The 12-M0-1434 ls descrlbed by lts suppller as 25%
flushed yellow plgment and treated mlneral oll as a vehlcle.
The approxlmate proportlon of plgment to vehlcle ln the yellow
lnk therefore ls 12.5% by welght plgment to 87.5% by welght
vehlcle.
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Subtractlve Red
Component Percent by Welght
Flushed LITHOL Rublne 53.7%
45-MO-1998 (Trademarked product
of BASF Corporatlon)
Butoxy ethyl oleate tvehlcle) 40.3%
Castor oll (vehlcle, lncreases 6.0%
vlscoslty)
The 45-MO-1998 ls descrlbed by lts suppller as 35%
flushed red plgment and treated mlneral oll as a vehlcle. The
approxlmate proportlon of plgment to vehlcle ln the red lnk ls
therefore 19% by welght plgment to 81% by welght vehlcle.
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Subtractlve Blue
Component Percent by Welght
Flushed HELIOGEN Blue, MO 37%
70-MO-2324 (Trademarked product
of BASF Corporatlon)
Butoxy ethyl oleate (vehlcle) 56%
Castor oll (vehlcle, lncreases 7%
vlscoslty)
The 70-MO-2324 ls descrlbed by lts suppller as 37%
flushed blue plgment, 58% vehlcle sollds, and treated mlneral
oll vehlcle. The approxlmate proportlon of plgment to vehlcle
ln the blue lnk ls therefore 14% by welght plgment to 86% by
welght vehlcle and vehlcle sollds.
Each of the formulas ls homogenlzed ln a hlgh speed
mlxer. The formulas are applled ln any conventlonal manner,
such as by a reverse roll coater, to ad~olnlng reglons of
fabrlc. The fabrlc may be a conventlonal nylon woven fabrlc
commonly used for lmpact prlnter rlbbons. More speciflcally,
ln thls preferred embodlment the fabrlc ls hlghest quallty
fllament nylon type 6,6; pH of 4.5 - 7, 4.0 mll (approxlmately
0.01016 cm) dlameter; welght of 1.6 ounce per square yard
(approxlmately 54.3 grams per square meter); warp (long
dlrectlon) 174.0 threads per lnch (approxlmately 68.5 threads
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per cm) and flll (cross dlrectlon) 114 threads per lnch
(approxlmately 45.7 threads per cmJ.
The detalls of the fabrlc are not consldered
llmltlng, and fabrlcs of other materlals, such as cotton and
other man-made polymers, are consldered alternatives for use
wlth thls lnventlon. The threads of the fabrlc may be woven,
felted, or otherwlse lntermlxed. However, lf the lnterstlces
are exceptlonally large, whlch would result from a very loose
feltlng, for example, the boundarles between the colors would
be uneven.
The fabrlc ls entlrely contlnuous and no change ls
made at the boundarles between the lnk reglons. The lnk
reglons may be along the length of the rlbbon, resultlng ln
yellow, red, and blue strlps slde by slde, each extendlng
along the full length of a rlbbon whlch typlcally ls stuffed
ln the chamber of a rlbbon cartrldge or wound ln a spool.
Mlxlng or blendlng of the rlbbon colors ls not
experlenced ln normal use. The flushed plgments perform llke
dyes wlth respect to rlbbon llfe, provldlng a rlbbon whlch may
be reused extenslvely, a characterlstlc of rlbbons havlng dyes
as the colorlng matter. Yet, the rlbbon colors do not bleed
together, a characterlstlc of plgments.
Flushed plgments are understood to be made ln a
manner ln whlch the plgments are never a dry solld. The
resultlng plgments are of much smaller partlcle slze as
compared to standard plgments. Agglomeratlons ln flushed
plgments may be as large as 2 mlcrons, whlle the average
partlcle slze ls nomlnally 1/2 to 1 mlcron. By comparlson,
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the average partlcle slze of standard plgments ls nomlnally 4
to 5 mlcrons.
Alternatlve embodlments wlll be readlly apparent from
the foregolng dlscusslon.
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