Dry transfer article
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsRichard E. Bennett, Donald V. Flatt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dry transfer article comprising a carrier film bearing a graphic design in the form of one or more layers of ink and an actinic radiation responsive adhesive overlapping the design, the ink serving as a mask to actinic radiation such that only adhesive in non-ink areas is exposed to radiation creating a differential adhesive tack which allows the article to be positioned on the substrate and the carrier film and exposed adhesive to be selectively removed leaving the graphic design and underlying unexposed adhesive bonded to the substrate.
Claims21
A dry transfer article for application to a substrate to provide a design thereon, such article comprising a continuous, actinic radiation transparent carrier film presenting a major surface having first and second surface portions thereon, a graphic pattern comprising at least one layer of a radiation opaque, compatible ink composition bonded to said first portions of said major surface of said carrier film, and a continuous, actinic radiation responsive layer of adhesive having first segments covering ink composition containing said first portions and second segments covering non-ink composition containing said second portions, said adhesive upon exposure of said second segments to actinic radiation through said second surface portions being capable of providing a bond to said carrier whereby, upon adhering of said article to said substrate, application of a peel force to said carrier film allows selective separation from said substrate of said carrier film together with exposed second segments of said adhesive along the edge of said ink composition, leaving on said substrate said ink composition and unexposed first segments of said adhesive.
A process for making a dry transfer article comprising the steps of (1) providing a continuous, actinic radiation transparent film presenting a major surface having first and second surface portions thereon, (2) applying to said first surface portions of said major surface an actinic radiation opaque, compatible ink composition, (3) applying a continuous layer of actinic radiation responsive adhesive over ink composition containing said first portions and non-ink composition containing said second portions, said adhesive thus having first segments bonded to said ink composition and second segments bonded to said second surface portions of said major surface of said carrier film, and (4) exposing said article to actinic radiation such that said ink composition masks passage of said actinic radiation to said first segments of said adhesive and said second surface portions transmit said actinic radiation to said second segments of said adhesive whereby, upon application of said article to a given substrate, a peeling force applied to said carrier film allows selective separation from said substrate of said carrier film together with exposed second segments of said adhesive along the edge of said ink composition, leaving on said substrate said ink composition and unexposed first segments of said adhesive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.