Absorbent article with high quality ink jet image produced at line speed
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsKimberly D. Anderson, Michael J. Garvey, Melissa C. Putzer, Timothy J. Probst, Eric D. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mass produced absorbent article having an image of a quality that is commercially acceptable. The image is produced by ink jet printheads applying ink to a web moving at high speed under the jets in the course of manufacturing the article. The image is printed at low resolution but is characterized in part by a higher coverage area ratio and brightness.
Claims22
A mass produced absorbent article comprising an absorbent member adapted to retain liquid therein, at least one other component operatively connected to the absorbent member in a unit, and an image including at least one ink having the color of one of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and at least one other ink having a different color of one of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the image being printed in a non-contact manner on at least a portion of said at least one other component by ink jets at a resolution of about 100 dpi with said at least one other component moving under the ink jets at a speed of at least about 30.5 mpm (100 fpm), wherein any area in the image having a cyan colored ink applied at maximum threshold thereto has a coverage area ratio of cyan colored ink of at least about 3%, any area in the image having a magenta colored ink applied at maximum threshold thereto has a coverage area ratio of magenta colored ink of at least about 5%, any area in the image having a yellow colored ink applied at maximum threshold thereto has a coverage area ratio of yellowed colored ink of at least about 6%, and any area in the image having a black colored ink applied at maximum threshold thereto has a coverage area ratio of black colored ink of at least about 6%, and wherein each respective coverage area ratio is the percentage of any area in the image which is covered by the corresponding cyan, yellow, magenta or black colored ink applied thereto.
A mass produced absorbent article comprising an absorbent member adapted to retain liquid therein, at least one other component operatively connected to the absorbent member in a unit, and an image including at least one ink having the color of one of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and at least one other ink having a different color of one of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the image being printed in a non-contact manner on at least a portion of said at least one other component by ink jets at a resolution of about 100 dpi with the outer cover moving under the ink jets at a speed of at least about 30.5 mpm (100 fpm), wherein a color difference (DE*) value for any cyan colored ink in the image as compared to a background color of said at least one other component on which the image is printed is at least about 6, the DE* value for any magenta colored ink in the image has a color difference (DE*) of at least about 9, the DE* value for any yellow colored ink in the image has a color difference (DE*) of at least about 8, and the DE* value for any black colored ink in the image has a color difference (DE*) of at least about 6, and wherein each respective color difference (DE*) is the difference for the corresponding cyan, yellow, magenta or black colored ink from a reference sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.