Thermal inkjet dye sublimation inks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066567-B2
Application number	US-201716608385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2017
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink consists of a disperse dye colorant dispersion, primary and secondary solvents, a chelating agent, oleth-3-phosphate, additive(s), and water. The colorant dispersion is present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % actives to about 7 wt % actives. The amount of the primary solvent (glycerol, ethoxylated glycerol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, or combinations thereof) ranges from about 10 wt % to about 22 wt %, and the amount of the secondary solvent ranges from 0 wt % to about 7 wt %. The chelating agent amount ranges from 0 wt % actives to less than 0.1 wt % actives, and the oleth-3-phosphate amount ranges from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.75 wt. The additive is selected from the group consisting of a buffer, a biocide, another surfactant, and combinations thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink, consisting of:
a disperse dye colorant dispersion present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % actives to about 7 wt % actives based on a total weight of the ink;
a primary solvent selected from the group consisting of glycerol, ethoxylated glycerol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, and combinations thereof, the primary solvent being present in an amount ranging from about 10 wt % to about 22 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
a secondary solvent present in an amount ranging from 0 wt % to about 7 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
a chelating agent present in an amount ranging from greater than 0 wt % actives to less than 0.1 wt % actives based on the total weight of the ink;
oleth-3-phosphate present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.75 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
an additive selected from the group consisting of a buffer, a biocide, an other surfactant, and combinations thereof; and
a balance of water.

2. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of methylglycinediacetic acid, trisodium salt; 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid disodium salt monohydrate; ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; hexamethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid), potassium salt; and combinations thereof.

3. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is present in an amount ranging from about 0.04 wt % actives to about 0.08 wt % actives based on the total weight of the ink.

4. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the oleth-3-phosphate is present in an amount ranging from about 0.2 wt % to about 0.5 wt % based on the total weight of the ink.

5. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the primary solvent includes a combination of glycerol and ethoxylated glycerol.

6. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 5 wherein the glycerol is present in an amount ranging from about 12 wt % to about 16 wt % based on the total weight of the ink, and wherein the ethoxylated glycerol is present in an amount ranging from greater than 0 wt % to about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the ink.

7. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the disperse dye colorant dispersion has i) a mean particle size ranging from about 50 nm to about 200 nm, and ii) from about 10 wt % dye solids to about 20 wt % dye solids and from about 4 wt % to about 7 wt % dispersant solids, based on a total weight of the colorant dispersion.

8. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein the disperse dye colorant dispersion is selected from the group consisting of a black disperse dye colorant dispersion, a magenta disperse dye colorant dispersion, and a yellow disperse dye colorant dispersion.

9. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 1 wherein a disperse dye in the disperse dye colorant dispersion is more soluble in the secondary solvent than in the primary solvent.

10. The thermal inkjet dye sublimation ink as defined in claim 9 wherein the secondary solvent is selected from the group consisting of 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, propylene glycol, 2-pyrrolidone, tetrahydrofuran, diethylene glycol, and combinations thereof.

11. A printing method, comprising:
selecting a dye sublimation ink, including:
a disperse dye colorant dispersion present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % actives to about 7 wt % actives based on a total weight of the ink;
a primary solvent selected from the group consisting of glycerol, ethoxylated glycerol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, and combinations thereof, the primary solvent being present in an amount ranging from about 10 wt % to about 22 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
a secondary solvent present in an amount ranging from 0 wt % to about 7 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
a chelating agent present in an amount ranging from greater than 0 wt % actives to less than 0.1 wt % actives based on the total weight of the ink;
oleth-3-phosphate present in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.75 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
an additive selected from the group consisting of a buffer, a biocide, an other surfactant, and combinations thereof; and
a balance of water; and

applying to a heating resistor of a thermal inkjet printhead an operating energy that includes a margin over a turn-on energy (TOE) for the printhead, wherein the margin ranges from about 10% to about 25% over the TOE; and
thermal inkjet printing, from the thermal inkjet printhead, the dye sublimation ink:
i) directly onto a textile substrate; or
ii) onto a transfer medium to form an image on the transfer medium; and
transferring the image from the transfer medium onto the textile substrate.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein a disperse dye in the disperse dye colorant dispersion is more soluble in the secondary solvent than in the primary solvent.

13. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein:
the primary solvent includes a combination of the glycerol and the ethoxylated glycerol; and
the chelating agent is methylglycinediacetic acid, trisodium salt.

14. A method for improving thermal inkjet printing performance of a dye sublimation ink, comprising:
selecting oleth-3-phosphate or a combination of a chelating agent and oleth-3-phosphate; and
incorporating the combination into the dye sublimation ink, including:
a disperse dye colorant dispersion present in an amount ranging from about 1 wt % actives to about 7 wt % actives based on a total weight of the ink;
a primary solvent selected from the group consisting of glycerol, ethoxylated glycerol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, and combinations thereof, the primary solvent being present in an amount ranging from about 10 wt % to about 22 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
a secondary solvent present in an amount ranging from 0 wt % to about 7 wt % based on the total weight of the ink;
an additive selected from the group consisting of a buffer, a biocide, an other surfactant, and combinations thereof; and
a balance of water;

wherein the incorporating involves:
adding the chelating agent in an amount ranging from greater than 0 wt % actives to less than 0.1 wt % actives based on the total weight of the ink; and
adding the oleth-3-phosphate in an amount ranging from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.75 wt % based on the total weight of the ink.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein:
the primary solvent includes a combination of the glycerol and the ethoxylated glycerol; and
the chelating agent is included and is methylglycinediacetic acid, trisodium salt.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Doumaux Howard
• Stewart Nicholas J

Classifications

• C09D11/328 Primary

  characterised by dyes · CPC title

• D06P1/65118

  Compounds containing hydroxyl groups · CPC title

• C09D11/037

  characterised by the pigment · CPC title

• D06P1/16

  using dispersed, e.g. acetate, dyestuffs · CPC title

• B41M5/0023

  Digital printing methods characterised by the inks used (inks per se C09D11/00) · CPC title