Fabric printing method for producing sparkling fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020009901-A1
Application number	US-201916460512-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 2, 2019
Priority date	Jul 6, 2018
Publication date	Jan 9, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sparkling fabric includes: a fabric substrate; and a tri-layer adhered to the fabric substrate. The tri-layer includes: an adhesive layer that adheres the tri-layer to the fabric substrate; an exposed design layer; and a metal plating layer between the exposed design layer and the adhesive layer. The tri-layer is distributed as a plurality of separable and identifiable tri-layer pieces across the fabric substrate such that the distribution of tri-layer pieces has a density on the order of 15-25 pieces per centimeter squared (pcs/cm2) and a size of a piece is less than 1 millimeter (mm).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fabric printing method comprising:
applying adhesive to a sparkling foil paper to form an adhesive base paper, wherein applying the adhesive to the sparkling foil paper comprises distributing the adhesive as a plurality of separable and identifiable adhesive pieces over an outer layer of the sparkling foil paper such that the distribution of pieces has a density on the order of 15-25 pieces per centimeter squared (pcs/cm 2 ) and a size of a piece is less than 1 millimeter (mm); pressing the adhesive base paper to a fabric to form a fabric laminate, wherein pressing the adhesive base paper to the fabric comprises contacting the side of the adhesive base paper to which the adhesive has been applied with the fabric while maintaining the temperature of the adhesive above a melting point of the adhesive; cooling the fabric laminate until the adhesive dries; and removing the sparking foil paper from the fabric of the fabric laminate such that the distribution of adhesive and the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper to which adhesive has been applied remain attached to the fabric in accordance with the adhesive distribution to thereby form a sparkling fabric.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the temperature of the environment of the adhesive base paper and the fabric while pressing the adhesive base paper to the fabric comprises maintaining the temperature above 140° C.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein cooling the fabric laminate until the adhesive dries comprises storing the fabric laminate in at a temperature of about 60° C. to 80° C. environment for at least 12 hours.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying adhesive to the sparkling foil paper to form the adhesive base paper comprises applying the adhesive so that the adhesive covers about 30% of the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fabric printing method lacks the application of glitter to the fabric.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the adhesive to the sparkling foil paper comprises distributing the plurality of separable and identifiable adhesive pieces as a single layer over the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the adhesive to the sparkling foil paper to form the adhesive base paper comprises:
applying the adhesive to an embossing cylinder having a surface topography that is correlated with the distribution of adhesive that is applied to the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper to form a prepared embossing cylinder; and pressing the sparkling foil paper to the prepared embossing cylinder as the prepared embossing cylinder is continuously rotated in one direction so that the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper contacts the prepared embossing cylinder.

8 . A fabric laminate apparatus comprising:
an adhesive base paper comprising:
sparkling foil paper including an outer layer and a design layer including a plurality of two-dimensional geometric forms; and
adhesive distributed as a plurality of separable and identifiable adhesive pieces over the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper such that the distribution of pieces has a density on the order of 15-25 pieces per centimeter squared (pcs/cm 2 ) and a size of a piece is less than 1 millimeter (mm);
wherein the size of the largest adhesive pieces is less than the size of the geometric forms in the design layer and the density of the distribution of pieces is less than a density of the geometric forms in the design layer; and
a fabric to which the adhesive base paper is pressed such that the distributed adhesive is between the fabric and the sparkling foil paper and the fabric and adhesive base paper are held together by the distributed adhesive.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adhesive is made of 50% adhesive, 40% butanone, and 10% curing agent, by weight.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the size of the geometric forms in the design layer is about 1.5 mm and the density of the geometric forms in the design layer is about 70-80 pcs/cm 2 .

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the outer layer is an aluminum plating layer that covers the design layer.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the sparkling foil paper further comprises a cover layer opposite the outer layer and a releasing layer between the cover layer and the design layer.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the cover layer is made of polyethylene terephthalate.

14 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus lacks glitter.

15 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adhesive distributed as the plurality of separable and identifiable adhesive pieces over the outer layer of the sparkling foil paper is a single monolithic layer.

16 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the geometric forms in the design layer have a plurality of different colors.

17 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the distribution of adhesive pieces on the sparkling foil paper includes a distribution of at least three different sizes of pieces as follows:
a plurality of small-sized pieces, distributed in accordance with a highest density; a plurality of medium-sized pieces, distributed in accordance with a middle density; and a plurality of large-sized pieces, distributed in accordance with a lowest density.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the highest density of the small-sized pieces is about 9-12 pcs/cm 2 ; the middle density of the medium-sized pieces is about 8-9 pcs/cm 2 ; and the lowest density of the large-sized pieces is about 3-5 pcs/cm 2 .

19 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein at least some of the adhesive pieces in the distribution of adhesive pieces on the sparkling foil paper have a geometric shape in the plane of the sparkling foil paper that is distinct from a geometric shape of the other pieces in the distribution of pieces on the sparkling foil paper.

20 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adhesive pieces lack separable and identifiable reflective particles.

21 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the geometric form is a circle, dot, or polygon.

22 . A sparkling fabric comprising:
a fabric substrate; and a tri-layer adhered to the fabric substrate, the tri-layer comprising:
an adhesive layer that adheres the tri-layer to the fabric substrate;
an exposed design layer; and
a metal plating layer between the exposed design layer and the adhesive layer; and
wherein the tri-layer is distributed as a plurality of separable and identifiable tri-layer pieces across the fabric substrate such that the distribution of tri-layer pieces has a density on the order of 15-25 pieces per centimeter squared (pcs/cm 2 ) and a size of a piece is less than 1 millimeter (mm).

23 . The sparkling fabric of claim 22 , wherein the fabric substrate extends along a plane, the thickness of the tri-layer along a direction perpendicular to the plane is less than 10 μm.

24 . The sparkling fabric of claim 23 , wherein the thickness of the exposed design layer is less than 5 μm and the thickness of the metal plating layer is less than 5 μm.

25 . The sparkling fabric of claim 23 , wherein the thickness of the tri-layer at each location on the plane remains substantially within a range of acceptable thickness values, the range being less than 1 μm.

Assignees

• Hasbro Inc

Inventors

• Cheung Man Kuen
• Chang Nga Man
• Ling Sze Wing

Classifications

• B44C1/1729

  Hot stamping techniques · CPC title

• B44F1/02

  produced by reflected light, e.g. matt surfaces, lustrous surfaces · CPC title

• B32B15/04

  comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, {which is} next to another layer of {the same or of} a {different material (next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/08; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/06; next to a glass layer B32B17/061; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/042)} · CPC title

• B32B3/10

  characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material · CPC title

• B44F1/045

  having mirrors or metallic or reflective layers at the back side · CPC title