Nanoparticle-based compositions compatible with jet printing and methods therefor.

surface.

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Mexican Property

Industrial

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PATENT TITLE NO. 336170

Owner (s): MOORE WALLACE NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Address: Lakeside Drive 1200, Bannockburn, Illinois, 60015, USA

Name: COMPOSITIONS BASED ON NANOPARTICLES COMPATIBLE WITH INJECTION PRINTING AND METHODS FOR THEM.

Classification:

Inventor (s):

lnt.CI.8: B41J2 / 005; B41M1 / 00; B41M1 / 06; B41M1 / 10; C09D7 / 12 KEVIN J. HOOK; STANLEY LITMAN; JEFFREY ZALOOM

REQUEST

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ustrial.

¡Inte artos impro tgables, rites los y de la -5/1999,

Section V subsection a), 4th and 12th sections I and III of the Regulations of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (DOF 12/14/1999, amended on 07/01/2002, 07/15/2004, 07/28/2004 and 7/9/2007); Articles 1, 3, 4, 5 "section V subsection a), 16 sections I and III and 30 of the Organic Statute of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (DOF 12/27/1999, amen de d on 10/10/2002, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007); 1 ', 3 ° and 5 ° subsection a) of the Agreement that delegates powers to the Deputy General Directors, Coordinator, Divisional Directors, Heads of Regional Offices, Divisional Deputy Directors, Departmental Coordinators and other subordinates of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. (DOF 12/15/1999, amended on 02/04/2000, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007).

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Arenal Nc 550. Floor 1,

Coi. Santa María Tepepan Town, Xochimilco Delegation,

CP 16020, Mexico, DF

Tel. (55) 53 34 07 00 www.impi.Qob.mx

Issue Date: January 11, 2016

THE DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF PATENTS

NAHANNY CANAL REYES

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MX / 2016/3382

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This application claims the benefit of the

Provisional US Patent Application Nos. 60 / 965,361, filed August 20, 2007; 60 / 965,634, filed Aug. 21, 2007; 60 / 965,753, filed Aug. 22, 2007; 60 / 965,861, filed Aug. 23, 2007; 60 / 965,744, filed Aug. 22, 2007; and 60 / 965,743, filed August 22, 2007. All of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Lithographic and gravure printing techniques have been refined and improved over many years. The basic principle of lithography includes the step of transferring ink from a surface that has areas that are both ink-receptive and ink-repellent. Offset printing incorporates immediate ink transfer. For example, an offset lithographic press can transfer ink from a plate cylinder to

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Institute a rubber blanket cylinder, and then the ciliafeAí? ^ ΕφΙθΰΙα ©

Industrial blanket transfers the image to a surface (for example, a continuous tape of paper). In intaglio printing, a cylinder with cavities of engraved ink makes contact with a continuous ribbon of paper and an electrical charge can aid in transferring the ink onto the paper.

Early implementations of lithographic technology used embossing the image to be printed on the plate so that the ink was only received by the raised areas. Modern lithographic procedures take advantage of the principles of materials science. For example, the image to be printed can be etched onto a hydrophilic plate such that the plate is hydrophobic in the areas to be printed. The plate is moistened prior to inking such that the oil-based ink is only received by the hydrophobic regions of the plate (ie, the regions of the plate that were not moistened through the moistening process).

Conventionally, all of these printing techniques have a similar limitation in that the same image is printed over and over again. This is due to the fact that conventional lithographic printing uses plates where each plate has a static image (that is,

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Institute say, that does not vary), whether this is an image with Mexican relief, _{π n} of the Property an etched hydrophobic image, etc. ^ dUShtal intaglio printing also uses a static image which is etched into ink cavities on a cylinder. There is substantial operating expense involved in making the plates that are used by a lithographic press or cylinders / cylinder sleeves used by an engraving press. Therefore, it is not feasible to print a job on a lithographic or engraving press that will have few copies produced (that is, a small job). Furthermore, conventional lithographic and engraving presses have not been used to print variable data (for example, billing statements, financial statements, targeted advertising, etc.) except in cases where such presses have been upgraded with print heads. inkjet, albeit at a high cost and slower speeds. Small jobs and / or jobs requiring variability have typically been performed by laser (such as electrostatic toner) and / or inkjet printers.

Traditionally, many printed articles such as books and magazines have been printed using a procedure that involves a great deal of post-press processing. For example, a single

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Mexican Institute of Property Page or set of pages of a magazine can be Industrial printed 5,000 times. Subsequently, a second page or set of pages can be printed 5,000 times. This procedure is repeated for each page or set of pages in the magazine until all pages have been printed. The pages or page sets are then sent to further processing for assembly and cutting into final articles.

This traditional workflow is time consuming and intense. If variable images (that is, images that vary from page to page or page set to page set) can be printed at lithographic image speed and quality, each magazine could be printed in consecutive page order (or set of pages) so that the finished magazines would come straight out of the press. This would dramatically increase speed and reduce magazine printing costs.

Inkjet printing technology provides printers with variable capacity. There are two main inkjet technologies: thermal, ie bubblejet, piezoelectric, and continuous.

In each, small drops of ink are thrown (that is, sprinkled) onto a page. In a thermal jet printer, a heat source vaporizes the ink ΰ

to create a bubble. The expanding bubble or almost a droplet forms, and the droplet is ejected from the print head. Piezoelectric technology uses a piezocrystal located at the back of an ink tank. Alternating electrical potentials are used to cause vibrations in the glass. The back and forth movement of the glass is able to carry enough ink for a drop and eject that ink onto the paper. In a continuous inkjet system, the nozzles are firing continuously and an electrode associated with each nozzle deflects the drops into a groove for collection when the nozzle is not printing. When a nozzle goes to print, the electrode is deactivated and the drop will pass towards the substrate.

The quality of high-speed color inkjet printing is generally orders of magnitude lower than gravure and offset lithography. Also, the speed of the faster inkjet printer is generally much slower than a gravure or lithographic press. Traditional inkjet printing is also plagued by the effect of placing a water-based ink on paper. Using a water-based ink can saturate the paper and can lead to wrinkling and waving of the paper.

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Mexican continuous printing tape, and the continuous tape can easily be damaged by inadvertent exposure to iJ ^ dUStlIal moisture. In order to control these phenomena, inkjet printers use certain specialized coatings or papers. These papers can often be much more expensive than a traditional continuous ribbon paper used for commercial printing.

Also, when inkjet technology is used for color printing, ink coverage and water saturation can be increased. This is due to the four-color procedure used to generate color images. Four-color processing involves placing cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink (ie, CMYK) in varying amounts to make one color on the page. In this way, some portions of the page may have as much as four layers of ink if all four colors are necessary to produce the desired color. Also, the dots produced by an inkjet printer can spread out and produce a blurry image. Furthermore, the inks used in inkjet printers are extremely expensive compared to the inks used in traditional lithography or gravure printing. This economic factor alone makes the

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₇ LUI

Mexican Institute of Property inkjet technology for most dtadUStfta⁵commercial printing applications, particularly high volume applications.

Laser printing has limited feasibility for high-speed variable printing today, because production speeds are even much slower than offset and gravure, and material costs (e.g. toner, etc.) are extremely high compared to the prices of commercial offset or gravure inks. Laser color is also difficult to use for magazines and other bound publications, because printed pages often break when folded.

Printing techniques have been found to be useful in the production of other articles of manufacture, such as electrical components, including transistors and other devices. On the other hand, indicia and other markings have been printed on substrates other than paper, such as plastic film, metal substrates, and the like. These printing techniques can use those previously described to print paper substrates, in which case these techniques have the same disadvantages. In other cases, flexography can be used, which, like lithography, requires the preparation of prepress plates.

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Instítoto

Mexican Property Industry!

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating agent composition includes between about 5% and about 20% of a water dispersible component, between about 5% and about 15% of an amine, and between about 75% to about 95% water.

In another aspect, a device for use in a high-speed variable printing operation includes a housing having at least one surface, a series of ejection nozzles mounted on one surface, wherein each ejection nozzle is capable of ejection drop-on-demand, and a source of a blocking and / or activating agent that communicates with the nozzles. The blocking and / or activating agent comprises from about 8% to about 10% of a surface active agent and the remainder of the blocking and / or activating agent composition comprises water.

In another aspect, a method for high speed variable printing includes the steps of injecting a blocking and / or activating agent composition onto a substrate in a pattern. Composition of agent

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Targets of Ια Propaso 'blocking and / or activation include from about 0.05 afndUSIFíG: about 10% by weight of a blocking agent, up to about 3% by weight of a surface tension modifying compound, up to about 8% by weight of modifier of viscosity such that the composition has a viscosity within the range of about 1 to 14 mPa 's, and the remainder of the blocking and / or activating agent composition comprises a solvent. The blocking and / or activating agent has a dynamic surface tension of less than about 60 dynes / cm. The method further includes the step of applying a printing agent to the substrate to form a printing image in areas not covered by the design of the blocking and / or activating agent.

In yet another aspect, a device for use in a high speed variable printing operation includes a housing having at least one surface, a series of surface mounted ejection nozzles, wherein each ejection nozzle is capable of ejection. a drop on demand, and a source of a blocking and / or activating agent that communicates with the nozzles. The blocking and / or activating agent includes from about 0.05 to about 10% by weight of a blocking agent, up to about 3% by weight of a surface modifying compound, up to about

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8% by weight of a viscosity modifier composition has a viscosity in the range of about 1 to 14 mPa · s, and the remainder of the blocking and / or activating agent composition comprises a solvent.

The blocking and / or activating agent has a dynamic surface tension of less than about 60 dynes / cm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other characteristics of the apparatus and methods for controlling the application of a substance to a substrate, its nature, and various advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a prior art printing system;

Figure 2 is a side view of an illustrative embodiment of an apparatus for controlling the application of a substance to a substrate;

Figure 3 is a side view of an illustrative embodiment of an apparatus for controlling the application of a substance to a substrate;

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Moxieono

Figure 4 is an illustration of an Industrial fekftSPtadod result according to the apparatus shown in Figure

3;

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the device of the present invention; Y

Figure 6 is a close-up view of a portion of the device of Figure 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 illustrates a traditional offset lithographic printing platform 100. In a traditional lithographic process, the image to be printed is etched onto the hydrophilic plate 102 to create hydrophobic regions on the plate which will be ink receptors. Hydrophilic plate 102 is mounted on plate cylinder 104 and rotates through a dampening system 106 and inking system 108. The dampening system 106 may include a water supply 107, and the inking system 108 may include an ink fountain 109. The hydrophilic portions of the plate 102 are wetted by the dampening system 106. When using a base ink of oil, the ink is only received by the hydrophobic portions of the plate 102.

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&lt;Mexican Property Institute

If a blanket cylinder is used, such as Industry) the blanket cylinder 110, the inked image can be transmitted from the plate cylinder 104 to the blanket cylinder 110. Then, the image can be further transferred to a continuous tape 112 ( for example, paper) between the blanket cylinder 110 and the impression cylinder 114. Using the printing cylinder 114, the image transfer to the web 112 can be accomplished by applying substantially equal pressure or force between the image to be printed and the web 112. When using a rubber blanket As an intermediary between the plate cylinder 104 and the web 112, this process is often referred to as offset printing. Because plate 102 is etched and then mounted to plate cylinder 104, a lithographic press is used to print the same image over and over again. Lithographic printing is advisable due to the high quality it produces. When four print platforms are mounted in series, magazine-quality four-color images can be printed.

In accordance with one aspect as illustrated in Figure 2, the apparatus and methods for controlling the application of a substance to a substrate involve the use of a

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nanopart ^ gi ^ based blocking and / or activating agent that blocks the substance or attracts the substance to the substrate! ^ Another aspect of the present description refers to providing a method for high speed variable printing that uses a blocking agent and / or activation based on nanoparticles applied temporarily to the substrate. This method includes providing a substrate and applying to the substrate a blocking and / or activating agent composition that can be injected onto the substrate to allow im aging of the substrate.

The apparatus and methods described in the present invention may utilize injection technology to apply the blocking and / or activating agent directly to the substrate or to an intermediate surface. Any agent that blocks ink application can be used as desired. Because the embodiments described in the present invention included the use of either (or both) blocking and transfer aid compositions, or one or more compositions having both properties, reference will be made hereinafter to a blocking agent and / or activation that may have either or both of these capabilities with respect to a parent substance. Specifically, the blocking and / or activating agent can block the transfer of all,

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Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad substantially all, or some portions of the principal substantial amount. The blocking and / or activating agent may alternatively or additionally assist in the transfer of all, substantially all or a portion of the main substance, or it may block some portion or portions and assist in the transfer of another portion or portions of the main substance. Examples of major substances include, for example, lithographic inks, dyes, proteins (for example, antibodies, enzymes, prions, nucleic acids (for example, DNA and / or RNA oligonucleotides), small molecules (for example, inorganic molecules and / or organic), biological samples (for example, cell and / or viral lysates and fractions thereof), pharmaceuticals (including antibiotics and / or other drugs, and salts, precursors, and prodrugs thereof), cells (eg, prokaryotic, eubacterial, and / or eukaryotic cells), and metals (eg, silicon oxides, conductive metals, and oxides thereof). In Figure 2, the main substance is an ink, the substrate is a continuous ribbon of paper, and the selective portions of the main substance are imaged areas.

Figure 2 illustrates a build platform 200, which may include an inking system 202, plate 204, plate cylinder 206, blanket cylinder 208,

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Mexican Property and Printing Cylinder 210 as known in the lithographic printing industry gn ^ ustflCll. Plate 202 can be fully hydrophilic (eg, a standard aluminum lithographic plate). However, the dampening system 106 of Figure 1 has been replaced by a cleaning system 212 and an aqueous injection system 214 in Figure 2.

The aqueous injection system 214 can contain a number of injection cartridges (eg, bubble injection cartridges, thermal cartridges, piezoelectric cartridges, continuous ink injection systems, etc.). A bubble shot can emit a drop of liquid when excited by a heater. A piezoelectric system can eject a drop of liquid when driven by a piezoelectric actuator. The drop is emitted from a small hole in the injection cartridges.

Cartridges can contain any number of holes. Commonly, injection cartridges with six hundred holes can be found, often arranged in two rows of three hundred. The aqueous injection units can be known print cartridge units such as those manufactured by HP,

Lexmark, Spectra, Canon, etc. An example of an injection cartridge and injection head is described in Murakami et 25 al. US Patent No. 7,240,998, which is incorporated

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Institute hereby for reference. Continuous systems^isMSjftcaf} 0 available from Kodak under the trade name Versamark ^^^^

The aqueous injection system 214 or any of the injection systems described in the present invention can be used to deliver a blocking and / or activating agent or a principal substance from the inkjet cartridge (s). In one embodiment, the blocking and / or activating agent and / or main substance can include aqueous or non-aqueous solutions. The aqueous solution can include water, a water soluble organic compound, or a combination thereof. One particular embodiment uses water and a cosolvent. The cosolvent can generally be a water-soluble or miscible compound to form a homogeneous composition. One reason for incorporating cosolvents into blocking and / or activating agents is to act as surface tension modifiers. Because the time scale of the procedure is short, major changes in surface tension may be desirable but cannot be obtained by using surfactants alone. It may be advisable to make the composition have a particular surface tension property at the time of application and a different surface tension property at the time the last surface or media is imaged.

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Print. For example, it may be advisable to have a small amount of dispersion immediately after depositing the composition to fill small spaces between the injection heads. However, the surface tension needs to change immediately when the image is formed so that the edges of the image that are formed are clean and well defined. The cosolvent can adjust the surface tension of the blocking and / or activating agent to a specific level. Due to the time scale of the blocking procedure, it may be insufficient to rely solely on the migration of the surfactant to the interface when adjusting the surface tension to the required level.

Suitable water soluble or miscible organic components include: alcohols, such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol, or tert-butyl alcohol; amides, such as dimethylformamide or dimethylacetamide; carboxylic acids; esters, such as ethyl acetate, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, propyl lactate, and ethylene carbonate; ethers, such as 2-butoxyethanol, tetrahydrofuran, or dioxane; glycerin; glycols, such as propylene glycol, and diethylene glycol; glycol esters; glycol ethers, such as propylene glycol methyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether;

Institute

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Instituto Mexicano endows proprietary ketones, such as acetone, diacetone, or methyl eti 1 Industrial ketone; lactams, such as N-isopropyl caprolactam or Netyl valerolactam, 2-pyrrolidinone, N-methylpyrrolidinone; lactones, such as butyrolactone; organosulfides; sulfones, such as dimethylsulfone; organosulfoxides, such as dimethyl sulfoxide or tetramethylene sulfoxide; and derivatives and mixtures thereof.

In other embodiments as described in the present invention, the blocking and / or activating agent may contain a water dispersible component, such as a nanoparticle, that is formulated to be applied to a surface. The nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating agent can be applied to any surface including, for example, the substrate and / or plate, and / or roller described in detail in the present invention.

In some embodiments, the nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating agent may be silica-based. In other embodiments, the nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating agent can be made of alumina, zirconia, zinc oxide, colloidal cerium dioxide, antimony oxide, or other similar materials.

Although specific nanoparticles are mentioned in the present invention, other nanoparticles that impart the desired properties to the surface may be useful.

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Suitable nanoparticles based on. _z . _η Industry 'may be useful include those provided by Nissan Chemical (Houston, Texas) including Snowtex O® and / or nanoparticles provided by Nyacol Nanotechnologies including Nyacol Nexil 20A. The silica nanoparticles can be provided as spherical shaped particles, oblong particles, and / or they can be provided in any other way.

The nanoparticles useful in the present disclosure may have general size characteristics of from about 1 to about 10 nanometers, or about 5 to about 15, or about 3 to about 30 or less than about 50 or less than about 100 nanometers.

Illustratively, silica-based nanoparticles can have size characteristics, wherein the weight percent of the silica is between about 1% to about 50% or about 5% to about 20% by weight of the silica particles. The size of the spherical particles is between about 3 and about 100 nanometers or about 5 to about 20 nanometers. The size of the oblong shaped particles is between about 3 to about 50 nanometers wide

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Instituto Mexicano delPropi ty and between approximately 50 to approximately 150 nanometers Industrial long or between approximately 9 to approximately 15 nanometers wide and between approximately 80 and approximately 100 nanometers long.

Other constituents can be added to the nanoparticle before and / or after the nanoparticle is received from the supplier. For example, nanoparticles can include a sodium ion or other alkali ion in a weight percent of less than about 3% or less than about 1% or less than about 0.05% or less than about 0.05%. Additional constituents that impart the desired characteristics can also be added before and / or after the nanoparticle is received from the supplier in any other useful weight percent.

In some embodiments, the nanoparticle can be functionalized using an ethoxylate (EO), propoxylate (PO), and / or an ethoxylate / propoxylate (EO / PO) portion containing an amine. Any amine that includes primary, secondary, and / or tertiary amines can be used. For example, amine ethoxylates available from Huntsman International LLC including the Surfonamine® series of amines and specifically, B-60, B-30, B-200 may be useful for the present disclosure. A typical example of the EO / PO portion is an amine ethoxylate containing

Institute

Mexican only one ethoxy group and nine propoxy groups. Important variations in the number of ethoxy and propoxy groups facilitate the adjustment of the blocking and / or activating agent to the desired HLB characteristics (hydrophobic-lipophilic balance) and retention. The HLB can be in the range of about 2 to about 18, although the nanoparticle can be functionalized to achieve an HLB that is outside of this range to impart the desired characteristics.

In other embodiments, the nanoparticle can be functionalized using portions that contain other functional groups. For example, a fatty acid ethoxylate or a polyether amine can be used. Polyether amines available from Huntsman International LLC including the Jeffamine® series may be useful for the present disclosure. Fatty acid ethoxylates, such as the Teric ™ and Ecoteric ™ lines from Huntsman International LLC may be useful in the present disclosure. Other functional groups can also be used to impart the desired characteristics.

Without intending to be bound by theory, it is believed that the EO / PO amine is electrostatically adsorbed to the surface of the silica particle, or other suitable nanoparticle base, through protonation to give a positive charge to the portion. I know

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wait for the surface of the nanoparticle to you! net negative charge, due to the chemical nature of the particle surface. Additionally, the functionalized nanoparticle has self-surfactant properties due to EO / PO, with adaptable paper retention properties. Through modification of the silica core, or nanoparticle core with the amine ethoxylate, the EP / PO is expected to form a shell or shell structure around the core. Adjusting the size of the EO / PO amine can impart desired spherical and chemical properties.

By way of example, the nanoparticle useful in the present description can be functionalized using the following procedure. Initially, 50 g of Surfonamine® B-60 was added to a 1 liter glass beaker. 150 g of deionized water was added to the beaker. The beaker contained a magnetic stirrer, which was activated after the deionized water was added to the beaker. The pH of the mixture was measured using a standard laboratory pH meter and was found to be approximately 11. The pH of the mixture was then adjusted to approximately 4 by slowly adding 1.5N HC1 (available from JT Baker ®) to the mixture. mixture. Using a separatory funnel (available from VWR), 50g of Nissan was added

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Snowtex-O® 20% to the beaker together with a cup of deionized water. While adding Snowtex-O® nanoparticles to the mixture, the pH was monitored. After completion of the addition of the silica nanoparticles, the pH was approximately 4.

The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight.

Approximately 100 g of acid washed Diatomaceous Earth was added to the mixture and stirred for approximately 5 minutes. The resulting mixture was filtered using a Buchner funnel using Whatman® Grade 3 filter paper (150mm). The filtration product was collected and filtered through a 1-star absolute polyester filter with a nominal 0.22 Versapor® membrane disc prefilter. The resulting filtration product was collected in a Nalgene® bottle having a 1 liter capacity.

In a different embodiment, the nanoparticle can be functionalized using larger functional groups. For example, a polyether can be useful for the present description. An ethoxylated nonyl phenol available from Dow® under the Triton ™ series, for example Triton ™ X-100, would be a typical example of a polyether useful in the present disclosure. The nanoparticle of this embodiment can be functionalized in a manner similar to that described above. It is believed that they can also be imparted

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fcfeüCCRO institute chemical properties unique to the bi oquát agent MfaapSsdatí industrio?

activation by functionalizing the nanoparticle by using larger functional groups. As a result of the functionalization, the blocking and / or activating agent can acquire chemical properties such as, for example, self-surfactant, and / or self-leveling properties.

In a different embodiment, the blocking and / or activating agent may contain a surfactant present in an amount of up to about 15% or between about 8% to about 10%, or between about 3% and about 5%. The surfactant or surface modifying agent may include, for example, nonionic surfactants, such as poloxamer, ethoxylated acetylene diol, or other ethoxylated surfactants. Any type of surface active agent can be useful for inclusion in the blocking and / or activating agent to impart the desired properties including anionic, nonionic, cationic or other types of surface active agents. Additionally, leveling agents can also act as surface modifying agents. Another class of surface modifying agents includes a multi-functional compound containing at least one hydrophilic portion and at least one hydrophobic / lipophobic portion (eg, fluorosurfactants such as Novec from 3M).

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Industrial

This class of compounds allows the injection of a water soluble blocking agent onto a substrate having a lipophilic portion that tends to repel lithographic ink.

Other suitable nonionic surfactants include ethoxylated secondary alcohols such as the Tergitol series, eg, 15-S, available from Dow Chemical, C11-C15 linear ethoxylated alcohols, ozylphenol ethoxylates, ethoxylated acetylenic diols, and N-octyl-2 -pyrrolidone. As noted above, mixtures of various nonionic surfactants can also be used to provide a combined surfactant effect with an HLB of between about 2 to about 18.

The poloxamer surfactant suitable for use may be represented by the formula HO (CH₂CH₂OR) _x(CH₂CHCH₃OR) _Y (CH₂CH₂OR) _ZH where x, y, and z represent whole numbers on the scale of 2 to 130, especially 15 to 100, yxyz are identical but are selected independently of y. Among these, poloxamer 188 can be used, where x = 75, y = 30 and z = 75, which can be obtained under the trade name Lutrol® F 68 (alternatively Pluronic® F-68) from BASF, poloxamer 185 where x - 19, y = 3 0 and z = 19 (Lubrajel® WA from ISP), poloxamer 235 where x = 27, y = 39 and z = 27 (Pluronic® F 85 from BASF), poloxamer 238 where x = 97, Y

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Institute

Mexican = 39 and z = 97 (Pluronic® F 88 from BASF), Pluronic®

Industry!

BASF, and / or Pluronic® 127, poloxamer 407, from BASF for which x = 106, y = 70, and z = 106. In addition, poloxamer 101,

108, 124, 181, 182, 184, 217, 231, 234, 237, 282, 288, 331,

333, 334, 335, 338, 401, 402, and 403, respectively, can be included in the blocking and / or activating agent, to name a few.

Suitable ethoxylated acetylene diol for use include Surfynol® 400 Series surfactants from Air Products: Surfynol® 420, 440, 465, and 485, respectively.

Surfynol® 400 Series surfactants are produced by reacting various amounts of ethylene oxide with 2,4,7,9-tetra-methyl-5-decine-4,7-diol (Surfynol® 104 from Air Products), a nonionic molecule with a hydrophilic section in the middle of two symmetric hydrophobic groups.

An additional suitable surfactant includes SILWET ™

7200, a siloxane block polymer, available from OSi Specialties, Inc. (Danbury, Conn., Formerly Union Carbide Organo Silicon Products, Systems and Services).

Another suitable blocking and / or activating agent component is Sokalan® maleic acid / olefin copolymer from BASF. Other useful materials may include polyethyleneimine (PEI) having a molecular weight of around 1200, ethoxylated PEI having a molecular weight of around 50,000, hexadecyl bromide

<img file="MX336170B_D0031.tif" />

Trimethylammonium Institute (CTAB), polyoxyalkylene ether, S ^ OXfcono poly, (oxyethylene) cetyl ether (eg Brij® 56 or Brij® Industrial 58 from Atlas Chemicals).

The surfactant can be reacted with a spherically long amine, including aromatic amines, to form an organic salt that can be used in dilute concentration. Amines useful in the present disclosure can include dicyclohexyl amine, cyclohexyl amine, and / or butyl amines.

In some embodiments, if necessary, the blocking and / or activating agent composition may also include a viscosity modifying agent to achieve a viscosity within the range of 1 to 14 mPa · s. Preferably, the viscosity is set at 1 to 8 mPa "s, and in particular at 1 to 4 mPa" s. The viscosity agent can include polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, cellulosic materials (e.g. CMC), xanthan gum, or Joncryl® 60, Joncryl® 52, Joncryl® solution polymers

61, Joncryl® 678, Joncryl® 682 from BASF, polyvinylpyrrolidone, such as PVP K-12 to K-90 available from International Specialty Products, Wayne, NJ, and polyglycol 15-200 to name a few.

In some embodiments, the blocking and / or activating agent includes from about 0.05 to about 10% of a blocking compound. The

<img file="MX336170B_D0032.tif" />

examples of suitable blocking compounds inc ffifttarPTCplgdCSC;

Industry polyvinylmethylene / maleic acid copolymers such as Gantrez S-96-BF and Gantrez AN-119, both available from International Specialty Products, Wayne, NJ, glycerin, 1,2,3,4-butane tetra carboxylic acid, silicone polyols, such as GP217 polymer, cationic silicone polyols, such as quaterium 8; sulfonated polyesters such as AQ 48 Ultrapolymer, and mixtures thereof.

In other embodiments, the surface tension modifier is used to reduce scattering. Preferably, the dynamic surface tension is set to less than 60 dynes / cm. Preferably, a dynamic surface tension of less than 46 dynes / cm is achieved. The surface tension modifier may include poloxamer (for example Pluronic® from BASF) or Surfynols® from Air Products, (for example Surfynol® 400 series surfactants), leveling agents such as BYX-381,

BYK-333 and BYK-380N, polydimethylsiloxanes that are manufactured by BYK-Chemie USA, Wallingford, Conn among others.

In even other embodiments, the blocking and / or activating agent composition includes a receiving surface modifier. The receiving surface modifier (eg, paper) facilitates the transfer of blocked ink or other major substance to the receiving surface. The receiving surface modifier

<img file="MX336170B_D0033.tif" />

Institute

Mexican Property may include surface polishing powders such as Industrie metal powders, and cork powder, to name a few.

Other examples of compounds for surface modification include polyethyleneimine and ethoxylated polyethyleneimine (10 to 80% ethoxylation).

Additional components contemplated in the blocking and / or activating agent include a solvent, a preservative, an antiondulation agent, an anchor blocking and / or activating agent, a humectant (eg, propylene glycol), an antiseptic agent, a biocide. , a colorant, an essence, a surfactant, a polymer, a defoaming agent, a leveling agent, a salt, an inorganic compound, an organic compound, water, a pH modifier, and / or any combination thereof.

The aqueous injection system 214 can be used to print or inject the positive image (or a negative image) of the image to be printed, or any portion thereof, onto the plate cylinder 206. For example, a controller Image can receive image data from a data system. The image data can represent the image to be printed or the negative image to be printed. Image data may include variable image data that changes with a relative frequency (for example, every printed page), semi-fixed image data that changes less frequently (for example, every 100 printed pages), image data that remains static, and any combination of variable, semi-fixed, and fixed image data. Some or all of the image data may be stored as binary data, bitmap data, page description code, or a combination of binary data, bitmap data, and page description code. For example, a Page Description Language (PDL), such as PostScript or Printer Command Language (PCL), can be used to define and interpret data. image in some modalities. The data system can then electronically control the aqueous injection system 214 to print in aqueous solution the image (or negative image) represented by some or all of the different types of image data (or any portion thereof) on the cylinder. plate 206. The negative image can be an image of each portion of the paper that is not to receive ink. Thus, after a point on the plate cylinder 206 passes the aqueous jet system 214, that point will only receive ink from the inking system 02 if a drop of aqueous solution was not placed at that point. In some embodiments, a vacuum source or heat source 215 may be placed alongside or near the aqueous injection system 214. As the cylinder

<img file="MX336170B_D0034.tif" />

Mexican Institute of Property Plate 206 ends its revolution, after passing ^ -^tolndUStrla! image to the blanket cylinder 208, passes through the cleaning system 212, which can remove ink and / or aqueous solution residue so that the plate cylinder 206 can be re-imaged by the aqueous injection system 214 during printing. next revolution (or after a certain number of revolutions).

In some embodiments, plate cylinder 206 may have all of the static data for a particular print job etched onto plate 204 via traditional lithographic techniques. The aqueous injection system 214 can then be used to image only variable portions of the work represented by semi-fixed or variable image data on specified portions of plate 204. In other embodiments, plate 204 may not be used. Instead, as understood in the art, the surface of the plate cylinder 206 can be treated, processed, or milled to receive the aqueous solution from the aqueous injection system 214. In addition, the plate cylinder 206 can be treated, processed, or milled to contain static data and be responsive to aqueous solution to incorporate variable data. In these and any other embodiment of the present invention, the blanket cylinder 208 can be completely removed, if desired, by transferring the image directly to the tape.

216.

<img file="MX336170B_D0035.tif" />

Institute

Mexican ^CG!^ faith¹ft ^ pfedatí

Industry)

As previously described, the blocking and / or activating agent can be applied using one or more jet heads either on a plate or directly on a blanket cylinder, then the ink can be applied in a non-selective way on the blanket plate or cylinder, and then the ink can be transferred from the image areas on the blanket plate or cylinder to the paper web. In case the blocking and / or activating agent and ink are applied directly to the blanket cylinder, it is not necessary to use the plate cylinder. Particular print applications that may benefit include static print jobs (particularly, but not limited to small jobs), or variable or customizable print jobs of any size, for example, targeted mailings, customer statements, wallpaper, custom wrapping paper, or the like.

The blocking and / or activating agent can be applied, for example, as an aqueous fluid by being selectively sprayed directly onto the substrate or onto an intermediate surface or directly onto the main substance using an injection device or other application technology. or sprinkling

<img file="MX336170B_D0036.tif" />

precisely controllable.

Institute

Mexican

An aqueous fluid can generally have a low viscosity and a reduced propensity to form plugs, and is therefore advantageous for use with an injection head. However, the blocking and / or activating agent can also be applied using injection technology in a form other than an aqueous fluid. Examples include UV curable systems and nonaqueous siloxane systems. Furthermore, the blocking and / or activating agent is not limited to being a fluid and can be applied as a solid, for example as a thin film, a paste, a gel, a foam, or a matrix. The blocking and / or activating agent may comprise a solid powder that is charged or held in place through an opposing electrostatic charge to prevent or assist in the application of the main substance.

Any of the systems described in the present invention can be modified to allow the formation of different droplet sizes of the blocking and / or activating agent. In general, a higher resolution grid, that is, a grid with 300 dpi or more, along with a matching droplet size improves blocking or transfer / pick-up of the main substance, such as an ink. Also, as the dpi of the grid increases, the size of the droplets that are more

<img file="MX336170B_D0037.tif" />

Institute

Efficient Meacano is generally smaller. A larger industrial size is more susceptible to forced wetting of areas to be imaged. This forced wetting can be the result of the combination of adjacent injected droplets when the image is transferred between surfaces (such as in the clamping area between a plate and blanket) and can cause a decrease in image quality due to a reduction in print density. Such forced wetting can be minimized through the addition / removal of one or more constituents and / or changing or adjusting one or more physical properties of the blocking and / or activating agent. For example, reducing certain surfactants can reduce ghosting while the use, addition, and / or substitution of other surfactants can also improve image quality. Alternatively, an electrostatic charge can be applied to a cylinder that is opposite in polarity to the charge of the blocking and / or activating agent applied to the cylinder. The resulting electrostatic attraction can reduce or eliminate forced wetting.

The blocking and / or activating agent can be used to effect blockage or assist in the application of the main substance by removing or blocking or applying the main substance to imaged or non-image areas.

<img file="MX336170B_D0038.tif" />

image, remove an auxiliary agent in areas without preventing the application of the main substance in certain or all areas, change the physical or chemical properties of the blocking and / or activating agent or main substance (for example change the viscosity or surface tension of the blocking and / or activating agent or main substance) to influence the application of the blocking and / or activating agent or main substance, any combination of the above, or through any other suitable method.

In still other embodiments, the amount of the main substance applied to the substrate can be varied through the use of a blocking and / or activating agent in the form of a barrier or a blocking agent with barrier qualities. In such embodiments, the application of the main substance to the substrate can be blocked either completely or partially, so that the main substance can be applied at intermediate levels to the substrate as allowed by the barrier or blocking agent with qualities of barrier, effecting a density gradient of the main substance on the substrate in accordance with the desired intermediate levels of the application of the main substance.

Other modalities include that the blocking agent is applied in a selective manner on the

<img file="MX336170B_D0039.tif" />

Institute

Mexican principal substance on the surface or other before or after application of the principal substance ^ tf^OR* &amp; ^ on the surface. For example, the blocking agent may include a material dispersed therein that is resistant to affinity for the particular embodiment of the main substance used. The blocking agent can then be applied to the surface in non-image areas, with the material dispersed within the blocking agent absorbed into and / or received and retained on the surface. The surface can subsequently pass adjacent to a further surface having the main substance disposed thereon, and the main substance can be transferred to the first mentioned surface only in those areas that do not contain the blocking agent, since the dispersed material within of the blocking agent resists application of the main substance in the non-image areas

The properties of the blocking and / or activating agent and the print medium (for example, using bond paper, gloss paper, or various coating techniques) can be modified to achieve a desirable interaction between the protective negative image that is printed with the Aqueous jet system and printing medium. For example, if image sharpness is desired, it may be beneficial to select a blocking agent.

<img file="MX336170B_D0040.tif" />

and / or activation that will not be fully absorbed

Msxfcarte

Industrie printing medium. However, if some ink transfer is advised even from the areas covered with the waterjet outlet, it may be beneficial to use a print medium that quickly absorbs the aqueous solution so that some ink transfer also occurs from the areas. covers.

Even additionally, increasing the viscosity of the blocking and / or activating agent and / or increasing its surface tension, and / or the use of a support agent and / or system for non-image and image areas , respectively, maintaining the boundaries between image and non-image areas can reduce scatter, and thus improve quality. In particular, manipulating the viscosity of the blocking and / or activating agent to 1 to 14 cP (or mPa »s) prevents flooding, this is forced wetting that loses the image, including rough edges and lines, as well as reducing to the minimum the phantasy. Ghost ghosting can occur when ink migrates to a non-imaged area of ​​a cylinder or when blocking and / or activating agent or residual ink remains on a cylinder from a previous print. It is important that the viscosity of the blocking and / or activating agent is kept below 14 cP (or mPa »s) to allow the blocking and / or activating agent to

<img file="MX336170B_D0041.tif" />

fntfltut

Mexlcan activation is emitted from a thermal industrial iny cf &amp; ft ^ pledad head. Other chemical and / or materials science properties could be used to reduce or eliminate this effect. The blocking and / or activating agent can also include a thixotropic fluid that changes viscosity under pressure or stirring. Manipulating the surface tension of the blocking and / or activating agent can also reduce scattering.

Still further, surfactant block copolymers having various properties can be used with imaging cylinders having various material properties to achieve an imaging cylinder having a selectively oleophilic and hydrophilic surface. The physical bond created between the surfactant and the surface of the imaging cylinder allows the imaging cylinder to repeat the same image multiple times or to selectively vary the image at any given rotation of the imaging cylinder. By taking advantage of the material properties of the imaging cylinder and the block copolymer surfactants, a durable and variable imaging system can be achieved that has the quality of known lithographic printing techniques.

I

Μ

Ρ

<img file="MX336170B_D0042.tif" />

Institute

Mexican

Another procedural variable is the subs tra? &amp;

fntiustrtoi yes. In the case of a paper substrate, a conventional coated stock of size, weight, gloss, etc. can be used. suitable. One or more coatings, such as clay, can be applied thereto to delay / prevent absorption of the main substance and / or the blocking and / or activating agent. In the case of other substrates, such as a printing blanket, a printing plate, a printing cylinder, a circuit board, a plastic sheet, a film, a textile or other sheet, a flat or curved surface of a wall, or other member, etc., the surface on which the main substance is to be applied can be prepared, processed, treated, machined, textured or otherwise modified in a suitable way, if necessary or advisable, to aid and / or block the transfer of portions of the main substance, as desired.

The types and / or physical characteristics and / or chemical compositions of the ink (s) or other major substance (s) can be selected or modified to obtain the desired results. For example, by controlling the surface tension of the ink, you can eliminate color-to-color bleed and transparency on the opposite side of the paper. As an example

<img file="MX336170B_D0043.tif" />

Institute

In addition, one or more inks can be used in waterless printing applications together with the injected blocking and / or activating agent (whether the latter is aqueous or non-aqueous) to block or promote the transfer of ink from the plate to the paper. In the case of using waterless printing ink or inks with an aqueous blocking and / or activating agent, the composition of the blocking and / or activating agent can be adjusted in view of the lipophilic characteristics of said ink or inks so that the blocking and / or activating agent has a molecular structure that attracts and / or repels ink or inks as necessary or advisable. Alternatively, the injected blocking and / or activating agent initially applied to a hydrophilic plate may include one or more hydrophilic components that bind to the plate and one or more other components that bind or repel ink molecules.

As a further example, a phase change of the blocking and / or activating agent, or the main substance, or both, can be employed to prevent and / or promote blocking or transfer / harvesting of substance. For example, the blocking and / or activating agent can be selectively injected onto a surface, such as a plate, and the main substance can be applied to the surface that has the blocking and / or activating agent.

<img file="MX336170B_D0044.tif" />

Fnsíftuíú applied to it, whereby the portions d ^, the main substance that make contact with the injected blocking and / or activating agent can be converted into a gel or a solid. Alternatively, the main substance can be applied indiscriminately (i.e. non-selectively) to the plaque and the blocking and / or activating agent can subsequently be selectively applied to portions of the plaque that are not to be image (ie non-image areas), whereby the main substance in the injected portions becomes a gel or solid. In addition, a two (or more) component blocking and / or activating solution can be used where the components are applied individually selectively in succession where each can be injected individually, but when applied in the In the same place, they react in a similar or identical way to an epoxy type bond and other chemical bonds such as covalent bonding, ionic bonding, etc. and physical interactions such as hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals forces to promote advantageous blocking and / or activation characteristics. The main substance, such as ink, can be applied before or after one or more of the components of the blocking and / or activating agent is applied. In any of the above examples,

<img file="MX336170B_D0045.tif" />

Mexican Property IncHtuto A substrate (such as a continuous tape of paper) can be imaged by means of the plate.

Figure 3 illustrates another alternative embodiment.

Figure 3 shows lithographic platform 1000 as known in the art (eg, inking system 1002, plate cylinder 1006, blanket cylinder 1008, and impression cylinder 1010). However, upstream of the lithographic platform 1000, the coating system 1016 and aqueous injection system 1014 have been installed. In embodiments such as that shown in Figure 3, a standard lithographic plate can be etched with the static information for a given job or it can be completely ink-receptive.

In one embodiment, a portion of the plate may be reserved for variable information (eg, plate 1100 may include one or more variable image boxes, such as boxes 1102 and 1104, as shown in Figure 4). The portion of the lithographic plate corresponding to the variable image boxes can be formed to receive ink over the entire surface of the variable image boxes (that is, when the variable image box portions of the lithographic plate pass the inking system, all rectangular areas will accept ink). In other embodiments, the entire plate can be an ink receptor and the aqueous injection system

<img file="MX336170B_D0046.tif" />

Institute

Mexican can provide one-sided fluid blocking to the entire 1012 continuous belt.

To generate the variable image, a negative image of the variable image can be applied in a blocking and / or activating agent by means of the aqueous injection system 1014 directly onto the continuous tape 1012. Before the continuous tape 1012 reaches the system For aqueous injection 1014, the web 1012, in some embodiments may be coated to prevent the web 1012 from absorbing the blocking and / or activating agent. In other embodiments, the web 1012 remains uncoated so that the blocking and / or activating agent applied by the aqueous injection system 1014 can apply the image to the entire web 1012. Thus, when the portion of the web 1012 that will receive the variable image contacts the portion of the blanket cylinder 1008 that transfers the ink for the variable image, the web 1012 selectively receives the ink only in the areas not previously printed by the 1014 aqueous jetting system. The standard lithographic platform operates as if it were printing the same image repeatedly (eg, a continuous rectangle). However, the continuous tape 1012, which is first negatively imaged by the aqueous injection system 1014,

<img file="MX336170B_D0047.tif" />

Institute

Mexicano only selectively receives the continuous rectangle riü iaShopMatí Industrial ink on the blanket cylinder 1008 to create the variable image on the web 1012. The coating system 1016 can be a complete platform in itself to apply the coating. Alternatively, the coating system 1016 may be any suitable alternative to applying a coating to the continuous tape 1012 to reduce its ability to absorb the blocking and / or activating agent.

For example, coating system 1016 may include a sprinkler that sprays a suitable solution onto web 1012. The solution may prevent web 1012 from absorbing all or a portion of the blocking and / or activating agent.

In any of the above embodiments, a combination of plate cylinder and blanket can be replaced with a single imaging cylinder and vice versa. In addition, one or more of the aqueous injection systems, cleaning systems, removal systems, and vacuum or heating systems in the modes can be electronically controlled through the data system.

Furthermore, the rolling pressure of the roll (s) and the characteristic compressibility of the roll (s) to which the main substance is applied in the

<img file="MX336170B_D0048.tif" />

t ujg

Institute

Mexican substrate may vary to control quality d ^ feUt ^ rOSiedad

Indijitrlrr * as well as the characteristic compressibility of the presser roller. In addition, rollers or cylinders having a textured surface can be used to control the application of the main substance to the substrate, as desired. Still further, or additionally, the volume of the blocking and / or activating fluid droplets can be adjusted to control the amount of ink transferred to each cell, thereby affecting the gray scale.

An additional option is to modulate / control the temperature of one or more procedure parameters. For example, the temperature of the blocking and / or activating agent could be raised after applying it to a surface to improve adhesion and facilitate dispensing. Alternatively, or in addition, the surface may be initially heated during application of the blocking and / or activating agent to control adhesion, droplet shape / size, and the like, and / or the surface may be cooled at some point in the process. once the blocking and / or activating agent is applied therein to increase the viscosity of the blocking and / or activating agent, thus reducing the dispersion of the blocking and / or activating agent in the non-wetted areas.

<img file="MX336170B_D0049.tif" />

Iffective Mfufo

In addition, multiple different liquids assorted from separate inkjet devices could be used which, when applied together, create a blocking and / or activating agent having improved tack and / or viscosity and / or other desirable characteristics. The liquid can be applied at the same or different temperatures, pressures, flow rates, etc.

Yet another embodiment comprises the use of two or more arrangements or inkjet heads to selectively apply the blocking and / or activating agent alone, or to selectively apply the blocking and / or activating solution in one or more areas of a surface and optionally ink to one or more remaining areas of the surface, where one or more of the layouts can be independently removed or changed while the press is running, they can be reconfigured (in terms of position) for the next job (eg where regional adaptation is required).

Due to variations in ink tack from printing unit to printing unit, a successive modification of characteristics of the blocking agent and / or activation can be carried out from unit to unit to effectively optimize the transfer of ink to

<img file="MX336170B_D0050.tif" />

through each unit. Still another modification involves the use of a phase change material to intensify J9PRJpl © SJacl

Industry a printing surface.

In still other embodiments, the blocking and / or activating agent (s) used to control the application of the main substance to the substrate may be combinations of blocking and / or auxiliary agents. In one example, the main substance is laid out on a surface and covered in non-image areas through a blocking agent that blocks the application of the main substance to the substrate. In imaged areas, the main substance is covered by an auxiliary agent that tends to establish a bond with the main substance to aid in application to the substrate. Alternatively, the blocking and / or activating agent (s) may be disposed on the surface and may be covered by the main substance. In one example, a lipophilic blocking agent is selectively disposed in non-imaged areas of the surface and a hydrophilic auxiliary agent is selectively disposed in imaged areas of the surface. Subsequently the main substance is arranged on top of the layer created by both blocking and / or activating agents. The layer of both blocking and / or activating agents having a consistent height above the first surface can prevent migration between the

<img file="MX336170B_D0051.tif" />

Institute

Maxcane main substance and auxiliary agent. Because qtiirCtaC Industr »'surface moves adjacent to the substrate, the blocking agent prevents the main substance from being applied to the substrate, while the auxiliary agent allows the application of the main substance to the substrate.

In alternate embodiments, the surface may be a lithographic plate, cylinder, or the like having a portion that can be used to control the application of the main substance to the substrate by applying varying configurations of the main substance to the substrate. In such embodiments, variable symbology, coding, address writing, numbering, or any other variable labeling technique can be used on the portion of the first reserved surface to control the application of the main substance. The main substance is first disposed on the first surface indiscriminately. Before the substrate passes near the first surface for main substance application, a blocking agent is selectively applied to the substrate in an area where the reserved portion of the first surface

<td colspan="2">will move after that</td><td rowspan="2">adjacent desired,</td><td rowspan="2">to the or</td><td colspan="2">substrate for</td>

<td>allow</td><td>the configuration</td><td>picture,</td><td>of the</td>

<td>substance</td><td>main that is going</td><td>to apply</td><td>in</td><td>the same.</td><td>In a</td>

<td>modality</td><td>more generally, the</td><td>substrate</td><td>I know</td><td>can</td><td>place</td>

<img file="MX336170B_D0052.tif" />

L2JLC institute

IMggíw adjacent to one or more of a surface that teiQWQpSsg &amp; j'd

Industrial similar or different main substances disposed therein, wherein blocking and / or auxiliary agents are selectively transferred to the substrate from the surfaces in the reserved portion. In one embodiment, a magnetic ink is transferred from one of these surfaces onto the substrate (eg, a web of paper). One or more non-magnetic inks can be transferred from the same surface or from one or more additional surfaces. A blocking and / or activating agent can be used to either block or aid in the application of the magnetic ink to the paper web in a desired configuration in the reserved portion thereof using any of the techniques for using binding agents. blocks and auxiliaries described above. The result is a continuous ribbon of printed paper that has magnetic ink markings (such as a MICR marking or other encoded information) that can be changed from print to print. Another example is applying encoded RFID circuitry as part of the variable printing process through the use of a conductive ink. This eliminates the need for post-print programming.

According to a further embodiment, the blocking and / or activating agent is applied selectively in

<img file="MX336170B_D0053.tif" />

Institute

Mexicano a receiving surface through one or more tífidktíftOpIeeklCl Industrial injection head and attracts or blocks an intermediate fluid, such as traditional inking solution, which is applied indiscriminately on the receiving surface but is regulated by the blocking agent and / or activation so that the ink solution is selectively adhered to the receiving surface prior to ink application thereto. In this embodiment, the blocking and / or activating solution is formulated to interact with and control the ink solution, as opposed to controlling the ink. Additional modalities can neutralize or compromise the ink solution, or selectively allow removal of the same from the receiving surface. More generally, these embodiments comprise the use of a selectively applied blocking and / or activating solution in conjunction with an indiscriminately applied inking solution and ink where the activating and / or blocking agent controls where the inking solution is held.

As mentioned above, the blocking and / or activating agent may include one or more surface active agents or it may be temperature or vacuum controlled to produce viscosity and droplet size characteristics that are favorable for producing a high quality image. However, the quality of an image is also

<img file="MX336170B_D0054.tif" />

Institute

MsxJsaas can be affected by a known phenomenon

Industrie!

those skilled in the art like ghosting, which can be a particularly serious problem if the consecutive images are different.

Ghosting can be reduced by ensuring that the imaged and non-imaged areas are clear of ink and / or any blocking and / or activating agents between successive prints. Cleaning the cylinder after each application of ink from the cylinder as described with respect to any of the cleaning systems discussed above in the present invention is one way of ensuring that the cylinder is clean. The blocking and / or activating agent composition can also be designed to reduce ghosting by promoting more thorough cleaning by the cleaning system.

Another method of reducing ghosting is to inhibit ink migration from imaged areas to non-imaged areas on the drum. A lipophilic solution can be precisely applied to the imaged areas to attract ink to the imaged and inhibit migration from the imaged. Independently, or in combination with the lipophilic solution, a lipophobic solution can be precisely applied to the areas without

<img file="MX336170B_D0055.tif" />

Msfttufo images of the cylinder to inhibit ink migration afttCftjgfftaf itself.

One of the advantages of using the concepts to process variable and static print jobs as described in the present invention is the inherent speed associated with a conventional lithographic press. In fact, the press speed compared to a conventional lithographic press is limited by the speed at which an image area can be created, which in turn depends on the method of creating the image area. Such methods have been described in the present invention which include application of a blocking and / or activating agent to create the imaged area. The blocking and / or activating agent can be a lipophilic or hydrophilic solution, or some other solution that may have an electrostatic charge applied to it. The blocking and / or activating agent can also be an electrostatic charge applied to a portion of a cylinder.

The maximum speed at which any of these blocking and / or activating agents is applied to one or more cylinders of the press can limit the speed of operation of the press.

For most operating conditions where an inkjet cartridge is used in normal inkjet printing, the ejection of a

<img file="MX336170B_D0056.tif" />

Institute

Mexican Cartridge Drop is considered to be an event ins tant &amp;&amp; P^roPÍ @ «SSC8

Industrial that produces an ink stain of predetermined size on a target substrate. In reality, the ejection of a drop from an inkjet cartridge is not an instantaneous event, but in fact it is a temporary event, which has a beginning, a middle point, and an end. If a target substrate is moving at a high speed, the ink droplet can hit the substrate to form an ink spot having a tail that draws the spot in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the substrate. This phenomenon, known as tail formation, is a direct result of the temporary nature of droplet generation. Sizing at high press speeds can limit the effective speed of the press due to print quality issues. However, it has been discovered that certain blocking and / or activating agents, when used with particular injection cartridges can inhibit or alleviate the tailing of ejected droplets, thus eliminating this effect as a limiting factor in the maximum rate of injection. press.

In another embodiment, an aqueous injection system can print or inject an aqueous solution or other composition that has multifunctional potential onto a patterned substrate. In one embodiment, for example, the i

fnsfiíufo

The composition may not have bifunctional potential, although the present invention contemplates any number of functionalities. For example, the muitifunctional composition can include one or more compounds each having a multifunctional potential or a plurality of compounds each having monofunctional potentials. A functional potential can include, for example, a functional portion of a compound that can be attributed to a specific chemical portion and / or structural region of the compound that confers binding and / or repellent properties to the compound, such as for example, a a hydrophilic region, a lipophilic region, a receptor / recognition region (eg, a paratope), an ionic region, and others known in the art. In the present embodiment, one functionality confers fixation capabilities to the patterned substrate, and a second one confers fixation properties to one or more major substances that can be applied thereto.

In another embodiment, a multifunctional composition can include more than one multifunctional compound wherein each species of multifunctional compound has at least one functionality in common with the other muitifunctional compounds and at least one functionality that differs from the other muitifunctional compounds. In this example, a first multifunctional compound and a second

<img file="MX336170B_D0057.tif" />

Institute

Itateano _ _η .... d © The Multifunctional Composite Property can be printed each in^OR|} | duj | d &lt;j 'substrate with similar design although the second functionalities of the first multifunctional compound and the second multifunctional compounds may have different specificities for a main substance that can bind to either of the first or the second multifunctional compound, assuming that the main substance only reacts with one type of functionality.

In another embodiment, compounds having monofunctional potentials can interact to form complexes that have muitifunctionality similar to that of single multifunctional compounds. In this embodiment, the multifunctional compounds can be included in a single composition that is deposited on the patterned substrate at one time, included in separate compositions deposited simultaneously, or they can be contained in separate compositions that are deposited consecutively on the patterned substrate.

An example of a multifunctional compound contemplated herein includes a compound that has one functionality that can be hydrophilic and a second functionality that can be lipophilic. The multifunctional composition can be injected using a desired pattern onto a substrate that has either a hydrophilic or a lipophilic surface, whereby the functionalities

<img file="MX336170B_D0058.tif" />

Similar differences between the surface and the composition are used to secure the composition to the surface and the opposite functionality of the composition is repelled from the surface to bond a design of the composition thereto.

A second composition, for example the main substance, that has similar functionality (for example, hydrophilic or lipophilic) or is otherwise selectively attracted to the second functionality of the multifunctional composition, that is not surface bound, and that is rejected or otherwise not fixable to the exposed surface of the substrate can be added to the surface by injection, dipping, spraying, brushing, laminated or in any other manner known to the person skilled in the art. The addition of the main substance can make a design of the main substance correspond to that of the multifunctional composition, so that the main substance only binds to the surface through the second functionality of the multifunctional composition. It is further contemplated that after application of the main substance, one or more additional steps, including for example a cleaning step, may be carried out to ensure regiospecific fixation of the main substance only on the second functionality.

<img file="MX336170B_D0059.tif" />

Institute

Mexican

<img file="MX336170B_D0060.tif" />

of the multifunctional composition. Another step similar to the cleaning step includes a sterilization step. The main substance can then be transferred to a second substrate, including for example an intermediate roller from which an image will be transferred to the print medium, or directly to the print medium to translate the desired print image in a highly precise and clean. In this way, selected designs can be injected onto a substrate using a multifunctional composition to which a main substance is subsequently attached which can then be transferred and permanently or temporarily immobilized on a printing medium.

Examples of multifunctional compounds contemplated herein include polymers, having at least one hydrophilic portion and at least one lipophilic portion, such as an ethoxylated poloxamer or acetylene diol mentioned above. Additional examples include materials associated with the formation of self-assembling monolayers, such as alkylsiloxanes, fatty acids in oxide materials, alkanothiolates, alkyl carboxylates, and the like. Other multifunctional compounds known to those skilled in the art are contemplated herein.

<img file="MX336170B_D0061.tif" />

The apparatus and methods described in the present invention are also relevant in other industriesjp ^ j ^^ other technologies, for example, textiles, pharmaceuticals, biomedical, and electronics, among others. Variably adaptive graphics or text, or a principal substance having improved sealing properties or resistance to water or fire can be selectively applied to continuous tapes of textiles such as can be used to make clothing or carpets. In the pharmaceutical industry, the main substance can be a drug, a therapeutic, diagnostic, or marker substance other than an ink, or a carrier for any other type of substance.

In biomedical applications, for example, the main substance can be a biological material or a biocompatible polymer. In electronics applications, the main substance can be an electrically conductive or insulating material that can be selectively applied in one or more layers to the substrate. Other electronic applications include the production of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. English) in articles. Other industries can also benefit from the selective application of a main substance to a substrate. For example, the main substance may be a thermally conductive or insulating material selectively applied to components of an article of clothing.

<img file="MX336170B_D0062.tif" />

g .ij ifl

Institute

Mexican manufactures, for example, a thermal exchangermicd®

Industrial saucepan, or coffee cup isolated. The main substance can also be a material with improved absorption, reflection, or radiation properties, some or all of which may be useful in other articles of manufacture, for example, when the main substance is selectively applied to components of a oven, a lamp, or sunglasses. Still other uses for the main substance can include compliant packaging films or holograms (through selective filling of refractive cavities prior to imaging). Furthermore, the technology could be applied in fuel cell manufacturing and the main substance may include functional polymers, adhesives and 3-D interconnecting structures. In applications for the manufacture of micro-optical elements, the main substance could be an optical adhesive or a UV curing polymer. Even a further application can be the manufacture of screens where the main substance is a polymeric light emitting diode material. Furthermore, in a specific application, the high speed variable printing apparatus and methods described in the present invention can be used in a number of lithographic applications. For example, the apparatus and methods described may be ideal for one-to-one marketing applications of

<img file="MX336170B_D0063.tif" />

High quality institute, such as direct mail, advertising, account property estimates, and invoices. Other well-suited efltdB &amp; frial applications for the systems and methods described in the present invention include the production of personalized books, newspapers, publications, posters, and displays. The high speed variable printing systems and methods described in the present invention can also facilitate post processing (eg, binding and finishing) of any of the aforementioned products.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the blocking and / or activating agent can be injected using a device 1200. Device 1200 has a housing 1202 with a surface 1204. Surface 1204 has a plurality of injection nozzles 1206 and 1208 In Figures 5 and 6, two rows of nozzles 1206 and 1208 are shown, however the device may have one or more rows of nozzles depending on the resolution required. Housing 1202 includes a chamber (not shown) in communication with the nozzles and also in communication with a source of injection agent 1210 through tube or other means of communication 1212. Device 1200 is controlled by a control device 1214 which can be any

<img file="MX336170B_D0064.tif" />

suitable print driver known to dC skilled in the art.

The following examples further illustrate the description but, of course, should not be construed as limiting its scope in any way.

Example 1.

A nanoparticle-based blocking blocking and / or activating agent formulation useful in the present disclosure was prepared as follows:

<td colspan="7">11% by weight of Huntsman B-60</td>

<td> 11</td><td> %</td><td>in</td><td>weight</td><td>of</td><td>Nissan Snowtex-0®</td><td>Chemicals</td>

<td> 43</td><td> %</td><td>in</td><td>weight</td><td>of</td><td>Hydrochloric acid</td><td>JT Baker</td>

85.35% by weight of DI Water

Example 2.

A second blocking and / or activating agent formulation useful in the present disclosure was prepared as follows:

3.8% by weight of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (K12)

4.8% by weight of Polyoxyethylene (12) Tridecyl

Ether

91.3% by weight of DI Water

<img file="MX336170B_D0065.tif" />

Instttut Mexicano &lt;£ e the Property

Example 3. Industrial

A third blocking and / or activating agent formulation useful in the present disclosure was prepared as follows:

10 % by weight of Polyoxyethylene (12) Tridecyl Ether% by weight of DI Water

Example 4.

A fourth blocking and / or activating agent useful in the present invention was prepared as follows:

72.5

2.5 wt% deionized water wt% GP 217 (Genesee Polymer-silicone modified polymer) wt% BKY 333 wt% N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone

Example 5.

A fifth blocking and / or activating agent useful in the present invention was prepared as follows:

92.42% by weight of deionized water

4.74% by weight of quaterium 8 (SilSense Q-plus) 0.94% by weight of Surfynol® 485

0.2% by weight of Surfynol® 440

<img file="MX336170B_D0066.tif" />

Example 6. ÍOdusM®!

A sixth formulation of nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating blocking agent useful in the present disclosure was prepared as follows:

3.55% by weight of Huntsman B-60

7.11% by weight of Snowtex-0® from Nissan Chemicals 43% by weight of Hydrochloric acid from JT Baker 88.91% by weight of DI water

Example 7.

A seventh formulation of nanoparticle-based blocking and / or activating blocking agent useful in the present disclosure was prepared as follows:

7.11% by weight of Huntsman B-60

14.22% by weight of Snowtex-O® from Nissan Chemicals

0.43% by weight of Hydrochloric Acid from JT Baker

78.24% by weight DI water

All of the formulations of Examples 1-7 were useful as blocking or blocking and / or activating agents and produced a valuable impression with minimal ghosting, tailing, flooding, or background color.

It will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the systems and methods.

<img file="MX336170B_D0067.tif" />

Institute

Mexicano described in the present invention, and that various modifications will be made by experts in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of these systems and methods. For example, the order of some steps in the procedures that have been described is not critical and can be changed if desired. Furthermore, various steps can be performed through various techniques. Furthermore, an advantage of the disclosed compositions and methods is the use of standard lithographic inks to produce variable images. These inks typically produce higher quality publications than can be produced using inkjet inks. Until this technology, it was very difficult to produce a true variable lithographic print.

The preferred embodiments of this description are

<td>detailed in the</td><td>present invention,</td><td colspan="2">including</td><td>the best way</td>

<td>known to</td><td>the inventors</td><td>of</td><td>wear</td><td>out the</td>

<td>description.</td><td>Variations</td><td>of</td><td>these</td><td>modalities</td>

<td colspan="2">preferred may be obvious</td><td>for</td><td colspan="2">the experts in</td>

technique after reading the description above. The inventors expect those of skill in the art to employ those variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend the disclosure to be practiced in a manner other than that specifically described in the present invention. Therefore, this description includes all matters in which!

<img file="MX336170B_D0068.tif" />

modifications and equivalents of the

Industrial indicated in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Furthermore, any combination of the elements described above in all their possible variations is contemplated by the description unless otherwise indicated in the present invention or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context.

_I KNOW_

SECRO'ARÍA ¡W KtWUHIA

<img file="MX336170B_D0069.tif" />

Institute

Mexican Property

Industrial

<img file="MX336170B_D0070.tif" />

PATENT TITLE NO. 336170

Owner (s): MOORE WALLACE NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Address: Lakeside Drive 1200, Bannockburn, Illinois, 600.15, USA

Name: COMPOSITIONS BASED ON NANOPARTICLES COMPATIBLE WITH INJECTION PRINTING AND METHODS FOR THEM.

Classification: lnt.CI.8: B41J2 / 005; B41M1 / 00; B41M1 / 06; B41M1 / 10; C09D7 / 12

Inventor (s): KEVIN J. HOOK; STANLEY LITMAN; JEFFREY ZALOOM

REQUEST

<img file="MX336170B_D0071.tif" />

lustrial.

impn 'og.

ables, before the .ews of the 05/1999,

01/26/2004, 06/16/2005, 01/25/2006, 05/06/2009, 01/06/2010; Í8/06/2010, 06/28/2010, 01/27/2012 and 04/09/2012); Articles 1, 3, section V, subsection a), 4, and 12, sections I and III of the Regulations of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (DOF 12/14/1999, amended on 07/15/2004, 07/28/ 2004 and 9/7/2007); Articles 1, 3, 4, 5 section V subsection a), 16 sections I and III and 30 of the Mexican Organic Statute of Industrial Property (DOF 12/27/1999, amended on 10/10/2002, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007); 1st, 3rd Agreement that delegates powers to the Deputy General Directors, Coordinator, Divisional Directors, Holders of the ales, Divisional Deputy Directors, Departmental Coordinators and other subordinates of the Mexican Property Institute 12/5/1999, amended on 02/04 / 2000, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007).

<img file="MX336170B_D0072.tif" />

Issue Date: January 11, 2016

THE DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF PATENTS

<img file="MX336170B_D0073.tif" />

NAHANNY CANAL REYES.

Arenal No 550, Floor 1,

Col. Pueblo Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco Delegation.

CP 16020, Mexico, D F.

Tel. (55) 53 34 07 00 www.irnpt.oob.mx

<img file="MX336170B_D0074.tif" />

<img file="MX336170B_D0075.tif" />

MX / 2016/3382