Ultraviolet printing with luminosity control

{
  "publication_number": "US9765226B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Ultraviolet printing with luminosity control",
  "abstract": "Disclosed herein are printable compositions that include a UV-A blocking compound, wherein the composition is free of colorants that are visible under white light or UV light. Also disclosed herein are images formed by printing the printable composition on a substrate surface, wherein the substrate surface includes one or more Uv fluorescent materials on at least a portion thereof. Also disclosed herein are methods of forming an image on a substrate including printing a selected amount of the printable composition on top of a UV fluorescent material.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A printable composition comprising a UV blocking compound, wherein the composition contains substantially no colorants visible under white light, and substantially no colorants that fluoresce when irradiated by UV light having a range of wavelengths that correspond to at least a portion of a range of wavelengths blocked by the UV blocking compound, wherein the printable composition is a UV curable ink, a wax-based ink, a laser toner, a 3D printer filament, or a dye sublimation ink.",
    "2. The printable composition of claim 1 wherein the UV blocking compound is a UV-A blocking compound.",
    "3. The printable composition of claim 1 wherein the UV blocking compound comprises avobenzone, bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, drometrizole trisiloxane, hexyl 2-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzoyl]benzoate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, p-aminobenzoic acid, 2-ethylhexyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate, phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid, a derivative of hydroxyphenylbenzotriazole, hydroxybenzophenone, cinnamic acid, salicyclic acid, hydroxyphenyl-s-triazine, or axalanilide; a microparticle or nanoparticle comprising titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, or zinc oxide, or a blend of two or more thereof.",
    "4. An image comprising a selected pattern of UV blocking ink on a substrate surface, the substrate surface comprising one or more UV fluorescent materials on at least a portion thereof, wherein the UV blocking ink is disposed on the UV fluorescent materials; the UV blocking ink comprising a UV blocking compound, substantially no colorants visible under white light, and substantially no colorants that fluoresce when irradiated by UV light having a range of wavelengths that correspond to at least a portion of a range of wavelengths blocked by the UV blocking compound; the UV fluorescent materials exhibit fluorescence when irradiated by UV light having a range of wavelengths that correspond to at least a portion of the range of wavelengths blocked by the UV blocking compound; the selected pattern of UV blocking ink is applied such that variable amounts of UV blocking ink are disposed on the UV fluorescent material such that when the image is illuminated by UV light having a range of wavelengths that correspond to at least a portion of the rage of wavelengths blocked by the UV blocking compound, the image exhibits one or more of fading, shadows, or an illusion of depth on the one or more UV fluorescent materials.",
    "5. The image of claim 4 wherein one or more visible inks are further printed on the substrate surface.",
    "6. The image of claim 4 wherein the one or more UV fluorescent materials are one or more UV inks printed on the substrate surface.",
    "7. The image of claim 6 wherein the UV inks are visible UV inks.",
    "8. The image of claim 4 wherein the substrate comprises a sheet or film comprising paper, a thermoplastic polymer, or a combination thereof.",
    "9. The image of claim 8 wherein the substrate is employed as a mural, a poster, a vehicle wrap, or as part of an amusement park ride.",
    "10. The image of claim 4 wherein the UV blocking compound is a UV-A blocking compound.",
    "11. The image of claim 4 wherein the UV blocking compound is UV blocking compound comprises avobenzone, bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, drometrizole trisiloxane, hexyl 2-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzoyl]benzoate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, p-aminobenzoic acid, 2-ethylhexyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate, phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid, a derivative of hydroxyphenylbenzotriazole, hydroxybenzophenone, cinnamic acid, salicyclic acid, hydroxyphenyl-s-triazine, or axalanilide, a microparticle or nanoparticle comprising titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, or zinc oxide, or a blend of two or more thereof.",
    "12. The image of claim 4 wherein the UV fluorescent materials fluoresce when irradiated by UV-A light.",
    "13. The image of claim 4 wherein the UV blocking compound is a UV-A blocking compound and the UV fluorescent materials fluoresce when irradiated by UV-A light."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention generally relates to printing methods, printing systems, and images printed employing UV-A fluorescent inks; and, more particularly, to printing methods, printing systems, and images printed employing UV-A fluorescent inks with improved luminosity control.\n\nPrintable inks that fluoresce under ultraviolet A (UV-A, or black light) illumination, that is, ultraviolet light having wavelengths of 315-400 nm, are increasingly available in the market. Such inks are referred to herein as one example of “UV ink.” Some UV inks are also visible when illuminated by white light, that is, light having wavelengths of 400-700 nm, and are referred to herein as “visible UV inks.” Other UV inks have little or no color under white light illumination and are referred to herein as “invisible UV inks.” Both visible UV inks and invisible UV inks can be used in combination with conventional white light visible inks, referred to herein as “visible inks” that do not fluoresce, thereby allowing the creation of images that can be seen in both standard white light and under UV-A illumination.\n\nThe huge variety of conventional visible inks and growing variety of UV inks and well understood mixing techniques give artists the ability to create spectacular effects such as invisible images, dual images, and day/night transitioning images. However, UV inks also present new artistic challenges.\n\nProperties that affect the appearance of UV inks to the human eye include, like visible inks, hue (color) and saturation (value). The UV inks have the additional variability of luminosity.",
  "cpc": [
    "C09D 11/02",
    "C09D 11/03",
    "C09D 11/30",
    "C09D 11/38",
    "Y10T 428/24802",
    "Y10T 428/24934"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "C09D 11/02",
    "C09D 11/30",
    "B42D 25/00",
    "B42D 25/387",
    "C09D 11/03",
    "C09D 11/16",
    "C09D 11/17",
    "C09D 11/38",
    "C09D 11/50"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Disney Enterprises Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Susan Dain"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-03-27",
  "publication_date": "2017-09-19",
  "grant_date": "2017-09-19",
  "priority_date": "2014-03-27",
  "application_number": "US-201414227339-A",
  "family_id": "54189419",
  "cited_by_count": 118,
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  ]
}