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  Image transfer medium and process for producing sameUSPTO Application #: 20070095462Title: Image transfer medium and process for producing same Abstract: An image-transfer medium includes a transparent substrate and a transferable material formed on a first surface of the substrate. A selected portion of the transferable material can be transferred in an arbitrary shape to an article to form a personalized image by a cold transfer-printing operation. Moreover, the remaining hollowed portion after the removal of the selected portion, including the transparent substrate, can be adhered to the same or another article having a light-transmitting surface to exhibit special lightening effect. (end of abstract)
Agent: Berkeley Law & Technology Group, LLP - Beaverton, OR, US Inventors: Chih-Lung Chang, Yu-Chih Cheng, Hong-Che Yen, Yen-Feng Lin USPTO Applicaton #: 20070095462 - Class: 156235000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Adhesive Bonding And Miscellaneous Chemical Manufacture, Methods, Surface Bonding And/or Assembly Therefor, Direct Contact Transfer Of Adhered Lamina From Carrier To Base, Plural Transferring Operations And/or With Additional Laminating The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070095462. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an image-transfer medium and how to use this image-transfer medium, and more particularly to an image-transfer method and the use of an image-transfer medium for providing an arbitrary light-transmissible image onto an article. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Transfer-printing operation is widely used for printing images onto surfaces of selected articles such as cards, clothes, papers, cups or equipments. In general transfer-printing operations, a plurality of predetermined images are first printed onto a transparent film, and then desired images are selected to be transfer-printed onto the target article from the transparent film. [0003] FIG. 1(a) illustrates a conventional image-transfer medium. The image-transfer medium 10 comprises a transparent film substrate 11 and a transferred material 12. The transferable layer 12 further comprises an ink layer 121 and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 122. The transferable layer 12 is laminated onto a surface 112 of the transparent film substrate 11, facing the target article (not shown). [0004] Take an image-transfer medium with alphabetic letters for example. When an image "PRIMAX" is to be printed on a target article such as a card, the image-transfer medium 10 is put on the target article with the transferable layer 12 in contact with the surface of the target article. Then, the selected letters, i.e. P, R, I, M, A and X in the transferable layer of FIG. 1(b), are stripped from the image-transfer medium 10 and simultaneously adhered to the target article one by one by applying a depressing force to the other surface 111 the transparent film substrate 11 at each of the corresponding positions of the selected letters. [0005] In the prior art, the images to be transfer-printed are predetermined by manufactures. Consequently, for transfer-printing a personalized image such as signatures, favorite signs or handwritings, the desirable image should be printed in advance by the manufacturers and included in the ink layer 121 of the transferable layer 12 of the image-transfer medium 10. Since people tend to like the new and loathe the old, the uniform image-transfer mediums are no longer satisfying. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a use of an image-transfer medium allowing the user to transfer-print personalized images. [0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a use of an image-transfer medium allowing an article to be decorated with not only colored but also transparent patterns. [0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for applying an image-transfer medium to an article to create a personalized image with particular visual effect. A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for applying an image onto an article. The article comprising a light transmissible surface and a light source disposed under the light transmissible surface. The method comprises steps of: providing an image-transfer medium comprising a transparent substrate and a transferable material formed on a first surface of the substrate; removing a selected portion of the transferable material to obtain a hollowed transferable material with a specific pattern vacancy; and adhering the remaining transferable material onto the light transmissible surface of the article, thereby allowing light emitted by the light source to penetrate through the specific pattern vacancy. [0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a use of an image-transfer medium for applying an image onto an article. The image-transfer medium comprises a transparent substrate, a transferable ink layer and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The use comprises cold transfer-printing a first selected portion of the transferable ink layer onto the article when an ink pattern image is required; and removing a second selected portion of the transferable ink layer, and adhering the remaining transferable ink layer along with the transparent substrate onto the article when a hollowed pattern image is required. [0010] Preferably, the cold transfer-printing operation and/or the ink-layer removing operation is performed by applying a depressing force directly onto the transparent substrate at positions corresponding to the first selected portion of the transferable ink layer with a writing tool or stamping tool so that the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer adheres the selected portion of the transferable ink layer away from the transparent substrate. [0011] Preferably, the image-transfer medium further comprises an isolation layer containing a tack reducing agent for decreasing adhesion between the transferable ink layer and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. [0012] In accordance with the present invention, the transferable ink layer can be a continuous layer or formed with a plurality of the transferable dots. Each of the dots has a shape selected from a group consisting of a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, a rectangle and a honeycomb. [0013] The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] FIG. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing the lamination of a conventional image-transfer medium; [0015] FIG. 1(b) is a schematic diagram exemplifying a general transferable pattern of the conventional image-transfer medium in FIG. 1(a); [0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the lamination of an image-transfer medium according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0017] FIGS. 3(a)-3(c) are three examples of patterns in the ink layer of FIG. 2 according to the present invention; [0018] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) exemplify the use of the image-transfer medium according to the present invention; and [0019] FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) exemplify alternative use of the image-transfer mediums according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Continue reading... Full patent description for Image transfer medium and process for producing same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Image transfer medium and process for producing same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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