Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

Jon A Bjork

Ramesh C Kumar

David R Whitcomb

David A Morgan

John C Haidos

James Bernard Philip

A thermographic element comprises a support having coated on at least one surface thereof a thermographic imaging system that contains a substantially light insensitive metal salt; a gallic acid reducing agent; and an infrared absorbing compound. These elements provide images that have high density in the ultraviolet spectral region when exposed to infrared radiation.

Gallic acid as a laser direct thermal developer

A thermographic element containing: (a) a substrate; (b) an image-forming layer coated onto the substrate; and (c) overlaying the image-forming layer, a topcoat layer composed of the reaction product of (1) a polymer composed of interpolymerized units derived from: (i) about 45-65 wt % of vinyl-substituted aromatic monomer; (ii) about 15-30 wt % vinyl monomer containing a pendant nitrile group; (iii) about 5-30 wt % hydroxyl-containing; ethylenically-unsaturated monomer; and (2) a suitable crosslinking agent. A slip agent is optionally used. The topcoat layer provides a thermographic element with high gloss in the imaged areas; has excellent runnability with no chatter in the feed direction of the element; and exhibits no removal of topcoat which prevents formation of printhead-created voids in the imaged areas.

Thermographic element with improved anti-stick coating

A radiation thermally imageable, solid toner addressable article comprises a substrate having on at least one surface thereof a layer comprising a) a solid binder which can be converted to a supercooled liquid upon heating and subsequent cooling to room temperature, b) a dye which absorbs radiation (at the wavelength of the imaging device,, e.e., ultraviolet, visible [especially the red], and infrared wavelengths) and converts infrared radiation to thermal energy, and c) a fluorinated surfactant. A directly thermally addressable article does not require the radiation absorbable dye.

Infrared sensitive recording medium with fluorocarbon surfactant

The present invention provides an intensely colored thermographic medium useful for bar-coding applications which utilize near infrared scanning systems. The medium is formed of a substrate having on at least one surface thereof a coating comprising: a transparent film-forming binder, an organic solvent soluble catechol, a metal salt and colorant.

Colored thermographic media

Thermographic materials are colorless when unexposed, but provide an intense dark image when thermally addressed. The materials comprise white ferric organophosphate, ferric organophosphinate, or ferric organophosphonate in a clear binder with a colorless catechol or polycatechol held in said binder in solid solution. The choice of substituents on the catechol nucleus can give a change in the color of the thermal image together and provide good near infrared absorption. Use of mixed catechols can give achromatic black images. These combinations of materials show high stability at ambient temperatures.

Growing community of inventors

Cottage Grove, MN, United States of America

Jon A Bjork