Seiko Epson has been granted a patent for an ink set of radiation curable ink jet inks. The ink set includes a color ink and a clear ink, with the clear ink containing specific polymerizable compounds. The clear ink must contain a monomer A with a hydroxy group and a monomer B with specific volume and height direction area. The total content of monomer A and monomer B must be 80 percent or more of the total mass of polymerizable compounds in the clear ink, with the content of monomer A being 5 to 15 percent by mass. GlobalData’s report on Seiko Epson gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Seiko Epson, E-transaction user interfaces was a key innovation area identified from patents. Seiko Epson's grant share as of September 2023 was 32%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Patent granted for an ink set with specific polymerizable compounds
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11773281B2) describes an ink set for radiation curable ink jet inks. The ink set consists of a color ink and a clear ink, both containing polymerizable compounds. The clear ink specifically includes a monomer A with a hydroxy group and a monomer B with a specific volume and height direction area. The total content of monomer A and monomer B in the clear ink is at least 80% by mass of the total mass of polymerizable compounds in the ink, with monomer A accounting for 5-15% by mass.
The patent also specifies that the content of monomer B in the clear ink should be at least 70% by mass of the total mass of polymerizable compounds. Additionally, the clear ink can contain either a monofunctional monomer or a multifunctional monomer, with the content of the monofunctional monomer being at least 85% by mass and the content of the multifunctional monomer being 0.01-15.00% by mass of the total mass of the clear ink.
Furthermore, the patent mentions that the mass ratio of the polymerizable compounds in the clear ink, when considered on a weight basis, should have a weighted average of glass transition temperatures of homopolymers of the respective compounds of 48°C or higher. The color ink also contains a monofunctional monomer, with a content of at least 85% by mass of the total mass of polymerizable compounds in the ink.
The patent also describes an ink jet method using the ink set. The method involves a first ejection step of applying the color ink to a recording medium, followed by a first curing step of exposing the color ink to radiation rays. Then, a second ejection step applies the clear ink to the region of the recording medium containing the color ink, which has been irradiated with radiation rays. Finally, a second curing step exposes the clear ink to radiation rays. The method may also include a leveling step between the second ejection step and the second curing step, where the recording medium is allowed to stand still.
Overall, this patent presents an ink set and ink jet method that utilize specific compositions and curing processes to achieve desired results in ink jet printing.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Seiko Epson, buy the report here.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
