Infrared transfer process

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PRODUCING A COPY OF GRAPHIC MATERIAL WHICH EMPLOYS AN ASSEMBLAGE, INCLUDING; (A) A SURFACE OF A SHEET BEARING THEREON GRAPHIC MATERIAL DEFINED BY RADIANT-ENERGY-ABSORBING-HEATGENERATING IMAGE AREAS AND NON-IMAGE AREAS WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY NON-RADIANT-ENERGY-ABSORBING-HEATGENERATING, (B) A SURFACE OF A SHEET UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE, AND (C) A SUPPLY SHEET CARRYING ON ONE SURFACE THEREOF A COATING OF TRANSFER MATERIAL ADHERED TO SAID ONE SURFACE WHICH TRANSFER MATERIAL IS PLASTIC AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE THOSE NORMALLY ENCOUNTERED IN STORAGE AND SHIPMENT, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) ARRANGING THE ASSEMBLAGE SO THAT, (A) THE COATING OF TRANSFER MATERIAL ON SAID SUPPLY SHEET IS IN CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE SHEET UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE, AND (B) THE SURFACE OF THE SHEET BEARING THEREON GRAPHIC MATERIAL IS IN HEAT TRANSFER ASSOCIATION WITH SAID COATING, (2) URGING THE ASSEMBLAGE INTO CLOSE ASSOCIATION BY THE APPLICATION OF AN EVENLY DISTRIBUTED MINIMUM PRESSURE TO OPPOSITE EXTERIOR SURFACES THEREOF; (3) IMPINGNING SAID ASSEMBLAGE WITH RADIANT ENERGY FROM SAID SOURCE IN QUANTITIES SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE ON SAID GRAPHIC MATERIAL BEARING SURFACE A HEAT PATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THE IMAGE AREAS THEREON, (4) TRANSFERRING SAID HEAT IMAGE SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUSLY FROM SAID GRAPHIC MATERIAL BEARING SURFACE TO THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID SURFACE UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE AND SAID SUPPLY SHEET, (5) MAINTAINING SAID IMPINGEMENT FOR AN INTERVAL SUFFICIENT TO DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE OF SAID COATING ADJACENT TO SAID SURFACE UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE AND IN THE AREAS THEREOF CORRESPONDING TO THE IMAGE AREAS OF SAID GRAPHIC MATERIAL BEARING SURFACE, A TEMPERATURE ADEQUATE, UNDER CONDITIONS OF PREVAILING PRESSURE, TO RENDER SAID TRANSFER MATERIAL PLASTIC AND TO EFFECT: (A) AN INTEGRATION BETWEEN SAID AREAS OF SAID COATING AND SAID SURFACE UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE, WITHOUT (B) EFFECTING AN INTEGRATION IN THE AREAS OF SAID COATING CORRESPONDING TO THE NONIMAGE AREAS OF THE GRAPHIC MATERIAL BEARING SURFACE, (6) RELIEVING SAID ASSEMBLAGE OF SAID IMPINGEMENT, (7) COOLING SAID ASSEMBLAGE FOR AN INTERVAL SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF BELOW THAT AT WHICH SAID TRANSFER MATERIAL IS PLASTIC AND TO EFFECT AN ADHESION BETWEEN SAID COATING AND THE SURFACE UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE AT SAID AREAS OF INTEGRATION WHICH ADHESION IS GREATER THAN THAT BETWEEN SAID COATING AND SAID SUPPLY SHEET, AND (8) MECHANICALLY SEPARATING SAID SHEET UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE AND SAID SUPPLY SHEET, AND THEREBY DISRUPTING SAID COATING OF MATERIAL AT THE ADHERED AREAS, BY (A) SHEARING SAID COATING OF TRANSFER MATERIAL THROUGH ITS THICKNESS AT THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID ADHERED AREAS, AND (B) SEPARATING SAID COATING FROM SAID SUPPLY SHEET IN THE ADHERED AREAS SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID ONE SURFACE OF SAID SUPPLY SHEET, WHEREBY COATING MATERIAL IS MECHANICALLY PULLED FROM AND RELEASED BY SAID SUPPLY SHEET AND TRANSFERRED TO THE SURFACE OF THE SHEET UPON WHICH COPY IS TO BE MADE AT AREAS CORRESPONDING TO SAID IMAGE AREAS OF SAID GRAPHIC MATERIAL BEARING SURFACE, AND IS RETAINED BY SAID SUPPLY SHEET THROUGHOUT ALL OTHER AREAS THEREOF.