Reproduction process by means of heat

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A DUPLICATE COPY OF AN ORIGINAL PRINT WHICH CONTAINS AN IMAGE FORMED OF A SUBSTANCE THAT ABSORBS INFRARED RAYS WHICH COMPRISES (A) PLACING A FACE OF THE ORIGINAL PRINT INTO CONTACT WITH A FACE OF A RECEPTION SHEET FORMED OF A THERMOPLACTIC RESIN THAT HAS A SOFTENING POINT BETWEEN 80 AND 200*C. AND IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYAMIDES, RUBBER HYDROCHLORIDE, POLYVINYL ACETALS, CELLULOSE ETHERS, CELLULOSE ESTERS, POLYESTERS, AND POLYMERS OF ETHYLENE, VINYLCHLORIDE, VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE AND STYRENE, SAID SHEET BEING ABOUT 0.01 MM. THICK, BOTH OF WHICH ARE IN CONTACT WITH A STRATUM OF A DISTINGUISHABLE ORGANIC SUBSTANCE THAT HAS A MELTING OR SUBLIMING POINT LOWER THAN THE SOFTENING POINT OF THE RECEPTION SHEET UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED AT THE CONTACTING FACES OF THE PRINT AND THE RECEPTION SHEET, (B) UNIFORMLY EXPOSING THE SAID ASSEMBLY OF PRINT, RECEPTION SHEET AND DISTINGUISHABLE ORGANIC SUBSTANCE TO INFRARED RADIATION FOR SUCH A PERIOD THAT THE HEAT DEVELOPED IN THE IMAGE PORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL PRINT BY ABSORPTION OF THE INFRARED RADIATION SOFTENS THE PORTIONS OF THE THERMOPLASTIC RECEPTION SHEET THAT ARE ADJACENT TO THE HEATED IMAGE PORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL PRINT AND CAUSES THE DISTINGUISHABLE ORGANIC SUBSTANCE TO MIGRATE INTO THE THUS SOFTENED PORTIONS OF THE RECEPTION SHEET, AND (C) SEPARATING THE ORIGINAL PRINT FROM THE RECEPTION SHEET SO THAT SAID SHEET PREFERENTIALLY RETAINS THE ORGANIC SUBSTANCE IN PORTIONS THEREOF THAT CORRESPOND TO THE IMAGE OF THE ORIGINAL PRINT, TO PRODUCE A DUPLICATE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL PRINT.