Composite material for and method for forming graphics

Claim 1

In a composite material for forming graphics such as letters, numbers, symbols or pictures in accordance with patterns of heating, the composite material comprising a donor web; a friable layer of granules releasably adhered to the donor web; and an accepting portion comprising a layer of latent adhesive material facing the layer of granules which adhesive material is nontacky at normal room temperature, but is selectively softened and activated when heated to a temperature range somewhat above normal room temperature and then adheres to granules so that upon separation of the accepting tape and donor web, the granules are carried to the accepting tape only in heated areas, the improvement wherein: said composite material includes a soft conformable bonding material having a melting temperature below the softening temperature of said adhesive material, said bonding material being between and in face-to-face contact with the layer of granules and the layer of latent adhesive material to bond the layers together in close proximity and restrict air from entering therebetween during imagewise heating and to ensure that the granules will not adhere to the adhesive in non-heated areas, while being absorbable or adsorbable by one of said layers to afford adhesion of the adhesive to the granules in the heated areas and being separable within itself or from one of said layers in the non-heated areas upon separation of the accepting portion and donor web.

Claim 8

A method of forming graphics such as letters, numbers, symbols or pictures comprising the steps of: providing an accepting portion comprising a layer of latent adhesive material, which adhesive material is nontacky at normal room temperature, but is softened and activated when heated to a temperature range slightly above normal room temperature; providing a transfer portion comprising a donor web, a layer of granules releasably adhered to said donor web; bonding said layers in face-to-face contact with a soft conformable bonding material having a melting temperature below that of said latent adhesive material and of said granules to provide a composite material; heating the composite material selectively in a graphic pattern above the softening range of said adhesive material so that the bonding material selectively melts in said pattern and is absorbed or absorbed by at least one of said layers and so that the layer of adhesive material selectively softens and adheres to the layer of granules; and separating the accepting portion and donor web to carry granules to the accepting portion in the configuration of graphics corresponding to the pattern of heating.

Claim 9

A method of forming graphics such as letters, numbers, symbols or pictures comprising the steps of: providing an accepting portion comprising a layer of latent adhesive material, which adhesive material is nontacky at normal room temperature, but is softened and activated when heated to a temperature range slightly above normal room temperature; providing a transfer portion comprising a donor web, a layer of granules releasably adhered to said donor web; bonding said layers in face-to-face contact with a soft conformable bonding material having a melting temperature below that of said latent adhesive material and of said granules to provide a composite material; heating the composite material selectively in a graphic pattern above the softening range of said adhesive material so that the bonding material selectively melts in said pattern and is absorbed or absorbed by at least one of said layers and so that the layer of adhesive material selectively softens and adheres to the layer of granules; and separating the accepting portion and donor web to carry granules to the accepting portion in the configuration of graphics corresponding to the pattern of heating.