Process for making information carrying discs

Claim 1

A method for making an information carrying disc or disc blank which comprises (1) moving a first layer relative to a second layer from a nonparallel to a parallel position so as to spread in the form of a bead, a photopolymerizable liquid mass between the two layers, one of said layers having a patterned surface facing the other layer with a circular, arc-like, or spiral pattern of depressions, protuberances, grooves with or without modulations or combinations of depressions, protuberances and grooves with or without modulations, the other of said layers having a surface to which the photopolymerizable liquid will bond upon polymerizing, (2) then irradiating said photopolymerizable liquid to polymerize said liquid and bond the polymer formed to the other of said layers, and then (3) removing said polymer and the layer to which it is bonded from said patterned surface.

Claim 2

A method for making an information carrying disc or disc blank which comprises (1) moving a first layer relative to a second layer from a nonparallel to a parallel position so as to spread in the form of a bead, a photopolymerizable liquid mass between the two layers, one of said layers having a patterned surface facing the other layer with a circular, arc-like, or spiral pattern of depressions, protuberances, grooves with or without modulations or combinations of depressions, protuberances and grooves with or without modulations, the other of said layers having a surface to which the photopolymerizable liquid will bond upon polymerizing, (2) then irradiating said photopolymerizable liquid to polymerize said liquid and bond the polymer formed to the other of said layers, and then (3) removing said polymer and the layer to which it is bonded from said patterned surface.

Claim 3

A method for making an information carrying disc or disc blank which comprises moving a bead of photopolymerizable liquid composition over a first surface by advancing said bead in front of a flexible layer having a facing surface in contact with said liquid so that said flexible layer lies substantially parallel to said first surface with said liquid between the flexible layer and the first surface in the direction from which the bead advances, and the flexible layer is angled away from the first surface in the direction towards which the bead advances, and there is a supporting surface located on the side of the flexible layer away from said facing surface along the length of the flexible layer at least in part between the area of the flexible layer that changes from angling away from the first surface to lying parallel to said first surface, by bending said flexible layer wherein one of said first surface and said facing surface has a patterned surface in contact with said photopolymerizable liquid which is selected from the group consisting of circular patterns, arc-like patterns, and spiral patterns of depressions, grooves, protuberances and combinations of depressions, grooves and protuberances, advancing the bead until it covers the area of the patterned surface, irradiating said polymerizable liquid to convert it to a polymeric resin and bond it to whichever of said first surface and facing surface which is not said patterned surface, and then removing said polymeric resin and the surface to which it is bonded from said patterned surface.

Claim 4

A method for making an information carrying disc or disc blank which comprises moving a bead of photopolymerizable liquid composition over a first surface by advancing said bead in front of a flexible layer having a facing surface in contact with said liquid so that said flexible layer lies substantially parallel to said first surface with said liquid between the flexible layer and the first surface in the direction from which the bead advances, and the flexible layer is angled away from the first surface in the direction towards which the bead advances, and there is a supporting surface located on the side of the flexible layer away from said facing surface along the length of the flexible layer at least in part between the area of the flexible layer that changes from angling away from the first surface to lying parallel to said first surface, by bending said flexible layer wherein one of said first surface and said facing surface has a patterned surface in contact with said photopolymerizable liquid which is selected from the group consisting of circular patterns, arc-like patterns, and spiral patterns of depressions, grooves, protuberances and combinations of depressions, grooves and protuberances, advancing the bead until it covers the area of the patterned surface, irradiating said polymerizable liquid to convert it to a polymeric resin and bond it to whichever of said first surface and facing surface which is not said patterned surface, and then removing said polymeric resin and the surface to which it is bonded from said patterned surface.

Claim 5

The method of claims 1 or 2 wherein said photopolymerizable liquid comprises at least 30% by weight of radiation polymerizable components selected from epoxy-terminated silanes.

Claim 11

The method of claims 1 or 2 wherein said photopolymerizable liquid comprises at least 30% by weight of radiation polymerizable components having the formula: A.sup.1 --Z--A.sup.2 ( 1) wherein A 1 and A 2 independently are alkoxyalkyl groups having terminal ethylenic unsaturation and having the formula ##STR13## wherein R--O-- is a monovalent residue of an aliphatic terminally unsaturated primary alcohol, ROH, formed by the removal of the active hydrogen from the primary --OH group, R having the formula: ##STR14## c is an integer of from 1 to 6, b is zero or an integer of from 1 to 6, R 1 and R 4 are independently selected from hydrogen and methyl, R 5 is an aliphatic group having from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, and no more than two catenary oxygen or carboxy groups, a valence of m+1, m is an integer of from 1 to 5, R 2 is selected from hydrogen and groups of the formula ##STR15## wherein R 6 is selected from alkyl and alkenyl groups R 7 is an aliphatic or aromatic group of up to eight carbon atoms, R 3 is an alkylene group of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms with up to one catenary oxygen atom, and Z is a heterocyclic group of the formula ##STR16## wherein X is a divalent group which is required to complete a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring, or ##STR17## wherein R 12 and R 13 independently represent hydrogen or methyl, R 14 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group, or a phenyl group, R 13 and R 14 together may represent a trimethylene or tetramethylene group, p represents a number of from 1 to 30, q is 2 or 3, and A represents a group of the formula ##STR18## wherein X 1 represents the divalent radical necessary to complete a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring group.

Claim 15

The method of claims 1, 2, 8, 11 or 12 wherein said patterned surface is a metal layer.

Claim 16

The method of claims 1, 2, 8, 11 or 12 wherein either said layer with a patterned surface or said other layer is flexible and said flexible layer bends to propagate the bead as the bend-point is moved forward.