Multicolor image-forming method

Claim 1

A method of forming a multi-color image of two or more colors from two or more articles of manufacture, each article of manufacture being a precursor for a multi-color image-forming material and comprising a substrate and two layers thereon, the substrate being a transparent substrate and the layers being an intermediate layer and a colored photo-sensitive layer; wherein: the intermediate layer is releasably adhered to the transparent substrate, harmless to hue and transparency and has a first surface releasably adherable to the transparent substrate and a second surface; the intermediate layer at the first surface is: non-sticky at room temperature, and heat-fusible and mutually bondable, after removal of the transparent substrate, to a subsequently applied photosensitive layer of another precursor which, after photoinsolubilization and removal of water soluble unexposed portions, is firmly bonded to a second surface of the intermediate layer of the another precursor, which second surface of the intermediate layer of said another precursor is also mutually bondable to said first surface; the intermediate layer at the second surface is: adhered to the colored photo-sensitive layer and firmly adherable to a color image subsequently formed by photoinsolubilization and water development of the colored photo-sensitive layer, non-sticky at room temperature, heat-fusible and mutually bondable to another heat-fusible and mutually bondable surface, and insoluble in water; and the colored photo-sensitive layer is adhered to the second surface of the intermediate layer, formed from an admixture of a resin component which is film-forming, water soluble, and photoinsolubilizable, and a coloring agent, and upon exposure of a portion of the colored photo-sensitive layer to active rays, the exposed portions are rendered insoluble in water, the unexposed portions being easily removable by dissolving in water to form a color image; the method comprising the steps of: (1) providing the article of manufacture; (2) superposing a negative manuscript corresponding to the color of the colored layer of the colored photo-sensitive layer on the colored photo-sensitive layer; (3) exposing the colored photo-sensitive layer to light through said negative manuscript to cause light-exposed areas of the colored layer to become water-insoluble; (4) washing and developing the light-exposed colored photo-sensitive layer with water to remove unexposed water-soluble portions and form an image layer in the article of manufacture; (5) contacting directly the image carrying layer of the article of manufacture with a heat-fusible and bondable adhesive layer provided on a transfer material to form a laminate of the article of manufacture and the transfer material; (6) heating and pressing the laminate to bond the article of manufacture to the transfer material to form a first color image laminate; (7) removing the transparent substrate from the article of manufacture of the first color image laminate to permit the first surface of the heat-fusible and bondable first surface to become the outermost surface of the laminate; (8) duplicating steps (2), (3) and (4) using the article of manufacture except that a different color is used; (9) contacting directly the different colored image of step (8) with the outermost surface of the laminate in step (7) to form a second laminate of the different color image and the first color image; (10) duplicating step (6) to form a two-color image laminate; and (11) duplicating step (7) to permit the first surface of the heat-fusible and bondable first surface of the two-color image laminate to become the outermost surface of the laminate.

Claim 2

A method of forming a multi-color image of two or more colors from two or more articles of manufacture, each article of manufacture being a precursor for a multi-color image-forming material and comprising a substrate and two layers thereon, the substrate being a transparent substrate and the layers being an intermediate layer and a colored photo-sensitive layer; wherein: the intermediate layer is releasably adhered to the transparent substrate, harmless to hue and transparency and has a first surface releasably adherable to the transparent substrate and a second surface; the intermediate layer at the first surface is: non-sticky at room temperature, and heat-fusible and mutually bondable, after removal of the transparent substrate, to a subsequently applied photosensitive layer of another precursor which, after photoinsolubilization and removal of water soluble unexposed portions, is firmly bonded to a second surface of the intermediate layer of the another precursor, which second surface of the intermediate layer of said another precursor is also mutually bondable to said first surface; the intermediate layer at the second surface is: adhered to the colored photo-sensitive layer and firmly adherable to a color image subsequently formed by photoinsolubilization and water development of the colored photo-sensitive layer, non-sticky at room temperature, heat-fusible and mutually bondable to another heat-fusible and mutually bondable surface, and insoluble in water; and the colored photo-sensitive layer is adhered to the second surface of the intermediate layer, formed from an admixture of a resin component which is film-forming, water soluble, and photoinsolubilizable, and a coloring agent, and upon exposure of a portion of the colored photo-sensitive layer to active rays, the exposed portions are rendered insoluble in water, the unexposed portions being easily removable by dissolving in water to form a color image; the method comprising the steps of: (1) providing the article of manufacture; (2) superposing a negative manuscript corresponding to the color of the colored layer of the colored photo-sensitive layer on the colored photo-sensitive layer; (3) exposing the colored photo-sensitive layer to light through said negative manuscript to cause light-exposed areas of the colored layer to become water-insoluble; (4) washing and developing the light-exposed colored photo-sensitive layer with water to remove unexposed water-soluble portions and form an image layer in the article of manufacture; (5) contacting directly the image carrying layer of the article of manufacture with a heat-fusible and bondable adhesive layer provided on a transfer material to form a laminate of the article of manufacture and the transfer material; (6) heating and pressing the laminate to bond the article of manufacture to the transfer material to form a first color image laminate; (7) removing the transparent substrate from the article of manufacture of the first color image laminate to permit the first surface of the heat-fusible and bondable first surface to become the outermost surface of the laminate; (8) duplicating steps (2), (3) and (4) using the article of manufacture except that a different color is used; (9) contacting directly the different colored image of step (8) with the outermost surface of the laminate in step (7) to form a second laminate of the different color image and the first color image; (10) duplicating step (6) to form a two-color image laminate; and (11) duplicating step (7) to permit the first surface of the heat-fusible and bondable first surface of the two-color image laminate to become the outermost surface of the laminate.