Claims
- 1. An ink composition consisting essentially of a colorant, a vehicle component and optionally an amide or an amino ester, and which vehicle consists essentially of the condensation product of an organic acid and an amino alcohol, and which product consists essentially of an oxazoline or benzoxazoline wherein the oxazoline I or benzoxazoline Ia are represented by the following formulas ##STR6## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group of from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are alkyl, an alkyl alcohol or an alkyl ester, each alkyl containing from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms.
- 2. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are the alkyl alcohol --(CH.sub.2).sub.n --OH wherein n is an integer of from about 1 to about 6, or wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are the alkyl ester (CH.sub.2)n--O.sub.2 C--(CH.sub.2).sub.m CH.sub.3 wherein n is an integer of from about 1 to about 6, and m is an integer of from about 1 to about 53, wherein said ink possesses a viscosity of from about 1 to about 10 centipoise at a temperature of from about 120.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C.
- 3. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the amide is represented by the following Formulas II or IIa ##STR7## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group of from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are an alkyl, an alkyl alcohol or an alkyl ester group, each alkyl containing from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms.
- 4. An ink composition in accordance with claim 3 wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are the alkyl alcohol --(CH.sub.2).sub.n --OH wherein n is an integer of from about 1 to about 6, or the alkyl ester --(CH.sub.2)n--O.sub.2 C--(CH.sub.2).sub.m CH.sub.3 wherein n is an integer of from about 1 to about 6, and m is an integer of from about 1 to about 53.
- 5. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1, wherein the amino ester is represented by the following Formula III ##STR8## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group of from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are alkyl, an alkyl alcohol or an alkyl ester, each with from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms.
- 6. An ink composition in accordance with claim 5 wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are the alkyl alcohol --(CH.sub.2).sub.n --OH wherein n is an integer of from about 1 to about 6, or wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are the alkyl ester --(CH.sub.2)n--O.sub.2 C--(CH.sub.2).sub.m CH.sub.3 wherein n is a number or integer of from about 1 to about 6, and m is an integer of from about 1 to about 53.
- 7. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the oxazoline or benzoxazoline Is present in an amount of from about 65 to about 100 percent by weight.
- 8. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ink possesses a viscosity of from about 1 centipoise to about 10 centipoise at a temperature of from about 100 to about 160.degree. C., wherein the vehicle possesses a melting point of from about 25.degree. to about 100.degree. C., and wherein the acoustic loss of said ink is from about 10 to about 60 at a temperature of from about 100.degree. to about 150.degree. C.
- 9. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said oxazoline is 2-stearyl-5-ethyl-5-methoxystearate-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-5-ethyl-5-hydroxymethyl-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-4-ethyl-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-4-methoxystearate-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-4-hydroxymethyl-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-4-hydroxymethyl-bis-5,5-(methoxystearate)-oxazoline, 2-stearyl-5-hydroxymethyl-5-(methoxystearate)-oxazoline, or 2-stearyl-benzoxazoline.
- 10. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the organic acid is acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tridecanoic acid, lauric acid, or stearic acid, and wherein said amino alcohol is 2-aminoethanol, 2-aminopropanol, 2-aminobutanol, 2-aminohexanol, 2-methyl-2-aminoethanol, 2-methyl-2-aminoethanol, 2-methyl-2-aminopropanol, 2-ethyl-2-aminoethanol, 2-ethyl-2-aminopropanol, 1-amino-2-propanol, 1-amino-2-butanol, 1-amino-2-pentanol, 3-amino-2-butanol, 2-amino-1,3-propanediol, 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol, 3-amino-1,2-propanediol, or tris-(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane.
- 11. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said oxazoline is 2-stearyl-4-hydroxymethyl-bis-5,5-(methoxystearate)-oxazoline.
- 12. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said oxazoline is 2-stearyl-5-hydroxymethyl-5-(methoxystearate)-oxazoline.
- 13. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ink is a solid at room temperature of from about 20.degree. C. to about 30.degree. C.
- 14. An ink composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said colorant is a dye present in an amount of from about 0.05 to about 20 weight percent.
- 15. A printing process which comprises incorporating into an acoustic ink jet printer an ink comprising the ink composition of claim 3.
- 16. A process which comprises (a) providing an acoustic ink printer having a pool of liquid ink with a free surface, and a printhead including at least one droplet ejector for radiating the free surface of said ink with focused acoustic radiation to eject individual droplets of ink therefrom on demand, said radiation being brought to focus with a finite waist diameter in a focal plane, said ink comprising the ink composition according to claim 1, and (b) causing droplets of said ink to be ejected onto a recording sheet in an imagewise pattern at a temperature of from about 120.degree. C. to about 185.degree. C.
- 17. An ink composition comprised of a colorant and an oxazoline or benzoxazoline vehicle, and one of an amide, amino ester, and mixtures thereof, and which ink possesses a viscosity of from about 1 centipoise to about 25 centipoise at a temperature of from about 125.degree. C. to about 185.degree. C.
- 18. An ink composition in accordance with claim 17 wherein the oxazoline is present in an amount of from about 85 to about 100 percent by weight, and the amide and amino ester are present in amounts of from about 0 to about 15 percent by weight.
- 19. An ink composition in accordance with claim 17 containing a mixture of an amide and an amino ester.
- 20. An ink composition in accordance with claim 17 containing an amide.
- 21. An ink composition in accordance with claim 17 containing an amino ester.
- 22. An ink composition In accordance with claim 1 wherein the benzoxazoline Ia is represented by the following formula ##STR9## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group of from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, and R.sub.5 are independently alkyl, an alkyl alcohol or an alkyl ester, each alkyl containing from about 1 to about 55 carbon atoms.
- 23. An ink in accordance with claim 22 wherein said R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represent the groups indicated subject to the provisions that said R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are not CH.sub.2 --O--H.
- 24. An ink in accordance with claim 22 containing an amide.
- 25. An ink In accordance with claim 22 containing an amino ester.
- 26. An Ink In accordance with claim 22 with viscosity of from 1 to about 5 at a temperature of from about 120.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C., and which ink is a solid at room temperature from about 20.degree. C. to about 30.degree. C.
- 27. An ink in accordance with claim 1 wherein said colorant is a dye present in an amount of from about 1 to about 5 weight percent.
PENDING APPLICATIONS
Hot melt inks for acoustic jet printing are illustrated in copending applications U.S. Ser. No. 624,154; U.S. Ser. No. 624,273; and U.S. Ser. No. 641,866, the disclosures of each application being totally incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (8)