WO1980000462A1

WO1980000462A1 - Decoration of garments and the like

Info

Publication number: WO1980000462A1
Application number: PCT/GB1979/000143
Authority: WO
Inventors: V Bradshaw
Original assignee: V Bradshaw
Priority date: 1978-08-25
Filing date: 1979-08-23
Publication date: 1980-03-20
Also published as: EP0016170A1

Abstract

A method of decorating a garment (11) which involves the application to the garment of an image (13) from a transfer (12) by heat and/or pressure, and superimposing a metallised and/ or pigmented film (17) on such image in adhering relationship thereto similarly by application of heat and/or pressure.

Description

DECORATION OF GARMENTS^' AND THE LIKE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns the application of graphics to garments and other surfaces, and has more particular 5. reference to the application of metallised decorative effects to such products. STATE OF THE ART

It is known in the art to apply graphics to_. for example, a T-shirt by means of a transfer which

10. comprises a carrier layer having the image to be applied printed thereon, the image being transferred from the carrier layer to the garment by the application of heat and pressure to the transfer as laid face down on the garment. The ink or inks which constitute the image

15. will be of a kind appropriate to the material of the garment surface to which such image is to be applied, being, for example, sublistatic inks in the case of poly¬ esters and thermoplastic inks in the case of cottons. The decorative effects applied by the method as

20. aforesaid have achieved wide commercial acceptance, although the images do possess the disadvantage of having limited wear resistance.

Foils for decorative purposes are also known which comprise a transparent carrier layer, a metallised or

25. a pigment coating applied to one face of such carrier layer and a layer of adhesive at the outer surface of

- REA

OMPI . O the coating, the foil being provided in sheet form and the shape of the image to be applied being determined at the instant of application by the pattern provided on the etched face of a block by which the foil is 5. applied, under conditions of heat and pressure, to the garment. The adhesive will be of a kind appropriate to the material of the garment.

Whilst decorations produced from such metallised foils as aforesaid do have a higher wear resistance then

10. ink transfers, they do have the disadvantage of requiring the use of an etched block appropriate to the specific image in their application to the garment and thus a range of etched blocks consistent with the range of image must be held, thereby possibly limiting on economic

15. grounds,the range of decorated garments offered by any particular manufacturer. Furthermore, the replacement of the etched block- of a blocking machine when it is desired to change the image is inconvenient, having regar to the high temperature of such block at the end of a

20. production run.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method of providing a metallised or other decoration on a garment which avoids the limitations imposed by the conventional method of providing such

25. decoration.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION ~

The invention is predicated upon the appreciation that by combining selected features of the two methods in a manner not previously contemplated, the advantages

30. of one method can be used to overcome the disadvantages of the other, thereby to provide a method of applying a metallised or pigmented decoration which allows of the ready utilisation of an infinite range of images.

According to the present invention there is proposed

a method of applying a metallised and/or pigmented decoration to a surface, for example, a garment surface, which comprises the steps of providing a conventional ink transfer having the form of the intended decoration, 5. transferring the image therefrom to the surface in conventional manner by application of heat and pressure, superimposing a foil having a metallised and/or pigmented coating to the said image, subjecting the foil to heat and/ or pressure to cause the same to adhere to the image,

10. and peeling the foil from the image thereby to provide a metallised or pigmented cover adhering to such transfer and coextensive therewith.

Preferably the foil will further include an adhesive layer overlying the metallised and/or pigmented coating,

15. the said adhesive layer being sensitive to heat and/or pressure and the application of such heat. and/or pressure to the foil when arranged in overlying disposition relative to the image causing such layer to adhere to the image. According to a further preferred_^, feature, the

20. nature of the image as regards its. physicalproperties and the nature of the adhesive layer overlying the metallised or pigmented coating, and the heat and/or pressure applied to cause the metallised or pigmented layer to adhere to the image are such that the material

25. of the image remains isolated from the metallised or pigmented coating.

According to a still further preferred feature, the adhesive constituting the adhesive surface of the metallised and/or pigmented foil is so selected as to have

30. an affinity for the material of the image and a disaffinity for the surface to which the image is applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one particular example thereof and in whic :- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a garment having a graphic applied to the front end thereof; 5.Figs. 2 to 5 show, diagrammatically, the successive steps involved in practising the invention. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing, the application of a graphic to the surface of a cotton T-shirt involves the

10. initial step of locating a transfer 12 carrying the image 13 in question in position face down upon the garment 11, and applying heat and pressure thereto (by means not shown) so as to soften the image 13, which image conveniently comprises a thermoplastic ink, and

15. cause the same to adhere to the garment, the release paper 14 being peeled from the image when the same is properly bonded to the fabric. A typical application involves a temperature of 150 C for a period of 15 second or a higher temperature for a shorter time period.

20. A metal foil 15 of such dimensions as wholly to overly the i page 13, is then placed in position upon suc image, the foil comprising a carrier layer 16, a metallis aluminium coating 17 applied to such layer as by vacuum deposition and a layer 18 of a hot melt adhesive outwardl

25. of the metallised coating 17, and is subjected to heat and pressure (by means not shown) to activate the adhesiv and cause the coating 17 to adhere to the image 13. It has been found convenient to cover the foil with a light¬ weight cotton fabric through which heat and pressure are

30. applied, a suitable process time being 5 seconds, and conventional pressing equipment and temperatures as used in the art being adopted. On cooling, the foil 15 is peeled from the garment 11, the metal3ised coating 17 separating from the foil in areas corresponding to the image 13 thereby to provide a metallised facing to the image.

If the foil is required to be coloured, as distinct from the silver of the aluminium coating per se, then 5. prior to deposition of the aluminium on the carrier layer 16, a pigment layer (shown at 19 in Fig. 4) is deposited thereon. A typical thickness for the or each deposited layer is 3 to 5 microns.

By arranging .that the hot melt adhesive of layer 18

10. has a preferred affinity for material of the image 13 rather than the material of the garment 11, the metallised coating 17 will be retained only by those localised areas as defined by the. image 13.

Preferably the nature of the hot melt adhesive in

15. relation to the nature of the thermoplastic ink is such that, in the context of the heat and pressure applied to the foil, adhesion is effected without melting the ink, so that no deleterious effect is introduced as regards the coating.

20. The invention is, however, not limited to the use of metallised and/or pigmented foils having a hot melt adhesive applied thereto, since it may be found desirable, in some instances, to utilise the adhesive characteristic of the thermoplastic ink to effect adhesion between the

25. image and the metallised or pigmented coating.

Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the context of the application of graphics to garments, since analogous procedures can be used to decorate binders or to apply titles or descriptive material thereto, the

30. 'image¹ being provided as a transfer having adhesive characteristics and being applied to the binder or the like as aforesaid, such image subsequently being 'faced' by means of a foil in accordance with the method herein proposed.

O PI fa WIPO As will be appreciated, the most intricate 'images' can be provided in transfer form from suitable inks as fitted for the purpose by any known offset or litho process and can be applied to the surface intended to 5.bear the decoration or identification using known techniques. The 'image' can be coated using a piece of stock foil by means of a plane heated block and the ultimate form of the coating will be determined solely by the form of the image.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of applying a metallised and/or pigmented decoration to a surface, for example a garment surface, comprising the steps of providing a conventional ink

5.transfer having the form of the intended decoration, transferring the image therefrom to the surface in conventional manner by application of heat and pressure, superimposing a foil having a metallised and/or pigmented coating to the said image, subjecting the foil to heat 10.and/or pressure to cause the same to adhere to the image, and peeling the foil from the image thereby to provide a metallised or pigmented cover adhering to such transfer and coextensive therewith.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an adhesive 15. layer is provided at that face of the metallised or pigmented coating intended for application to the image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said adhesive layer comprises a heat sensitive adhesive material.

20.4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said adhesive layer comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive material.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the nature of the image as regards its physical properties and the

25. nature of the adhesive layer overlying the metallised or pigmented coating, and the heat and/or pressure applied to cause the metallised or pigmented layer to adhere to the image are such that the material of the image remains isolated from the metallised or pigmented coating.

30.6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the adhesive layer provided on the metallised or pigmented coating is so selected as to have an affinity for the material of the image and a disaffinity for the surface to which the image is applied.

O PI W WIIPPOO 7. The method, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the metallised and/or pigmented coating includes a cover layer at that face thereof remote from that face intended for application to the image. 5. 8. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein both a metallised and a pigmented coating are provided, the pigmented coating being disposed at that face of the foil remote from that face intended for application to the image. 10. 9. An article having a decoration applied thereto in accordance with the method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

10. A kit of parts for use in practising the method as claimed in claim 1, comprising a transfer having an image

15. thereon and a metallised and/or pigmented foil for application to the image for adhesion thereto.

11. The kit of parts as claimed in claim 10, wherein the foil includes an adhesive at one face thereof and a cover layer at the opposite face.

20. 12. The kit of parts as claimed. in claim 11, wherein the foil is a pigmented metallised foil, and wherein the pigment is provided at that side of the foil remote from the adhesive.

13. The method of applying a decoration to the surface 25. of a garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the various figures of the accompanying drawing.

14. A garment having a decoration applied thereto in accordance with the method claimed in claim 13.

30. 15. A kit of parts for use in practising the method of claim 13.