Patent ID: 7128412
Filing Date: 2006-10-31
Classification: B41J,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A printing process which comprises (a) supplying an intermediate transfer material, said intermediate transfer material having a melting point of at least about 30° C., said intermediate transfer material having a melting point of no more than about 90° C.; (b) applying a molten layer of said intermediate transfer material to an intermediate transfer member; (c) applying to the layer of intermediate transfer material a marking material in an imagewise pattern, thereby forming an image on the layer of molten intermediate transfer material; and (d) transferring the marking material from the intermediate transfer member to a final recording substrate, said intermediate transfer material comprising a silicone polymer containing monomers of the formula wherein R 1 and R 2 each, independently of the other, are hydrogen atoms, hydroxy groups, alkyl groups, aryl groups, arylalkyl groups, or alkylaryl groups, provided that at least one of R 1 and R 2 has at least about 12 carbon atoms, wherein R 1 +R 2 have a total number of carbon atoms of no more than about 100, R 3 and R 4 each, independently of the other, are hydrogen atoms, hydroxy groups, alkyl groups, aryl groups, arylalkyl groups, or alkylaryl groups, wherein R 3 +R 4 have a total number of carbon atoms of no more than about 20, R 5 is an alkylene group, an arylene group, an arylalkylene group, an alkylarylene group, and x, y, and z each, independently of the others, are integers representing the number of repeat monomer units, wherein either (a) x is at least about 1 and wherein y and z each may be 0 but may also be greater than 0, provided that at least 2 monomer units are present in the silicone polymer, or (b) x may be 0 but may also be greater than 0, y is at least 1, and z is at least 1, wherein the monomers can be either directly bonded to each other or bonded to each other through spacer groups.