Process for transferring holographic images

A process for transferring a holographic image from a conventional polymeric support to a foil support is described in this invention. A host of images may be envisioned and since this image, on a foil support, may then be wound up in a roll, it can be used as a wrapping element for a host of applications such as in the candy and gum industry; wrapping foils; etc. This element and process permits the wide spread use of such holographic images, such use not being available until now.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
This application is related to assignee's issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,986, 
Sep. 2, 1997 and to co-filed U.S. Ser. No. 08/679,349, allowed on Sep. 4, 
1997. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to holographic images formed by a unique process for 
various security and decorative purposes. Also, this invention relates to 
aluminized roll-stock holographic images formed on a plastic layer. 
Further, this invention relates to elements and process for transferring 
holographic images to yet another substrate. Still further, this invention 
relates to a unique process for transferring holographic images to a 
relatively inexpensive substrate which permits a wide-spread use of said 
holographic image. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Holographically enhanced materials are well known in the prior art. These 
are usually made by very proprietary methods which includes passing a 
layer of plastic, for example, through a machine which imparts a variation 
(e.g. which can be an image itself) within covering or upper strata of the 
plastic layer. This step is somewhat similar to, but not exactly the same, 
as embossing. A powdered metallic element (e.g. aluminum) is then applied 
thereon by the so-called metallizing process. After this step, the element 
appears to have a holographic or 3-dimensional image imparted on the layer 
of plastic. This image is extremely pleasing and is widely used within the 
credit card and security industries, for example, to impart an image 
particular to that credit card or security element thereon. The resulting 
image is difficult to duplicate and thus these elements assist in the 
prevention of fraud by counterfeiting, for example. The draw-back to the 
use of these images is the cost since the machines to produce the image 
are complicated and costly in and of themselves. Additionally, holographic 
elements produced by this method (the so-called "shim" "method") are 
usually small in size and thus cannot be imprinted with larger images. 
Thus, this material has not been widely used outside of the credit card 
and novelty industry. 
Within the food packaging industry it is known use foils and the like for 
the wrapping of individual food pieces, for example. Sometimes, these 
foils are embossed with decorative or advertising logos and materials. In 
addition, it is known in this industry to laminate with glues metallized 
materials to tissue like paper tissues for the wrapping of individual food 
pieces such as candies, gums and the like, for example. 
Recently, a process for making large sheets of holographically enhanced 
material has been developed. Thus, the costs of such holographically 
enhanced material have been significantly reduced. However, these large 
sheets of material are usually placed on a plastic surface which is also 
rather expensive and thus the use of this material is still rather 
limited. If the holographic image could be further transferred to yet 
another substrate, one which was less expensive and one which had higher 
utility (e.g. thin foils and the like), the use of such holographically 
prepared images would find wider use in decorative wrappings and in 
advertising, for example. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of this invention to provide a holographic image that can 
be transferred to another substrate. It is a further object to utilize a 
unique transferring process that can place a holographic image directly on 
a less expensive foil substrate, for example. These and yet other objects 
are achieve in a thin foil-like wrapping element, said wrapping element 
having a holographic image having imparted thereto by laminating to a thin 
foil-like wrapping substrate a holographic image on a polymeric substrate 
under elevated temperatures and pressure and subsequently delaminating 
said thin foil-like wrapping substrate from said polymeric substrate. 
In yet another embodiment, this invention may be achieved in a process for 
transferring a holographic image to a foil substrate by laminating a 
holographic image, said image having been imparted on a polymeric 
substrate, to said foil substrate at a temperature greater than 35.degree. 
C. and a pressure greater than 1 pound per square inch and subsequently 
delaminating said foil substrate from said polymeric substrate, whereby 
said holographic image is transferred to said foil substrate.

DETAILS OF THE INVENTION 
Looking now specifically at the drawings which schematically show the 
holographic image which is transferable from a polymeric substrate to a 
more useable foil substrate, FIG. 1 is a top view of an actual holographic 
image 1 contained on a polymeric substrate. The image has that 3-D 
holographic look that is well-known in the prior art, especially in the 
security art field. 
In FIG. 2, a side view drawing of the holographic image 1 from FIG. 2 is 
shown. In this figure, the polymeric substrate on which the holographic 
image is manufactured, is shown as 2. A foil substrate 3 is shown located 
directly above the image. 
In FIG. 3, the holographic image 1 has been transferred to the foil 
substrate 3. 
FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing representing a novel process of this 
invention for the transfer of a holographic image from a polymeric 
substrate to a foil substrate. In this figure, a holographic image I on a 
polymeric substrate 2 is shown being pulled off an unwind roll 4 in a nip 
formed by opposing rollers 5 and 6. In this view, roll 5 is a standard 
gravure coating roll and roll 6 is a backup roll. A reverse gravure doctor 
blade (to control coating weight) is shown as 7 and a coating pan (holding 
a standard adhesive solution) is shown as 8. The coated holographic image 
on a polymeric substrate is then carried through a drier which is 
indicated as 9 and 10 and subsequently down to heated rolls 11 and 12. In 
the nip formed by these last two rolls, a foil substrate 3 taken from a 
roll 14 contacts the surface of the adhesive containing side of the dried, 
holographic image 1 contained on a polymeric substrate 2 and is laminated 
thereto. The heated rolls activate the dried adhesive in order to permit 
such a lamination to occur. The resulting sandwich 13 is passed over a 
chill roll 14a and then taken up by rewind roll 14. 
The process of delamination is shown in FIG. 5. In this schematic drawing, 
the laminated sandwich material 13 is drawn off unwind roll 14 and taken 
through the nip of two delamination rolls 16 and 17. The polymeric 
substrate 2 is then taken up on a film rewind roll 18 (this material can 
subsequently be reused and recycled). The foil substrate 3 now carrying 
the holographic image 1 thereon is taken up to coating heads 19 and 20. A 
protective layer is applied over the holographic image contained on this 
foil substrate in order to protect this image during handling. This may be 
applied at the nip of the coating heads and a pan 21 is graphically shown 
in this view. The holographic image on the foil substrate is then carried 
into another drier to insure that the protective coating is hardened prior 
to be rolled up on to a final roll 21. The roll of holographically imaged 
foil is now ready for use as a wrap for food products and the like. 
In FIG. 6, a top view of a typical foil substrate 3 having a name brand 
applied in a holographic image is shown. This holographic image (seen here 
as "Wrigleys") was originally manufactured on a polymeric substrate in a 
conventional manner and then transferred to the foil substrate 3 in a 
manner described in FIGS. 4 and 5. This permits the wide-spread use of a 
holographic advertisement on a product such as a stick of gum. The 
holographic image, transferred to the foil substrate, is flashy and eye 
catching and this is the first such use thereof. 
Although a temperature greater than 35.degree. C. can be used, I prefer 
temperatures of 35 to 125 degrees and more preferably at temperatures of 
between 60 to 90 degrees at the nip of the lamination process of this 
invention. At the same time, an elevated pressure is applied to the nip to 
cause the two substrates, with the holographic image sandwiched between, 
to be laminated together. A pressure greater than 1 pound per square inch 
and up to 1,000 pounds per square inch may be used, although I prefer 5 to 
10 pounds per square inch. 
It is most important that the temperature of any step of this process not 
be greater than 150.degree. C. in order not to harm or deform the 
holographic images in any way. Looking again at FIG. 4, the conditions in 
the drier should be such that the surface of the polymeric substrate 2 
carrying the holographic image 1 and a layer of adhesive material, be 
somewhere between 35 and 150 degrees centigrade and most preferably 60 to 
90 degrees centigrade. One can design a drier which has a proper length 
and can emanate the proper degree of heat to match up with the web speed 
which is passing through this drier. The heated nip also should have a 
temperature of between 25 and 150 degrees C. The purpose of the chill roll 
14a is to set up the adhesive and insure that the foil substrate 3 and 
holographic image 1 on the polymeric substrate 2 is secured. The adhesive 
material is well-known in the coating art and can be applied at a coating 
weight of between 0.5 to 8 pounds (dry) per ream of foil, wherein a ream 
is 500 sheets of foil of 24 inches by 36 inches in size, and can be 
applied either to the foil substrate or to the holographic image layer. 
Within the drawings which make up some of the best modes as envisioned at 
the time of filing of this invention, the adhesive layer is shown being 
applied to the holographic image first. Then, the foil substrate contacts 
this layer at the heated nip rolls and is adhered thereto. 
The protective layer that is applied over the top of the holographic image 
that has been transferred to the foil substrate by delamination, as shown 
in FIG. 5, can be any of a host of conventional materials such as solvent 
or water based acrylics, for example. This protective layer may be colored 
or tinted to provide additional features, for example. 
I can use a host of foil substrates within the metes and bounds of this 
invention. For example, aluminum foils of 0.00020 to 2.0 mils in thickness 
are particularly useful. These foils are well-known in the food industry 
and are widely used to wrap up gums, candies, chocolate bars and the like. 
In addition to having the novel holographic image of this invention 
imparted thereon, these elements may also have other advertisements and 
writing imparted on the surface by conventional methods. 
The conventionally holographically imaged polymeric substrates include many 
of the commonly available plastics, for example. These will include 
polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyethylene terephthalates, among others, 
for example. These substrates are usually 0.03 to 4.0 mils in thickness. 
The foil substrates on which the holographic images have been transferred 
may be used in a host of applications including the wrapping of candies 
and gums; gifts; store wrappings; decorative wrappings; etc. The 
holographic image may be altered for the use desired. Advertising and 
decorative images are also envisioned within this invention. Such 
applications will find wide use within the various industries that employ 
wrappings of this sort. 
The ability to dry-bond laminate and then to delaminate the elements 
described within this invention represents a unique process since it was 
not widely known that holographic images could be so transferred. The 
process as described above uses some unique equipment that is designed to 
hold, laminate and then delaminate some fairly flimsy material. It is 
necessary to insure that all of the elements of the process are carefully 
maintained within processing limits. The use of elements produced within 
the scope of this invention greatly increases the utility of holographic 
images within a broader scope. This means that holographic images with 
larger images, images that can utilize advertising and logos and the like, 
are now possible.