Patent ID: 7972472

Claim:
A process for forming a patterned thin film structure on a substrate, comprising: printing a pattern on the substrate using a printable material, the printed printable material defining a positive image of a decorative design to be formed on the substrate, such that the printable material is printed in areas where the thin film structure is to be formed; depositing a thin film material on the patterned substrate, wherein the thin film material, the printable material, and the substrate are chosen so that the thin film material adheres more strongly to the printable material than to the substrate; and stripping the thin film material formed directly on the substrate using a stripping process that does not strip the thin film material from the printable material such that the thin film material remains on the printable material used to define the pattern in which the thin film structure is to be formed; wherein the substrate and the patterned thin film structure formed thereon are suitable for use as an IMD decorated film, the printable material comprises a first adhesive, adhesion promoting or tie material, and the stripping process comprises: applying a second adhesive layer to the substrate after the thin film deposition step; and removing the thin film material without removing the first adhesive, adhesion promoting or tie material by peeling off the second adhesive layer, wherein the adhesion strength between thin film material and the substrate is the weakest as compared to the cohesion strength of the second adhesive layer, the cohesion strength of the first adhesive, adhesion promoting or tie material, the cohesion strength of the thin film material, the adhesion strength between the thin film material and the second adhesive layer, and the adhesion between the thin film material and the first adhesive, adhesion promoting or tie material.