Patent ID: 8142557

Claim:
A radiation curable phase change ink comprising an ink vehicle that includes at least one radiation curable carrier, at least one gellant, at least one radiation curable wax and at least one photoinitiator, wherein the at least one radiation curable wax is a polyethylene wax functionalized with a curable group selected from the group consisting of acrylate, methacrylate, alkene, allylic ether, epoxide and oxetane, wherein the at least one radiation curable wax has a melting point from about 70° C. to about 100° C., and wherein the at least one gellant of the ink vehicle is of the formula wherein R 1 is an ethylene group; wherein R 2 and R 2 ′ each, independently of the other, are groups of the formula —C 34 H 56+a —, wherein a is an integer of 0-12; wherein R 3 and R 3 ′ each, independently of the other, are either (a) photoinitiating groups, or (b) groups which are (i) alkyl groups, comprising linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, cyclic or acyclic, or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups, and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in the alkyl group, (ii) aryl groups, comprising substituted or unsubstituted aryl groups, wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in the aryl group, (iii) arylalkyl groups, comprising substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl groups, wherein the alkyl portion of the arylalkyl group can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or cyclic or acyclic, and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in either the aryl or the alkyl portion of the arylalkyl group, or (iv) alkylaryl groups, comprising substituted or unsubstituted alkylaryl groups, wherein the alkyl portion of the alkylaryl group can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or cyclic or acyclic and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in either the aryl or the alkyl portion of the alkylaryl group, and X and X′ each, independently of the other, is an oxygen atom or a group of the formula —NR 4 —, wherein R 4 is (i) a hydrogen atom, (ii) an alkyl group, comprising linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, cyclic or acyclic, and substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups, and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in the alkyl group, (iii) an aryl group, comprising substituted or unsubstituted aryl groups, and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in the aryl group, (iv) an arylalkyl group, comprising substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl groups, wherein the alkyl portion of the arylalkyl group can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or cyclic or acyclic, or wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in either the aryl or the alkyl portion of the arylalkyl group, or (v) an alkylaryl group, comprising substituted and unsubstituted alkylaryl groups, wherein the alkyl portion of the alkylaryl group can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or cyclic or acyclic, and wherein heteroatoms either may or may not be present in either the aryl or the alkyl portion of the alkylaryl group.