Patent ID: 6949127

Claim:
A dyed article prepared by a process comprising the steps of (i) immersing at least a portion of an article in a dyeing bath maintained at a temperature of 60 to 99°C. and (ii) retaining said portion in said bath for a period of time sufficient to allow an amount of dye to diffuse into said article, and (iii) removing said article from said bath, wherein molded article comprises at least one polymeric resin selected from the group consisting of (co)polyester, (co)polycarbonates, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polyamide, polyurethane, polyalkyl(meth)acrylate, allyldiglycol carbonate and styrene copolymers, and wherein the bath contains (a) 50 to 90 pbw relative to the weight of the bath of water (b) 0.1 to 15 pbw of dye (c) 2.5 to 20 pbw of at least one plasticizing agent conforming to R′—[(O(CH 2 ) m ) n —]OH where R′ is an ethyl, propyl or butyl radical, m is 2, 3 or 4, and n is 1, 2 or 3 with the proviso that where R′ is butyl m is 2 or 4 and (d) 5 to 30 pbw of at least one leveling agent conforming structurally to H—[(O(CH 2 ) m ) n ]OH where m is 2, 3 or 4 and n is 1, 2, or 3.