Ornamentation of plastic articles

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR ORNAMENTING MOLDED PLASTIC OBJECTS HAVING PLANAR, NON-PLANAR AND IRREGULAR SHAPES, WHICH COMPRISES PRINTING DECORATIONS ON A COLOR SUPPORT MANUFACTURED FROM LONG-FIBERED, WELL-FELTED ALPHA-CELLULOSE OF AT LEAST 96 PERCENT PURITY, WHICH HAD BEEN BROUGHT INTO A SHEET OF 1 TO 8 MILS THICKNESS BY A BINDER, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE, UREAFORMALDEHYDE AND MELAMINE-FORMALDEHYDE, IN AN AMOUNT OF 1 TO 4 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SAID CELLULOSE; PRINTING BEING CARRIED OUT WITH PRINTING INKS MADE OF A VEHICLE CONSISTING OF AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PROTEIN ALIGNATES CELLULOSE ESTERS, CELLULOSE ETHERS AND SALTS OF POLYACRYLIC ACIDS, AND OF PIGMENTS RESISTANT TO TEMPERATURES UP TO 170*C. AND INSOLUBLE IN AQUEOUS RESIN SOLUTIONS; THE SHEET THUS PRINTED SERVING AS A COLOR SUPPORT; HEATING SAID PRINTED SHEET IN A HIGH-FREQUENCY FIELD OF 100 KILOCYCLES PER SECOND TO 100 MEGACYCLES PER SECOND TO HARDEN AND STABILIZE SAID INKS AND TO ENHANCE THEIR ADHESION TO THE COLOR SUPPORT; IMMERSING SAID PRINTED COLOR SUPPORT IN AN IMPREGNANT MADE OF A RESIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE, UREA-FORMALDEHYDE AND MELAMINEFORMALDEHYDE IN WATER IN PROPORTIONS OF 10D 12.5 BY WEIGHT, TO WHICH SOLUTION APPROMIMATELY 10 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A MONOVALENT, WATER-MISCIBLE ALCOHOL IS ADDED; SQUEEZING RESIN IN EXCESS OF 40 TO 100 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, CALCULATED ON THE CELLULOSE, OFF SID COLOR SUPPORT; ELIMINATING ANY AIR ENTRAPPED IN SAID COLOR SUPPORT BY SUBJECTING THE SAME TO A VACUUM OF APPROXIMATELY 600 MM. HG FOR 1 TO 20 SECONDS; DRYING SAID IMPREGNATED COLOR SUPPORT IN TWO STAGES, THE FIRST STAGE USING DIFFUSIONFILTERED INFRARED HEAT, AND THE SECOND STAGE HOT AIR; SAID COLOR SUPPORT NOW CONTAINING 40 TO 100 PERCENT BY WEIGHT IMPREGNATING RESIN, CALCULATED ON THE CELLULOSE PRESENT; SIMULTANEOUSLY PRECONDENSING SAID COLOR SUPPORT TO THE B-STAGE; REPLENISHING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF SAID COLOR SUPPORT, WHICH HAD BECOME BRITTLE, BY STEAMING, TO RESTORE THE NECESSARY FLEXIBILITY AND IMMEDIATELY APPLYING THE COLOR SUPPORT TO A BLANK, PRE-CONDENSED TO THE B-STAGE, THE PRINT OF SAID COLOR SUPPORT FACING SAID BLANK, WHICH HAD BEEN MADE OF A RESIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISITING OF MELAMINE-FORMALDEHYDE, UREA-FORMALDEHYDE AND PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE AND CONTAINING FILLERS; AND TERMINATING THE CONDENSATION OF BOTH COLOR SUPPORT AND BLANK SIMULTANEOUSLY UNDER PRESSURE AND HEAT TO THE C-STAGE; WHEREBY THE COLOR SUPPORT COMBINES WITH SAID BLANK TO FORM AN INTERGRAL AND INDIVISIBLE UNIT, FULLY PROTECTED AGAINST MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL INFLUECNES.