EP0919370B1 - Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie - Google Patents

Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0919370B1
EP0919370B1 EP19970203690 EP97203690A EP0919370B1 EP 0919370 B1 EP0919370 B1 EP 0919370B1 EP 19970203690 EP19970203690 EP 19970203690 EP 97203690 A EP97203690 A EP 97203690A EP 0919370 B1 EP0919370 B1 EP 0919370B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
printing plates
ink
lithographic printing
plates according
cross
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19970203690
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0919370A1 (fr
Inventor
Luc Leenders
Leo Oelbrandt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Agfa Gevaert NV
Original Assignee
Agfa Gevaert NV
Agfa Gevaert AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Agfa Gevaert NV, Agfa Gevaert AG filed Critical Agfa Gevaert NV
Priority to DE1997611054 priority Critical patent/DE69711054T2/de
Priority to EP19970203690 priority patent/EP0919370B1/fr
Publication of EP0919370A1 publication Critical patent/EP0919370A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0919370B1 publication Critical patent/EP0919370B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
    • B41C1/00—Forme preparation
    • B41C1/10—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme
    • B41C1/1066—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme by spraying with powders, by using a nozzle, e.g. an ink jet system, by fusing a previously coated powder, e.g. with a laser

Definitions

  • This invention relates to lithographic printing, and is particularly related to a method for producing lithographic plates without a developing step using an ink jet printing apparatus.
  • a lithographic plate having a hydrophilic surface coated with a hydrophobic material forming an image is mounted on a lithographic press.
  • the plate is rotated beneath a water source to spread water across the plate, and then hydrophobic ink is applied to the plate.
  • the hydrophobic ink does not stick on the uncoated surface of the plate because of the water extending over the uncoated surface.
  • the hydrophobic image repels the water but attracts the ink, and thus ink is applied to the image.
  • the inked image is then used to make lithographic copies.
  • lithographic plates Many techniques for producing lithographic plates have been developed.
  • plates having photosensitive coatings are exposed and developed to leave a hydrophobic image on the plate corresponding to the lithographic image to be printed.
  • the unexposed portion of the plate remains hydrophilic.
  • a transparent sheet having a special coating of graphite and a binder is placed over a plate and subjected to laser beam imaging.
  • the laser beam causes the graphite and binder to transfer to the plate surface to create a hydrophobic image on the plate.
  • Yet another technique includes making plates from a prepared original using master imager machines that resemble photocopiers.
  • a liquid ink is sprayed onto a plate through a stencil and then the plate is heated to harden the ink.
  • US-A- 4 833 486 there is claimed an ink jet image transfer lithographic apparatus and method therefore which overcomes these and other disadvantages of the prior methods.
  • the claimed ink jet printer is an ink jet printer suited for use of a hot melt ink.
  • Said patent discloses printing on rigid and flexible imaging elements. The disadvantage of said method is that said printers are expensive.
  • printers suitable for use with a hot melt ink have appeared on the market which are much cheaper. Those printers have however the disadvantage that they can not be used with a rigid (e.g. an aluminum foil) lithographic base. These printers are however perfectly suited for use with a flexible lithographic base. Paper is an excellent lithographic base for preparing printing plates with printers suitable for use with hot melt inks. However it has been found that lithographic printing plates with paper as support prepared with these cheap printers suitable for use with a hot melt ink yield copies where also the non-image areas accept ink.
  • a method for making lithographic printing plates including the steps of dispensing hot melt hydrophobic ink from a printhead of a printer suited for use of hot melt inks onto a lithographic base in a predetermined pattern by melting the ink in the printhead and spraying droplets of the melted ink directly onto the lithographic base or transferring the ink by means of an intermediate drum onto the lithographic base into the predetermined pattern, wherein the ink solidifies essentially upon contact with the lithographic base, characterized in that the lithographic base comprises a flexible support having a cross-linked hydrophilic surface.
  • the lithographic base having a cross-linked hydrophilic surface comprises a flexible support, such as e.g. paper or plastic film, provided with a cross-linked hydrophilic layer.
  • a particularly suitable cross-linked hydrophilic layer may be obtained from a hydrophilic binder cross-linked with a cross-linking agent such as formaldehyde, glyoxal, polyisocyanate or a hydrolysed tetraalkyl orthosilicate. The latter is particularly preferred; most preferred is tetraethyl or tetramethyl orthosilicate.
  • hydrophilic binder there may be used hydrophilic (co)polymers such as for example, homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, methylol acrylamide, methylol methacrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate or maleic anhydride/vinylmethylether copolymers.
  • the hydrophilicity of the (co)polymer or (co)polymer mixture used is preferably the same as or higher than the hydrophilicity of polyvinyl acetate hydrolyzed to at least an extent of 60 percent by weight, preferably 80 percent by weight.
  • a preferred hydrophilic binder is polyvinylalcohol.
  • the amount of crosslinking agent, in particular of tetraalkyl orthosilicate, is preferably at least 0.2 parts by weight per part by weight of hydrophilic binder, more preferably between 0.5 and 5 parts by weight, most preferably between 1.0 parts by weight and 3 parts by weight.
  • a cross-linked hydrophilic layer in a lithographic base used in accordance with the present embodiment preferably also contains substances that increase the mechanical strength and the porosity of the layer.
  • colloidal silica may be used.
  • the colloidal silica employed may be in the form of any commercially available water-dispersion of colloidal silica for example having an average particle size up to 40 nm, e.g. 20 nm.
  • inert particles of larger size than the colloidal silica can be added e.g. silica prepared according to Stöber as described in J. Colloid and Interface Sci., Vol.
  • alumina particles or particles having an average diameter of at least 100 nm which are particles of titanium dioxide or other heavy metal oxides.
  • the thickness of a cross-linked hydrophilic layer in a lithographic base in accordance with this embodiment may vary in the range of 0.2 to 25 ⁇ m and is preferably 1 to 10 ⁇ m.
  • plastic film e.g. substrated polyethylene terephthalate film, cellulose acetate film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film etc.
  • the plastic film support may be opaque or transparent.
  • the amount of silica in the adhesion improving layer is between 200 mg per m 2 and 750 mg per m 2 .
  • the ratio of silica to hydrophilic binder is preferably more than 1 and the surface area of the colloidal silica is preferably at least 300 m 2 per gram, more preferably at least 500 m 2 per gram.
  • the hot melt ink used in the present invention is a solid hydrophobic ink that is melted in the ink jet printhead.
  • a hot melt ink also called a phase change ink consists of a hot melt ink carrier composition, and a dye.
  • the phase change ink carrier may be a composition containing optionally a natural wax or a mixture of natural waxes or a mixture of (a) natural and (a) synthetic wax(es).
  • the main requirement for the ink according to the invention is to be a meltable, jettable hydrophobic substance having appropriate physical characteristics, e.g. a phase change ink carrier.
  • dyes and coloring agents are not required , but can help the operator to see the image on the plate.
  • a subject phase change ink carrier composition typically comprises a fatty amide-containing material.
  • the fatty amide-containing material of the phase change ink carrier composition preferably comprises a tetra-amide compound.
  • the preferred tetra-amide compounds for producing the phase change ink carrier composition are Dimer acid-based tetra-amides which preferably include the reaction product of a fatty acid, a diamine (ethylene diamine) and a Dimer acid. Fatty acids having from 10 to 22 carbon atoms are preferably employed in the formation of the Dimer acid-based tetra-amide.
  • Dimer acid-based tetra-amides are produced by Union Camp and comprise the reaction product of ethylene diamine, Dimer acid, and the following fatty acids : decanoic acid (Union Camp X3202 -23), myristic acid (Union Camp X3202-56), stearic acid (Union Camp X3138-43, X3164 -23, X3202-44, X3202-46, X3222-65, X3261-37, X3261-53, and X3290-72), docasanic acid (Union Camp X3202-36).
  • decanoic acid Union Camp X3202 -23
  • myristic acid Union Camp X3202-56
  • stearic acid Union Camp X3138-43, X3164 -23, X3202-44, X3202-46, X3222-65, X3261-37, X3261-53, and X3290-72
  • docasanic acid Union Camp X3202-36
  • the most preferred Dimer acid-based tetra-amide is the reaction product of Dimer acid, ethylene diamine and stearic acid in a stoichiometric ratio of 1:2:2.
  • Stearic acid is the preferred fatty acid reactant because its adduct with Dimer acid and ethylene diamine has the lowest viscosity of the dimer acid-based tetra-amides. Its ingredients also are the most readily available and therefore lowest in cost.
  • the fatty amide-containing material can also comprise a mono-amide.
  • the phase change ink carrier composition comprises both a tetra-amide compound and a mono-amide compound.
  • the mono-amide compound typically comprises either a primary or secondary mono-amide, but is preferably a secondary mono-amide.
  • stearamide such as Kemamide S manufactured by Witco Chemical Company
  • behenyl behenamide Kemamide EX-666
  • stearyl stearamide Kemamide S-180 and Kemamide EX-672
  • stearyl stearamide is the mono-amide of choice in producing the phase change ink carrier composition of the present invention.
  • the secondary mono-amide compound comprises as a composition which is represented by the structural formula : wherein :
  • the preferred fatty amide-containing compounds of this invention comprise a plurality of fatty amide materials which are physically compatible with each other.
  • the carrier composition has a substantially single melting point transition.
  • the melting point of the phase change ink carrier composition is preferably at least about 70 °C, more preferably at least about 80 °C, and most preferably at least about 85 °C.
  • the preferred phase change ink carrier composition comprises a tetra-amide and a mono-amide.
  • the weight ratio of the tetra-amide to the mono-amide in the preferred instance is from about 2:1 to 1:10 and more preferably, from about 1:1 to 1:3.
  • a tackifier can be employed.
  • the preferred tackifiers are those which are compatible with fatty amide-containing materials. These include, for example, Foral 85, a glycerol ester of hydrogenated abietic (rosin) acid, and Foral 105, a pentaerythritol ester of hydroabietic (rosin) acid, both manufactured by Hercules Chemical Company; Nevtac 100 and Nevtac 80, synthetic polyterpene resins manufactured by Neville Chemical Company; and Wingtack 86, a modified synthetic polyterpene resin manufactured by Goodyear Chemical Company.
  • Foral 105 is the tackifier of choice in producing the phase change ink carrier composition of the present invention.
  • Plasticizers which have been found to be particularly advantageous in the composition of the subject invention preferably include dioctyl phthalate, diundecyl phthalate, alkylbenzyl phthalate (Santicizer 278) and triphenyl phosphate, all manufactured by Monsanto Chemical Company; tributoxyethyl phosphate (KP-140) manufactured by FMC Corporation; dicyclohexyl phthalate (Morflex 150) manufactured by Morflex Chemical Company Inc.; and trioctyl trimellitate, manufactured by Kodak.
  • Santicizer 278 is the plasticizer of choice in producing the phase change ink carrier composition of the present invention.
  • phase change ink carrier composition Other materials may be added to the phase change ink carrier composition.
  • antioxidants are added for preventing discoloration of the carrier composition.
  • the preferred antioxidant materials can include Irganox 1010 manufactured by Ciba Geigy; and Naugard 76, Naugard 512, and Naugard 524 manufactured by Uniroyal Chemical Company; the most preferred antioxidant being Naugard 524.
  • the phase change ink carrier composition comprises a tetra-amide and a mono-amide compound, a tackifier, a plasticizer, and a viscosity modifying agent.
  • the preferred compositional ranges of this phase change ink carrier composition are as follows : from about 10 to 50 weight percent of a tetra-amide compound, from about 30 to 80 weight percent of a mono-amide compound, from about 0 to 25 weight percent of a tackifier, from about 0 to 25 weight percent of a plasticizer, and from about 0 to 10 weight percent of a viscosity modifying agent.
  • phase change ink formed from the phase change ink carrier composition exhibits excellent physical properties. More details are given in EP-A 353 979.
  • phase change ink carriers and phase change inks are disclosed in EP-A- 519 138, EP-A- 604 023, EP-A- 739 958, US-A- 5 592 204,WO-96/015201, US-A- 5 531 819, US-A- 5 560 765, WO 90/005893, WO- 91/010711, WO- 91/010710 and EP-A- 723 999.
  • Printers suitable for use of hot melt inks are piezo-drop-on-demand printers which are well known to those skilled in the art. Such printers are described in e.g. WO- 90/005893 and EP-A- 623 472.
  • the image forming requires the following steps.
  • the solid hydrophobic ink is melted in the ink jet printhead and held in a reservoir.
  • microdots of ink are sprayed onto the lithographic base in a predetermined pattern as the plate passes through the printer..
  • the microdots have a diameter of about 50 ⁇ m.
  • the ink solidifies and leaves an upraised, hydrophobic pattern on the lithographic base, forming the lithographic printing plate. No developing or drying step is required.
  • an indirect method including applying the ink on an intermediate drum and contacting said drum with the lithographic base. Said process is disclosed in EP-A- 604 023.
  • an ink jet printer suitable for using a hot melt ink is placed adjacent to the plate cylinder of an offset printing machine and directed to spray hot melt ink onto a lithographic base held on the plate cylinder.
  • a computer or other information source supplies graphics and textual information to the printhead via a lead.
  • the printing plate of the present invention can also be used in the printing process as a seamless sleeve printing plate.
  • This cylindrical printing plate which has as diameter the diameter of the print cylinder is slided on the print cylinder instead of applying in a classical way a classically formed printing plate. More details on sleeves are given in "Grafisch Nieuws" ed. Keesing, 15, 1995, page 4 to 6.
  • KIESELSOL 300 F (tradename for 30 % aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica - surface area of 300 m 2 per g).
  • Anionic wetting agents ( 0.6 g ) and biocides (1 g ) were added.
  • a printer suitable for use of hot melt inks Tektronix phaser 340 (marketed by Tektronix USA) and as hot melt ink Black Colorstix ink for Phaser 340/350 an image was applied on the lithographic base.
  • Said imaged lithographic base was used as a lithographic printing plate on an ABDick printing machine .
  • the Van Son Rubberbase ink and as fountain solution 2% Tame was used.
  • the printing copies were excellent from the fifth copie, showing a good ink acceptance in the image areas and no ink acceptance in the non-image areas.

Claims (10)

  1. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique englobant les étapes consistant à distribuer une encre hydrophobe thermofusible à partir d'une tête d'impression d'une imprimante appropriée pour utiliser des encres thermofusibles sur une base lithographique dans un modèle prédéterminé en portant l'encre à fusion dans la tête d'impression et en pulvérisant des gouttelettes de l'encre portée à fusion directement sur la base lithographique ou en transférant l'encre à l'aide d'un tambour intermédiaire sur la base lithographique dans le modèle prédéterminé, dans lequel l'encre se solidifie essentiellement lors de sa mise en contact avec la base lithographique, caractérisé en ce que la base lithographique comprend un support flexible possédant une surface hydrophile réticulée.
  2. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 1, dans lequel ladite surface hydrophile réticulée comprend un liant hydrophile.
  3. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 2, dans lequel ledit liant hydrophile possède un caractère hydrophile qui est identique ou supérieur au caractère hydrophile d'un acétate de polyvinyle soumis à une hydrolyse à concurrence d'au moins 60 % en poids.
  4. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 3, dans lequel ledit liant hydrophile est l'alcool polyvinylique.
  5. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 1, dans lequel ladite surface hydrophile réticulée comprend un agent de réticulation.
  6. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 5, dans lequel ledit agent de réticulation est de l'orthosilicate de tétraalkyle hydrolysé.
  7. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 6, dans lequel ledit orthosilicate de tétraalkyle hydrolysé est de l'orthosilicate de tétraméthyle ou de tétraéthyle.
  8. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon la revendication 1, dans lequel ladite surface hydrophile contient un liant hydrophile et un agent de réticulation et dans lequel la quantité de l'agent de réticulation s'élève à au moins 1 partie en poids par partie en poids du liant hydrophile.
  9. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, dans lequel le support hydrophobe est un support en résine organique ou une base de papier couché avec de la polyoléfine.
  10. Procédé pour fabriquer des clichés d'impression lithographique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 9, dans lequel l'encre thermofusible comprend une matière contenant un amide gras.
EP19970203690 1997-11-25 1997-11-25 Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie Expired - Lifetime EP0919370B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE1997611054 DE69711054T2 (de) 1997-11-25 1997-11-25 Verfahren zur Herstellung einer positiv arbeitenden Druckplatte, von einem lithographischen Träger mit einem vernetzten hydrophilen Substrat ausgehend
EP19970203690 EP0919370B1 (fr) 1997-11-25 1997-11-25 Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19970203690 EP0919370B1 (fr) 1997-11-25 1997-11-25 Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0919370A1 EP0919370A1 (fr) 1999-06-02
EP0919370B1 true EP0919370B1 (fr) 2002-03-13

Family

ID=8228972

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19970203690 Expired - Lifetime EP0919370B1 (fr) 1997-11-25 1997-11-25 Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0919370B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69711054T2 (fr)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6969166B2 (en) 2003-05-29 2005-11-29 3M Innovative Properties Company Method for modifying the surface of a substrate
CN114752236B (zh) * 2022-04-19 2022-12-20 苏州大学 一种高反射耐磨超疏水涂层及其制备方法

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5891452A (ja) * 1981-11-27 1983-05-31 Dainippon Printing Co Ltd 平版印刷版
US4833486A (en) * 1987-07-08 1989-05-23 Dataproducts Corporation Ink jet image transfer lithographic

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69711054T2 (de) 2002-10-17
EP0919370A1 (fr) 1999-06-02
DE69711054D1 (de) 2002-04-18

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
JP3515836B2 (ja) 平版印刷用版材及びこれを用いた平版印刷版の製版方法
US6906019B2 (en) Pre-treatment liquid for use in preparation of an offset printing plate using direct inkjet CTP
US20030159607A1 (en) Method for the preparation of lithographic printing plates
US6050193A (en) Imaging and printing methods to form fingerprint protected imaging member
JP2000501662A (ja) 平版印刷版での画像形成
EP1244547A1 (fr) Fluide de preparation de plaques d'impression et son procede d'utilisation
KR20030009480A (ko) 석판 인쇄판에 화학적으로 화상을 형성하는 방법
US6283031B1 (en) Solid-ink printing original plate and a process for producing the same
EP1157825B1 (fr) Ordinateur à plaque par jet d'encre
US5970873A (en) Imaging and printing methods to form imaging member by formation of insoluble crosslinked polymeric sol-gel matrix
US20020014175A1 (en) Computer-to-plate by ink jet
US6044762A (en) Imaging and printing methods to form imaging member by fluid application to fluid-receiving element
US6173647B1 (en) Solid-ink printing original plate and a process for producing the same
EP1157828B1 (fr) D'ordinateur à plaque par jet d'encre
US20020043171A1 (en) Computer-to-plate by ink jet
EP2015937B1 (fr) Plaques d'impression lithographiques et procédés d'élaboration
JP2004066816A (ja) 印刷版の製造方法
EP0919370B1 (fr) Procédé pour la fabrication d'un plaque d'impression positive à partir d'un support flexible recouvert d'une couche hydrophile durcie
EP1157827B1 (fr) Ordinateur à plaque par jet d'encre
EP1442895B1 (fr) Une méthode pour la préparation d'une plaque d'impression lithographique et une plaque d'impression lithographique produite par cette méthode
US6474235B2 (en) Method of preparing a lithographic plate
US20020029708A1 (en) Computer-to-plate by ink jet
US6367383B1 (en) Imaging element for different imaging systems
JPH10296945A (ja) インクジェット式製版印刷版の作成方法
EP1063086B1 (fr) Elément pour l'enregistrement multisystème

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): BE DE FR GB

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19991202

AKX Designation fees paid

Free format text: BE DE FR GB

GRAG Despatch of communication of intention to grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS AGRA

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20010302

GRAG Despatch of communication of intention to grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS AGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: GB

Ref legal event code: IF02

GRAA (expected) grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210

RAP1 Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred)

Owner name: AGFA-GEVAERT

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: B1

Designated state(s): BE DE FR GB

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: BE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 20020313

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 69711054

Country of ref document: DE

Date of ref document: 20020418

ET Fr: translation filed
PLBE No opposition filed within time limit

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT

26N No opposition filed

Effective date: 20021216

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: GB

Ref legal event code: 746

Effective date: 20030311

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: D6

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Payment date: 20031024

Year of fee payment: 7

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Payment date: 20031027

Year of fee payment: 7

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20050601

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20050729

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: ST

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Payment date: 20051124

Year of fee payment: 9

GBPC Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20061125

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20061125