EP0767073A1 - Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht - Google Patents

Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0767073A1
EP0767073A1 EP96118692A EP96118692A EP0767073A1 EP 0767073 A1 EP0767073 A1 EP 0767073A1 EP 96118692 A EP96118692 A EP 96118692A EP 96118692 A EP96118692 A EP 96118692A EP 0767073 A1 EP0767073 A1 EP 0767073A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
hot
melt
melt ink
ink dots
heat
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP96118692A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Toshinori Takahashi
Itsuo Takanashi
Hideshi Tanaka
Hiroki Kitamura
Toru Nibe
Tadao Shinya
Yutaka Mizoguchi
Katsuhiko Terada
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.)
Victor Company of Japan Ltd
Original Assignee
Victor Company of Japan Ltd
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 Victor Company of Japan Ltd filed Critical Victor Company of Japan Ltd
Publication of EP0767073A1 publication Critical patent/EP0767073A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/01—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for producing multicoloured copies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M5/00—Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
    • B41M5/26—Thermography ; Marking by high energetic means, e.g. laser otherwise than by burning, and characterised by the material used
    • B41M5/382—Contact thermal transfer or sublimation processes
    • B41M5/38278—Contact thermal transfer or sublimation processes using ink-containing structures, e.g. porous or microporous layers, alveoles or cellules
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M5/00—Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
    • B41M5/26—Thermography ; Marking by high energetic means, e.g. laser otherwise than by burning, and characterised by the material used

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet for use in a thermal printer.
  • One conventional heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet comprizes a base of polyester having a thickness ranging from 3 ⁇ m to 9 ⁇ m and a layer of hot-melt ink coated uniformly on one surface of the base.
  • the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet is set in a thermal printer while the hot-melt ink layer is being held in contact with an image recording sheet and the reverse side of the image transfer sheet is in contact with the thermal head of the printer. Then, an electric current representative of an image to be transferred is supplied to the thermal head to heat the same.
  • the hot-melt ink is thus melted in a selected pattern such as characters or a graphic figure by the heat of the thermal head, and the melted ink pattern is transferred to the image recording sheet.
  • a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet which comprises a base coated with full-page patterns of hot-melt inks of different colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
  • the hot-melt inks are successively melted by the thermal head in selected image patterns which are transferred overlappingly onto the recording sheet, thus producing a colored image thereon.
  • the electric current or currents supplied to the thermal head to record a desired monochromatic or colored image are varied to vary the amount of the melted ink or the amounts of melted inks, so that the area or areas in which the hot-melt ink or inks are transferred to the recording sheet are controlled to achieve a desired gradation of density of the recorded image.
  • the level of the electric current fed to the thermal head to reproduce the density is also low. Therefore, the heat applied by the thermal head to the hot-melt ink corresponding to that image portion is absorbed by the surrounding hot-melt ink, reducing the region in which the hot-melt ink is actually melted, so that the hot-melt ink will not be sufficiently transferred from the base of the image transfer sheet. As a result, dots formed on the recording sheet by the transferred hot-melt ink may lack portions thereof or become irregular in shape. When the hot-melt ink is heated to a lower temperature, its viscosity remains higher, making it difficult for an intended quantity of hot-melt ink to be separated from the image transfer sheet base.
  • the level of the supplied electric current to accomplish the density is also high.
  • the hot-melt ink may then be melted and transferred excessively, with the result that adjacent ink dots on the recording sheet may be joined to or combined with each other.
  • the hot-melt ink is heated to a higher temperature, its viscosity becomes lower, with the result that surrounding areas of hot-melt ink as well an intended area thereof will be separated from the image transfer sheet base.
  • an excessive amount of hot-melt ink tends to be supplied from the image transfer sheet.
  • the hot-melt ink or inks are hot melted and transferred in a desired amount or amounts, the area or areas on the recording medium in which the melted ink or inks are present tend to vary from a desired size or sizes. Then, the gradations of density of the image to be recorded cannot accurately be controlled, the image cannot sharply be recorded, and, if the image is colored, the desired colors cannot be reproduced exactly.
  • the ink or inks of the conventional heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheets are coated uniformly on the entire surface of their bases.
  • a special ink coat applicator has heretofore been required in the production of the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheets. It has been difficult and costly to manufacture the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheets.
  • a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet for transferring an image to a recording sheet, comprising a base, and a matrix of hot-melt ink dots coated on a surface of the base at a regular pitch and selectively meltable with heat applied through the base for transferring an ink image to the recording sheet held against the matrix of hot-melt ink dots.
  • the total area of the hot-melt ink dots ranges from 50 % to 90 % of the total area of the surface of the base.
  • a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet for transferring a colored image to a recording sheet, comprising a base, and a plurality of matrices of hot-melt ink dots of different ink colors coated on a surface of the base at a regular pitch and selectively meltable with heat applied through the base for transferring respective ink images to the recording sheet held against the matrices of hot-melt ink dots.
  • the matrices of hot-melt ink dots have corresponding dot arrays inclined at respective different angles to the direction of an array of heating elements of the thermal head of a thermal printer by which the image is recorded on the recording sheet through the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet.
  • a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a base 10 in the form of a polyester film which is coated on one surface thereof with a matrix of dots 11 of hot-melt ink of polyester, the dots 11 having a substantially uniform thickness ranging from about 1.5 ⁇ m to 3.5 ⁇ m.
  • the hot-melt ink dots 11 are selectively meltable with heat applied through the base 10 from the heating elements of the thermal head 9 of a thermal printer.
  • the hot-melt ink dots 11 are each circular in shape as shown in FIG. 1, and adjacent ones of these hot-melt ink dots 11 are held in contact with each other at their circumferential edges.
  • the center-to-center pitch or interval P between adjacent ones of the dots 11 is smaller than the pitch of an array of heating elements of the thermal head of a thermal printer in which the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet will be used.
  • the heating elements of the thermal head are usually arranged at a density of 6 to 12 dots/mm. If the pitch P of the dots 11 were equal to the pitch of the heating elements of the thermal head, then a moiré pattern would tend to be produced in a recorded image.
  • the adjacent hot-melt ink dots 11 are formed independently of each other, the melted ink dots 11 are less liable to be attracted to and combined with each other. Accordingly, the ink dots 11 in the high-density image portion do not adversely affect an adjacent area on the recording sheet.
  • the heat applied to the corresponding ink dots 11 is not absorbed by hot-melt ink dots 11 in a non-recording area adjacent to the low-density image portion, and hence the melted ink region prevented from being reduced.
  • the hot-melt ink dots 11 in the low-density image portion are thus well transferred sufficiently from the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet to the recording sheet without lacking portions of these dots 11.
  • the area in which hot-melt ink dots 11 are to be transferred onto the recording sheet can therefore be controlled accurately.
  • the gradations of density of an image to be recorded can be controlled with accuracy, and the recorded image is high in quality and has sharp edges.
  • the hot-melt ink dots 11 can be coated on the base 10 by a conventional printing process such as the offset printing process.
  • the heat-sensitive hot-melt ink dots 11 can be manufactured with ease and at a reduced cost.
  • the base 10 is coated with matrices of hot-melt ink dots 11Y, 11M, 11C of different colors such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), for example.
  • the hot-melt ink dots 11Y, 11M, 11C have corresponding dot arrays inclined at respective angles ⁇ Y, ⁇ M, ⁇ C with respect to the direction of the array of heating elements of the thermal head or the direction in which the image transfer sheet is fed.
  • the angles ⁇ Y, ⁇ M, ⁇ C may be 90°, 60°, and 45°, respectively, for example.
  • a binder 12 is coated on a surface of the base 10 at the leading end thereof in front of the hot-melt ink dots 11.
  • the binder 12 is applied to the recording sheet as it is placed on the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet, so that the surface of the recording sheet can be smoothed. Consequently, even when an image is recorded on a sheet of ordinary paper, the image can well be recorded on the ordinary paper sheet by employing the heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet.
  • FIG. 6 fragmentarily shows a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • hot-melt ink dots 21 of circular shape are smaller in size and adjacent dots 21 are held out of contact with each other.
  • the total area occupied by the hot-melt ink dots should preferably be 50 % to 90 % of the entire area of the base 10. If the total dot area were in excess of 90 % of the base area, then the dots would be too closely positioned, i.e., excessively overlapped, and if the total dot area were smaller than 50 % of the base area, then the density of recorded images would be too low.
  • the hot-melt dots may be of other shapes than the circular shape, e.g., they may be square, hexagonal, or lozenged in shape.
  • a heat-sensitive hot-melt image transfer sheet transfers an ink image to a recording sheet when selectively heated by the heating element of the thermal head of a thermal printer.
  • the image transfer sheet comprises a base coated on a surface thereof with a matrix of circular hot-melt ink dots at a regular pitch.
  • the hot-melt ink dots are selectively meltable with heat applied through the base by the heating elements for transferring an ink image to the recording sheet held against the matrix of hot-melt ink dots.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Transfer Or Thermal Recording In General (AREA)
  • Impression-Transfer Materials And Handling Thereof (AREA)
  • Electronic Switches (AREA)
EP96118692A 1988-09-20 1989-09-19 Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht Withdrawn EP0767073A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP63235406A JPH0281668A (ja) 1988-09-20 1988-09-20 感熱溶融転写紙
JP235406/88 1988-09-20
EP89117297A EP0360218B1 (de) 1988-09-20 1989-09-19 Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89117297.5 Division 1989-09-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0767073A1 true EP0767073A1 (de) 1997-04-09

Family

ID=16985621

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89117297A Expired - Lifetime EP0360218B1 (de) 1988-09-20 1989-09-19 Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht
EP96118692A Withdrawn EP0767073A1 (de) 1988-09-20 1989-09-19 Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89117297A Expired - Lifetime EP0360218B1 (de) 1988-09-20 1989-09-19 Wärmeempfindliche heissschmelzende Bildübertragungsschicht

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (2) EP0360218B1 (de)
JP (1) JPH0281668A (de)
KR (1) KR930001380B1 (de)
DE (1) DE68928118T2 (de)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4250511A (en) * 1979-08-16 1981-02-10 Tektronix, Inc. Thermal transfer color printer
JPS58212993A (ja) * 1983-05-26 1983-12-10 Canon Inc 熱転写記録方法
JPS59207285A (ja) * 1983-05-11 1984-11-24 Ricoh Co Ltd 印写方法およびその装置
JPS60192692A (ja) * 1984-03-14 1985-10-01 Seiko Epson Corp 熱転写インクシ−ト
JPH06283186A (ja) * 1993-03-25 1994-10-07 Youyuu Tansanengata Nenryo Denchi Hatsuden Syst Gijutsu Kenkyu Kumiai 溶融炭酸塩型燃料電池の燃料排ガスの処理方法及びそのための装置

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6283186A (ja) * 1985-10-09 1987-04-16 Canon Inc 感熱転写材

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4250511A (en) * 1979-08-16 1981-02-10 Tektronix, Inc. Thermal transfer color printer
JPS59207285A (ja) * 1983-05-11 1984-11-24 Ricoh Co Ltd 印写方法およびその装置
JPS58212993A (ja) * 1983-05-26 1983-12-10 Canon Inc 熱転写記録方法
JPS60192692A (ja) * 1984-03-14 1985-10-01 Seiko Epson Corp 熱転写インクシ−ト
JPH06283186A (ja) * 1993-03-25 1994-10-07 Youyuu Tansanengata Nenryo Denchi Hatsuden Syst Gijutsu Kenkyu Kumiai 溶融炭酸塩型燃料電池の燃料排ガスの処理方法及びそのための装置

Non-Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 10, no. 40 (M - 454)<2097> 18 February 1986 (1986-02-18) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 11, no. 289 (M - 625)<2736> 18 September 1987 (1987-09-18) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 8, no. 64 (M - 285)<1501> 27 March 1984 (1984-03-27) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 9, no. 77 (M - 369)<1800> 6 April 1985 (1985-04-06) *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR930001380B1 (ko) 1993-02-27
EP0360218A2 (de) 1990-03-28
JPH0281668A (ja) 1990-03-22
DE68928118T2 (de) 1998-01-15
DE68928118D1 (de) 1997-07-17
KR900005243A (ko) 1990-04-13
EP0360218B1 (de) 1997-06-11
EP0360218A3 (de) 1991-03-20

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