EP0909659A2 - Elément donneur de colorant pour une imprimante thermique - Google Patents

Elément donneur de colorant pour une imprimante thermique Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0909659A2
EP0909659A2 EP98203346A EP98203346A EP0909659A2 EP 0909659 A2 EP0909659 A2 EP 0909659A2 EP 98203346 A EP98203346 A EP 98203346A EP 98203346 A EP98203346 A EP 98203346A EP 0909659 A2 EP0909659 A2 EP 0909659A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
dye
donor member
dye donor
thermal conductivity
particles
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Withdrawn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
EP98203346A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0909659A3 (fr
Inventor
Alexander Michael Zeltser
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.)
Eastman Kodak Co
Original Assignee
Eastman Kodak Co
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 Eastman Kodak Co filed Critical Eastman Kodak Co
Publication of EP0909659A2 publication Critical patent/EP0909659A2/fr
Publication of EP0909659A3 publication Critical patent/EP0909659A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • 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
    • B41M5/40—Thermography ; Marking by high energetic means, e.g. laser otherwise than by burning, and characterised by the material used characterised by the base backcoat, intermediate, or covering layers, e.g. for thermal transfer dye-donor or dye-receiver sheets; Heat, radiation filtering or absorbing means or layers; combined with other image registration layers or compositions; Special originals for reproduction by thermography
    • B41M5/41—Base layers supports or substrates

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to resistive thermal printers, and more particularly to a dye donor member for such printers.
  • Color dye transfer thermal printers use a dye donor member which may be a sheet, but usually is in the form of a web advanced from a supply roll to a take-up roll.
  • the dye donor member passes between a printhead and a dye receiver member.
  • the thermal printhead comprises a linear array of resistive heat elements. In operation, the resistive heat elements of the printhead are selectively energized in accordance with data from a printhead control circuit. As a result, the image defined by the data from the printhead control circuit is placed on the receiver member.
  • a significant problem in this technology is that the dye donor members used to make the thermal prints are generally poor thermal conductors. Accordingly, there is a tradeoff between the desire to have thick dye donor members with their associated increased durability and/or strength and the desire to have thin dye donor member with their associated improved resolution, lower printhead power requirement, more efficient heat transfer, and/or increased printing speed.
  • Such materials include aluminum or other metals; polymers loaded with carbon black; metal/polymer composites such as polymers metalized with 500-1000 ⁇ of metal; polyesters; polyamides; polycarbonates; cellulose esters; fluorine polymers; polyethers; polyacetals; polyolefins, polyethylene, polypropylene or methylpentene polymers; and polyimides.
  • the support generally has a thickness of from about 5 ⁇ m to about 200 ⁇ m, and may also be coated with a subbing layer. Were the support more thermally conductive, re-inking head power requirements would be reduced because of more efficient heat transfer to the dye reservoir.
  • a reusable dye donor member is provided, such as in the form of a belt 10 that is trained about a pair of rollers 12 and 14. At least one of the two rollers is driven to advance belt 10 past a plurality of dye reservoir rollers 16, 18, and 20; one or more re-ink heads 22; and a resistive thermal printhead 24 at a printing station.
  • a dye donor member such as belt 10, comprises a support 26 and a dye donor element such as a plurality of dye donor patches 28, 30, and 32.
  • support 26 includes a low thermal conductivity isotropic matrix (e.g., polymer with a thermal conductivity of less than approximately 10 -1 W/Km) in which high thermal conductivity, rod-like aciculae 33 (e.g., metal particles with a thermal conductivity of at least about 10 W/Km) are dispersed.
  • the rod-like aciculae are distributed with their long axes parallel to the thickness of the support (perpendicular to the plane of the support), and extend substantially the entire thickness of the support.
  • the thickness of the dye donor member may be selected in accordance with the system requirements; strength and durability being enhanced by thicker members at the expense of image resolution and/or printing speed.
  • rod-like aciculae 35 are not as long as the support thickness, and link together to span the support.
  • high thermal conductivity spherical particles are arranged in chains 37 with chain axes perpendicular to the plane of the support. A choice of the volume fraction, diameter and aspect ratio of particles may be selected by experimentation to provide continuous thermally-conducting channels perpendicular to the plane of the support.
  • spherical magnetic particles 39 (ferromagnetic materials such as Ni, Fe, Co, or their alloys; or ferrimagnetic material such as barrium-ferrite) are dispersed in a polymeric matrix binder and extruded into a sheet form. The particles are of at least a factor of ten greater thermal conductivity than the matrix. Other materials may be added to improve dispersion or other properties of the composite material, as desired.
  • the extruded sheet is passed between the poles of a magnet 41, 43 which applies a magnetic field perpendicular to the sheet plane.
  • the magnetic field strength is sufficient to magnetize spherical particles 39 in a direction parallel to the field and re-arrange them into chains of spheres.
  • the matrix viscosity in the pre-cured state should be low enough so that the drag force on the particles is less than the magnetic force.
  • the driving force for re-arranging the spherical particles into chains is a significant reduction in magnetostatic energy of the particle assembly.
  • particles can be coated with a noble metal, such as for example Au, prior to the dispersion in the polymeric matrix.
  • a conventional dye receiver medium 34 is drawn through a nip formed between printhead 24 and a platen roller 36 by a capstan drive roller pair 38 and 40.
  • Dye receiver medium 34 is conventional, and includes a support 42 and a receiving layer 44. Image-wise activation of linear printhead 24 causes dye to be transferred from the dye donor element of belt 10 into the dye receiving layer of medium 34; at least partially image-wise depleting portions of the patches of dye.
  • Dye reservoir rollers 16, 18, and 20 include a permeation membrane.
  • membrane material include cellulose and derivatezed cellulose used alone or blended with other components, polyesters, polyamides, polysufone, crosslinked polystyrene, phenol/formaldehyde resin and fluorinated polymers to include polytetrafluoroethuylene and polyvinylidene fluoride, polycarbonate, poly(vinyl alcohol) and silicon containing polymers.
  • Membranes can be constructed from a dense layer of polymer supported on a porous sub-layer. These polymeric membranes can be crosslinked to further reduce permeability.
  • Dye reservoir rollers 16, 18, and 20 may be replaced by wicks formed of similar materials, but not mounted for rotation.
  • Each dye reservoir roller is opposed by a re-ink head 22 (only one head is illustrated in the drawing), and the rollers are selectively raised and lowered into contact with belt 10 as necessary.
  • a dye reservoir roller is lowered to belt 10
  • the associated re-ink head activated, heat and/or pressure between the dye reservoir roller and the belt effects re-inking of the dye donor element, and the depleted dye donor layer of the patch is re-saturated with dye from the dye reservoir roller.
  • dye is thermally transferred from a reservoir to the depleted donor patch.
  • the dye and a carrier are contained in the reservoir.
  • the reservoir is covered with a diffusion controlled permeation membrane. With the addition of heat dye diffuses through the membrane and is delivered to the donor patch. The dye partitions between the reservoir and the donor patch reestablishing the original dye concentration.
  • Dye transfer from the reservoir through the semi-permeable membrane may not require any carrier solvent.
  • dye would melt and diffuse through the membrane to re-ink the donor patch.
EP98203346A 1997-10-16 1998-10-05 Elément donneur de colorant pour une imprimante thermique Withdrawn EP0909659A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US95157497A 1997-10-16 1997-10-16
US951574 1997-10-16

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0909659A2 true EP0909659A2 (fr) 1999-04-21
EP0909659A3 EP0909659A3 (fr) 1999-09-15

Family

ID=25491850

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98203346A Withdrawn EP0909659A3 (fr) 1997-10-16 1998-10-05 Elément donneur de colorant pour une imprimante thermique

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0909659A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH11208079A (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005065959A1 (fr) 2003-12-23 2005-07-21 Eastman Kodak Company Procede d'impression thermique
US7211364B1 (en) 2005-10-21 2007-05-01 Eastman Kodak Company Thermally conducive material and use in high-speed printing
US7226890B2 (en) 2003-12-23 2007-06-05 Eastman Kodak Company Thermal printing ribbon

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS59162090A (ja) * 1983-03-04 1984-09-12 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 転写記録媒体
JPS61237687A (ja) * 1985-04-15 1986-10-22 Toray Ind Inc 感熱記録用転写体
US4668415A (en) * 1986-02-12 1987-05-26 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Facilitation of orientation of thermotropic polymers in a magnetic field
JPS63242513A (ja) * 1987-03-30 1988-10-07 Sumitomo Bakelite Co Ltd 液晶性全芳香族ポリエステルフイルムの製造方法
JPH023382A (ja) * 1988-06-20 1990-01-08 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd 通電昇華転写型印字記録方法
US4902451A (en) * 1982-02-18 1990-02-20 Inoue-Japax Research Incorporated Method of preparing a frictional material
JPH02299882A (ja) * 1989-05-15 1990-12-12 Seiko Epson Corp 熱転写記録材
EP0826513A1 (fr) * 1996-08-29 1998-03-04 Eastman Kodak Company Appareil et procédé pour la réapplication de colorant à un élément donneur colorant d'une imprimante thermique

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4902451A (en) * 1982-02-18 1990-02-20 Inoue-Japax Research Incorporated Method of preparing a frictional material
JPS59162090A (ja) * 1983-03-04 1984-09-12 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 転写記録媒体
JPS61237687A (ja) * 1985-04-15 1986-10-22 Toray Ind Inc 感熱記録用転写体
US4668415A (en) * 1986-02-12 1987-05-26 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Facilitation of orientation of thermotropic polymers in a magnetic field
JPS63242513A (ja) * 1987-03-30 1988-10-07 Sumitomo Bakelite Co Ltd 液晶性全芳香族ポリエステルフイルムの製造方法
JPH023382A (ja) * 1988-06-20 1990-01-08 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd 通電昇華転写型印字記録方法
JPH02299882A (ja) * 1989-05-15 1990-12-12 Seiko Epson Corp 熱転写記録材
EP0826513A1 (fr) * 1996-08-29 1998-03-04 Eastman Kodak Company Appareil et procédé pour la réapplication de colorant à un élément donneur colorant d'une imprimante thermique

Non-Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 009, no. 014 (M-352), 22 January 1985 (1985-01-22) & JP 59 162090 A (MATSUSHITA DENKI SANGYO KK), 12 September 1984 (1984-09-12) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 011, no. 082 (M-571), 12 March 1987 (1987-03-12) & JP 61 237687 A (TORAY IND INC), 22 October 1986 (1986-10-22) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 013, no. 028 (M-788), 23 January 1989 (1989-01-23) & JP 63 242513 A (SUMITOMO BAKELITE CO LTD), 7 October 1988 (1988-10-07) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 014, no. 132 (M-0948), 13 March 1990 (1990-03-13) & JP 02 003382 A (FUJI XEROX CO LTD), 8 January 1990 (1990-01-08) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 015, no. 077 (M-1085), 22 February 1991 (1991-02-22) & JP 02 299882 A (SEIKO EPSON CORP), 12 December 1990 (1990-12-12) *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005065959A1 (fr) 2003-12-23 2005-07-21 Eastman Kodak Company Procede d'impression thermique
US7113197B2 (en) 2003-12-23 2006-09-26 Eastman Kodak Company Method of thermal printing
US7226890B2 (en) 2003-12-23 2007-06-05 Eastman Kodak Company Thermal printing ribbon
US7211364B1 (en) 2005-10-21 2007-05-01 Eastman Kodak Company Thermally conducive material and use in high-speed printing

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0909659A3 (fr) 1999-09-15
JPH11208079A (ja) 1999-08-03

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