GB2230869A - Optical printing system - Google Patents

Optical printing system Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2230869A
GB2230869A GB9000901A GB9000901A GB2230869A GB 2230869 A GB2230869 A GB 2230869A GB 9000901 A GB9000901 A GB 9000901A GB 9000901 A GB9000901 A GB 9000901A GB 2230869 A GB2230869 A GB 2230869A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
recording sheet
microcapsules
light
component
image
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.)
Granted
Application number
GB9000901A
Other versions
GB2230869B (en
GB9000901D0 (en
Inventor
Takemi Yamamoto
Ryohei Komiya
Koji Kobayakawa
Akira Sago
Ichiro Sasaki
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.)
Brother Industries Ltd
Original Assignee
Brother Industries 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
Priority claimed from JP61076282A external-priority patent/JPS62231758A/en
Priority claimed from JP10543286U external-priority patent/JPS6311630U/ja
Priority claimed from JP61175897A external-priority patent/JPS6331364A/en
Priority claimed from GB8707800A external-priority patent/GB2190210B/en
Application filed by Brother Industries Ltd filed Critical Brother Industries Ltd
Publication of GB9000901D0 publication Critical patent/GB9000901D0/en
Publication of GB2230869A publication Critical patent/GB2230869A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2230869B publication Critical patent/GB2230869B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J19/00—Character- or line-spacing mechanisms
    • B41J19/18—Character-spacing or back-spacing mechanisms; Carriage return or release devices therefor
    • B41J19/20—Positive-feed character-spacing mechanisms
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/435—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/475—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material for heating selectively by radiation or ultrasonic waves
    • B41J2/48—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material for heating selectively by radiation or ultrasonic waves melting ink on a film or melting ink granules
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/002—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using materials containing microcapsules; Preparing or processing such materials, e.g. by pressure; Devices or apparatus specially designed therefor
    • G03F7/0022—Devices or apparatus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K15/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers
    • G06K15/02—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers
    • G06K15/028—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers by thermal printers
    • G06K15/029—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers by thermal printers using optical beams
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K15/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers
    • G06K15/02—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers
    • G06K15/12—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers by photographic printing, e.g. by laser printers
    • G06K15/1238—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers by photographic printing, e.g. by laser printers simultaneously exposing more than one point
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K15/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers
    • G06K15/02—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers
    • G06K15/12—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers by photographic printing, e.g. by laser printers
    • G06K15/129—Colour printing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03B2227/00—Photographic printing apparatus
    • G03B2227/32—Projection printing apparatus, e.g. enlarging apparatus, copying camera
    • G03B2227/325—Microcapsule copiers

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Photographic Developing Apparatuses (AREA)
  • Photosensitive Polymer And Photoresist Processing (AREA)
  • Color Printing (AREA)

Abstract

A printing apparatus for printing on a photosensitive pressure developable recording sheet (415) which has a layer comprising a plurality of microcapsules, each of said microcapsules enveloping: a first component which changes colour when reacted with a second component, and a third component which changes the mechanical strength of said microcapsules when exposed to light, said apparatus having a laser oscillator 413 so a pattern can be projected onto said recording sheet to light via rotary mirror lamp 402 and optics 403-405 for projecting light reflected off a manuscript 401 (or transmitted through a photographic film) whereby a latent image of said manuscript or said photographic film and/or said pattern image may be formed on said recording sheet; and rollers (416) for rupturing those of said microcapsules having a relatively low mechanical strength. <IMAGE>

Description

OPTICAL PRINTING SYSTEM This invention relates to an optical printing system capable of printing characters, patterns or the like by using light.
Printers utilized in computers or the like are classified into various types according to their printing systems. Use of photoprinters has been increased in recent years because of their high printing speed and low operating noise. As the apparatus of this type, those utilizing electrophotographic technique are used in most cases. According to the electrophotographic technique, an image of a character or a pattern is formed on a charged photosensitive member by utilizing a suitable optical system, powders of colored resin called toner is adhered to the not-irradiated portion on the photosensitive member that is the portion still retaining charge, the adhered powders are transferred onto a copying paper, and then the transferred powder image is fixed to obtain a copy.
The photoprinter described above requires to use a photoconductor, a toner applying apparatus and a heat fixing device of the toner. Moreover, as the toner is a consumptive material it is necessary to always store and supplement the toner. For this reason, the construction of the apparatus becomes complicated and the maintenance thereof is troublesome.
There has also been used a photocolor printer in which colored characters or picture images are printed on a photo and pressure sensitive sheet by photosignals such as laser photo-signals.
It is therefore an aim of this invention to provide an improved opticaal printing system.
According to the present invention there is provided a photoelectric printing apparatus for printing on a recording sheet, said recording sheet being coated on one side with a plurality of microcapsules, each of said microcapsules enveloping: a first component which changes colour when reacted with a second component, and a third component which changes the mechanical strength of said microcapsules when exposed to light, said apparatus having means for selectively exposing said one side of said recording sheet to light in accordance with a pattern image to be printed thereon, means for projecting onto said one side light reflected off a manuscript or transmitted through a photographic film whereby an image of said manuscript or said photographic film and/or said pattern image may be printed on said recording sheet; and means for rupturing those of said microcapsules having a relatively low mechanical strength.
The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing principal portions of a photoprinter utilizing transparent printing types and useful for describing the invention; Figs. 2A through 2D are diagrams showing the construction of a photosensitive recordng sheet and explaining development and fixing treatments; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a laser printer also useful for describing the invention; Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic representations of printers of the invention in which a photo-image transmitting through or reflected by a manuscript and a photo-image produced by a character or pattern information are selectively projected upon a photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet.
Fig. 1 shows principal parts of a photoprinter utilizing a printing-type wheel 30, on the peripheral portion of which a font of type characters are formed as being transparent. The printer comprises a pair of sheet feed follers 12 for upwardly feeding a photosensitive recording sheet 10 from a roll 10a, an exposing device 14 for exposing a light against the sheet 10 in accordance with a shaped of a selected type character on the wheel 30, a pair of press rollers 16 for applying a pressure to the exposed sheet 10.
Although not shown, the pressed sheet 10 is then sent to a conventional developing device and a fixing device.
The exposing device 14 comprises a carriage 18, an endless belt 20 with teeth on the inner surface which supporting the carriage 18 and extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the photosensitive recording sheet 10, and an electric motor 22 for driving the endless belt 20 through gears 24. The carriage 18 is provided with the transparent printing type wheel 30 disposed in parallel with the recording sheet 10, and a lamp 34 is disposed to illuminate only one type character.
The photoprinter shown in Fig. 1 operates as follows. In response to a printing instruction, the character selection motor 32 rotates the transparent printing type wheel 30 and stops the 6amewhen a desired type character is brought ,to the position of the lamp 34. Then, it is turned on to project a light upon the photosensitive recording sheet 10 through the selected transparent type character. After that, the carriage 18 is moved to the next printing position at which the next exposure is performed. When the exposure of one line completes, the photosensitive recording sheet 10 is moved upwardly by a distance corresponding to one line. Then the carriage 18 is moved in the opposite direction for exposing the next one line.
The development and fixing of the photosensitive recording sheet 10 after passing through the press rollers 16 are carried out as follows. As the photosensitive recording sheet 10 comprises, as shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, a sheet of paper 40 used as the supporting member and microcapsules are uniformly layed on the paper 40. Each microcapsule contains a dye precusor (for example Triallylmethane compound) and photo-softenable resin (for example Paly-3-oxyamino-2- butanon methacrylate). The paper sheet 40 is futher coated with a layer 42 of a chromogenic material, for example an organic acid, which react with the dye precursor to develop a color.With this construction, only the microcapsules 44 irradiated with, Xenon light transmitting through a selected transparent type character of the transparent printing type wheel 30 become soft, whereas microcapsules 40 not irradiated with Xenon light still maintain the initial hard state.
Consequently, by the pressure applied by press rollers 16, only the softened microcapsules are crushed so that only the portions of the paper sheet 40 corresponding to characters are colored. This is an example of printing characters on an ordinary paper sheet.
In another example shown in Figs. 2C and 2D, a film 50 is used as the supporting member. In this example, each microcapsule contains a dye precursor, a photo-curable resin (for example such photopolymer as Polymethylpropane), and a photo-polymerizing initiator (for example Benzophenone) and a chromogenic material 52 is coated on the film 50. One example of such photosensitive recording sheet 10 is described in the United Patent Specification No. 4399209 or 4440846.
Where the microcupsules on the recording sheet 10 irradiated with light are hardened as shown in Fig. 2C, whereas those not irradiated are not hardened. When applied with pressure by the press rollers 16, only the unhardened microcapsules are crushed thus forming a negative image on the recording sheet 10 corresponding to the selected transparent type character of the printing type wheel 30. Hardened microcapsules 54 are not crushed so that the printed character image can be developed., The developed character image can be used to form a manuscript negative film for producing a plurality of copies.
Instead of coating a chromogenic material on a paper sheet or film, the paper sheet or film may be colored beforehand, and a decolorizing agent such as a bleaching agent may be enveloped in the microcapsules instead of the dye precursor. Then a positive image can be obtained.
Further, instead of the printing type wheel 30 as above described, the printing type wheel having a font of type characters formed to shield a light while the remaining portions thereof being formed to transmit a light there through can be used. In this case, a negative image is printed on the recording sheet.
As above described, where the photoprinter of this embodiment is used with a photosensitive recording sheet of a desired type, a positive or negative printed character image can readily be obtained. Moreover, since no photoconductor is used and no consumptive material other than recording sheet is required, the construction of the apparatus becomes simple and supplement of the consumptive material is not necessary.
A laser beam printer shown in Fig. 3 is genetally the same as that of Figure 1. More particularly, a photosensitive recording sheet 210 paid out from a roll 210a is sent upwardly by a pair of feed rollers 212. After exposed to light by an exposing device 214, the recording sheet 210 is pressed by a pair of press rollers 216 located on the upper side and then developed and fixed.
At the exposing device 214, laser beam emitted by a laser beam source 220 is modulated by an acoustic optical modulator 222 in accordance with a control signal and then scanned in the transverse direction of the recording sheet 210 by a polygonal mirror 224 driven by an electric motor 223. The variation on the optical path length is compensated for by a lens 2.26 by adjusting the focal length thereof whereby the recording sheet 210 is exposed to light in the desired form of characters and patterns. The development and fixing of the exposed recording sheet are performed in the same manner as in the Figure i embodiment.
The photosensitive recording sheet optically printed with characters or patterns is applied with mechanical pressure by press rollers so as to rupture the microcapsules.
Figs. 4 and 5 show embodiments of this invention.
In these either one of the light reflected by a manuscript or light transmitting through a photograph film, and light controlled in accordance with a character or pattern image information is selectively projected on the photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet of the type described above.
More particularly, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, a self-color-developing type photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet 415 is prepared by uniformly coating, on a paper sheet, a mixture of microcapsules containing photo-curable type dye precursor, and chromogenic materials. The microcapsules irradiated by light are hardened whereas those not-irradiated with light are crushed by press rollers 416 so that the dye precursor reacts with the chromogenic materials to develop color, thus forming a color picture image.
In this embodiment, light emitted by a light source 412 and reflected by a manuscript 401 is projected on the photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet 415 through reflecting mirrors 403, 405 and a condenser lens 404. Instead of the light reflected by the manuscript, laser beam generated by a laser oscillator 413 and controlled by a character or a picture image information is projected on the photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet 415 through a rotary mirror 414, thereby increasing the versatility of the photoprinter.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is different from that shown in Fig. 4 in that the photo and pressure sensitive recording sheet 415a is coated with microcapsules while a separate developing sheet 417 coated with chromogenic materials are simultaneously passed through press rollers 416 so as to cause the dye precursor in the crushed microcapsules to react with the chromogenic materials on the developing sheet 417 to form a color picture image.
The present application is divided on our application 8707800 (2190210) which is directed to the invention of Figure 1 and similar embodiments. Attention is directed to our application of even date herewith also divided on the said application.

Claims (2)

1. A photoelectric printing apparatus for printing on a recording sheet, said recording sheet being coated on one side with a plurality of microcapsules, each of said microcapsules enveloping: a first component which changes colour when reacted with a second component, and a third component which changes the mechanical strength of said microcapsules when exposed to light, said apparatus having means for selectively exposing said one side of said recording sheet to light in accordance with a pattern image to be printed thereon, means for projecting onto said one side light reflected off a manuscript or transmitted through a photographic film whereby an image of said manuscript or said photographic film and/or said pattern image may be printed on said recording sheet; and means for rupturing those of said microcapsules having a relatively low mechanical strength.
2. A printing apparatus constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 4 or 5 of the accompanying drawings.
2. A printing apparatus constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 4 or 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows
1. A photoelectric printing apparatus for printing on a recording sheet, said recording sheet being coated on one side with a plurality of microcapsules, each of said microcapsules enveloping: a first component which changes colour when reacted with a second component, and a third component which changes the mechanical strength of said microcapsules when exposed to light, said apparatus having means for selectively exposing said one side of said recording sheet to light in accordance with a pattern image to be printed thereon, means for selectively projecting onto said one side light reflected off a manuscript or transmitted through a photographic film and light emitted by another light source and controlled by character or pattern information whereby an image of said manuscript or said photographic film and/or said pattern image may be printed on said recording sheet; and means for rupturing those of said microcapsules having a relatively low mechanical strength.
GB9000901A 1986-04-01 1990-01-16 Optical printing system Expired - Fee Related GB2230869B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP61076282A JPS62231758A (en) 1986-04-01 1986-04-01 Optical printer
JP10543286U JPS6311630U (en) 1986-07-09 1986-07-09
JP61175897A JPS6331364A (en) 1986-07-25 1986-07-25 Optical color printer
GB8707800A GB2190210B (en) 1986-04-01 1987-04-01 Optical printing system

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9000901D0 GB9000901D0 (en) 1990-03-14
GB2230869A true GB2230869A (en) 1990-10-31
GB2230869B GB2230869B (en) 1991-01-23

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ID=27449905

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9000901A Expired - Fee Related GB2230869B (en) 1986-04-01 1990-01-16 Optical printing system
GB9000900A Expired - Fee Related GB2230868B (en) 1986-04-01 1990-01-16 Optical printing system

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9000900A Expired - Fee Related GB2230868B (en) 1986-04-01 1990-01-16 Optical printing system

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Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7029112B2 (en) 2002-08-05 2006-04-18 Mars, Incorporated Ink-jet printing on surface modified edibles and products made

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1351293A (en) * 1970-02-17 1974-04-24 Agfa Gevaert Ag Data output apparatus
GB1597549A (en) * 1977-07-15 1981-09-09 Xerox Corp Electro photographic printing system
GB2091895A (en) * 1981-01-23 1982-08-04 Energy Conversion Devices Inc Recording from an opaque original or transparency and crt
US4448516A (en) * 1982-07-13 1984-05-15 The Mead Corporation Developer roll

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH566016A5 (en) * 1972-12-14 1975-08-29 Nigg Juerg
US4576891A (en) * 1984-06-15 1986-03-18 The Mead Corporation Photosensitive microcapsules useful in polychromatic imaging having radiation absorber

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1351293A (en) * 1970-02-17 1974-04-24 Agfa Gevaert Ag Data output apparatus
GB1597549A (en) * 1977-07-15 1981-09-09 Xerox Corp Electro photographic printing system
GB2091895A (en) * 1981-01-23 1982-08-04 Energy Conversion Devices Inc Recording from an opaque original or transparency and crt
US4448516A (en) * 1982-07-13 1984-05-15 The Mead Corporation Developer roll

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2230868A (en) 1990-10-31
GB2230869B (en) 1991-01-23
GB9000901D0 (en) 1990-03-14
GB9000900D0 (en) 1990-03-14
GB2230868B (en) 1991-01-23

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Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 19940401