JP2010076351A - Ink ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the unjust utilization of an identification information recording part by making the detachment of the identification information recording part more difficult. <P>SOLUTION: An ink ribbon 2 includes: an ink film 3; a feed core 4; and a take-up core 5. The ink film 3 is wound in a roll shape around the feed core 4 and also wound around the winding region CA of the take-up core 5 during printing. In the winding region CA, a housing recess 5c is formed so as to house an IC tag 7. A hologram seal 11 is pasted from the upper part of the IC tag 7 to the outside of the winding region CA. When the used ink film 3 is taken up, the IC tag 7 is covered with the ink film 3, so that the removal of the ink film 3 becomes inevitable for the detachment of the IC tag 7 from the take-up core 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink ribbon used in a thermal printer.

  There are two types of thermal printers: a melting type that uses a melting type ink ribbon (ink film set) and a sublimation type that uses a sublimation type ink ribbon, both of which melt by heating the back of the ink film with a thermal head. Alternatively, the sublimated ink is transferred to a recording medium to record images, characters, and the like. In this ink transfer, the ink film is pressed against the recording medium, and the ink is directly transferred to the recording medium, and the ink of the ink film is once transferred to the transfer film, and then the transfer film is overlaid on the recording medium. Some of them are transferred again to a recording medium.

  The ink ribbon described above includes a supply core around which an unused ink film is wound, and a winding core around which a used ink film is wound. During printing, the ink film is drawn from the supply core and passes through the thermal head set at the printing position. Ink is transferred when passing through the thermal head, and is then wound around the winding core. The ink ribbon is exchangeably loaded into a cartridge, and the cartridge is set in a thermal printer.

  In the case of a color ink film, a yellow ink region, a magenta ink region, a cyan ink region, and a black ink region are alternately formed in a predetermined order. The length of each area is determined according to the size of the recording medium, and four color ink areas are used in order for recording on one recording medium. When the predetermined number of sheets is recorded, the unused ink film disappears, and a new ink ribbon is loaded into the cartridge instead of the used ink ribbon.

  The above-described thermal printer is also used in a so-called label printing apparatus that records a title name, a description, an image, an illustration, etc. on a recording medium other than paper, for example, a CD (compact disc). In this label printing apparatus, indirect transfer using a transfer film is performed, and an overcoat is applied thereon.

  Device manufacturers provide users with genuine ink ribbons that are compatible with thermal printers. This genuine ink ribbon has undergone various research and experiments to consider the characteristics of the thermal printer and the properties of the recording medium, and to carry out various studies and experiments to determine the material of the film and the composition of the ink. Has been decided. Generally, since genuine products tend to be expensive, alternative products are often offered to the market. Although this alternative is cheap, it may be inferior in print quality to a genuine product or cause a thermal printer failure. Therefore, device manufacturers are taking various measures to cope with the use of alternatives.

In patent document 1, the identification information recording part which recorded the identification information of the ink ribbon is provided in the winding core or the film front-end | tip. In patent document 2, the identification information recording part is accommodated in the holder attached to the edge part of the winding core. In these Patent Documents 1 and 2, the identification information is read, and it is determined whether or not the ink ribbon is a genuine product based on the read identification information. Further, when it is determined that the product is an alternative product, the fact is notified and a warning is given to the user.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-32002 JP 2005-199582 A

  The used ink ribbon is collected by a dealer or the like and then discarded by a waste disposal company. At the time of disposal, the identification information recording unit may be removed and attached to an alternative product. Since this identification information recording unit is attached, this alternative is used as a genuine product without receiving a warning display or printing prohibition.

  In patent document 1, since the identification information recording part is provided in the outer peripheral part of a winding core, or the film front-end | tip, it is exposed. For this reason, an identification information recording part can be removed easily. In Patent Document 2, the identification information recording unit is housed in a holder and sealed with a cap. However, the identification information recording unit can be easily taken out by removing the cap.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an ink ribbon in which it is difficult to remove an identification information recording unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink ribbon of the present invention includes a supply core around which an ink film is wound, a winding core that winds up the ink film fed from the supply core, and the ink film around the winding core is wound around And an identification information recording unit in which identification information is recorded.

  In addition, it is preferable that the identification information recording unit can read information without contact. Examples of the identification information recording unit include an RFID tag, an IC tag, a coil tag, a magnetic tag, a resonance tag, and a barcode. In the case of a barcode, a label on which the barcode is printed is attached to the winding core, or the barcode is printed directly on the winding core.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that a storage recess for storing the identification information recording portion so as not to protrude from the peripheral surface of the winding core is formed in the winding region of the winding core.

  Moreover, it is preferable to provide the forgery prevention seal | sticker stuck on the said identification information recording part from the said winding area | region outside. Furthermore, the forgery prevention seal is preferably a hologram seal.

  According to the present invention, since the identification information recording unit is provided in the winding area around which the used ink film is wound, the identification information recording unit is covered with the ink film in the used ink ribbon. For this reason, when removing the identification information recording part from the ink ribbon, it is necessary to remove the ink film from the take-up core, which is considerably troublesome. Thereby, unauthorized use of the identification information recording unit can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink ribbon 2 includes an ink film 3, a supply core 4, and a winding core 5. One end of the ink film 3 is attached to the supply core 4 and is wound around the supply core 4 in a roll shape. The other end of the ink film 3 is attached to the winding core 5.

  On the ink film 3, a black ink region 3a, a cyan ink region 3b, a magenta ink region 3c, and a yellow ink region 3d are formed in this order. Reference numeral 3e is a space for dividing the ink regions 3a to 3d, and no ink region is formed at both ends 3f of the ink film 3. The ink ribbon 2 is detachably attached to the thermal printer 15 (see FIG. 4) via a cartridge (not shown).

  The supply core 4 includes a winding part 4a, a shaft part 4b, and a flange part 4c. The ink film 3 is wound around the winding portion 4a. The shaft portion 4b is rotatably attached to the cartridge.

  The winding core 5 includes a winding part 5a and a shaft part 5b. The winding unit 5 a winds up the ink film 3 sent from the supply core 4. The shaft portion 5b is rotatably attached to the cartridge.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the winding part 5a, the ink film 3 is wound around the winding area CA. In the winding area CA, an accommodation recess 5c is formed on the peripheral surface of the winding part 5a. For example, the IC tag 7 is stored in the storage recess 5c so as not to protrude from the peripheral surface of the winding unit 5a.

  The IC tag 7 can read information without contact, and includes an IC antenna 8 and an IC chip 9. The IC chip 9 is composed of a control circuit 9a and a memory 9b. In the memory 9b, identification information unique to each ink ribbon 2, for example, product number, lot number, date of manufacture, color tone, and the like are recorded.

  A hologram seal 11 is attached to the IC tag 7. The hologram sticker 11 is a sticker (for example, “Trustgram (registered trademark)” manufactured by Nihon Hojo Co., Ltd.) that can be discriminated by a dedicated viewer. Yes. The hologram seal 11 is pasted from the upper part of the IC tag 7 to the outside of the winding area CA. In addition, you may form the recessed part for accommodating a part of hologram seal 11 in the surrounding surface of the winding part 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal printer 15 includes a control unit 16, a data reader 17, a thermal head 18, an ink film winding mechanism 19, a transfer film winding mechanism 20, and an LED 21. The ink film winding mechanism 19 rotates the supply core 4 and the winding core 5 to wind the ink film 3. Further, a transfer ribbon (not shown) is detachably attached to the thermal printer 15. The control unit 16 drives the thermal head 18 and the ink film winding mechanism 19 and the transfer film winding mechanism 20 based on image data from a personal computer (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. When the power of the thermal printer 15 is turned on, the control unit 16 operates the data reader 17 to transmit radio waves toward the IC antenna 8. When this radio wave is received by the IC antenna 8, power is generated in the IC antenna 8. The generated power enables the control circuit 9a and the memory 9b of the IC chip 9 to operate, and the control circuit 9a reads the identification information stored in the memory 9b. The read identification information is transmitted from the IC antenna 8 and received by the data reader 17. The data reader 17 sends the received identification information to the control unit 16.

  When receiving the identification information correctly, the control unit 16 determines that the ink ribbon is a genuine product. When the identification information cannot be received, or when a part of the identification information, for example, the production number is not included or the format is not predetermined, the ink ribbon is determined as an alternative. If it is determined that the product is an alternative product, the LED 21 is turned on to warn the user to use a genuine ink ribbon.

  When the control unit 16 determines that the ink ribbon is a genuine product, the control unit 16 refers to the color tone information and the lot number to control the bias signal of the thermal head 18 and adjust the color tone of the print image. After this adjustment, the thermal printer 15 enters a print standby state.

  When the print start key is operated, the thermal head 18 moves to the printing position and presses the back of the ink film 3. In this state, the ink film winding mechanism 19 rotates the supply core 4 to feed out the ink film 3. At the same time, the transfer film take-up mechanism 20 is driven, and the transfer film of the transfer ribbon is sent out in a state of being superimposed on the ink film 3.

  When the black ink region 3a reaches the thermal head 18, the heating elements arranged on the line are energized according to the image data of the black image. By this heating element, the black ink of the ink film 3 is melted and transferred to the transfer film. Thus, the black image is transferred line by line to the transfer film. Similarly, a cyan image, a magenta image, and a yellow image are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the transfer film by the cyan ink region 3b, the magenta ink region 3c, and the yellow ink region 3d.

  On the other hand, after passing through the thermal head 18, the transfer film reaches a recording medium, for example, a CD, and is superimposed on the recording medium. From the side close to the CD, a yellow image, a magenta image, a cyan image, and a black image are superimposed. The transferred image is simultaneously transferred to the CD. As a result, a full color image is recorded on the CD.

  During printing, the used ink film 3 is wound around the outer periphery of the winding core 5 as shown in FIG. Although the IC tag 7 is covered with the used ink film 3, the information can be read in a non-contact manner, so that the identification information can be read even in this case. Further, since the IC tag 7 is stored in the storage recess 5c so as not to protrude from the peripheral surface of the winding portion 5a, the IC tag 7 does not cause any trouble in winding the ink film 3.

  When all the ink films 3 are taken up by the take-up core 5, the ink ribbon 2 is used up and replaced with a new ink ribbon 2. The used ink ribbon 2 is picked up by a waste disposal contractor through a distributor or the like and discarded. At this time, since the IC tag 7 is covered with the used ink film 3, it takes time to remove the ink film 3 to remove the IC tag 7. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the IC tag 7 from being removed and reused.

  Even when the used ink film 3 is removed, the hologram seal 11 is broken when the IC tag 7 is removed. Furthermore, the hologram seal 11 is also broken when the hologram seal 11 itself is peeled off. For this reason, the hologram seal 11 cannot be reused. Thereby, when the hologram sticker 11 is not affixed, it can be judged that it is an alternative ink ribbon. Furthermore, since the hologram sticker 11 is affixed also outside the winding area CA, the presence or absence of the hologram sticker 11 can be determined even when the ink film 3 is taken up by the take-up core 5.

  Since the hologram seal 11 can be identified by the viewer, it can be determined whether or not the hologram seal 11 is a genuine product. Accordingly, even when the IC tag 7 is reused and a separately prepared hologram sticker is attached, it can be easily determined that the ink ribbon is an alternative.

  In the above embodiment, the IC tag 7 is housed in the housing recess 5c. However, the winding core 5 and the IC tag 7 may be integrally molded with the IC tag 7 embedded therein.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the IC tag 7 may be attached so as to protrude from the peripheral surface of the winding core 30. In this case, the IC tag 7 is attached so that the center in the vertical direction substantially coincides with the center of the winding area CA. Thus, the ink film 3 is not wound around the winding core 30 in a tilted state.

  Further, a plurality of IC tags may be provided, and it is determined that the ink ribbon is a genuine ink ribbon only when the identification information in all the IC tags is read. At this time, it is preferable that the IC tags have different radio wave frequencies. Furthermore, if the identification information is encrypted, the effect of preventing forgery is high.

  In the above embodiment, the communication type IC tag has been described as an example, but it is assumed that the ink ribbon is not removed from the thermal printer until all the ink film is wound up by the winding core after the ink ribbon is mounted on the thermal printer. In this case, since the identification information only needs to be read when the ink ribbon is mounted, the identification information recording unit may be a non-communication type identification sheet on which a barcode, a magnetic pattern, a reflective pattern, or the like is formed.

  Furthermore, although the color ink ribbon has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be used for an ink ribbon dedicated to a single color (for example, black only).

  In the above-described embodiment, the melt-type ink ribbon has been described. However, the present invention can also be used for a sublimation-type ink ribbon.

It is a perspective view which shows the ink ribbon which implemented this invention. It is a front view which shows a winding core and an ink film. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a winding core, an IC tag, and a hologram seal. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical constitution of a printing apparatus and an IC tag. It is a front view which shows the ink ribbon of the state which wound up all the used ink films with the winding core. It is a perspective view which shows embodiment which attached the IC tag to the surrounding surface of the winding core.

Explanation of symbols

2 Ink Ribbon 3 Ink Film 4 Supply Core 5,30 Winding Core 5c Storage Recess 7 IC Tag 11 Hologram Sticker

Claims (5)

A supply core wrapped with an ink film;
A winding core that winds up the ink film sent from the supply core;
An ink ribbon comprising: an identification information recording unit provided in a winding area around which the ink film of the winding core is wound, and having identification information recorded thereon.   The ink ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the identification information recording unit can read information without contact.   3. A storage recess for storing the identification information recording portion so as not to protrude from the peripheral surface of the winding core is formed in the winding area of the winding core. Ink ribbon.   The ink ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a forgery prevention seal adhered from above the identification information recording portion to outside the winding region.   The ink ribbon according to claim 4, wherein the forgery prevention seal is a hologram seal.

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