JP2012196903A - Method of manufacturing information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing an information recording medium capable of achieving increase in speed and reduction in size of a printer device while maintaining image quality of image information, in the method of manufacturing the information recording medium on which character information and image information are recorded.SOLUTION: A body 1 to be recorded is provided, which comprises a card substrate having an IC module therein and an image receiving layer comprising a metal ion-containing compound capable of forming a chelate complex with a color material in an image information recording thermal transfer sheet. Image information is printed using the image information recording thermal transfer sheet. Character information is printed using a character information recording thermal transfer sheet at a part other than the image information forming part. Thereafter, the image information forming part is heated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an information recording body in which character information and image information are recorded, and more specifically, information recording such as an ID card or a cash card in which character information and image information are recorded on the same surface. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a body.

  Image information such as a person's face photo and character information such as the person's address and name are recorded on one side of an ID card such as an ID card or a cash card such as a bank so that they can be individually recognized. Are used. Such an information recording body such as an ID card or a cash card such as a bank is manufactured by recording image information and character information on one surface of a card such as plastic. Such an information recording body is manufactured using a thermal transfer sheet in consideration of the sharpness of image information and the convenience in printing character information. For example, using a thermal transfer sheet provided with a color material layer such as yellow, magenta and cyan on a substrate, a color human image is recorded on a card, and then a thermal transfer sheet provided with a black color material layer is used. Thus, it is manufactured by recording characters or the like on a portion other than the person image formed on the substrate. Images obtained using thermal transfer sheets are excellent in intermediate color reproducibility and gradation, and can form high-quality images comparable to full-color photographic images, so ID cards such as identification cards and cash cards such as banks In an information recording body that requires individual recognition based on a recorded image, it is common to manufacture the recording medium using a thermal transfer sheet.

  In recent years, with the increase in speed of printers, a so-called post-chelation thermal transfer method has been proposed that can express the density of an image with lower energy and can realize excellent image durability. The post-chelate method uses a recording material containing a specific metal ion compound in an image receiving layer and a thermal transfer sheet using a dye layer capable of forming a chelate complex with the specific metal ion as a color material layer. This is a method of forming an image by reacting them later to form a chelate complex (for example, JP-A-4-89292 and JP-A-4-29929). Images formed by this post-chelation method are less likely to cause dye fading and bleeding, and are excellent in light resistance. Therefore, they are beginning to be applied to information recording bodies such as cards as described above.

  When the image information is formed on the information recording body using the post-chelation method, the metal ion compound and the coloring material in the image receiving layer can be obtained only by the thermal energy when the color material is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving layer of the information recording body. In some cases, this reaction is insufficient, and a good color tone may not be obtained. In particular, there is a problem that the chelation reaction cannot be sufficiently advanced only by the energy at the time of thermal transfer due to the speeding up of the printer. In order to solve this problem, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-58847, after image information and character information are recorded, a transparent protective transfer foil is transferred to a portion where the image information is recorded. The portion where image information is recorded is reheated by heat energy to complete the chelation reaction.

JP-A-4-89292 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-29929 JP 2003-58847 A

  However, there is a demand for further speeding up of printers, and the reheating process to complete the chelation reaction has become an obstacle to speeding up. In addition, as a countermeasure against counterfeiting of IC cards, printing on cards has recently been performed. Since alteration prevention means are sometimes incorporated, the complexity of this process also becomes an obstacle to speeding up the printer.

  In the method disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-58847, as shown in FIG. 11, first, an image is formed using a thermal transfer sheet in which each color material layer of yellow, magenta and cyan is provided in a surface sequential manner. The information part was formed, and then the character information was formed in a part other than the image forming part using a thermal transfer sheet in which the black color material layer and the transparent protective transfer foil were provided in the surface order as shown in FIG. Later, a transparent protective transfer foil was transferred to the image forming portion. This complicates the transfer process and makes it difficult to reduce the size of the printer device itself. In addition, if the speed of the printer device is increased, dust attached to the thermal transfer sheet easily moves in the printer device, so that the transparent protective transfer foil may be transferred while dust is attached to the image forming portion. .

  The inventors of the present invention have formed an image on a substrate by a post-chelate thermal transfer method when manufacturing an information recording body by recording character information and image information on an information recording body equipped with an IC module. In the process of transporting the recording medium after the electronic information is read / written to the IC module later, the post-chelation reaction is advanced by gradually heating the image forming portion and applying thermal energy. We obtained knowledge that the printer device can be made faster and smaller while maintaining the image quality of information. The present invention is based on this finding.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information recording body manufacturing method capable of speeding up and downsizing a printer apparatus while maintaining the image quality of image information in a method of manufacturing an information recording body in which character information and image information are recorded. Is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an information recording body obtained by the above method.

An information recording body manufacturing method according to the present invention includes an IC module capable of writing and / or reading electronic information without contact, and an information recording body in which character information and image information are recorded on the same surface. A method of manufacturing comprising:
A card base material provided with the IC module therein, and a metal ion-containing compound capable of forming a chelate complex with a colorant in a thermal transfer sheet for image information recording provided on one surface of the card base material An image receiving layer, and a recording medium provided with
Using a thermal transfer sheet for recording image information comprising a color material layer comprising the color material, the color material is thermally transferred to the image receiving layer side of the recording material, and image information is printed,
Using a thermal transfer sheet for recording character information on a portion other than the image information forming portion on the image receiving layer, a color material is thermally transferred to the image receiving layer side of the recording body to print character information,
Before and / or after printing the character information, the image information forming unit printed on the recording medium is heated.
It is characterized by comprising.

  In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the method further comprises thermally transferring a transparent protective layer to a portion of the recording medium on which the image information is printed.

  Further, in the aspect of the present invention, the heating of the image information forming unit is performed after the printing of the image information until the printing of the character information, and after the printing of the character information until the thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer. It is preferable that the process is performed at least at one or more points after the thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer until the writing and / or reading of the recording medium to the IC module.

  In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that heating of the image information forming unit is performed by heat energy from a conveyance roller provided between printing of image information and printing of the character information.

  Moreover, in the aspect of this invention, it is preferable that the said image information formation part is heated with a thermal energy from the conveyance roller provided between the time after the printing of the said character information until the thermal transfer of the said transparent protective layer.

  In the aspect of the present invention, the image information forming unit is heated by contacting the recording medium with a heat roller or an end face head during writing and / or reading of the recording medium on the IC module. Preferably, it is done.

  In the aspect of the present invention, the thermal transfer sheet for recording image information includes a color material layer provided with a cyan dye layer, a magenta dye layer, and a yellow dye layer in a surface order on a base material, and the cyan dye layer Preferably, the color material is thermally transferred in the order of the magenta dye layer and the yellow dye layer to print image information.

  In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the method further comprises thermally transferring the optical change element layer onto the recording medium after the image information and / or the character information is printed on the recording medium. .

  In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the image information forming portion on the image receiving layer is further embossed after the thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer and the optical change element layer.

  Moreover, in the aspect of this invention, it is preferable that the said image information formation part is heated with the heat energy at the time of the said embossing.

  In the present invention, an information recording body obtained by the above method is also provided.

  According to the method of the present invention, after forming an image on a substrate by the post-chelate thermal transfer method, the image forming portion is formed in the recording medium transporting process from the time when electronic information is read / written to the IC module. By gradually heating and applying thermal energy, there is no need to reheat the image information forming part separately as in the case of conventional thermal transfer using the post-chelate method. As a result, information recording bodies are manufactured continuously. In this case, the speed of the process can be increased, and the manufacturing apparatus itself can be reduced in size.

It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed one Embodiment of the to-be-recorded material used for this invention. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed another embodiment of the to-be-recorded body used for this invention. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed one Embodiment of the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording used for this invention. It is the isometric view schematic which showed another embodiment of the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording used for this invention. It is the schematic block diagram which showed one Embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the information recording body by this invention. It is the schematic perspective view which showed one Embodiment of the heat roller used for the manufacturing method of the information recording body by this invention. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed one Embodiment of the transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet. It is the section schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an optical change element transfer foil sheet. It is the schematic block diagram which showed one Embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the information recording body by this invention. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed one Embodiment of the information recording body by this invention. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording used for manufacture of the conventional information recording body. It is the cross-sectional schematic which showed the thermal transfer sheet for character information recording used for manufacture of the conventional information recording body.

A method for producing an information recording body according to the present invention includes:
1) A card base material provided with an IC module therein, and a metal ion-containing compound capable of forming a chelate complex with a colorant in a thermal transfer sheet for image information recording provided on one surface of the card base material A step of preparing a recording medium comprising: an image receiving layer comprising:
2) a step of printing image information by thermally transferring a color material to the image receiving layer side of the recording medium using a thermal transfer sheet for image information recording comprising a color material layer comprising the color material;
3) A step of printing character information by thermally transferring a coloring material to the image receiving layer side of the recording medium using a thermal transfer sheet for recording character information on a portion other than the image information forming portion on the image receiving layer;
4) heating the image information forming unit printed on the recording medium before and / or after printing the character information;
Is included at least.
According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, an information recording body in which character information and image information are recorded on the same surface is provided with an IC module capable of writing and / or reading electronic information without contact. In addition, it is possible to realize a high-speed process and a miniaturization of the manufacturing apparatus when manufacturing information recording bodies continuously. Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the information recording body by this invention is demonstrated in order of each process, referring drawings.

<Preparation process of recording medium>
In the method of manufacturing the information recording body according to the present invention, the character information and the image information are recorded on the same surface by printing the character information and the image information on the recording body having the image receiving layer on one surface. A recording body is manufactured. In the present invention, an object is to manufacture an information recording body such as an ID card such as an ID card or a cash card such as a bank. Therefore, an ID card provided with an IC chip as a recording body. An example of printing character information, image information, and the like on a substrate will be described first with respect to a recording medium.

  FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a recording medium 1 provided with an IC card substrate 2 and an image receiving layer 3. The IC card substrate 2 includes an electronic component 8 having a predetermined thickness between the first sheet member 4 and the second sheet member 5, and the electronic component 8 includes an antenna body 8a, an IC chip 8b, and the like. The IC module of the electronic component 8 is provided in the inlet 7. This is a laminated structure in which the inlet 7 is disposed between the first sheet member 4 and the second sheet member 5 and the respective members are laminated with the adhesive 6 interposed therebetween. Further, the recording medium may have a structure in which the electronic component 8 is provided in the adhesive 6 as shown in FIG.

  The recording medium 1 is provided with an image receiving layer 3 on the second sheet member 5 side of the IC card substrate 2. The image receiving layer 3 is for receiving a sublimation or heat diffusible dye image by a thermal transfer recording method and printing character information and image information on the recording material 1. As a material for forming the image receiving layer, a conventionally known resin material that can easily accept a heat transferable color material such as a sublimation dye or a heat-meltable ink can be used. For example, polyolefin resin such as polypropylene, vinyl chloride resin such as polyvinyl chloride or polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or polyacrylate Vinyl resins, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene resins, polyamide resins, copolymers of olefins such as ethylene or propylene and other vinyl polymers, celluloses such as ionomers or cellulose diastases Examples thereof include resins and polycarbonates, and vinyl chloride resins, acrylic-styrene resins or polyester resins are particularly preferable.

  In the present invention, the image receiving layer 3 contains a metal ion-containing compound that can form a chelate by reacting with a dye compound that is a coloring material described later. That is, in the present invention, a dye compound as a coloring material is thermally transferred to an image receiving layer, and then a metal ion-containing compound in the image receiving layer is reacted with the dye compound to form a chelate complex. Information and / or character information is transferred to a recording medium to form an image. By adopting the post-chelation method, it is possible to improve the light resistance of images and characters transferred to the recording medium.

As the metal ion-containing compound to be contained in the image receiving layer, conventionally known compounds can be used, and inorganic or organic salts and metal complexes of divalent and polyvalent metals belonging to Groups I and VIII are suitable. Can be used for For example, the following general formula containing Ni ²⁺ , Cu ⁺ , Co ²⁺ , Cr ²⁺ and Zn ²⁺ :
[M (Q1) k (Q2 ) m (Q3) n] p + p (L -)
(In the formula, M represents a metal ion, Q1, Q2, and Q3 each represent a coordination compound capable of coordination with the metal ion represented by M, L represents a counter anion that can form a complex, and k Represents an integer of 1, 2 or 3, m represents 1, 2 or 0, and n represents 1 or 0. In these, the complex represented by the above general formula is tetradentate or hexadentate. Or a complex represented by the number of ligands of Q1, Q2 and Q3, and p represents 1, 2 or 3. Among these, a coordination compound having at least one amino group coordinated to a metal is preferable, and specific examples include ethylenediamine and derivatives thereof, glycinamide and derivatives thereof, picolinamide and derivatives thereof. Examples of the counter anion L that can form a complex include inorganic compound anions such as Cr, SO ₄ , and ClO ₄ , and organic compound anions such as a benzenesulfonic acid derivative and an alkylsulfonic acid derivative pair, and tetraphenyl is particularly preferable. Boron anions and their derivatives, and alkylbenzene sulfonate anions and their derivatives. Examples of such metal ion-containing compounds include those exemplified in US Pat. No. 4,987,049.

The addition amount of the resin of the metal ion-containing compound is preferably ^{0.5~20g / m 2, 1~15g / m} 2 is more preferable.

  A release agent may be added to the image receiving layer. As the release agent, those compatible with the binder to be used are preferable, and specifically, modified silicone oils and modified silicone polymers are typical, for example, amino-modified silicone oil, epoxy-modified silicone oil, polyester-modified silicone oil, An acrylic modified silicone resin, a urethane modified silicone resin, etc. are mentioned. Of these, the polyester-modified silicone oil is particularly excellent in that it prevents fusion with the ink sheet but does not hinder the secondary processability of the image receiving layer. As other mold release agents, fine particles such as silica, curable silicone compounds, and the like can also be used.

  An image-receiving layer coating solution is prepared by dispersing or dissolving each of the above-described components in a solvent, and the image-receiving layer coating solution is applied onto one sheet member of the IC card substrate and dried to form the image-receiving layer. Can be formed. The thickness of the image receiving layer is generally about 1 to 50 μm, preferably about 2 to 10 μm.

  The image receiving layer may be preliminarily printed in a format such as ruled lines before printing image information or character information. The format printing can be formed by any method such as offset printing, gravure printing, silk printing, screen printing, intaglio printing, letterpress printing, ink jet method, sublimation transfer method, electrophotographic method, and thermal melting method.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the IC card substrate 2 includes an electronic component 8 having a predetermined thickness between the first sheet member 4 and the second sheet member 5. Consists of an antenna body 8a, an IC chip 8b, etc., and an IC module of the electronic component 8 is provided in the inlet 7 or the adhesive layer 6. The IC card substrate 2 has a laminated structure in which an inlet 7 is disposed between the first sheet member 4 and the second sheet member 5 and the respective members are laminated with an adhesive 6 interposed therebetween. Examples of the sheet member used for the IC card substrate include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate / isophthalate copolymer, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene, polyvinyl fluoride, Polyfluorinated ethylene resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon 6.6, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer Polymer, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene / vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, vinyl polymers such as vinylon, biodegradable aliphatic polyester, biodegradable polycarbonate, biodegradable polylactic acid, biodegradable Biodegradable resins such as livinyl alcohol, biodegradable cellulose acetate and biodegradable polycaprolactone, cellulose resins such as cellulose triacetate and cellophane, methyl polymethacrylate, polyethyl methacrylate, ethyl polyacrylate, Acrylic resin such as polybutyl acrylate, synthetic resin sheet such as polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyarylate, polyimide, or paper such as fine paper, thin paper, glassine paper, sulfate paper, single layer such as metal foil, or these 2 A laminate having more than one layer is exemplified.

  The thickness of the sheet member is 30 to 300 μm, preferably 50 to 200 μm. When the thickness is 50 μm or less, heat shrinkage may occur when the sheet members 1 and 2 are bonded to each other. In addition, you may perform the annealing process of the sheet | seat member which reduces a thermal contraction rate.

  Further, easy contact processing may be performed on the sheet member for improving post-processing adhesion, and antistatic processing may be performed for chip protection. Specifically, U2 series, U4 series, UL series manufactured by Teijin DuPont Films, Ltd., Chrisper G series manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., E00 series, E20 series, E22 series, X20 series, E40 series manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. The E60 series QE series can be suitably used.

  The electronic component 8 is generally composed of an IC chip 8b that electrically stores information of an electronic card user and a coiled antenna body 8a connected to the IC chip 8b. The IC chip is only a memory or in addition to a microcomputer. In some cases, a capacitor may be included in the electronic component. The present invention is not limited to this, and is not particularly limited as long as it is an electronic component necessary for the information recording member. An IC module composed of electronic components has an antenna coil. When the IC module has an antenna pattern, any method such as conductive paste printing, copper foil etching, or winding welding is used. Also good. As the printed board, a thermoplastic film such as polyester is used, and polyimide is advantageous when heat resistance is required. The IC chip and antenna pattern can be joined using conductive adhesives such as silver paste, copper paste, and carbon paste (EN-4000 series from Hitachi Chemical, XAP series from Toshiba Chemical) and anisotropic conductive films (Hitachi Chemical). A method using an industrial anisolum or the like) or a method of performing solder bonding is known, but any method may be used.

  In order to fill the resin after placing the parts including the IC chip in a predetermined position in advance, the shearing force due to the flow of the resin causes the joint to come off or the surface smoothness due to the flow or cooling of the resin. An inlet is used to eliminate the loss and lack of stability. Inlet, a resin layer is formed in advance on the substrate sheet, and the electronic component is sealed in the resin layer with a porous resin film, a porous foamed resin film, a flexible resin sheet, It is preferably used in the form of a porous resin sheet or nonwoven fabric sheet. As the resin sheet, sheets of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PET-G, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), vinyl chloride, polycarbonate, triacetyl cellulose, acrylic, etc. can be suitably used, but mechanical strength and dimensions From the viewpoint of stability and solvent resistance, PET, PET-G or PEN is preferred. Among these, PET or PET-G is particularly preferable from the viewpoints of transparency, processability, and cost.

  For example, examples of the non-woven sheet member include a mesh woven fabric such as a non-woven fabric, and a plain woven fabric, a twill woven fabric, and a satin woven fabric. In addition, a fabric having pile called moquette, plush velor, seal, velvet, or suede can be used. Materials include polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 66 and nylon 8, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyolefins such as polyethylene, polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylonitrile, acrylamide, methacryl Acrylics such as amides, synthetic resins such as polycyanide vinylidene, polyfluoroethylene, and polyurethane, natural fibers such as silk, cotton, wool, cellulose, and cellulose ester, recycled fibers (rayon, acetate), aramid fibers The fiber which combined 1 type (s) or 2 or more types chosen from among these is raised. Of these fiber materials, rayon that is preferably polyamide-based such as nylon 6 or nylon 66, acrylic-based such as polyacrylonitrile, acrylamide or methacrylid, polyester-based such as polyethylene terephthalate, cellulose-based as recycled fiber, or cellulose ester-based And acetate and aramid fibers.

  Further, in the inlet 7 including the electronic component 8 or the adhesive 6, the IC chip may have a reinforcing plate 9 in the vicinity of the IC chip because the point pressure strength is weak. The total thickness of the electronic component including the inlet is preferably 100 to 600 μm, more preferably 150 to 500 μm, and particularly preferably 150 to 450 μm.

  Examples of a method for forming a laminated structure in which a predetermined electronic component and a second sheet member are provided between the first sheet member and the second sheet member include a heat bonding method, an adhesive bonding method, an adhesive coating method, and an injection molding method. However, each member may be bonded by any method. When an adhesive is used for bonding, a conventionally known adhesive can be used without any particular limitation. In the present invention, a hot-melt adhesive or the like can be preferably used. For example, ethylene -A vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) type | system | group, a polyester type, a polyamide type, a thermoplastic elastomer type | system | group, and a polyolefin-type adhesive agent can be mentioned. Among these, a moisture curable adhesive is preferable. In addition to the above, the adhesives disclosed in JP 2000-036026 A, JP 2000-21278 A, JP 2000-218555 and the like are preferably used as the moisture curable adhesive. Can do. In addition, when bonding each member using an adhesive agent, the total thickness of the adhesive layer and the electronic component layer (inlet thickness) is preferably 100 to 600 μm, more preferably 150 to 500 μm, particularly preferably. Is 150 to 450 μm.

  Adhesives include wax, thermoplastic resins, inorganic fine particles, leveling agents, rubber elastic particles, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic resins, adhesives, curing agents, curing catalysts, spreading agents, flat particles, and needles. You may contain other additives, such as particle | grains.

  An adhesive is applied to the back and front of the inlet (electronic component) or one surface of the first and second sheet members so as to have a predetermined thickness, and the respective members are bonded together to produce an IC card substrate. be able to. As a method for applying the adhesive, a conventionally known method such as a roller method, a T-die method, or a die method can be used, but the method is not limited to these application methods, and the adhesive is applied in a stripe shape. Or a coating method proposed in JP 2000-036026 A, JP 2000-21855 A, JP 2000-21278 A, JP 10-316959 A, JP 11-5964 A, etc. May be adopted.

  In the present invention, a cushion layer 10 may be provided between the image receiving layer 3 and the second sheet member 2 as in the recording medium shown in FIG. When a cushion layer is provided, the influence of surface irregularities during thermal transfer can be mitigated, and images and characters can be transferred and recorded with good reproducibility. As described above, since an electronic component such as an IC chip is included in the inlet, unevenness is likely to occur on the surface thereof. If the surface of the card base material, which is a recording medium, is uneven, characters or images may be faintly recorded when recording character / image information described later. In the present invention, by providing a cushion layer, the in-plane inclination of the recording medium is 0.004 or less. Note that the in-plane inclination means that when a tangent line is drawn at every point from the top of the raised portion to the bottom of the raised portion with respect to the neutral surface of the surface of the recording medium, the tangent and neutral surface And the inclination angle (tilt).

  Polyolefin is preferable as a material for forming the cushion layer. For example, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer, styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene block A material having flexibility and low thermal conductivity such as a copolymer, a styrene-hydrogenated isoprene-styrene block copolymer, polybutadiene, and a photocurable resin layer is suitable. Specifically, a cushion layer such as Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-16934 can be used.

  Further, writing is performed on the surface of the first sheet member 4 located on the surface opposite to the surface on which the image receiving layer 3 of the IC base card 1 is provided (that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which image information or the like is printed). A layer (not shown) may be provided. The writing layer is a layer that allows writing on the back surface of the ID card. As the writing layer, for example, a thermoplastic resin (polyolefins such as polyethylene, various copolymers, etc.) film containing inorganic fine powder such as calcium carbonate, talc, diatomaceous earth, titanium oxide, barium sulfate, etc. is the first sheet. It can form by providing in the outermost surface.

When pasting each member, in order to improve the surface smoothness of the sheet base material and the adhesion of the electronic component provided between the first sheet member and the second sheet member, heating and pressurization are performed. It is preferable to carry out and it is preferable to manufacture by an up-and-down press system, a lamination system, etc. In consideration of breakage of the IC component due to pressurization, it is preferable to use a flat press die rather than a roller press. The heating is preferably 10 to 180 ° C, more preferably 30 to 150 ° C. Pressure is preferably 1~300kgf / cm ^2, more preferably 1~200kgf / cm ^2. If the pressure is higher than this, the IC chip may be damaged. The heating and pressurizing time is preferably approximately 0.001 to 90 seconds, and more preferably 0.001 to 60 seconds, although it depends on the heating and pressurizing conditions.

  The IC card base material may be formed as a bonded single wafer sheet formed as a continuous sheet by an adhesive bonding method or a resin injection method, or as a continuous coating lami roll, and the sheet or lami roll is formed into a predetermined card size. Thus, an IC card substrate having a desired size can be produced. In addition, after producing the IC card substrate, before or after providing the image receiving layer, general bibliographic items other than personal identification information can be printed on the other surface, but in a sheet or lami roll state. It is preferable to print general bibliographic items continuously. As a method for forming a predetermined card size, a punching method, a cutting method, or the like can be mainly employed.

<Image information printing process>
In the present invention, image information is printed on the image receiving layer of the above-mentioned recording medium using a thermal transfer sheet for recording image information. An image information recording thermal transfer sheet such that the recording medium and image information recording thermal transfer sheet as described above are overlaid so that the image receiving layer of the recording medium and the color material layer of the image information recording thermal transfer sheet are opposed to each other. From the side, heating is performed by a heating means such as a thermal head, and the color material in the color material layer is thermally transferred to the image receiving layer of the recording medium, whereby image information is printed on the recording medium.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal transfer sheet 10 for recording image information includes a color material layer 12 provided on one surface of a substrate 11. You may provide the heat resistant slipping layer 13 in the surface on the opposite side to the surface in which the said color material layer 12 of the base material 11 was provided. The color material layer 12 may be composed of a yellow dye layer, a magenta dye layer, and a cyan dye layer, as in a conventionally known thermal transfer sheet. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. (C) Using a thermal transfer sheet for image information recording in which the magenta dye layer (M) and the yellow dye layer (Y) are provided in the plane order, each dye is recorded on the recording medium in the order of cyan, magenta, and yellow. It is preferable to print image information by thermal transfer to the image receiving layer. As will be described later, when a so-called post-chelate dye is used as the sublimation dye used in the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording, the post-chelate dye reacts with the metal source in the image-receiving layer of the recording material and develops color. To do. Therefore, the color of the color material layer (cyan, magenta, yellow) provided on the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording and the color after the image information is thermally transferred to the recording medium (that is, the dye dye in the image receiving layer is a metal source) The color after reacting with (A) may not be developed in the same way, but rather a completely different color. If the amount of heat at the time of thermal transfer is insufficient and the reaction between the dye and the metal source is incomplete, the color of the unreacted post-chelate dye remains in the image portion formed on the image receiving layer of the transfer object. The color turbidity tends to occur. In particular, the concentration of the post-chelate cyan dye and post-chelate magenta dye before reacting with the metal source tends to be higher than the concentration of the post-chelate yellow dye. When heat-transferred to the image receiving layer of the body, cyan or magenta dye may be mixed into the color component composed of yellow dye, and color turbidity may occur in the printed portion. In the present invention, a cyan dye layer (C), a magenta dye layer (M), and a yellow dye layer (Y) are provided in the order of surface on the thermal transfer sheet for image information recording in order of increasing dye concentration in the dye layer. When the image is formed, by performing thermal transfer in the order of cyan, magenta, and yellow, more thermal energy can be applied to the dye having a higher dye concentration during thermal transfer. As a result, a cyan or magenta dye having a high dye concentration reacts more completely with the metal source in the image receiving layer, and a desired color of the dye can be obtained. In particular, by providing each dye layer in the order as described above, magenta turbidity is eliminated in the printed portion where the cyan dye is thermally transferred.

As the post-chelate dye as described above, conventionally known dyes can be used. Examples of such a chelate-forming sublimable dye include JP-A-59-78893 and JP-A-59-109349. Examples thereof include cyan dyes, magenta dyes, and yellow dyes that can form at least bidentate chelates, as described in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2-213303, 2-221419, and 2-203742. A preferred sublimable dye capable of forming a chelate can be represented by the following general formula.
X1-N = N-X2-G
(In the formula, X1 represents an aromatic carbocyclic ring in which at least one ring is composed of 5 to 7 atoms, or a group of atoms necessary for completing a heterocyclic ring, and is a carbon bonded to an azo bond. At least one of the adjacent positions of the atom is a nitrogen atom or a carbon atom substituted with a chelating group, and X2 is an aromatic heterocyclic ring or an aromatic group in which at least one ring is composed of 5 to 7 atoms Represents a carbocycle, and G represents a chelating group.)

The amount of the post chelate sublimable dye as described above is usually 0.1 to ²⁰ g, preferably 0.2 to 5 g, per 1 m ^{2 of} the base material.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a binder which comprises a color material layer, A conventionally well-known thing can be used. Furthermore, conventionally known various additives can be appropriately added to the ink layer.

  The thermal transfer sheet for recording image information can be prepared by preparing a coating liquid in which the various components forming the ink layer are dispersed or dissolved in a solvent, coating the substrate on the surface, and drying. it can. The thickness of the color material layer is usually 0.2 to 10 μm, and preferably 0.3 to 3 μm.

<Text information printing process>
After the image information is printed on the recording medium using the thermal transfer sheet for recording image information, the recording body and the thermal transfer sheet for recording character information are subsequently connected to the image receiving layer of the recording medium and the thermal transfer sheet for recording character information. The color material layer is superimposed so as to oppose it, and heated from the character information recording thermal transfer sheet side by a heating means such as a thermal head to thermally transfer the color material in the color material layer to the image receiving layer of the recording medium. By doing so, the character information is printed on the recording medium. As the thermal transfer sheet for recording character information, a conventionally known one can be used. For example, a thermal transfer sheet having a hot-melt black color material layer on a substrate can be preferably used.

  In the present invention, when the character information is printed by the heating means such as a thermal head, the image information forming unit printed on the recording medium may be heated using the heating means. This heating causes a chelate reaction between the metal ion-containing compound in the image receiving layer of the recording material and the color materials (cyan dye, magenta dye, and yellow dye) that form the image information in the recording material on which the image information is printed. It progresses more and the reaction rate is improved, and an image having excellent color development and light resistance can be obtained.

  The above-described thermal transfer sheet for image information recording and thermal transfer sheet for character information recording have other layers such as an adhesive layer, a release layer, a release layer, and an undercoat layer as a transfer protective layer, as in the case of conventionally known thermal transfer sheets. It may be provided.

<Transport heating process>
In a recording medium on which image information is printed as described above, a chelate of a metal ion-containing compound in an image receiving layer of the recording medium and color materials (cyan dye, magenta dye, and yellow dye) that form the image information As the reaction proceeds, the reaction rate is improved, and the color development and light resistance of the image are improved. In order to make this chelate reaction complete, in the present invention, the image information forming portion printed on the recording medium is heated before and / or after the character information is printed. Conventionally, as described above, after recording image information and character information, the transparent protective transfer foil is transferred to the image information forming portion, and the image information forming portion is reheated by the thermal energy at the time of transfer. It was an obstacle to speeding up and downsizing of printers. In the present invention, as described above, in the conveyance process of the recording medium during the manufacturing process of the information recording body, the image information forming portion is gradually heated to completely advance the chelate reaction. For example, as will be described later, this heating is performed after printing image information until printing character information, after printing character information until thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer, or after thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer. This is performed until the recording medium is written to and / or read from the IC module. Hereinafter, the heating of the image information forming unit will be described in detail while explaining the manufacturing process of the information recording body.

<Method for producing information recording body>
An example of the method for manufacturing the information recording body will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information recording body manufacturing apparatus for carrying out an embodiment of the method according to the present invention. In the information recording body manufacturing apparatus 30, the card base material supply unit 40 and the information recording unit 50 are arranged at the upper position, and the transparent protective layer application unit and / or the optical change element layer application unit 70, the non-contact reader / A writer device 80 and an embossing device 90 are disposed, and a transport roller 60 that connects the information recording unit 50 and the reader / writer device 80 is disposed between an upper position and a lower position. In the present embodiment, a method for manufacturing a card-shaped information recording body will be described as an example, but it goes without saying that a sheet-shaped information recording body can be manufactured.

  In the card base material supply unit 40, a plurality of recording media 1 that have been cut in a sheet shape in advance to write personal information of the card user has a surface (that is, an image receiving layer) on which image information such as a face photograph is recorded. It is stocked with the provided surface facing up. In the present embodiment, the recording medium 1 having the image receiving layer is automatically supplied from the card base material supply unit 40 one by one at a predetermined timing.

  The information recording unit 50 is provided with a thermal transfer sheet 10 for recording image information in which a yellow dye layer, a magenta dye layer, and a cyan dye layer as shown in FIG. 51 is arranged, and the character information recording thermal transfer sheet 20 provided with the heat melting black color material layer is arranged, and the character information recording unit 54 in which the thermal head 53 is arranged corresponding to the position. It consists of and. In addition, a conveyance heat roller 55 serving both as conveyance and heating is disposed in a conveyance line connecting the image information recording unit 52 and the character information recording unit 54.

  The recording medium 1 supplied from the card base material supply unit 40 is, first, in the image information recording unit 52, while the recording medium 1 is moving, the card user's face photograph or the like in a predetermined area of the image receiving layer. The image information having the gradation is recorded in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan by the image information recording thermal transfer sheet 10.

  Next, the recording medium on which the image information is recorded passes through the transport line and is carried to the character information recording unit 54. At that time, when the recording medium 1 passes through the transport heat roller 55 provided in the transport line, the heat energy from the transport heat roller 55 is also applied to the area where the image information of the image receiving layer is recorded, The post-chelation reaction is promoted between the color material (yellow dye, magenta dye and cyan dye) in the image receiving layer on which the image information is recorded and the metal ion-containing compound, so that image information having a desired color and gradation is formed. The From the viewpoint of promoting the post-chelation reaction, the temperature of the transport heat roller is preferably 50 to 300 ° C, and preferably 150 to 250 ° C. If the temperature of the transport heat roller is lower than 50 ° C., it is difficult to promote the post-chelation reaction in the transport process. On the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 300 ° C., the reaction may be partially accelerated and uneven. is there. In addition, when there are a plurality of transport heat rollers, the temperature of each roller may be the same, but it is preferable to set the temperature so that the roller on the transport direction side of the recording medium becomes higher. By setting the temperature in such a manner, the temperature of the surface of the recording medium is gradually increased, so that post chelate reaction can proceed uniformly in the thickness direction from the surface, and unevenness due to the reaction can be prevented from occurring. .

  In an information recording body in which character information and image information such as a license and an ID card are recorded on the same surface, a person's face and the like are often recorded as image information. This is a relatively small ratio with respect to the total area of the recording medium. For this reason, usually, character information is often written to the periphery of the image portion. When manufacturing such an information recording body, when the character information is thermally transferred to the recording medium, the previously formed image portion may be reheated by the thermal head for the character information recording thermal transfer sheet. . However, when the previously formed image portion is reheated simultaneously with the recording of the character information on the transfer medium, if the reheating is sufficient to improve the color development of the image, the recording is performed with the hot melt black color material. For example, the character information around the image portion of the information recording body may be crushed. In particular, since the peripheral portion of the reheated image portion is easily transmitted with heat, the influence of the character recording portion is significant. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer the heat-melting black color material with an amount of heat that does not cause character collapse, and when re-heating the previously formed image portion using heating means such as the same thermal head, The amount of heat may be insufficient.

  In the present invention, the same heating means (that is, a heat source such as a thermal head to a thermal transfer sheet for recording image information when recording character information) is used to eliminate character crushing and increase the amount of heat at the time of reheating. In addition, the following method can be preferably applied. For example, it is possible to increase the printing speed when the character information is thermally transferred, and to increase the temperature and the time for applying the thermal energy during the thermal transfer. For example, the printing speed at the time of manufacturing a conventional information recording body was about 6.8 mm / s, but this is set to 15 to 30 mm / s, more preferably about 20 mm / s, and application of thermal energy at the time of thermal transfer. The time is 7.5 to 5 ms / l, more preferably 1 to 3 ms / l, which was 7.5 ms / l in the past. “Ms / l” means the time (seconds) required to print (heat) one line. The printing speed is increased by increasing the speed of the thermal transfer sheet winding device, and it is preferable to use a small motor with high accuracy and high output for the motor of the winding device.

  In addition, as described above, as the printing speed is increased and the amount of heat for reheating is increased, the thickness of the base of the thermal transfer sheet for character information recording is reduced to improve the thermal conductivity, or the base is heated. It is preferable to optimize the back layer of the thermal transfer sheet with respect to heat so as not to deform. For example, the thickness of the base material is 2 to 10 μm, preferably 2 to 6 μm, more preferably 2 to 4 μm. The substrate is preferably thin, but if it is less than 2 μm, the thermal transfer sheet is easily deformed by tension. Moreover, it is preferable that the back layer of a thermal transfer sheet consists of resin which copolymerized the methyl methacrylate monomer and the hydrophobic monomer, and contains 25-100 mass parts of hydrophobic monomers with respect to 100 mass parts of methyl methacrylate monomers. A copolymer resin is more preferable. When the proportion of the hydrophobic monomer is less than 25 parts by mass, the fixing property of the dye coloring matter is lowered, which adversely affects image formation. On the other hand, when the proportion of the hydrophobic monomer exceeds 50% by mass, the adhesion with the substrate film is lowered. From the viewpoint of thermal conductivity, the thickness of the back layer is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 μm.

  Moreover, you may optimize a peeling layer with the optimization of the back layer of a thermal transfer sheet. The release layer maintains the mechanical properties such as film adhesion and film strength of the hot-melt black ink color material to the base material, and heat-melts when the hot-melt black color material layer is detached from the base material during thermal transfer. The photosensitive ink layer peels off and has a function of quickly transferring to the receiving layer of the transfer target. As the thermoplastic resin as a component of the release layer, those having a melting point or softening point in the range of 50 to 150 ° C., particularly 60 to 120 ° C., or those in which the above temperature range is obtained by mixing two or more kinds are suitable. Can be used for In addition to thermoplastic resins, if necessary, higher fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, margaric acid and behenic acid; palmityl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, marganyl alcohol, myricyl alcohol and eicosanol, etc. Higher alcohols; higher fatty acid esters such as cetyl valmitate, myricyl valmitate, cetyl stearate and myricyl stearate; amides such as acetamido, propionic amide, palmitic amide, stearic amide and amide wax; and stearylamine, behenyl Higher amines such as amine and partimylamine may be added. These additive components may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Moreover, in order to adjust peelability, you may contain surfactant, A polyoxyethylene chain containing compound is mentioned as a suitable surfactant. Furthermore, inorganic or organic fine particles (metal powder, silica gel and the like) and oils (linseed oil mineral oil and the like) can be added. Further, the thickness of the release layer is preferably 0.2 to 4 μm, and more preferably 0.5 to 2.5 μm.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, in order to eliminate character crushing and increase the amount of heat at the time of reheating, in addition to increasing the printing speed and the amount of heat at the time of reheating, the amount of heat supplied to the portion where the image information is formed is supplemented. Therefore, a method of promoting the post-chelation reaction by increasing the ambient temperature and humidity around the thermal head at the time of image information formation or providing a device for applying heat from the back surface of the substrate is preferably used.

  The recording medium 1 on which the image and character information are recorded on the image receiving layer then moves to the transport unit 60. In this step, the recording medium 1 on which character information and image information are recorded is transported by transport rollers 61, 62, and 63 and sent to a non-contact reader / writer device 80 described later. At this time, any one or more of the transport rollers 61, 62, and 63 includes a heating unit, whereby the amount of heat applied to a portion of the recording medium on which image information is formed can be increased. All of the transport rollers 61, 62, 63 may be provided with a heating means, and in this case, the total amount of heat applied to the recording medium 1 can be increased, so that the post-chelation reaction of the image information forming unit is further improved. Can be promoted. As a conveyance roller provided with a heating means, the thing similar to what was mentioned above can be used. Further, from the viewpoint of promoting the post-chelation reaction, the temperature of the conveying heat roller is preferably 50 to 300 ° C, and preferably 150 to 250 ° C. If the temperature of the transport heat roller is lower than 50 ° C., it is difficult to promote the post-chelation reaction in the transport process. On the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 300 ° C., the reaction may be partially accelerated and uneven. is there. Further, the temperature of each of the plurality of transport heat rollers 61, 62, 63 may be the same, but it is preferable to set the temperature so that the roller on the transport direction side of the recording medium becomes higher. By setting the temperature in such a manner, the temperature of the surface of the recording medium is gradually increased, so that post chelate reaction can proceed uniformly in the thickness direction from the surface, and unevenness due to the reaction can be prevented from occurring. .

  The to-be-recorded body 1 conveyed from the conveyance part 60 moves to the non-contact reader / writer apparatus 80, and writing / reading of the electronic information to the non-contact IC module in the to-be-recorded body 1 is performed here. In order to perform this writing / reading operation reliably, it is necessary to bring the recording medium 1 and the non-contact reader / writer device 80 close to each other. Accordingly, there is a case where a recording medium position control unit is required to prevent the recording medium from being lifted or displaced from the conveyance line when the recording medium is conveyed. In the present invention, this recording medium position control is performed by pressing the heat roller 81A against the recording medium 1. That is, when the non-contact reader / writer device 80 writes / reads electronic information to / from the IC module, the image information is formed by heating the surface of the recording medium with the heat roller 81A. The amount of heat applied to the part can be increased. As a result, the post-chelation reaction can be more efficiently promoted in addition to the above-described reheating in the transport line and the reheating by the character information recording head. Further, instead of the heat roller 81A, a means such as a hot stamp or an end face head (not shown) that can heat only a portion where image information is formed may be used. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, a heat roller capable of heating only a portion 82 of the surface such that only the portion 101 where the image information of the recording medium 1 is formed may be used. In this case, it is preferable to provide a position detection mechanism (not shown) for controlling the position of the recording medium 1 so that only a part of the surface is heated and the other parts are not affected.

  After the electronic information is written / read to / from the IC module by the non-contact reader / writer device 80, the recording medium 1 moves to the transparent protective layer application unit and / or the optical change element layer application unit 70. A protective layer transfer foil sheet 71 and / or an optical change element transfer foil sheet 72 are arranged in the transparent protective layer application part and / or the optical change element layer application part, and a heat roller 73 is arranged corresponding to the position. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet 71 includes a support 711 and a transparent protective transfer layer 712 provided on one surface of the support 711. The transparent protective transfer layer 712 includes: A release layer 713, a transparent protective layer 714, and an adhesive layer 715 are stacked in this order from the support 711 side. The transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet 71 is transferred to the recording medium 1 as a recording medium by peeling the transparent protective layer transfer layer 712 from the support 711 by a heating means such as a thermal head, a heat roller, or a hot stamp. Is. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the optical change element transfer foil sheet 72 includes a support 721 and an optical change element transfer layer 722 provided on one surface of the support 721, and includes an optical change element transfer layer. 722 has a structure in which a release layer 723, an optical change element layer 724, and an adhesive layer 725 are stacked in this order from the support 721 side. This optical change element transfer foil sheet 72 is one in which the optical change element transfer layer 722 is peeled off from the support 721 and transferred to the recording medium 1 by heating means such as a thermal head, a heat roller, or a hot stamp.

  In this step, the recording material 1 moved to the transparent protective layer application part and / or the optical change element layer application part 70 is appropriately transferred with the transparent protective transfer layer and / or the optical change element transfer layer in this step. . For example, the transparent protective transfer layer 71 can be provided only on the portion where the image information is recorded on the recording medium 1, or the optical change element transfer layer 72 can be provided at an arbitrary position on the recording medium 1. When the transparent protective transfer layer 71 is provided on the image information recording portion of the recording medium 1, as described above, the transparent protective transfer layer is formed by using a heating means such as a thermal head, a heat roll, or a hot stamp. Therefore, the image information portion is also reheated. As a result, the chelate reaction between the colorant in the image receiving layer and the metal ion-containing compound is further promoted, and image information having more excellent color development and gradation can be formed on the recording medium. Moreover, the falsification of the information recording medium can be suppressed by transferring the optical change element transfer layer onto the recording medium.

A conventionally well-known thing can be used for an above-described transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet and an optical change element transfer foil sheet. For example, as the transparent protective layer, any conventionally known resin can be used as long as it is a resin excellent in durability and transparency in order to protect image information recorded on a recording medium. , Cellulose resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin and the like. The transparent protective layer is, for example, a protective layer coating solution obtained by dissolving or dispersing the above resin in a suitable solvent or dispersion, and a thickness of 0.5 to 5 g / m on the surface of the support or release layer. It can form by apply | coating so that it may become about ² (dry standard), and making it dry. The thickness of the transparent protective layer is preferably from 0.3 to 50 μm, more preferably from 0.3 to 30 μm, particularly preferably from 0.3 to 20 μm.

  As the optical change element layer, a conventionally known optical change element can be used. For example, a two-dimensional CG image of a diffraction grating such as a kinegram, and an image having a line image structure is moved, rotated, expanded, reduced, and the like. Things that move and change due to reasons, features that change images such as pixelgrams to positive and negative, and colors like OSD (Optical Security Device) change from gold to green Characteristic of points, Characteristic of points such as LEAD (Long Ecological Device), changes in image, Striped OVD (Optical Variable Device), Metal foil, and Journal of the Japan Printing Society (1998) It is described in Vol. 35, No. 6, 482-496. A material, a special printing method, those formed by a special ink or the like, can be used. Moreover, a hologram etc. can be used conveniently.

  In addition, as a support for the transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet and the optical change element transfer foil sheet, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene, polyvinyl fluoride, Polyfluorinated ethylene resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polyamide resins such as nylon 6 and nylon 6.6, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate Polymers, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene / vinyl alcohol copolymers, vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol and vinylon, cellulose resins such as cellulose triacetate and cellophane, polymethyl methacrylate, polymethacrylic acid Ethyl, po Acrylic resins such as ethyl acrylate and polybutyl acrylate, synthetic resin sheets such as polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyarylate, and polyimide, or single-layer paper such as fine paper, thin paper, glassine paper, sulfate paper, and metal foil Or a laminate of two or more layers. The thickness of the support is 10 to 200 μm, preferably 15 to 80 μm.

  The release layer of the transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet and the optical change element transfer foil sheet includes a resin such as acrylic resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, poly vinyl butyral resin having a high glass transition temperature, waxes, silicon oils, fluorine compounds. Water-soluble polyvinyl pyrrolidone resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, Si-modified polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose resin, hydroxy cellulose resin, silicone resin, paraffin wax, acrylic modified silicone, polyethylene wax, ethylene vinyl acetate, polydimethylsiloxane and the like Fluorine compounds such as modified products, fluorinated olefins, and perfluorophosphate ester compounds are exemplified.

  For adhesive layers of transparent protective layer transfer foil sheets and optical change element transfer foil sheets, heat-adhesive resins such as ethylene vinyl acetate resin, ethyne ethyl acrylate resin, ethylene acrylic acid resin, ionomer resin, polybutadiene resin, acrylic resin, polystyrene Resins, polyester resins, olefin resins, urethane resins, tackifiers and the like may be mentioned, and copolymers or mixtures thereof may be used. Specifically, Hitech S-6254, S-6254B, S-3129, etc. (manufactured by Toho Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Jurimer AT-210, AT-510, AT-613, etc. (manufactured by Nippon Pure Chemical Co., Ltd.) , Plus size L-201, SR-102, SR-103, J-4 and the like (manufactured by Kyoyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) can be used. The thickness of the adhesive layer is about 0.1 to 1.0 μm.

  In addition, the transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet and the optical change element transfer foil sheet are provided between the layers in order to improve the adhesion of the support, the release layer, the transparent protective layer or the optical change element layer, and the adhesive layer. A primer layer or a barrier layer may be provided as an intermediate layer.

  The recording medium 1 to which the transparent protective transfer layer 71 and / or the optical change element transfer layer 72 has been transferred subsequently moves to the embossing section 90. In this process, an actinic radiation curable liquid is applied to the surface of the recording medium 1 on which the image / character information is recorded and the transparent protective transfer layer and the like are transferred, and then the embossing roller 91 has a desired pattern on the surface. The surface of the recording medium is embossed by passing the recording medium 1 through the gap between the recording medium 1 and the support roller 92, pressing the embossing roller 91 against the coated surface of the recording medium 1, and performing exposure with actinic radiation. An actinic radiation curable layer is formed. The actinic radiation curable layer is an arbitrary layer provided to protect the character / image information recorded on the surface of the recording medium, the optical change element layer, and the like and to prevent forgery by embossing.

  At the time of embossing, by using the embossing roller 91 as a heating means, it is possible to apply thermal energy to the image information forming portion of the recording medium 1, and by this thermal energy, in the image receiving layer in which the image information is recorded. The post-chelation reaction is promoted between the color material (yellow dye, magenta dye and cyan dye) and the metal ion-containing compound, and image information having a desired color and gradation is formed. From the viewpoint of promoting the post-chelation reaction, the temperature of the embossing roller is preferably 200 to 500 ° C. Even at temperatures below 200 ° C., the post-chelation reaction is promoted, but the embossing effect is difficult to obtain. On the other hand, at a temperature higher than 500 ° C., the card itself as a recording medium may be bent and damaged. When the temperature of the embossing roller is 300 ° C. or higher, the post-chelation reaction is partially promoted, so that there may be color unevenness in the image forming portion. However, since it is an embossing portion, it is combined with embossing. It can be finished to a level that does not feel uncomfortable visually.

  For the embossing, the above-described embossing roller may be used, or embossing may be performed on the surface of the recording medium using an embossing plate (not shown) having a desired pattern formed on the surface. By using the embossed plate having a heating means such as a heat stamp, the post-chelation reaction of the image information forming unit can be advanced in the same manner as described above.

  The actinic radiation cured layer used for embossing can be a conventionally known one as long as it is a resin that is cured by irradiation with actinic radiation such as ultraviolet rays or electron beams. For example, an epoxy-modified acrylate resin, a urethane-modified acrylate An ionizing radiation curable resin obtained by adding a photopolymerization initiator and a photosensitizer to a resin, acrylic-modified polyester, or the like can be used. The ionizing radiation curable resin may be a copolymer resin containing these resins as a main component, or a mixture (including an alloy).

  As described above, in the transparent protective layer application part and / or the optical change element layer application part 70, the process of embossing in the embossing part 90 after the transparent protective layer or the like is provided on the recording medium 1 has been described. However, when embossing is not performed, as shown in FIG. 9, the recording medium is moved directly from the transport unit 60 to the transparent protective layer application unit and / or the optical change element layer application unit 70. After the transparent protective layer or the like is formed on the recording body 1, electronic information may be written / read to / from the non-contact IC module in the recording body 1 by the non-contact reader / writer device 80. The non-contact reader / writer device 80 is provided with a heat roller that also serves as a recording medium position control means, and the post-chelation reaction can be more efficiently promoted in the same manner as described above. In place of the heat roller, a means such as a hot stamp or an end face head 81B that can heat only a portion where image information is formed may be used.

<Information Recorder>
As shown in FIG. 10, in the information recording body 100 obtained as described above, image information 101 and character information 102 are recorded in the image receiving layer 3 of the recording medium 1, and the image information 101 is recorded. A transparent protective transfer layer 71 is provided, and an optical change element transfer layer 72 is provided at an arbitrary position on the surface of the recording medium. Further, an embossing shaping layer (active radiation curing layer) 93 is provided so as to cover the character information 102, the transparent protective transfer layer 71, and the optical change element transfer layer 72. Further, a writing layer or an antistatic layer (not shown) may be provided as an optional layer on the surface of the recording medium 1 on which the image receiving layer 3 is not provided.

1 Recorded object (IC card)
2 Card base material 3 Image receiving layer 10 Thermal transfer sheet for recording image information 11 Base material 12 Color material layer (YMC)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Heat resistant slipping layer 30 Information recording body manufacturing apparatus 40 Card base material supply part 50 Information recording part 60 Conveying part 70 Transparent protective layer provision part and / or optical change element layer provision part 71 Transparent protective layer transfer foil sheet 72 Optical change element Transfer foil sheet 80 Reader / writer device 81A, 81B Heating means 90 Embossed portion 93 Embossed layer (active radiation cured layer)
100 Information recording body 101 Image information 102 Character information

Claims (10)

A method of manufacturing an information recording body including an IC module capable of writing and / or reading electronic information without contact and having character information and image information recorded on the same surface,
A card base material provided with the IC module therein, and a metal ion-containing compound capable of forming a chelate complex with a colorant in a thermal transfer sheet for image information recording provided on one surface of the card base material An image receiving layer, and a recording medium provided with
Using a thermal transfer sheet for recording image information comprising a color material layer comprising the color material, the color material is thermally transferred to the image receiving layer side of the recording material, and image information is printed,
Using a thermal transfer sheet for recording character information on a portion other than the image information forming portion on the image receiving layer, a color material is thermally transferred to the image receiving layer side of the recording body to print character information,
Before and / or after printing the character information, the image information forming unit printed on the recording medium is heated.
Comprising
Heating of the image information forming unit is performed after printing of the image information until printing of the character information, after printing of the character information until thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer, and thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer. The method is carried out at least at one or more points after the recording and writing and / or reading of the recording medium to the IC module.   The method according to claim 1, further comprising thermally transferring a transparent protective layer to a portion of the recording medium on which the image information is printed.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating of the image information forming unit is performed by heat energy from a conveyance roller provided between printing of image information and printing of the character information.   The heating of the image information forming unit is performed by thermal energy from a conveyance roller provided between printing of the character information and thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer. the method of.   The heating of the image information forming unit is performed by contacting the recording medium with a heat roller or a hot stamp when the recording medium is written to and / or read from the IC module. The method according to any one of the above.   The thermal transfer sheet for recording image information includes a color material layer having a cyan dye layer, a magenta dye layer, and a yellow dye layer arranged in a surface order on a substrate, and the cyan dye layer, the magenta dye layer, and the yellow dye The method according to claim 1, wherein the color material is thermally transferred in the order of layers to print image information.   7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising thermally transferring an optical change element layer onto the recording medium after printing the image information and / or the character information on the recording medium. The method described.   The method according to claim 7, further comprising embossing the image information forming unit on the image receiving layer after thermal transfer of the transparent protective layer and the optical change element layer.   The method according to claim 8, wherein the heating of the image information forming unit is performed by heat energy at the time of the embossing.   The information recording body obtained by the method as described in any one of Claims 1-9.

Images