JP2015037889A - Thermal transfer system, and thermal transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer system and a method which can prevent printed ID information from being identified from an ink omission part in an ink ribbon.SOLUTION: The thermal transfer system 10 includes a delivery section 16 for delivering the ink ribbon 13, a first transfer device 17 arranged in the downstream side of the delivery section 16, a winding section 21 for winding an ink-transferred ink ribbon 13, and a second transfer device 22 which is arranged near the winding section 21 and heats the ink-transferred ink ribbon 13 from a support layer 11 side with a predetermined pattern. When the thermal transfer is ended, the ink ribbon 13 of a length corresponding to a distance from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22 is wound by the winding section 21 while stopping the first transfer device 17 and operating the second transfer device 22. Consequently, the transfer pattern by the first transfer device 17, that is, the ID information printed on a transferred body 14 can be prevented from being identified from the ink-transferred ink ribbon 13.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer system and a thermal transfer method for transferring ink to a transfer target using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer.

  2. Description of the Related Art A transfer system that uses an ink ribbon to print an image such as a character on a transfer object such as a card is widely used. The ink ribbon includes a ribbon (support layer) extending in a strip shape, and an ink layer formed on the ribbon and containing a dye or the like. In printing using an ink ribbon, ink is transferred to a transfer medium in a pattern corresponding to a desired image to be printed.

  In this case, a portion of the ink ribbon that has been subjected to ink transfer has ink that has been removed due to transfer to the transfer target in a pattern corresponding to the printed image. For this reason, it is possible to specify the printed image from the ink ribbon after ink transfer. Therefore, when information to be concealed such as ID information is printed on a transfer target using an ink ribbon, care must be taken in handling the ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred.

  In order to cope with such a problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, a first transfer device that transfers ink in an ink layer of an ink ribbon in a first pattern onto a transfer target, and an ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred are wound There has been proposed a thermal transfer system including a winding unit and a second transfer device that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit and heats the ink ribbon after ink transfer from the support layer side. According to this thermal transfer system, the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon that is heated by the second transfer device has a second pattern that is different from the first pattern in the first transfer device, and the ink ribbon positioned inside the ink ribbon. It can transfer to a support layer, and it can prevent that the 1st pattern in a 1st transfer apparatus is specified from the ink ribbon by which ink was transferred.

JP 2011-255564 A

  The first transfer device, the second transfer device, the winding unit and the like are accommodated in a cassette, and the cassette is taken out when discarding the ink ribbon after ink transfer. In the thermal transfer system of Patent Document 1, the second pattern is not transferred by the second transfer device to the ink ribbon positioned between the first transfer device and the second transfer device. Therefore, after taking out the cassette, when the ink ribbon wound up by the winding unit is sent in the opposite direction, the first pattern transferred to the ink ribbon positioned between the first transfer device and the second transfer device is There was a risk of being visible from the outside. Further, the cassette is provided with an opening for taking in and out the second transfer device, and through this opening, the ink ribbon wound around the take-up portion, the first transfer device and the second transfer device. There is a possibility that the first pattern transferred to the ink ribbon positioned between the two may be visually recognized from the outside.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer system and a thermal transfer method that can prevent a printed pattern from being specified from an ink ribbon that has been subjected to ink transfer.

  The thermal transfer method according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a delivery unit that sends out an ink ribbon; and a first heating body that is disposed on a downstream side of the delivery unit and is provided on a support layer side of the ink ribbon. A first transfer device that transfers the ink of the ink layer in a first pattern to the transfer target, and a winding unit that is disposed on the downstream side of the first transfer device and winds up the ink ribbon after ink transfer And a second transfer device having a second heating body that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit and heats the ink ribbon after ink transfer from the support layer side. A step of operating one transfer device to transfer the ink of the ink layer of the ink ribbon to the transfer object in a first pattern; and a step of operating the second transfer device to change the ink layer of the ink ribbon. Transferring the ink in a second pattern different from the first pattern to a support layer of the ink ribbon located inside the ink ribbon, and stopping the first transfer device and operating the second transfer device Then, the ink ribbon is wound up by the distance from the first transfer device to the second transfer device by the winding unit, and the thermal transfer is finished.

  In the thermal transfer method according to an aspect of the present invention, the ink ribbon is wound by the winding unit by a distance from the first transfer device to the second transfer device, and then the ink ribbon is further wound by a predetermined length by the winding unit. The thermal transfer is completed by winding only.

  The thermal transfer method according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized in that when the ink ribbon is wound by a predetermined length by the winding unit, the ink ribbon is wound by a length corresponding to the outer peripheral length of the ink ribbon of the winding unit.

  In the thermal transfer method according to an aspect of the present invention, when the ink ribbon is wound up by a predetermined length by the winding unit, the second transfer device is operated to cause the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon to be in a second pattern. The ink ribbon is transferred to a support layer of an ink ribbon located inside.

  A thermal transfer system according to one aspect of the present invention is a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer target using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and a downstream portion of the delivery portion that feeds out the ink ribbon. A first transfer device that is disposed on the support layer side of the ink ribbon and that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon to the transfer target in a first pattern. A winding unit that is disposed on the downstream side of the first transfer device and winds up the ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred, and is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit, and the ink ribbon that has been transferred from the support layer side. In the second transfer device, comprising: a second transfer device having a second heating body to be heated; and the cassette for storing the delivery unit, the first transfer device, the winding unit, and the second transfer device. Previous The ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon heated by the second heating body is transferred to the support layer of the ink ribbon positioned inside the ink ribbon in a second pattern different from the first pattern, and is transferred to the box. (2) An opening for inserting and removing the transfer device is provided, and the opening is covered with an openable / closable shutter.

  In the thermal transfer system according to one aspect of the present invention, in the winding unit, the ink ribbon is wound so that the support layer of the ink ribbon is positioned outside the ink layer, and the second heating body includes the winding unit. The outermost ink ribbon is transferred from the outside so that the ink of the ink layer of the outermost ink ribbon is transferred in the second pattern onto the support layer of the ink ribbon positioned inside the outermost ink ribbon wound on the outer periphery. It is characterized by heating.

  The thermal transfer system according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a sensor that detects the end of the ink ribbon, and stops the first transfer device when the sensor detects the end of the ink ribbon. While operating the apparatus, the winding unit winds up the ink ribbon by a distance from the first transfer apparatus to the second transfer apparatus, thereby terminating the thermal transfer.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the printed pattern from being specified from the ink ribbon after ink transfer.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a thermal transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a view showing an ink ribbon that has been ink-transferred in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a diagram in which the ink of the ink ribbon is transferred in a first pattern in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of the ink ribbon after ink transfer shown in FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a winding device of the thermal transfer system of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a case where the second heating body of the second transfer device of the winding device shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow V. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of the second heating body and the ink ribbon shown in FIG. 5. FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing a state in which the ink in the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon is transferred in a second pattern to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a view showing the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon after the transfer shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B is performed, and FIG. 8B is the view shown in FIGS. The figure which shows the support layer of the inner side ink ribbon after the transfer shown is implemented. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a thermal transfer system according to a modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the overall structure of the thermal transfer system 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in the thermal transfer system Figure 1, a thermal transfer system 10 for transferring the ink 12a in a desired pattern on the transfer member 14 with the ink ribbon 13 and a support layer 11 and the ink layer 12, in the direction indicated by the arrow R ₁ a sending unit 16 for feeding the ink ribbon 13, a first transfer device 17 disposed on the downstream side of the delivery unit 16, it is arranged downstream of the first transfer device 17, the already ink transfer in the direction indicated by the arrow R ₂ A winding unit 21 that winds up the ink ribbon 13 and a second transfer device 22 that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit 21 and heats the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred from the support layer 11 side are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink ribbon 13 is conveyed along a plurality of guide rolls 15. Here, the winding unit 21 and the second transfer device 22 shown in FIG. 1 constitute a winding device 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first transfer device 17 includes a platen roll 19 that supports the transfer target 14 and a first heating provided so as to face the platen roll 19 with the ink ribbon 13 and the transfer target 14 interposed therebetween. And a body 18 (for example, a print head). As shown in FIG. 1, the first heating body 18 is provided on the support layer 11 side of the ink ribbon 13. The first heating body 18 heats the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 in a predetermined pattern (first pattern) corresponding to the ID information, whereby the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 is heated. The image is transferred to the transfer target 14 in the first pattern.

  Further, the delivery unit 16, the first transfer device 17, the winding unit 21, and the second transfer device 22 are accommodated in the cassette 1 as a whole. An opening 2 is provided in the upper surface 1a of the cassette 1 in the vicinity of the second transfer device 22 so that the second transfer device 22 can be taken in and out of the cassette 1. The opening 2 is connected to the upper surface 1a of the cassette 1 via a hinge 4. The shutter 3 is covered so as to be openable and closable. The cassette 1 is detachably mounted on a housing of an ID card making printer provided with a supply unit and a conveyance unit for the transfer target 14.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a case where the ink ribbon 13 after the ink 12a is transferred to the transfer target 14 in the first pattern is viewed from the ink layer 12 side, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the to-be-transferred body 14 to which the ink 12a of the ribbon 13 was transcribe | transferred by the 1st pattern. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, in the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred, the ink layer 12 is printed on the transferred material 14 and the ink 12 a remaining without being transferred to the transferred material 14. And the ink missing portion 12b corresponding to the ID information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b in the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred corresponds to the first pattern in the first heating body 18 described above. For this reason, it is possible to specify the ID information printed on the transfer medium 14 based on the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b.

Winding device now to FIG. 4, it will be described in detail winding device 20 of the thermal transfer system 10. As described above, the winding device 20 is provided in the vicinity of the roll-shaped winding unit 21 that winds up the ink ribbon 13 that has been subjected to ink transfer, and the winding unit 20. And a second transfer device (winding device transfer device) 22 for heating from the side. Among the second transfer device 22 includes a second heating element 23 made from a heater roll form, support mechanism for rotatably supported in the direction of a second heating member 23 in the arrow R ₃ (not shown) , Including.

(Winding part)
As shown in FIG. 4, in the winding unit 21 of the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 13 is wound so that the support layer 11 of the ink ribbon 13 is positioned outside the ink layer 12. As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 13 positioned on the outermost periphery among the ink ribbons 13 wound around the winding unit 21 is referred to as an outer ink ribbon 13A, and the outer ink ribbon 13A. The ink ribbon 13 wound around the winding portion 21 on the inner side and adjacent to the outer ink ribbon 13A is referred to as an inner ink ribbon 13B.

(Second transfer device)
Next, the second heating body 23 of the second transfer device 22 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a case where the second heating body 23 of FIG. 4 is viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow V, and FIG. 6 is a VI-VI line of the second heating body 23 and the ink ribbon 13 shown in FIG. FIG. In addition, when the ink ribbon 13 is wound around the winding unit 21, the wound ink ribbon 13 is actually curved along the roll surface of the winding unit 21, but in FIG. The ink ribbon 13 is drawn ignoring the state. Further, FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the outer ink ribbon 13A is pressed by the second heating body 23 and a part of the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is pressed against the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B. Therefore, for convenience, a slight gap is drawn between the outer ink ribbon 13A and the inner ink ribbon 13B. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer ink ribbon 13A and the inner ink ribbon 13B may be in contact with each other without any gap.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second heating body 23 includes protrusions 23 a arranged in a predetermined pattern (second pattern) on the outer periphery thereof. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, when the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated and pressed from the outside (the support layer 11 side) by the protrusion 23a of the second heating body 23, it remains in the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A. A part of the ink 12a being transferred is transferred onto the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B in the second pattern. The temperature of the second heating body 23 is such that the phenomenon that the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is melted over the entire region and the outer ink ribbon 13A and the inner ink ribbon 13B are bonded to each other does not occur. Is set low.

  Here, the second pattern in the protrusion 23 a of the second heating body 23 is set to be different from the first pattern in the first heating body 18. Therefore, by transferring a part of the ink 12a remaining in the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A onto the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B, the ID information in the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is transferred to the ID information. It is possible to destroy the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b including the corresponding first pattern. As a result, as will be described in detail later, it is possible to prevent the ID information printed on the transfer medium 14 from being specified based on the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b.

In the winding unit 21, the outer diameter of the roll body constituted by the ink ribbon 13 wound by the winding unit 21 increases as the winding proceeds. To accommodate the increased outer diameter of such a roll member, the second heating member 23 does not support mechanism (illustrated so as to be movable in the (direction indicated by the arrow D ₁ in FIG. 4) radially of the roll body ). Further, by supporting the second heating body 23 by such a support mechanism, the second heating body 23 is moved to the arrow when the winding drive is stopped or when the heating by the second heating body 23 is unnecessary. is moved in the D ₁ direction, it is possible to arbitrarily stop the contact with the ink ribbon 13 that is wound around the winding portion 21.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. Here, ID information is printed on the transfer target 14 by the first transfer device 17 of the thermal transfer system 10, and then the ink 12 a of the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13 A to which ink has been transferred is transferred by the second transfer device 22. The action transferred onto the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B in two patterns will be described.

  First, the transfer target 14 is prepared, and then the transfer target 14 is conveyed toward the first transfer device 17. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink ribbon 13 is sent out from the sending unit 16 toward the first transfer device 17.

  When the transfer body 14 reaches between the first heating body 18 and the platen roll 19 of the first transfer device 17, the first heating body 18 heats the ink ribbon 13 in the first pattern corresponding to the ID information. Press against the transfer body 14. As a result, the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred onto the transfer target 14 in a first pattern (first transfer step). As a result, ID information is printed on the transfer medium 14, and an ink missing portion 12 b corresponding to the ID information is formed in the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13.

  The ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred after passing through the first transfer device 17 is taken up by the take-up unit 21 of the take-up device 20. Then, in a state where the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred is wound up by the winding unit 21, the outer ink ribbon 13A is heated in the second pattern by the second transfer device 22 (second transfer step). Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B, the operation of heating the outer ink ribbon 13A in the second pattern by the second transfer device 22 will be described in detail.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, while rotating the second heating body 23 of the second transfer device 22 together with the winding unit 21, the second heating body 23 is moved from the outer side (the support layer 11 side) to the outer ink ribbon. Press against 13A. As a result, the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A is heated from the outside by the protrusion 23 a of the second heating body 23. For this reason, a portion of the ink 12a remaining on the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is pressed against the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B while being heated. As a result, as indicated by reference numeral 12c in FIG. 7B, a part of the ink 12a remaining in the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A is transferred onto the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B.

  FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a case where the outer ink ribbon 13A after being transferred by the second transfer device 22 is viewed from the ink layer 12 side, and FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating the second transfer device. 22 is a diagram illustrating a case where the inner ink ribbon 13B after the transfer by 22 is viewed from the support layer 11 side.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A has an ink missing portion 12b (1) having a first pattern based on a print pattern of ID information in the first transfer device 17, and a second pattern. An ink removal portion 12b (2) having a second pattern 26 based on the arrangement pattern of the protrusions 23a of the second heating body 23 in the transfer device 22 is formed. As shown in FIG. 8A, the first layer and the second pattern 26 are mixed in the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A. Therefore, the ink composed of the first pattern corresponding to the ID information. The pattern of the missing portion 12b (1) is destroyed to the extent that it cannot be recognized. As a result, it is possible to prevent the identification information printed on the transfer medium 14 from being specified based on the pattern of the ink missing portion 12b.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the ink 12 c is transferred from the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A by the second pattern 26 onto the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13 </ b> B by the second transfer device 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the ink 12c is partially formed with an ink missing portion 12d having a pattern based on the ink missing portion 12b formed of the first pattern of the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A. Has been. However, as shown in FIG. 8B, the ink missing portion 12d is only visually recognized in a region overlapping with the second pattern 26. Therefore, based on the pattern of the ink missing portion 12d, the transferred object is transferred. The ID information printed on 14 is not specified.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the thermal transfer is terminated, the following thermal transfer termination process is performed.

  That is, when the first transfer device 17 and the second transfer device 22 are stopped at the same time in order to complete the thermal transfer, the portion 13a of the ink ribbon 13 between the first transfer device 17 and the second transfer device 22 is not Only one pattern remains, and the second pattern is not transferred to this portion 13a, and the first pattern can be easily visually recognized from the portion 13a of the ink ribbon 13.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the thermal transfer is finished, the first transfer device 17 is first stopped, and the transfer of the ink 12a to the transfer target 14 is stopped.

  Then, the winding unit 21 winds the ink ribbon 13 by a distance (corresponding to the length of the portion 13a) from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22, and during this time, the second transfer device 22 is operated.

  In this way, both the first pattern and the second pattern can be transferred to the ink layer 12 to the portion 13a of the ink ribbon 13 from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22. As a result, only the first pattern does not remain on the ink ribbon 13.

  After the first transfer device 17 is stopped and the second pattern is transferred to the portion 13 a from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22, the winding unit 21 is further moved to the ink ribbon of the winding unit 21. You may make it wind up only 13 outermost circumference parts. In this case, since the outermost periphery of the ink ribbon 13 functions as a cover for the ink ribbon 13 wound up by the winding unit 21, the pattern of the ink ribbon 13 wound up on the winding unit 21 can be visually confirmed. It becomes more difficult.

  The outermost circumference of the ink ribbon 13 wound around the winding section 21 is the length of the outermost circumference of the ink ribbon 13 of the winding section 21 on the upstream side of the first transfer device 17 in the ink ribbon 13. The cover 13 may be formed by winding about half the length of the outermost circumference of the ink ribbon 13.

  Further, when the winding unit 21 is further wound by the outermost circumference of the ink ribbon 13, the first transfer device 17 is of course stopped, but the second transfer device 22 is operated to apply the second pattern to the ink ribbon 13. Transfer may be performed, and both the first transfer device 17 and the second transfer device 22 may be stopped.

  After performing such thermal transfer end processing, the operation of the thermal transfer system 10 is stopped and the cassette 1 is taken out.

  As described above, the ink ribbon 13 having been transferred by the ink taken up by the take-up unit 21 of the take-up device 20 is heated by the second transfer device 22 from the outside in the second pattern. Then, a series of ink-transferred ink ribbons 13 are taken up by the take-up unit 21 and heated from the outside with the second pattern 26 by the second transfer device 22, and then the ink ribbon 13 is removed from the take-up unit 21. Discard. At this time, no adhesion treatment is performed between the ink ribbons 13 wound on the winding unit 21, for example, between the outer ink ribbon 13 </ b> A and the inner ink ribbon 13 </ b> B. It can be easily removed from the winding unit 21. Therefore, the winding unit 21 can be used repeatedly. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the cost for processing the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred, compared to the case where the winding unit 21 is discarded together with the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the thermal transfer system 10 is arranged on the downstream side of the delivery unit 16 that sends out the ink ribbon 13 and on the support layer 11 side of the ink ribbon 13. A first transfer device 17 having a heating body 18 and transferring the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the ink ribbon 13 to the transfer target body 14 in a first pattern; and a downstream side of the first transfer device 17. A winding unit 21 that winds up the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred, and a second heater 23 that is provided in the vicinity of the winding unit 21 and that heats the ink ribbon 13 to which ink has been transferred from the support layer 11 side. A transfer device 22. For this reason, the ink 12a of the ink layer 12 of the outer ink ribbon 13A heated by the second transfer device 22 is positioned inside the outer ink ribbon 13A with a second pattern 26 different from the first pattern in the first transfer device 17. Can be transferred to the support layer 11 of the inner ink ribbon 13B. As a result, it is possible to prevent identification of the first pattern in the first transfer device 17, i.e., the ID information printed on the transfer medium 14, from the ink ribbon 13 that has been ink-transferred.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the thermal transfer is finished, the first transfer device 17 is first stopped to stop the transfer to the transfer target 14. Next, the winding unit 21 winds the ink ribbon 13 by a distance from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22 to operate the second transfer device 22, so that only the first pattern remains on the ink ribbon 13. There is no. Furthermore, the ink ribbon 13 can be wound up by the winding unit 21, and a portion functioning as a cover cover can be provided on the outermost periphery of the ink ribbon 13.

  Furthermore, since the opening 2 through which the second transfer device 22 is taken in and out of the cassette 1 is provided, the second transfer device 22 can be inserted into the cassette 1 through the opening 2 or the second transfer device in the cassette 1 can be inserted. 22 can be easily taken out through the opening 2. Furthermore, by covering the opening 2 with the shutter 3, it is possible to prevent the first pattern of the ink ribbon 13 wound around the winding portion 21 from being visually recognized through the opening 2.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first transfer device 17 counts the number of transfer target members 14 to which the first pattern is transferred. When the count value reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the end of the ink ribbon 13 is approaching, and thermal transfer is performed. An end process may be performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the thermal transfer termination process from being performed due to an insufficient ink ribbon length. In addition, a display unit (not shown) for displaying the count value is provided, and the user inputs an end instruction from the operation unit (not shown) based on the displayed count value, thereby performing the thermal transfer end process. You may do it. In addition, when the count value reaches a predetermined value, a notification unit may be provided that notifies the user of the fact by emitting light or generating a sound with a predetermined light emission pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a sensor 30 that detects the end of the ink ribbon 13 is provided between the sending unit 16 and the first transfer device 17, and thermal transfer end processing is performed when the end of the ink ribbon 13 is detected by the sensor 30. You may do it.

  For example, a transparent film is bonded to the end of the ink ribbon 13, and the sensor 30 detects the end of the ink ribbon 13 based on the difference in the amount of transmitted light. In addition, a silver tape or the like is attached to a location upstream by a predetermined length from the end of the ink ribbon 13, and the sensor 30 detects the end of the ink ribbon 13 based on the reflected light.

  The length of the transparent film or the length from the silver tape attachment point to the end of the ink ribbon 13 is the distance from the first transfer device 17 to the second transfer device 22 (the length of the portion 13a). It is preferable that it is more than what added the length of one body 14. Thereby, when the sensor 30 detects the end of the ink ribbon 13, the ink ribbon 13 located between the first transfer device 17 and the second transfer device 22 and the sensor 30 detects the end of the ink ribbon 13. Thermal transfer end processing can be performed on the ink ribbon 13 that has been pattern-transferred to the transfer target 14 at times.

  A lock mechanism that holds the cassette 1 until the thermal transfer end process is completed may be provided.

  Further, a sensor for detecting the attachment / detachment of the cassette 1 may be provided so that an alert (screen display or sound) is issued when the cassette 1 is taken out before the thermal transfer end process is completed. Further, when the cassette 1 is loaded after this alert, the user may be able to select whether to start (restart) the thermal transfer end process.

  In the above-described embodiment, the second heating body 23 made of a roll-shaped heating element has been described. However, as another example, a second heating body made of a thermal head may be provided. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cassette 2 Opening 3 Shutter 10 Thermal transfer system 11 Support layer 12 Ink layer 12a Ink 12b Ink omission part 12c Ink transferred on the support layer by the second transfer device 13 Ink ribbon 13A Outer ink ribbon 13B Inner ink ribbon 14 Transfer object DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Guide roll 16 Delivery part 17 1st transfer device 18 1st heating body 19 Platen roll 20 Winding device 21 Winding part 22 2nd transfer device 23 2nd heating body 23a Protrusion part 26 2nd pattern 30 Sensor

Claims (3)

In a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer object using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer,
A delivery section for delivering the ink ribbon;
A first heating element is provided on the downstream side of the delivery unit and provided on the support layer side of the ink ribbon, and the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon is transferred to the transfer target in a first pattern. A first transfer device,
A winding unit that is disposed on the downstream side of the first transfer device and winds up the ink ribbon after ink transfer;
A second transfer device provided in the vicinity of the winding unit and having a second heating body that heats the ink ribbon after ink transfer from the support layer side;
A cassette for storing the delivery unit, the first transfer device, the winding unit, and the second transfer device;
With
In the second transfer apparatus, the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon heated by the second heating body is applied to the support layer of the ink ribbon positioned inside the ink ribbon in a second pattern different from the first pattern. Transcribed,
An opening for inserting and removing the second transfer device in the box is provided, and the opening is covered with an openable / closable shutter. In the winding unit, the ink ribbon is wound so that the support layer of the ink ribbon is positioned outside the ink layer,
The second heating body transfers the ink of the ink layer of the outermost ink ribbon in the second pattern to the support layer of the ink ribbon positioned inside the outermost ink ribbon wound up by the winding unit. The thermal transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the outermost ink ribbon is heated from the outside. A sensor for detecting the end of the ink ribbon;
When the sensor detects the end of the ink ribbon, the winding unit removes the ink ribbon from the first transfer device to the second while stopping the first transfer device and operating the second transfer device. The thermal transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer is completed by winding up a distance to the transfer device.

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