JP2851798B2 - Thermal transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a thermal transfer device for thermally transferring an image of a photographic paper for thermal transfer prepared by a video printer or the like to a surface of a mug or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a system has been developed for producing and enjoying a unique mug by transferring an image such as a photograph of one's favorite onto the surface of the mug.
An outline of such a system is shown in FIG. Thermal transfer to a mug is performed as follows. As shown in FIG.
First, a desired image is converted into a video signal by reading a video camera or a photograph with a scanner (step 6).
0).

Next, a video signal from a video camera or a scanner is taken into a video printer, and image data processing such as setting of a desired screen and a transfer area is performed (step 62). Then, a transfer print paper (photographic paper) 3 is prepared. At this time, a transfer paper for the mirror mode or the normal mode can be produced according to the mode setting of the video printer (step 64).

Next, the transfer surface of the transfer print paper 3 is brought into close contact with the side surface of the mug 2 and attached using a paper tape 4 or the like (step 66). Then, the mug 2 on which the transfer print paper 3 is stuck is mounted on a thermal transfer device and heated while applying pressure, so that the ink on the surface of the transfer print paper 3 is thermally transferred to the surface of the mug 2 (step 68).

After cooling the mug, the transfer printing paper 3 is peeled off from the surface of the mug 2. Thereby, a desired image is transferred to the surface of the mug 2 (step 70).

Here, the thermal transfer step (step 68) using a conventional thermal transfer apparatus will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional thermal transfer apparatus, and FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line BB. FIG.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 11, the conventional thermal transfer device includes a fixed pressure heater 80a and a movable pressure heater 80b. The fixed pressure heater 80a is fixed on the base of the apparatus, has a cylindrical concave portion along the side surface of the mug 2, and has a heating block 81 in which a heater is built in;
And a silicon rubber 82 that covers the surface of the semi-cylindrical concave portion of the heating block 81. In addition, the moving pressure heater 8
Reference numeral 0b, like the fixed pressure heater 80a, has a heating block 83 provided with a semi-cylindrical recess and a heater for heating, and a silicon rubber 82 covering the surface of the semi-cylindrical recess of the heating block 83.

The movable pressure heater 80b moves to the fixed pressure heater 80a with the mug 2 mounted between the fixed pressure heater 80a and the movable pressure heater 80b, and is adhered to the surface of the mug 2 The heating operation is performed while pressing against the transferred print paper 3. The heating blocks 81 and 83 are made of, for example, aluminum or the like, and are heated to 240 to 270 ° C. by a heater inside the heating blocks. In this case, the surfaces of the silicon rubbers 82 are heated to about 160 ° C. The moving pressure heater 80b presses the surface of the mug 2 with a pressing force of about 250 kg. By such an operation, the temperature of the mug 2 and the transfer printing paper 3 stuck on the side surface of the mug 2 are increased and pressurized, and the color ink on the surface of the transfer printing paper 3 is coated on the surface of the mug 2 by the resin layer. It penetrates into the inside and thermal transfer of the image is performed.

FIG. 11 shows a case where the transfer printing paper 3 is adhered to only one side surface of the mug 2. However, the transfer printing paper 3 is attached to the opposite side surface or both side surfaces. 3 can be attached and thermally transferred.

[0009]

However, in a ceramic mug, even if the cup has the same capacity, the size of the product may vary due to the nature of the material soil and the variation in shrinkage during sintering. In some cases, the upper edge and the lower edge of the cup are formed in a tapered shape having different dimensions. In FIG. 11, the shape of such a mug is exaggerated. Usually, the mutual pressurizing surfaces of the fixed pressurizing heater 80a and the moving pressurizing heater 80b are formed in a shape along the side of the body of the mug cup 2. However, due to the dimensional variation of the mug product as described above, for example, as shown in FIG.
In some cases, the contact surface of the silicon rubber 82 of 80b and the side surface of the mug 2 may hit one side. When pressure is applied by the moving pressure heater 80b in such a state, a pressing force acts locally, causing a problem that the transfer state of the transfer print paper 3 becomes sparse or the mug 2 is damaged. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer apparatus capable of performing uniform pressing and heating treatment without causing breakage or the like even for a mug having dimensional variations.

[0011]

A thermal transfer apparatus according to the present invention comprises a cup support for supporting a lower side surface of a cup in a state where the cup is turned over, and an upper side surface of the cup to which a thermal transfer photographic paper is stuck. And a pressurizing heating element for heating and pressurizing. The pressurizing and heating element includes a pressing portion for closely pressing the surface of the thermal transfer printing paper attached to the cup and a heater for raising the temperature of the pressing portion to a predetermined temperature. Further, the cup support is a frame having a bottom plate, and a pair of cylindrical elastic members arranged substantially parallel to each other on the bottom plate at regular intervals and attached to the frame so as to be movable in directions in which respective longitudinal axes intersect. It is provided with.

In the thermal transfer device according to the limited aspect of the present invention, the columnar elastic member is formed of a hollow cylindrical member made of urethane resin. In the thermal transfer device according to a more limited configuration of the present invention, the columnar elastic member projects from the frame into the hollow interior of the columnar elastic member, and has a protrusion having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the columnar elastic member with respect to the frame. It is attached with rattling.

[0013]

In the cup support of the thermal transfer device of the present invention,
When the cup has parallel body side surfaces, the pair of columnar elastic members are located parallel to each other along the parallel side surfaces, and the pair of columnar elastic members and the cup side surfaces are in line contact at two places. By supporting the cup. Then, when the pressurizing action of the pressurizing heating element is applied, it is elastically deformed by its own elastic force and elastically supports the cup side surface.

When the side surface of the cup is formed in a tapered shape, the pair of columnar elastic members move in a C-shape along the tapered side surface to form a uniform shape along the side surface of the cup. Create a line contact condition. Then, when the pressing action by the pressurizing heating element is further applied, the cup is elastically deformed as described above to support the cup.

In particular, when the cylindrical elastic member is formed of a hollow cylindrical member made of urethane resin, the cup side surface is elastically supported by the elasticity of the urethane resin and the shape elasticity of the hollow cylinder.

Further, when the columnar elastic member is attached to the frame by a predetermined projection with a play,
The pair of columnar elastic members move along the side surface of the cup within the range of the play. Thereby, good linear contact between the pair of cylindrical elastic members and the cup side surface can be performed.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a thermal transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The thermal transfer device 1 has a cup support 20 that supports the mug to which the transfer print paper is adhered in a side-down state. Cup support 2
Numeral 0 is attached so that it can be moved in and out of the support surface 40 of the main body of the thermal transfer device in the front-rear direction. When the cup support 20 has been moved to the operating position, a pressure heater 10 for heating and pressing the mug is mounted on the upper portion thereof. The pressurizing heater 10 moves up and down in response to the up and down movement of the pressurizing handle 31.

The pressure handle 31 moves the pressure heater 10 up and down via the pressure mechanism 30. In the illustrated example, when the pressure handle 31 is lifted upward, the pressure heater 10 moves upward, and the mug is opened. When pressed down, the pressurizing heater 10 is lowered by the action of the pressurizing mechanism 30, and presses the surface of the mug with a predetermined pressing force. The pressing mechanism 30
Any mechanism that generates a predetermined pressing force may be used. For example, a booster using a link mechanism or a mechanism using hydraulic pressure, air pressure, or the like may be used.

An operation panel 50 is provided on the front surface of the thermal transfer device 1. The operation panel 50 is provided with an adjustment knob for adjusting the temperature of the heater 10, a timer knob for setting a heat transfer time, and the like, and a circuit and a mechanism for realizing the operation of each of them. Is provided.

Next, the detailed structures of the pressure heater 10 and the cup support 20 will be described. FIG. 2 shows a front view of the pressure heater 10. The pressurized heater 10
Heat insulation block 11 and heater 1 formed on its lower surface
2 and silicon rubber 13. The heat insulating block 11 is provided to reduce the heat capacity of the entire pressure heater 10 and reduce the power consumption of the heater 12. The heater 12 is made of a material having a small heat capacity and excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and has a hot wire drawn in a wave shape inserted therein. FIG. 3 shows a heating wire 14 in the heater 12 as viewed from the silicon rubber 13 side.
1 schematically shows the arrangement state of.

The silicon rubber 13 is connected to the heater 1
2 is attached to the surface. This silicon rubber 1
3 enhances the adhesion to the mug 2 and pressurizes the heater 1
It is provided to apply a uniform pressing force from zero.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cup support 20, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a line AA in FIG. The cup support 20 has a frame 24 and a pair of cylindrical supports 21 and 21 which are attached by locking bolts 23. Frame 24
Has a flat bottom plate 24 a, side walls 24 c, 24 c cut and raised along a pair of side edges thereof, and a pair of mounting plates 24 b, 24 b for mounting the cylindrical support 21.

The cylindrical support 21 is made of an elastic member having a hollow cylindrical shape. As the material of the elastic member, it is preferable to use a urethane resin, but a resin material having the same elasticity may be used. The inner diameter of the cylindrical support 21 is formed to be larger than the shaft diameter of the screw portion of the stop bolt 23, and the cylindrical support 21 can be arbitrarily placed on the bottom plate 24 a of the frame 24 according to the play due to the difference in diameter between the two. You can move.

Next, a thermal transfer operation using the pressure heater 10 and the cup support 20 will be described. FIG. 6 shows a heating and pressing state of the mug 2. Mug 2
Are arranged on the pair of cylindrical supports 21 and 21 of the cup support 20 such that the handle 2a faces in the horizontal direction and the side surface on which the transfer print paper is stuck faces upward.
Then, when the heater 12 is turned on and heated to a certain temperature, the pressurized heater 10 descends and pressurizes both side surfaces of the mug 2. At this time, the cylindrical supports 21 and 21 support the lower side surface of the mug 2, and act to apply uniform heating and pressurizing action from the pressure heater 10 to the upper side surface of the mug 2.

The operation of the cup support 20 will now be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the mug 2 has a dimension that expands in a tapered shape from the bottom toward the opening, the pair of cylindrical supports 21 and 21 are positioned between the set bolt 23 and the fixing bolt 23. It moves on the bottom plate 24a of the frame within the range of the rattling, and is located along the tapered side surface of the mug 2. As a result, the tapered side surface of the mug 2 and the surface of the cylindrical support 21 maintain a uniform contact state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the pressing heater 10 is lowered and a pressing force is applied, the cylindrical support 2
1 and 21 are elastically deformed by receiving a pressing force from the cup outer surface 2b of the mug 2 as shown in the figure. This increases the contact area between the cylindrical support 21 and the surface of the mug 2,
The support state of the lower side surface of the mug 2 by the cylindrical support 21 is more stable. In addition, the cylindrical support 21 is elastically deformed so that the pressing force from the pressure heater 10 uniformly acts on the side surface of the mug 2 along the longitudinal axis direction. By such an action, a state in which the silicon rubber 13 of the pressurized heater 10 and the upper side surface of the mug 2 are brought into contact with each other is prevented, and a uniform pressurizing operation is realized.

The image transferred by such a thermal transfer device is uniformly impregnated in the resin coating material of the mug 2. Therefore, a clear transfer image without color unevenness can be generated on the surface of the mug 2.

In the thermal transfer apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, since the pressurizing heater 10 is provided only on the upper side,
In one operation, the thermal transfer operation is performed only on the upper side surface of the mug 2. Therefore, when the heat transfer operation is performed on both sides, the heat transfer image can be generated on both sides by reversing the side surface of the mug 2 and performing the heat transfer operation again.

In the above embodiment, the cylindrical support 21 is attached by the fixing bolt 23.
Other mounting methods may be used as long as a movable state along the side surface of the mug 2 is ensured.

Further, the cylindrical support 21 is not limited to the case where the portion supporting the side surface of the mug cup is a hollow cylinder, but may be a solid cylinder.

[0031]

As described above, the thermal transfer apparatus according to the present invention is configured to provide the cup support having the pair of columnar elastic members movable along the side of the cup. At the time of pressurizing operation by the pressurizing heating element, it is possible to prevent problems such as transfer unevenness and breakage of the cup due to one-side contact with the cup surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a thermal transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front structural view of a pressure heater 10 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement state of heat rays of a heater 12 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan structural view of the cup support 20 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional structural view taken along a cutting line AA in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional structural view of a main part showing a thermal transfer state of the thermal transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the cup support 20.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a deformation operation of the cylindrical support 21.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the thermal transfer system to the surface of the cup.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a main part of a conventional thermal transfer device.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line BB in FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal transfer apparatus 2 ... Mug cup 3 ... Transfer printing paper 10 ... Pressurized heater 12 ... Heater 20 ... Cup support 21 ... Cylindrical support 23 ... Locking bolt 24 ... Frame

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cup support for supporting a lower side surface of a cup in a state where the cup is turned sideways, and a pressure heating element for heating and pressing an upper side surface of the cup to which a thermal transfer photographic paper is stuck. A heat transfer device having: a pressurizing element, wherein the pressurizing and heating element presses the surface of the thermal transfer photographic paper adhered to the cup in close contact with the surface, and heats the presser to a predetermined temperature. A heater having a bottom plate, a frame having a bottom plate, and the cup support is disposed substantially parallel to each other at a fixed interval on the bottom plate, and is movable so that each longitudinal axis crosses each other. A thermal transfer device, comprising: a pair of cylindrical elastic members attached to a frame. 2. The thermal transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the columnar elastic member is formed of a hollow cylindrical member made of urethane resin. 3. The cylindrical elastic member protrudes from the frame into the hollow of the cylindrical elastic member, and has a play against the frame by a protrusion having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical elastic member. 3. The thermal transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the thermal transfer device is attached with a key.