JP3033283B2 - Thermal transfer recording apparatus and ink paper loading method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus, and more particularly to a thermal transfer recording apparatus which performs recording using a cassette of ink paper for thermal transfer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when performing thermal transfer recording,
Ink transfer is performed on the recording paper by superposing the ink paper on which the ink is applied on the recording paper and heating the recording paper from above with a thermal head configured by arranging the heating elements in a line.

Conventionally, this kind of ink paper has been disclosed in, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 67278/67 discloses a type in which both a supply reel and a take-up reel for ink paper are housed in a single cassette and can be easily attached to and detached from a thermal transfer recording apparatus. I have. That is, in this conventional example, there are two rollers, namely, a feed-out roller (supply reel) around which unused ink paper is wound and a roller (take-up reel) which winds up used ink paper. In this state, recording is performed by mounting a cassette rotatably supported at a certain interval with the ink paper passed over the thermal transfer recording apparatus.

[0004]

In the above-described thermal transfer recording apparatus, the ink paper is replaced together with the ink paper cassette. Therefore, the used ink paper has been discarded together with the supply reel, the take-up reel, and the ink paper cassette containing them. Originally, reusable reels and cassette casings are discarded, which is very uneconomical in terms of cost, and the amount of waste is unnecessarily increased, thereby causing a problem of waste disposal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides an ink paper loading method capable of supplying ink paper with a simpler structure, an ink paper used therefor, and a thermal transfer recording apparatus. To provide.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention , heating elements are arranged in a line.
It has a thermal head and a platen facing the thermal head.
The ink paper and the recording paper, and use the thermal head and platen
While holding the recording paper, insert it with the thermal head.
The thermal transfer recording device heats the paper and transfers it to the recording paper.
And a roll of ink paper on which ink paper is wound in advance.
There is a storage section inside which is used for storing used ink paper.
Package and the package
Guide and the ink paper roll
The bearing and the bearing are supported
The bearings are located on opposite sides of the Latin
Package independent of the ink
Supplied ink paper is sent to storage unit via platen
It is characterized by being constituted so that it may be. Ma
In addition, the present invention provides a structure in which heating elements are arranged in a line.
A thermal head and a platen facing the thermal head.
The ink paper and the recording paper, and use the thermal head and platen
While holding the recording paper, insert it with the thermal head.
Heat transfer configured to heat paper and transfer it to recording paper
In the ink paper loading method for a copying and recording apparatus, the ink paper
To form an ink paper roll.
In a package of approximately the same size as this,
Remove the ink paper roll from this package and heat transfer
Removable and rotatable on bearings provided in the recording device
On the thermal transfer recording device
The guide is detachably attached to the guide section, and finished using ink paper.
When the ink cartridge is used, the package is
Ink paper roll so that paper can be discarded while stored
Used paper supplied to the platen from
Send to and store in the space as a storage unit in the package
It is characterized by the following .

[0007]

[Function] To supply the ink paper to the user, use the ink paper roll.
It is stored in a package of almost the same size as this
Remove the ink paper roll from the package and record thermal transfer
Removably and rotatably mounted on bearings provided in the device
Stores the package when finished using ink paper
Can be discarded with used ink paper stored in the department
So that it is supplied from the ink paper roll to the platen
Used ink paper as a storage unit in the package.
Used ink can be sent to space and stored
It is easy to dispose of paper, and
The package is almost the same size as the paper roll.
The amount of waste can be reduced. Store from ink paper roll
The transfer of the ink paper to the storage unit is performed by a drive provided in the recording device.
This is done by rollers.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of an ink paper package used in a method of loading ink paper studied in the process leading to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an ink sheet on which three color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan are sequentially applied to perform color recording; 102, an ink sheet roll on which an unused ink sheet is wound; A roll core of the ink paper roll, 104 is a package containing the ink paper on the roll, and 107 is a barcode representing the type of ink paper provided on the package.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the ink paper package shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 104 and 105 denote partitions provided inside the package 104, and reference numeral 106 denotes a cavity for filling used ink paper.

In the plan studied in the process leading up to the present invention , the roll 102 is wound so that the ink-coated surface of the ink paper 101 is on the inside. Also, ink paper 1
01 is adhered to the wall surface of the cavity 106.
The length of the winding core 103 is substantially equal to the width of the inner surface of the package 104 to prevent the ink paper roll 102 from blurring in the left-right direction. Package 104 and winding core 10
Material 3 is made of paper or synthetic resin.
Windows are opened on the upper and lower surfaces of the package 104, and the ink paper 101 is exposed.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a thermal transfer recording apparatus using the ink paper package 101 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 301 denotes a platen; 302, a thermal head; 303, a guide for ink paper attached to the thermal head; 304, a driving roller for recording paper; 305, a pinch roller; 308, an ink paper brake; 309, a roller;
10 is a recording paper guide, 311 and 312 are packages 1
Reference numeral 313 denotes a barcode reading unit, and reference numeral 314 denotes a recording sheet. In addition, components that perform the same operations as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 3, the ink paper 101 is sent out from the roll 102, and the brake paper 308 and the roller 3
09, passes under the guide 303, is guided between the thermal head 302 and the platen 301, contacts the recording paper 314, is wound by the rollers 306 and 307, and is sent to the cavity 106.

The brake 308 has a felt attached to its tip and is configured to be pressed in the direction of the roller 309 by a spring. The ink paper 101 is guided between the brake 308 and the roller 309, and the ink paper 1
A constant tension is applied at the time of feeding of No. 01.

The surfaces of the rollers 306 and 307 are provided with a rubber coating or fine irregularities, so that the ink paper 1
01 is transported in the direction of arrow A, and the used ink paper is sent out to the cavity 106. The roller 307 is driven and rotated via a clutch (not shown), and can perform a feeding operation while applying a predetermined tension to the ink paper 101.

The drive roller 304 has fine irregularities formed on the surface of the rigid body by thermal spraying or the like. The surface of the pinch roller 305 is covered with an elastic body such as rubber. The recording paper 314 can be sandwiched between the driving roller 304 and the pinch roller 305, and the driving roller 103
The recording paper 106 is conveyed by being rotated by a driving source (not shown).

The recording paper 314 is nipped and conveyed by a driving roller 304 and a pinch roller 305,
1 through the upper surface of the recording paper guide 310.

The pinch roller 305 is pressed against the drive roller 304 by an elastic member such as a spring. At the time of standby or after the end of recording, the pinch roller 104 floats by a driving unit (not shown) to release the nipping of the recording paper.

The heat-sensitive head 302 slightly flies to the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in the drawing during standby, and is pressed against the platen 301 during recording.

The bar code reading means 313 is configured by arranging, for example, photo sensors, and reads a bar code 107 provided on the package 104.

Next, the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.

First, the thermal head 302 and the brake 30
8. The roller 306 rises up to the position shown by the dotted line in the figure in conjunction with the opening movement of the lid (not shown) of the apparatus. From the space opened by opening the lid, the package 10
4 is mounted inside the apparatus according to guides 311, 312. Next, the lid is closed, and the thermal head 302 and the brake 30 are closed.
8. Install the roller 306 at a predetermined position. The barcode reading means 313 is provided at a position facing the barcode 107, and determines the type of ink paper based on the read value.

Now that the loading of the ink paper has been completed, the recording operation will be described.

First, the thermal head 302 floats up to the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Prior to the start of printing, the roller 307 is rotated to feed the ink paper 101 to a printing start position. The ink paper 101 sent out has a hollow portion 10.
Stored at 6. Next, the recording paper 314 is supplied to the drive roller 304 by a paper supply unit (not shown). The recording paper 314 is nipped by the driving roller 304 and the pinch roller 104, and is conveyed in the direction of arrow C to a predetermined recording start position.

Thus, the initial positions of the recording paper 314 and the ink paper 101 have been set.

Next, the thermal head 302 is pressed against the platen 301 by pressing means (not shown) to
And the recording paper 314. Next, the thermal head 302
To start thermal transfer recording. During the thermal transfer recording operation, the drive roller 304 conveys the recording paper 314 at a predetermined speed.

At the same time, the roller 307 is driven to rotate, and the ink paper 101 is conveyed. The ink paper is sent out while a predetermined tension is applied by the brake 308. Further, since the roller 307 is driven via a clutch, the recording paper 314 is fed at the same speed as the transport speed.

After the completion of the thermal transfer recording, the thermal head 302
Slightly floats at the position of the dashed line in the figure. On the other hand, the drive roller 304 continues to convey the recording paper 314 in the direction of arrow B and is discharged by a discharge means (not shown).

In the case where a plurality of color inks are to be printed on the same screen in order to perform color printing, the printing paper 314 is conveyed again in the direction of arrow C and set at a predetermined printing start position. The thermal transfer recording may be performed in the same manner as described above.

As described above, thermal transfer recording is performed.

After all the ink papers have been used, the entire package may be replaced. In addition, it is easy to temporarily replace ink paper of a different type before it is used up.

In the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, since the roll of unused ink paper is housed in a simple package, the usability is not impaired. Only
And the package 104 contains the unused ink paper.
The part for storing the paper roll 102 and the used ink paper
A part that connects these parts with the cavity 106 to be stored
Package after use of ink paper
When discarding, the amount of waste is large, and the problem cannot be solved.

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Will be described.

In the figure, reference numeral 401 denotes a winding core, 402 denotes a package, and 403 denotes a partition for fixing the winding core. In addition, the same operation as that shown in FIG. 1 is denoted by the same reference numeral, and FIG. 5 shows a top view of the ink paper roll 102 shown in FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 404 denotes a winding shaft of an ink paper roll, 405 denotes a rotation stop, and 406 and 407 denote grooves provided at both ends of the winding shaft. As shown in the figure, the winding core 401 includes a winding shaft 404, a detent 405, a groove 406,
407.

In the embodiment described above, the roll 102 is wound so that the ink-coated surface of the ink paper 101 is on the inside. The end of the ink paper 101 is adhered to the inner wall of the package 402. A cut is made on the side surface of the package 402, and a gap is opened to allow ink paper to pass from the cut with the lid closed. A bar code (not shown) indicating the type of ink paper is printed on the side opposite to the cut. The detent 401 has a shape in which a part of a disk is cut out,
Does not roll when placed on a flat surface. Grooves 406, 407
Have different groove diameters.

During transportation, the ink paper roll 102 is stored in the package 402. A notch is formed in the partition 403 so that the grooves 406 and 407 of the winding core 410 are fitted therein, so that the partition 403 is stably held during transportation.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a thermal transfer recording apparatus using the ink paper package shown in FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 601 denotes a bearing. In addition, components that perform the same operations as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the embodiment described above, the bearing 601 is fitted with the grooves 406 and 407 of the winding core 401. The hole diameter of the bearing 601 depends on the shaft diameter of the grooves 406 and 407.
Since they are different on the near side and on the far side in the figure, they cannot be fitted in reverse.

Next, a method of loading the ink paper of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 will be described.

First, the ink paper roll 102 is taken out of the package 402, and the package is closed again. Next, the heat-sensitive head 302, the brake 308, and the roller 306 are moved up to the position shown by the dotted line in the figure in conjunction with the opening movement of the lid (not shown) of the apparatus. The package 402 is mounted inside the apparatus according to the guides 311 and 312 from the space opened by opening the lid. At the same time, the grooves 406 and 407 of the core 401 are
Fit it. Next, the lid is closed, and the thermal head 302, the brake 308, and the roller 306 are installed at predetermined positions. The barcode reading means 313 is provided at a position facing the barcode 107, and determines the type of ink paper based on the read value.

Thereafter, thermal transfer recording is performed in the same manner as shown in FIG.

After all of the ink paper has been used, the package and the core may be taken out, the core may be stored in the package, and then discarded. When the ink paper is temporarily replaced with a different kind of ink paper before use, the package and the ink paper roll may be taken out, and different ink may be newly loaded. The temporarily removed ink paper is stored by storing the ink paper roll in a package.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the package of the ink paper studied in the process leading to the present invention .

In the figure, reference numeral 701 denotes a brake;
Is a lid, and 703 is a package. In addition, components that perform the same operations as those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this example , the point that the package 703 is provided with the brake 701 and the lid 702 is shown in FIG.
Differs from what is shown . The package 703 is made of a synthetic resin or the like. The tip of the brake 701 is attached with felt or the like, and is pressed against the partition 104 by the elasticity of the material of the package 703. Brake 70
1, a predetermined tension is applied to the ink paper 101. The lid 702 is made of a partition 105 by the elasticity of a normal material.
And the ink paper 10 sent to the cavity 106
1 is prevented from coming out. When installed in the recording device, the lid is opened by opening and closing means provided in the device.

The ink paper used in the embodiment of the present invention may be as shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 801 denotes perforations (both edges) provided at both ends of the ink paper 101. Perforation 8
No. 01 is provided with a slightly rigid film portion 804 on the edge of the ink paper 101 and provided on the film portion 804.

FIG. 9 shows ink paper feed rollers 802 and 803 of the recording apparatus using the ink paper shown in FIG. The roller 803 has
A protrusion is provided on the circumference, and the perforation 801 meshes with the protrusion, and the ink paper 101 is transported.

When the ink paper shown in FIG. 8 is used, in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, rollers 306 and 307 are replaced by rollers 802 and 80 shown in FIG.
Replace it with 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ink paper is reliably transported. The perforations may be on one side only. When provided on both sides as shown in FIG. 8, the ink paper does not shift left and right.

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[0110]

According to the present invention, ink paper can be supplied with a simpler structure, so that ink paper can be supplied at low cost and the amount of waste can be reduced.

[0111]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an ink paper package studied in a process leading to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section of the ink paper package shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a thermal transfer recording apparatus using the ink paper shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an ink paper package used in the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a top view of the ink paper roll shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a main part of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the ink paper package studied in the process leading to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view illustrating another example of the ink paper used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an ink paper feed roller of the thermal transfer recording apparatus using the ink paper shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101: Ink paper 102: Ink paper roll 104: Package 301: Platen 302: Thermal head 314: Recording paper.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Tomatsuri 1410 Inada, Katsuta-shi, Ibaraki Pref. Hitachi, Ltd. Tokai Plant (56) References JP-A-1-108082 (JP, A) JP-A-61- 69480 (JP, A) Fully open 1988-189650 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 17/38 B41J 17/32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heat-sensing device in which heating elements are arranged in a line.
A head and a platen facing the thermal head,
Put the ink paper and the recording paper on top of each other and
Sandwiched between serial platen, the thermal transfer recording apparatus for <br/> transferred onto the recording paper by heating the ink sheet by the <br/> thermal head while conveying the recording paper, the ink sheet is previously wound Has an ink paper roll and a storage unit , which is a space for storing used ink paper.
Package and this package is
Guide and the ink paper roll are detachable and rotatable
A bearing portion for freely supporting, the guide portion and the shaft
The receiving portions are provided on opposite sides of the platen.
The bearing is provided independently of the package.
And the ink paper supplied from the ink paper roll is
It is configured to be sent to the storage unit via the platen.
A thermal transfer recording device characterized by being formed . 2. The storage section is capable of storing the ink paper roll.
The ink paper roll stored in the storage unit.
Is configured to be taken out and mounted on the bearing portion.
2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Place . 3. A heat-sensitive device in which heating elements are arranged in a line.
A head and a platen facing the thermal head,
Put the ink paper and the recording paper on top of each other and
Sandwiched between serial platen, ink KamiSo of the recording paper the <br/> thermal transfer recording device configured to perform <br/> transferred onto the recording paper by heating the ink sheet by the thermal head while conveying the
In the filling method , the ink paper is wound to form an ink paper roll, and the ink paper roll is packaged with a package having substantially the same size.
And take out the ink paper roll from this package.
It is detachable from the bearing part provided in the thermal transfer recording device and
The package is mounted rotatably and the package is
The package is detachably mounted on a guide section provided in the copying / recording apparatus, and the package is moved forward when the ink paper has been used.
In a state of accommodating the spent Mino ink paper to the serial Chikuzo portion
Remove the platen from the ink paper roll so that it can be discarded.
The used ink paper that has been supplied to the
And send it to the space as a storage unit in the storage
A method for loading ink paper in a thermal transfer recording apparatus.