JP3697868B2 - Thermal transfer recording apparatus and thermal transfer recording method for maintaining confidentiality - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention automatically maintains confidentiality of recorded information Thermal transfer recording device and Thermal transfer recording method To the law Related.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, postcards containing important and confidential information such as notification of the amount charged for various charges, notification of transfer of refunds, notification of code numbers to be registered as customers, or other private information have been widely used. It has been broken. In this case, in order to protect secret information, a concealment label on which an opaque or hard-to-read print is applied is detachably laminated on an information portion to be concealed. Various proposals for these concealment labels have been made.
[0003]
In addition to various postcards, various proposals have been made to prevent others from easily knowing secret information relating to individuals such as salary statements, student grade report tables, facsimiles of confidential content, and the like.
[0004]
9 (a) and 9 (b) are diagrams showing an example of the above-described concealment label. FIG. 9 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. It shows. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, this concealment label 1 is a multilayer sheet in which a base material 2, a concealing layer 3 made of aluminum foil or the like, a transparent layer 4, an adhesive layer 5 and a release layer 6 are laminated. Consists of. The peeling layer 6 of the concealment label 1 is peeled off, and the adhesive layer 5 is pressed onto the printing surface of a recording paper 8 such as a postcard on which printing information 7 such as letters, numbers and symbols shown in FIG. Apply and apply. Therefore, in this state, a third party cannot see the print information 7 from the base material 1 side, thereby achieving secret protection.
[0005]
The addressee receives the postcard 8 to which the concealment label 1 is adhered, peels off the base material 2 and the concealment layer 3 from the transparent layer 4 at the line AA ′ shown in the figure, and passes through the transparent layer 4. The print information 7 can be read. The base material 2 and the concealing layer 3 are previously provided with perforations 9 so as to be easily peeled off. Moreover, the edge part of the transparent layer 4 is formed so that the adhesive layer 5-1 is formed, and only the periphery is adhered relatively strongly so that it is not accidentally peeled off when mailed (however, the above-mentioned A moderate adhesive force is formed between the concealing layer 3 and the transparent layer 4 indicated by the A-A ′ line by applying pressure with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer interposed, for example.
[0006]
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the concealment sealing sheet. The concealment sealing sheet 10 shown in the figure forms a thermoplastic resin layer 12 having physical properties such that it can be easily peeled but does not spontaneously peel on one side of a transparent substrate 11, and is formed on these outer surfaces. Heat-sensitive adhesive layers 13-1 and 13-2 are provided to form sheets, respectively. The concealment sealing sheet 10 is sandwiched between the description surface of the print information 14-1 of the recording paper 15-1 and the description surface of the print information 14-2 of the recording paper 15-2, and pressed while heating. Then, the recording sheets 15-1 and 15-2 are pasted to face each other. The sealed print information 14-1 and 14-2 can be read by peeling the recording papers 15-1 and 15-2 at the line BB ′ shown in the drawing.
[0007]
However, the concealment label 1 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B and the concealment sealing sheet 10 shown in FIG. 10 are both the recording paper 8 on which the print information 7 is described or the print information 14-1. , 14-2, the technology of the concealment label or the concealment sealing sheet itself provided to be attached to the recording paper 15-1, 15-2, the recording paper 8 or the recording paper 15-1, The correspondence with 15-2 was left to the full discretion of those who use these concealment labels or concealment sealing sheets.
[0008]
That is, in providing these concealment labels or concealment sealing sheets, there is no interest in the printing work on the recording paper and the concealment processing work by the concealment label or concealment sealing sheet on the printed recording paper. Not paid.
[0009]
For example, the concealment label shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b) can be provided as a single item in the same manner as a normal back-sticking label, and is manually attached to the printed surface of the recording paper when used. It will be. In addition, when it is desired to produce a large amount of such recording paper with secret protection, a special device for automatically performing the pasting operation is required. Similarly, in the case of the concealment sealing sheet shown in FIG. 10, if it is used in a small amount, the heat-sensitive adhesive is bonded manually using, for example, an iron in order to heat-melt the heat-sensitive adhesive. . In addition, a dedicated sticking device is required for a large amount of use, but these depend on the user's choice and are not known to the concealment label or concealment sealing sheet provider. .
[0010]
FIG. 11 (a) shows an example of a recording paper when a large amount of recording paper is concealed by a concealing sealing sheet, and FIG. 11 (b) performs the sealing operation by a dedicated device. The process in the case is shown schematically. This method is a technique based on the premise that the printing information 17 is printed on the continuous paper 16 by a dot marking printer as shown in FIG. The printed continuous paper 16 is folded in two at the center fold line 18, and the concealment sealing sheet 10 is sandwiched in the laminating machine 19 as shown in FIG. An information recording body 16a that can be sealed and kept secret is created. For example, in the case of a salary statement, the information recording body 16a is cut to a predetermined length corresponding to each individual. The person can remove the side end portion with the feed hole 22 along the perforation 23 and then peel off and open both sides of the information recording body 16a to read the print information 17 in FIG. .
[0011]
As described above, it is not easy to obtain a printed matter that can be kept confidential by printing in an arbitrary format, and requires a lot of work. However, as an example of creating a printed matter that can be kept secret without taking such trouble, there is a case in which the color-developing surface is previously covered with a peelable concealment sheet.
[0012]
FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) show an example of printing on a facsimile recording sheet so as to be kept secret as such an example. The facsimile recording paper 25 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is formed by forming a coloring layer 27 called a heat-sensitive layer on a base material 26 and laminating a peelable opaque covering member 28 integrally. It has become. In this method, the heating recording head 29a or 29b is caused to generate heat from the covering member 28 side of the recording paper 25 as shown in FIG. 6A or from the substrate 26 side as shown in FIG. Are printed (the coloring layer 27 is colored). This is because the recorded content can be read only when the receiver peels the covering member 28 from the base material 26. It can be said that this method is difficult in that the destination is not known until the covering member 28 is peeled off.
[0013]
FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are diagrams showing an example of a recording system that is known to eliminate the disadvantages of the above-described thermal coloring recording system. As shown in FIG. 2A, this type of recording paper is formed by laminating an image receiving paper main body 30 and a base paper 31 on which a thermal transfer ink layer 32 is formed, and further, a thermal paper 33 is placed thereon. It is formed by being laminated on the partial area. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the heat generating recording head 34 generates heat from the thermal paper 33 side, and general transmission items 35 such as names are recorded (colored) on the thermal paper 33 portion. The heat recording head 34 generates heat in an area other than the portion, that is, directly from the base paper 31 side, and secret information is printed (transferred) on the image receiving paper body 30 by the thermal transfer ink layer 32. As shown in FIG. 3C, the addressee first reads the address and general transmission items 35 on the thermal paper 33, and then peels the base paper 31 from the image receiving paper body 30 to thereby remove the image receiving paper body. The secret information recorded by the ink 32-1 thermally transferred onto the ink 30 can be read out.
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the recording method by thermal coloring or thermal transfer described above can surely perform printing between the recording paper to be printed and the concealment sheet, the concealment member is later added to the printed matter described in FIGS. Compared to the method of pasting the cover, it can be said that it is convenient as long as the work of pasting the concealing member is unnecessary, but the secret recording method of only thermal color development in FIG. 12 has the disadvantages already described. Further, the secret recording method using thermal color development and thermal transfer shown in FIG. 13 has a problem in that the area of the sheet on which the general transmission matter 35 such as the address is recorded is limited as a cover, although the disadvantages are solved. ing.
[0015]
Further, as a further problem, the methods shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 cannot be printed in full color. That is, in these recording methods, the recording information becomes a single color regardless of the secret information and the non-secret information. This cannot meet the demand for full-color printing, which has become stronger in the recent printing field market.
[0016]
In any case, the method for holding the secret record as shown in FIG. 9 to FIG. 13 is a corresponding technology on the image receiving paper side in the secret record, and a recording method and a recording apparatus for enabling the record information to be kept secret It is not an idea of the correspondence as, nor is such a technology.
[0017]
Therefore, for example, an information sender such as a postal document or a salary statement prints on a printed record information printing paper in a predetermined format, and then seals it with a special device or prints it in advance. This is sent by printing on a limited part of If the sender sends a large amount of secret printed matter, the business scale seems to be large, so there will be no great resistance to introducing a special device for mass transmission, but a small business entity or Individuals cannot be equipped with such special devices at all.
[0018]
Further, since the printed matter is preliminarily stylized, there is a considerable amount of dissatisfaction that once it has been stylized as such, it cannot be easily changed in form.
[0019]
An object of the present invention is to record information easily and confidentially in view of the above-described conventional situation. Thermal transfer recording device and Thermal transfer recording method The law Is to provide.
[0020]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
First, a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention (first invention) includes a thermal head that generates heat according to image information; A multi-color ink application surface and an ink non-application surface are arranged and formed in a surface sequential manner. Due to the heat generated by the thermal head On recording paper Ink is transferred Configured to A thermal ink ribbon, the above Thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising: paper supply means for supplying recording paper; and transport means for transporting the recording paper supplied by the paper supply means so as to pass through the arrangement portion of the thermal head via the thermal ink ribbon Return means for returning the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred to the paper supply means side from the thermal head; Opaque paper provided to be bonded to recording paper with thermoplastic adhesive Arrangement part of the thermal head To serve A masking paper supply means for feeding, a superimposing means for superimposing the opaque paper supplied by the masking paper supply means on the ink transfer surface of the recording paper returned by the return means, and the recording superposed by the polymerization means Transport the paper and the opaque paper to the thermal head placement section, A thermoplastic adhesive that controls the ink non-application surface of the thermal ink ribbon to be positioned at the thermal head disposition and that interposes the recording paper and the opaque paper superimposed by the polymerization means. To melt and bond Thermal head above Predetermined And a control means for heating the part.
[0021]
For example, the opaque paper is formed on the periphery as described in claim 2. the above A thermoplastic adhesive is formed so that the peripheral part and the central part other than the peripheral part can be separated from each other. Further, for example, as described in claim 3, an opaque substrate, a peelable adhesive layer, and a transparent Layer and formed at least at the periphery the above And a thermoplastic adhesive layer.
[0022]
Also, above Thermal The ink ribbon is, for example, a claim 5 As stated , A multi-color ink application surface, a thermoplastic adhesive application surface, and an application agent non-application surface are arranged in order.
[0023]
Further, the polymerization means is, for example, a claim 4 As described, the surface of the opaque paper on which the thermoplastic adhesive is formed and the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred are superposed, and for example, 7 As described, the opaque paper is configured to overlap the surface of the recording paper to which the ink and the thermoplastic adhesive have been transferred.
[0024]
The control means may be, for example, a claim 6 As described above, the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred is Thermal The return means for thermally transferring the thermoplastic adhesive of the ink ribbon and the above Thermal Configured to control the movement of the ink ribbon , Ma For example, claims 8 As described, the thermal ink ribbon supply control and the thermal head heat generation control are performed so as to record an image on the opaque paper superimposed on the recording paper by the fusion bonding. Term 9 As stated above Thermal Switching control of the heat generation temperature of the thermal head between the transfer of the ink on the ink ribbon, the thermal transfer of the thermoplastic adhesive, or the fusion bonding of the superimposed opaque paper and the recording paper Configured to do.
[0025]
Next, the claim 10 The thermal transfer recording method of the described invention (second invention) is based on the heat generated by the thermal head. Multi-colored ink application surface and non-ink application surface are arranged and formed in order A thermal transfer recording method for transferring ink on a thermal ink ribbon to a recording paper supplied to a heat transfer portion of the thermal head, wherein the recording paper on which the ink has been transferred is upstream of the heat transfer portion in the recording paper supply direction. Back to the heat transfer section Provided to be bonded with recording paper by thermoplastic adhesive Supply opaque paper, superimpose the supplied opaque paper on the ink transfer surface of the returned recording paper, transport the superimposed recording paper and the opaque paper to the heat transfer section, In order to heat and melt and bond the thermoplastic adhesive that interposes the superposed recording paper and the opaque paper so that the non-ink-applied surface of the thermal ink ribbon is positioned at the heat transfer portion. Thermal head above Predetermined A step of heating the part.
[0026]
And for example, claims 11 As described, on the periphery of the opaque paper the above A thermoplastic adhesive is formed so that the peripheral portion and the central portion other than the peripheral portion can be separated. For example, claims 12 As described, the opaque paper was formed on an opaque substrate, a peelable adhesive layer, a transparent layer, at least in the periphery. the above Laminated with a thermoplastic adhesive layer . Ma For example, claims 13 As described above, when the opaque paper and the recording paper are overlapped, the surface of the opaque paper on which the thermoplastic adhesive is formed and the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred are overlapped. For example, claims 14 As stated above Thermal The ink ribbon is formed by arranging a plurality of color ink application surfaces, a thermoplastic adhesive application surface, and a coating agent non-application surface in a surface sequential manner. For example, claims 15 As described above, the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred is Thermal The thermoplastic adhesive of the ink ribbon is thermally transferred. For example, claims 16 As described, the opaque paper is superimposed on the surface of the recording paper to which the ink and thermoplastic adhesive have been transferred. . Ma For example, claims 17 As described, supply control of the thermal ink ribbon and heat generation control of the thermal head are performed to record an image on the opaque paper superimposed on the recording paper by the fusion bonding. For example, claims 18 As stated above Thermal Switching control of the heat generation temperature of the thermal head between the transfer of the ink on the ink ribbon, the thermal transfer of the thermoplastic adhesive, and the fusion bonding of the superimposed opaque paper and the recording paper To do.
[0028]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the paper supply means includes, for example, the first paper supply roller 53, the paper supply cassette 42, and the like, and the conveyance means includes, for example, the first paper supply roller 53, the platen roller 49, the upper paper pressing roller 59, The lower sheet pressing roller 61 and the like, the returning means including, for example, the platen roller 49, the upper sheet pressing roller 59, the lower sheet pressing roller 61 and the like, and the opaque sheet including the concealing sheet sheets 52 and 83, for example, Is composed of, for example, a second paper feed roller 57, a second paper feed cassette 43, and the like, and the superimposing means is composed of, for example, a second transport path 58, an upper switching guide plate 56, and the like, and the control means is disposed in, for example, the electrical unit 50. The circuit board includes a control device, a drive system (not shown), and the like, and the thermoplastic adhesive includes, for example, hot melt adhesives 79 and 88.
[0029]
FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of a secret recording apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side sectional view schematically showing only the main part of the internal configuration. As shown in FIG. 2A, a secret recording device (hereinafter also referred to as a main unit) 40 includes an operation panel 41 on the upper right side of the front (left side in the figure). The operation panel 41 has a plurality of push button switches for turning on / off the power, switching between the normal printing mode and the confidential printing mode, switching the paper size, etc., and notification from input data and the control unit. A display device or the like for displaying is provided.
[0030]
Further, on the front surface of the main unit 40, a first paper feed cassette 42 that feeds recording paper (plain paper) downward, a second paper feed cassette 43 that feeds concealment sheet paper, and a paper discharge tray 44 above them. And a temporary standby tray 45 are detachably provided. A lid 46 for replacing the ink ribbon cartridge is provided on the upper part of the main body device 40.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 4B, the lid 46 can be rotated backward (in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4B) and opened to a position indicated by a two-dot chain line 46 ′. The ink ribbon cartridge storage inside 40 is exposed. An ink ribbon cartridge 47 indicated by a broken line in FIG.
[0032]
A thermal print head (thermal head) 48 that is supported on the back surface of the lid 46 via a support member (not shown) is disposed in the central space of the ink ribbon cartridge 47. The thermal head 48 is formed so as to have a length substantially the same as the width of the paper in the paper width direction, and generates heat corresponding to the maximum number of print pixels in the paper width direction at the leading end (the left end in FIG. 5B). Has a body. The leading end of the thermal head 48 that performs this heat generation printing is rotated up and down between a lower printing position and an upper non-printing position. The thermal head 48 shown in FIG. 5B shows a state where it is rotated to the upper non-printing position.
[0033]
A platen roller 49 is disposed directly below the ink ribbon cartridge 47 so as to face the thermal head 48. The platen roller 49 is also formed and arranged in the paper width direction so as to have a length substantially the same as the paper width. During printing (or when concealing sheet paper is joined), the thermal head 48 presses the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon cartridge 47 toward the platen roller 49 from above. The recording paper 51 is fed from the first paper feed cassette 42 to the pressure contact portion (printing portion) H where the thermal head 48 and the platen roller 49 are pressed against each other, and the concealment sheet paper 52 is fed from the second paper feed cassette 43. Is sent.
[0034]
The recording paper 51 is sent out to the first transport path 54 by the rotation of the first paper feed roller 53, and is guided by the lower switching guide plate 55 and the upper switching guide plate 56 indicated by solid lines in FIG. It is fed to H (thermal transfer section). On the other hand, the concealment sheet paper 52 is sent out to the second transport path 58 by the rotation of the second paper feed roller 57, and is supported coaxially with the upper paper presser roller 59 so as to be positioned at the right position indicated by the broken line 56 'in FIG. Is guided by the upper switching guide plate 56 that has been rotated and is fed to the printing portion H (thermal bonding portion). The lower switching guide plate 55 is also supported coaxially with the lower sheet presser roller 61 and is configured to rotate to an upper position indicated by a broken line 55 'in FIG.
[0035]
An electrical component 50 capable of mounting a predetermined number of circuit boards is disposed below the rear portion of the main unit 40 (lower side on the inner right side in FIG. 1B). A control device composed of a plurality of electronic components is mounted on the circuit board disposed in the electrical component 50.
[0036]
The above control device includes a controller unit and an engine unit, although not particularly shown. The controller unit comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Rewritable Read Memory), Frame Memory, Image Data Transfer Circuit, etc., and print data input from a host computer etc. Is analyzed, print data is created and transferred to the engine unit.
[0037]
The engine unit includes a CPU, a ROM, etc., and data and command signals from the controller unit, an output of a paper detection sensor (not shown), etc. are input to the input side, and a motor driver that drives a motor (not shown) to the output side A clutch driver that switches a drive system that transmits the drive of the motor to each unit, a print driver that heats the thermal head 48 based on the print data, and the like are connected. The engine unit drives and controls each unit based on data from the controller unit, a command signal, the output of the paper detection sensor, and the like.
[0038]
2A is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cartridge 47, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the ink ribbon accommodated in the ink ribbon cartridge 47 taken out together with the supply reel. As shown in FIG. 5A, the ink ribbon cartridge 47 includes a front reel holding portion 63 and a rear reel holding portion 64 which are passed between the two side frames 62a and 62b. A supply reel 65 is held by the rear reel holding unit 64, and a take-up reel 66 is held by the front reel holding unit 63.
[0039]
An unused portion of the ink ribbon 70 shown in FIG. The rear reel holder 64 is formed so as to cover substantially the entire supply reel 65 and the unused portion of the ink ribbon 70 attached to the supply reel 65 except for the delivery port of the ink ribbon 70. The frame 62a and 62b are connected to the front reel holder 63 and are integrally formed.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the ink ribbon 70 is formed by applying a yellow ink 72, a magenta ink 73, and a cyan ink 74, which are three primary colors for full color printing, to a predetermined length on a long base film 71. The base film 71 is applied in the surface direction in the longitudinal direction in the area unit corresponding to the size of the paper, and the ink-free portion 75 having the same area is continuously formed. The ink ribbon 70 is sequentially wound in the left direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 5B by a take-up reel 66 that rotates by engaging with a drive system (not shown) of the main body device 40, thereby supplying a supply reel 65. The unused part is pulled out from the printer and supplied to the printing part H shown in FIG.
[0041]
3A is a plan view and a bottom view showing the configuration of the concealment sheet paper 52 placed and accommodated in the second paper feed cassette 43 of the above-described secret holding recording apparatus 40, and FIG. 3B is finally obtained. It is a perspective view which shows the aspect of the recording body which can be kept secret. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, a perforation 78 is formed on the periphery of an opaque base material 76 except for one corner (starting to peel off) 77, and a back surface periphery that is outside the perforation 78. The hot melt adhesive 79 is laminated, and the transparent layer 81 is laminated on the entire back surface center portion which is inside the perforation 78. In the case where the hot melt adhesive 79 is formed only in the peripheral portion as described above, the central transparent layer 81 may be omitted. In FIG. 5B, the printed recording paper 51 and the concealment sheet paper 52 are overlapped and joined by the hot melt adhesive 79 by a thermal transfer recording method for performing confidential recording of the confidential recording apparatus 40 described later in detail. In addition, the mode of the secret recordable recording body 80 completed by overwriting the address name 82a, the public text 82b, the note 82c, and the like is shown. The concealment sheet paper is not limited to the concealment sheet paper 52, and various configurations are conceivable.
[0042]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the concealment sheet paper. The figure shows a plan view of the concealment sheet paper 83 on the top and a bottom view on the bottom. In the concealment sheet paper 83 shown in the figure, a peelable adhesive layer 86 is formed on the back surface of an opaque base material 84 except for one corner portion (part where peeling begins) 85, and a transparent layer 87 is formed thereunder. And a transparent hot melt adhesive layer 88 is formed thereunder. In this case, since the release layer 86 is formed on the entire surface, the transparent layer 87 is not always necessary. Also in this case, the hot melt adhesive layer 88 may be provided only at the peripheral portion as in FIG. In addition to this, various concealment sheet papers formed by a well-known configuration proposed in the past can be used as long as they can be used by this secret holding recording apparatus or method.
[0043]
FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) to FIG. 7 show secret holding recordings in which a secret holding record body is automatically created by a series of operations using the above-described concealment sheet paper and ordinary recording paper. 4 is an operation state diagram showing processing operations of the device 40. FIG. In the following, the processing operation for creating a recordable recording medium of the record keeping apparatus 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) to FIG.
[0044]
First, in FIG. 5A, plain paper (hereinafter also referred to as “paper”) 51 is fed from the first paper feed cassette 42 by the counterclockwise rotation of the first paper feed roller 53. The lower switching guide plate 55 rotates rightward to form a first conveyance path 54, and is guided by the first conveyance path 54, so that the leading edge of the sheet 51 is formed by a platen roller 49 and a lower sheet pressing roller 61. It is guided by the upper switching guide plate 56 that is pinched and rotated to the left, and is further pinched by the platen roller 49 and the upper paper pressing roller 59, and the thermal head 48 and the platen roller 49 are opposed to the printing unit H facing each other. It is brought in.
[0045]
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the thermal head 48 is rotated to the lower printing position, and the heating element at the leading end thereof is pressed against the platen roller 49 with the ink ribbon 70 superimposed on the paper 51. The platen roller 49 continues to rotate counterclockwise to convey the paper 51 onto the paper discharge tray 44 so that line-sequential printing can be performed for each main scan, and at the same time, the take-up reel 66 rotates in the clockwise direction. Then, an unused portion (yellow ink 72, see FIG. 2B) of the ink ribbon 70 is pulled out from the ribbon roll 70-0 attached to the supply reel 65 and supplied to the printing unit H. The thermal head 48 sequentially generates heat from the heating element according to the yellow print information, transfers the yellow ink 72 onto the paper 51, and forms a yellow image on one surface of the paper 51.
[0046]
When the yellow image formation is completed, the thermal head 48 is rotated to the upper non-printing position to release the pressure contact between the ink ribbon 70 and the paper 51 as shown in FIG. The lower switching guide plate 55 rotates to the left to form a paper feed path onto the temporary standby tray 45. The platen roller 49 sandwiches the paper 51 together with the upper paper pressing roller 59 and the lower paper pressing roller 61 and rotates in the clockwise direction, and discharges the rear end portion of the paper 51 onto the temporary standby tray 45. The take-up reel 66 rotates in the clockwise direction by a predetermined conveyance length to wind up the ink ribbon 70, and the leading end of the next color ink (in this case, magenta ink 73, see FIG. 2B). Is set in the printing section H.
[0047]
Thereafter, FIG. 5B and FIG. 6A are repeated to overlay the magenta image on the paper 51, and further, FIG. 5B and FIG. 6A are repeated to obtain the cyan image on the paper 51. Paint over. As a result, a full-color image with three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan is formed on the paper 51. The take-up reel 66 rotates again by a predetermined conveyance length in the clockwise direction to wind up the ink ribbon 70, and the leading end of the ink-free portion 75 (see FIG. 2 (b)) becomes the print portion H. Set.
[0048]
Here, as shown in FIG. 6B, the paper 51 on which the full-color image is formed is temporarily ejected on the temporary standby tray 45, and the leading edge thereof is the platen roller 49 and the lower paper pressing roller. It is stopped (standby) once in a state of being sandwiched by 61. On the other hand, simultaneously with the above, the second paper supply roller 57 rotates counterclockwise to feed the concealment sheet paper 52 from the second paper supply cassette 43 to the second conveyance path 58. The concealment sheet 52 is guided to the second transport path 58, taken over by the transport roller pair 89, and guided to the upper switching guide plate 56 rotated to the right, and the leading end of the concealed sheet 52 is in the standby state. Matches the tip of
[0049]
Subsequently, although not shown in the drawing, the platen roller 49 starts to rotate counterclockwise, and the conveyance roller pair 89 continues to rotate, so that the paper 51 is lowered and the concealment sheet paper 52 is raised. Overlapping and aligning the tips, the paper is conveyed to the printing unit H (thermal bonding unit).
[0050]
Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the thermal head 48 is rotated to the lower printing position so that the ink-free portion 75 (see FIG. 3B) of the ink ribbon 70 passes through the concealing sheet paper 52 and the paper 51 through the platen. A portion where the platen roller 49 is pressed counterclockwise and the platen roller 49 rotates counterclockwise to convey the concealment sheet paper 52 and the paper 51, and the thermal head 48 is formed with the hot melt adhesive 79 of the concealment sheet paper 52. Thus, the concealment sheet paper 52 is thermally bonded to the paper 51.
[0051]
Thereafter, the concealment sheet paper 52 and the paper 51 integrated by the thermal bonding are operated in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 6 (a), and once pulled back onto the temporary standby tray 45, FIG. In this case, the operation is performed in the same manner as described above, and a full-color overwrite is printed on the concealment sheet paper 52 this time. Then, the concealable recording sheet 80 completed by overwriting the address sheet 82a, the public text 82b, the cautionary note 82c, etc. on the concealment sheet paper 52 and the paper 51 are integrated (see FIG. 3B). ) Is discharged onto the discharge tray 44.
[0052]
The amount of heat Hi for transferring each color ink to the paper 51 and the amount of heat Hm for melting the hot melt adhesive 79 or 88 are set to satisfy “heat amount Hi <heat amount Hm”. The controller controls the amount of generated heat to be different between ink transfer and thermal bonding. Therefore, even if printing is performed on the concealment sheet paper 83 as described above after the heat-melt adhesive 88 is applied to the entire surface, such as the concealment sheet paper 83 of FIG. Since the amount is smaller than the heat amount obtained by thermally bonding the hot melt adhesive 88, the overmelt printing does not cause the hot melt adhesive 88 to melt and cause problems in the thermally bonded portions.
[0053]
When the concealment sheet paper 52 of FIG. 3 (b) is used, the hot melt adhesive 79 is formed only in the peripheral portion outside the printing area. In this case, “heat quantity Hi <heat quantity Hm”. There is no need to limit the setting, so that there is no possibility that a defect of the heat-bonded portion due to overwriting printing occurs.
[0054]
Further, in the confidential recording apparatus 40 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the second paper feed cassette 43 is added as an option, and the apparatus main body 40 is a simple thermal transfer printer similar to the conventional one. Can be offered as.
[0055]
The above-described first paper feed cassette and second paper feed cassette each constitute an automatic paper feed unit, but two sheets of plain paper 51 and concealment sheet paper 52 (or 83) are stacked for thermal bonding. The method of feeding to the printing unit H is not limited to this. For example, the plain paper 51 and the concealment sheet paper 52 (or 83) are configured to be supplied to the printing unit by manual paper feeding. You can also.
[0056]
In addition, in the example of FIG. 6B, the alignment of the plain paper 51 and the concealment sheet paper 52 (or 83) is performed between the upper paper pressing roller 59 and the lower paper pressing roller 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the leading edge of the plain paper 51 is stopped when the leading edge of the plain paper 51 is retracted to the nipping portion between the platen roller 49 and the upper paper pressing roller 59, and the concealed sheet paper 52 (or 83) to be fed You may make it wait for arrival.
[0057]
In the above example, the configuration of the ink ribbon 70 is such that the ink-free portion 75 having the same area is formed after the three primary colors of yellow ink 72, magenta ink 73 and cyan ink 74. The configuration of the ribbon is not limited to this.
[0058]
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams showing another example of an ink ribbon used in the above-described secret holding recording method and apparatus. The ink ribbon 90 shown in FIG. 2A is an ink-free portion 91 formed after the three primary colors of yellow ink 72, magenta ink 73, and cyan ink 74, and the ink-free portion 75 shown in FIG. In this way, it is not formed to have the same area as the ink surface of each color, but is formed with a minimum length that the thermal head 48 can easily press-contact. In this case, at the time of the thermal bonding shown in FIG. 7, the take-up reel 66 is stopped so that the non-ink portion 91 is not taken up.
[0059]
In addition, the ink ribbon 92 shown in FIG. 8B is hot in the peripheral portion of the non-ink portion 93 having the same area as the ink surface of each color following the three primary colors of yellow ink 72, magenta ink 73 and cyan ink 74. A melt adhesive application portion 94 is formed, and a short ink-free portion 91 is formed following the hot melt adhesive application portion 94. When this is used, first, the three-color printed paper 51 is re-conveyed and the hot melt adhesive of the ink ribbon 92 is transferred to the paper 51. If the opaque sheets are stacked and transported to the printing unit H to be thermally bonded, it is convenient because there is no need to prepare special concealment sheet paper like the concealment sheet paper 52 (or 83). In this case, if a hot melt adhesive having a very strong adhesive force is used, it may be difficult to remove it later. However, since the above hot melt adhesive is an adhesive based on a known technique and has various physical properties, if the physical properties are appropriately selected, it will not be peeled off by mailing or carrying, and willing to peel off. An adhesive having such a degree that it can be easily peeled can be set.
[0060]
Further, the ink ribbon 95 shown in FIG. 8 (c) forms a hot melt adhesive application portion 96 having the same area as the ink surface of each color, following the three primary colors of yellow ink 72, magenta ink 73 and cyan ink 74. Further, the ink-free portion 91 having a short length is formed. Even in this case, a secret-maintainable recording body can be created by performing the same processing as in FIG.
[0061]
In this way, a secret recording method that records information in a confidential manner is realized by using a combination of a thermal printing method with a widely generalized thermal transfer printer and a hot melt adhesive. It is possible to provide such an apparatus, and it is possible to provide an ink ribbon used therefor.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a concealment sheet having a hot melt adhesive layer is prepared using a hot melt adhesive, and this is superposed on a printed normal recording paper to form a thermal sheet. Since the recording paper and the concealment sheet are joined by using the heat generated by the head, the basic structure of the thermal transfer type printer with a simple configuration widely used as a recording apparatus can be used without drastically changing. Therefore, it is possible to provide an apparatus for recording information recorded in a secret manner so as to be kept secret. In addition, since a thermal transfer printer is used for printing and joining the recording paper and the concealment sheet, it is possible to print full color recording information in an arbitrary range on the surface of the concealment sheet joined to the recording paper. Both printing of records and printing of non-secret records are convenient because there are no restrictions on the printing format. In addition, since the thermal transfer color ink ribbon with only slight improvements is used, full-color printing that requires confidentiality can be made at low cost. This makes it possible to easily meet the demand for full color at a low cost, thereby making it possible to exchange secret information comfortably with full color, thereby contributing to the improvement of user satisfaction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of a secret recording apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side sectional view schematically showing only the main part of its internal configuration.
2A is a perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge of a secret holding recording apparatus, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon accommodated in the ink ribbon cartridge.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a bottom view showing the configuration of a concealment sheet that is placed and accommodated in the second paper feed cassette of the secret holding recording apparatus, and FIG. 3B is a secret hold that can be finally obtained. It is a perspective view which shows the aspect of a recording body.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of concealment sheet paper.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are operational states showing a processing operation of a secret holding recording apparatus that automatically creates a secret holdable recording body by a series of operations using concealment sheet paper and normal recording paper. It is a figure (the 1 and 2).
6 (a) and 6 (b) are operational states showing processing operations of a confidential recording apparatus that automatically creates a confidential storage medium by a series of operations using concealment sheet paper and normal recording paper. It is a figure (the 3 and 4).
FIG. 7 is an operation state diagram (No. 5) showing a processing operation of a secret holding recording apparatus that automatically creates a secret holding recordable body by a series of operations using concealment sheet paper and normal recording paper.
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams showing another example of an ink ribbon used in a confidential recording method and apparatus.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating an example of a conventional concealment label, and FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating a recording sheet on which print information to be protected is written.
FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a conventional concealment sealing sheet.
FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of a recording paper when the recording surface is concealed by a concealing sealing sheet for a large amount of conventional recording paper, and FIG. 11B is a case where the sealing operation is performed by a dedicated device. It is a figure which shows typically the process of.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of printing on a conventional facsimile recording sheet so as to be kept secret.
FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are diagrams showing an example of a recording method that is known to eliminate the disadvantages of the conventional secret recording method using thermal color development.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Concealment label
2 Base material
3 Concealment layer
4 Transparent layer
5 Adhesive layer
6 Release layer
7 Print information
8 Recording paper
9 Perforation
10 Sealing sheet for concealment
11 Transparent substrate
12 Thermoplastic resin layer
13-1, 13-2 Heat-sensitive adhesive layer
14-1, 14-2 Print information
15-1, 15-2 Recording paper
16 Continuous paper
16a Information recording medium
17 Print information
18 crease
19 Laminating machine
21 Heating roller
22 Feed hole
23 Perforation
25 Recording paper for facsimile
26 Base material
27 Coloring layer
28 Opaque coating member
29a, 29b Heat generation recording head
30 Image receiving paper
31 Base paper
32 Thermal transfer ink layer
32-1 Thermally transferred ink
33 Thermal paper
34 Exothermic recording head
35 General communication matters such as address
40 Confidentiality recording device (main unit)
41 Operation panel
42 First paper cassette
43 Second paper cassette
44 Output tray
45 Temporary standby tray
46 lid
47 Ink ribbon cartridge
48 Thermal print head (thermal head)
49 Platen Roller
50 Electrical components
H Pressure welding part (printing part, thermal transfer part, thermal joining part)
51 Recording paper (plain paper, paper)
52 Concealment sheet paper
53 First paper feed roller
54 First transport path
55 Lower switching guide plate
56 Upper switching guide plate
57 Second paper feed roller
58 Second transport path
59 Upper paper presser roller
61 Lower paper presser roller
62a, 62b Side frame
63 Front reel holder
64 Rear reel holder
65 Supply reel
66 Take-up reel
70 ink ribbon
71 Base film
72 yellow ink
73 Magenta ink
74 cyan ink
75 No ink part
76 Substrate
77 Corner (the part where peeling begins)
78 Perforation
79 Hot melt adhesive
80 Secret recordable record
81 Transparent layer
82a address
82b notes
83 Concealment sheet paper
84 Opaque substrate
85 corners (the part that begins to peel off)
86 Adhesive layer
87 Transparent layer
88 Hot melt adhesive layer
89 Conveyor roller pair
90, 92, 95 Ink ribbons of other examples
91, 93 No ink part
94, 96 Hot melt adhesive

Claims (18)

A thermal head that generates heat according to image information, and a thermal ink that is configured so that a plurality of color ink application surfaces and an ink non-application surface are arranged in order, and ink is transferred to recording paper by the heat generation of the thermal head. comprising a ribbon, a sheet supply means for supplying the recording paper, a conveying means for conveying in order to pass through the arrangement portion of the thermal head via the thermal ink ribbon recording paper fed by the paper feeding means A thermal transfer recording apparatus,
A return means for returning the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred to the paper supply means from the thermal head;
And conceal paper supply means opaque paper provided to be adhered to the recording sheet by thermoplastic adhesives subjected feeding the arrangement portion of the thermal head,
Polymerization means for superimposing the opaque paper supplied by the masking paper supply means on the ink transfer surface of the recording paper returned by the return means;
The recording paper and the opaque paper superimposed by the superposition means are transported to the thermal head disposition portion so that the ink non-application surface of the thermal ink ribbon is located at the thermal head disposition portion. And a control means for heating a predetermined portion of the thermal head to heat and melt and bond the thermoplastic adhesive interposing the recording paper and the opaque paper superimposed by the polymerization means ,
A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising: The opaque paper, thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the formed the thermoplastic adhesive to the peripheral portion are detachably formed a central portion other than the peripheral portion and the peripheral portion. The opaque paper, an opaque substrate, wherein the a peelable adhesive layer, a transparent layer, at least formed in the peripheral portion the thermoplastic adhesive layer, characterized in that is formed by stacking Item 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to Item 1.  4. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the superposing means superimposes the surface of the opaque paper on which the thermoplastic adhesive is formed and the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred. 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal ink ribbon is formed by arranging a plurality of colors of ink application surface, a thermoplastic adhesive application surface, and a non-application agent application surface in order. The control means controls the movement of the return means and the thermal ink ribbon so as to thermally transfer the thermoplastic adhesive of the thermal ink ribbon onto the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred. 5. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to 5 . 7. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the superposing means superimposes the opaque paper on a surface of the recording paper to which ink and a thermoplastic adhesive are transferred. The control means according to claim 4, characterized in that performing the heating control of the hot-melt adhesive by the supply control of the thermal ink ribbon so as to image recording on said opaque paper was obtained superimposed on paper the recording the thermal head or 8. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to 7 . The control unit is configured to transfer the thermal ink ribbon ink, to thermally transfer the thermoplastic adhesive, or to melt and bond the superimposed opaque paper and the recording paper. claim 1, characterized in that the control switching the heating temperature of the head, the thermal transfer recording apparatus of 4, 6 or 7, wherein. A thermal transfer recording method for transferring ink of a thermal ink ribbon in which a plurality of color ink application surfaces and non-ink application surfaces are arranged and formed in sequence by heat generation of a thermal head to a recording paper supplied to the heat transfer portion of the thermal head Because
The recording paper to which the ink has been transferred is returned to the upstream side in the recording paper supply direction from the heat transfer portion, and opaque paper provided to be bonded to the recording paper by a thermoplastic adhesive is supplied to the heat transfer portion. , superposing the supplied opaque paper on the ink transfer surface of the returned recording paper, the recording paper and the opaque paper was allowed this overlapped and conveyed to the heating transfer section, said the Thermal ink ribbon A predetermined portion of the thermal head is disposed so that a non-ink-applied surface is positioned at the heat transfer portion and the thermoplastic adhesive interposing the overlapped recording paper and the opaque paper is heated and melted and bonded. A thermal transfer recording method characterized by causing heat generation. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 10 , wherein the thermoplastic adhesive is formed on a peripheral portion of the opaque paper so that the peripheral portion and a central portion other than the peripheral portion can be separated. Claim 10, wherein said opaque sheet, an opaque substrate, the peelable adhesive layer, and the transparent layer, that formed by stacking at least formed in the peripheral portion the thermoplastic adhesive layer, the The thermal transfer recording method described. 12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein when the opaque paper and the recording paper are overlapped, the surface of the opaque paper on which the thermoplastic adhesive is formed and the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred are overlapped. 12. The thermal transfer recording method according to 12 . 11. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 10 , wherein the thermal ink ribbon is formed by arranging a plurality of color ink application surfaces, a thermoplastic adhesive application surface, and a coating agent non-application surface in a surface sequential manner. 15. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 14 , wherein the thermoplastic adhesive of the thermal ink ribbon is thermally transferred to the surface of the recording paper to which the ink has been transferred. 16. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 15, wherein the opaque paper is superposed on the surface of the recording paper on which the ink and the thermoplastic adhesive are transferred. The thermal transfer recording according to claim 13 or 16 , wherein supply control of the thermal ink ribbon and heat generation control of the thermal head are performed so as to record an image on the opaque paper superimposed on the recording paper by the fusion bonding. Method. When the ink of the thermal ink ribbon is transferred, when the thermoplastic adhesive is thermally transferred, and when the overlapped opaque paper and the recording paper are melt bonded, the heating temperature of the thermal head is increased. 17. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 10, 13, 15 or 16, wherein switching control is performed.

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