JPH049158B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a public thermal transfer printer for use in word processors, typewriters, and the like.

[Background of the invention]

For example, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-26245, a thermal transfer printer uses a thermal transfer ribbon containing a reversible heat-melting ink between a recording paper and a thermal head to absorb the heat generated by the thermal head. Therefore, the ink on the thermal transfer ribbon is melted to record characters, symbols, etc. on the recording paper.

This type of thermal transfer printer has recently become widely used as an output device for office equipment, and is also being applied to word processors, electronic typewriters, and the like. Such word processors and typewriters require correction of characters, symbols, etc. recorded on paper, but with conventional general thermal transfer printers, corrections are required for characters and symbols recorded on paper. It is difficult to erase the written characters, signals, etc. to correct them, and if a mistake is made, the erroneously printed part must be manually corrected or reprinted.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art,
To provide a thermal transfer printer capable of effectively erasing erroneously printed parts such as erroneously recorded characters and symbols.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention interposes a thermal transfer ribbon carrying heat-fusible ink between the recording paper and the thermal head, and melts the heat-fusible ink by the heat generated by the thermal head. In a thermal transfer printer that transfers images onto recording paper or lifts off erroneous prints that are erroneously recorded on the recording paper, the pressure contact force of the thermal head to the recording paper is either large or small during printing and erasing. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with pressure contact force switching means for switching to one side.

[Embodiments of the invention]

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

1 and 2 are side views schematically showing a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The figure shows a normal recording state, and FIG. 2 shows an erased state of erroneous printing.

In these figures, 1 is a frame, 2 is a guide shaft fixed to a side bracket (not shown) attached to this frame 1, and 3 is a reciprocating drive along this guide shaft 2 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. This cartridge 3 has a thermal head 4 erected thereon and a cassette 5 mounted thereon. This cassette 5
Inside, a recording transfer ribbon 6 carrying heat-melting ink and an erasing transfer ribbon 7 carrying a heat-adhesive resin are wound around a pair of hubs (not shown), and are arranged in upper and lower sections. The recording transfer ribbon 6 and the erasing transfer ribbon 7 are held in stages, and the recording transfer ribbon 6 and the erasing transfer ribbon 7 are transported independently by a drive shaft (not shown) that rotates the hub.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a platen fixed to the side bracket, and an elastic body 9 made of neoprene rubber or the like is adhered to the platen 8 in correspondence with the heat generating part of the thermal head 4. Reference numeral 10 denotes a platen fixed to the side bracket. A supported large-diameter paper feed roller 11 is a paper guide attached to the frame 1, and 12 is a small-diameter driven roller pivotally supported by the paper guide 11. Further, 13 is a recording paper, and after the recording paper 13 is inserted along the paper guide 11, a paper feed roller 10 that is rotationally driven and a driven roller 12 that rotates in conjunction with this paper feed roller 10 are used.
The thermal head 4 and the platen 8 are conveyed along a predetermined route while being held between the thermal head 4 and the platen 8.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a ribbon selection device installed on the carriage 3, and this ribbon selection device 14 includes:
For example, it is composed of a cylindrical cam having an oblique cam groove around it and a cam pin that engages with this cam groove, and this cylindrical cam is placed on the carriage 3 side.
Cam pins are respectively provided on the cassette 5 side. With this configuration, when the cylindrical cam is rotated in either the forward or reverse direction by a drive motor (not shown), the cassette 5 reciprocates within a predetermined angular range, and as a result, the recording transfer ribbon 6 and the recording transfer ribbon 6 are erased. One of the transfer ribbons 7 is selectively disposed at the heat generating portion of the thermal head 4, that is, at the aforementioned position. In addition, the pressure of the thermal head against the recording paper is controlled by a cam, etc.
By switching the spring pressure applied to the thermal head 4 between high and low, the pressure contact force can be switched.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

When performing normal rotational recording on the recording paper 13, the ribbon selection device 14 is rotationally controlled by a drive motor (not shown) to hold the cassette 5 in a horizontal state as shown in FIG. In this state, both ribbons 6,
Of the 7, the recording transfer ribbon 6 is the thermal head 4.
Winding driving force is applied only to this recording transfer ribbon 6 in opposition to the heat generating portion of the recording transfer ribbon 6, thereby performing desired transfer recording. That is, the recording paper 13 inserted into the apparatus along the paper guide 11 is transferred between the recording transfer ribbon 6 and the elastic body 9 of the platen 8 by the rolling of the paper feed roller 16 and the driven roller 12. is,
The heat-melting ink on the recording transfer ribbon 6 is instantaneously melted and transferred onto the recording paper 13 by the heat generated by the thermal head 4 . Therefore, by selectively controlling the heat generating portion of the thermal head 4 and controlling the movement of the carriage 3 along the guide shaft 2, desired characters, symbols, numbers, etc. are printed on the recording paper 13.

On the other hand, if erroneous printing occurs, the ribbon selection device 14 is rotated to hold the cassette in an inclined position as shown in FIG. Then, the spring pressure applied to the thermal head 4 is switched by the switching cam 5 to a spring pressure different from that for normal printing, so that the thermal head is pressed against the recording paper by the different pressure contact force. do. In this state, the erasing transfer ribbon 7 faces the heat generating portion of the thermal head 4, and a winding driving force is applied only to this erasing transfer ribbon 7, thereby performing a desired lift-off. That is, the thermal adhesive resin on the erasing transfer ribbon 7 is melted and adhered to the erroneous print area that was mistakenly recorded on the recording paper 13 by the heat generated by the thermal head 4, and after the thermal adhesive resin is cooled, the erroneous print area is erroneously recorded. The printed part is peeled off and erased.

The transfer of the erasing transfer ribbon 7 at the time of erasing described above calls back the signal at the time of erroneous printing recorded in a storage section (not shown), and applies heat only to the erroneous printing part recorded on the recording paper 13. It is also possible to lift off the erroneously printed portion by transferring an adhesive resin, and it is also possible to lift off the erroneously printed portion by transferring a thermal adhesive resin to the entire surface of the character including the erroneously printed portion.

In the above embodiment, as an example of a selection means for selecting the recording transfer ribbon 6 and the erasing transfer ribbon 7 as recording positions, a cylindrical cam whose rotation can be controlled and an inclined cam groove of this cylindrical cam are used. Although the ribbon selection device 14 comprising a cam pin that engages with the ribbon selection device 14 has been described, the present invention is not limited to such a ribbon selection device 14, and a gear may be used to move the cassette 5 up and down. Furthermore, the movement of the cassette 5 is not limited to the rotation movement with one end as a fulcrum as in the above embodiment, but may also be moved up and down while remaining in a parallel state.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to change the pressure of the thermal head against the recording paper without the need for complicated operations such as manual correction or reprinting of the erroneously printed portion of the recording paper. To provide a thermal transfer ribbon that can be easily and reliably erased simply by

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings all relate to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a normal recording state of a thermal transfer printer, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a state of erasing erroneous printing of a thermal transfer printer. 3...Carriage, 4...Thermal head, 4
a... Resistance heating element, 5... Cassette, 6... Transfer ribbon for recording, 7... Transfer ribbon for erasing, 8...
... platen, 10 ... paper feed roller, 12 ... driven roller, 13 ... recording paper, 14 ... ribbon selection device, 15 ... pressure contact force switching cam (switching means).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A thermal transfer ribbon carrying heat-melting ink is interposed between the recording paper and the thermal head, and the heat-melting ink is melted by the heat generated by the thermal head, and the heat-melting ink is transferred and recorded on the recording paper. Alternatively, in a thermal transfer printer that lifts off erroneous prints that are erroneously recorded on the recording paper, a pressure contact force switch that switches the pressure contact force of the thermal head against the recording paper to either high or low during printing and erasing. A thermal transfer printer characterized in that a means is provided.