JPH05270116A - Regenerating device for thermal transfer recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a regeneration device which enables a thermal transfer recording medium to be used repeatedly to transfer/record data with stable print quality in a thermal fusion transfer/recording system as well as a thermal transfer/recording device equipped with the regeneration means. CONSTITUTION:The subject regeneration device of a thermal transfer/recording medium consists of an electrically charging means 5 which electrically charges the remaining part after transfer of a fusible ink layer to a transfer medium for a thermal transfer/recording medium used for transfer, a toner feed means 7 which allows a toner 6 to stick to the electrically charged part of the thermal transfer/recording medium, and a toner fixing means 8 which allows the sticking toner to be thermally fixed.

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 medium reproducing apparatus which makes it possible to reuse a thermal transfer recording medium used for thermal transfer and a thermal transfer recording apparatus having means for such reuse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, in a recording device such as a word processor, a computer terminal printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, etc., a thermal transfer recording system using a heating element such as a thermal head has a small sound and the device is relatively inexpensive. It is widely used because of its compactness, easy operation, high reliability, etc. Among them, a recording method called a thermal fusion transfer recording method is widely used.

In this heat-melt transfer recording system, a heat-transfer recording medium having a heat-meltable ink layer composed of a heat-meltable substance and a coloring material such as a pigment provided on a substrate such as a plastic film is used as a heat transfer recording medium. The heat-meltable ink layer is heated and melted by using a heat-generating element such as a thermal head and transferred onto recording paper to form a transferred image. However,
The thermal transfer recording medium used in this case cannot be repeatedly used for transfer recording, because once the transfer recording is performed, the heat-meltable ink layer in the recorded image portion comes off therefrom.
Therefore, there is a problem that the recording cost cannot be reduced.

Therefore, various structures have been proposed for the thermal transfer recording medium so that the thermal transfer recording medium can be repeatedly used many times for transfer recording, and the heat-meltable ink layer is composed of a plurality of ink layers. The one that is configured so that the ink layer is gradually peeled off during transfer recording is put into practical use.

[0005]

However, in the case where the heat-meltable ink layer of the thermal transfer recording medium is composed of a plurality of ink layers, the print quality deteriorates as the ink layer peels off, and the number of printings also increases. There is a problem that the number of ink layer layers is limited.

The present invention is intended to solve such problems of the prior art, and in the thermal melting transfer recording system, the thermal transfer recording medium is repeatedly used to enable transfer recording with stable printing quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a reproducing device and a thermal transfer recording device having such reproducing means.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heat-meltable ink layer of a thermal transfer recording medium comprising a substrate film and a heat-meltable ink layer laminated thereon. A charging means for charging the thermal transfer recording medium after the fusible ink layer has been transferred to the transfer target medium to the thermal transfer recording medium after being transferred to the transfer body, the ink layer remaining surface of the thermal transfer recording medium and the ink layer are missing A thermal transfer recording medium reproducing apparatus comprising: a toner supply unit for selectively adhering toner to a portion where the ink layer is removed due to a potential difference from the surface of the adhered portion; and a toner fixing unit for thermally fixing the adhered toner. provide.

Further, a thermal transfer recording medium comprising a base film and a heat-meltable ink layer laminated on the base film is heated,
In a thermal transfer recording apparatus for transferring a heat-meltable ink layer to a transfer target to perform recording, a charging means for charging the thermal transfer recording medium after transferring the heat-meltable ink layer onto the transfer target,
Toner supply means for selectively adhering toner to the part where the ink layer is removed due to the potential difference between the surface of the ink layer remaining part of the thermal transfer recording medium and the surface of the part where the ink layer is removed, and toner fixing for fixing the adhered toner thermally There is provided a thermal transfer recording device characterized by having a means.

A reproducing apparatus and a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or equivalent constituent elements.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the reproducing apparatus of the present invention. The reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a used thermal transfer recording medium accommodating means 2 for accommodating a used thermal transfer recording medium 1 after the thermal meltable ink layer is transferred to a transfer target in a wound state, and a used thermal transfer recording medium accommodating means 2. A roller 4 for directing the path of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 in the direction of the arrow 3, a charging unit 5 for charging the used thermal transfer recording medium 1 from both sides, and a toner 6 is attached by a roller to the thermal transfer recording medium subjected to the charging process. The toner supply means 7, the toner fixing means 8 for thermally fixing the adhered toner with a heat roller, and the take-up roller 9 for winding the reproduced thermal transfer recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, which incorporates the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. That is, the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 selectively heats and melts the heat-meltable ink layer of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 according to image information, and transfers it to the transfer medium 10 such as recording paper as in the conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus. A heating means 11 such as a thermal head for transferring is provided, and, similarly to FIG. 1, a charging means 5 for charging the used thermal transfer recording medium 1 from both sides thereof, and a thermal transfer recording medium subjected to the charging processing. It has a toner supply means 7 for attaching the toner 6 and a toner fixing means 8 for thermally fixing the attached toner.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 2, it has a heating means 11 such as a thermal head for transferring onto a transfer body 10, a charging means 5, a toner supply means 7, and a toner fixing means 8. 5 is adapted to be charged from the heat-melting ink layer side of the thermal transfer recording medium 1.

In the apparatus of the present invention as described above, as the charging means 5, a non-contact type corotron, a scorotron, a solid discharge element, a needle electrode or the like, a contact type roller charging, a conductive brush or the like is used. You can

As the toner supply means 7, a general electrophotographic developing device can be used, and dry developing methods such as an impression method and a projection method utilizing electrostatic force, magnetic force, gravity, etc., electrophoresis, liquid Wet development with flow can be used. Further, as the toner used in this case, various heat-melting toners can be used, and the form thereof may be either powder or liquid, but it is necessary to stabilize the printing performance when repeating transfer after reproduction. Therefore, it is preferable to use the same quality as the heat-meltable ink layer used in the thermal transfer recording medium to be reproduced.

As the toner fixing means 8, it is preferable to use a heat roller to heat and pressurize and fix the toner, but a heating device such as an infrared lamp, a xenon flash, or a planar heater can also be used, and a doctor blade and smoothing can be used. A smoothing device such as a bar can also be used together.

As the thermal transfer recording medium applicable to the reproducing apparatus or the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, the thermal transfer recording medium conventionally used in the thermal fusion transfer recording system can be widely used. That is, a base film and a heat-meltable ink layer laminated thereon can be applied. In this case, it is preferable that the insulating property of the base film is larger than the insulating property of the hot-melt ink layer. For example, as the base film, thin paper such as insulating condenser paper, polyester film, polyamide film, polyimide film, Plastic films such as aramid film and cellophane can be used. Further, as the coloring material of the heat-meltable ink layer, known pigments and dyes, for example, diazo yellow pigments, monoazo red pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, pigments such as carbon black and azo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, styryl pigments Dyes such as dyes can be used, and as the heat-meltable substance of the heat-meltable ink layer, polyethylene resin, polystyrene resin, urethane resin, polyester resin, butyral resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, etc. Waxes such as thermoplastic resins, polyethylene wax, petroleum resin wax, paraffin wax, rice wax, ester wax, oxidation wax, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax can be used.

As the thermal transfer recording medium applied to the apparatus of the present invention, various media can be used as long as the above-mentioned substrate has a heat-fusible ink layer formed thereon. A so-called one-time ribbon having a single layer of the reactive ink layer can be preferably used. In addition, a heat resistant slipping layer for preventing the base film from being heat-sealed to a heating means such as a thermal head is provided on the surface of the base film opposite to the surface on which the hot melt ink layer is laminated. The provided one can also be used.

[0018]

When transfer recording is performed by using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention or a known thermal transfer recording device, the transfer recording is continuously performed on the substrate film 1a as shown in FIG. 4 (A) before the transfer recording. The thermal transfer recording medium 1 on which the heat-fusible ink layer 1b has been laminated is partially removed after transfer recording according to the image information as shown in FIG. 4 (B). The base film 1a in that portion is exposed.

Therefore, in the reproducing apparatus or the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4C, the thermal transfer recording medium 1 in which the heat-meltable ink layer 1b is partially removed.
On the other hand, first, the charging means 5 such as a charger is attached to the base film 1.
A is discharged from both sides of a and the heat-meltable ink layer 1b (or from the side of the heat-meltable ink layer 1b) according to a conventional method so that the heat-meltable ink layer 1b side usually has a negative charge. Then, the base film 1a has a higher electric resistance and is more easily charged than the heat-meltable ink layer 1b.
The electric charge is retained in the portion where b is removed and the base film 1a is exposed, and the residual heat-meltable ink layer 1b hardly retains the electric charge. In this case, the base film 1
When a has a higher insulating property than the heat-meltable ink layer 1b, the surface of the base film 1a from which the heat-meltable ink layer 1b is removed with respect to the portion where the heat-meltable ink layer 1b remains. Is more preferable because it is more selectively charged.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, the toner supplying means 7 applies the base film 1 to the thermal transfer recording medium in which the exposed portion of the base film 1a is highly charged.
The toner 6 having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of a is brought close to or sprinkled. Then, a large amount of toner 6 is attached and held on the exposed portion of the base film 1a.

After that, the toner 6 attached to a portion other than the exposed portion of the base film 1a is removed by a conventional method,
As shown in (E), the toner 6 adhered by the toner fixing means 8 such as a heat roller is heated and melted, and the base film 1
The thermal transfer recording medium 1 is reproduced by fixing it to a. When a belt-shaped endless film is used as the thermal transfer recording medium 1, the thermal transfer recording medium 1 thus reproduced.
Is transferred to a heating means such as a thermal head and repeatedly used for transfer.

[0022]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below in greater detail by giving Examples.

Example 1 A heat transfer recording film was prepared by forming a heat-fusible ink layer having a thickness of about 2 μm on a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm as a base film to prepare a thermal transfer recording film, which is shown in FIG. Such a thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention was loaded. Then, a commercially available copy paper is printed, and the thermal transfer recording film after printing is printed with about 1 above and below the thermal transfer recording film.
While applying a voltage of about -5 kV to the surface of the heat-meltable ink layer with a charging device from the position of 0 mm, the heat transfer recording film 3
It was moved at a speed of 5 mm / sec to be charged with a negative charge. On the surface of the charged thermal transfer recording film on the side of the heat-meltable ink layer, slightly positively charged toner was sprinkled by a toner supply device to remove unnecessary toner. Toner was retained as it was. This was heat-pressed with a heating roller heated to 100 ° C. to reproduce the thermal transfer recording medium.

When printing was carried out again using the regenerated thermal transfer recording medium, the same printing quality as that before the reproduction was obtained.

[0025]

According to the reproducing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reproduce a used thermal transfer recording medium so that repeated transfer recording can be performed with stable print quality. Further, according to the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform the transfer recording and the reproduction of the thermal transfer recording medium used for the transfer recording with one apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a reproducing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of another embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the operation of the reproducing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Thermal Transfer Recording Medium 1a Base Film 1b Thermal Melting Ink Layer 5 Charging Means 6 Toner 7 Toner Supplying Means 8 Toner Fixing Means 10 Transferred Body 11 Heating Means

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 27/16 9211-2C 31/00 F 9012-2C B41M 5/26

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A fusible ink for a thermal transfer recording medium after transferring a thermal fusible ink layer of a thermal transfer recording medium comprising a substrate film and a thermal fusible ink layer laminated thereon to a transfer target. A charging means for charging the thermal transfer recording medium after the layer has been transferred to the transfer material, and a selective means for the portion where the ink layer is removed due to the potential difference between the surface of the remaining portion of the thermal transfer recording medium and the portion where the ink layer is removed. 1. A thermal transfer recording medium reproducing apparatus comprising: a toner supply unit that attaches toner to the toner; and a toner fixing unit that thermally fixes the attached toner. 2. A thermal transfer recording apparatus for heating a thermal transfer recording medium comprising a base film and a heat-meltable ink layer laminated on the base film to transfer the heat-meltable ink layer to a transfer target for recording. Charging means for charging the thermal transfer recording medium after the heat-meltable ink layer is transferred to the transfer target, and the ink layer comes off due to the potential difference between the surface of the ink layer remaining portion of the thermal transfer recording medium and the surface where the ink layer has come off. 1. A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising: a toner supply unit for selectively adhering toner to the exposed portion; and a toner fixing unit for thermally fixing the adhered toner. 3. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the thermal transfer recording medium is a belt-shaped endless film. 4. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heat-meltable ink layer has a lower insulating property than the base film.