JPH0544144Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] This invention relates to a thermal transfer ink ribbon suitable for use in printers such as word processors, electronic typewriters, and personal computers.

[Prior art and its problems] Conventionally, when printing transfer marks on paper using a printer such as a word processor, electronic typewriter, personal computer, facsimile, etc., a feed-out reel and a take-up reel are used as transfer means. Printing is performed using a heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon created by applying heat-sensitive transfer ink to one side of the ribbon, a heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon cassette in which the reel and ink ribbon are compactly stored in a cassette case, etc. It's summery.

In the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon described above, the ink ribbon is composed of a film base material such as a transparent resin film and a heat-sensitive transferable ink layer having a desired color, and the film base side of the ink ribbon is The heating head of the printer is positioned on the side of the thermal transfer ink, and the paper to be transferred is placed on the side of the thermal transfer ink by wrapping it around a platen roller or engaging it with a pin hold. By heating the base material side, the heat-sensitive transferable ink layer provided on the opposite side of the film base material is melted or sublimated, and transfer printing is performed on the surface of the paper to be transferred.

However, conventional heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbons have a structure in which a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer having a desired color is provided on one side of a transparent film base material, so that the heating element of the heating head touches the film base material. When heated, the heat-sensitive transfer ink in the area in contact with the heating element melts or sublimates and is transferred onto the transfer paper. There was an inconvenience in that parts of the ink were transparent and the transferred characters remained on the ink ribbon, making the printed content clearly and freely visible to anyone, which was also a major problem in maintaining the confidentiality of information. .

In order to overcome these problems, the confidentiality of printed information has been maintained by putting the ink ribbon in a shredder after printing has finished, cutting it into small pieces, or incinerating it. Cutting the ink ribbon every time the printing process is done requires time and effort, is extremely inconvenient, and is not only uneconomical as the processing equipment is expensive, but also interrupts the printing process. This resulted in a reduction in work efficiency.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon 11, a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 13 and a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 14 are sequentially provided over the entire length of one side of the film base material 12, and the heat-resistant ink Although it is known that the layer 13 and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 14 have substantially the same color, it is difficult to control the state of application of the heat-sensitive transfer ink to the ink ribbon at the manufacturing stage. However, it is difficult for the user to confirm whether the ink ribbon is before or after use.

[Issues to be solved by the invention] This invention solves the problem of cutting or incinerating the ink ribbon even after printing is completed in thermal transfer ink ribbons used in printers such as word processors, electronic typewriters, personal computers, and facsimile machines. To provide a heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon which not only can easily maintain the confidentiality of printed information, but also allows manufacturing control of the state of application of heat-sensitive transfer ink to the ink ribbon and easy confirmation of the usage state of the ink ribbon by a user. The purpose is to

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this invention provides a long heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon in which a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer is provided on one side of a film base material.
The ink ribbon is constructed by intermittently applying a heat-resistant ink layer of approximately the same color as the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer at desired intervals between the film base material and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer in desired areas. It is.

[Function] The heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention constructed as described above has a heat-resistant ink layer intermittently applied at desired intervals on one side of the film base material, which is the base of the ink ribbon, and further has heat-sensitive transferability. Since the ink layers are sequentially applied and the heat-resistant ink layer and the heat-sensitive transferable ink layer have substantially the same color, the heat-resistant ink is intermittently applied to the film base material during the manufacturing stage. Therefore, the step of applying the heat-sensitive transfer ink can be easily determined. In addition, during printing, the heat-sensitive transfer ink in the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer melts or sublimates, transfers the ink to the shape of the printed characters, and in the areas where the ink is removed, a heat-resistant ink layer of approximately the same color as the heat-sensitive transfer ink is formed. The colored part that shows through the film base material surface and the non-colored part that shows through the heat-resistant ink appear intermittently, allowing you to check at a glance whether the heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon is before or after use. can.

[Example] Next, the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention will be explained based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat-resistant ink layer 3 applied to the film base material 2 of the heat-sensitive ink ribbon 1 is intermittently applied to the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 in order to provide heat-resistant ink-uncoated areas 32 in desired areas. The heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon 1 has a heat-resistant ink coating portion 31 coated in substantially the same color as the heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon 1.
If the printed information left on the ink ribbon is difficult to read after using the ink ribbon, the section, shape, pattern, etc. on which the heat-resistant ink layer 3 is to be provided may be changed over the desired area of the film base material 2. Just apply it.

In this case, the film base material 2 of the resin film that is the base of the thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 does not need to be made of a material that melts even when heated by the heating element of the heating head during printing, for example. A resin film such as a polyester film or a polyimide film may be used, and the material selection for the film base material is not limited.

Further, the heat-resistant ink layer 3 exhibits substantially the same color as the heat-sensitive transfer ink constituting the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 4, and is meltable even when heated by a heating element of a heating head of a printer or the like. or
The heat-resistant ink can be selected freely as long as it does not soften or transfer to the transfer paper along with the sublimation of the heat-sensitive transfer ink.

Furthermore, the heat-sensitive transferable ink layer 4 is heated by a heating head from the film base material 2 side (approximately 100 to 200
Depending on the temperature (°C), various types of heat-sensitive transfer ink can be selected, including azo type, styryl type, etc., as long as they melt and sublimate evenly. In addition to black, it may also be red, blue, or green.

As described above, if there are various types of heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbons, it is possible to select the color of the ink ribbon so that the printed characters are clear in accordance with the color of the transfer paper on which printing is performed.

Furthermore, the shape of the ink ribbon of the present invention is
It may be a long strip of ribbon normally used in word processors, electronic typewriters, personal computers, etc., or a wide ribbon of 20 cm or more in width used in facsimile machines. Regarding the supply form of the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon may be in the form of a bobbin (tape measure) having a delivery reel and a take-up reel, or an ink ribbon cassette in which the reel and ink ribbon are compactly stored in a cassette case. The range of usage is wide.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
In addition to applying heat-resistant ink over the entire length of the film base material 2 or intermittently, it is also possible to print desired numbers, letters, and symbols on the film base material 2 by randomly overlapping them with heat-resistant ink. Therefore, the printed information left on the ink ribbon may be made unreadable. In this case too. The sections to be printed do not cover the entire length of the film base material 2, but may be selected at desired intervals.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon 1 has a structure in which the heat-sensitive ink is easily transferred from the heat-resistant ink layer 3 by heating with a heating head from the film base material 2 side. A release layer 5 made of silicon or the like may be provided between the heat-resistant ink layer 3 and the heat-sensitive transferable ink layer 4.

Further, as described above, the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention may be an ink ribbon cassette 6 in which a delivery reel, a take-up reel, and an ink ribbon are compactly housed in a cassette case, as shown in FIG. Ribbons can be used in a wide range of ways.

In addition, when disposing of the used ink ribbon when it is made into an ink ribbon cassette in this way, it is difficult to cut the ink ribbon into small pieces with a shredder and incinerate it, so it is difficult to dispose of the cassette as it is after printing is completed. In this embodiment, particularly remarkable effects can be obtained.

[Effect] As mentioned above, the heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon of this invention has a heat-resistant ink layer coated intermittently at desired intervals on one side of the film base material, which is the base of the ink ribbon, and a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer is applied intermittently at desired intervals. Since the layers are sequentially applied and the heat-resistant ink layer and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer have substantially the same color, during printing, the portion where the ink of the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer transfers and escapes. The heat-resistant ink layer of approximately the same color as the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer is exposed through the film base material in a colored part, and the heat-resistant ink is not coated in the transparent non-colored part, which is exposed intermittently. Since the ink ribbon can be checked at a glance before and after printing, the user can prevent accidents such as accidentally using a used ink ribbon, and it is difficult to visually judge the printed information after use. Therefore, the confidentiality of printed information can be maintained.

Furthermore, the application status of the heat-sensitive transfer ink applied to the film base material can be determined very easily at the manufacturing stage, making manufacturing management extremely easy.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a conventional heat-sensitive ink ribbon. 2 and 4 are cross-sectional explanatory views showing other embodiments of the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the heat-sensitive transferable ink ribbon of this invention is used. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon, 2... Film base material, 3... Heat-resistant ink layer, 4... Heat-sensitive transfer ink layer, 5... Peeling layer, 6... Ink ribbon cassette.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a long heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon having a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer provided on one side of a film base material, the heat-sensitive transfer ink is placed between the film base material and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer at a desired portion of the ink ribbon. A heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon formed by intermittently applying a heat-resistant ink layer of substantially the same color as the heat-resistant ink layer at desired intervals.