JPH0561127A - Copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a copying machine whose constitution is simple and which uses a recording paper on which an image such as a character is directly drawn by optical scanning. CONSTITUTION:This copying machine is provided with the recording paper 10 having a discoloring layer which is colored at ordinary time and becomes transparent and colorless when it is irradiated with the light of specified wavelength and a backing layer consisting of a color different from the discoloring layer; a scanning means 22 for optically scanning and illuminating an original 0 with the light of the specified wavelength; a recording paper feeding mechanism 33 for feeding the recording paper 10 at a speed synchronizing with an original scanning speed by the scanning means 22; and image-formation optical systems 30, 31 which allows reflected light from the original 0 illuminated by the scanning means 22 to be directly formed into the image on the recording paper 10 fed by the mechanism 33. The discoloring layer of the recording paper 10 is constituted of at least the mixture of cyanine dye IR820B and organic baron ammonium salt, and the specified wavelength means 820nm near infrared rays.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copying machine, and more particularly to a copying machine which does not need to temporarily transfer an image of a document onto a photoconductor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional copying machine has a basic structure in which an original image is formed on a photosensitive drum by reflected light from an original, and the original image is transferred onto recording paper via toner. For this reason, the structure has to be complicated. On the other hand, recently, a coloring agent has been developed which becomes colorless and transparent when it is always colored and is irradiated with light of a specific wavelength, and its use as a toner for copying has attracted attention. In other words, if this colorant is used as a copying toner, the recorded copy paper is irradiated with light of a specific wavelength to erase the recording, so that the copy paper can be reused.

This colorant is specifically a mixture of IR820B which is one of blue cyanine dyes and organic boron ammonium, and when this colorant is irradiated with near infrared rays of 820 nm, the blue color disappears and becomes colorless. It becomes transparent. This phenomenon is caused by the presence of organic boron ammonium in the vicinity.
It is explained as a phenomenon in which R820B absorbs near infrared rays of 820 nm to cause an irreversible reaction and the blue color disappears to become colorless. Ammonium organoboron acts as a catalyst. However, even if such a coloring agent was developed, the conventional basic idea is to use the coloring agent as a toner so that the copying paper can be reused, and the configuration of the copying machine itself is changed. The idea did not exist.

[0004]

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the discovery of this new colorant and aims to utilize it to simplify the construction of the copying machine itself.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, if a recording paper having this new colorant layer is used, an image such as a character can be directly drawn by optical scanning, and therefore a photoconductor for transferring an original image is unnecessary. It was completed based on the idea of becoming.

The copying machine according to the present invention uses a recording paper having a color-changing layer which is always colored and becomes colorless and transparent when irradiated with light of a specific wavelength, and a base layer having a color different from the color-changing layer. The scanning means for optically scanning and illuminating the original with the light of the specific wavelength, the recording paper feeding mechanism for feeding the recording paper at a speed synchronized with the original scanning speed by the scanning means, and the illumination by the scanning means An image forming optical system for directly forming an image of reflected light from the original on the recording paper fed by the recording paper feeding mechanism.

According to this copying machine, a photosensitive drum, a toner supply mechanism, or a fixing mechanism for temporarily transferring an original image is unnecessary, and the structure is remarkably simplified.

The color-changing layer of the recording paper can be composed of at least a mixture of IR820B, a cyanine dye, and an organic boron ammonium salt, and the specific wavelength at this time is 8
It is a near infrared ray of 20 nm.

The recording paper according to the present invention can also be used in place of the recording paper of a conventional blue-colored copying machine (diazo copying machine). In this case, a light source that emits light of a specific wavelength is used as a light source, and a recording paper feeding mechanism may be provided to feed the recording paper stacked on the original while receiving the light of the light source from the original. A developing device such as a diazo copying machine is unnecessary.

[0010]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
First, the recording paper 1 used in the present invention with reference to FIGS.
0 will be described. In FIG. 3, the base 11 constituting the underlayer is
The discoloration layer 12 is provided on the top.

The color-changing layer 12 is a cyanine dye IR82.
0B particles 12a and organic boron ammonium particles 12
It is constituted by applying a uniform mixture with the above b on the base 11 with the coating material 12c. This discoloration layer 12 is IR8
The 20B particles 12a always have a blue color. The base 11 is made of a color different from the blue color. Generally, the base 11 is preferably selected from a color having a high contrast with blue, but a color having a low contrast with blue such as black may be used for a special purpose or application.

4 and 5 show another embodiment,
The IR820B particles 12a and the organic boron ammonium particles 12b are enclosed in a transparent capsule 12d, and the transparent capsule 12d is applied onto the base 11 by a paint 12c.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which another base layer 13 is further provided between the base 11 and the color change layer 12. FIG. 7 shows an example in which a transparent protective layer 14 is further provided on the discoloration layer 12.

The recording paper 10 having the above structure has a color change layer 12
When an image of a character or the like is drawn on the upper side by near infrared light of 820 nm, only the part drawn by the above-mentioned principle becomes colorless and transparent, and the image is drawn by the color of the base 11 or the underlayer 13.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a copying machine according to the present invention which uses the above recording paper 10. The scanning mechanism 2 is provided below the platen glass 21 on which the document O is placed.
2 are provided. The scanning mechanism 22 is the same as that of a conventional copying machine, and as is well known, a full speed unit 23 that moves in parallel with the platen glass 21 and a half speed that moves in the same direction at half the speed of the full speed unit 23. It has a unit 24. , Full speed unit 23 has 820
A light source 25 that emits near-infrared light of nm and a mirror 26 are mounted, and the half-speed unit 24 is mounted with a pair of mirrors 27 and 28.

Illumination light from the light source 25 is emitted from the original platen glass 2
After being reflected by the original O on the first sheet, it is reflected by the mirror 26, the mirrors 27 and 28, and enters the imaging lens system 30. The image forming lens system 30 and the fixed mirror 31 form an image forming optical system that directly forms an image of the reflected light from the document O on the recording paper 10 being fed by the recording paper feeding mechanism 33. The recording paper feeding mechanism 33 is well known, but in the figure,
The feed roll 33a and the transparent glass 33b through which the reflected light from the original O is transmitted are shown. The recording paper 10 stored in the paper feed tray 34 is taken out one by one by the paper feed roller 35, and then moved by the recording paper feeding mechanism 33 under the transparent glass 33b. The feeding speed of the recording paper 10 is synchronized with the original scanning speed of the scanning mechanism 22. The imaging lens system 30 and the fixed mirror 31 are placed on the recording paper 10 sent at the synchronous speed.
When the reflected light from the original O is imaged and emitted via the, the image corresponding to the black and white of the original O is directly drawn on the recording paper 10. That is, since the color change layer 12 on the recording paper 10 which is exposed to the reflected light becomes transparent and the color of the base 11 or the base layer 13 appears, direct recording is possible. On the recording paper 10,
After that, no processing such as developing and fixing is required.

As the image forming lens system 30, a fixed focal length lens is used in the case of an equal-magnification (constant-magnification) copying machine, but in the case of a variable-magnification copying machine, for example, a zoom lens is used.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an alternative to a diazo copier, where the light source 40 emits near infrared light at 820 nm. The recording paper feeding mechanism 41 has a feeding roll 41a and a transparent glass 41b, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and passes the overlapped light-transmitting original O and the recording paper 10 between them, and a predetermined speed. Send by. In this sending step, the light from the light source 40 is condensed by the condenser lens 42.
The recording paper 10 is irradiated from the side of the document O via the. Also in this embodiment, an image corresponding to the black and white of the original O is recorded on the recording paper 10, and further, the processing such as development and fixing is not required after the recording.

In the used recording paper 10, if the entire surface of the color changing layer 12 is finally irradiated with light of 820 nm, the color changing layer 1
Since all 2 are colorless and transparent, it can be used as a paper of the color of the base 11 or the base layer 13.

[0020]

As described above, the copying machine of the present invention uses recording paper capable of drawing an image such as a character on a portion irradiated with light of a specific wavelength, and reflects light from an original directly onto the recording paper. Therefore, the photoconductor for transfer, the toner, the developing device, the fixing device, and the like, which are indispensable in the conventional copying machine, are unnecessary. Therefore, a copying machine having an extremely simple structure can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of a copying machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing another embodiment of the copying machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of recording paper used in a copying machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of recording paper.

5 is an enlarged schematic view of a transparent capsule which constitutes a color-changing layer of the recording paper of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of recording paper.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another example of the recording paper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Recording Paper 11 Base (Underlayer) 12 Color Change Layer 12a IR820B Particles 12b Organic Boron Ammonium Particles 12c Paint 12d Transparent Capsule 13 Underlayer 14 Transparent Protective Layer 21 Platen Glass 22 Scanning Mechanism 23 Full Speed Unit 24 Half Speed Unit 25 40 Light Source 26 27 28 31 Mirror 30 Imaging lens system 31 Fixed mirror 33 41 Recording paper feed mechanism 34 Paper feed tray O Original

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A recording paper having a color-changing layer which is normally colored and becomes colorless and transparent when irradiated with light having a specific wavelength, and a base layer having a color different from the color-changing layer; Scanning means for optically scanning and illuminating by means of: a recording paper feeding mechanism for feeding the recording paper at a speed synchronized with the original scanning speed by the scanning means; and reflected light from the original illuminated by the scanning means for the recording paper. An image forming optical system for forming an image directly on a recording sheet being fed by a feeding mechanism; 2. The color-changing layer of the recording paper according to claim 1,
A copying machine which is composed of a mixture of IR820B, a cyanine dye, and an organic boron ammonium salt, and has a specific wavelength of near infrared rays. 3. The wavelength of near infrared light according to claim 2,
820nm copier. 4. A recording paper having a color-changing layer which is normally colored and becomes colorless and transparent when irradiated with light having a specific wavelength, and a base layer having a color different from that of the color-changing layer; A copying machine, comprising: a light source; and a recording paper feeding mechanism for feeding the recording paper superposed on the original while receiving the light from the light source from the original side. 5. The color-changing layer of the recording paper according to claim 4,
A copying machine which is composed of a mixture of IR820B, a cyanine dye, and an organic boron ammonium salt, and has a specific wavelength of near infrared rays. 6. The wavelength of near infrared light according to claim 5,
820nm copier.