JPH06210830A - Transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a transfer device suitable for partially applying transfer to a xerographic image. CONSTITUTION:A transfer device is integrally formed by providing the transfer head part A elastically protruding from a device main body 1 and equipped with a heating element, a tape receiving part B and a tape supply part C equipped with a drive motor 11 and a taking-up pawl 17 in the device main body 1. At the time of use, the device main body 1 is grasped to press the transfer head part C to a receiving surface and the transfer head part C is heated by the heating element. Then, the device main body 1 is moved along the feed direction of a transfer tape to apply transfer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for selectively transferring a xerographic image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing method called xerography has been widely known. In this printing method, an electrostatic latent image is exposed by exposing a photosensitive plate having an electrostatic charge, and the latent image is developed with toner to form a visible image. It is a method of fixing and making a positive picture. A method of coloring a xerographic image formed by this method has also been proposed. Specifically, first, a transfer sheet having a predetermined color layer is superposed on the formed xerographic image. When heating is applied, the toner melts and the xerographic image becomes tacky, so when this transfer sheet is peeled off, the layer containing the color layer of the part in contact with the xerographic image (donor layer) ) Is what remains on the xerographic image.

An example of a transfer device used in this method is shown in FIG. 7 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-185488). This transfer device includes a pair of rollers 103 that presses the transfer substrate 101 and the transfer sheet 102 while heating them.

As shown in FIG. 8, an image is formed by the toner 104 on the transferred substrate 101.
By the pressure contact step, the portion of the transfer sheet 102 including the metal film 105, which is in pressure contact with the toner 104, is peeled off (donor layer 107) and transferred. The transfer sheet 102 may be an individual sheet type having a backing sheet 106 as shown in FIG. 9 in addition to the roll shape.

[0005]

In such a conventional transfer apparatus, it is easy to transfer the entire image by the toner 104 on the transfer substrate 101, but in the case of transferring only a part of the image. Is required to cover a predetermined portion of the transferred substrate 101 with a mask material, or cut the transfer sheet 102 into an appropriate size, and then heat and press-contact it.
There is a problem that this process becomes very complicated.

After the transfer sheet is cut into an appropriate size, it is thermocompression-bonded with an iron or the like. At this time, the iron comes into contact with other toner on the transfer substrate, and the toner portion is bleeding. However, there is a problem that toner adheres to the iron side. Further, the transfer device has a very large structure due to the size of the transfer sheet, and therefore it is not easily portable and the working place is limited. In addition, since the transfer target substrate is located under the transfer sheet during transfer, it is difficult to see the toner in the portion to be transferred.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a transfer device suitable for such partial transfer.

[0008]

Therefore, in the transfer apparatus of the present invention, a transfer head portion protruding from the apparatus main body and provided with a heating element, a tape accommodating portion for accommodating a transfer tape, and a tape feeding means are provided inside the apparatus main body. It is a so-called handy-type transfer device that is integrally arranged in the. Then, the transfer tape is pressed against the surface to be transferred by the transfer head portion protruding from the main body of the apparatus, heated by a heating element, and transferred by moving the main body of the apparatus in a direction opposite to the feeding of the transfer tape. Configured as.

Further, the transfer head portion may be slidably supported with respect to the apparatus main body.

Further, the transfer tape can be configured to be housed in a tape housing body having a holding reel on which the transfer tape is wound in advance and a take-up reel for winding the transferred transfer tape. .

The "xerographic image" means an image formed by a colored polymer powder such as transparent or toner which is fixed on a transfer surface by xerographic or another electrostatic image forming method. Also, this image is
It includes all display images such as characters, symbols, figures or patterns.

[0012]

The apparatus main body is gripped, and the transfer head portion protruding from the apparatus main body is brought into contact with the transfer surface. Since the transfer tape passes through the transfer head portion, the transfer tape is pressed against the transfer surface. At the same time, the transfer tape is heated by the heating element of the transfer head section. In this state, by moving the main body of the apparatus in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the transfer tape, the transfer tape is wound with the movement. In this way, with the movement of the apparatus main body, the transfer tape is heated, pressed and fed, and transferred onto the surface to be transferred in the same manner as in the conventional apparatus.

[0013]

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

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a transfer device according to this embodiment. The transfer device transmits a rotation of the drive motor 11 through a gear train to rotate a winding claw 17, a tape feeding section A for storing a ribbon cassette E described later, and a transfer tape on a transfer surface. A transfer head portion C for pressing and heating and a battery accommodating portion D for accommodating the battery 2 serving as each power source are provided, and these respective portions are arranged in the apparatus main body 1 and are integrally configured.

The tape feeding section A has a drive motor 11, which rotates the pinion gear 12, and this rotation is transmitted to the main gear 16 via the reduction gears 13 and 14 and the idle gear 15. . Main gear 16
Is provided with a friction spring 18 which is frictionally engaged with the main gear 16 with a constant frictional force (see FIGS. 2 and 3). While the force against the frictional force is working, The friction spring 18 slides with respect to the main gear 16. A winding claw 17 is fixed to the friction spring 18.
The transfer tape is wound up by 7.

In the tape accommodating portion B, as shown in FIG.
The ribbon cassette E is fitted and stored. Ribbon cassette E
Is formed of a housing case 20 and a lid body 25 having two open holes 25a cut therein.
Contains a supply-side reel 21 wound in advance and a take-up reel 24 for winding the transfer tape 23. An arc-shaped friction spring 22 is provided inside the supply reel 21, and the friction spring 22 spreads outward to suppress the rotational force of the supply reel 21 with a constant frictional force. .

The ribbon cassette E is also provided with two legs 27 and 28 extending substantially in parallel, and the transfer tape 23 sent from the supply reel 21 is provided with the legs 2.
The take-up reel 24 is crossed between 7 and 28.
A U-shaped space is formed by the leg portions 27 and 28, and the transfer head portion C is located in this space when the ribbon cassette E is fitted in the tape accommodating portion B.

After mounting, the moving frames 41, 45 are pressed by the springs 48, 57 and project from the apparatus main body 1, so that the transfer tape 23 extending between the legs 27, 28 is transferred.
Is also pulled forward (see FIG. 4A). Further, the take-up claw 17 is fitted to the take-up reel 24, and the claw portions of the take-up claws are in mesh with each other so that they can be integrally rotated. The transfer tape 23 used here is of the same quality as each sheet disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-185488, and the details thereof are referred to the publication.

For convenience of explanation, the main parts of the transfer head portion C are shown separately in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer head portion C has a first moving frame 45 and a second moving frame 41, and the openings are opposed to each other and are fitted in a nested manner.

The protruding engaging portion 54 of the first moving frame 45 is loosely inserted in the guide groove 3 formed on the apparatus main body 1 side, whereby the first moving frame 45 slides along the guide groove 3. Move. The first moving frame 45 is constantly urged downward by a spring 57 that exerts a reaction force on the apparatus body side.

On the other hand, the protruding engaging portion 44 of the second moving frame 41 is loosely inserted in the guide groove 46 formed inside the first moving frame 45, whereby the second moving frame 41 has this guide groove 46. Slide along. Further, the second moving frame 41 is constantly urged downward by the spring 48 that applies a reaction force to the first moving frame 45. A heating element 40 for heating the transfer tape is provided at the lowermost portion (tip portion) of the second moving frame 41, and contact pieces 42, 4 connected to the electrode portion of the heating element 40 are provided.
Power is supplied from the battery 2 via 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of electrode members 51 and 52 are fixed to the upper surface of the first moving frame 45. The plate spring-like electrode member 52 is located above the second moving frame 41. Is pushed upward by the movement to, and contacts the electrode member 51 to form an electrical contact. In addition, this electrode member 5
Reference numerals 1 and 52 function as drive switches for the drive motor 11.

A lid 7 is provided on the side surface of the apparatus main body 1 for opening and closing when the above-mentioned ribbon cassette E is mounted and taken out.
This lid 7 is a mechanism that tilts around the support shaft 7a. Further, the lid 7 is formed with a claw portion 8 projecting into the inside of the apparatus main body 1, and the claw portion 8 is locked by being locked with a claw portion 62 of a lock member 60 arranged on the opposite side. . The lock member 60 is provided so as to be vertically slidable with respect to the apparatus main body 1, and the lid 7 is locked and unlocked by moving the lock member 60 up and down. Further, the lock member 60 has a projecting engagement portion 61 that fits into the through hole 47 formed in the first moving frame 45. Therefore, as the lock member 60 moves up and down, the first moving frame moves. 45 also moves up and down.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of the main switch 70 projects toward the outside at a substantially central portion of the apparatus main body 1, and the main switch 70 is pressed by a finger in the direction of arrow (a) to bring the main The switch 70 tilts in this direction. In addition,
The main switch 70 has a structure that is rotatable around the base end portion thereof along the side surface of the main body of the apparatus, and is always turned counterclockwise (toward the back surface of the paper) by a spring (not shown). It has a rotating habit. This prevents accidental pushing. In addition, a pair of electrode members 71 and 72 are arranged inside the main switch 70, and the pressed main switch 70 presses the plate spring-like electrode member 71 to make contact with the electrode member 72 and generate electric power. Contact point is formed. When the main switch 70 is turned on, the heating element 40 is energized.

Next, the operation of the transfer device constructed as above will be described.

The apparatus body 1 is held by one hand, and the main switch 70 is tilted clockwise along the side surface of the apparatus body 1 with a thumb or the like, and then pushed. Thereby, the electrode member 71,
The main switch 70 is turned on by the contact with 72, the energization of the heating element 40 is started, and the temperature of the heating element 40 rises (preheating state).

Next, the transfer head portion C is pressed against the xerographic screen, that is, the transfer surface 80 on which the image by the toner is formed (FIG. 4A). Due to this pressing force, the second moving frame 41 to which the heating element 40 is fixed is pushed upward relatively against the biasing force of the spring 48,
It moves to the position of FIG.4 (b). At this time, the electrode member portion 51 shown in FIG. 3 is pushed up by the second moving frame 41 and comes into contact with the opposing electrode member 52. Due to the action of the spring 48, the heating element 40 at the time of transfer is constantly pressed against the transfer surface 80 by a pressing force within a certain range.

When the above-mentioned pair of electrode members 51, 52 come into contact with each other, energization of the drive motor 11 is started and the drive motor 11 starts rotating. The rotation of the drive motor 11 is transmitted to the main gear 16 via the pinion gear 12, the reduction gear trains 13 and 14, and the idle gear 15. On the other hand, the frictional force between the main gear 16 and the friction spring 18 is
The force is set to be smaller than the frictional force between the transfer tape 23 and the heating element 40 that is pressed downward by the spring 48. Therefore, in this way, the heating element 40 is attached
If it is pressed against 0, the friction spring 18 only slides with respect to the rotating main gear 16, the winding claw 17 is in a stopped state, and the transfer tape 23 does not run.

Next, when the apparatus body 1 is moved in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the transfer tape 23 with the heating element 40 pressed against the transfer surface 80, the transfer tape 23 is fed along with this movement. From the side to the winding side. In other words, the transfer tape 23 is first fed by moving the apparatus main body 1. That is, the transfer tape 23 is
It is possible to always feed at the same speed as the movement of the apparatus main body 1, so that “rubbing” does not occur between the transfer tape 23 and the transfer surface 80.

In this way, the transfer tape 23 is fed as the apparatus body 1 moves. During this transfer, of the donor layer of the transfer tape 23 that is heated and pressed against the heating element 40, only the portion of the donor layer on the transfer surface 80 that comes into contact with the toner portion is peeled off and remains on the toner. The donor layer is wound up together with the transfer tape 23. The friction spring 22 arranged inside the supply reel 21
The torque is set to a value larger than the torque required when the coating film of the transfer tape 23 is peeled off.

When the apparatus main body 1 is lifted up after the transfer of the necessary portion is completed, the first moving frame 45 and the second moving frame 41 return to their original positions, so that the pair of electrode members 5
1, 52 are separated from each other, and the drive motor 11 stops rotating. The main switch 70 and the electrode member 51,
FIG. 5 shows the operational relationship between the heater 52 and the heating element 40 and the drive motor 11.

After the transfer tape 23 is completely wound up,
Replace the ribbon cassette E. In this replacement, if the lock member 60 is slid above the apparatus main body 1, the locking between the claw portion 62 of the lock member 60 and the claw portion 8 of the lid 7 is released, so that the lid 7 is opened. be able to. At the same time, the first moving frame 45 that fits with the protruding engaging portion 61 of the lock member 60 is also pushed upward, and thus the first moving frame 45 and the second moving frame 41 are both legs of the ribbon cassette E. It moves into the U-shaped space formed by the parts 27 and 28 (FIG. 4 (c)). As a result, the ribbon cassette E can be taken out from the tape housing portion B. When the ribbon cassette E is attached, the procedure may be reversed from the above procedure.

The width of the transfer tape used in this embodiment is preferably formed so that at least one character, symbol or the like to be transferred is accommodated.

In the above embodiment, the motor 11 is used as the drive source for the transfer tape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the traveling roller 90 as shown in FIG. 6 may be used as the drive source. A part of the outer circumference of the traveling roller 90 is in a state of protruding from the apparatus main body 1, and during transfer, this part contacts the transfer surface 80. When the apparatus body 1 is moved in the direction of arrow a, the frictional force with the transfer surface 80 causes
The traveling roller 90 rotates in the arrow B direction. This rotation is taken through the gear train composed of the gears 91 and 92 and the take-up claw 1
7, the transfer tape 23 is wound up as the apparatus main body 1 moves.

[0035]

As described above, according to the transfer device of the present invention, the transfer head portion, the tape accommodating portion, and the tape feeding portion are arranged in the main body of the apparatus and are integrally configured.
Transfer can be performed simply by pressing the transfer head portion protruding from the apparatus main body against the transfer surface and moving the apparatus main body in the direction opposite to the transfer tape feeding direction. Therefore, conventionally, when partial transfer is performed, an iron, a mask material, or the like has been used, but it is possible to accurately and easily transfer only to a necessary part without using these at all. Become.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main assembly of a transfer device according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a partially transparent perspective view showing the ribbon cassette housed therein in an exploded manner.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are vertical cross-sectional views each showing a main part of a transfer head part separately.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are vertical cross-sectional views showing a main part of a transfer head part separately.

4A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the transfer device immediately before being pressed against the transfer surface, FIG. 4B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the transfer device being pressed against the transfer surface, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the transfer device showing a state where the print head unit is pulled up by a member.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing each electrical switch and its operation.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a transfer device showing another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional transfer device.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional transfer sheet.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another shape of a conventional transfer sheet.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Tape feeding section, B ... Tape accommodating section, C ... Transfer head section, D ... Battery accommodating section, E ... Ribbon cassette, 1 ... Device body, 11 ... Drive motor, 16 ... Main gear, 17 ... Winding claw , 18 ... Friction spring, 20 ... Housing case, 21 ... Supply side reel, 24 ... Take-up reel, 40
... Heating element, 41 ... Second moving frame, 45 ... First moving frame, 48
… Spring, 57… Spring, 90… Traveling roller.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mitsuru Fukushima 1-1-21 Takashima, Suwa-shi, Nagano Chinon Co., Ltd. (72) Kunihiko Kanai 1-1-21 Takashima, Suwa-shi, Nagano Chinon, Inc. Within

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A heating method is applied to a xerographic image formed on a transfer surface to make it sticky,
A transfer device for allowing a donor layer of a transfer tape which is brought into surface contact with the xerographic image to remain on the xerographic image, wherein the transfer device protrudes from the main body of the device and includes a transfer head part having a heating element,
The transfer head is provided with: a tape storage unit that stores the transfer tape and stores the transfer tape after being fed and transferred; and a tape feeding unit that feeds the transfer tape to the tape storage unit. The transfer tape is pressed against the surface to be transferred by a section and heated by the heating element,
A transfer device, wherein transfer is performed by moving the main body of the device in a direction opposite to the feeding of the transfer tape. 2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer head part is slidably supported with respect to the main body of the device. 3. The transfer tape is contained in a tape container provided with a holding reel on which the transfer tape is wound in advance and a take-up reel for winding the transferred transfer tape. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein: