JPH0692193B2 - Filmless thermal transfer recording method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording method used in facsimiles, printers and the like, and relates to a recording method capable of removing a base film.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of a conventional thermal transfer recording method.
Reference numeral 1 is a transfer film, 2 is a recording paper (recording medium), 3 is a thermal head, 4 is a heating element, and 5 is a pressing roller. As shown in the figure, the transfer film 1 is a base film 1a such as mylar film or condenser paper coated with an ink layer 1b. The thermal head 3, the transfer film 1 and the recording paper 2 are pressed against each other by a pressing roller 5. , Thermal head 3
When the heating element 4 therein generates heat in accordance with the image signal, the ink layer 1b adjacent to the heating element 4 is melted and the ink is transferred onto the recording paper 2. As a result, an ink image is formed on the recording paper 2. The transfer film 1 also runs at the same time as the recording paper 2 runs, and a new ink layer is constantly fed.

However, in the case of this conventional thermal transfer recording method, since the transfer film 1 is constantly fed out, a used transfer film is generated every time a desired recording image is obtained. Therefore, as a device,
It is necessary to incorporate a mechanism for winding the used transfer film 1 or to discard the used transfer film 1 outside the apparatus for each one. Also, although the recording paper 2 is plain paper and is inexpensive, the transfer film 1 is expensive,
The recording cost per transfer is high, and it takes a lot of time to attach and discard the transfer film 1.

In order to eliminate such a conventional drawback, the present invention arranges semi-solid ink in a solid state so as to be in contact with a running recording medium, and selectively according to an image signal arranged on the recording surface side of the recording medium. The means for heating the ink is operated to melt or sublimate the semi-solid ink and transfer it to the recording medium. An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the basic principle of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention. Hereinafter, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. In the figure, 6 is a sponge body impregnated with semi-solid ink. The sponge body 6 is made of a porous material such as nitrile rubber, and is impregnated with a large amount of semi-solid ink. Then, according to the image signal, the heating element 4 of the thermal head 3
When the heat is generated, the sponge body 6 is heated via the recording paper 2 to melt (displace) the ink in the sponge body 6, and the ink is transferred to the recording paper 2. Here, the ink in the sponge body 6 is a semi-solid state, and it can move in the sponge body, and has an appropriate fluidity such that the sponge body 6 and the recording paper 2 running when not heated do not transfer even if they are rubbed. Has a viscosity. Further, when the ink is transferred, the amount of the ink in the sponge body 6 where the ink is transferred decreases, but the ink is replenished from the surroundings. That is, since the ink in the sponge body 6 originally has fluidity, heat is also applied to the periphery of the ink that moves to the recording paper 2, so that the fluidity of the ink at the location where the ink is transferred is high. Is extremely high, and ink is immediately replenished from the surroundings by the amount of ink transferred onto the recording paper 2, so that continuous transfer recording is possible. The spongy body material has the effect of holding semi-solid ink and at the same time forming an ink supply path. That is, the semi-solid ink penetrates through the porous sponge body, and the ink is supplied to the places where the ink is insufficient.
Moreover, since the heated sponge body 6 is not immediately cooled, the residual heat of the sponge body 6 has the effect of promoting the supply of ink.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which 7 is a recording electrode, 8 is a counter electrode, and 9 is a gap between electrodes. In this example, as in the case of FIG. 2, the semi-solid ink in the sponge body 6 is transferred to the recording paper 2 by heat, but the means for applying heat is different. That is, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 8 and 9 to convert electric energy into heat energy in the gap 9. In this case, if either or both of the sponge body 6 and the ink impregnated in the sponge body 6 have conductivity, an electric current concentrates in the gap 9 and Joule heat is generated. To give conductivity to the spongy body 6, a known conductive polymer may be used as a material, and to impart conductivity to the ink, carbon or the like may be mixed. As described above, in the example of FIG. 3, the semi-solid ink existing in the gap 9 is directly heated by energization, so that the heat transfer efficiency is better than that of the example of FIG. 2 and recording can be performed with a small energy. It should be noted that planar scanning can be easily realized by making the recording electrodes 7 multi-needle.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which 10 is a semi-solid ink. As is clear from the figure, unlike the case of FIGS. 2 and 3, a spongy body is not used. That is, in this example, the semi-solid ink 10 is filled in an ink tank, the semi-solid ink 10 is directly heated, and the ink is transferred to the recording paper 2. Further, in the second embodiment, there is no sponge body as an ink holding material, but as shown in FIG.
The semi-solid ink 10 can be easily held by mounting it on the. The mesh-like substance 11 may be selected so that the ink is transmitted only when the ink is melted. Further, in order to energize the gap 9, the semi-solid ink 10 may be made conductive, or the mesh-like substance 11 may be made conductive.

By the way, in the example of FIGS. 2 and 3, when the semi-solid ink in the sponge body 6 is consumed over a certain amount, recording becomes impossible, and it is necessary to replace the sponge body with new ink. If the configuration shown in Fig. 6 is used, it is not necessary to replace the spongy body. That is, in the example of FIG. 6, the semi-solid ink 10 is present on the sponge body 6 impregnated with the ink, and the heater 12
Then, the semi-solid ink 10 is melted and supplied to the spongy body 6. As a result, the spongy body 6 is always replenished with ink, so replacement of the sponge body 6 is not necessary, and the operator need only replenish the semi-solid ink 10.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the thermal transfer recording can be performed without the base film, and therefore, compared with the conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus, there is no generation of the used transfer film per one unit. There is an effect that it is economical because a film is not necessary, and it is easy to handle because a transfer film is not attached and discarded.

Although the recording paper has been described as the recording medium in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and an OHP sheet or the like can be used as the recording medium. Furthermore, three recording heads of the present invention are provided, each of which includes yellow, magenta,
It goes without saying that a full-color recorded image can be easily obtained by using cyan inks.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the principle of the conventional thermal transfer recording method, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the basic principle of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 6 to FIG. 6 are schematic explanatory views showing examples of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention. 1 ... Transfer film, 2 ... Recording paper, 3 ... Thermal head, 4 ... Heating element, 5 ... Pressing roller, 6 ... Cavernous body impregnated with semi-solid ink, 7 ... Recording electrode, 8 ... … Counter electrodes, 9 …… Gap between electrodes, 10 …… Semi-solid ink, 11 ……
Mesh-like material, 12 ... heater.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A semi-solid ink is fixedly arranged in contact with a running recording medium, and means for selectively heating the ink is operated according to an image signal arranged on the recording surface side of the recording medium.
A filmless thermal transfer recording method, characterized in that the ink is directly or indirectly melted or sublimated and transferred to a recording medium. 2. A thermal head is used as a heating means, and a spongy body is impregnated with semi-solid ink, and the thermal head and the semi-solid ink impregnated with the sponge body are arranged to face each other via a recording medium. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 1, wherein 3. A recording electrode and a counter electrode, which are opposed to each other with a constant gap as a heat generating means, are brought into contact with a semi-solid ink to apply a voltage between the recording electrode and the counter electrode. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to item 1. 4. A filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 3, wherein a sponge body is impregnated with semi-solid ink. 5. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 3, wherein the semi-solid ink is conductive. 6. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 4, wherein the sponge body is electrically conductive. 7. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 4, wherein a mesh-like substance is attached to the gap between the recording electrode and the counter electrode to hold the semi-solid ink. 8. The filmless thermal transfer recording method according to claim 7, wherein the mesh-shaped substance is electrically conductive.