JPH1139724A - Optical card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the optical card combined with a rewrite medium to be capable of surely recording the rewrite medium. SOLUTION: While erasing is performed by an erasing head 4 on the rewrite medium 12 of the optical card 11, printing is performed by a printing head 5 as well. Under this circumstance, a sign panel 15 having excellent heat resistance is formed in an abutting position 14 on a substrate 111 of the optical card 11 to be deviated from the rewrite medium 12, where the erasing head 4 is positioned when the printing head 5 reaches a printing completion position 13 on the rewrite medium 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical card combined with a rewritable thermosensitive recording medium (hereinafter, referred to as a rewritable medium).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information processing technology has been remarkably developed, and the amount of information to be handled has been increasing. As a result, an optical card has become a portable device capable of recording a large amount of information and carrying it with good portability. Attention has been paid.

[0003] An optical card writes data by irradiating a laser beam condensed by a lens onto an information recording layer and forming pits on the recording layer by a thermal irreversible change. It has a recording capacity of 2 to 4 Mbytes, which is several thousand times to tens of thousands times as large as that of a magnetic card, and is effective for recording a large amount of information.

[0004] However, such an optical card has a feature that it cannot be rewritten only by writing data, and thus is effective for application to an application such as a personal health management card which does not allow data to be falsified. ,
The range of use is limited.

[0005] Therefore, recently, an optical card with a rewritable medium having both advantages has been considered by combining such an optical card with a rewritable medium capable of rewriting data. The rewrite media here is
This is printed on a PET card or the like, and is effective for a system that allows the user to know how many points are accumulated, such as a prepaid card, each time. As a rewritable medium, a thermosensitive recording medium capable of recording and erasing reversibly by heating is known.

[0006] As such an optical card with a rewritable medium, there is known an optical card in which a seal-like rewritable medium 2 is adhered to a base material surface of a vinyl chloride or the like of the optical card 1 as shown in FIG. In this case, since the base material of the optical card 1 is not changed at all, an optical card with a rewritable medium can be obtained at relatively low cost.

In order to record and reproduce information on and from such an optical card with a rewritable medium, first, as is well known, the optical card 1 is mounted on a card mounting table and the optical head is mounted. The information is recorded and reproduced by reciprocating the mounting table. On the other hand, as for the rewritable medium 2, as shown in the recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 3, the optical card 1 is moved upward and downward by card transport rollers 31 and 32 which sandwich the optical card 1.
Can be reciprocated in the insertion direction A or the ejection direction B, and the information can be transferred to the rewritable medium 2 of the optical card 1 by the erasing head 4 and the printing head 5 which are arranged in the moving direction of the optical card 1 as an example. Recording and playback are performed. In this case, in order to record information on the rewritable medium 2, it is necessary to first touch the erasing head 4 on the rewritable medium 2 while holding the optical card 1 between the card transport rollers 31 and 32 and transporting the optical card 1 rightward in the figure. After erasing the data, the print head 5
To perform predetermined printing. That is, recording of information on the rewrite medium 2 is performed by the erasing head 4.
The printing is performed by the print head 5 while erasing is performed.

[0008]

However, if the recording of information on the rewritable medium 2 is to be printed by the print head 5 while erasing by the erasing head 4, as shown in FIG. In the case where the recording head 5 comes into contact with the printing end position 6 on the rewritable medium 2 in the insertion direction A of the optical card 1, the contact position 7 of the erasing head 4 is a place off the rewritable medium 2, and Will come into direct contact with the surface of the base material.

This is because the base material of the optical card 1 is made of a material having a low melting temperature, such as vinyl chloride.
In the portion of the contact position 7 of the erasing head 4, the erasing head 4
When the erasing head 4 is in contact with the substrate, the substrate and the erasing head 4 are welded by the heat of the erasing head 4, so that the print head 5 cannot move any more and stops.

However, since the welding between these substrates and the erasing head 4 is not perfect, the card transport rollers 31 and 32 continue rotating even in this state, and the optical card 1 will be transported in the insertion direction A. Then, the fixing force of the base material and the erasing head 4 due to welding is released by losing the conveying force of the optical card 1 by the card conveying rollers 31 and 32 at this time, and the print head 5 moves on the rewritable medium 2 rapidly. As a result, there is a problem that the print head 5 causes jumping and cannot print on the rewritable medium 2.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an optical card in which a thermosensitive recording medium capable of reliably performing recording on a thermosensitive recording medium is combined.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An optical card having a rewritable thermosensitive recording medium and recording visible information by a succeeding recording head while erasing the thermosensitive recording medium by a preceding erasing head, wherein the recording head is the thermosensitive recording medium. When the recording end position on the medium is reached, a heat-resistant protective layer is provided at a position where the erasing head is located on the optical card substrate and off the thermal recording medium where the erasing head is located.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the heat-resistant protective layer comprises a sign panel. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical card having a rewritable thermosensitive recording medium, wherein visible information is recorded by a succeeding recording head while erasing the thermosensitive recording medium by a preceding erasing head. When the recording head reaches a recording start position on the thermosensitive recording medium, a heat-resistant protective layer is provided at a position where the erasing head is located on the optical card substrate and off the thermosensitive recording medium where the erasing head is located. Is provided.

As a result, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
When the print head reaches the printing end position on the thermal recording medium, it is possible to prevent the erasing head from being welded to the optical card base material that is off the thermal recording medium where the erasing head is located.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, sign panel formation can be included in various printing steps in the card manufacturing process. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the erasing head is at the print start position on the thermal recording medium, the print head is prevented from being welded on the optical card base material that is separated from the thermal recording medium where the print head is located. can do.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an optical card combining a rewritable medium applied to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes an optical card main body. The optical card main body 11 is made of a base material 111 made of vinyl chloride or the like. Optical recording medium (not shown)
Is provided. Further, a seal-shaped rewritable medium 12 is attached to the back surface (the surface shown) of the optical card body 11.

In the optical card 11, the erasing head 4 is brought into contact with the printing end position 13 on the rewritable medium 12 to which the printing head 5 comes into contact by the conveyance in the insertion direction A. Substrate 1 of optical card 11
The silica (SiO 2)
) Is printed to form the sign panel 15. The silicone product forming such a sign panel 15 is excellent in heat resistance and has a roughened surface so that writing can be easily performed on the base material 111 with a pencil or a pen.

Thus, such a rewrite medium 1
In order to record / reproduce information on / from the optical card 11 in which the two are combined, the above-described recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. In this case, in order to record information on the rewritable medium 12, first, the rewritable medium 12 is sandwiched with the card transport rollers 31 and 32 shown in FIG. Then, while performing data erasing when the preceding erasing head 4 is required to be applied to the rewrite medium 12, the subsequent print head 5 is applied to the rewriting medium 12 to perform predetermined printing.

Thereafter, the printing by the print head 5 proceeds, and when the print head 5 reaches the print end position 13 on the rewritable medium 12 as shown in FIG. The optical card 11 hits the hitting position 14 on the base material 111.

In this case, the sign panel 15 is formed at the contact position 14. Since the silicone product forming the sign panel 15 has excellent heat resistance, even if the erasing head 4 with high heat hits the silicone product, Welding of the erase head 4 to the contact position 14 can be prevented. further,,
Since the surface is roughened so that writing can be easily performed on the base material 111 with a pencil, a pen, or the like, the contact area with the erasing head 4 is reduced, and the heat resistance can be further improved.

Therefore, by doing so, the optical card 11
Of the preceding erasing head 4
When printing is performed by the following print head 5 while erasing is performed, when the print head 5 reaches the printing end position 13 on the rewritable medium 12, the erasing head 4 is positioned on the rewritable medium 12 where the preceding erase head 4 is located. Since the sign panel 15 having excellent heat resistance is formed at the contact position 14 on the base material 111 of the detached optical card 11, welding of the erase head 4 to the contact position 14 can be prevented, and printing can be performed. Printing can be reliably performed on all portions of the rewritable medium 12 including the print end position 13 by the head 5.

Further, since the surface of the sign panel 15 is roughened, the contact area with the erasing head 4 is reduced, the heat resistance is further improved, and the welding of the erasing head 4 to the contact position 14 is more effectively performed. Can be prevented.

Further, the formation of the sign panel 15 can be included in various printing steps during the card manufacturing process, so that it is not necessary to incorporate a new process into the manufacturing line, and a material for preventing head welding is used. Need not be newly purchased, and further, it is not necessary to change the base material 111 of the optical card 11, so that the time required for manufacturing can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

In the above description, when the print head 5 reaches the printing end position 13 on the rewritable medium 12, the base material 111 of the optical card 11 which is separated from the rewritable medium 12 where the preceding erase head 4 is located. Contact position 14
An example in which the sign panel 15 is formed has been described above.
When the erasing head 4 is at the printing start position 16 on the rewritable medium 12, the sign panel 18 is also formed at the hitting position 17 on the base material 111 of the optical card 11 which is off the rewritable medium 12 where the print head 5 is located. May be.
With this configuration, when printing on the rewritable medium 12 is started, welding or the like caused by the print head 5 coming into direct contact with the base material 111 of the optical card 11 detached from the rewritable medium 12 can be prevented. Printing on the rewritable medium 12 by the head 5 can be performed stably.

The present specification includes the following invention constitution. The optical card according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant protective layer has a roughened surface.

In this way, since the surface is roughened, the contact area with the recording head can be reduced, the heat resistance can be improved, and the welding with the erasing head can be more effectively prevented.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the print head reaches the printing end position on the thermosensitive recording medium, the optical card base material that comes off the thermosensitive recording medium where the erase head is located Since the above-described welding of the erasing head can be prevented, the printing head can reliably print all the portions on the thermal recording medium.

Since the sign panel formation can be included in various printing steps during the card manufacturing process, it is not necessary to incorporate a new process, so that the time required for manufacturing can be reduced, and the base material of the optical card needs to be changed. Can be eliminated and the cost can be reduced.

When the erasing head is at the printing start position on the thermosensitive recording medium, welding of the printing head on the optical card base material which is separated from the thermosensitive recording medium where the printing head is located can be prevented. Printing on the thermosensitive recording medium by the head can be performed stably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical card in which a conventional rewritable medium is combined.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing information on / from an optical card combined with a rewritable medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

 31, 32: Card transport roller, 4: Erase head, 5: Print head, 11: Optical card, 111: Base material, 12: Rewrite media, 13: Print end position, 14: Erase head contact position, 15: Sign panel , 16: print start position, 17: print head contact position, 18: sign panel.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical card having a rewritable thermosensitive recording medium, wherein visible information is recorded by a succeeding recording head while erasing the thermosensitive recording medium by a preceding erasing head. When the head reached the recording end position on the heat-sensitive recording medium, a heat-resistant protective layer was provided at the position of the erasing head where the erasing head was located on the optical card substrate and deviated from the heat-sensitive recording medium. An optical card, characterized in that: 2. The optical card according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant protective layer is a sign panel. 3. An optical card having a rewritable thermosensitive recording medium, wherein visible information is recorded by a succeeding recording head while erasing the thermosensitive recording medium by a preceding erasing head. When the head reached the recording start position on the heat-sensitive recording medium, a heat-resistant protective layer was provided at the position of the erasing head where the erasing head was located on the optical card substrate and off the heat-sensitive recording medium. An optical card, characterized in that: