JPS61261087A - Eraser for transfer medium in thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To erase printed information left on a transfer medium, securely and instantly on thermal printing, by a method wherein a transfer medium used for transfer printing is passed between a heating body and a roller means located at positions for mutual contact. CONSTITUTION:When a take-up motor M is rotated, a large belt wheel 21, a timing belt 22 and a small belt wheel 23 are turned in the directions of arrows (a), (b), (c), and further, a large rubber roller 24, a small rubber roller 25 and an erasing roller 13 are driven to rotate in the directions of arrows (d), (e), (f)in a successively accelerating manner. With a take-up roll 17 rotated, the transfer medium 4 is fed between the erasing roller 13 and the heating body 11, whereby a heat-fusible colored material thereof is melted by heating by the body 11, and the melted material is wiped off by the erasing roller 13 in a slipping state. The colored material thus removed is dropped into a lower space 14d in a casing 14 by a centrifugal force or by a scraper 14e.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a transfer medium erasing device for a thermal transfer printer.

<Prior Art> A thermal transfer printer heats and melts a colored material on a transfer medium using a thermal recording head, and transfers and records the colored material onto a recording paper. Since the portion of this transfer medium used for transfer printing is transferred after being melted, most of the coloring materials such as pigments are removed, and the portions that are not used for recording printing are left with the coloring material intact, making it possible to record Recorded contents such as sentences can be easily read. Therefore, if the transfer medium is discarded after use, there arises a problem that the confidentiality of the recorded information cannot be maintained.

<Purpose of the Invention> The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and provides a method for ensuring the confidentiality of recorded information that has been transferred and printed by reliably erasing the printed information on the transfer medium immediately after transfer printing. An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer medium erasing device for a thermal transfer printer.

<Structure of the Invention> The means of the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object is a thermal transfer printer that uses a transfer medium and transfers printing onto a recording sheet with a thermal recording head, and includes a means for winding the thermal recording head and the transfer medium. A heating element and roller means in contact with the heating element are provided between the heating element and the roller means, and the roller means is configured to allow the transfer medium to pass between the heating element and the roller means. This is a transfer medium erase device for a thermal transfer printer that erases information on the transfer medium by rotationally driving the transfer medium so that a speed difference occurs.

<Operation> The heating element and roller means constituting the transfer medium erasing device of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention are disposed in contact with each other between the thermal recording head and the means for winding up the transfer medium. Therefore, when the transfer medium that leaves traces of printing after transfer printing passes between the heating element and the roller means, the heating element heats the transfer medium passing through and coats the surface of the transfer medium, leaving traces of the printing marks etc. during transfer printing. While the coloring material is melted, the roller means scrapes off the melted coloring material due to slip caused by the relative speed difference with the passing transfer medium, thereby erasing the print traces on the transfer medium.

<Example> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 1 according to the present embodiment is a line-type transfer printer that uses a line-type thermal recording head 2 and has platens 3 disposed facing each other.
With the thermal transfer medium 4 facing upward, the recording sheet 5 is overlapped and pressed against the recording sheet 5 that is being fed together, and transfer printing is performed.

The transfer medium 4 is wound on a supply roll 6 with a heat-meltable coloring material coated on the back side facing the recording sheet 5, and is fed to the thermal recording head in synchronization with the feeding speed of the recording sheet 5. 2 and the platen 3 and a transfer medium erasing device 10 disposed below the platen 3, the recording medium is wound onto a winding roll 7 as a winding means rotationally driven by a motor M or the like. The supply roll 6 is rotatably supported at the upper front part of the frame 1a of the transfer printer 1, and the take-up roll 7 is rotatably supported at the lower front part. Tension bars 1b and 1 for guiding the movement of the transfer medium 4 are provided at the upper and lower portions, respectively.
c, ld, and le are installed.

The recording sheet 5 is also supplied from a supply roller (not shown) which is rotatably supported at the upper rear part of the frame 1a, and a platen 3 which is also rotatably supported at the upper central part of the frame 1a.
After the transfer printing is carried out via the , a take-up roll (
(not shown) and wound up.

The erase device 10 is provided approximately in the center of the frame 1a, which corresponds to the intermediate portion between the print unit and the take-up roll 7 of the thermal transfer printer 1, and the erase device 10 is installed at the approximate center of the frame 1a, which corresponds to the intermediate portion between the print unit and the take-up roll 7 of the thermal transfer printer 1. It is composed of a rod-shaped heating element 11 and a roller means 13 supported in a plastic housing 14 so as to be opposed to the elongated opening 14a so as to be in contact with the heating element. The roller means 13 is composed of an erase roller surrounded by a sponge material, and together with the casing 14 forms an erase unit 12 that is removably mounted on the frame la. This erase unit 12 has mounting holes 14b bored in both side walls of the housing 14.
, 14b from the outside of the frame 1a.
4c is attached so as to be in contact with the heat generating element II, and the frame 1a is mounted in a locked state on the bottom wall of the housing 14 by the cam means 15. The cam means 15 includes a pair of cams 15b, 15b fixed to both ends of an elongated horizontal shaft 15a, and a rotating lever 15C fixed to an extension of the horizontal shaft 15a supported on the frame 1a. The lever 15c is rotated to open the cam 1.
The erase unit 12 is fixed and opened by strongly engaging 5b and 15b with the bottom wall of the housing 14 and opening them.

A drive device 20 for rotationally driving the erase roller 13 is provided on one side of the frame 1a, as shown in FIG. A motor M that rotationally drives a take-up roll 7 that winds up the transfer medium 4 is used as a rotational drive source, and from a belt wheel 21 fixed to a spindle 7a of the take-up roll connected to the output shaft of the motor. timing belt 22
Obtain driving force through. In this embodiment, erase roller 1
3 in the transfer direction of the transfer medium 4 (indicated by arrow g) to obtain a circumferential speed greater than the transfer speed of the transfer medium 4, thereby increasing the slip rate with respect to the transfer medium 4 and increasing the erase effect. , the diameter of the other belt wheel 23 around which the timing belt 22 is wound is smaller than that of the drive belt wheel 21 (for example, the belt wheel 21
115). The spindle of this small belt wheel 23 has a rubber roller 24 with a large diameter fixed on the inside, and a rubber roller with a small diameter (for example, 1/2 of the rubber roller 24) fixed on the extended spindle 13a of the erase roller 13. It is rotatably supported on the side wall of the housing 14 so as to frictionally engage with the housing 25 . Therefore, the erase roller 13 is
The speed is greatly increased (for example, 10 times faster) in the same direction as the driving belt wheel 21, and the transfer medium 4 is wound around the take-up roller ruff, the winding diameter increases, and the transport speed increases. The rotary drive is such that there is a sufficient relative speed difference even if the speed gradually increases.

Although it is of course possible to use a gear train as the drive system, the drive system is simple in order to minimize cost loss when attaching and detaching the erase unit 12 and when disposing of the erase unit 12.

In addition, in order to increase the relative speed difference and rotate the erase roller 13 at a relatively low speed in the direction opposite to the transfer direction of the transfer medium 4, a belt having a diameter larger than that of the drive belt wheel 21 is used to reduce the speed. The wheel may be fixed to the support shaft 13a and directly driven to rotate by the timing belt.

The operation of the erase device 10 having the above configuration will be explained. When the winding motor M is rotated, the large belt wheel 2
1. Timing belt 22. The small belt wheels 23 are rotated in the directions of arrows a, b, and c, respectively, and the large rubber rollers 24 . The erase roller 13 is shown in the arrow d through the small rubber roller 25.

It is rotationally driven so as to increase the speed sequentially in the directions of e and f.

As the take-up roll 7 rotates, the transfer medium 4 is transferred between the erase roller 13 and the heating element 11, and the heat-melting coloring material is heated by the heating element 11 and melted, and is wiped by the erase roller 13 in a slip state. It will be taken. The removed colored material is stored in the lower cavity 1 of the housing 14.
4d by centrifugal force or by the scraping plate 14e.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the transfer medium erasing device 1 of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the transfer medium used for transfer printing is erased between the heating element 11 and the roller means 13 that are in contact with each other. By passing the heating element 11 between
The coloring material is melted by heating, and the molten coloring material can be reliably wiped off by the roller means 13 which is in a slipping state due to the relative speed difference, and traces of printing etc. on the transfer medium 4 can be immediately and reliably wiped off after transfer printing. can be erased to protect the confidentiality of the transferred and printed information.

Furthermore, the roller means 13 is attached to the frame 1a of the transfer printer 1.
Since the erase unit 12 is rotatably supported on a housing 14 which is detachably attached to the casing 14, its maintenance becomes very simple.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a thermal transfer printer and a transfer medium erasing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a left side view of an erase roller drive device of the same transfer medium erasing device. 1... Thermal transfer printer 1a according to the present invention...
Frame 2...Thermal recording head 3...Platen 4...Transfer medium 5...Recording sheet 7...Transfer medium winding means 10...Transfer medium erasing device 11...Heating element 12 ...Erase unit 13...Roller means 14...Casing patent applicant Sharp Corporation Agent Patent attorney Nishi 1) New construction 2 Diagram 2]

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a thermal transfer printer that uses a transfer medium and uses a thermal recording head to perform transfer printing on a recording sheet, a heating element and a roller that contacts the heating element are located between the thermal recording head and the winding means for the transfer medium. means, and is configured to allow the transfer medium to pass between the heating element and the roller means, and the roller means is rotationally driven so as to create a relative speed difference with respect to the passing speed of the passing transfer medium. A transfer medium erase device for a thermal transfer printer erases information on this transfer medium. (2) A transfer medium erasing device for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the roller means is rotationally driven at a peripheral speed faster than the passing speed of the transfer medium. (3) A transfer medium erasing device for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the roller means is rotationally driven in a direction opposite to the passing direction of the transfer medium. (4) The transfer medium erasing device for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the roller means is rotatably supported on a casing that is detachably attached to the frame of the thermal transfer printer.