JPS62261462A - Image-forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To continuously supply a thin film of a dye, prevent image density from being lowered and obtain high-quality images, by supplying the dye by blowing the dye by a compressive pump set in a dye container surrounded by a gas-permeable film. CONSTITUTION:A sublimable or evaporable dye is fed into a dye container 16 through a dye-feeding port 14, and the container 16 is placed on a film heater 15 to heat the dye, thereby generating a dye gas. The dye gas is retained in the dye container 16, which is formed by a gas-permeable film 13 and a seal plate 7. On completion of printing in each line, an end part of a compressive pump 10 is pushed by a compressive shaft 12, whereby the retained dye gas is mixed with air, and the resultant mixed gas is blown out through a dye gas blow-out port 5 provided with a valve 6. The dye gas thus blown out is physically cooled, and simultaneously, it is adhered to the inside surface of the film 13 by utilizing the flowing velocity of the pressurized flow, thereby forming a thin layer 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming method using a gas permeable membrane as a reusable ribbon in a thermal transfer image forming method for printers, copiers, facsimile machines, etc.

Prior art Conventional thermal transfer image forming method (Patent application No. 60-210957
(see Japanese Patent Application No. 60-218039, etc.), depending on the type of dye, the dye may directly adhere to the heating element, causing the heating element to generate insufficient heat, resulting in a decrease in the density of the image quality, or in the case of high image quality. Sometimes I couldn't get it.

Furthermore, the gap between the gas permeable membrane surface and the heating element was narrow, making it difficult to form a dye thin film layer on the gas permeable membrane surface.

OBJECTS It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer image forming method that overcomes the conventional drawbacks by continuously and efficiently supplying a sublimable or vaporizable dye onto a gas permeable membrane.

In order to achieve the above object, the inventors of the present invention conducted extensive research and found that the supply of sublimable or vaporizable dye and the printing can be performed using two different methods on the same surface of a gas permeable membrane that moves in one direction. In an image forming method carried out at a point, a thin layer of dye is formed on the moving gas permeable membrane by spraying and supplying the dye using a compression pump built in a dye container surrounded by a gas permeable membrane, and heating the dye. Heating an element in response to an image signal generates an image-like dye gas from the thin dye layer that passes through the gas-permeable membrane and forms an image on a receiving paper adjacent or in intimate contact with the opposite side of the gas-permeable membrane. It has been found that the above object can be achieved by providing an image forming method characterized by forming an image.

The present invention is an improved invention of the invention described in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-82007 filed by the present applicant. That is, in the method of the prior patent, there were cases in which the dye, which was heated and gasified in the container, could not be satisfactorily deposited on the surface of the gas permeable membrane.

Therefore, in the present invention, a mixed gas of dye and air is ejected from an outlet constricted at the tip of the pump using a compression pump installed in the same container. A dye thin film layer is formed by making it easier for the dye to adhere to the gas permeable membrane through physical action.

As described above, the dye thin layer surface physically attached to the inner surface of the gas permeable membrane is moved to the position of the heating element, and the dye layer is heated by heating the heating element located on the dye layer side in accordance with the image signal. A dye gas is generated from the gas permeable membrane and passed through the gas permeable membrane to form a dye image on a receiving paper adjacent to or in contact with the opposite side of the gas permeable membrane.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an image forming apparatus used in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a compression pump that blows out dye gas, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a dye container and the compression pump. FIG.

To carry out the method of the present invention, first, a sublimable or vaporizable dye is introduced from the dye inlet 14 of the dye container 16 shown in FIG. ℃ to generate dye gas, and the generated dye gas is retained in the dye container 16 formed by the gas permeable membrane 13 and the seal plate 7. As the dye gas is completing each line of printing, it is pushed against the end of the compression pump 10 by the compression shaft 12, as shown in FIGS. 6
The dye gas is blown out from the dye gas blow-off port 5 having a diameter. The dye gas blown out in this way is physically cooled and at the same time, using the flow velocity of the wind pressure, it adheres to the inner surface of the gas permeable membrane 13 to form a thin layer 4, as shown in FIG. do. At that time, the dye gas passes through the gas permeable membrane 13 as shown in FIG.
When the internal pressure inside the dye container 16 surrounded by the film heater 15 and the seal plate 7 becomes excessive, the pressure is absorbed into the pump 10 by the action of the internal pressure absorption valve 9, and the internal pressure is adjusted. The compression pump 10 compressed as shown takes in air from the air intake port 11 shown in FIG. 3, and the compression pump 10 is restored to its original state before compression.

The dye thin layer 4 deposited on the inner surface of the gas permeable membrane 13 as shown in FIG. 3 is moved in one direction to the position of the heating element 3 by the drive shaft 8 as shown in FIG. Next, by heating the heating element 3 according to the image signal, dye gas is generated from the moving dye thin layer 4, and the generated dye gas passes through the gas permeable membrane 13 and passes through the gas permeable membrane I.
An image is formed on a receiving sheet 3 that is fed by a platen roll 1 in contact with or in close proximity to the opposite side of the receiving sheet 3 .

The sublimable or vaporizable dye used in the present invention is selected from known dyes such as dispersed monoazo dyes, dispersed anthraquinone dyes, cationic dyes, nitro dyes, quinophthalone dyes, etc. A material that shows vaporization is used.

Effects According to the method of the present invention, a thin dye film is continuously supplied,
Provides high quality images without reducing image density,
No dye adheres to the heating element.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an image forming apparatus used in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a compression pump that blows out dye gas, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a dye container and the compression pump. FIG. 1...Platen roll 2...Receiving sheet 3...
・Heating element 4... Dye thin layer 5... Dye gas outlet 6... Dye gas outlet valve 7... Seal plate 8... Drive shaft 9... Internal pressure absorption valve
10... Compression pump 11... Air intake port
12... Compression shaft 13... Gas permeable membrane 14
...Dye inlet 15...Film heater 16.
... Dye container box 1 (￥) Hi 27 Heron 3 leap

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming method in which sublimation or vaporizable dye is supplied and printing is performed at two different points on the same surface of a gas permeable membrane that moves in one direction, a dye container surrounded by a gas permeable membrane is A thin layer of dye is formed on the moving gas-permeable membrane by spraying and supplying the dye with a built-in compression pump, and image-forming dye is formed from the thin layer of dye by heating a heating element in accordance with an image signal. An image forming method comprising: generating a gas to permeate the gas permeable membrane, and forming an image on a receiving paper that is close to or in contact with an opposite surface of the gas permeable membrane.