JPS6334169A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable recording easily even onto a thick and curved recording material, by employing an ink sheet having a specific structure then softening and fusing the ink and applying temporarily onto a rotatable intermediate transfer member thereafter transferring onto the recording material. CONSTITUTION:An ink sheet 1 has a base sheet 2 sequentially laminated with a peeling layer 3, an ink layer 4 having high adhesion and another ink layer 5 having lower adhesion than that of the ink layer 4. When a printer 6 is moved in the direction of an arrow A, an intermediate transfer member 3 moves while rotating onto a material 16 to be recorded, and a capstan shaft 10 feeds the ink sheet 1 at a speed identical with the circumferential speed of an intermediate transfer member 13 so as to wind the ink sheet 1 around a winding shaft 12. When an image signal is inputted from a recording signal output device 7 to a head control circuit 8, power is fed to each heating element of a thermal head 9 so as to increase the temperature of the ink layers 4, 5 through the base sheet 2 of the ink sheet 1 thus softening and fusing the ink layers 4, 5. Consequently, the ink layer 5 contacts the intermediate transfer member 13 and is applied temporarily onto the surface thereof, thereafter transferred onto the surface of the material 16 to be recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a recording method, and in particular to a method of inputting a recording signal to a thermal head to melt ink on a predetermined portion of an ink sheet and depositing it on the surface of a recording material. The present invention relates to a recording method characterized in that recording is performed by

<Prior art> In the conventional recording method, after reading a given original, the image information obtained by the reading is stored using a predetermined means.
Recording was performed by printing on the surface of a sheet-like recording material with a flat surface that was stored in advance in an apparatus.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional recording method described above, it was not possible to directly record on a recording material having a predetermined thickness, such as a notebook or wood. Therefore, when recording on such a thick recording material, it is necessary to print on a thin, flat recording sheet and then attach the recorded recording sheet to the thick recording material. However, it had drawbacks such as poor workability and poor appearance. Furthermore, even if the surface is flat, it is extremely difficult to record on a recording material whose entire surface is curved.

Therefore, there have been many problems such as very few types of recording materials that can be recorded with these conventional recording methods, and there are many restrictions on their shapes.

The method according to the present invention is a completely new technology developed in view of these conventional drawbacks, and is particularly capable of easily recording even on recording materials that are thick and have an uneven, curved surface. The aim is to provide a completely new recording method that allows for

Means for Solving the Problems> The means of the present invention for solving the above conventional problems uses an ink sheet coated with a plurality of types of ink having different adhesive strengths, and a thermal head is brought into contact with this ink sheet. The ink on the ink sheet is softened and melted, the softened and melted ink is temporarily attached to the surface of a rotatable intermediate transfer body, and the intermediate transfer body is brought into contact with the surface of the recording material to perform intermediate transfer. This is a recording method characterized by printing by transferring softened and melted ink that has temporarily adhered to the body onto a recording material.

According to the above means of the present invention, an ink sheet coated with a plurality of types of ink having different adhesive strengths is used, and a thermal head is brought into contact with this ink sheet to soften and melt the ink on the ink sheet. The ink temporarily adhered to the surface of a rotatable intermediate transfer body, and the intermediate transfer body is brought into contact with the surface of the recording material, thereby removing the softened and melted ink that had temporarily adhered to the intermediate transfer body. Since this is a method of printing by transferring to a recording material, beautiful recording can be easily and reliably made even on thick recording materials or recording materials with curved and uneven surfaces.

<Example> An embodiment of the present invention to which the above means is applied will be described.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an ink sheet used in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of an apparatus for carrying out the method,
FIGS. 3(A) to 3(D) are enlarged cross-sectional explanatory diagrams showing changes in the main parts over time.

In Fig. 1, 1 is an ink sheet used in this method, and a release layer 3 is laminated by silicone processing etc. on a base sheet 2 made of a resin sheet such as polyethylene terephthalate, and has a high adhesive strength. The ink layer 4 and the ink layer 5, which has a lower adhesive force than the ink layer 4, are laminated in this order to form an integral structure. These ink layers 4.
Each of the ink layers 5 is constructed by mixing a thermoplastic resin, wax, pigment, etc., and the difference in adhesive strength between the ink layer 4 and the ink layer 5 is adjusted by changing the above-mentioned materials and component ratios.

Next, a device for carrying out this method will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. Reference numeral 6 is a printer device, which is configured to be able to receive an image signal from an externally provided recording signal output device 7 such as a scanner device or a recording device. ing. , 8 is a head control circuit capable of controlling the temperature increase of the thermal head 9 in response to the image signal output from the recording signal output device 7. Reference numeral 10 denotes a capstan shaft, which serves to send out the used ink sheet 1 that has passed through the thermal head 9 to a winding shaft 12 where it can be wound up.

11 is a rubber roller provided corresponding to this capstan shaft 10. Reference numeral 13 denotes a cylindrical intermediate transfer body, which is constructed by wrapping a cushioning material made of fluororubber, silicone rubber, elastomer material, or the like around a roller 14 made of a rigid body. 18 is a recording material to be printed.

When carrying out this method, when the printer device 6 is held in the hand and moved in the direction of arrow A, the intermediate transfer body 13 rotates and moves on the recording material 16, and the capstan axis lO is moved around the circumference of the intermediate transfer body 13. The ink sheet (1) is fed at the same speed as the ink sheet (1), and this ink sheet (1) is wound up on the winding shaft (12). Here, as mentioned above, when an image signal is inputted to the head control circuit 8 from the recording signal output device 7 provided outside, the head control diagram! ! 88 sequentially energizes each heating element of the thermal head 9 in accordance with the image signal, as shown in FIG. 3(A).
As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature of the ink layer 4.5 is raised through the base sheet 2 of the ink sheet 1 to soften and melt it.

Next, the softened and melted ink layer 4.5 has increased adhesiveness as shown in FIG. 13
The inks M4 and 5 temporarily adhered to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 13 and then transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 13 are re-attached to the surface of the recording material 16 while rotating together with the transfer member 13, as shown in FIG. 3(C). By being transferred, an ink image can be constructed based on the output signal from the recording signal output device 7 as shown in FIG. 3(D).

The conditions under which an image can be formed on the surface of the recording material 16 by this method are as follows: strength of adhesive force between the ink layer 4 and ink layer 5>strength of adhesive force between the ink layer 4 and the surface of the recording material 16 〉Strength of adhesive force between the ink layer 5 and the intermediate transfer body 13〉 A relationship between the strength of the adhesive force between the ink layer 4 and the release layer 3 must be established. Therefore, the adhesive strength between each material must meet this condition. It needs to be configured accordingly.

In the above embodiment, the adhesive force of the ink layer 4 laminated on the release layer 3 of the ink sheet 1 is made greater than that of the ink layer 5, but the ink layer 4 is simply It may be an adhesive, and the adhesive force between the ink layer 4 and the recording material 18 is stronger than the adhesive force between the ink layer 5 and the intermediate transfer body 13.
The ink layer 5 is transferred from the intermediate transfer body 13 to
It is also possible to incorporate a heater or the like into the intermediate transfer body 13 so that the surface of the intermediate transfer body 13 can be heated so that the surface of the intermediate transfer body 13 can be efficiently peeled off.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention uses an ink sheet with a specific structure, softens and melts the ink on this ink sheet by a predetermined means, and temporarily adheres it to a rotatable intermediate transfer body.
Furthermore, by bringing this intermediate transfer body into contact with the surface of the recording material, the ink of the intermediate transfer body is transferred to the recording material to form an image, so that thick recording materials,
In addition, it has the feature that recording can be easily and reliably performed even on a recording material whose surface is curved and not flat.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an ink sheet used in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of an apparatus for carrying out the method,
FIGS. 3(A) to 3(D) are enlarged cross-sectional explanatory diagrams showing changes in the main parts over time. 1 is an ink sheet, 2 is a base film, 3 is a peelable S layer,
4..., 5 is an ink layer, 6 is a printer device, 9 is a thermal head, 10 is a capstan shaft, 13 is an intermediate transfer member, and 1B is a recording material. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney For cattle Shukichi Figure 1, Figure 9a2, Figure 3 (A) (C) (B) (D)

Claims (1)

[Claims] An intermediate transfer system that uses an ink sheet coated with multiple types of ink with different adhesion strengths, contacts the ink sheet with a thermal head to soften and melt the ink on the ink sheet, and temporarily rotates the softened and melted ink. The intermediate transfer body is temporarily attached to the surface of the body, and the intermediate transfer body is brought into contact with the surface of the recording material to transfer the softened and melted ink temporarily attached to the intermediate transfer body to the recording material to perform printing. recording method.