Pressure-sensitive and heat-sensitive image transfer apparatus for recording
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, comprising:
- an ink transfer unit that includes a layer of micro-capsules containing dye, each micro-capsule disposed in said layer of micro-capsules exhibiting a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said each micro-capsule is squashed under a corresponding predetermined pressure at a corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed micro-capsule and transfers to a surface of a recording sheet, each micro-capsule having a shell wall comprising a shape memory resin exhibiting a glass-transition temperature corresponding to said corresponding predetermined temperature, and said shape memory resin of said shell wall comprising a predetermined thickness;
a pressure application unit that locally applies said corresponding predetermined pressure to said micro-capsule layer;
a heat application unit that selectively and locally heats said micro-capsule layer to said corresponding predetermined temperature; and
a pre-coating unit that pre-coats a material on said surface of said sheet prior to said transfer of said dye,wherein a degree of roughness of said surface of said recording sheet is diminished due to said material such that said transferred dye is accurately fixed to said surface as said image.
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Abstract
A pressure-sensitive and heat-sensitive recording apparatus has a pre-coating container that pre-coats a recording sheet prior to a printing operation on the recording sheet. The pre-coating material container, ribbon cassette and an over-coating material container are provided in a recording head, while being movable in a printing direction lead by the pre-coating material container. The printed color-image is protected by an over-coating material dispensed from the trailing over-coating material container.
16 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, comprising:
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an ink transfer unit that includes a layer of micro-capsules containing dye, each micro-capsule disposed in said layer of micro-capsules exhibiting a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said each micro-capsule is squashed under a corresponding predetermined pressure at a corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed micro-capsule and transfers to a surface of a recording sheet, each micro-capsule having a shell wall comprising a shape memory resin exhibiting a glass-transition temperature corresponding to said corresponding predetermined temperature, and said shape memory resin of said shell wall comprising a predetermined thickness; a pressure application unit that locally applies said corresponding predetermined pressure to said micro-capsule layer; a heat application unit that selectively and locally heats said micro-capsule layer to said corresponding predetermined temperature; and a pre-coating unit that pre-coats a material on said surface of said sheet prior to said transfer of said dye, wherein a degree of roughness of said surface of said recording sheet is diminished due to said material such that said transferred dye is accurately fixed to said surface as said image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, comprising:
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a conveyor unit that intermittantly moves a recording sheet in a transport direction; a recording head that records said image line by line on a surface of said recording sheet by moving in a recording direction substantially perpendicular to said transport direction, said recording head including; an ink-transfer ribbon that comprises a base member and a layer of micro-capsules, coated over said base member, that contains a plurality of micro-capsules filled with dye, each micro-capsule of said plurality of micro-capsules exhibits a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said each micro-capsule is squashed under a corresponding predetermined pressure at a corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye discharges from said squashed micro-capsule and transfers to said surface of said recording sheet; a temperature application unit that selectively and locally heats said layer of micro-capsules to said corresponding predetermined temperature; a pressure application unit that locally applies said corresponding predetermined pressure to said layer of micro-capsules; and a pre-coating material container, positioned downstream of said ink-transfer ribbon in said recording direction, that pre-coats a material on said surface of said recording sheet prior to said discharge of said dye, wherein a degree of roughness of said surface of said recording sheet is diminished due to said material such that said transferred dye is accurately fixed to said surface as said image. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, comprising:
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an ink transfer unit that includes a layer of micro-capsules containing dye, each micro-capsule disposed in said layer of micro-capsules exhibiting a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said each micro-capsule is squashed under a corresponding predetermined pressure at a corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed micro-capsule and transfers to a surface of a recording sheet; a pressure and heat application unit that applies localized said corresponding predetermined pressure and selectivity localized predetermined heat to said micro-capsule layer, said predetermined heat including heating to said corresponding predetermined temperature; and a pre-coating unit that pre-coats a material on said surface of said recording sheet line by line prior to said transfer of said seeped dye, wherein a degree of roughness of said surface of said recording sheet is diminished due to said material such that said transferred dye is accurately fixed to said surface as said image.
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12. An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, comprising:
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an ink transfer unit that includes a layer of a plurality of types of micro-capsules containing dye, one said type of micro-capsules filled with a dye having a different color than a dye color of another of said type of micro-capsules, said one type of micro-capsule exhibiting a first temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said one type of micro-capsule is squashed under a first corresponding predetermined pressure at a first corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed said one type of micro-capsule and transfers to a surface of a recording sheet, said another type of micro-capsule exhibiting a second temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said another type of micro-capsule is squashed under a second corresponding predetermined pressure at a second corresponding predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed said another type of micro-capsule and transfers to the surface of the recording sheet, wherein said first temperature/pressure characteristic is different from said second temperature/pressure characteristic; a pressure application unit that selectively and locally applies said first and second corresponding predetermined pressures to said micro-capsule layer; a heat application unit that selectively and locally heats said micro-capsule layer to said first and second corresponding predetermined temperature; and a pre-coating unit that pre-coats a material on said surface of said sheet prior to said transfer of said dye, wherein a degree of roughness of said surface of said recording sheet is diminished due to said material such that said transferred dye is accurately fixed to said surface as said image. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification