Typewriting machines – Typing by other than type-face or type-die – Thermal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-08
2001-04-03
Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Typing by other than type-face or type-die
Thermal
C400S120040, C400S120020, C400S241200, C347S176000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210053
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming system for forming an image on an image-forming substrate, coated with a layer of microcapsules filled with dye or ink, by selectively squashing and breaking the microcapsules in the layer of microcapsules. Further, the present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus, which forms an image on the image-forming substrate, used in the image-forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image-forming system per se is known, and uses an image-forming substrate coated with a layer of microcapsules filled with dye or ink, on which an image is formed by selectively squashing and breaking microcapsules in the layer of microcapsules.
For example, in a conventional image-forming system using an image-forming substrate coated with a layer of microcapsules in which a shell of each microcapsule is formed from a photo-setting resin, an optical image is formed as a latent image on the layer of microcapsules by exposing it to light rays in accordance with a series of digital image-pixel signals. Then, the latent image is developed by exerting a pressure on the layer of microcapsules. Namely, the microcapsules, which are not exposed to the light rays, are squashed and broken, whereby dye or ink seeps out of the broken and squashed microcapsules, and thus the latent image is visually developed by the seepage of the dye or ink.
Of course, in this conventional image-forming system, each of the image-forming substrates must be packed so as to be protected from being exposed to light, resulting in wastage of materials. Further, the image-forming substrates must be carefully handled such that they are not subjected to excess pressure due to the softness of unexposed microcapsules, resulting in an undesired seepage of the dye or ink.
Also, a color-image-forming system, using an image-forming substrate coated with a layer of microcapsules filled with different color dyes or inks, is known. In this system, the respective different colors are selectively developed on an image-forming substrate by applying specific temperatures to the layer of color microcapsules. Nevertheless, it is necessary to fix a developed color by irradiation, using a light of a specific wavelength. Accordingly, this color-image-forming system is costly, because an additional irradiation apparatus for the fixing of a developed color is needed, and electric power consumption is increased due to the additional irradiation apparatus. Also, since a heating process for the color development and an irradiation process for the fixing of a developed color must be carried out with respect to each color, this hinders a quick formation of a color image on the color-image-forming substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image-forming system, using an image-forming substrate coated with a layer of microcapsules filled with dye or ink, in which an image can be quickly formed on the image-forming substrate at a low cost and without producing a large amount of waste material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image-forming apparatus used in the image-forming system.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image-forming system comprising an image-forming substrate that includes a base member, and a layer of microcapsules, coated over the base member, containing at least one type of microcapsule filled with a dye. The at least one type microcapsule exhibits a pressure/temperature characteristic such that, when each of the microcapsules is squashed and broken under a predetermined pressure at a predetermined temperature, the dye seeps from the squashed and broken microcapsule. The image-forming system further comprises a pressure/temperature application unit that includes a platen member, a thermal head assembly having at least one arcuate bimetal element associated with the platen member such that the image-forming substrate is interposeable between the platen member and the thermal head assembly, and an electrical energization system that electrically heats the at lease one arcuate bimetal element in accordance with image-information data, a degree of protrusion of the at least one arcuate bimetal element varying in accordance with the electrical heating of the at least one arcuate bimetal element such that a pressure, exerted on the platen member by the at least one arcuate bimetal element, substantially equals the predetermined pressure when the at least one arcuate bimetal element is heated to the predetermined temperature.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image-forming system comprising an image-forming substrate that includes a base member, and a layer of microcapsules, coated over said base member, containing at least two types of microcapsule: a first type of microcapsule filled with a first dye and a second type of microcapsule filled with a second dye. The layer of microcapsules may contain at least two types of microcapsule: a first type of microcapsule filled with a first dye and a second type of microcapsule filled with a second dye. The first type of microcapsule exhibits a first pressure/temperature characteristic such that, when the first type of microcapsule is squashed and broken under a first predetermined pressure at a first predetermined temperature, the first dye seeps from the squashed and broken microcapsule, and the second type of microcapsule exhibits a second pressure/temperature characteristic such that, when the second type of microcapsule is squashed and broken under a second predetermined pressure at a second predetermined temperature, the second dye seeps from the squashed and broken microcapsule. The image-forming system further comprises a pressure/temperature application unit that includes a platen member, a thermal head assembly having at least one arcuate bimetal element associated with the platen member such that the image-forming substrate is interposeable between the platen member and the thermal head assembly, and an electrical energization system that electrically heats the at least one arcuate bimetal element in accordance with image-information data, a degree of protrusion of the at least one arcuate bimetal element varying in accordance with the electrical heating of the at least one arcuate bimetal element such that a pressure, exerted on the platen member by the at least one arcuate bimetal element, substantially equals one of the first and second predetermined pressures when the at least one arcuate bimetal element is heated to a corresponding one of the first and second predetermined temperatures.
Preferably, the at least one arcuate bimetal element is constituted such that the degree of protrusion of the at least one arcuate bimetal element gradually reduces as the electrical heating of the at least one arcuate bimetal element increases. Also, the thermal head assembly is movable between a first position at which the at least one arcuate bimetal element exerts substantially a negligible pressure on the platen member, and a second position at which the at least one arcuate bimetal element exerts a pressure on the platen member, the thermal head assembly being moved from the first position to the second position after the electrical heating of the at least one arcuate bimetal element to the predetermined temperature.
The thermal head assembly may have a plurality of arcuate bimetal elements aligned with each other in a single array, and the platen member may be formed as a rotatable roller platen arranged in parallel to the single array of arcuate bimetal elements. In this case, the plurality of arcuate bimetal elements is selectively and electrically heated by the electrical energization system in accordance with a single-line of the image-information data.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image-forming apparatus that forms an image on an image-forming substrate that inc
Furusawa Koichi
Orita Hiroshi
Saito Hiroyuki
Suzuki Katsuyoshi
Suzuki Minoru
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Colilla Daniel J.
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
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