Photocopying – Using microcapsules – Heating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-17
2003-05-06
Nguyen, Henry Hung (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Using microcapsules
Heating
C355S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06559929
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming method and an image forming apparatus for performing a heat development and transfer process by laminating an exposed photosensitive material and an image receiving material and heating them.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a laser-exposure heat development and transfer type image forming apparatus (silver salt photography type) is used. In an image forming apparatus of this type, an output print is obtained through a process such as that shown in FIG.
6
. First, in an exposure process, input signals of image data are subjected to image processing at a CPU
500
, and the signals subjected to image processing are sent to a semiconductor unit
502
.
At this semiconductor unit
502
, an exposure surface of a donor piece
506
which has been pulled out to a predetermined length and cut from a donor roll
504
wound in a roll is irradiated with light from a laser (LD) source which emits light having three different wavelengths to simultaneously expose three photosensitive layers thereof. By this exposure, silver halide in the donor piece
506
is sensitized by the light from the light source and a latent image is formed (on the donor piece
506
), and then, the donor piece
506
is sent to a solvent coating process next.
In this solvent coating process, the surface of the donor piece
506
is evenly coated with a predetermined small amount of water, and the donor piece
506
is sent to a heat development and color image transfer process next.
In this heat development and color image transfer process, the donor piece
506
coated with water is superposed on, and adhered to a piece of image receiving paper
512
(or OHP film or the like) which has been prepared by being pulled out to a predetermined length and cut from a roll of image receiving paper
510
. In this state, the piece of image receiving paper
512
and the donor piece
506
are heated by a heating device
514
.
By this, a development progresses at the donor piece
506
side and dyes on the donor piece
506
are transferred to the piece of image receiving paper
512
and fixed. Thus the image on the donor piece
506
is transferred to the piece of image receiving paper
512
. After the transfer is completed, the donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
which were laminated are separated.
When the donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
onto which the image is transferred are separated, the used donor piece
506
is discarded, and the process by which the piece of image receiving paper
512
becomes a high quality color print is completed and the print is sent out.
Conventionally, a heating drum
516
schematically shown in
FIG. 6
is employed as the heating device
514
used in the image forming apparatus of this type. The heating drum
516
is structured so as to be rotatably driven by an unillustrated motor, and such that an outer peripheral surface thereof is evenly heated by a heater.
The donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
are placed together and sandwiched between the heating drum
516
and a laminating roller
518
which rotatably contacts the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum at an upstream side in a material conveying direction, and then laminated.
The donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
which are rotated in a state in which they are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum
516
, are heated on the heating drum
516
and developed and transferred.
The donor piece
506
, which has been sent by a rotation of the heating drum
516
to a separating roller
520
which rotatably contacts the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum
516
at a downstream side in a conveying direction thereof, is stripped by a stripping finger and pulled out by the separating roller
520
. Further, the piece of image receiving paper
512
, which has been sent to a separating roller
522
which rotatably contacts the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum
516
at the downstream side in the conveying direction, is stripped by another stripping finger and pulled out by the separating roller
522
.
In the image forming apparatus such as described above, in order to be able to process even large-size sheets of both of the donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
, the heating drum
516
needs to be structured such that the large-size donor piece
506
and the large-size piece of image receiving paper
512
can be wound around the outer peripheral surface thereof.
However, the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum
516
from the separating roller
520
toward the conveying direction downstream side through to the separating roller
522
and onto the laminating roller
518
, is an area for separating and pulling out the donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
.
Therefore, since the outer periphery of the heating drum
516
cannot be fully used, a large-size heating drum
516
whose diameter is increased so that the length of the outer peripheral surface on which the belt winding mechanism is mounted (that is, a portion of the surface between the laminating roller
518
and the separating roller
520
) is greater than the length of the large-size donor piece
506
and the piece of image receiving paper
512
, must be used. Therefore, there has been a problem that the entire image forming apparatus becomes large and expensive.
Utilizing a conventional flat-plate type heating apparatus as a heating apparatus used in an image forming apparatus may be considered. However, the flat-plate type heating apparatus has to use a belt conveying device which is trained around many guide rollers in order to send the donor piece and the piece of image receiving paper. Further, an extremely accurate processing for a flat surface of a flat-type heater is required. Therefore, there has been a problem that the apparatus becomes expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to newly provide an image forming apparatus which can form an image on a large-size material, and can be made compact and inexpensive.
The first aspect of the present invention is an image forming method for performing a heat development and transfer process in a state in which a photosensitive material and an image receiving material are laminated and wound around an outer peripheral surface of a drum, including the steps of: (a) placing the photosensitive material and the image receiving material together and pressing them to laminate; (b) introducing the photosensitive material and the image receiving material onto the outer peripheral surface of the drum through an entrance of a heating conveying path for carrying in the photosensitive material and the image receiving material which have been laminated; (c) heating the photosensitive material and the image receiving material in a state in which they are laminated while being conveyed along the outer peripheral surface of the drum synchronously with a rotation of the drum; and (d) separating the photosensitive material and the image receiving material which have been subjected to a heat development and transfer process on the drum after passing them through the entrance of the heating conveying path a second time.
By structuring an apparatus to carry out the image forming method as described above, a large size photosensitive material and a large size image receiving material can be thermally developed and transferred using a drum having a relatively small diameter by effectively utilizing an outer peripheral surface of the drum since substantially all the outer peripheral surface of the drum can be set as an area for the heat development and transfer process. Thus, the image forming apparatus can be made compact since the image forming apparatus which carries out the heat development and transfer process for a large size photosensitive material and a large size
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen Henry Hung
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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