Recorders – Thermal recording
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-02
2001-06-12
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Recorders
Thermal recording
C347S109000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246423
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manual thermal writing device for forming an image on an image-forming substrate that is coated with a layer of microcapsules filled with dye or ink, by selectively squashing or breaking the microcapsules in the layer of microcapsules.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a type of microcapsule, contained in the layer of microcapsules of the image-forming substrate, there is proposed a microcapsule that exhibits a pressure/temperature breaking characteristic such that, when the microcapsule is squashed and broken under a predetermined pressure at a predetermined temperature, the microcapsule breaks discharging the dye or ink. Thus, by suitably controlling a temperature and a pressure, which should be exerted on the image-forming sheet
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, it is possible to selectively squash and break the microcapsules of the microcapsule layer of the image-forming substrate in accordance with image information, whereby an image can be formed on the microcapsule layer.
On the other hand, to form an image on the microcapsule layer of the image-forming substrate, a printer type of image-forming apparatus is proposed, but other types of image-forming apparatus are not proposed. Of course, before the aforementioned type of image-forming substrate can come into wide use, it is necessary to develop a manual writing device for clearly and easily forming an image on the microcapsule layer of the image-forming substrate without using the printer type of image-forming apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide to a manual thermal writing device by which an image can be easily formed on a layer of microcapsules of the aforementioned image-forming substrate.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pen-type thermal writing device that draws an image on an image-forming substrate including a base member and a layer of microcapsules, coated over the base member, containing microcapsules filled with a dye, the microcapsules exhibiting a pressure/temperature characteristic such that the microcapsules are squashed under a predetermined pressure at a temperature falling in a predetermined temperature range. The pen-type thermal writing device comprises: an elongated body, having a tip-end, designed to be grasped by a hand; a heater element movably provided on the tip-end of the elongated body; an elastic element, generating an elastic-force, provided in the tip-end of the elongated body and associated with the heater element to be elastically biased such that, when the tip-end of the elongated body is pressed against the image-forming substrate, the heater element is depressed against the elastic-force of the elastic member, thereby exerting the predetermined pressure on the image-forming substrate; and an electrical driver that electrically energizes the heater element to heat to the temperature falling in the predetermined temperature range.
Preferably, the heater element is positioned to protrude from an end face defined by the tip-end of the elongated body when separated from the image-forming substrate, and a pressure, exerted by the heater element on the image-forming substrate, reaches the predetermined pressure when the heater element is depressed from the protruding position to the end face by pressing the tip-end of the elongated body against the image-forming substrate.
The pen-type thermal writing device may further comprises a determiner that determines whether the heater element is depressed from the protruding position to the end face when pressing the tip-end of the elongated body against the image-forming substrate, and a controller that controls the electrical driver such that the electrical energization of the heater element is started when the depression of the heater elements from the protruding position to the end face is confirmed by the determiner. In this case, preferably, the pen-type thermal writing device is provided with an indicator that indicates that the pressure, exerted by the heater element on the image-forming substrate, reaches the predetermined pressure when the depression of the heater elements from the protruding position to the end face is confirmed by the determiner.
Also, the pen-type thermal writing device may further comprises an adjuster that sets a temperature within the predetermined temperature range to which the heater element is heated, and a controller that controls the electrical energization of the heater element by the electrical driver such that a heating temperature of the heater element coincides with the temperature set by the adjuster.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stamp-type thermal writing device that forms an image on an image-forming substrate including a base member and a layer of microcapsules, coated over the base member, containing microcapsules filled with a dye, the microcapsules exhibiting a pressure/temperature characteristic such that the microcapsules are squashed under a predetermined pressure range at a predetermined temperature. The stamp-type thermal writing device comprises: a body member; a plate member movably associated with the body; an elastic element interposed between the body member and the plate member; a plurality of heater elements regularly arranged over an outer surface of the plate member; a pressure detector that detects a pressure exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate, when the body member is pressed against the image-forming substrate, the outer surface of the plate member being in contact with the image-forming substrate; an electrical driver that selectively and electrically energizes the heater elements in accordance with image-pixel data; a pressure-lowering monitor that monitors whether a pressure, once exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate and increased to more than a previously-set pressure falling in the predetermined pressure range, lowers to the previously-set pressure; and a controller that controls the electrical driver such that the selective and electrical energization of the heater elements is started and maintained over a predetermined time period to heat to the predetermined temperature, when it is confirmed by the monitor that the pressure exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate reaches the previously-set pressure.
The stamp-type thermal writing device may further comprises a maximum-pressure-reaching determiner that determines whether the pressure exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate reaches a maximum pressure defining the predetermined pressure range; and an indicator that indicates the pressure exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate reaches the maximum pressure defining the predetermined pressure range when it is determined by the maximum-pressure-reaching determiner. In this case, the pressure-lowering monitor monitors whether the maximum pressure lowers to the previously-set pressure, and the controller controls the electrical driver such that the selective and electrical energization of the heater elements is started and maintained over the predetermined time period to heat to the predetermined temperature, when it is confirmed by the monitor that the maximum pressure exerted by the outer surface of the plate member on the image-forming substrate reaches the previously-set pressure. Also, the stamp-type thermal writing device may be provided with a memory that stores the image-pixel data.
In the present invention, the image-forming substrate may be formed as a color image-forming substrate. In this case, the microcapsule layer of the image-forming substrate is formed of at least two types of microcapsules: 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
Furusawa Koichi
Orita Hiroshi
Saito Hiroyuki
Suzuki Katsuyoshi
Suzuki Minoru
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Le N.
Vo Anh T. N.
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