Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Transfer procedure between image and image layer – image... – Imagewise heating – element or image receiving layers...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-08
2002-10-08
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Transfer procedure between image and image layer, image...
Imagewise heating, element or image receiving layers...
C430S201000, C430S271100, C430S945000, C430S964000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461786
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus for performing transfer recording with a laser beam from an optical head being applied to a recording medium fixed on a recording rotating drum, more particularly, to one that is free from the problem of density drop.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recording apparatus contemplated by the invention records image with a laser beam from an optical head being applied to a recording medium fixed on a recording rotating drum (hereunder referred to as a “recording drum”) or a recording plane. The recording medium is the collective term for the combination of an receiver film fixed on the rotating drum and a transfer film fixed onto the receiver film to cover it.
FIG. 8
shows in conceptual form the entire part of the recording apparatus contemplated by the invention. The recording apparatus generally indicated by
30
is adapted for producing a full color image and to this end, it comprises a recording medium supply section
32
, a rotating drum
34
, a recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
provided on the rotating drum
34
, a laminating mechanism
38
provided along the periphery of the rotating drum
34
, an optical head
40
, a stripping mechanism
42
, a sheet feed section
44
, a laminating section
46
, a fixing section
48
, a stripping section
50
, a tray section
52
and a control section
54
.
In the recording apparatus
30
, the recording medium supply section
32
supplies an receiver film R and a transfer film T onto the rotating drum
34
. The receiver film R is first fixed on the rotating drum
34
by means of the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
and then the transfer film T is superposed on the receiver film R as it is adhered under thermal compression by the laminating mechanism
38
. The heating step may be omitted depending on the type of the recording medium used.
In the next step, the optical head
40
being controlled in accordance with a picture signal by the control section
54
performs imagewise exposure with a laser operating in heated mode to record a latent image. Subsequently, the transfer film T is stripped from the receiver film R remaining on the rotating drum
34
by means of the stripping mechanism
42
, whereupon the latent image on the transfer film T is transferred to the receiver film R and developed to form a visible image on the receiver film R. The same procedure is repeated for 3 or 4 colors to form a color image on the receiver film R which, in turn, is laminated with hard sheet H supplied from the sheet feed section
44
. After adhesion, an image receiving layer
16
in the receiver film R is photocured in the fixing section
48
. The hard sheet H now having the full color image is stripped from the receiver film R in the stripping section
50
and ejected onto a proof tray
52
a
whereas the receiver film R is ejected into a waste stacker
52
b.
In this way the full color image is obtained as a hard copy. The recording medium supply section
32
comprises a recording medium station
53
holding a plurality of recording mediums (i.e., rolls of heat sensitive materials such as a roll of receiver film R and a plurality of transfer films T such as standard transfer films for K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta) and Y (yellow) as well as sheets for special colors like gold and silver that are used in the printing field), a pair of rollers
54
for pulling out a single recording medium, a cutter
55
with which a predetermined length of the recording medium pulled out of the recording medium station
53
by the pull-out rollers
54
is cut in sheet form, a pair of rollers
56
for nipping and transporting the sheet of recording medium, and a guide
57
with which the sheet of recording medium is guided on the rotating drum
34
up to the position where the leading edge of the recording medium is fixed by the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
on the rotating drum
34
.
The receiver film R is first supplied to the rotating drum
34
. Its leading edge is clamped or otherwise fixed to the mechanism
36
and, as the rotating drum
34
rotates in the direction of the arrow, the receiver film R is wound onto the outer surface of the rotating drum
34
. The trailing edge of the receiver film R is also fixed by the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
. Preferably, at least one of the portions of the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
which fix the leading and trailing edges of the receiver film R is adapted to be movable on the outer surface of the rotating drum
34
so that various lengths of recording medium in sheet form can be fixed onto the rotating drum
34
.
After the receiver film R has been wound onto the periphery of the rotating drum
34
, the transfer film T that has been transformed from the recording medium supply section
32
in a completely identical manner is wound onto the receiver film R in superposition. This step of superposing the transfer film T on the receiver film R is performed by the laminating mechanism
38
consisting of a laminating roller
58
having a built-in heater (not shown), an arm
59
which rotates the laminating roller
58
about a fulcrum
59
a
so that it contacts or separates from the outer surface of the rotating drum
34
, and a depressing means
60
for depressing the laminating roller
58
against the outer surface of the rotating drum at a predetermined pressure. The depressing means
60
may be an urging means such as a spring or an air cylinder manipulator.
The image receiving layer forming the outermost part of the receiver film R is tacky and can be laminated with the transfer film as it is depressed under a predetermined pressure by the laminating roller
58
. Therefore, the image receiving layer in the receiver film R and the toner layer in the transfer film T can be adhered to each other not only without developing wrinkles and other surface defects in the transfer film T but also achieving a uniform adhesive force.
In order to ensure uniform and strong bonding, the transfer film T is laminated to the receiver film R by means of the pressure laminating roller
58
. In order to provide a greater adhesive force, the laminating roller
58
is preferably heated as it is pressed onto the rotating drum during lamination. The heating temperature is not more than 130° C., preferably not more than 100° C.
When winding the receiver film R onto the rotating drum
34
, its leading edge is preferably fixed by the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
while the other portion is retained by the transport roller pair
56
or the laminating roller
58
or some other means so that it can be wound onto the periphery of the rotating drum
34
under tension. As will be mentioned later, suction holes may be formed in the outer surface of the rotating drum
34
so that the receiver film R can be sucked onto the rotating drum by a suction means. While the suction means is preferably used in combination with the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
, either one of them may be used alone. In this way, the receiver film R can be fixed onto the periphery of the rotating drum
34
without developing wrinkles or other surface defects and without causing positional offsets. Tension is preferably applied when the transfer film T is superposed on the receiver film R after it has been wound onto the rotating drum
34
. Again, the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
may be used to fix the leading edge and/or trailing edge of the transfer film T and the above-mentioned suction means may also be used in combination with the recording medium fix/release mechanism
36
. Preferably, the tension to be applied to the transfer film T being superposed is smaller than the tension to be applied to the receiver film R as it is wound onto the rotating drum
34
.
The optical head
40
comprises a laser head
24
and an sub scanning means
61
. The laser head
24
consists basically of a laser beam source which includes a modulation means and emits high-density energy light such as a
Sasaki Yoshiharu
Yamamoto Mitsuru
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Schilling Richard L.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
Recording apparatus and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Recording apparatus and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Recording apparatus and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2923817