Incremental printing of symbolic information – Thermal marking apparatus or processes – Density control
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-08
2004-09-21
Nguyen, Lamson (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Thermal marking apparatus or processes
Density control
Reexamination Certificate
active
06795103
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal printer including a thermally activating apparatus for a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet having a heat-sensitive adhesive layer that exhibits a non-bonding property normally and expresses a bonding property by heat on one side of a sheet-like substrate, and more particularly, relates to a technique capable of efficiently driving a printing thermal head and an activating thermal head with limited allowable electric power.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heat-sensitive adhesive sheets (heat-sensitive adhesive labels) as one type of so-called linerless labels have recently been used in broad areas, such as adhesion of POS labels for food, distribution/delivery labels, medical labels, baggage tags, and indicator labels for bottles and cans. The heat-sensitive adhesive labels are constructed such that a heat-sensitive adhesive layer which exhibits a non-bonding property normally and expresses a bonding property by heat is formed on the back of a sheet-like label substrate (for example, base paper) and a printable plane is formed on the front surface.
The heat-sensitive adhesive has a thermoplastic resin, a solid plasticizer or the like as the main component, and exhibits a non-bonding property normally but expresses a bonding property by being activated when heated with a thermally activating apparatus. The activating temperature is normally from 50 to 150° C., wherein in this temperature range, the solid plasticizer in the heat-sensitive adhesive melts to give a bonding property to the thermoplastic resin. The melted solid plasticizer is gradually crystallized through a supercooled state; thus, the bonding property is maintained for a fixed period of time. While the bonding property is maintained, the adhesive label is used in the manner of being adhered to the object such as a glass bottle.
The printable plane of the heat-sensitive adhesive label is composed of, for example, a heat-sensitive color-forming layer, on which a desired character or image is printed with a thermal printer having a general thermal head; thereafter, the heat-sensitive adhesive layer is activated by the thermally activating apparatus.
A printer is also being developed which has the thermally activating apparatus in the thermal printer for performing thermal printing onto a heat-sensitive adhesive label and activation of a heat-sensitive adhesive layer in succession.
Such a printer had, for example, an arrangement shown in FIG.
6
.
In
FIG. 6
, reference sign P
2
denotes a thermal printer unit; sign C
2
denotes a cutter unit; sign A
2
denotes a thermally activating unit; and sign R denotes a heat-sensitive adhesive label wound like a roll.
The thermal printer unit P
2
includes a printing thermal head
100
, a platen roller
101
which is brought into pressure contact with the printing thermal head
100
, and a drive system (for example, an electric motor and a gear train or the like), which is not shown, for rotating the platen roller
101
.
In
FIG. 6
, the platen roller
101
is rotated in the direction of D
1
(clockwise) to draw out the heat-sensitive adhesive label R; the drawn-out heat-sensitive adhesive label R is subjected to thermal printing, and is then carried out in the direction of D
2
(to the right). The platen roller
101
includes a pressurizing means (for example, a coil spring, a leaf spring or the like), which is not shown, by the urging force of which the surface of the platen roller
101
is brought into pressure contact with the thermal head
100
.
The heat-sensitive adhesive label R is constructed, for example, as in FIG.
7
.
More specifically, base paper
1500
serving as a label substrate has a thermal coat layer
1501
serving as a heat-sensitive color-forming layer, which forms a printable plane, on one side (the surface in FIG.
7
), on which a colored print layer
1502
having price frames, characters including units, patterns, or the like printed thereon is formed. The other side (the back in
FIG. 7
) of the base paper
1500
has a heat-sensitive adhesive layer K coated with a heat-sensitive adhesive having a thermoplastic resin, a solid plasticizer, or the like as the main component.
The printing thermal head
100
and the platen roller
101
operate on the basis of a print signal from a print controller (not shown), thereby allowing desired printing onto the thermal coat layer
1501
of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R.
The cutter unit C
2
is used for cutting the heat-sensitive adhesive label R that has been subjected to thermal printing with the thermal printer unit P
2
in an appropriate length, including a movable blade
200
, a fixed blade
201
, or the like which are activated by the primary drive such as an electric motor (not shown). The movable blade
200
is driven in a designated timing by the control of a controller (not shown).
The thermally activating unit A
2
is rotated by, for example, a primary drive (not shown), including an inserting roller
300
and an ejecting roller
301
for inserting and ejecting the cut heat-sensitive adhesive label R, wherein a thermally activating thermal head
400
and a platen roller
401
, which is brought into pressure contact with the thermally activating thermal head
400
, are disposed between the inserting roller
300
and the ejecting roller
301
. The platen roller
401
includes a drive system, which is not shown, (such as an electric motor and a gear train), wherein the platen roller
401
is rotated in the direction of D
4
(counterclockwise in
FIG. 6
) to transfer the heat-sensitive adhesive label R in the direction of D
6
(to the right in
FIG. 6
) with the inserting roller
300
and the ejecting roller
301
, which rotate in the directions of D
3
and D
5
, respectively. The platen roller
401
includes a pressurizing means, which is not shown, (such as a coil spring and a leaf spring), by the urging force of which the surface of the platen roller
401
is brought into pressure contact with the thermally activating thermal head
400
.
Reference sign S indicates an ejection detecting sensor for detecting the ejection of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R. The subsequent printing, transfer, and thermal activation of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R are performed in accordance with the detection of the ejection of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R by, the ejection detecting sensor S.
The thermally activating thermal head
400
and the platen roller
401
are operated by a controller (not shown) in a prescribed timing to activate the heat-sensitive adhesive layer K of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R by heat applied from the thermally activating thermal head
400
, thereby exhibiting adhesive force.
After the adhesive force of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R has been exhibited by the thermally activating unit A
2
with such an arrangement, indicator labels are adhered to glass bottles for liquor and medicines or plastic cases, or price tags or advertising labels are adhered. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that released sheets (liners) as in conventional general adhesive labels become unnecessary, resulting in reducing cost; and also released sheets which will be waste after use are unnecessary, having an advantage also in view of resource savings and environment.
The printing thermal head
100
of the thermal printer unit P
2
and the thermally activating thermal head
400
of the thermally activating unit A
2
consume relatively high electric power; accordingly, when both thermal heads are driven at the same time, the power sometimes exceeded the allowable power of the power source of the printer.
Particularly, portable printers used for printing distribution/delivery labels and so on have relatively low allowable electric power because they are driven by a built-in battery as a power source; thus, it was sometimes difficult to operate the printing thermal head and the thermally activating thermal head at the same time.
Accordingly, in the conventional portable printers, first, the printin
Okayasu Takanori
Yoshida Shin'ichi
Adams & Wilks
Feggins K.
Nguyen Lamson
SII P & S Inc.
LandOfFree
Thermal printer having thermally activating apparatus for... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Thermal printer having thermally activating apparatus for..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Thermal printer having thermally activating apparatus for... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3258422