Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless – Having plural interactive leaves
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-13
2003-05-20
Schwartz, Pamela R. (Department: 1774)
Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless
Having plural interactive leaves
C428S195100, C430S945000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06566303
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer material which thermal transfers by laser illumination and to an image forming material using the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a thermal transfer material which can be used for forming a color proof (DDCP: direct digital color proof) or a mask image in the field of printing by utilizing laser illumination based on a digital image signal, and to an image forming material using the thermal transfer material.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional thermal transfer recording technique is as follows. An image receiving material and a thermal transfer material, in which a heat melting color material layer or a color material layer containing a heat sublimating dye is provided on a supporting body, are superposed. The thermal transfer material side is heated imagewise by a heating device, such as a thermal head, an energized head, or the like, which is controlled by an electric signal. Thus, the image is transferred and recorded onto the image receiving material.
Such a thermal transfer recording technique has the characteristics that noise is low, there is no need for maintenance, the cost is low, coloring is easy, digital recording is possible, and the like. This technique is utilized in many fields such as various types of printers, recorders, facsimiles, computer terminals, and the like.
The recent years, a so-called digital recordable recording method, with which resolution is higher, high speed recording is possible, and image processing is possible, has come to be demanded in the fields of medical care, printing, and the like. However, in the thermal transfer recording method using a heating device such as a thermal head, an energized head, or the like, the resolution is limited by a density at which the head heating elements are disposed. Moreover, due to the heat generating characteristics of the heating elements, it is difficult to control the heating temperature of the heating elements at high speed, and it is difficult to obtain an image having higher resolution even faster.
Therefore, in recent years, a laser recording technique which utilizes a light to heat converting operation by laser illumination has attracted attention and has been manufactured as a system which can obtain an image having higher resolution at high speed.
In an image forming system which utilizes this laser recording technique, in particular, a single mode laser is used in general from the standpoint of obtaining a beam which is extremely narrow and has a small focal point. Because such a single mode laser has good beam quality, an image having high resolution is obtained. Further, regarding the recording speed as well, an image can be formed at high speed as compared to recording by a conventional heating device such as a thermal head or the like.
However, in the laser recording, since the focus beam diameter of a laser light having comparatively large energy is converged to about 10 &mgr;m and used, light-to-heat conversion is effected highly efficiently and extremely high heat energy is obtained as compared to a case using a heating device, such as a thermal head or the like, which is used for heat recording. As a result, the temperature of a region which is subjected to laser illumination reaches an extremely high temperature locally, and a coloring agent (pigment), which is included in the image forming layer, in the illuminated region may undergo thermal decomposition. When the coloring agent undergoes thermal decomposition, the hue of the coloring agent is lost, and the image density of an image which is transferred onto the image receiving layer decreases.
Further, in recent years, an attempt to increase the image recording speed has been made using a multimode semiconductor laser which has a higher output than the single mode laser. However, the multimode semiconductor laser has drawbacks in that it is difficult to converge a laser beam in the transverse direction and that the focus beam diameter cannot be converged to 20 &mgr;m or less. Thus, when a highly minute image in which a sub-scanning pitch is approximately 10 &mgr;m in the field of medical care, printing, or the like is recorded by using the multimode semiconductor laser, adjacent beams are overlapped with each other. As a result, the overlapped region is heated excessively, the thermal decomposition of a coloring agent as described above progresses even further, and the density of the transferred image is lowered even more.
Accordingly, also in cases in which recording is carried out using the above-described laser having high output and having overlapping of adjacent beams, there is still the demand for a material in which it is difficult for thermal decomposition to occur even at high temperatures.
In general, the coloring agent which is used in the image forming layer is a pigment or the like. However, there are often cases in which, when the pigment is subjected to thermal decomposition, substances which are harmful to the human body are discharged from the pigment. Consequently, in recent years, a technique which can prevent or reduce the generation of harmful substances has come to be demanded as there are demands for improving safety and the operation environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and to provide a thermal transfer material and an image forming material, in which it is difficult for decomposition of a coloring agent to occur at the time of forming an image, which are very safe, and which can form a vivid image having good hue.
A first aspect of the present invention is a thermal transfer material which has at least a light to heat converting layer and an image forming layer on a supporting body, wherein the image forming layer contains at least one compound which is selected from compounds which are represented by following general formula (1) and following general formula (2):
wherein, R
1
represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, or an alkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; R
2
represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and n represents any integer of from 1 to 4;
wherein, R
3
and R
4
respectively and independently represent a nitro group, a halogen atom, a methylsulfonyl group, or a cyano group.
A second aspect of the present invention is an image forming material which is formed by a thermal transfer material and an image receiving material, wherein the thermal transfer material has at least a light to heat converting layer and an image forming layer on a supporting body, and the image forming layer contains at least one compound which is selected from compounds which are represented by following general formula (1) and following general formula (2), and the image receiving material having an image receiving layer on a supporting body:
wherein, R
1
represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, or an alkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; R
2
represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and n represents any integer of from 1 to 4;
wherein, R
3
and R
4
respectively and independently represent a nitro group, a halogen atom, a methylsulfonyl group, or a cyano group.
A third aspect of the present invention is a laser thermal transfer recording method, comprising the steps of: (a) manufacturing a thermal transfer material which includes formation of a light to heat converting layer on a supporting body and formation of an image forming layer which contains at least one compound which is selected form compounds represented by following general formula (1) and following general formula (2); (b) manufacturing an image receiving material which includes formation of an image receiving layer on a supporting body; (C) superposing the thermal transfer material and the image receiving material such that the image forming layer a
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Schwartz Pamela R.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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