Single pass imaging using rapidly addressable laser lamination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10166801-B2
Application number	US-201715690867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2017
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A system is provided for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate. The system includes a ribbon take-up device; a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction; a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and a laser beam source that directs a laser beam or laser light through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beams and transferred to the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate, the system comprising:
a ribbon take-up device;
a ribbon supply source that supplies the ribbon to the ribbon take-up device such that the ribbon is moved in a process direction;
a pressure roll located between the ribbon supply source and the ribbon take-up device in the process direction, the pressure roll being configured to apply pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate; and
a laser beam source that directs a laser beam through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser beam and transferred to the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam source is a digitally addressable laser beam source that is stationary in a direction perpendicular to the process direction.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the digitally addressable laser beam source is stationary in the process direction.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the laser beam is positioned along a line at the pressure location.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the pressure roll includes a glass cylinder and a silicone layer applied to an outer surface of the glass cylinder such that an outer surface of the pressure roll is the silicone layer.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a compensating lens positioned between the laser beam source and the pressure roll,
wherein the compensating lens alters the laser beam to compensate for distortion of the laser beam caused by the cylindrical shape of the pressure roll.

7. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a compensating lens positioned between the laser beam source and the pressure roll,
wherein the compensating lens alters the laser beam to compensate for distortion of the laser beam caused by the cylindrical shape of the pressure roll.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is positioned along a line at the pressure location.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam source produces the laser beam having a power to generate heat that is sufficient to melt the adhesive layer of the ribbon thus adhering the marking portion to the substrate.

10. A system for transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate, the system comprising:
a pressure roll abutting and applying pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate and moving in a process direction with the substrate; and
a laser beam source that directs laser light having a laser wavelength through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that a marking portion of the ribbon is heated by the laser light and transferred to the substrate,
wherein the pressure roll is optically transparent at the laser wavelength.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the laser beam source is a digitally addressable laser beam source that is stationary in a direction perpendicular to the process direction.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the ribbon includes a metallic layer and a laser clear support layer, and
the marking portion of the ribbon is a portion of the metallic layer.

13. A method of transferring a marking material from a ribbon to a substrate, the method comprising:
applying pressure to the ribbon at a pressure location, the pressure being applied between a pressure roll and the substrate, the pressure roll applying pressure to the ribbon at the pressure location when the ribbon is positioned between the pressure roll and the substrate and moving in a process direction with the substrate; and
heating a marking portion of the ribbon with laser light generated by a laser beam source, the laser light being directed through the pressure roll and onto the ribbon at the pressure location such that the marking portion of the ribbon is heated and transferred to the substrate,
wherein the pressure roll is optically transparent at the laser wavelength.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the laser beam source is a digitally addressable laser beam source that is stationary in a direction perpendicular to the process direction.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the digitally addressable laser beam source is stationary in the process direction.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the laser light is positioned along a line at the pressure location.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the pressure roll includes a glass cylinder and a silicone layer applied to an outer surface of the glass cylinder such that an outer surface of the pressure roll is the silicone layer.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising altering the laser light with a compensating lens positioned between the laser beam source and the pressure roll,
wherein the compensating lens alters the laser light to compensate for distortion of the laser light caused by the cylindrical shape of the pressure roll.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the ribbon includes a metallic layer and a laser clear layer,
the marking portion of the ribbon is a portion of the metallic layer, and
the laser light passes through the laser clear layer and heats the marking portion.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising altering the laser light with a compensating lens positioned between the laser beam source and the pressure roll,
wherein the pressure roll includes a glass cylinder and a silicone layer applied to an outer surface of the glass cylinder such that an outer surface of the pressure roll is the silicone layer,
the compensating lens alters the laser light to compensate for distortion of the laser light caused by the cylindrical shape of the pressure roll,
the laser beam source is a digitally addressable laser beam source that is stationary in the process direction and is stationary in a direction perpendicular to the process direction, and
the laser light is positioned along a line at the pressure location.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Stowe Timothy D

Classifications

• B41J2/475

  for heating selectively {by radiation or ultrasonic waves} · CPC title

• B41J2/455

  using laser arrays {, the laser array being smaller than the medium to be recorded} · CPC title

• B41J33/14 Primary

  Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J2/325

  by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet · CPC title