Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12162291-B2
Application number	US-202217739685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2022
Priority date	Nov 13, 2019
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a head mechanism including a thermal head; a ribbon conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of a thermal transfer ribbon and conveys the thermal transfer ribbon along the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon; and a medium conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of a transfer target medium and conveys the transfer target medium along the conveyance path of the transfer target medium. Each of the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon and the conveyance path of the transfer target medium includes a transfer position and a peeling position downstream of the transfer position, the transfer position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon overlaid on the transfer target medium is subjected to heat and pressure from the thermal head, the peeling position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon starts to be peeled away from the transfer target medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus configured to transfer a transfer layer including a hologram from a thermal transfer ribbon having the transfer layer to a transfer target medium, comprising:
a head mechanism including a thermal head;
a ribbon conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon and conveys the thermal transfer ribbon along the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon; and
a medium conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of the transfer target medium and conveys the transfer target medium along the conveyance path of the transfer target medium,
wherein
each of the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon and the conveyance path of the transfer target medium includes a transfer position and a peeling position downstream of the transfer position, the transfer position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon overlaid on the transfer target medium is subjected to heat and pressure from the thermal head, the peeling position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon starts to be peeled away from the transfer target medium,
a peeling angle formed by a direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed from the peeling position and a direction in which the transfer target medium is conveyed from the peeling position is 2° or more and 30° or less, and
the ribbon conveyance unit comprises a path definition member configured to contact the thermal transfer ribbon at a position downstream of the transfer position to define the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed and thereby to define the peeling angle,
the path definition member is connected to a part of the head mechanism other than the thermal head, and
the hologram comprises a hardening resin, which is a photosetting resin or a thermosetting resin.

2. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the peeling angle formed by the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed from the peeling position and the direction in which the transfer target medium is conveyed from the peeling position is 2° or more and 15° or less.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the head mechanism includes a movable part configured to change the position of the thermal head with respect to the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon, the movable part being connected to a side of the thermal head opposite to that facing the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon, and
the path definition member is connected to a part of the head mechanism on a side of the movable part opposite to that facing the thermal head.

4. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the path definition member is disposed downstream of the transfer position, at a position contacting the transfer medium overlaid on the transfer target medium, wherein the peeling position is formed immediately after the position where the path definition member contacts the transfer medium so that the peeling position determined by the position of the path definition member in a direction along the flow of the medium.

5. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the path definition member is disposed downstream of both the transfer position and the peeling position, at a position contacting the transfer medium Ma having been peeled away from the transfer target medium so that the peeling position is formed near the transfer position, and the transfer medium is conveyed in the direction from the peeling position toward the position of the contact with the path definition member.

6. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the path definition member is an oblique plate with a predetermined angle, the oblique plate contacts the transfer medium at a position downstream of the peeling position so that the transfer medium is conveyed from the peeling position along the oblique surface so that the peeling angle is defined by the angle of the oblique plate.

7. The printing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the transfer medium comprises a substrate and the transfer layer, wherein the oblique plate contacts the substrate.

8. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hologram consists of the thermosetting resin and a hardening agent.

9. The printing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the hardening agent is isocyanate.

10. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hologram consists of the photosetting resin and a UV curing agent.

11. A printing apparatus configured to transfer a transfer layer from a thermal transfer ribbon having a substrate and the transfer layer to a transfer target medium, the transfer layer including a release layer in contact with the substrate and a resin layer including a hardening resin and in contact with the release layer, comprising:
a head mechanism including a thermal head;
a ribbon conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon and conveys the thermal transfer ribbon along the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon; and
a medium conveyance unit that defines a conveyance path of the transfer target medium and conveys the transfer target medium along the conveyance path of the transfer target medium,
wherein
each of the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon and the conveyance path of the transfer target medium includes a transfer position and a peeling position downstream of the transfer position, the transfer position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon overlaid on the transfer target medium is subjected to heat and pressure from the thermal head, the peeling position being a position where the thermal transfer ribbon starts to be peeled away from the transfer target medium,
a peeling angle formed by a direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed from the peeling position and a direction in which the transfer target medium is conveyed from the peeling position is 2° or more and 30° or less, and
the ribbon conveyance unit comprises a path definition member configured to contact the thermal transfer ribbon at a position downstream of the transfer position to define the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed and thereby to define the peeling angle,
the path definition member is connected to a part of the head mechanism other than the thermal head, wherein the hardening resin is a photosetting resin or a thermosetting resin.

12. The printing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the peeling angle formed by the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon is conveyed from the peeling position and the direction in which the transfer target medium is conveyed from the peeling position is 2° or more and 15° or less.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the head mechanism includes a movable part configured to change the position of the thermal head with respect to the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon, the movable part being connected to a side of the thermal head opposite to that facing the conveyance path of the thermal transfer ribbon, and
the path definition member is connected to a part of the head mechanism on a side of the movable part opposite to that facing the thermal head.

14. The printing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the path definition member is disposed downstream of the transfer position, at a position contacting the transfer medium overlaid on the transfer target medium, wherein the peeling position is formed immediately after the position where the path definition member contacts the transfer medium so that the peeling position determined by the position of the path definition member in a direction along the flow of the me

Assignees

• Toppan Inc

Inventors

• Kubota Masashi

Classifications

• B41J17/30

  Constructions of guides for the impression-transfer material · CPC title

• B41J2/325 Primary

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