Method of and apparatus for making thermocopies
AssigneeAgfa-Gevaert
InventorsHans U. Kaufl, Hans J. Vedder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of and an apparatus for making thermocopies in which a receiving material and an ink carrier member are synchronously advanced into a sublimation area opposite each other in a predetermined relationship therebetween, and the ink carrier member is heated linewise by a modulated laser beam to provide for pixelwise heating of the ink carrier member to enable transfer of an ink layer of a predetermined density from the ink carrier ribbon to the receiving material.
Claims14
A method of producing a thermocopy by a thermosublimation transfer, said method comprising the steps of:
- advancing a receiving material into a sublimation area;
- bringing an ink carrier member into the sublimation area opposite the receiving material in a predetermined relationship relative thereto, the ink carrier member being heated in the sublimation area pixelwise for transferring an ink layer of a predetermined density from the ink carrier member to the receiving member;
- heating the ink carrier member with a laser beam linewise to provide for heating the ink carrier member pixelwise;
- and
- modulating the laser beam in accordance with the predetermined density of the ink layer.
An apparatus for making thermocopies by thermosublimation transfer of ink from an ink carrier member to a receiving material, said apparatus comprising means for synchronously displacing the receiving material and the ink carrrier member in a predetermined relationship therebetween;
- means for linewise and pixelwise heating of the ink carrier member, said heating means comprising means for providing a laser beam movable along a respective line of the ink carrier member;
- and means for modulating said laser beam in accordance with a predetermined density of an ink layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.