Thermal transfer printer
AssigneeMinolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKouji Shibuya, Junichi Yamamoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising an ink film coated with a heat-fusion type ink, an ink film supplying roller rotatably mounted at a first support member, an ink film winding roller rotatably mounted at a second support member, and a recording station wherein a recording material contacts with the ink film to be recorded an image information by a heat transfer, the first and second support members are rotatable respectively around a first axis and a second axis provided at ends of a rotating member which connects the first and second support members, so that the first and second support members integrally rotate around a third axis provided substantially at a center of the rotating member.
Claims13
A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising:
- a supplying means for supplying an ink film;
- a winding means for winding said ink film supplied from said supplying means;
- a recording means provided between said supplying means and said winding means for recording images on a recording medium by heat transfer, said recording means including a heating means in contact with one side of the ink film for heating the ink film and a contact means on the other side of the ink film so that the ink film and the recording medium may be pressed between said heating means and the contact means;
- a feeding means for feeding said recording medium between the ink film and said contact means;
- a first support means for rotatably supporting said supplying means;
- a second support means for rotatably supporting said winding means;
- and
- a connecting means for connecting said first support means and said second support means, the first support means moving around a first axis provided at one end of said connecting means and the second support means moving around a second axis provided at another end of the connecting means so that the first and second support means integrally move around a third axis provided substantially at a center of the connecting means.
A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising:
- a first support means for supporting a supplying roller which supplies an ink film;
- a second support means for supporting a winding roller which winds said ink film supplied from said supplying roller;
- a recording means provided between said supplying roller and said winding roller for recording images on a recording medium by heat transfer, said recording means including a heating means in contact with one side of the ink film for heating the ink film and a contact means on the other side of the ink film so that the ink film and the recording medium may be pressed between said heating means and the contact means;
- a feeding means for feeding said recording medium between the ink film and said contact means;
- and
- a third support means for movably supporting said first support means and said second support means so that the first support means move relatively to the second support means while keeping a parallel positional relationship with the second support means.
A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising:
- a supplying means for supplying an ink film;
- a winding means for winding said ink film supplied from said supplying means;
- a recording means provided between said supplying means and said winding means for recording images on a recording medium by heat transfer, said recording means including a heating means in contact with one side of the ink film for heating the ink film and a contact means on the other side of the ink film so that the ink film and the recording medium may be pressed between said heating means and the contact means;
- a feeding means for feeding said recording medium between the ink film and the contact means;
- a first support means for rotatably supporting said supplying means;
- a second support means for rotatably supporting said winding means;
- and
- a connecting means for connecting said first support means and said second support means so that said first support means moves in synchronism with said second support means.
In a thermal transfer recording apparatus composed of a supplying means for supplying an ink film, winding means for winding said ink film supplied from said supplying means, and a recording means including a heating means and a contact means for recording an image information on a recording material transported from a recording material source means, a method comprising the steps of:
- providing said supplying means on one side of said recording means;
- providing said winding means on the other side of said recording means;
- and
- connecting the supplying means with the winding means by a connecting means so that the supplying means and the winding means freely move respectively around a first axis and a second axis which are provided at said connecting means perpendicularly to an ink film supplying direction.
In a thermal transfer recording apparatus composed of a supplying means for supplying an ink film, winding means for winding said ink film supplied from said supplying means, and a recording means including a heating means and a contact means for recording an image information on a recording material transported from a recording material source means, a method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first support means for supporting a supplying roller which supplies an ink film;
- providing a second support means for supporting a winding roller which winds said ink film supplied from said supplying roller;
- and
- supporting said first support means and said second support means so as to relatively move each other while keeping a parallel positional relationship therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.