Reversible thermal recording medium and method of producing the same
AssigneesToppan Printing Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsNiro Watanabe, Yuji Nakatsu, Keiki Yamada, Masaru Ohnishi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reversible thermal recording medium having a core material capable of being change in state by heat and a recording layer including capsules containing this core material. A repeatability corresponding to the limit of possible repeated recording/erasing effected by a physical or chemical change in the material constituting the recording can be obtained. A deterioration in image quality caused by transfer of a part of the recording layer to the heating unit can be prevented and repeat characteristics can be improved, thereby limiting the running cost.
Claims11
A reversible thermal recording medium comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a first recording layer on the substrate and a second recording layer on the first recording layer, each layer including a binder and, in the binder, a plurality of capsules, each of said capsules containing a core material comprising a resin admixed with an organic low-molecular weight material capable of interacting with the resin so as to render the core material opaque upon being heated from a first temperature to a second, elevated temperature followed by cooling to said first temperature, and transparent upon being heated from said first temperature to a third, elevated temperature followed by cooling to said first temperature, said first and second recording layers being capable of undergoing repeated recording and erasing of visible states by heat through reversible visible physical change.
A method for reversibly recording data on a recording layer comprising:
- providing a substrate and, on the substrate, a recording layer comprising a binder and, in the binder, a plurality of capsules containing a core material comprising a resin admixed with an organic low-molecular weight material capable of interacting with the resin so as to render the core material opaque upon being heated from a first temperature to a second, elevated temperature followed by cooling to said first temperature, and transparent upon being heated from said first temperature to a third, elevated temperature followed by cooling to said first temperature,
- heating said recording layer from a first temperature to a second, elevated temperature and cooling said recording layer to said first temperature to change said recording layer from a transparent state to an opaque state, and
- heating said recording layer from said first temperature to a third, elevated temperature and cooling said recording layer to said first temperature to change said recording layer from said opaque state to said transparent state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.