Thermal recording apparatus using recording sheet made of thermal reversible material

A reading and writing system, comprising:

• a thermal recording sheet on which information is to be recorded by heating said thermal recording sheet to a first temperature and information is to be erased therefrom by heating said thermal recording sheet to a second temperature, said thermal recording sheet having crystals made of organic low molecular weight particles which are dispersed in resin, the crystals changing in size in accordance with a temperature supplied thereto so that said thermal recording sheet is changed between a transparent state and a non-transparent state, the transparent state and the non-transparent state each being respectively maintained when said thermal recording sheet is at a normal temperature;
• a reading system including:
• a first tray;
• and
• an image sensor for optically reading a document supplied from the first tray, and
• a recording system for recording and erasing information on said thermal recording sheet, including:
• a thermal head for heating said thermal recording sheet in a pattern;
• a supplying roller for supplying said thermal recording sheet to said thermal head;
• an ejecting roller for ejecting said thermal recording sheet out of said apparatus;
• mode selecting means for selecting a recording mode or an erasing mode;
• temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of said thermal head;
• storage means for storing a table indicating relationships between a temperature detected by said temperature detecting means and an amount of thermal energy to be supplied to said thermal recording sheet by using said thermal head in each of said recording mode and said erasing mode, the amounts of thermal energy being based on a first temperature to which said thermal recording sheet is to be heated in the recording mode and a second temperature to which said thermal recording sheet is to be heated in the erasing mode;
• control means for controlling an amount of thermal energy supplied from said thermal head to said thermal recording sheet based on a mode selected by said mode selecting means and a temperature detected by said temperature detecting means with reference to said table so that said thermal recording sheet is heated to the first temperature in a pattern corresponding to information to be recorded in the recording mode and is heated to the second temperature in the erasing mode;
• and
• a second tray for holding said thermal recording sheet,
• wherein the supplying roller supplies said thermal recording sheet from the second tray to said thermal head.