US 5,851,345 AGranted

Heat transfer recording sheet producing apparatus and a roll shaft supplying apparatus

AssigneeDai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

InventorYoshikimi Semba

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Abstract

A heat transfer recording sheet producing apparatus and a roll shaft supplying apparatus. A web supplying unit supplies a web which is printed with end marks by a gravure printing unit. A drying unit dries the end marks, and then the web is wound onto a roll shaft in a sheet winding unit. The sheet winding unit is provided with roll shafts from the roll shaft supplying apparatus. After winding, a roll form is produced and is discharged to a discharge unit. The roll shaft supplying apparatus has a slit detecting unit to detect the presence or absence of a slit in a roll shaft and to detect the orientation of the roll shaft, and a gripping/turning unit operates on the roll shaft in response to a signal from the slit detecting unit. If a slit is detected and the orientation of the roll shaft is correct, the gripping/turning unit moves the roll shaft to a second discharge unit which supplies the roll shaft to the sheet winding unit. If a slit is detected and the orientation of the roll shaft is opposite the correct orientation, the gripping/turning unit first rotates the roll shaft 180.degree. horizontally before sending the rotated roll shaft to the second discharge unit.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A heat transfer recording sheet producing apparatus comprising:

a web supplying apparatus for supplying a web having a base film and a hot melt ink layer;
a gravure printing apparatus for printing a plurality of end marks at predetermined intervals in the widthwise direction on the web supplied from the web supplying apparatus;
a drying apparatus for drying the gravure-printed end marks, said drying apparatus comprising a fan, a heater, and a circulating duct, said circulating duct providing circulation of air from an output of said heater to an input of said fan such that air is recirculated through said heater, said circulating duct and said fan;
a sheet winding apparatus for winding a sheet obtained from the web in a roll form around a roll shaft having a slit formed in one end thereof to form a sheet roll;
a roll shaft supplying apparatus for supplying the roll shaft to said sheet winding apparatus;
and
a discharging apparatus for discharging the sheet roll formed by said sheet winding apparatus, wherein
said roll shaft supplying apparatus comprises:
a transferring apparatus for transferring the roll shaft in a horizontal direction;
an introducing apparatus connected to an upstream side of the transferring apparatus, for introducing the roll shaft to said transferring apparatus;
a second discharging apparatus connected to a downstream side of said transferring apparatus, for discharging the roll shaft to a side of said sheet winding apparatus;
a slit detecting apparatus for detecting the presence or absence of the slit in the roll shaft and an orientation of the roll shaft;
and
a gripping/turning apparatus arranged to operate based on a signal from said slit detecting apparatus in such a manner that if the slit is present in the roll shaft and if the orientation of the roll shaft is correct, said gripping/turning apparatus grips the roll shaft on said transferring apparatus and transfers the roll shaft to said second discharging apparatus without changing the orientation and that if the slit is present in the roll shaft and if the orientation of the roll shaft is opposite the correct orientation, said gripping/turning apparatus grips the roll shaft on said transferring apparatus, horizontally rotates the roll shaft about 180.degree. and transfers the roll shaft to said second discharging apparatus.

11 more elements

A roll shaft supplying apparatus for supplying a roll shaft having a slit at one end thereof to a winding portion for winding a sheet around the roll shaft in a roll form, comprising:

a transferring apparatus for sequentially transferring roll shafts in a horizontal direction;
an introducing apparatus connected to an upstream side of the transferring apparatus, for introducing said roll shafts to said transferring apparatus;
a discharging apparatus connected to a downstream of said transferring apparatus, for discharging said roll shafts to a side of winding portion;
a slit detecting apparatus for detecting presence or absence of a slit of a roll shaft, and an orientation of the roll shaft;
and
a gripping/turning apparatus arranged to operate based on a signal from said slit detecting apparatus in such a manner that it a slit is present in a roll shaft and if the orientation of the sheet roll is correct, said gripping/turning apparatus grips said roll shaft on said transferring apparatus and transfers said roll shaft to said discharging apparatus without changing the orientation and that if a slit is present in the roll shaft and if an orientation of the roll shaft is opposite the correct orientation, said gripping/turning apparatus grips said roll shaft on said transferring apparatus, horizontally rotates said roll shaft about 180.degree. and transfers said sheet roll to said discharging apparatus.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.