Image forming apparatus and method, and transferring medium cassette

An image formation method comprising:

• supplying and driving a long film-like ink ribbon having an ink layer to perform thermal transfer recording;
• supplying and driving a long film-like transferring medium having an image-forming layer, which allows thermal transfer recording to be performed, using the ink ribbon, and is separable from a substrate;
• selectively heating the ink layer of the ink ribbon by a thermal head in a state where the transferring medium and the ink ribbon are put one on the other by a platen, thereby selectively transferring the ink layer onto the image-forming layer to form a record-image on the image-forming layer;
• applying heat and pressure to the transferring medium having the record-image and a target object, in a state where the transferring medium and the target object are put one on the other, thereby transferring the record-image along with the image-forming layer from the transferring medium to the target object,
• wherein the transferring medium is accommodated in a cassette detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus, and the transferring medium is used for forming the record-image while being fed from the cassette mounted in the apparatus, and the platen is movable between an operation position and a retreat position, which are located to sandwich a mounting position of the cassette;
• placing the platen at the retreat position before the cassette is mounted in the apparatus, and
• placing the platen at the operation position while pushing the transferring medium out of the cassette through an opening in the cassette after the cassette is mounted in the apparatus.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a mechanism configured to supply and drive a long film-like ink ribbon having an ink layer that performs thermal transfer recording;
• a mechanism configured to supply and drive a long film-like transferring medium having an image-forming layer, which allows thermal transfer recording to be performed, using the ink ribbon, and is separable from a substrate;
• a platen configured to support the transferring medium when thermal transfer recording is performed on the image-forming layer, using the ink ribbon;
• a thermal head configured to selectively heat the ink layer of the ink ribbon in a state where the transferring medium and the ink ribbon are put one on the other on the platen, thereby selectively transferring the ink layer onto the image-forming layer to form a record-image on the image-forming layer;
• and
• a heating and pressing mechanism configured to apply heat and pressure to the transferring medium having the record-image and a target object, in a state where the transferring medium and the target object are put one on the other, thereby transferring the record-image along with the image forming layer from the transferring medium to the target object,
• wherein the ink ribbon is accommodated in a cassette detachably mounted in the apparatus, and the ink ribbon is used to form the record-image while being fed from the cassette mounted in the apparatus, and
• the thermal head is movable between an operation position and a retreat position which are located to sandwich a mounting position of the cassette, such that the thermal head is placed at the retreat position before the cassette is mounted in the apparatus, and the thermal head is placed at the operation position while pushing the ink ribbon out of the cassette through an opening in the cassette after the cassette is mounted in the apparatus.

An image formation method comprising:

• supplying and driving a long film-like ink ribbon having an ink layer to perform thermal transfer recording;
• supplying and driving a long film-like transferring medium having an image-forming layer, which allows thermal transfer recording to be performed, using the ink ribbon, and is separable from a substrate;
• selectively heating the ink layer of the ink ribbon by a thermal head in a state where the transferring medium and the ink ribbon are put one on the other on a platen, thereby selectively transferring the ink layer onto the image-forming layer to form a record-image on the image-forming layer;
• applying heat and pressure to the transferring medium having the record-image and a target object, in a state where the transferring medium and the target object are put one on the other, thereby transferring the record-image along with the image-forming layer from the transferring medium to the target object,
• wherein the ink ribbon is accommodated in a cassette detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus, and the ink ribbon is used for forming the record-image while being fed from the cassette mounted in the apparatus, and the thermal head is movable between an operation position and a retreat position, which are located to sandwich a mounting position of the cassette;
• placing the thermal head at the retreat position before the cassette is mounted in the apparatus;
• and
• placing the thermal head at the operation position while pushing the ink ribbon out of the cassette through an opening in the cassette after the cassette is mounted in the apparatus.