Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Junichi Yamamoto

Atsuhiko Shimoyama

Yutaka Maeda

Iwao Fujii

Yasukuni Omata

Akihiko Onuma

Kouji Shibuya

Yoshio Tohyama

Naoyuki Matsuda

Chiharu Imaseki

Hideaki Shimizu

Masahiro Shiigi

Shigeru Yaginuma

Homare Sano

A thermal transfer recording apparatus, which has a detachable ink film cassette with an ink film, transfers an ink applied to the ink film to a recording paper by means of a thermal head and forms an image on the recording paper. The ink film cassette holds a supply reel wound around the shaft with the ink film and a take-up reel for taking up the ink film of the supply reel around the shaft. The thermal transfer recording apparatus has a detecting unit for detecting the supply reel mounted in the cassette, and a control unit for detecting the ink film based on a signal from the detecting unit. The detecting unit has a lever, which advances through an opening formed in the cassette from the direction perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the supply reel and comes in contact with the supply reel, and a photosensor for detecting the supply reel through of the lever. This thermal transfer recording apparatus can detect missing of the ink film in advance of the start of a printing operation.

Thermal transfer recording apparatus, ink film cassette and ink film reel

An image forming system is provided with an image memory for storing a number of frame images, a composite image generator for generating a composite image bearing frame images, and a composite image recorder for recording generated composite image on a recording medium having a base layer, an adhesive layer, and a recording layer. The system is further provided with a separation former for forming a perforation line on the recording medium for dividing a specified frame image from the other frame image.

Image forming apparatus and system and a recording medium

Ink reel

An ink film cassette 33 incorporates therein a supply reel 30 having an ink film wound thereon and a rewind reel 31 for taking up the ink film 32 and is attached detachably to a thermal transfer printer 10. In the cassette 33, a first torque limiter 85 for transmitting braking force to a supporting shaft 78a of the supply reel 30 inside the cassette 33 is fixed detachably to the supporting shaft 78a. Bearings 81a and 81b on the take-upside transmit braking force to supporting shafts 80a and 80b of the rewind reel 31 inside the ink film cassette. Further in the cassette 33, a second torque limiter 97 for limiting the driving torque of the rewind reel 31 in the ink film cassette is fixed detachably to the supporting shaft 81a. A kick spring 106 for causing the ink film paid off the supply reel 30 to be rewound on the supply reel 30 is also fixed detachably to the supply reel 30 in the cassette 33. A torque limiter 200A includes a grease receiver 211 having an opening 211a which confronts a boundary 208 between an inner shaft 203 and a housing 202. A stopper 241 for retaining the leading end of the inner shaft 203 in the axial direction is provided in the housing 202 of a torque limiter 200G.

Ink film cassette and reel

Cartridge

An ink film cassette which is detachably attached to a thermal transfer recording device, the ink film cassette having a supply reel winding an ink film therearound, a take-up reel which rolls up the ink film fed out from the supply reel and a torque limiter which is provided between the supply reel and a frame of the body of the thermal transfer recording device so as to apply torque to the supply reel.

Ink film cassette having a torque applying device therein

The image forming apparatus, in forming an image on the blank surface of a recording paper the one-side surface of which has an image already formed thereon for the purpose of promoting further utilization of the recording paper, forms on the aforementioned one-side surface of the recording paper a mark indicating unnecessariness of the image already formed on the one-side surface. This apparatus is provided with a marking unit capable of inscribing on the used surface having an unnecessary image recorded thereon a mark indicating unnecessariness of this image. This marking unit is actuated only when the fact that the reverse surfaces of recording papers have unnecessary image information already recorded thereon is detected, when the fact that the particular one of a plurality of paper feeding trays which accommodates used recording papers has been designated is detected, or when recording papers have been supplied from the paper feeding tray accommodating used recording papers. The choice between setting a marking mode in which the mark is printed by the marking unit on the reverse surface and canceling this mode is made by a selection switch.

Electrostatic copier having a marking unit for indicating unnecessary

A cover winding apparatus can wind and rewind a cover that is detachably attached to an opening of a container. A control apparatus is provided so that the roller member can be assured to stop at a different position on each winding cycle. A plurality of detecting sensors can define a stop position for the roller member and alternatively the control apparatus can be utilized to generate a different pulse number that can be applied to a stepper motor with a variable pulse number used for each operation of a winding cycle.

Cover winding apparatus for winding cover attached to opening part of

A thermal printer has detachably attached to a frame assembly of a printer a print unit having a built-in thermal head. The print unit accommodates therein an inked ribbon. By a drive member installed within the frame assembly, the thermal head is pressed against the platen roller and consequently driven thereby. The print unit is provided with a unit case and a cover allowed to be opened or shut relative to the unit case. The inked ribbon can be attached to or detached from the interior of the unit case. The unit is capable of incorporating the platen roller therein. In this case, the opening of the cover induces formation of an opening between the platen roller and the thermal head. The unit incorporating the platen roller therein is not required to be provided in the frame assembly thereof with the drive member which would cause the thermal head to be pressed against the platen roller by virtue of a spring member and and consequently induce a displacement of the thermal head. The use of a roll of thermosensitive recording paper in the unit obviates the necessity for the inked ribbon.

Thermal printer provided with detachable head unit having built-in

A thermal transfer recording device for recording an image on a recording sheet by means of an ink film. The device has a cassette accommodating recording sheets and a unit accommodating an ink film both of which are loadable into the main body of the device, and further has a first sensor for detecting the type of the cassette and a second sensor for detecting the type of the unit. The device alerts the operator when the type of the unit is judged to be incompatible with the type of the cassette according to the result of detection by the first and second sensors.

Thermal transfer recording device

A paper feeding device which extracts from a cassette accommodating a stack of sheets such sheets one at a time and feeds them to the next step, namely an image forming part, comprises an attracting member capable of being moved between an attracting position at which the attracting member attracts a sheet from within the cassette and a feeding position which lies above the attracting position, a pressing roller capable of being moved between a position of retraction and the feeding position, and a rotary roller capable of cooperating with the pressing roller in nipping the sheet at the feeding position. The pressing roller moves to the feeding position after the elapse of a prescribed time following the completion of the motion of the sheet by the attracting member to the feeding position. The rotary roller is rotatably set in place at the feeding position. The rotary roller may be attached to the attracting member in such a manner as to be moved vertically in both directions in conjunction with the attracting member. When the leading end of the sheet being conveyed by the attracting member from the attracting position to the feeding position comes into contact with the pressing roller held at the position of retraction, the pressing roller acts upon the sheet in the direction of returning the sheet to the cassette.

Paper feeding device

Disclosed are a sheet package and a sheet feeding apparatus in which such a sheet package is preferably employed. The sheet package is comprises a cover for covering a stack of sheets in its entirety and openable by being broken away to expose at least an end portion of the stack of sheets and a member extending outward from the bottom of the stack of sheets. The sheet feeding apparatus is provided with cassette body capable of accomodating the sheet package therein, and a holding portion for fixedly holding the extending member of the sheet package.

Sheet package and sheet feeding apparatus designed to employ same

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.

Thermal transfer printer

A thermal transfer recording apparatus permitting detachable disposition therein of an inked film cassette provided with a takeup reel holding part and a supply reel holding part. In the inked film cassette, the takeup reel holding part disposed at one end thereof and the supply reel holding part disposed at the other end thereof protrude in mutually opposite directions from the cassette casing.

Thermal transfer recording apparatus and inked film cassette therefor

A multi-color thermal transfer printing apparatus having a platen roller rotatable in opposite directions with a recording medium driven to travel on the platen roller and a continuous length of carrier medium driven to travel in conjunction with the recording medium on the platen roller so that the carrier medium may be in contact with the recording medium, the carrier medium having a series of areas carrying differently colored inks. A thermal print head is movable between an inoperative position spaced apart from the platen roller and an operative position having the carrier medium pressed against the recording medium on the platen roller and operative to form an image on the recording medium by thermal transfer of an ink from one of the colored areas of the carrier medium to the recording medium. A guide member is movable between a first position close to the platen roller and a second position spaced from the platen roller, the guide member in the first position forming a passageway through which the recording medium is to be guided to travel along a predetermined path with respect to the platen roller. The guide member and the print head are together so that the guide member is moved to the first position in response to movement of the print head to the inoperative position and is moved to the second position in response to movement of the print head to the operative position.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Junichi Yamamoto