Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Mikio Imaeda

Shunichi Higashiyama

Jun Sakai

Keiko Suzuki

Tetuo Kobayashi

Keiji Seo

Shigeru Kagayama

Takashi Kawaguchi

Mitsuo Yamane

Kouji Inaishi

Koji Suzuki

Hatsue Ohno

An imaging system is provided wherein images are formed with good tonal qualities in a short time immediately after development process. Concretely, the imaging system of the invention comprises a print medium, wherein microcapsules encapsulate a color-forming material, a polymerization initiator and a developer, an irradiation box, which selectively exposes the print medium, a pressure-developing roller, and first and second post heaters. After the development using the pressure-developing roller, the print medium is heated by the first post heater on the condition that the heating time Y is longer than a second and shorter than approximately 1060 exp (-0.082X) seconds, wherein X is defined as the heating temperature (degrees). Further, the print medium is heated by the second post heater on the condition that the heating time Y is shorter than a second and longer than approximately 1060 exp (-0.082X) seconds.

Imaging system

A heat-expandable solid image forming sheet includes a base sheet, a heat-expandable layer formed of a material containing foaming particles on the base sheet and capable of expanding when heated, and a protective layer formed by a coating process on the heat-expandable layer. The base sheet has a strength higher than that of the protective layer in order to suppress the rise of a solid pattern toward the base sheet. The base sheet may be a PET film having a tensile strength of 0.5 kg/cm.sup.2 or above expressed by stress induced therein at 1% elongation at 100.degree. C. An image is formed using a light-absorptive material on the protective layer that absorbs light energy and converts the absorbed light energy into heat. When the heat-expandable solid pattern forming sheet carrying the image is irradiated with light, portions of the heat-expandable layer corresponding to the image are heated by the heat generated from the light-absorptive material. These heated portions expand and rise toward the protective layer to form a solid pattern corresponding to the image.

Heat-expandable solid pattern forming sheet

Hiragana characters and Chinese characters, as well as a Braille pattern, are formed on a thermal expansile sheet by the use of a thermal transfer ribbon by a thermal transfer unit. When only the portions of the thermal expansile sheet corresponding to a Braille pattern is exposed to light, only portions of the thermal expansile sheet corresponding to the Braille pattern are raised, whereby a Braille pattern is produced and the characters remain flat. The characters represent the meaning of the Braille pattern and function to discriminate the orientation of the thermal expansile sheet. Thus, it becomes easier for those who have no knowledge of Braille to discriminate the orientation of the sheet where Braille is formed.

Thermal expansile sheet

A plurality of circular figures, each having the same diameter, are formed on a thermal expansile layer, made of a material which is foamed upon heating as a result of absorption of light, in such way that they are spaced at intervals more than 0.3 times as large as a diameter of each circular figure. Upon exposure of the figures to light, each circular figure absorbs light to produce heat. At this time, since the circular figures are formed with appropriate constant intervals between them, the circular figures are raised so as to have uniform size and shape without being affected by the light absorption and heat generation of other circular figures.

Relief pattern producing method and apparatus and relief pattern sheet

A stencil plate having a heat sensitive stencil paper sheet formed of a thermoplastic film and a porous support member, a non-woven fabric impregnated with ink, a frame member disposed so as to surround the non-woven fabric, an ink-impermeable film, and a peelable surface film having a high temperature heat resisting property that is superior to the thermoplastic film. The surface film may be a peelable member or there may be a peelable member adhered to the surface film so as to peel both, the peelable member having a projecting portion. When the projecting portion which projects from a frame member, is gripped and pulled, the surface film on a stenciled face, is gradually peeled away and removed from the stenciled face so that a heat sensitive stencil paper sheet in the stenciled condition is exposed.

Plate for stencil paper printing having a releasable film

Image forming apparatus and method for forming a visible image on an image recording medium using a photosensitive medium having a substrate and a photosensitive image forming layer thereon and an intermediate supporting medium having a support member and a thermal adhesive layer thereon, comprising an electrophotographic unit for electrophotographically forming a latent image on the photosensitive image forming layer and developing the latent image into a visible image, a first image transferring unit for transferring the photosensitive image forming layer having the visible image thereon from the photosensitive medium to the intermediate supporting medium with heat and pressure, and a second image transferring unit for transferring the photosensitive image forming layer having the visible image thereon from the intermediate supporting medium to an image recording medium under heat and pressure.

Image forming apparatus and method using intermediate supporting medium

An apparatus and a method for forming a three-dimensional article with photosetting or thermosetting material on the basis of a three-dimensional information on the article by means of an ink jet method. The material is jetted from at least one ink jet head to a stage and laminated thereon. The laminated material is exposed to light by a light source to be cured. In this process, a jetting direction of the material from the ink jet head to the stage and/or a jetting amount of the material jetted from the ink jet head is changed in accordance with the information by a control unit, thereby forming a solid article having a desired three-dimensional shape.

Apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional article

An image fixing device supplies transparent resin particles over an output imaging surface of an image recording medium. The resin particles are electrostatically attracted onto the image recording medium, and are fused for providing the transparent protective resin layer. The device includes a device for mounting the recording medium with the imaging surface facing outwardly (transfer drum), a device for accumulating a material of the resin layer, a device for supplying the material on the accumulating device toward the imaging surface, the supplying device being positioned in the accumulating device and a device for applying the material onto the imaging surface, the applying device being positioned between the supplying device and mounting device.

Image fixing device and method for fixing image

A recording medium which enables formation of an image on any desired substrate is disclosed, which comprises a support having provided thereon at least a color developer capable of color-forming reaction with a dye precursor, and an adhesive such as heat-sensitive adhesives, tackifying composition, etc.

Recording medium

A multiple-time ink-bearing medium containing a thermally-transferable ink for thermal printing, produced in a process comprising: preparing a resin solution of a water-soluble resin comprising polyvinyl alcohol as a major constituent; preparing a fusible ink material consisting of a mixture which includes a solid fatty acid as a major constituent, a coloring agent, and a fusible agent having a low melting point; finely dispersing the ink material in the resin solution, so as to provide an ink-layer composition; applying the ink-layer composition to one surface of a substrate; and drying the applied ink-layer composition to form an ink layer on the substrate.

Multiple-time ink-bearing medium for thermal printing

A color image recording apparatus for recording a color image using a photosensitive recording medium, wherein the photosensitive recording medium is exposed to at least two light components different in wavelength from each other to superposedly form a latent image thereon. The latent image is developed to provide the color image. In order to separately adjust a hue and a density of the image to be reproduced, a density setting dial and a hue setting dial are provided for setting a desired density and a desired hue. A table memory stores information regarding exposure amounts of each of red, green and blue lights relative to hues in the range selectable by the hue setting dial. The table memory further stores information regarding total exposure amonts relative to the densities in the range selectable by the desnity setting dial. An exposure amount arithmetic circuit determines an exposure amount for each of the light components corresponding to the hue and the density set by those dials in accordance with the information stored in the table memory.

Color tone adjustable image recording apparatus

In an image recording apparatus, a planar illuminator is disposed in confronting relation to a surface of a photosensitive recording medium. The planar illuminator includes a plate-like insulating substrate having on a surface thereof a multiplicity of dimples arranged in rows and columns. Each dimple is receptive of a metal particle which emits white light when energized.

Image recording apparatus using planar illuminator as a light source

In accordance with the present invention, a thermal transfer printing ribbon has a support element, and an ink layer including a thermal melting ink which is a blend of a binder and a colorant, the binder having an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer and a highly viscous resin which has a melt viscosity of 10.sup.3 to 5.times.10.sup.4 P at 150.degree. C. In accordance with other features of the present invention, a thermal transfer printing ribbon has a support element, and an ink layer which is a blend having a first component, a second component which is not soluble in the first component, and a colorant, the first component including at least one of either an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer and ethylene-ethyl acrylate, the second component including a highly viscous resin whose melt viscosity is greater than 10.sup.3 P at 150.degree. C.

Growing community of inventors

Bisai, Japan

Mikio Imaeda