Sony Corporation

Mitsuhiro Isogai

Kengo Ito

Yoshio Fujiwara

Masanobu Hida

Kaori Isaji

Hiroaki Takano

Hiroshi Takeuchi

Toshiaki Nakanishi

In an information management system, a patient operates a button of an identification number issuing apparatus installed in the reception area in a hospital and receives a ticket from a ticket slot. The ticket has the patient's identification number printed thereon. Having received the ticket, the patient moves to a photograph booth, operates an identification number input panel to input the identification number printed on the ticket, and takes a photograph of the patient's upper body. The patient receives a photograph/bar code sheet ejected from the photograph booth. Four pairs including photographs and bar codes, which are vertically arranged so as to be associated with each other, are printed on the photograph/bar code sheet. Having received the photograph/bar code sheet, the patient moves to the reception and submits the photograph/bar code sheet and a health insurance card to an attendant at the reception.

Information management system, information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program

A sheet of the type which comprises a release base sheet and a thermal transfer image-receiving layer formed on the release base sheet and which is capable of releasing the thermal transfer image-receiving layer from the base sheet is described. The receiving layer is made of a dispersion, in a resin binder, of a layer compound capable of fixing cationic dyes through ion exchange reaction therewith. The receiving layer can be readily formed on a desired type of substrate by superposing the receiving layer on the substrate, after which the release base sheet is peeled off from the receiving layer. A thermal transfer image can be formed on the receiving layer by superposition with an ink ribbon containing a cationic dye and application of image information to the ink ribbon or by re-transfer of a cationic dye image from a printing paper. The thermal transfer image may be formed prior to the transfer of the receiving layer on the substrate. Owing to the fixing of the cationic dye through ion exchange reaction, the fixing properties of the dye in the receiving layer can be significantly improved.

Sheet capable of releasing a thermal transfer image-receiving layer, a

In a thermal transfer printing apparatus in which a thermal head having a series of selectively energized heating elements arranged substantially along a straight line is pressed against a platen roller with a sheet or ribbon carrying thermally transferable dye material and printing paper interposed therebetween for the selective transfer of the dye material to the printing paper in dependence on the selective energization of the heating elements, the platen roller and thermal head are arranged for shifting relative to each other in the direction of the straight line along which the heating elements are arranged so as to permit improved resolution of the printed image. More particularly, in printing a full color image composed of various different color components including a black component, the platen roller and thermal head are shifted relative to each other, as aforesaid, by one-half the pitch between the heating elements of the thermal head when printing the black component of the printed image so that the black dye material will be transferred to the printing paper at interstices between the transferred dye materials constituting the other color components of the printed image.

Thermal transfer printing apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsuhiro Isogai