Asahi Kasei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Takashi Ogata

Hidehiko Kobayashi

Tatsumi Arakawa

Kiichiro Sasaguri

Makoto Gonmori

Kenji Matano

Image forming methods and apparatus for forming an image, using an image forming sheet which has on an organic substrate to heat-developable image forming layer that is normally non-photosensitive but is rendered photosensitive by preheating prior to exposure and forms therein a latent image by exposure and then provides a visible image by heat development. An image forming area of the image forming sheet is preheated and heat-developed to obtain the visible image. In order to prevent an image forming area of the image forming sheet from heat deformation by heating for the preheating or heat development, the image forming area is heated by heating means, holding the opposite side from the image forming layer corresponding to the image forming area in close contact with a flat portion of an image forming area support member in a manner to extend over the entire area of the flat portion, and after the heating, the image forming area is cooled down to a temperature below the glass transition point of the organic substrate, still holding the opposite side from the image forming layer corresponding to the image forming area in close contact with the flat portion of the image forming area support member. After the cooling, the image forming area support member is brought out of contact with the image forming area.

Image forming method and apparatus therefor

A pattern of a character, numeral or symbol on an optical mask is selected in accordance with the designation by a character designator and irradiated with light from a printing light source. The light is converted into a light of the pattern of the designated character, numeral or symbol by a optical mask, the pattern being of a size ranging from about 20 to about 500 .mu.m, and the converted light reaches a thin layer of a dispersion imaging material formed on a recording medium to cause at least dispersion of the thin layer, thereby to print the pattern of the designated character, numeral or symbol. A recording medium support and the position of irradiation of the recording medium with the converted light are moved by a drive relative to each other, so that characters, numerals and symbols can be printed on the recording medium one by one. The characters, numerals and symbols printed on the recording medium in the region including the recording medium irradiating position are optically displayed by a projector during the printing operation.

Growing community of inventors

Fuji, Japan

Takashi Ogata