The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 28, 1996
Filed:
Oct. 12, 1993
Hideshi Tanaka, Yokohama, JP;
Yoshiro Hakamada, Noda, JP;
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., Yokohama, JP;
Abstract
A fusion-type thermal transfer printing system using an ink ribbon having a thin film and a heat fusible ink applied on the thin film at an ink application rate of 2.5 g/m.sup.2 or less and a porous-surface recording medium having a substrate and a porous-surface layer formed on the substrate, diameters of pores in the porous-surface layer being from 1 to 10 .mu.m. The printing system has a thermal head provided with a plurality of heating resistors formed in a line at regular intervals of 8 dot/mm or less, temperature gradient of each of the heated heating resistors being such that temperature is the highest at a middle portion thereof and changes decreasingly toward ends thereof and a gradation control circuit for controlling ink fusion areas heated by the heating resistors by controlling intensity of current passed through the thermal head. The ink of the ink ribbon is brought into tight contact with the porous-surface layer of the porous-surface recording medium and the thermal head is urged from the thin film side of the ink ribbon. A multi-gradation image can be obtained on the porous-surface recording medium by controlling the ink fusion areas under control of the gradation control circuit.