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:
Sep. 21, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 10, 2003
Hideyuki Kokubo, Saitama, JP;
Tomoko Taki, Saitama, JP;
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, JP;
Abstract
A color thermal printer includes feeder rollers for feeding thermosensitive recording material through a feeding path. A thermal head operates for thermal recording of an image in a recording region of the recording material being fed. An unused region is defined outside the recording region. A photo fixer fixes the image on the recording material by application of ultraviolet or violet rays thereto. A liquid crystal shutter unit is disposed between the photo fixer and the recording material, and includes plural shutter segments. The plural shutter segments are arranged in a form of plural parallel lines, and changeable independently between an opaque state and a transparent state, and when in the opaque state, block the ultraviolet or violet rays, and when in the transparent state, cause the rays to pass. A controller controls the liquid crystal shutter unit in synchronism with the feeder rollers, sets at least one of the shutter segments in the transparent state if the at least one is opposed to the recording region in feeding of the recording material, and sets at least one of the shutter segments in the opaque state if the at least one is opposed to the unused region in feeding of the recording material.