Erasing means for thermal transfer printer

Claim 1

In a thermal transfer printer of the type which includes a printing transfer ribbon carrying a layer of thermally fusible ink thereon, a movable carriage, and a printing thermal head mounted on said carriage and operable to generate heat to melt the thermally fusible ink on said printing transfer ribbon to effect transfer recording on record paper, the improvement which comprises an erasing ribbon carrying thereon a layer of a thermally adhesive resin material for lifting off the thermally fusible ink of a symbol printed in error on the record paper, and an erasing thermal head mounted on said carriage and having a heat generating area greater than that of said printing thermal head, said erasing thermal head and said printing thermal head being disposed in a juxtaposed relationship in a direction of movement of said carriage, whereby, during normal recording, said printing thermal head is operated to generate heat to melt the thermally fusible ink on said printing transfer ribbon to effect desired printing by transfer of the ink, but during erasing of a symbol printed in error with the thermally fusible ink, said erasing thermal head is operated to generate heat to melt the thermally adhesive resin on said erasing ribbon sufficient to adhere to the thermally fusible ink of the symbol printed in error to lift off the ink from the record paper.