Patent US5240781A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5240781A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ink ribbon for thermal transfer printer
Assignee: Fujicopian Co Ltd
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Filing: 1991-12-19
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Granted: 1993-08-31
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Expires: 2011-12-19
Abstract
Abstract An ink ribbon for thermal transfer printer comprising a foundation and a thermal transfer layer, said thermal transfer layer comprising a colored layer containing a wax-like substance as a main component of the vehicle thereof, and a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a film-forming property provided on the surface of the colored layer, said thermoplastic adhesive layer having a melt viscosity of 1×10 4 to 5×10 6 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the softening temperature of the adhesive layer, a softening temperature of 45° to 90° C., a solidifying temperature of 25° to 65° C. and a temperature difference of at least 10° C. between said softening temperature and said solidifying temperature. The thermal transfer ink ribbon provides clear images not only on a smooth paper but also on a rough paper even in a high-speed printing or even on printers with different peeling conditions.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshiyuki Obata
- 👤 Yasuo Tago
- 👤 Seiko Suenaga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 14:35
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41M; B41M5/00; B41M5/26; B41M5/40; B41M5/42; B41M5/44; B41J; B41J31/00; B41J31/05; B41M2205/00; B41M2205/30; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/913; Y10S428/914; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24843; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31725; Y10T428/31786; Y10T428/31855; Y10T428/31935
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
An ink ribbon for a thermal transfer printer comprising a foundation and a thermal transfer layer provided on the foundation, portions of which layer are selectively softened or melted to be transferred to a receiving medium by selectively controlling the heat generation of a plurality of heating elements provided on a heating head, said thermal transfer layer comprising a colored layer containing a wax-like substance having a melting point of 40° to 120° C. as a main component of the vehicle thereof, and a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a film-forming property provided on the surface of the colored layer, said thermoplastic adhesive layer having a melt viscosity of 1×10 4 to 5×10 6 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the softening temperature of the adhesive layer, a softening temperature of 45° C. to 90° C., a solidifying temperature of 25° to 65 C., and a temperature difference of at lest 10° C. between said softening temperature and said solidifying temperature and comprises a thermoplastic material having an affinity to said colored layer and polycaprolactone, said colored layer having a melting or softening temperature of 50° to 90° C. and a melt viscosity of 5×10 1 to 5×10 3 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the melting or softening temperature of the colored layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
An ink ribbon for a thermal transfer printer comprising a foundation and a thermal transfer layer provided on the foundation, portions of which layer are selectively softened or melted to be transferred to a receiving medium by selectively controlling the heat generation of a plurality of heating elements provided on a heating head, said thermal transfer layer comprising a colored layer containing a wax-like substance having a melting point of 40° to 120° C. as a main component of the vehicle thereof, and a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a film-forming property provided on the surface of the colored layer, said thermoplastic adhesive layer having a melt viscosity of 1×10 4 to 5×10 6 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the softening temperature of the adhesive layer, a softening temperature of 45° C. to 90° C., a solidifying temperature of 25° to 65 C., and a temperature difference of at lest 10° C. between said softening temperature and said solidifying temperature and comprises a thermoplastic material having an affinity to said colored layer and polycaprolactone, said colored layer having a melting or softening temperature of 50° to 90° C. and a melt viscosity of 5×10 1 to 5×10 3 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the melting or softening temperature of the colored layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
The ink ribbon of claim 1, wherein said polycaprolactone has a number average molecular weight of 8×10 3 to 1×10 5 , a softening temperature of 50° to 65° C., a melt viscosity of 1×10 5 to 5×10 6 cP at a temperature by 40° C. higher than the softening temperature, a solidifying temperature of 25° to 40° C. and a temperature difference of 15° to 35° C. between the softening temperature and the solidifying temperature.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The ink ribbon of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic material having an affinity to said colored layer is a wax-like substance having a melting point of 40° to 120° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The ink ribbon of claim 1, which further comprises a second thermal transfer layer which is a substantially transparent thermal transfer layer containing substantially no coloring agent interposed between said colored layer and said foundation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The ink ribbon of claim 1, wherein said colored layer contains, as a vehicle, 100 parts by weight of a wax-like substance having a melting point of 40° to 120° C. and 5 to 50 parts by weight of a thermoplastic resin.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-08-30 | 1997-03-01 | 1997-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-08-30 | 2001-03-01 | 2001-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-08-30 | 2005-03-01 | 2005-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |