JP7740472B2 - Thermal Transfer System - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system.

Transfer systems that use ink ribbons to print characters and other images on cards and other receiving materials are widely used. Ink ribbons, for example, have a strip-like ribbon (support layer) and an ink layer containing dyes and the like formed on the ribbon. When printing using an ink ribbon, ink is transferred to the receiving material in a pattern corresponding to the desired image to be printed. In this case, the ink ribbon after ink transfer has areas where the ink has been removed by transfer to the receiving material, in a pattern corresponding to the printed image. Therefore, it is possible to identify the printed image from the ink ribbon after ink transfer. Therefore, when using an ink ribbon to print confidential information such as ID information such as a name or address on a receiving material, care must be taken when handling the ink ribbon after ink transfer.

To address this issue, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a thermal transfer system in which a heater is brought into contact with the outermost ink ribbon wound around a winding section of the ink ribbon, on which ink has been transferred with a first pattern corresponding to ID information, and a disturbance pattern is transferred to the support layer of the ink ribbon located inside the ink ribbon.

JP 2013-111866 A

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the protection of personal information. Therefore, the present inventors have set themselves the task of providing a thermal transfer system that can more appropriately prevent the leakage of information that should be kept confidential, and have conducted extensive research.

In view of the above, the present disclosure aims to provide a thermal transfer system that can appropriately prevent the leakage of confidential information.

The thermal transfer system disclosed herein is a transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer target using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and includes: a delivery section that delivers the ink ribbon; a first transfer device that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon delivered from the delivery section to the transfer target in a first pattern; a take-up section that winds up the ink ribbon on which the first pattern has been transferred; a second transfer device that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon, which is the ink ribbon located at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbons wound on the take-up section, in a second pattern to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon, which is the ink ribbon wound on the take-up section and adjacent to the outer ink ribbon, and a peeling roller that guides the outer ink ribbon so that the outer ink ribbon on which the second pattern has been transferred is peeled from the inner ink ribbon and then wound on the take-up section.

The thermal transfer system may further include a main body that holds at least the first transfer device and the second transfer device, and an ink ribbon cassette that holds the peeling roller and is detachably set in the main body, and the peeling roller may be configured to take an attached position within the ink ribbon cassette where it guides the ink ribbon and a retracted position where it is retracted from the ink ribbon.

The thermal transfer system may further include a main body that holds at least the first transfer device, the second transfer device, and the peeling roller, and an ink ribbon cassette that is removably set in the main body, and the peeling roller may be configured to be movable, when the ink ribbon cassette is set in the main body, from an initial position where it is separated from the ink ribbon, to an operating position where it guides the outer ink ribbon so that the outer ink ribbon is peeled from the inner ink ribbon and rewound onto the take-up section.

The thermal transfer system disclosed herein is a thermal transfer system that transfers ink to a transfer target using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and includes a feed section that feeds out the ink ribbon, a first transfer device that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the ink ribbon fed from the feed section to the transfer target in a first pattern, a winding section that winds up the ink ribbon to which the first pattern has been transferred, and a transfer device that transfers the ink in the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon, which is the ink ribbon located at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbons wound up on the winding section, to a position inside the outer ink ribbon, and The thermal transfer system may include a second transfer device that transfers a second pattern to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon, which is an ink ribbon adjacent to the outer ink ribbon, and a control unit that controls the thermal transfer system, wherein the control unit operates the second transfer device to transfer the ink in the ink layer of the outer ink ribbon to the support layer of the inner ink ribbon in the second pattern, and then controls the thermal transfer system to rewind the outer ink ribbon that has been wound around the winding unit, thereby peeling the outer ink ribbon, on which the second pattern has been transferred, from the inner ink ribbon.

The thermal transfer system disclosed herein can appropriately prevent the leakage of confidential information.

1 is a front view schematically illustrating a thermal transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the ink ribbon on which a first pattern has been transferred by a first transfer device in region A of FIG. 1; 2 is an enlarged front view showing a winding section, a second transfer device, and a peeling roller of the thermal transfer system of the present embodiment, illustrating area B in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second pattern formed by a second transfer device. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing an ink ribbon onto which a second pattern has been transferred by a second transfer device. 1 is a perspective view showing the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the peeling roller is in the mounted position. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the peeling roller is in a retracted position. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an ink ribbon is set; 10A to 10C are front views showing a procedure for setting an ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment. 10A to 10C are front views showing a procedure for setting an ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment. 10A to 10C are front views showing a procedure for setting an ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment. 10A to 10C are front views showing a procedure for setting an ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment. 10A to 10C are front views showing a procedure for setting an ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette of the present embodiment. 10A and 10B are front views showing the procedure for setting the peeling roller in the thermal transfer system of the first modified example, showing the state in which the peeling roller is in the initial position. 10A and 10B are front views showing the procedure for setting the peeling roller in the thermal transfer system of the first modified example, and show the state in the middle of moving the peeling roller. 10A and 10B are front views showing the procedure for setting the peeling roller in the thermal transfer system of the first modified example, showing the peeling roller in an operating position. FIG. 10 is a front view showing an ink ribbon cassette of a thermal transfer system according to a first modified example. FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the transfer of the second pattern and the peeling of the ink ribbon in the thermal transfer system of the second modified example. 10 is an enlarged front view showing the flow of control for transferring a second pattern and peeling off an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing the flow of control for transferring a second pattern and peeling off an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing the flow of control for transferring a second pattern and peeling off an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing the flow of control for transferring a second pattern and peeling off an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view showing the flow of control for transferring a second pattern and peeling off an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer system according to a second modified example. FIG.

One embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment.

This thermal transfer system 10 is a system that transfers ink in a desired pattern to a transfer target 100 using an ink ribbon 20 having a support layer 21 and an ink layer 22 laminated on one surface of the support layer 21.

The thermal transfer system 10 comprises, in order from upstream in the feeding direction of the ink ribbon 20, a feed section 11, multiple take-up guide rollers 13b, a first transfer device 14, multiple feed-up guide rollers 13a, a second transfer device 15, a peeling roller 16, and a take-up section 12. The thermal transfer system 10 also comprises a control section 17 that controls the feed section 11, take-up section 12, first transfer device 14, and second transfer device 15.

The delivery unit 11 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow R1 in Figure 1 to deliver the ink ribbon 20 downstream.

Multiple feed-side guide rollers 13a are arranged at intervals in the transport direction of the ink ribbon 20 and guide the downstream transport of the ink ribbon 20 fed from the feed section 11.

The first transfer device 14 transfers the ink in the ink layer 22 of the ink ribbon 20 delivered from the delivery unit 11 to the transfer recipient 100 in a predetermined first pattern P1 corresponding to ID information, etc.

The first transfer device 14 has a first heating element 141 and a platen roller 142. The first heating element 141 is, for example, a print head having a heating element that generates heat when energized. This first heating element 141 is arranged on the support layer 21 side of the ink ribbon 20. The first heating element 141 heats the ink in the ink layer 22 of the ink ribbon 20 in a first pattern P1, thereby transferring the ink in the ink layer 22 of the ink ribbon 20 to the transfer recipient 100 in the first pattern P1. The platen roller 142 is arranged opposite the first heating element 141, sandwiching the transported ink ribbon 20 and transfer recipient 100 therebetween, and supports the transfer recipient 100.

Multiple take-up side guide rollers 13b are arranged at intervals in the transport direction of the ink ribbon 20 and guide the ink ribbon 20 transported from the upstream side to the take-up section 12.

The winding unit 12 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow R2 in Figure 1 to wind up the ink ribbon 20 onto which the first pattern P1 has been transferred by the first transfer device 14. The winding unit 12 is driven, for example, by a stepping motor.

As described below, the second transfer device 15 transfers the ink from the ink layer 22 of the ink ribbon 20 located at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbon 20 wound on the winding unit 12 to the support layer 21 of the ink ribbon 20 located inside the ink ribbon 20 in a disturbance pattern, the second pattern P2.

As described below, the peeling roller 16 guides the ink ribbon 20 onto which the second pattern P2 has been transferred by the second transfer device 15 so that it is peeled off from the ink ribbon 20 located inside it and then wound onto the winding section 12.

The control unit 17 controls the operation of the delivery unit 11, winding unit 12, first transfer device 14, and second transfer device 15, for example, by outputting control signals to the drive units that drive these units.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the ink ribbon 20 onto which the first pattern P1 has been transferred by the first transfer device 14 in area A of Figure 1.

In the ink ribbon 20 after ink transfer, the ink layer 22 consists of ink 22a that remains without being transferred to the transfer recipient 100, and ink-missing portions 22b of the first pattern P1 that correspond to the ID information, etc. printed on the transfer recipient 100. Therefore, it is possible to identify the ID information, etc. printed on the transfer recipient 100 based on the pattern of the ink-missing portions 22b.

Figure 3 is an enlarged front view showing the winding section 12, second transfer device 15, and peeling roller 16 of the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment, and shows area B in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 3, the ink ribbon 20 is wound in the winding section 12 so that the support layer 21 of the ink ribbon 20 is positioned outside the ink layer 22. In this specification, the ink ribbon 20 positioned at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbon 20 wound in the winding section 12 will be referred to as the outer ink ribbon 20A, and the ink ribbon 20 wound inwardly on the winding section 12 and adjacent to the outer ink ribbon 20A will be referred to as the inner ink ribbon 20B.

The second transfer device 15 transfers the ink from the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A to the support layer 21 of the inner ink ribbon 20B as a disturbance pattern, called the second pattern P2, while the winding unit 12 is winding the ink ribbon 20.

The second transfer device 15 has a second heating element 151 and an elevating mechanism 152. The second heating element 151 is disposed near the winding unit 12 and is movable by the elevating mechanism 152 in the direction indicated by arrow R3 in Figure 3, i.e., in the direction toward or away from the winding unit 12. The second heating element 151 moves toward the winding unit 12, heating the outer ink ribbon 20A from the support layer 21 side and transferring the second pattern P2, which is a disturbance pattern, onto the support layer 21 of the inner ink ribbon 20B.

Figure 4 shows an example of the second pattern P2 transferred by the second transfer device 15. Figure 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the ink ribbon 20 onto which the second pattern P2 has been transferred by the second transfer device 15.

As a result of the transfer of the second pattern P2 by the second transfer device 15, the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A will contain a mixture of the first pattern P1 and the second pattern P2. Furthermore, a pattern containing a mixture of the first pattern P1 and the second pattern P2 is transferred to the support layer 21 of the inner ink ribbon 20B. As a result, the pattern of the ink-missing portion 22b, which is made up of the first pattern P1 corresponding to ID information, etc., will be destroyed to the extent that it is unrecognizable.

The second heating element 151 of the second transfer device 15 is composed of, for example, a thermal head commonly referred to as an end face head. The second heating element 151 may include multiple heating sections configured so that each section can be driven independently, or it may have a single heating pattern. However, to effectively destroy the pattern of the ink-missing portion 22b, it is preferable that the second pattern P2 can be changed depending on the state of the first pattern P1. From this perspective, it is preferable that the second heating element 151 of the present invention includes multiple heating sections configured so that each section can be driven independently.

The peeling roller 16 is positioned downstream of the second transfer device 15 near the winding section 12 and guides the outer ink ribbon 20A onto which the second pattern P2 has been transferred by the second transfer device 15 so that the outer ink ribbon 20A is peeled from the inner ink ribbon 20B and then wound onto the winding section 12.

As shown in Figure 5, before the outer ink ribbon 20A is peeled off from the inner ink ribbon 20B, the ink transferred to the inner ink ribbon 20B by the second pattern P2 is in contact with the ink-free areas of the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A. In this state, there is a risk that the ink-free areas 22b corresponding to the first pattern P1 may be visible in the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A, just as in a state where there is no ink-free second pattern.

To address this issue, the peeling roller 16 peels the outer ink ribbon 20A from the inner ink ribbon 20B after the second transfer device 15 transfers the second pattern P2 and before the outer ink ribbon 20A is taken up by the take-up unit 12. This configuration also ensures that the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment does not result in a visible ink-missing portion 22b corresponding to the first pattern P1 in the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A after the second transfer device 15 transfers the second pattern P2.

Next, we will explain how to set the ink ribbon 20 in the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment.

The thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment further comprises a main body that holds at least the first transfer device 14 and the second transfer device 15, and an ink ribbon cassette 30 that holds the peeling roller 16 and is removably set in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10. The ink ribbon 20 is set in the thermal transfer system 10 by placing the ink ribbon 20 in the ink ribbon cassette 30 and then setting the ink ribbon cassette 30 in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 30 of this embodiment, showing the peeling roller 16 in the installed position. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 30 of this embodiment, showing the peeling roller 16 in the retracted position. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 30 of this embodiment, showing the ink ribbon 20 installed.

Note that the top-bottom relationship is reversed between Figures 6 to 8 and Figure 1. In other words, the ink ribbon cassette 30 shown in Figures 6 to 8 is set in the thermal transfer system 10 so that the top side in Figures 6 to 8 is the bottom side in Figure 1.

The ink ribbon cassette 30 has a feed-side bobbin mounting section 31, a take-up side bobbin mounting section 32, a feed-side guide roller 13a, a take-up side guide roller 13b, and a peeling roller 16. The feed-side bobbin mounting section 31 is the section where the feed-side bobbin 23a of the ink ribbon 20 is mounted, and the take-up side bobbin mounting section 32 is the section where the take-up side bobbin 23b of the ink ribbon 20 is mounted.

The peeling roller 16 is configured to take two positions within the ink ribbon cassette 30: an installation position where it guides the ink ribbon 20, and a retracted position where it is retracted from the ink ribbon 20.

In the illustrated example, the peeling roller 16 is configured so that one end, the first end 16a, is rotatably attached to the peeling roller pivot portion 33 of the ink ribbon cassette 30 body, and the other end, the second end 16b, is detachably engaged with the peeling roller engaging portion 34. The peeling roller 16 is in the attached position when the second end 16b is engaged with the peeling roller engaging portion 34 of the ink ribbon cassette 30.

Figures 9A to 9E are front views showing the procedure for setting the ink ribbon 20 in the ink ribbon cassette 30 of this embodiment.

When setting the ink ribbon 20 in the ink ribbon cassette 30, first, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, with the peeling roller 16 in the retracted position, attach the ink ribbon 20's delivery bobbin 23a to the delivery bobbin attachment section 31, pass the ink ribbon 20 over the delivery guide roller 13a and take-up guide roller 13b, and bring the take-up bobbin 23b to a position below the peeling roller 16.

Next, as shown in Figure 9C, the second end 16b of the peeling roller 16 is engaged with the peeling roller engaging portion 34 of the ink ribbon cassette 30, placing the peeling roller 16 in the mounted position, with the ink ribbon 20 passing inside the peeling roller 16. Note that the inside of the peeling roller 16 refers to the side facing the interior of the ink ribbon cassette 30.

Next, as shown in Figure 9D, the take-up bobbin 23b is passed around the outside of the peeling roller 16 and brought to a position where it comes into contact with the ink ribbon 20 near the entrance of the take-up bobbin mounting section 32. Note that the outside of the peeling roller 16 refers to the side facing the outside of the ink ribbon cassette 30.

Finally, as shown in Figure 9E, the take-up bobbin 23b is attached to the take-up bobbin attachment section 32 while still in contact with the ink ribbon 20.

In this way, by using the ink ribbon cassette 30 of this embodiment, the ink ribbon 20 can be easily set on the winding section 12 and peeling roller 16.

Next, we will explain the thermal transfer system 10 of the first variant (hereinafter referred to as "Variation 1").

In the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1, the peeling roller 16 is provided in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10 rather than in the ink ribbon cassette 30. In other words, the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1 further comprises a main body that holds at least the first transfer device 14, the second transfer device 15, and the peeling roller 16, and an ink ribbon cassette 30 that is detachably set in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10. The other configurations of the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1 are basically the same as those of the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment.

Figures 10A to 10C are front views showing the procedure for setting the peeling roller 16 in the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1. Figure 10A shows the peeling roller 16 in its initial position, Figure 10B shows the peeling roller 16 in the middle of being moved, and Figure 10C shows the peeling roller 16 in its operating position.

As shown in Figures 10A to 10C, in the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1, after the ink ribbon cassette 30 is set in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10, the peeling roller 16 held in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10 is moved from the initial position to the operating position, thereby completing the setting of the ink ribbon 20 in the thermal transfer system 10.

Here, the initial position is a position where the outer ink ribbon 20A is separated from the ink ribbon 20, and the operating position is a position where the outer ink ribbon 20A is guided so that it is peeled off from the inner ink ribbon 20B and rewound onto the winding section 12. The peeling roller 16 is configured to move between the outer ink ribbon 20A and the winding section 12 in direction R4, the same as the winding direction of the winding section 12, from the initial position to the operating position.

In other words, when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is set in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10, the peeling roller 16 of the thermal transfer system 10 of Variation 1 is configured to be movable from an initial position where it is separated from the ink ribbon 20 to an operating position where it guides the outer ink ribbon 20A so that the outer ink ribbon 20A is peeled from the inner ink ribbon 20B and rewound onto the winding section 12.

Figure 11 is a front view showing the ink ribbon cassette 30 of the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1.

As shown in Figure 11, the ink ribbon cassette 30 of variant 1 has a peeling roller passing section 35 through which the peeling roller 16 can pass. In the example shown, the peeling roller passing section 35 is configured as an arc-shaped groove provided in the side wall on the front side of the ink ribbon cassette 30 main body. However, the peeling roller passing section 35 of variant 1 is not limited to this configuration as long as it can pass through the peeling roller 16.

The movement of the peeling roller 16 from its initial position to its operating position may be performed manually, or may be performed automatically upon detecting that the ink ribbon cassette 30 has been set in the main body of the thermal transfer system 10. If the movement of the peeling roller 16 is performed automatically, the control unit 17 of the thermal transfer system 10 will also control the movement of the peeling roller 16.

In this way, with the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 1, the ink ribbon 20 can be easily set in the winding section 12 and peeling roller 16.

Next, we will explain the thermal transfer system 10 of the second variant (hereinafter referred to as "Variation 2").

Figure 12 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2.

The thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2 does not have a peeling roller 16, and its control unit 17 controls the thermal transfer system 10 to operate the second transfer device 15 to transfer the ink in the ink layer 22 of the outer ink ribbon 20A to the support layer 21 of the inner ink ribbon 20B in the second pattern P2, and then rewind the outer ink ribbon 20A wound around the winding unit 12, thereby peeling the outer ink ribbon 20A, on which the second pattern P2 has been transferred, from the inner ink ribbon 20B. The other configurations of the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2 are basically the same as those of the thermal transfer system 10 of this embodiment.

Figure 13 is a flow diagram showing the control flow for transferring the second pattern P2 and peeling off the ink ribbon 20 in the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2. Figures 14A to 14E are enlarged front views showing the control flow for transferring the second pattern P2 and peeling off the ink ribbon 20 in the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2.

In the thermal transfer system 10 of variant 2, the transfer of the second pattern P2 and the peeling of the ink ribbon 20 are controlled each time the first transfer device 14 transfers the first pattern P1 to one transfer recipient 100.

In other words, the control of the transfer of the second pattern P2 by the second transfer device 15 is performed simultaneously with the control of the transfer of the first pattern to one transfer recipient 100 by the first transfer device 14, and the control of the peeling of the ink ribbon 20 is performed immediately after the control of the transfer of the first pattern to one transfer recipient 100 by the first transfer device 14 has finished.

In controlling the transfer of the second pattern, first, as shown in FIG. 14A, before the ink ribbon 20 is wound by the winding unit 12 for the transfer of the first pattern by the first transfer device 14, the second heating element 151 of the second transfer device 15 is lowered to contact the outer ink ribbon 20A (S1).

Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, while the ink ribbon 20 is being wound by the winding unit 12 for the first transfer device 14 to transfer the first pattern, the second transfer device 15 transfers the second pattern P2 (S2). Immediately after the transfer of the second pattern P2, the second pattern transfer portion 20a of the outer ink ribbon 20A is in a state where it is wound by the winding unit 12.

Next, as shown in Figure 14C, after the winding unit 12 stops winding the ink ribbon 20, the second heating element 151 of the second transfer device 15 is raised (S3).

Next, as shown in Figure 14D, the ink ribbon 20 wound by the winding unit 12 is rewound, and the outer ink ribbon 20A is peeled off from the inner ink ribbon 20B (S4). The ink ribbon 20 is rewound to a position where the second pattern transfer portion 20a of the outer ink ribbon 20A is completely peeled off from the inner ink ribbon 20B. The length of the rewound ink ribbon 20 increases as the diameter of the ink ribbon 20 wound on the winding unit 12 increases.

The ink ribbon 20 is rewound by rotating the delivery unit 11 in the opposite direction to when the ink ribbon 20 is delivered. The delivery unit 11 is driven, for example, by a stepping motor, and the rewinding length is controlled by the number of pulses input to the stepping motor.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 14E, the winding unit 12 winds the ink ribbon 20 to a standby position for transfer onto the next transfer recipient 100 by the first transfer device 14 (S5). Like the unwinding length, the winding length of the ink ribbon 20 increases as the diameter of the ink ribbon 20 wound around the winding unit 12 increases. This winding length is controlled, for example, by the number of pulses input to the stepping motor that drives the winding unit 12.

In this control, after the outer ink ribbon 20A is peeled from the inner ink ribbon 20B, the ink ribbon 20 is rewound by the winding unit 12. Therefore, the outer ink ribbon 20A peeled from the inner ink ribbon 20B comes into contact with the inner ink ribbon 20B again. However, the present disclosure has confirmed that due to factors such as the stretching of the ink ribbon 20 that occurs during the unwinding and winding process of the ink ribbon 20, the outer ink ribbon 20A and the inner ink ribbon 20B do not overlap in the same way as before they were peeled. Therefore, in the thermal transfer system 10 of Variation 2, the ink layer 22 of the ink ribbon 20 that has been controlled to peel the ink ribbon 20 and wound onto the winding unit 12 does not have visible ink-missing portions 22b corresponding to the first pattern P1.

As described above, the thermal transfer systems 10 of this embodiment, variant 1, and variant 2 peel the outer ink ribbon 20A from the inner ink ribbon 20B immediately after the second transfer device 15 transfers the second pattern P2. Such a thermal transfer system 10 can appropriately prevent the leakage of confidential information.

The above describes one example of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

10 Thermal transfer system 11 Feeding section 12 Winding section 13a Feeding-side guide roller 13b Winding-side guide roller 14 First transfer device 141 First heating element 142 Platen roller 15 Second transfer device 151 Second heating element 152 Lifting mechanism 16 Peeling roller 16a First end 16b Second end 17 Control unit 20 Ink ribbon 21 Support layer 22 Ink layer 22a Ink 22b Ink removal section 23a Feeding-side bobbin 23b Winding-side bobbin 20a Second pattern transfer section 20A Outer ink ribbon 20B Inner ink ribbon 30 Ink ribbon cassette 31 Feeding-side bobbin mounting section 32 Winding-side bobbin mounting section 33 Peeling roller pivotal section 34 Peeling roller locking section 35 Peeling roller passing section 100 Transferred object

Claims (3)

A transfer system for transferring ink to a transfer target using an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer,
a delivery section that delivers the ink ribbon;
a first transfer device that transfers ink from the ink layer of the ink ribbon sent out from the delivery unit onto the transfer target in a first pattern;
a winding unit that winds up the ink ribbon onto which the first pattern has been transferred;
a second transfer device that transfers, in a second pattern, ink from an ink layer of an outer ink ribbon, which is an ink ribbon located at the outermost periphery of the ink ribbons wound on the winding section, onto a support layer of an inner ink ribbon, which is an ink ribbon wound on the winding section on the inner side of the outer ink ribbon and adjacent to the outer ink ribbon;
a peeling roller that guides the outer ink ribbon, onto which the second pattern has been transferred, so that the outer ink ribbon is taken up by the take-up section after being peeled from the inner ink ribbon,
the second transfer device has a heating element and a lifting mechanism, and the heating element is movable by the lifting mechanism in a direction approaching or moving away from the winding unit;
The peeling roller is configured to be movable from an initial position where it is separated from the ink ribbon to an operating position where it guides the outer ink ribbon so that the outer ink ribbon is peeled from the inner ink ribbon and is rewound onto the winding section.
Thermal transfer system. 10. The thermal transfer system of claim 1,
a main body that holds at least the first transfer device and the second transfer device;
an ink ribbon cassette that holds the peeling roller and is detachably set in the main body,
The thermal transfer system is configured such that the peeling roller is configured to take an installation position in the ink ribbon cassette where it guides the ink ribbon and a retracted position where it is retracted from the ink ribbon. 10. The thermal transfer system of claim 1,
a main body that holds at least the first transfer device, the second transfer device, and the peeling roller;
an ink ribbon cassette that is detachably set in the main body,
The peeling roller is configured to be movable, when the ink ribbon cassette is set in the main body, from an initial position where it is separated from the ink ribbon to an operating position where it guides the outer ink ribbon so that the outer ink ribbon is peeled from the inner ink ribbon and taken up again onto the take-up section.