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Printer apparatus and laminating methodPrinter apparatus and laminating method description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090145537, Printer apparatus and laminating method. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2007-314828 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Dec. 5, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer apparatus and a laminating method for laminating, with an image protecting layer by thermal transfer, a printing medium having an image formed thereon; forming an uneven pattern on the image protecting layer; and thus providing a glossy textured finish similar to that of a silver halide photograph. 2. Description of the Related Art Examples of printing methods include a thermal transfer printing method in which an image is formed by thermally transferring color materials, such as dyes, from a thermal transfer sheet onto a recording medium. For protecting the image formed on the recording medium, the thermal transfer printing method further involves formation of a transparent image-protecting layer on the image. The thermal transfer printing method uses a density gradation method which allows free control of image density. Therefore, it is possible to provide a high-quality image close to a silver halide photograph, which is excellent in gradation characteristic and color reproducibility. The thermal transfer printing method is expected to provide not only a high-quality image close to a silver halide photograph, but also a finish close to that of a silver halide photograph. Typically, silver halide photographs are available in glossy and textured finishes, and users select one of them according to their preferences. Recently, however, there have been demands for a printed material with a surface that is both glossy and textured. Examples of techniques for achieving a textured finish using the foregoing thermal transfer printing method are disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3185254, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-182012, Japanese Patent No. 3021490, and Japanese Patent No. 3861293. Japanese Patent No. 3185254 discloses a technique in which, after embossing (like texturing) is performed using an embossing roll or the like on a polyolefin resin layer on the surface of base paper, the surface roughness of printing paper coated with an absorbing layer is defined. Such printing paper, which originally has high surface roughness, will not firmly adhere to an ink ribbon and heating elements of a printer head during printing. This may cause occurrence of unprinted spots on the printing paper after printing, and thus may cause degradation in print quality. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-182012 discloses a technique in which, after transfer of an image protecting layer to printing paper, the surface of the image protecting layer is embossed under heating conditions by an embossing roll with surface irregularities, so that a matte pattern is formed on the resulting surface after printing. However, if the printing paper is embossed under non-heating conditions, cracks may be produced in the image protecting layer on the surface of the printing paper or in an absorbing layer, and thus lightfastness of the printing paper may be degraded. To prevent such cracks, it is necessary to emboss the printing paper while heating it. This involves heating of the embossing roll to at least a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the image protecting layer (e.g., at least about 100° C.). Additionally, it is necessary to apply embossing pressure to the printing paper. This involves use of a large embossing device, which may not be easily accommodated in the main body of the printer. Therefore, it is difficult to form an uneven pattern on the image protecting layer in a short time after printing. Japanese Patent No. 3021490 discloses a technique in which, during formation of an image protecting layer, the amount of thermal energy continuously applied to heating elements is varied continuously or stepwise every predetermined distance. Thus, regions of different gloss levels can be arranged in any order on the surface of the image protecting layer. With this method, it becomes not necessary to provide a special device inside the printer. Additionally, this method allows the user to select a desired finish, such as a glossy finish or a textured finish, and there is little difference in printing time between finishes. Japanese Patent No. 3861293 discloses a technique where a memory in which an uneven pattern is recorded is provided, uneven-pattern data for each printing line is generated during transfer of an image protecting layer, and the amount of voltage applied to a thermal transfer head is varied, so that a desired uneven pattern is formed. However, a method for forming such an uneven pattern is only described as “regions of different heights are arranged in any order on the surface of the image protecting layer” in Japanese Patent No. 3021490, and “random pattern data serving as a minimum unit can be generated by any method” in Japanese Patent No. 3861293. That is, there has been no specific discussion about a method for forming an uneven pattern for providing a glossy textured finish. The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above. It is desirable to provide a printer apparatus and a laminating method in which, by specifying how to apply thermal energy to heating elements of a thermal head during transfer of an image protecting layer, it is possible to form an uneven pattern highly reproducible on printing paper and provide a printed material having a textured finish close to that of a silver halide photograph. According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus including printing-medium conveying means for conveying a printing medium, sheet conveying means for conveying a thermal transfer sheet having at least an image protecting layer to be thermally transferred onto an image formed on the printing medium, a plurality of heating elements, a thermal head in which the heating elements are linearly arranged in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction in which the printing medium is conveyed, and control means for driving and controlling the thermal head. For selectively applying different amounts of thermal energy to the heating elements in the thermal head so as to form an uneven pattern on the image protecting layer thermally transferred onto the image formed on the printing medium, the control means randomly divides a row of the heating elements in the thermal head into heating element groups each including at least two adjacent heating elements, applies the same amount of thermal energy to heating elements included in the same heating element group, and applies different amounts of thermal energy to respective adjacent heating element groups. According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laminating method for forming, by selectively applying different amounts of thermal energy to heating elements in a thermal head, an uneven pattern on an image protecting layer thermally transferred onto an image formed on a printing medium by thermal transfer. The laminating method includes the steps of randomly dividing, for each printing line of the printing medium, a row of the heating elements in the thermal head into heating element groups each including at least two adjacent heating elements; applying the same amount of thermal energy to heating elements included in the same heating element group; and applying different amounts of thermal energy to respective adjacent heating element groups. According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, a row of the heating elements in the thermal head is randomly divided into heating element groups each including at least two adjacent heating elements, the same amount of thermal energy is applied to heating elements included in the same heating element group, and different amounts of thermal energy are applies to respective adjacent heating element groups. Thus, it is possible to form an uneven pattern highly reproducible on printing paper and provide a printed material having a textured finish close to that of a silver halide photograph. Continue reading about Printer apparatus and laminating method... Full patent description for Printer apparatus and laminating method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Printer apparatus and laminating method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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