Patent ID: 6043834
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A thermal image recording apparatus using a package of thermal recording sheets comprising a stack of thermal recording sheets and at least one maintenance sheet for cleaning a thermal recording head of the thermal image recording apparatus in addition to said thermal recording sheets, wherein said at least one maintenance sheet is positioned as the first sheet to be used, said recording apparatus comprising:a magazine for holding one of said package of thermal recording sheets and the stack of the thermal recording sheets as taken out of said package;a loading section where said magazine is to be loaded in a predetermined position;a recording section for performing thermal image recording on a thermal recording sheet from said thermal recording sheets by means of the thermal recording head;means for taking out a sheet from said magazine which is one of said thermal recording sheets on which an image is to be recorded and said at least one maintenance sheet out of said magazine;transport means for transporting said sheet taken out from said magazine to said recording section;detection means for sensing that there are no sheets left within said magazine; andcontrol means for controlling said transport means and said recording head; andwherein, when said magazine that has been found to contain no more sheets as a result of a sensing by said detection means is removed by an operator from said loading section and subsequently replaced by one of the same magazine and a new magazine that contains one of a new package of thermal recording sheets and a new stack of thermal recording sheets as taken out of said new package, said one of said new package of thermal recording sheets and said new stack of thermal recording sheets having at least one new maintenance sheet as a new first sheet to be used, said control means allows the new first sheet to be carried to said recording section by said transport means so that the thermal recording head which is disposed in said recording section is cleaned by said at least one new maintenance sheet in the package, and said control means controls the thermal recording head so that the thermal recording head is not heated at all during a cleaning of said thermal recording head by said at least one new maintenance sheet.