Patent ID: 6232993
Filing Date: 2001-05-15
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A tape printer comprising:means for providing a cassette accommodating space which enables a printing tape cassette to be removably accommodated therein, the printing tape cassette including a heat-sensitive ray-responsive printing medium tape having a plurality of coloring layers formed on one surface of a support base, said printing medium tape being wound around a reel, the plurality of coloring layers being adapted to be colored as different colors at corresponding temperatures and fixed by fixing rays of different wavelengths, a peelable piece pasted on an other surface of said support base, and a case enclosing said printing medium tape, said case being made of a material which cuts the fixing rays, said case having on a side thereof a port through which the printing medium tape is passable into and out of the case, the port preventing the fixing rays from entering the case;tape conveying means for performing forward conveyance of the printing medium tape from said case through said port and for performing backward conveyance of the printing medium tape into said case;a thermal head for thermally printing an image on the printing medium tape conveyed by said tape conveying means, the image being printed through the width of the printing medium tape;input means for inputting image information regarding an image to be formed on the printing medium tape;thermal head drive controlling means for driving said thermal head at a plurality of different temperatures on the basis of the image information input by said input means when said tape conveying means performs the forward conveyance of the printing medium tape a corresponding plurality of times to sequentially color the plurality of coloring layers in a corresponding plurality of colors in the same area of the printing medium tape;fixing ray irradiating means for sequentially irradiating the printing medium tape with a plurality of fixing rays of different wavelengths corresponding to the plurality of coloring layers of the printing medium tape after the respective corresponding driving operations of said thermal head to fix the respective produced colors of the coloring layers;irradiation range limiting means for limiting a range of irradiation of the fixing rays of the different wavelengths by said fixing ray irradiating means to a predetermined range of the printing medium tape; andfixing range controlling means for controlling a quantity of conveyance of the printing medium tape by said tape conveying means and the operation of said fixing ray irradiation means so that an upstream side of the printing medium tape is not irradiated with the fixing rays of the different wavelengths beyond said same area, on which the plurality of coloring layers are colored, in the direction of forward conveyance of the printing medium tape.