Patent ID: 7025518

Claim:
A printer for a thermally sensitive adhesive sheet, the printer comprising: a printing apparatus comprising printing means for printing during a printing operation on a printable surface of a thermally sensitive adhesive sheet having a thermally sensitive adhesive layer formed on a surface opposite to the printable surface, and first transporting means for transporting the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet in a first predetermined direction and in a second predetermined direction opposite to the first predetermined direction; a cutter apparatus for cutting the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet by a predetermined length after a printing operation by the printing means; a thermally activating apparatus comprising heating means disposed at a preselected distance from the cutter apparatus for heating the thermally sensitive adhesive layer of the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet, and second transporting means for transporting the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet in the first predetermined direction; third transporting means for transporting the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet in the first predetermined direction between the cutter apparatus and the thermally activating apparatus, the third transporting means comprising at least one discharge roller, a pressing member for pressing the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet against the discharge roller when the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet is transported between the pressing member and the discharge roller, and a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the discharge roller in a first direction of rotation while the pressing member presses the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet to transport the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet in the first predetermined direction, the discharge roller being connected to the drive mechanism via a one-way clutch so that when the first transporting means transports the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet in the second predetermined direction, the drive mechanism does not rotate the discharge roller in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation; and control means for independently controlling the first and second transporting means to thereby independently control a transporting speed of the thermally sensitive adhesive sheet during transportation thereof by the first and second transporting means.