Image-forming method and printing medium and sheet cartridge therefor

Patent 6644802 Issued on November 11, 2003. Estimated Expiration Date:

January 11, 2022. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Method of printing a multiple color image using heat sensitive inks
Patent #: 5487614
Issued on: 01/30/1996
Inventor: Hale

Image forming process and printed article
Patent #: 6000793
Issued on: 12/14/1999
Inventor: Inamoto

Thermal transfer image receiving material and thermal transfer recording method using the receiving material Patent #: 6372689
Issued on: 04/16/2002
Inventor: Kuga, et al.

Inventor

Minowa, Yoshiki

Assignee

Seiko Epson Corporation

Application

No. 10/045647 filed on 01/11/2002

US Classes:

347/105, Receiving medium347/100, Ink347/101Medium and processing means

Examiners

Primary: Meier, Stephen D.
Assistant: Shah, Manish

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Hogan & Hartson, LLP

International Classes

B41M 5/035 (20060101)
B41J 11/00 (20060101)
B41M 5/025 (20060101)

Foreign Application Priority Data

2001-01-22 JP

Abstract

There is provided an image-forming method which is capable of carrying out edge-to-edge properly on a medium such as a card, and a print medium and a sheet cartridge for use in the image-forming method. An image is printed on an ink image-receiving sheet by using a sublimable dye ink, thereby causing the sublimable dye ink to be held by the ink image-receiving sheet. The image is fixed on the medium body by heating the ink image-receiving sheet and a medium body overlaid to each other and thereby causing diffusion of the sublimable dye ink held in the ink image-receiving sheet on a surface of the medium body for color development. Then, the ink image-receiving sheet is removed from the medium body having the image fixed thereon. In this image-forming method, the ink image-receiving sheet is formed to have a larger size than the medium body.