Multi-color dual-sided thermal printing

Abstract

There is provided a dual-sided thermal medium which comprises a thermally-resistant substrate including a first side and a second side, a first coating on the first side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component, and a second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least two thermal color imaging components, wherein the thermal resistance of the substrate is sufficient to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging at least one thermal color imaging component of the other of the first coating and the second coating. Also provided are a dual-sided direct thermal printer, dual-sided thermal printing system, and method to image the dual-sided thermal medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features and attendant advantages of the example embodiments will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of an example dual-sided imaging direct thermal printer for imaging multi-color dual-sided thermal print media to produce a multi-color document;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate schematics of example thermal print heads of the thermal printer, in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate schematic example cross-sectional views of the multi-color thermal print media, in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate schematic cross top views of an example first side and an example second side, respectively, of a portion of the multi-color dual-sided thermal print media, in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate schematic example cross sectional views of the multi-color dual-sided thermal print media, in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 4A-4B; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic of a partial centerline elevation view of an example dual-sided imaging direct thermal printer for imaging multi-color dual-sided thermal print media, in accordance with FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A dual-sided thermal medium, the thermal medium comprising: a thermally-resistant substrate including a first side and a second side;a first coating on the first side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component; anda second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least two thermal color imaging components, wherein the thermal resistance of the substrate is sufficient to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging at least one thermal color imaging component of the other of the first coating and the second coating.

2. The thermal medium of claim 1, wherein opacity of the substrate is sufficiently opaque to prevent color imaged via the at least one thermal color imaging component on the first side from penetrating to the second side so as to cause change in color imaged via at least one thermal color imaging component on the second side.

3. The thermal medium of claim 1, further comprising: a first primer disposed between the substrate and the first coating on the first side; anda second primer disposed between substrate and the second coating on the second side.

4. The thermal medium of claim 1, wherein at least one thermal imaging component of one of the first coating and the second coating is a color dye or a dye precursor.

5. The thermal medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes three thermal color imaging components.

6. The thermal medium of claim 5, wherein the three thermal color imaging components are cyan, magenta and yellow.

7. The thermal medium of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes a mixture of the three thermal color imaging components.

8. The thermal medium of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes: a first thermal imaging component coat including a first thermal color imaging component;a second thermal imaging component coat including a second thermal color imaging component; anda third thermal imaging component coat including a third thermal color imaging component

9. The thermal medium of claim 8, further comprising: a first barrier coat disposed between the first thermal imaging component coat and the second thermal imaging component coat; anda second barrier coat disposed between second thermal imaging component coat and the third thermal imaging component coat.

10. The thermal medium of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes at least one color portion that includes at least one thermal imaging component.

11. The thermal medium of claim 10, wherein one of the at least one color portion includes three thermal color imaging components.

12. The thermal medium of claim 11, wherein the three thermal color imaging components include cyan, magenta and yellow.

13. The thermal medium of claim 11, wherein one of the at least one color, portion includes a mixture of the three thermal color imaging components.

14. The thermal medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one color portion includes: a first thermal imaging component coat including a first thermal color imaging component;a second thermal imaging component coat including a second thermal color imaging component; anda third thermal imaging component coat including a third thermal color imaging component.

15. The thermal medium of claim 1, further comprising a protective top coating over at least one of the first coating and the second coating.

16. A dual-sided thermal medium, the thermal medium comprising: an opaque and thermally-resistant substrate including a first side and a second side;a first coating on the first side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component; anda second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least two thermal color imaging components, wherein the thermal resistance is sufficient to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging at least one thermal color imaging component of the other of the first coating and the second coating.

17. The thermal medium of claim 16, wherein opacity of the substrate is sufficiently opaque to prevent color imaged via the at least one thermal color imaging component on the first side from penetrating to the second side so as to cause change in color imaged via at least one thermal color imaging component on the second side.

18. The thermal medium of claim 16, further comprising: a first primer disposed between the substrate and the first coating on the first side; anda second disposed primer between substrate and the second coating on the second side.

19. The thermal medium of claim 16, wherein the at least one thermal imaging component of one of the first coating and the second coating is a color dye or a dye precursor.

20. The thermal medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes three thermal color imaging components.

21. The thermal medium of claim 20, wherein the three thermal color imaging components are cyan, magenta and yellow.

22. The thermal medium of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes a mixture of the three thermal color imaging components.

23. The thermal medium of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes: a first thermal imaging component coat including a first thermal color imaging component;a second thermal imaging component coat including a second thermal color imaging component; anda third thermal imaging component coat including a third thermal color imaging component.

24. The thermal medium of claim 23, further comprising: a first barrier coat disposed between the first thermal imaging component coat and the second thermal imaging component coat; anda second barrier coat disposed between second thermal imaging component coat and the third thermal imaging component coat.

25. The thermal medium of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes at least one color portion that includes at least one thermal imaging component.

26. The thermal medium of claim 25, wherein one of the at least one color portion includes three thermal color imaging components.

27. The thermal medium of claim 26, wherein the three thermal color imaging components include cyan, magenta and yellow.

28. The thermal medium of claim 26, wherein one of the at least one color portion includes a mixture of the three thermal color imaging components.

29. The thermal medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one color portion includes: a first thermal imaging component coat including a first thermal color imaging component;a second thermal imaging component coat including a second thermal color imaging component; anda third thermal imaging component coat including a third thermal color imaging component.

30. The thermal medium of claim 16, further comprising a protective top coating over at least one of the first coating and the second coating.

31. A dual-sided thermal medium, the thermal medium comprising: a substrate including a first side and a second side; anda first coating on the first side of the substrate including a mixture of a plurality of thermal color imaging components.

32. The thermal medium of claim 31, further comprising a second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component.

33. The thermal medium of claim 32, wherein the second coating on the second side of the substrate includes: a first thermal imaging component coat including a first thermal color imaging component;a second thermal imaging component coat including a second thermal color imaging component; anda third thermal imaging component coat including a third thermal color imaging component.

34. The thermal medium of claim 31, further comprising a second coating on the second side of the substrate including a mixture of a plurality of thermal color imaging components.

35. The thermal medium of claim 34, wherein the substrate is adapted to provide sufficient thermal resistance to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging one or more thermal color imaging components of the other of the first coating and the second coating.

36. The thermal medium of claim 34, wherein opacity of the substrate is sufficiently opaque to prevent color imaged via one or more thermal color imaging components on the first side from penetrating to the second side so as to cause change in color imaged via one or more thermal color imaging components on the second side.

37. The thermal medium of claim 34, wherein at least one thermal imaging component in the mixture of the first coating or the second coating is a color dye or a dye precursor.

38. The thermal medium of claim 34, wherein the mixture of at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes three thermal color imaging components.

39. The thermal medium of claim 38, wherein the three thermal color imaging components are cyan, magenta and yellow.

40. The thermal medium of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first coating and the second coating includes at least one color portion that includes the mixture of the plurality of thermal color imaging components.

41. The thermal medium of claim 34, further comprising a protective top coating over at least one of the first coating and the second coating.

42. A dual-sided direct thermal printer, the printer comprising: a first thermal print head positioned proximate to a first platen;a second thermal print head positioned proximate to a second platen, with the first thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the second platen and the second thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the first platen; andthe first thermal print head and the second thermal print head being adapted to be activated at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined duration to image a respective first side and a second side of a dual-sided thermal medium in color.

43. The printer of claim 42, further comprising a microprocessor adapted to: receive imaging data having color information; andactivate one or more imaging elements of the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head to image the respective first side and the second side of the thermal medium with imaging data in color identified by the color information.

44. The printer of claim 43, wherein the microprocessor is further adapted to activate the one or more imaging elements in the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head in pulses at the predetermined temperature during the predetermined duration.

45. The printer of claim 43, wherein the microprocessor is further adapted to transform the received color information to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined duration to image the respective first side and a second side of the thermal medium in color identified by the color information.

46. The printer of claim 43, further comprising at least one sensor adapted to generate a sensing signal upon sensing a color portion of the first side or the second side of the thermal medium.

47. The printer of claim 46, wherein the microprocessor is further adapted to receive the sensing signal from the sensor; andtransform the received color information to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined duration to image the sensed color portion in color identified by the color information.

48. A method of imaging a dual-sided thermal medium including a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the method comprising: receiving imaging data having color information; andcontrolling activation of a first thermal print head and a second thermal print head to image the respective first side and second side of the dual-sided thermal medium with the received imaging data in color identified by the color information.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein controlling activation further comprises: activating one or more imaging elements in the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined duration of time associated with imaging the received imaging data in color identified by the color information.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein activating the one or more imaging elements further includes activating the one or more imaging elements in the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head in pulses at the predetermined temperature during the predetermined duration.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising transforming the received color information to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined duration to image the respective first side and a second side of the thermal medium in color identified by the color information.

52. The method of claim 48, further comprising sensing a color portion of the first side or the second side of the thermal medium.

53. The method of claim 52, further comprising transforming the received color information to the predetermined temperature and the predetermined duration to image the sensed color portion in color identified by the color information.

54. A dual-sided thermal printing system, the system comprising: a dual-sided thermal medium including: a thermally-resistant substrate including a first side and a second side;a first coating on the first side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component; anda second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least two thermal color imaging components, wherein the thermal resistance of the substrate is sufficient to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging the at least one thermal color imaging component of the other of the first coating and the second coating; anda dual-sided direct thermal printer including: a first thermal print head positioned proximate to a first platen;a second thermal print head positioned proximate to a second platen, with the first thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the second platen and the second thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the first platen; andthe first thermal print head and the second thermal print head being adapted to be activated at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined duration to image the first coating and the second coating on a respective first side and second side of the dual-sided thermal medium in color.

55. A dual-sided thermal printing system, the system comprising: a dual-sided thermal medium including: an opaque and thermally-resistant substrate including a first side and a second side;a first coating on the first side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component; anda second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least two thermal color imaging components, wherein the thermal resistance of the substrate is sufficient to prevent heat applied to one of the first coating and the second coating from imaging the at least one thermal color imaging component of the other of the first coating and the second coating; anda dual-sided direct thermal printer including: a first thermal print head positioned proximate to a first platen;a second thermal print head positioned proximate to a second platen, with the first thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the second platen and the second thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the first platen; andthe first thermal print head and the second thermal print head being adapted to be activated at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined duration to image the first coating and the second coating on the respective first side and second side of the dual-sided thermal medium in color.

56. A dual-sided thermal printing system, the system comprising: a dual-sided thermal medium including: a substrate including a first side and a second side; anda first coating on the first side of the substrate including a mixture of a plurality of thermal color imaging components; anda second coating on the second side of the substrate including at least one thermal color imaging component; anda dual-sided direct thermal printer including: a first thermal print head positioned proximate to a first platen;a second thermal print head positioned proximate to a second platen, with the first thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the second platen and the second thermal print head being in a substantially opposed relation to the first platen; andthe first thermal print head and the second thermal print head being adapted to be activated at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined duration to image the first coating and the second coating on the respective first side and second side of the dual-sided thermal medium in color.