Abstract: When a choice is made between several items offered in a first window on a display screen, a second window is displayed in front of the first window. An image of an watcher who is watching the display screen is captured to detect watcher's eye position relative to the display screen. When the watcher's eye position moves, the second window is displaced to uncover the first window in such a way that the second window moves upward in response to a downward movement of the eye position, downward in response to an upward movement of the eye position, rightward in response to a leftward movement of the eye position or leftward in response to a rightward movement of the eye position.

Abstract: When a choice is made between several items offered in a first window on a display screen, a second window is displayed in front of the first window. An image of an watcher who is watching the display screen is captured to detect watcher's eye position relative to the display screen. When the watcher's eye position moves, the second window is displaced to uncover the first window in such a way that the second window moves upward in response to a downward movement of the eye position, downward in response to an upward movement of the eye position, rightward in response to a leftward movement of the eye position or leftward in response to a rightward movement of the eye position.

Abstract: A luminous device comprises an array of LEDs aligned in a plural number “m” of lines which extend in a main scan direction, and are apposed in a sub scan direction orthogonal to the main scan direction. The array is grouped into a number of blocks to be driven block by block, each block consisting of a number “q” of LEDs connected in serial to one another, wherein q=m. Where the numbers “q” and “m” are five and two respectively, two or three of the five LEDs of the same block are located in one of the two lines (L1), whereas other LEDs of that block are located in the other line (L2), such that the LEDs of the different blocks are located substantially in the same column in the sub scan direction, to distribute the LEDs of the same block in the main scan direction. Thereby, unevenness in integral illuminance in the sub scan direction is reduced even if there are illuminance variations between the blocks.

Abstract: A yellow fixing light source of a color thermal printer comprises an aluminum substrate, light emitting elements aligned thereon, and reflectors mounted thereon. The reflector reflects the light emitted from the light emitting element. A part of a power line constituting a wiring pattern is formed on a glass epoxy plate of the reflector. The wiring pattern is prevented from having a dense portion and becomes a simple form. Thus, it is possible to reduce a cost to be taken for forming the wiring pattern. A degree of freedom for raying out the wiring pattern increases and a breadth of the wiring pattern may be widened so that it is possible to prevent luminous unevenness from being caused due to voltage drop to be induced by wiring resistance.

Abstract: A flat-type fluorescent lamp is used as a light source of a color thermal printer. The flat-type fluorescent lamp has a yellow luminescent surface for emitting yellow fixing rays, and a magenta luminescent surface for emitting magenta fixing rays. The respective luminescent surfaces are disposed back to back and are selectively activated by a lamp driving circuit. The flat-type fluorescent lamp is rotatable between a first position where the yellow luminescent surface confronts a recording surface of a color thermosensitive recording paper, and a second position where the magenta luminescent surface confront the recording surface of the recording paper.

Abstract: A color thermal printer includes a photo fixer, which is constituted by a Braun tube. An electron beam gun emits electron. A fluorescent screen is excited by the electron, for generating near ultraviolet rays or ultraviolet rays. An image on thermosensitive recording material is fixed by application of the near ultraviolet rays or ultraviolet rays.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp comprises a cathode panel, an anode panel and a light-output panel. A filament and grid electrodes are attached to the cathode panel. The anode panel is provided with a reflection layer and a fluorescent layer. The light-output panel is made of a transparent glass plate and is disposed on a plane different from the cathode panel and the anode panel. An electron beam emitted from the filament collides with the fluorescent layer. Upon this, the fluorescent layer is excited to emit light. The emitted light is reflected by the reflection layer to radiate from the light-output panel toward the outside of the fluorescent lamp. At this time, the light does not pass through the grid electrodes and the filament so that optical unevenness is prevented from occurring.

Abstract: A color thermal printer includes feeder rollers for feeding thermosensitive recording material through a feeding path. A thermal head operates for thermal recording of an image in a recording region of the recording material being fed. An unused region is defined outside the recording region. A photo fixer fixes the image on the recording material by application of ultraviolet or violet rays thereto. A liquid crystal shutter unit is disposed between the photo fixer and the recording material, and includes plural shutter segments. The plural shutter segments are arranged in a form of plural parallel lines, and changeable independently between an opaque state and a transparent state, and when in the opaque state, block the ultraviolet or violet rays, and when in the transparent state, cause the rays to pass.

Abstract: A flat-type fluorescent lamp is used as a light source of a color thermal printer. The flat-type fluorescent lamp has a yellow luminescent surface for emitting yellow fixing rays, and a magenta luminescent surface for emitting magenta fixing rays. The respective luminescent surfaces are disposed back to back and are selectively activated by a lamp driving circuit. The flat-type fluorescent lamp is rotatable between a first position where the yellow luminescent surface confronts a recording surface of a color thermosensitive recording paper, and a second position where the magenta luminescent surface confront the recording surface of the recording paper.

Abstract: A color thermal printer includes feeder rollers for feeding thermosensitive recording material through a feeding path. A thermal head operates for thermal recording of an image in a recording region of the recording material being fed. An unused region is defined outside the recording region. A photo fixer fixes the image on the recording material by application of ultraviolet or violet rays thereto. A liquid crystal shutter unit is disposed between the photo fixer and the recording material, and includes plural shutter segments. The plural shutter segments are arranged in a form of plural parallel lines, and changeable independently between an opaque state and a transparent state, and when in the opaque state, block the ultraviolet or violet rays, and when in the transparent state, cause the rays to pass.

Abstract: A color thermal printer includes a photo fixer, which is constituted by a Braun tube. An electron beam gun emits electron. A fluorescent screen is excited by the electron, for generating near ultraviolet rays or ultraviolet rays. An image on thermosensitive recording material is fixed by application of the near ultraviolet rays or ultraviolet rays.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp comprises a cathode panel, an anode panel and a light-output panel. A filament and grid electrodes are attached to the cathode panel. The anode panel is provided with a reflection layer and a fluorescent layer. The light-output panel is made of a transparent glass plate and is disposed on a plane different from the cathode panel and the anode panel. An electron beam emitted from the filament collides with the fluorescent layer. Upon this, the fluorescent layer is excited to emit light. The emitted light is reflected by the reflection layer to radiate from the light-output panel toward the outside of the fluorescent lamp. At this time, the light does not pass through the grid electrodes and the filament so that optical unevenness is prevented from occurring.

Abstract: There is disclosed a heat sensitive type printer wherein glass plates (36, 37, 38) are secured at one ends to thermal heads (26, 27, 28), and extend substantially in parallel to a paper transport path of a heat sensitive color recording paper (14). Surface luminous devices (31, 32) for fixing coloring layers of the recording paper optically are disposed adjacent to heat sinks of the thermal heads with their light emission surfaces facing the paper transport path through the glass plates. Cooling fans send air into between the heat sinks and the surface luminous devices, to cool the heat sinks. Thereafter, the air guide guides the air to flow along a gap between the light emission surface and the glass plate, thereby to cool the light emission surface.

Abstract: There is disclosed a heat sensitive type printer wherein glass plates (36, 37, 38) are secured at one ends to thermal heads (26, 27, 28), and extend substantially in parallel to a paper transport path of a heat sensitive color recording paper (14). Surface luminous devices (31, 32) for fixing coloring layers of the recording paper optically are disposed adjacent to heat sinks of the thermal heads with their light emission surfaces facing the paper transport path through the glass plates. Cooling fans send air into between the heat sinks and the surface luminous devices, to cool the heat sinks. Thereafter, the air guide guides the air to flow along a gap between the light emission surface and the glass plate, thereby to cool the light emission surface.

Abstract: An optical fixing unit for yellow fixes a yellow thermosensitive coloring layer of a color thermosensitive recording paper. This fixation is carried out by simultaneously driving two ultraviolet lamps for yellow. The respective ultraviolet lamps are repeatedly energized since switching transistors corresponding thereto are repeatedly turned on and off based on switching signals. The switching signals respectively inputted to the switching transistors have phases shifted by 180° with each other so that emission phases of the ultraviolet lamps are shifted. As a result, a peak value of a total current flowing in the ultraviolet lamps is reduced, and a change thereof is kept in a narrow range.

Abstract: A thermal head has plural heating elements arranged in line in a main scan direction. The heating elements are supplied with a train of drive pulses while the thermosensitive recording sheet is conveyed in a sub scan direction crosswise to the main scan direction, for thermal recording to the recording material by one line. The heating elements are grouped into first and second groups. The drive pulse train for the first group of the heating elements is determined by starting the drive pulse train at a start of the one line. The drive pulse train for the second group of the heating elements is determined by ending the drive pulse train at an end of the one line.

Abstract: A color thermal printing method capable of preventing a color registration shift and shading. A color thermosensitive recording sheet has cyan, magenta, and yellow thermosensitive coloring layers, respectively formed on a base in this order. A thermal sensitivity becomes lower the nearer the thermosensitive coloring layer is to the base. The thermosensitive coloring layer having a lower sensitivity is printed at an earlier timing to make the centers of three color print areas coincident with each other. According to a preferred embodiment, a preliminary pressed running section is provided in front of each print area. In the preliminary pressed running section, a thermal head is preheated and pressed against a color thermosensitive recording sheet. In order to reduce a change in the friction coefficient between the preliminary pressed running section and the print area, the heat energy for the preheating is set to a bias heat energy having a level just under a coloring energy.

Abstract: A color thermal printing method capable of preventing a color registration shift and shading is unable with a color thermosensitive recording sheet having cyan, magenta, and yellow thermosensitive coloring layers, respectively formed on a base in this order. A thermal sensitivity becomes lower the nearer the thermosensitive coloring layer is to the base. The thermosensitive coloring layer having a lower sensitivity is printed at an earlier timing to make the centers of three color print areas coincident with each other. According to a preferred embodiment, a preliminary pressed running section is provided in front of each print area. In the preliminary pressed running section, a thermal head is preheated and pressed against a color thermosensitive recording sheet. In order to reduce a change in the friction coefficient between the preliminary pressed running section and the print area, the heat energy for the preheating is set to a bias heat energy having a level just under a coloring energy.

Abstract: Thermosensitive color recording paper includes a support and three thermosensitive coloring layers formed thereon for yellow, magenta and cyan colors. The uppermost yellow coloring layer has the highest heat sensitivity. The undermost cyan coloring layer has the lowest heat sensitivity. When the yellow or magenta coloring layer is colored at high density, the next-underlying coloring layer is inevitably colored at a small amount. A thermal head has heating elements which are respectively driven by a pulse train constituted of a bias pulse and gradation pulses. The bias pulse raises the temperature up to coloring temperature to record one pixel in each coloring layer. The number of the gradation pulses represents the density of recording on the pixel. The bias pulse is divided into two. The gradation pulses are grouped into two groups.

Abstract: A direct color thermal printer and method for direct color thermal recording of a full-color image on a thermosensitive color recording material is provided having yellow, magenta and cyan recording layers formed in this order from the outside, by sequentially recording yellow, magenta and cyan frames of the full-color image in this order in yellow, magenta and cyan recording layers. The recording speed of the yellow frame is set higher than the recording speed of the magenta and cyan frames by predetermining a recording cycle of one pixel or a recording time per pixel which is shorter for the yellow recording layer than the recording cycles for the magenta and cyan recording layers.