Film cartridge, film unit, and layer transfer device

Abstract

To provide a film cartridge capable of inhibiting an operator from touching with a supported layer including a transfer layer, and of inhibiting the supported layer remaining on a supporting layer from peeling off; and to provide a film unit and a layer transfer device thereof.SOLUTION: A film cartridge (200) comprises: a supply reel (31) around which a multilayer film (F) comprising a supported layer (F2) in which a transfer film (F22) is included, and a supporting layer (F1), is wound; and a winding reel (35) for winding the multilayer film (F). The multilayer film (F) is wound around a supply shaft part (31A) in such a manner that the supported layer (F2) comes into contact with a supply shaft part (31A), and is wound around a winding shaft part (35A) in such a manner that the supported layer (F2) comes into contact with the winding shaft part (35A).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a film cartridge, a film unit, and a layer transfer device for transferring a transfer layer onto a toner image formed on a sheet.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a film cartridge, there is known one including a supply reel and a take-up reel around which a multilayer film having a transfer layer inside is wound, and being configured to be detachable from a layer transfer device (see Patent Document 1). In this technology, the multilayer film further has a support layer that supports the transfer layer. Then, the multilayer film is wound around the supply reel and the take-up reel such that the support layer contacts the supply reel and the take-up reel. As a result, the supported layer is disposed on the outer surface of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the supply reel and is exposed to the outside, and the supported layer is disposed on the outer surface of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel and is exposed to the outside.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the prior art, since the supported layer is disposed on the outer surface of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the supply reel and is exposed to the outside, in the operation of attaching the supply reel around which the multilayer film is wound to the holder of the film unit, the operator may touch the supported layer, and there is a risk of damaging the supported layer including the transfer layer. Further, since the supported layer located on the outer surface of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel after layer transfer is exposed to the outside, there is a risk that the supported layer remaining on the support layer may peel off.

[0005] During the operation of attaching the supply reel to the holder, it is desired to prevent an operator from touching the supported layer including the transfer layer and to prevent the supported layer remaining on the support layer from peeling off after layer transfer.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In view of the above background, a film cartridge detachable from a layer transfer device for transferring a transfer layer onto a toner image formed on a sheet is disclosed. The film cartridge includes a supply reel having a supply shaft portion around which a multilayer film having a supported layer including the transfer layer and a support layer supporting the supported layer is wound, and a take-up reel having a take-up shaft portion for taking up the multilayer film. The multilayer film is wound around the supply shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the supply shaft portion, and is wound around the take-up shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the take-up shaft portion.

[0007] Also disclosed is a film unit including the above-described film cartridge, a holder for supporting the supply reel and the take-up reel, a first guide shaft that contacts the support layer of the multilayer film drawn from the supply reel and changes the traveling direction of the multilayer film, and a second guide shaft that contacts the support layer of the multilayer film guided by the first guide shaft and changes the traveling direction of the multilayer film.

[0008] According to this configuration, since the multilayer film is wound around the supply shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the supply shaft portion, when attaching the supply reel to the holder, even if the operator touches the multilayer film wound around the supply reel, the operator only touches the support layer and does not touch the supported layer, so that the supported layer can be protected. Also, since the multilayer film is wound around the take-up shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the take-up shaft portion, in the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel, the supported layer remaining on the support layer can be suppressed from peeling off by the support layer.

[0009] The film cartridge may include a supply case that houses the supply reel. Further, the supply reel may be rotatably supported by the supply case. Further, the supply reel may have a supply gear at an axial end of the supply reel, and the supply gear may be exposed to the outside through a notch formed in the supply case. Further, the supply case may include two side walls provided at the axial ends, an outer wall that is located axially away from one of the two side walls close to the supply gear and covers at least a part of the supply gear from the axial direction, and an outer peripheral wall that connects the one side wall and the outer wall. At least a part of the supply gear may be located between the one side wall and the outer wall and may be exposed to the outside through a notch formed in the outer peripheral wall. Further, the supply reel may be rotatably supported by the side wall.

[0010] It is desirable that the outer wall does not overlap with the tooth tips of the supply gear when viewed along the axial direction of the supply reel within the range of the angle α1 around the rotation axis of the supply reel of the notch. Further, it is desirable that the outer wall does not overlap with the tooth bottoms of the supply gear when viewed along the axial direction of the supply reel within the range of the angle α1 around the rotation axis of the supply reel of the notch.

[0011] The supply case may be configured to be mounted by rotating it around the rotation axis of the supply reel with respect to a holder separate from the film cartridge. In this case, it is desirable that the angle α1 around the rotation axis of the supply reel of the notch is larger than the rotation angle α2 when the supply case is mounted on the holder.

[0012] Further, the take-up reel may include flanges provided at both ends of the take-up shaft portion and a take-up gear disposed outside the flanges in the axial direction of the take-up reel. Further, the take-up gear may be coaxially disposed with the take-up shaft portion. Further, the support layer may be transparent.

[0013] In the film unit, the supply reel and the take-up reel may be detachable from the holder.

[0014] According to this, for example, compared with a film unit in which each reel and the holder are non-detachable, the holder can be reused, so that it is possible to contribute to environmental protection.

[0015] Also, the supply reel and the take-up reel may be detachable from the holder in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel with respect to the holder.

[0016] Also, in a form in which the film cartridge includes a supply case that houses the supply reel, the film unit further includes a detachable guide that guides the supply case in a predetermined direction when the supply case is detached from the holder, and when the supply case is removed from the holder, the moving direction of the supply case guided by the detachable guide may be a direction that does not include a component in a direction opposite to the direction in which the multilayer film is drawn out from the supply reel.

[0017] According to this, when the supply case is removed from the holder, the tension of the multilayer film applied between the first guide shaft and the supply reel is weakened, so that the supply case can be easily removed from the holder.

[0018] Also, the first guide shaft may be disposed outside a region obtained by projecting the supply case in the predetermined direction.

[0019] According to this, it is possible to prevent the supply case from interfering with the first guide shaft when the supply case is attached and detached.

[0020] Also, at least a part of the first guide shaft may be disposed within a region obtained by projecting the supply case in a direction orthogonal to a plane including the rotation axis of the supply reel and the rotation axis of the take-up reel.

[0021] According to this, in the direction connecting the rotation axis of the supply reel and the rotation axis of the take-up reel, the supply case can be brought closer to the take-up reel, so that an increase in the size of the film unit can be suppressed.

[0022] Further, the supply case has an elongated engaging portion, and the detachable guide has a guide groove for guiding the engaging portion in the predetermined direction and a circular holding hole connected to the guide groove for rotatably holding the engaging portion. The width of the guide groove is smaller than the long side of the engaging portion and larger than the short side of the engaging portion, and the diameter of the holding hole may be larger than the long side of the engaging portion.

[0023] According to this, the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion is aligned in the predetermined direction and the engaging portion is inserted into the guide groove. When the engaging portion reaches the holding hole, by rotating the supply case, the engaging portion cannot come out of the guide groove in the predetermined direction, so that the supply case can be attached to and detached from the detachable guide by a simple operation.

[0024] Further, the holder has a restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the supply case in a state where the engaging portion is held by the holding hole, and the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion of the supply case in a state where the rotation is restricted by the restricting portion may intersect the predetermined direction.

[0025] According to this, the direction of the engaging portion can be determined by the restricting portion, so that the supply case can be prevented from coming off the detachable guide.

[0026] Further, the supply case has a first opening for pulling out the multilayer film of the supply reel to the outside. The first opening has an upstream end and a downstream end located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the supply reel from the upstream end. In a state where the rotation of the supply case is restricted by the restricting portion, the downstream end may be located between the multilayer film along the common internal tangent of the first guide shaft and the supply shaft portion and the common external tangent of the first guide shaft and the supply shaft portion, which is the common external tangent on the side far from the take-up reel.

[0027] According to this, since the downstream end can be arranged as close as possible to the multilayer film in the state immediately before the multilayer film is used up without causing interference, the size of the first opening can be reduced, and the rigidity of the supply case can be increased.

[0028] Further, the holder has a boss guided by a guide of the layer transfer device, and the boss and the engaging portion may be located on the rotation axis of the supply reel.

[0029] Further, the film unit includes a third guide shaft that contacts the supported layer of the multilayer film guided by the second guide shaft, changes the traveling direction of the multilayer film, and guides it to the take-up reel. The third guide shaft is located on the supply reel side with respect to a straight line connecting the center of the take-up shaft portion and the center of the second guide shaft. The third guide shaft may be movable to a first position and a second position on the side opposite to the supply reel with respect to the straight line and at a distance greater than the maximum diameter of the roll of the multilayer film wound from the second guide shaft to the take-up reel.

[0030] According to this, when the third guide shaft is located at the first position, the angle of the multilayer film bent by the second guide shaft can be made acute, so that when the multilayer film laminated on the sheet during layer transfer is peeled off from the sheet after layer transfer, the transfer layer can be peeled off cleanly from the sheet. Further, when the third guide shaft is located at the second position, since the axial distance between the second guide shaft and the third guide shaft is greater than the maximum diameter of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel, the take-up reel can be easily removed through between the second guide shaft and the third guide shaft.

[0031] Further, the holder has a base frame and a regulating frame movably supported by the base frame. The regulating frame has the third guide shaft and is movable between a regulating position for regulating the movement of the take-up reel in the attaching / detaching direction and a releasing position for releasing the regulation of the movement of the take-up reel. When the regulating frame is in the regulating position, the third guide shaft may be in the first position, and when the regulating frame is in the releasing position, the third guide shaft may be in the second position.

[0032] According to this, when removing the take-up reel, if the regulating frame is moved to the releasing position, the third guide shaft moves together with the regulating frame and moves to the second position, so that the removal operation of the take-up reel can be easily performed.

[0033] Further, the base frame has a first holding portion for holding the supply reel, a second holding portion for holding the take-up reel, and a connecting portion for connecting the first holding portion and the second holding portion. The connecting portion may be disposed on one side of a plane including the rotation axis of the supply reel and the rotation axis of the take-up reel.

[0034] According to this, since a space is formed between the first holding portion and the second holding portion, a heating roller can be disposed between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the layer transfer device.

[0035] Further, the film unit includes a locking member provided on the regulating frame, and the locking member regulates the movement of the regulating frame from the regulating position to the releasing position by engaging with the base frame. The locking member may be biased toward the base frame by a biasing force applied from the multilayer film to the third guide shaft.

[0036] According to this, since the locking member is engaged with the base frame by using the biasing force from the multilayer film, the cost can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which, for example, a spring or the like is provided so that the regulating frame does not rattle in the regulating position.

[0037] Further, in a state where the regulation frame is located at the regulation position, it may have one end portion that is located farthest from the supply reel, and the one end portion may have a second opening facing the take-up reel to the outside.

[0038] In this case, the support layer may be transparent.

[0039] According to this, since the transfer layer can be visually recognized through the transparent support layer from the second opening of the regulation frame, it is possible to prevent a user or the like from misidentifying the type (color) of the transfer layer when replacing the multilayer film.

[0040] Further, the outer surface of the base frame is on the same side as the rotation axis of the take-up reel with respect to the third guide axis in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane including the rotation axis of the supply reel and the rotation axis of the take-up reel, and is located at a position farther from the third guide axis than the rotation axis of the take-up reel, and has a first surface. The regulation frame is rotatable with respect to the base frame about a rotation axis that is farther from the third guide axis than the rotation axis of the take-up reel in the orthogonal direction. The take-up reel has a farthest portion that is farthest from the supply reel, and the one end portion of the regulation frame may be closer to the supply reel than the farthest portion in a state where the regulation frame is located at the regulation position.

[0041] According to this, since one end portion of the regulation frame is arranged closer to the supply reel than the farthest portion of the take-up reel, even in a state where the first surface of the base frame is placed on a placement surface such as a table, the regulation frame can be rotated greatly, and the take-up reel can be easily replaced.

[0042] Further, the second opening may be larger than the width of the multilayer film, and the distance from the edge of the second opening facing the outer surface of the multilayer film to the rotation axis of the take-up reel may be larger than the maximum radius of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel.

[0043] According to this, even if the diameter of the roll of the multilayer film wound around the take-up reel gradually increases as it is wound around the take-up reel, it is possible to suppress the multilayer film from interfering with the edge of the second opening.

[0044] Further, the holder may have handles at both axial ends of the take-up reel.

[0045] According to this, the operation of attaching and detaching the film unit to and from the layer transfer device can be easily performed.

[0046] Further, the handle may protrude to the side opposite to the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft rather than the multilayer film strung between the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft.

[0047] According to this, when the user grabs the handle, it is possible to suppress touching the multilayer film.

[0048] Further, the film unit may be detachable from the layer transfer device in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel.

[0049] Further, the film unit may include a drive transmission member that receives a driving force from a drive source provided in the layer transfer device and transmits the driving force to the take-up reel.

[0050] Further, in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane including the rotation axis of the supply reel and the rotation axis of the take-up reel, the second guide shaft may be located farther from the supply reel than the first guide shaft.

[0051] Further, a layer transfer device including a housing to which the film unit is detachable includes a heating member that heats the multilayer film and a pressing member that sandwiches the multilayer film between the heating member. The housing includes a housing main body having a third opening and a cover that opens and closes the third opening. The pressing member is provided on the cover. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0052] According to the film cartridge, film unit, and layer transfer device described above, it is possible to suppress the operator from touching the transfer layer during the operation of attaching the supply reel to the holder, and to suppress the transfer layer remaining on the support layer from peeling off after the layer transfer. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0053]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0054] One embodiment will be described in detail with appropriate reference to the drawings. In the following description, first, the overall configuration of the layer transfer device will be briefly described, and then the configurations of the film unit and the film cartridge will be described. In the following description, the directions are described in the directions shown in Fig. 1. That is, the right side of Fig. 1 is defined as "front", the left side of Fig. 1 is defined as "rear", the front side of the paper surface of Fig. 1 is defined as "left", and the back side of the paper surface of Fig. 1 is defined as "right". Also, the up and down of Fig. 1 are defined as "up and down".

[0055] As shown in Fig. 1, the layer transfer device 1 is a device for transferring a foil such as aluminum onto the toner image on the sheet S after forming a toner image on the sheet S by an image forming device such as a laser printer. The layer transfer device 1 includes a housing 2, a sheet tray 3, a sheet conveyance unit 10, a film supply unit 30, and a transfer unit 50.

[0056] The housing 2 is made of resin or the like and includes a housing main body 21 and a cover 22. The housing main body 21 has a third opening 21A (see Fig. 2) at the upper part. The third opening 21A is an opening for attaching and detaching a film unit FU, which will be described later, to the housing main body 21. The cover 22 is a member for opening and closing the third opening 21A. The rear end portion of the cover 22 is rotatably supported by the housing main body 21.

[0057] The sheet tray 3 is a tray on which sheets S such as paper and OHP films are placed. The sheet tray 3 is provided at the rear part of the housing 2. The sheet S is placed on the sheet tray 3 with the surface on which the toner image is formed facing downward.

[0058] The sheet conveyance unit 10 includes a sheet supply mechanism 11 and a sheet discharge mechanism 12. The sheet supply mechanism 11 is a mechanism that conveys the sheets S on the sheet tray 3 one by one toward the transfer unit 50. The sheet supply mechanism 11 includes a pickup roller and a conveyance roller.

[0059] The sheet discharge mechanism 12 is a mechanism that discharges the sheet S that has passed through the transfer unit 50 to the outside of the housing 2. The sheet discharge mechanism 12 includes a plurality of conveyance rollers.

[0060] The film supply unit 30 is a part that supplies the multilayer film F so as to overlap the sheet S conveyed from the sheet supply mechanism 11. The film supply unit 30 includes a film unit FU and a drive source 80 such as a motor.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 2, the film unit FU is detachable from the housing main body 21 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31 described later. The film unit FU includes a supply reel 31, a take-up reel 35, a first guide shaft 41, a second guide shaft 42, and a third guide shaft 43. The multilayer film F is wound around the supply reel 31 of the film unit FU.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the multilayer film F has a support layer F1 and a supported layer F2. The support layer F1 is a tape-shaped transparent base material made of a polymer material and supports the supported layer F2.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the supported layer F2 has a release layer F21, a transfer layer F22, and an adhesive layer F23. The release layer F21 is a layer for facilitating the peeling of the transfer layer F22 from the support layer F1, and is disposed between the support layer F1 and the transfer layer F22. The release layer F21 contains a transparent material that is easily peeled from the support layer F1, such as a wax-based resin.

[0064] The transfer layer F22 is a layer to which the toner image is transferred and contains foil. The foil is a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum that is thinly extended. Also, the transfer layer F22 contains a coloring material such as gold, silver, or red, and a thermoplastic resin. The transfer layer F22 is disposed between the release layer F21 and the adhesive layer F23.

[0065] The adhesive layer F23 is a layer for facilitating the adhesion of the transfer layer F22 to the toner image. The adhesive layer F23 contains a material that easily adheres to the toner image heated by the transfer unit 50 described later, for example, a vinyl chloride resin or an acrylic resin.

[0066] The supply reel 31 is made of resin or the like and has a supply shaft portion 31A around which the multilayer film F is wound. The multilayer film F is wound around the supply shaft portion 31A such that the supported layer F2 including the transfer layer F22 contacts the supply shaft portion 31A. That is, the multilayer film F is wound around the supply reel 31 with the support layer F1 on the outside and the supported layer F2 (transfer layer F22) on the inside. Thereby, in the outermost portion of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the supply shaft portion 31A, the support layer F1 is located outside the supported layer F2.

[0067] The take-up reel 35 is made of resin or the like and has a take-up shaft portion 35A for taking up the multilayer film F. The multilayer film F is wound around the take-up shaft portion 35A such that the supported layer F2 including the transfer layer F22 contacts the take-up shaft portion 35A. That is, the multilayer film F is wound around the take-up reel 35 with the support layer F1 on the outside and the supported layer F2 (transfer layer F22) on the inside. Thereby, in the outermost portion of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the take-up shaft portion 35A, the support layer F1 is located outside the supported layer F2.

[0068] In FIG. 3 and the like, for the sake of convenience, the state in which the multilayer film F is wound around both the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 35 to the maximum extent will be illustrated. Actually, when the film unit FU is in a new state, the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is the largest, and the multilayer film F is not wound around the take-up reel 35, or the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 is the smallest. Further, at the end of the life of the film unit FU (when the multilayer film F is used up), the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 is the largest, and the multilayer film F is not wound around the supply reel 31, or the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is the smallest.

[0069] The first guide shaft 41 is a shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film F drawn out from the supply reel 31. The first guide shaft 41 is made of resin or the like. The first guide shaft 41 is in contact with the support layer F1 of the multilayer film F. The first guide shaft 41 is disposed within a region AR1 (the region sandwiched by the broken lines in the figure) obtained by projecting the supply case 32 described later in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF including the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35.

[0070] The second guide shaft 42 is a shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film F guided by the first guide shaft 41. The second guide shaft 42 is made of resin or the like. The second guide shaft 42 is in contact with the support layer F1 of the multilayer film F. The second guide shaft 42 is located at a position farther from the supply reel 31 than the first guide shaft 41 in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF including the rotation axes X1 and X2.

[0071] The third guide shaft 43 is a shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film F guided by the second guide shaft 42 and guiding it to the take-up reel 35. The third guide shaft 43 is made of resin or the like. The third guide shaft 43 is in contact with the supported layer F2 (adhesive layer F23) of the multilayer film F.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the film unit FU is attached to the layer transfer device 1, the take-up reel 35 is rotationally driven counterclockwise in the drawing by a drive source 80 provided in the housing 2. When the take-up reel 35 rotates, the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is pulled out, and the pulled-out multilayer film F is wound onto the take-up reel 35. Specifically, during foil transfer, the multilayer film F is sent out by a pressure roller 51 and a heating roller 61, which will be described later, so that the multilayer film F is pulled out from the supply reel 31. Then, the multilayer film F sent out from the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 is wound onto the take-up reel 35.

[0073] The first guide shaft 41 guides the multilayer film F pulled out from the supply reel 31 so as to overlap it from below with the support layer F2 (see FIG. 3) facing up with respect to the sheet S conveyed with the toner image facing down. The first guide shaft 41 changes the conveyance direction of the multilayer film F pulled out from the supply reel 31 and guides the multilayer film F substantially parallel to the conveyance direction of the sheet S.

[0074] The second guide shaft 42 contacts the multilayer film F that has passed through the transfer unit 50 and changes the conveyance direction of the multilayer film F that has passed through the transfer unit 50 to a direction different from the conveyance direction of the sheet S. The multilayer film F conveyed in a state of overlapping the sheet S after passing through the transfer unit 50 is guided in a direction different from that of the sheet S when passing through the second guide shaft 42 and is peeled off from the sheet S.

[0075] The transfer unit 50 is a part for transferring the transfer layer F22 onto the toner image formed on the sheet S by heating and pressing the sheet S and the multilayer film F in a stacked state. The transfer unit 50 includes a pressure roller 51 as an example of a pressure member and a heating roller 61 as an example of a heating member. The transfer unit 50 heats and presses the sheet S and the multilayer film F in a stacked state at the nip portion of the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61.

[0076] The pressing roller 51 is a roller in which the periphery of a cylindrical core metal is covered with a rubber layer made of silicone rubber. The pressing roller 51 is disposed above the multilayer film F and is capable of contacting the back surface of the sheet S (the surface opposite to the surface on which the toner image is formed).

[0077] Both ends of the pressing roller 51 are rotatably supported by the cover 22. The pressing roller 51 sandwiches the sheet S and the multilayer film F with the heating roller 61, and is rotationally driven by a drive source 80 to rotationally drive the heating roller 61 in a driven manner.

[0078] The heating roller 61 is a roller in which a heater is disposed inside a metal tube formed in a cylindrical shape, and heats the multilayer film F and the sheet S. The heating roller 61 is disposed below the multilayer film F and is in contact with the multilayer film F.

[0079] In this embodiment, the heating roller 61 is moved by a contact / separation mechanism 70 for contacting and separating the heating roller 61 from the multilayer film F. When the cover 22 is closed, the contact / separation mechanism 70 moves the heating roller 61 to a contact position where it contacts the multilayer film F in accordance with the timing at which the sheet S is supplied to the transfer unit 50. Further, when the cover 22 is opened or when foil transfer is not performed on the sheet S in the transfer unit 50, the contact / separation mechanism 70 positions the heating roller 61 at a separation position where it is separated from the multilayer film F.

[0080] In the layer transfer device 1 configured as described above, the sheet S placed on the sheet tray 3 with its surface facing downward is conveyed one by one toward the transfer unit 50 by the sheet supply mechanism 11. The sheet S is overlapped with the multilayer film F supplied from the supply reel 31 upstream in the sheet conveyance direction of the transfer unit 50, and is conveyed to the transfer unit 50 in a state where the toner image on the sheet S and the multilayer film F are in contact with each other.

[0081] In the transfer unit 50, when the sheet S and the multilayer film F pass through the nip between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, they are heated and pressed by the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51, and the foil is transferred onto the toner image, that is, the adhesive layer F23 of the multilayer film F adheres to the toner image.

[0082] After the foil is transferred, the sheet S and the multilayer film F are conveyed in a state of being in close contact to the second guide shaft 42. When the sheet S and the multilayer film F pass through the second guide shaft 42, since the conveyance direction of the multilayer film F changes to a direction different from the conveyance direction of the sheet S, the multilayer film F peels off from the sheet S, that is, the supported layer F2 including the adhesive layer F23 adhered to the toner image, the transfer layer F22 including the foil, and the release layer F21 is peeled off from the support layer F1 of the multilayer film F. Note that when the supported layer F2 is peeled off from the support layer F1, a part of the supported layer F2, specifically, a part of the release layer F21 may remain on the support layer F1.

[0083] The multilayer film F including the support layer F1 peeled off from the sheet S and peeled off from the supported layer F2 adhered to the toner image on the sheet S is wound around the take-up reel 35. On the other hand, the sheet S from which the multilayer film F has been peeled off is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 by the sheet discharge mechanism 12 with the surface on which the foil has been transferred facing downward.

[0084] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the film unit FU includes a holder 100 made of resin or the like and a film cartridge 200 detachably attached to the holder 100. The film cartridge 200 includes the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 35 around which the above-described multilayer film F is wound, and a supply case 32. The supply reel 31 (specifically, the supply case 32) and the take-up reel 35 are detachable from the holder 100 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31.

[0085] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 13(a), the supply case 32 is a hollow case that houses the supply reel 31. The supply case 32 is made of resin or the like and has an outer peripheral wall 32A, two side walls 32B, and an outer wall 32J. The two side walls 32B are provided at the axial ends of the supply reel 31. The supply reel 31 is rotatably supported by each side wall 32B of the supply case 32. The outer wall 32J is axially separated from one of the two side walls 32B that is close to the supply gear 31G and is located axially away. Also, the outer wall 32J axially covers at least a part of the supply gear 31G. The outer peripheral wall 32A has a substantially cylindrical portion that covers the multilayer film F wound around the supply shaft portion 31A of the supply reel 31. Further, the outer peripheral wall 32A is a portion that covers the outer periphery of the supply gear 31G and has a portion that connects one side wall 32B and the outer wall 32J. In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 32A that covers the supply reel 31 and the outer peripheral wall 32A that covers the supply gear 31G are connected, but the outer peripheral walls 32A at these two locations may be separated by one side wall 32B.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 4, each side wall 32B has an elongated engaging portion 32C when viewed from the axial direction of the supply reel 31 (see also FIG. 13(a)). Each engaging portion 32C is a portion guided by the attachment / detachment guide G of the holder 100 described later and is formed in a rounded rectangular shape.

[0087] The supply reel 31 has a supply gear 31G (see also FIG. 13(a)) at the axial end of the supply shaft portion 31A of the supply reel 31. When viewed along the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31, at least a part of the supply gear 31G is located between one side wall 32B and the outer wall 32J. The supply gear 31G is exposed to the outside through a notch 32F formed in the outer peripheral wall 32A that connects one side wall 32B and the outer wall 32J. Thereby, the supply gear 31G can be meshed with an external gear. Also, since at least a part of the supply gear 31G is covered by the outer wall 32J, it is possible to prevent an external object from interfering with the supply gear 31G from the axial direction of the supply reel 31 when the film cartridge 200 is attached to the holder 100 or the like.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral wall 32A has a first opening 32D. The first opening 32D is an opening for pulling out the multilayer film F of the supply reel 31 to the outside. The first opening 32D has an upstream end E1 and a downstream end E2 located on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the supply reel 31 from the upstream end E1.

[0089] In a state where the film cartridge 200 is attached to the holder 100, the downstream end E2 is located between the multilayer film F along the common internal tangent L1 of the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A and the common external tangent L2 of the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A. Here, the state where the film cartridge 200 is attached to the holder 100 indicates a state in which the rotation of the supply case 32 is restricted by a restricting portion 150 (see FIG. 12) described later. Also, the common external tangent L2 of the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A is the common external tangent on the side far from the take-up reel 35 among the two common external tangents existing on the side far from and near to the take-up reel 35. Further, the multilayer film F along the common internal tangent L1 indicates the multilayer film F stretched between the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A in a state where all the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 has been pulled out.

[0090] Returning to FIG. 4, the take-up reel 35 has the take-up shaft portion 35A described above, two flanges 35B, and a take-up gear 35C as an example of a drive transmission member. The axial end portion of the take-up reel 35 of the take-up shaft portion 35A is a portion guided by a second guide GD2 (see FIG. 2) formed in the housing main body 21 and protrudes outside the flange 35B.

[0091] The flange 35B is a portion for restricting the movement of the multilayer film F in the width direction wound around the take-up shaft portion 35A. The flange 35B is formed in a disk shape with a larger diameter than the take-up shaft portion 35A and is provided at both ends of the take-up shaft portion 35A.

[0092] The take-up gear 35C is a gear that receives a driving force from a driving source 80 provided in the layer transfer device 1 and transmits the driving force to the take-up shaft portion 35A. The take-up gear 35C is disposed outside the flange 35B in the axial direction. The take-up gear 35C is disposed coaxially with the take-up shaft portion 35A.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 5, the holder 100 has a base frame 110 and a regulating frame 120 that is rotatably (movable) supported by the base frame 110. The base frame 110 has a first holding portion 111, a second holding portion 112, two connecting portions 113, and two handles 114.

[0094] The first holding portion 111 is a portion that holds the supply case 32. The first holding portion 111 holds the supply reel 31 via the supply case 32. The first holding portion 111 has an outer peripheral wall 111A that is substantially arc-shaped in cross-sectional view and two side walls 111B.

[0095] The outer peripheral wall 111A is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the supply case 32. Each side wall 111B is disposed at each end of the outer peripheral wall 111A in the axial direction of the supply reel 31.

[0096] Each side wall 111B sandwiches the first guide shaft 41 in the axial direction and rotatably supports the first guide shaft 41. Each side wall 111B has a detachment guide G that guides the supply case 32 in a predetermined direction when the supply case 32 is attached and detached. The detachment guide G is formed on the inner surface in the axial direction of each side wall 111B (the inner surface that faces the supply case 32 in the axial direction).

[0097] As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the detachment guide G has a guide groove G1 and a holding hole G2. The guide groove G1 is a groove that guides the engaging portion 32C in a predetermined direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure). The width of the guide groove G1 (the length orthogonal to the predetermined direction) is smaller than the long side of the engaging portion 32C and larger than the short side of the engaging portion 32C.

[0098] The predetermined direction in which the engaging portion 32C is guided by the guide groove G1 is set as follows. As shown in FIG. 7(b), when removing the supply case 32 from the holder 100, the moving direction DD of the supply case 32 guided by the guide groove G1, that is, the removing direction, does not include a component in the direction opposite to the direction DR2 from which the multilayer film F is drawn out from the supply reel 31. The predetermined direction is set so as to be a direction that does not include a component in the direction opposite to the direction DR2 from which the multilayer film F is drawn out from the supply reel 31. Further, the predetermined direction is set so as to be a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31. Here, the "direction DR1 in which the multilayer film F is drawn out from the supply reel 31" is a direction that changes depending on the size of the diameter of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31, and refers to the direction in the state where all of the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 has been drawn out.

[0099] In the present embodiment, the guide groove G1 guides the engaging portion 32C of the supply case 32 so that the axial distance between the supply reel 31 and the first guide shaft 41 gradually decreases when the supply case 32 is removed from the holder 100 in a predetermined direction. Specifically, in a state where the supply reel 31 is attached to the holder 100, the distance D2 between the center of the first guide shaft 41 and a straight line L3 passing through the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and along the predetermined direction is set to be smaller than the axial distance D1 between the supply reel 31 and the first guide shaft 41.

[0100] The first guide shaft 41 is disposed outside the region AR2 (the region sandwiched by the broken lines in the figure) obtained by projecting the supply case 32 in a predetermined direction in a state where the supply case 32 is attached to the holder 100.

[0101] The holding hole G2 is a circular hole that rotatably holds the engaging portion 32C and is connected to the guide groove G1. The center of the holding hole G2 coincides with the rotation axis X1. The diameter of the holding hole G2 is larger than the long side of the engaging portion 32C. After passing the engaging portion 32C through the guide groove G1 and inserting it into the holding hole G2, when the supply case 32 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation axis X1 as shown in the figure, the supply case 32 comes into contact with the restricting portion 150 shown in FIG. 12 and is positioned, whereby the supply case 32 is attached to the holder 100.

[0102] The restricting portion 150 is a portion that restricts the rotation of the supply case 32 in a state where the engaging portion 32C is held in the holding hole G2. The restricting portion 150 is provided on one side wall 111B of the holder 100. Further, the supply case 32 has a contact portion 32E that contacts the restricting portion 150. The contact portion 32E is provided on one side wall 32B of the supply case 32 (the side wall 32B on the side where the supply gear 31G is disposed).

[0103] Then, the positions of the restricting portion 150 and the contact portion 32E are defined such that the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 32C of the supply case 32 in a state where the rotation is restricted by the restricting portion 150 intersects a predetermined direction. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 32C of the supply case 32 in a state where the rotation is restricted by the restricting portion 150 intersects a straight line L3 along a predetermined direction including the moving direction DD shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0104] Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the notch 32F has an angle α1 around the rotation axis X1 of the supply case 32 that is smaller than 180°. The angle α1 here is the angle formed by two straight lines connecting the rotation axis X1 and an end portion of the outer peripheral wall 32A adjacent to the notch 32F in FIG. 13. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the rigidity of the outer peripheral wall 32A due to the notch 32F being too large. Further, the angle α1 of the notch 32F is larger than the rotation angle α2 when the supply case 32 is attached to the holder 100. The rotation angle α2 is the rotation angle until the contact portion 32E abuts against the restricting portion 150 after passing the engaging portion 32C through the guide groove G1 and into the holding hole G2. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the outer peripheral wall 32A of the supply case 32 from interfering with the second gear 134 (see FIG. 5) with which the supply gear 31G meshes.

[0105] Also, when viewed along the direction in which the rotation axis X1 extends, the outer wall 32J does not overlap with the tooth tip of the supply gear 31G within the range of the angle α1 where the notch 32F is formed. Also, when viewed along the direction in which the rotation axis X1 extends, the outer wall 32J does not overlap with the tooth bottom of the supply gear 31G within the range of the angle α1 where the notch 32F is formed. That is, the distance between the edge 32H in the range of the angle α1 where the notch 32F of the outer wall 32J is formed and the rotation axis X1 is smaller than the radius of the tooth tip circle of the supply gear 31G and also smaller than the radius of the tooth bottom circle. For this reason, when the supply case 32 is attached to the holder 100, interference between the second gear 134 and the outer wall 32J of the supply case 32 is suppressed.

[0106] Returning to FIG. 5, a gear mechanism 130 is provided on one of the two side walls 111B. The gear mechanism 130 is a mechanism for applying the load of a torque limiter (not shown) provided on the housing main body 21 to the supply reel 31. The structure of the gear mechanism 130 will be described later.

[0107] Each side wall 111B has a columnar boss 111C. Specifically, the side wall 111B on the side where the gear mechanism 130 to be described later is provided has a boss 111C via a gear cover GC. Here, the gear cover GC is a cover that covers the gear mechanism 130 and has a boss 111C. The gear cover GC is fixed to the axially outer surface of the side wall 111B.

[0108] Each boss 111C is a portion guided by a first guide GD1 (see FIG. 2) formed on the housing main body 21 when the film unit FU is attached to and detached from the housing main body 21. One boss 111C protrudes from the axially outer surface of the side wall 111B. The other boss 111C protrudes from the axially outer surface of the gear cover GC.

[0109] The second holding portion 112 is a portion that holds the take-up reel 35. Specifically, the second holding portion 112, together with the regulating frame 120, constitutes a hollow case, and the take-up reel 35 is accommodated in the hollow case.

[0110] The second holding part 112 has a covering part 112A and two side walls 112B. The covering part 112A is a part that covers the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35. Each side wall 112B is disposed at each end of the covering part 112A in the axial direction of the take-up reel 35.

[0111] The two connecting parts 113 are parts that connect the first holding part 111 and the second holding part 112. Specifically, each connecting part 113 is disposed at an interval in the axial direction of the supply reel 31. The connecting part 113 on one side in the axial direction connects one side wall 111B of the first holding part 111 and one side wall 112B of the second holding part 112. Also, the connecting part 113 on the other side in the axial direction connects the other side wall 111B of the first holding part 111 and the other side wall 112B of the second holding part 112.

[0112] By forming the connecting part 113 in this way, the holder 100 has a through hole 100A penetrating in the orthogonal direction described above. Each handle 114 is disposed on each connecting part 113. Each handle 114 is disposed at both axial ends of the take-up reel 35 in the holder 100, respectively.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 8, the connecting part 113 is disposed on one side (upper side in the drawing) of a plane FF including the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35. Each handle 114 protrudes to the side opposite to the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42 (upper side in the drawing) than the multilayer film F stretched between the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42.

[0114] The outer surface of the base frame 110 has a first surface 110A located on the same side as the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35 with respect to the third guide shaft 43 in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF including the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35. The first surface 110A is located at a position farther from the third guide shaft 43 than the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35.

[0115] The regulation frame 120 is rotatable between the regulation position shown in FIG. 8 and the release position shown in FIG. 9(a). When the regulation frame 120 is in the regulation position, it restricts the movement of the take-up reel 35 in the attachment / detachment direction. Further, when the regulation frame 120 is in the release position, it releases the restriction on the movement of the take-up reel 35.

[0116] The regulation frame 120 has a third guide shaft 43. When the regulation frame 120 is in the regulation position, the third guide shaft 43 is in the first position, and when the regulation frame 120 is in the release position, the third guide shaft 43 is in the second position.

[0117] When the third guide shaft 43 is in the first position, it is located on the supply reel 31 side of the straight line L4 connecting the center of the take-up shaft portion 35A (the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35) and the center of the second guide shaft 42. When the third guide shaft 43 is in the second position, it is located on the side opposite to the supply reel 31 with respect to the straight line L4. Further, when the third guide shaft 43 is in the second position, it is located at a distance greater than the maximum diameter of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 from the second guide shaft 42. That is, the axial distance between the second guide shaft 42 and the third guide shaft 43 in the second position is greater than the maximum diameter of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35.

[0118] The regulation frame 120 has one end portion 120E that is located farthest from the supply reel 31 when in the regulation position. Specifically, the one end portion 120E is located at the farthest position from the supply reel 31 in the direction along the straight line connecting the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35. As shown in FIG. 9(b), the one end portion 120E has a second opening 120A that exposes the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 to the outside when the regulation frame 120 is in the regulation position.

[0119] The axial length D3 of the second opening 120A is greater than the width D4 of the multilayer film F. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the distance D5 from the edge E11 of the second opening 120A facing the outer surface of the multilayer film F to the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35 is greater than the maximum radius of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35.

[0120] The regulating frame 120 is rotatable with respect to the base frame 110 about the rotation axis 121. The rotation axis 121 is located at a position farther from the third guide axis 43 than the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35 in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF described above.

[0121] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the regulating frame 120 has two side walls 122 and a connecting wall 123 connecting the side walls 122. As shown in FIG. 8, each side wall 122 is rotatably supported by the base frame 110. Further, each side wall 122 rotatably supports the third guide axis 43. Furthermore, a recess 122A into which the winding shaft portion 35A of the take-up reel 35 fits is formed in each side wall 122.

[0122] The recess 122A, together with the recess 112D formed in the second holding portion 112, forms a hole for holding the winding shaft portion 35A. This hole is a hole that engages with the winding shaft portion 35A with play. The winding shaft portion 35A is movable within the hole in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction.

[0123] The take-up reel 35 has a farthest portion B1 that is the farthest from the supply reel 31. In the present embodiment, the flange 35B of the take-up reel 35 has the farthest portion B1. The farthest portion B1 is located farthest from the supply reel 31 in the direction along the straight line connecting the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35.

[0124] One end portion 120E of the regulation frame 120 is closer to the supply reel 31 than the farthest portion B1 in a state where the regulation frame 120 is located at the regulation position. Specifically, the one end portion 120E is closer to the supply reel 31 than the farthest portion B1 in a direction along a straight line connecting the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and the rotation axis X2 of the take-up reel 35.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 5, two lock members 140 are provided on the regulation frame 120. Each lock member 140 is supported by the connecting wall 123 of the regulation frame 120 so as to be axially movable. Further, each lock member 140 is biased in a direction away from each other by a spring (not shown).

[0126] The lock member 140 has an operation portion 141 and an extending portion 142. The operation portion 141 is a portion operated by the user. Each operation portion 141 is disposed at the axial center of the connecting wall 123 of the regulation frame 120.

[0127] The extending portion 142 extends axially outward from the operation portion 141. As shown in FIG. 10, the tip portion 143 of the extending portion 142 is engaged with a recess 112C formed in the second holding portion 112 of the base frame 110. And when the tip portion 143 is engaged with the recess 112C, the movement of the regulation frame 120 from the regulation position to the release position is restricted.

[0128] The tip portion 143 is biased toward the recess 112C by a spring (not shown) in a state where the operation portion 141 is not operated, and thus is engaged with the recess 112C. Further, the tip portion 143 is configured to disengage from the recess 112C when the operation portion 141 is moved against the biasing force of the spring.

[0129] Here, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state where the regulation frame 120 is located at the regulation position, the third guide shaft 43 is configured to receive a biasing force from the multilayer film F. Specifically, in a state where the regulation frame 120 is located at the regulation position, when the take-up reel 35 is driven, a tension is applied to the multilayer film F between the second guide shaft 42 and the take-up shaft portion 35A, and the multilayer film F tends to assume a straight posture between the second guide shaft 42 and the take-up shaft portion 35A.

[0130] As a result, the third guide shaft 43, and thus the regulation frame 120, are biased in a direction from the regulation position toward the release position by the biasing force received from the multilayer film F.

[0131] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip portion 143 of the lock member 140 is also biased against the side surface of the recess 112C of the base frame 110 by the biasing force applied from the multilayer film F to the third guide shaft 43. That is, the tip portion 143 of the lock member 140 is biased from the regulation position toward the release position by receiving the biasing force from the multilayer film F and comes into contact with the side surface of the recess 112C.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 11, the gear mechanism 130 for applying a load to the supply reel 31 includes a frame gear 131 and a gear train 132. The frame gear 131 is a gear that meshes with the housing gear 21G provided on the housing body 21. The frame gear 131 is connected to the torque limiter and the like described above via the housing gear 21G.

[0133] The gear train 132 is a gear train that connects the frame gear 131 and the supply gear 31G such that the rotation direction of the supply gear 31G is opposite to the rotation direction of the frame gear 131. By reversing the rotation directions of the supply gear 31G and the frame gear 131 in this way, when the multilayer film F is pulled out from the supply reel 31, the supply reel 31 is suppressed from moving in a direction away from the first guide GD1 (see FIG. 2).

[0134] The gear train 132 includes a first gear 133 and a second gear 134. The first gear 133 meshes with the frame gear 131. The second gear 134 is a two-stage gear and has a large-diameter gear portion 134A and a small-diameter gear portion 134B.

[0135] The large-diameter gear portion 134A is a gear with a larger diameter than the small-diameter gear portion 134B. The large-diameter gear portion 134A meshes with the first gear 133. The small-diameter gear portion 134B meshes with the supply gear 31G.

[0136] The frame gear 131 is arranged coaxially with the supply gear 31G. Also, the aforementioned boss 111C and engaging portion 32C are located on the rotation axis X1 of the supply reel 31.

[0137] Next, the replacement operation of the film unit FU will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when all of the multilayer film F in the film unit FU has been used up for foil transfer, the user lifts the cover 22 of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 2 to open the third opening 21A of the housing body 21. Next, the user removes the film unit FU from the housing body 21 while guiding it along the respective guides GD1, GD2 of the housing body 21.

[0138] At this time, the user can grasp the two handles 114 shown in FIG. 5 by hand to remove the film unit FU, so that the removal operation of the film unit FU can be easily performed.

[0139] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the user rotates the supply case 32 approximately 45° with respect to the holder 100 of the film unit FU so that the orientation of the engaging portion 32C is aligned with the guide groove G1. Next, the user removes the supply case 32 along the moving direction DD while guiding the engaging portion 32C in the guide groove G1.

[0140] At this time, since the supply case 32 will pass through the area AR2 sandwiched by the dashed lines in the figure, it is possible to prevent the supply case 32 from interfering with the first guide shaft 41. Also, since the moving direction DD does not include a component in the direction DR2 opposite to the direction DR1 in which the multilayer film F is drawn out from the supply reel 31, when the supply case 32 is removed from the holder 100, the tension of the multilayer film F applied between the first guide shaft 41 and the supply reel 31 will weaken. Therefore, the user can easily remove the supply case 32 from the holder 100.

[0141] After that, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9(a), the user rotates the regulating frame 120 from the regulating position to the release position. Here, since one end portion 120E of the regulating frame 120 is disposed closer to the supply reel 31 than the farthest portion B1 of the take-up reel 35 at the regulating position, even when the first surface 110A of the base frame 110 is placed on a mounting surface such as a table, the regulating frame 120 can be rotated significantly, and the removal operation of the take-up reel 35 can be easily performed.

[0142] Also, when the regulating frame 120 is moved to the release position, the third guide shaft 43 moves together with the regulating frame 120 and is positioned at the second position, so that the take-up reel 35 can be easily removed. In particular, when the third guide shaft 43 is positioned at the second position, the axial distance between the second guide shaft 42 and the third guide shaft 43 is larger than the maximum diameter of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35, so that the take-up reel 35 can be easily removed through between the second guide shaft 42 and the third guide shaft 43. Note that the operation of mounting the new film cartridge 200 on the holder 100 and the operation of mounting the film unit FU on the housing main body 21 may be performed in the reverse procedure of the above-described operations, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0143] As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects, the following effects can be obtained. The multilayer film F is wound around the supply shaft portion 31A such that the supported layer F2 contacts the supply shaft portion 31A. As a result, the multilayer film F is wound around the supply reel 31 with the support layer F1 on the outside and the supported layer F2 on the inside, thereby suppressing the user from touching the supported layer F2. In the present embodiment, since the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is covered by the supply case 32, the user does not touch the supported layer F2 on the supply reel 31 side. However, even if the supply case 32 is not provided, the supported layer F2 is protected by the support layer F1, so that the user can be prevented from touching the supported layer F2.

[0144] Further, the multilayer film F is wound around the take-up shaft portion 35A such that the supported layer F2 contacts the take-up shaft portion 35A. In the state where the multilayer film F is wound around the take-up reel 35, the support layer F1 is disposed outside the supported layer F2 of the multilayer film F, so that the support layer F1 can suppress the supported layer F2 remaining on the support layer F1 from peeling off.

[0145] By making the film cartridge 200 detachable from the holder 100, for example, compared with a film unit in which the film cartridge and the holder are non-detachable, the holder 100 can be reused, thus contributing to environmental protection.

[0146] The first guide shaft 41 is disposed within the region AR1 (see FIG. 3) obtained by projecting the supply case 32 in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF including the rotation shafts X1 and X2. Thus, in the direction along the straight line connecting the rotation shafts X1 and X2, the supply case 32 can be brought closer to the take-up reel 35, so that the size increase of the film unit FU can be suppressed.

[0147] Since the attachment / detachment guide G has the guide groove G1 and the circular holding hole G2, after inserting the engaging portion 32C into the guide groove G1, when the engaging portion 32C reaches the holding hole G2, by rotating the supply case 32, the engaging portion 32C cannot come out of the guide groove G1 in a predetermined direction. Therefore, the supply case 32 can be attached to and detached from the attachment / detachment guide G with a simple operation.

[0148] By restricting the rotation of the supply case 32 with the restricting portion 150, the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 32C can be set to a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction, so that the engaging portion 32C can be prevented from coming off the attachment / detachment guide G.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the downstream end E2 of the first opening 32D is arranged between the multilayer film F along the common internal tangent L1 of the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A, and the common external tangent of the first guide shaft 41 and the supply shaft portion 31A, which is the common external tangent L2 on the side far from the winding reel 35. Thereby, the downstream end E2 can be arranged as close as possible to the multilayer film F in a state immediately before using up the multilayer film F without interfering with it, so that the size of the first opening 32D can be reduced and the rigidity of the supply case 32 can be increased.

[0150] When the third guide shaft 43 is located at the first position, the angle of the multilayer film F bent by the second guide shaft 42 can be made acute, so that when the multilayer film F laminated on the sheet S during foil transfer is peeled off from the sheet S after foil transfer, the transfer layer F22 can be peeled off cleanly from the sheet S.

[0151] Since a space is formed between the first holding portion 111 and the second holding portion 112, in the layer transfer device 1, the heating roller 61 can be arranged between the first holding portion 111 and the second holding portion 112.

[0152] Since the biasing force from the multilayer film F is used to engage the locking member 140 with the base frame 110, the cost can be reduced compared to a configuration in which, for example, a spring or the like is provided so that the regulating frame does not rattle in the regulating position.

[0153] The transfer layer F22 is visible through the transparent support layer F1 and the release layer F21 from the second opening 120A of the regulating frame 120. Therefore, when replacing the multilayer film F, it is possible to prevent the user from misidentifying the type (color) of the transfer layer F22.

[0154] By defining the size of the second opening 120A as described above, it is possible to prevent the multilayer film F from interfering with the edge of the second opening 120A even as the diameter of the roll of the multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 gradually increases.

[0155] Since the handle 114 protrudes to the side opposite to the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42 rather than the multilayer film F stretched between the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42, it is possible to prevent the user from touching the multilayer film F when grasping the handle 114.

[0156] Note that the above-described embodiments can be variously modified and implemented as exemplified below.

[0157] In the above-described embodiment, the entire first guide shaft 41 is disposed within the region AR1 obtained by projecting the supply case 32 in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the plane FF including the rotation axes X1 and X2. However, a part of the first guide shaft 41 may be disposed within the region AR1.

[0158] In the above-described embodiment, the transfer layer F22 including foil is exemplified. However, the transfer layer may be formed of a thermoplastic resin without including, for example, foil or a coloring material.

[0159] In the above-described embodiment, the multilayer film F is configured with four layers. However, the number of layers of the multilayer film may be any number as long as it has a transfer layer and a support layer.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the film unit FU including the holder 100 to which the film cartridge 200 is detachable is exemplified. However, for example, the film unit may be one in which the film cartridge is fixedly attached to the holder in a non-detachable manner. In this case, during the operation of fixedly attaching the supply reel to the frame of the film unit before shipment in a non-detachable manner, it is possible to prevent an operator from touching the transfer layer of the multilayer film wound around the supply reel.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the layer transfer device 1 is configured as a device separate from an image forming device such as a laser printer. However, the layer transfer device may be configured integrally with the image forming device.

[0162] In the above embodiment, the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 35 are made detachable from the holder 100 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31. However, for example, the supply reel and the take-up reel may be configured to be detachable from the holder in the axial direction of the supply reel.

[0163] In the above embodiment, the take-up gear 35C is exemplified as the drive transmission member. However, the drive transmission member may be, for example, a coupling.

[0164] Each element described in the above embodiment and the modification example may be implemented by arbitrarily combining them.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0165] 1 Layer transfer device 31 Supply reel 31A Supply shaft portion 35 Take-up reel 35A Take-up shaft portion 41 First guide shaft 42 Second guide shaft 100 Holder 200 Film cartridge F Multilayer film F1 Support layer F2 Supported layer F22 Transfer layer FU Film Unit S Sheet

Claims

【Claim 1】 A film cartridge detachable from a layer transfer device that transfers a transfer layer onto a toner image formed on a sheet, a supply reel having a supply shaft portion around which a multilayer film having a supported layer including the transfer layer and a support layer supporting the supported layer is wound, and a take-up reel having a take-up shaft portion for taking up the multilayer film, wherein the multilayer film is wound around the supply shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the supply shaft portion and is wound around the take-up shaft portion such that the supported layer contacts the take-up shaft portion.

Images