阅读说明：本技术 热转印机 (Heat transfer printing machine ) 是由 B·W·布勒塞尔 于 2020-04-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种热转印机包括主机架(1)、安装到主机架的热转印装置(2)及显示装置(40),热转印装置包括上发热板(3)、底板(4)及可操作地连接至上发热板使其蚌壳式打开闭合的手柄组件(5),在打开状态下,上发热板和底板彼此远离,在闭合状态下,上发热板和底板彼此接触以在其间完成热转印。底板以相对于主机架可移动的方式安装到主机架。随着上发热板的开合,显示装置能在不同工作状态下直观的显示温度和时间、设置相关参数等。通过将本发明热转印机的底板设置成可相对于主机架移动,操作员可以更方便地处理热转印物品,提高操作安全性和便利性。并且由于本发明的底板能够相对于主机架纵向或横向移动或旋转,从而能够兼容多种底板配置。(A thermal transfer machine includes a main frame (1), a thermal transfer device (2) mounted to the main frame, the thermal transfer device including an upper heat generating plate (3), a base plate (4) and a handle assembly (5) operatively connected to the upper heat generating plate such that it is clamshell-opened and closed, the upper heat generating plate and the base plate being spaced apart from each other in an open state, and the upper heat generating plate and the base plate being in contact with each other in a closed state to perform thermal transfer therebetween, and a display device (40). The base plate is movably mounted to the main frame relative to the main frame. Along with the opening and closing of the upper heating plate, the display device can visually display temperature and time, set related parameters and the like under different working states. By arranging the base plate of the thermal transfer printer of the invention to be movable relative to the main frame, an operator can more conveniently handle thermal transfer articles, and the operation safety and convenience are improved. And because the backplane of the present invention is capable of moving or rotating longitudinally or laterally relative to the main chassis, a variety of backplane configurations can be accommodated.)

1. A thermal transfer printer, comprising:

a main frame (1); and

a thermal transfer device (2) mounted to the main frame (1), comprising:

an upper heating plate (3);

a base plate (4); and

a handle assembly (5) operatively connected to the upper heat generating plate (3) to open and close the same, wherein in an open state, the upper heat generating plate (3) and the base plate (4) are away from each other, and in a closed state, the upper heat generating plate (3) and the base plate (4) are in contact with each other to complete thermal transfer therebetween;

wherein the base plate (4) is mounted to the main frame (1) in a manner movable relative to the main frame (1).

2. A thermal transfer machine according to claim 1, wherein the base plate (4) is mounted to the main frame (1) in a translatable manner relative to the main frame (1).

3. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 2, wherein a link mechanism (6) is provided between the base plate (4) and the handle assembly (5), and in a linked state, the base plate (4) is extended or retracted from the main frame (1) following the operation of the handle assembly (5).

4. A thermal transfer printer according to claim 3 wherein the linkage (6) is a four bar linkage pivotally mounted to the main frame (1).

5. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the linkage (6) is connected to a reset element (43), the reset element (43) being mounted on the main frame (1).

6. A thermal transfer printer according to claim 5, wherein the reset element (43) is a gas spring.

7. The thermal transfer printer according to any one of claims 2-6, wherein a slide rail (46) extends in a transverse direction of the main frame (1) and is fixed to the main frame (1), and a plurality of base plates (4) spaced apart from each other are slidably mounted to the slide rail (46).

8. The thermal transfer machine according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the base plate (4) is mounted to the main frame (1) in a rotatable manner relative to the main frame (1).

9. The heat transfer printer according to claim 8, wherein a rotatable bracket (16) is provided between the base plate (4) and the main frame (1) to support the base plate (4), and rotatably connected to the main frame (1) through a bearing (19).

10. The heat transfer printer according to claim 9, wherein the bearing (19) is mounted to a base plate fixing member (9) which is provided on the main frame (1) and is slidable with respect to the main frame (1), and the rotatable bracket (16) and the bearing (19) are respectively provided with a stopper portion for limiting a rotation angle of the base plate (4).

11. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 10, wherein the rotatable holder (16) and the base plate holder (9) are provided with magnets magnetically attracted to each other, respectively, at positions corresponding to the stop of the rotation of the base plate (4).

12. The thermal transfer printer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a control device (40) for displaying a thermal transfer state, the control device (40) having a display area visually displaying the thermal transfer state in both the opened and closed states of the thermal transfer printer.

13. A thermal transfer printer according to any one of claims 1-12 wherein the upper heat generating plate (3) and the base plate (4) are controlled by a single PCB board.

14. The thermal transfer machine according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the handle assembly (5) includes a retractable grip (39).

15. A thermal transfer machine according to any one of claims 1-14 wherein the handle assembly (5) comprises two handles (39).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a thermal transfer printer.

Background

The thermal transfer machine can transfer various thermally transferred patterns to various articles, such as garments, to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the garment. Before the heat transfer printing, the clothes need to be sleeved on a bottom plate of the heat transfer printing machine. At present in many relevant heat transfer machines, because be equipped with the board that generates heat on the complex with it above the bottom plate to the operator does not have sufficient operating space when the cover clothes, hits the board that generates heat and arouses the scald on knocking with easily, and is inconvenient to the clothes operation. In addition, when the conventional bottom plate is used for sleeving the clothes, the clothes and the heat transfer printing design face the operator in a reversed mode, and therefore deviation or errors can be caused on accurate heat transfer printing of high-grade clothes in a single direction.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention provides a thermal transfer printer comprising: a main frame; and a thermal transfer device mounted to the main frame, comprising: an upper heating plate; a base plate; and a handle assembly operatively connected to the upper heat generating plate to open and close the same, wherein in an open state, the upper heat generating plate and the base plate are away from each other, and in a closed state, the upper heat generating plate and the base plate are in contact with each other to perform thermal transfer therebetween; wherein the base plate is movably mounted to the main frame relative to the main frame.

By arranging the bottom plate of the thermal transfer printer of the invention to be movable relative to the main frame, an operator can have enough space to more conveniently process thermal transfer articles, and the operation convenience is improved.

According to one embodiment, the base plate is mounted to the main frame in a translatable manner relative to the main frame.

According to one embodiment, a linkage mechanism is provided between the base plate and the handle assembly, in which linkage state the base plate is extended or retracted from the main frame following operation of the handle assembly

According to one embodiment, the linkage is a four bar linkage pivotally mounted to the main frame. By providing the link mechanism as a four-bar linkage, the entire construction of the thermal transfer printer is simplified, thereby enabling the volume thereof to be reduced.

According to one embodiment, the linkage is connected to a restoring element, which is mounted on the main frame. The movement of the base plate can be improved by providing a reset element.

According to one embodiment, the reset element is a gas spring.

According to one embodiment, a slide rail extends in a transverse direction of the main frame and is fixed to the main frame, and a plurality of bottom plates spaced apart from each other are slidably mounted to the slide rail. The multi-station configuration is realized by arranging the slide rails so that a plurality of bottom plates are mounted on the slide rails.

According to one embodiment, the base plate is mounted to the main frame in a rotatable manner relative to the main frame. Through the rotation of bottom plate, can make things convenient for the operator to handle the heat-transfer seal article of placing on the bottom plate.

According to one embodiment, a rotatable mount is disposed between the base plate and the main frame to support the base plate and is rotatably coupled with the main frame by a bearing.

According to one embodiment, the bearing is mounted to a floor fixture located on and slidable relative to the main frame, and the rotatable bracket and the bearing are respectively provided with a stopper portion for limiting a rotation angle of the floor.

According to one embodiment, the rotatable support and the base plate fixture are provided with magnetically attractive magnets at positions corresponding to the stop of the rotation of the base plate, respectively. The rotating position of the bottom plate is convenient to fix by arranging the magnets with attractive magnetism.

According to one embodiment, the control device is used for displaying the thermal transfer state, and the control device is provided with a display area for visually displaying the thermal transfer state in the opening state and the closing state of the thermal transfer machine. Through setting up a plurality of display areas, make things convenient for the operator to read and master thermal transfer printing parameters such as temperature and time.

According to one embodiment, the upper heat generating plate and the base plate are controlled by a single PCB, so that an additional control box for controlling the heat generation of the base plate is not required.

According to one embodiment, the handle assembly includes a retractable grip to accommodate operators of different heights.

According to one embodiment, the handle assembly includes two grips, thereby reducing the force required for conventional single-handle operation.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of preferred embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

fig. 1A is a schematic view of a thermal transfer machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention in an open state;

fig. 1B is a schematic view of the thermal transfer machine according to the embodiment in a closed state;

fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main frame of the thermal transfer printer;

fig. 3A, 3B are schematic views respectively showing states of a C-shaped holder of the thermal transfer device of the thermal transfer machine when the thermal transfer machine is opened and closed after removing a protective cover;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D are respectively an exploded view, a perspective view, a longitudinal sectional view and a perspective view of a bearing housing of the C-shaped bracket;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the structure of a bottom plate fixing member of the thermal transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views of the handle assembly and the linkage mechanism of the thermal transfer machine in the open and closed states of the thermal transfer device, respectively;

fig. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal transfer printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention in an open state;

fig. 8 is a partial schematic view of the thermal transfer printer shown in fig. 7 after the removal of the base plate.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the direction in which the operator faces the thermal transfer machine when the operator is operating is referred to as "rear", and the direction opposite thereto is referred to as "front", and likewise, the left-hand direction in which the operator faces the thermal transfer machine is referred to as "left", and the right-hand direction opposite thereto is referred to as "right", but this is not limitative.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1A and 1B show schematic views of a thermal transfer device 2 of a thermal transfer machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention in open and closed states, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1A, a thermal transfer printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a main frame 1; a thermal transfer device 2 mounted to the main frame 1, which includes an upper heat generating plate 3 and a base plate 4, the upper heat generating plate 3 and the base plate 4 being away from each other in an open state in which the upper heat generating plate 3 and the base plate 4 are in contact with each other to perform thermal transfer therebetween, and a handle assembly 5 operatively connected to the upper heat generating plate 3 to open and close the same, the base plate 4 being mounted to the main frame 1 in a movable manner with respect to the main frame 1.

In this embodiment, the base plate 4 is rotatable with respect to the main frame 1 and is movable forward and backward (longitudinally). Specifically, a rotatable bracket 16 is provided between the base plate 4 and the main frame 1 to rotate the base plate 4, and a linkage 6 is provided between the base plate 4 and the handle assembly 5 to translate the base plate 4 to extend or retract the base plate 4 longitudinally from or into the main frame 1.

The respective components of the thermal transfer machine will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 2, the main chassis 1 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and includes a first chassis portion 7 substantially parallel to the ground in an operating state and a second chassis portion 8 extending upward from one end (i.e., a rear end) of the first chassis portion 7. The first frame portion 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape for slidably mounting a bottom plate fixing member 9 (described later) of the thermal transfer device 2 on the top thereof (as shown in fig. 3A). The second housing portion 8 is formed in a pillar shape and may include a back panel 10 and first and second side walls 11 and 12 provided at both lateral ends of the back panel 10. The back plate 10 is provided with one or more (two shown in the drawings) longitudinal grooves to avoid interference with the later described linkage 6. The first and second side walls 11, 12 are provided with a first pivot portion 13 and a second pivot portion 14 spaced apart in the vertical direction on their sides adjacent the first housing portion 7 for pivotally mounting the linkage 6 and the handle assembly 5. The main frame 1 may be mounted on a flat base 15 (as shown in figure 1A).

As shown in fig. 3A, the thermal transfer device 2 includes a base plate 4 slidably mounted to the first frame portion 7, an upper heat generating plate 3 for contacting the base plate 4 to thermally transfer an article therebetween, and a handle assembly 5 connected to the upper heat generating plate 3 to bring it into clamshell-type opening and closing.

The base plate 4 is formed in a rectangular plate shape having a top surface facing the upper heat generating plate 3 when thermally transferring the article and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface. A protective pad, such as a silicone pad, may be disposed on the top surface of the bottom plate 4 to protect the thermal transfer article from damage and to allow it to be heated uniformly. Mounted on the underside of the base plate 4 is a rotatable support such as a C-shaped support 16 which can be accommodated within a protective casing. The C-bracket 16 is rotatably mounted to the floor fixture 9, the floor fixture 9 being slidably arranged on the first housing part 7. Thus, the base plate 4 can be rotated by the C-shaped bracket 16 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction by a certain angle, for example, 90 degrees (not shown) or 180 degrees (as shown in fig. 3B) with respect to the main chassis 1, to facilitate handling of the thermal transfer article on the base plate 4 by the operator. In addition, the base plate 4 may be slid relative to the main frame 1 by a base plate fixture 9 so that the base plate 4 can be brought into close proximity to an operator to facilitate handling of items on the base plate 4.

As shown in fig. 4A to 4C, the C-shaped bracket 16 includes a supporting portion 17 and a mounting portion 18 which are oppositely disposed, and the supporting portion 17 and the mounting portion 18 are connected to each other at ends opposite to each other, thereby forming a substantially C-shaped bracket which is open at one end. Preferably, the C-shaped bracket 16 is formed as a single unitary piece, and is preferably formed as a hollow, bent plate-like shape, as shown in FIG. 4C. The supporting portion 17 is fixed to the bottom surface of the base plate 4 to support the base plate 4, and the mounting portion 18 is rotatably mounted to the base plate fixing member 9, for example, by a bearing 19, as shown in fig. 3A. Alternatively, the C-shaped bracket 16 may take the opposite configuration, i.e., rotatably mounted to the floor 4 at the top and fixed to the floor fixture 9 at the bottom.

As shown in fig. 1A and 4A, a quick clamp assembly 20 is installed at one lateral side of the support portion 17, and the base plate 4 is quickly disassembled by rotating a handle of the quick clamp assembly 20 to release or fix the base plate 4 with respect to the C-shaped bracket 16. As shown in fig. 4A, an adapter plate 21 is provided on the top of the support portion 17, and the adapter plate 21 can be adapted to different sizes of the bottom plate 4. The quick clamp assembly 20 is a conventional fixing member in the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein. As shown in fig. 4C, the open-end bottom of the mounting portion 18 is provided with a mounting hole 22 for mounting the bearing 19 therein. The mounting hole 22 has a large hole portion 23 and a small hole portion 24 with a diameter smaller than that of the large hole portion 23, the large hole portion 23 has an outer sleeve 25 for slidably mounting the bearing 19, the small hole portion 24 has an inner sleeve 26 for tightly mounting the bearing 19, the outer sleeve 25 of the bearing 19 is fixed to the floor fixture 9, and a stopper 27 (shown in fig. 4D) is provided at an end of the outer sleeve 25, and the stopper 27 restricts the C-shaped bracket 16 from further rotating when a limit boss 28 (shown in fig. 4C) on an inner wall of the mounting hole 22 rotates to a position of the stopper 27. Preferably, the stopper boss 28 is formed to radially protrude on the inner wall surface of the mounting hole 22 and to circumferentially extend the 1/4 circumference of the mounting hole 22, and the stopper portion 27 is formed to be at the same height as the stopper boss 28 on the inner wall of the mounting hole 22 in the mounted state of the bearing 19 and to axially protrude at the end of the outer sleeve 25 of the bearing 19 and to circumferentially extend the 1/4 circumference. Thereby, the C-bracket can rotate relative to the outer sleeve 25 of the bearing 19 and further relative to the main frame 1, and can rotate only by a certain angle. In order to enhance the strength in the vicinity of the mounting hole 22 and to fit the size of the outer sleeve 25 of the bearing 19, an annular flange 29 (shown in fig. 4C) is provided on the periphery of the mounting hole 22, and the inner periphery of the annular flange 29 forms a part of the large-diameter portion 23.

As shown in fig. 4B, a U-shaped bracket 30 is provided at the bottom of the C-shaped bracket 16 near the mounting hole 22 for mounting a magnet to be attracted to a magnetically attractive magnet 31 (shown in fig. 3A and 3B) provided on the floor fixture 9 to define a rotation end position of the C-shaped bracket 16.

As shown in fig. 1A, 5, the floor fixing member 9 is formed in a plate shape having a U-shape in cross section, which is complementary to the shape of the first chassis section 7 to which it is attached so as to be slidable thereon and cover it. One end of the floor fixing 9 in the longitudinal direction is formed as a plate-shaped portion 32, and two slits 33 parallel to each other are formed on the plate-shaped portion 32 in the longitudinal direction to avoid interference with the interlocking mechanism 6. The base plate fixing member 9 is provided with a bearing mounting hole 34 for mounting the bearing 19, and magnets 31 (shown in fig. 3A and 3B) are provided on opposite sides of the bearing mounting hole 34, respectively, to attract each other with the magnets on the C-shaped bracket 16 when the C-shaped bracket 16 stops rotating to fix the final position of the C-shaped bracket 16. Alternatively, the floor fixture 9 may be formed to move in other manners such as rolling thereon in addition to sliding on the main frame 1. In addition, the floor fixture 9 is not essential, and the floor 4 can be moved relative to the main frame 1 directly by the C-bracket 16.

Returning to fig. 1A and 1B, the upper heat generating plate 3 is also formed in a rectangular plate shape, similarly to the bottom plate 4, the upper heat generating plate 3 has a bottom surface for contacting with the top surface of the bottom plate 4 and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface, and a protective pad may be provided on the top surface in conformity with the shape and size of the upper heat generating plate 3, and the upper heat generating plate 3 is connected to the handle assembly 5 to be opened and closed by the handle assembly 5.

As shown in fig. 6A, 6B, the handle assembly 5 is pivotally mounted to the main frame 1, and includes a handle 35 and a rocker 36 pivotally connected to the second frame portion 8, respectively, and a connecting link 37 connecting the handle 35 and the rocker 36 together. The handle assembly 5 forms a four-bar linkage together with a bent arm 38 (described later, which may also form part of the handle assembly 5) of the linkage 6 so that the handle assembly 5 can pivot relative to the main frame 1 to raise or lower the upper heat generating plate 3.

The handle 35 may be fitted with a grip 39 at one end for gripping by an operator and pivotally connected at the other end to the second frame part 8 by means of a bent arm 38 of the linkage 6. As shown in fig. 1A, the upper heat generating plate 3 is mounted to the bottom of the handle 35. The handle 35 is preferably formed in a cylindrical shape so that the knob 39 is telescopically fitted into the handle 35, thereby enabling accommodation for operators of different heights. Preferably, two parallel handles 35 are provided, and a grip 39, i.e., two grips 39, is provided at one end of each handle 35, so that the force required for conventional single-handle operation can be reduced.

The rocker lever 36 is pivotably connected to the second frame part 8, the rocker lever 36 and the connecting link 37 also preferably being formed in two, so that the two rocker levers 36 are connected to the two handles 35 by the connecting link 37, respectively.

The rocker 36 is preferably connected to a link 37 at a position between the ends and is fitted with a control device 40 at the opposite end to that connecting the main frame 1.

As shown in fig. 6A, the link mechanism 6 is formed as a four-bar linkage pivotably mounted to the main frame 1, and includes a bent arm 38 pivotably connected to the second frame portion 8 of the main frame 1, a first link 41 connected to one end of the bent arm 38 at an end portion, and a second link 42 connected to the first link 41, the second link 42 being slidably connected to the floor fixing member 9 at the other end opposite to the end portion connected to the first link 41.

Preferably, the bent arm 38, the first link 41 and the second link 42 are all provided in two in parallel to increase the stability of the mechanism.

The bent arm 38 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and one end of the bent arm 38 is connected to the handle 35 of the handle assembly 5 and the other end is connected to the first link 41. The bent arm 38 is pivotally mounted to the first pivot portion 13 of the second frame portion 8 near a lower portion thereof. Alternatively, the bent arm 38 may also form part of the handle assembly 5, and the bent arm 38 may not necessarily be formed as a single piece, but may be formed as two or more pieces that are linked.

Preferably, a return element 43, such as an elastic element, for example a gas spring, is connected to the connecting position where the bent arm 38 and the first link 41 are connected to each other, which return element 43 is a compressed gas spring in this embodiment. The reset member 43 is disposed substantially horizontally, and has one end fixed to the main frame 1 and the other end connected to the link mechanism 6 as described above to apply a reset force to the link mechanism 6.

Returning to fig. 1A, the control device 40 is fixedly connected to the handle assembly 5, in particular to the rocker 36 of the handle assembly 5. The control device 40 may be formed as a control box with a display screen. As shown in fig. 1A, 1B, the control device 40 sets a first display screen (display area) 44 to display the thermal transfer temperature and the thermal transfer time on the front side facing the operator when the thermal transfer device 2 is opened. In addition, the control device 40 is also provided with a second display screen (display area) 45 on the side (e.g., top side) facing the operator when the thermal transfer device 2 is closed to display the thermal transfer temperature and the thermal transfer time, so that the thermal transfer state is visually displayed or set from a plurality of angles in both the open and closed states of the thermal transfer machine, facilitating the operator to quickly grasp key parameters such as temperature and time.

In addition, it is preferable that the control device 40 of the thermal transfer printer includes a single PCB circuit board including control modules that control the upper heat generating plate 3 and the base plate 4, respectively, to control the heat generation of the upper heat generating plate 3 and the base plate 4, respectively, independently of each other, thereby eliminating an additional control box that is required for the conventional heat generation of the base plate 4.

The operation of the thermal transfer machine according to this embodiment is described below with reference to fig. 3A, 3B and fig. 6A, 6B.

As shown in fig. 3A, before the thermal transfer work is performed, the upper heat generating plate 3 of the thermal transfer machine is in an upwardly opened state, and the base plate 4 is in a state of extending outward from the main frame 1. When a thermal transfer operation is to be performed, for example, when a garment is to be thermally transferred, in a case where the opening of the C-shaped holder 16 at the bottom of the base plate 4 faces away from the operator, the operator puts the garment upright on the base plate 4, and the thermal transfer pattern can be normally placed on the garment. Then, the bottom plate 4 is rotated 180 degrees to make the opening of the C-shaped bracket 16 face the operator, and then the handle 35 is pulled down, as shown in fig. 6A, the handle assembly 5 drives the bent arm 38 of the linkage mechanism 6 to pivot clockwise, and further drives the second link 42 to move backward (left side in fig. 6A and 6B) through the first link 41 of the linkage mechanism 6, and the backward movement of the second link 42 drives the bottom plate fixing member 9 and further drives the bottom plate 4 to move backward, so that the bottom plate 4 moves to a position corresponding to the upper heating plate 3 (as shown in fig. 3B and 6B) while the upper heating plate 3 is pressed down, thereby performing the thermal transfer operation. In this state, the compressed gas spring is compressed so that a return force can be provided when the upper heat generating plate 3 is opened.

When the heat transfer printing operation is completed, the upper heating plate 3 is opened upwards, the handle assembly 5 and the energy stored in the compressed gas spring drive the bent arm 38 of the linkage mechanism 6 to rotate along the anticlockwise direction, and then the first connecting rod 41 of the linkage mechanism 6 drives the second connecting rod 42 to move towards the front (shown as the right side in fig. 6A and 6B), the forward movement of the second connecting rod 42 drives the bottom plate fixing piece 9 and further drives the bottom plate 4 to move forwards, so that the bottom plate 4 moves outwards while the upper heating plate 3 is opened until the upper heating plate 3 is completely opened (shown as fig. 3A and 6A), and an operator rotates the bottom plate 4 by 180 degrees, so that the clothes subjected to heat transfer printing can be easily taken down.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 7 and 8 show a schematic structure of a thermal transfer machine according to a second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the number of the bottom plates 4 and the moving manner of the bottom plates 4, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus are omitted.

As shown in fig. 7, the thermal transfer printer of this embodiment includes two or more bottom plates 4 arranged side by side in the lateral direction, one of the bottom plates 4 being disposed at a position opposite to the upper heat generating plate 3, and the remaining bottom plates 4 being sequentially disposed at intervals, thereby forming a double-station or multi-station configuration. Unlike the bottom plate 4 of the first embodiment which moves in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction), the bottom plate 4 of this embodiment moves in the lateral direction (left-right direction in fig. 7) to change the stations. At this time, the link mechanism 6 in the first embodiment may be omitted or the link mechanism 6 may be left but not actuated. It is however conceivable that the bottom plate 4 can still be moved in the longitudinal direction by means of the linkage 6. Therefore, the same thermal transfer printer can be compatible with a plurality of bottom plate configuration modes.

As shown in fig. 7, the two base plates 4 of this embodiment are mounted to a base plate fixing member 48, the base plate fixing member 48 extending in the lateral direction of the main frame 1, and mounted to the main frame 1 by a pair of slide rails 46 shown in fig. 8. The slide rails 46 extend in the lateral direction of the main frame 1 and are fixed to the main frame 1, and when the operating handle 47 on the floor fixing member 9 is pulled in the lateral direction, the floor fixing member 9 slides on the pair of slide rails 46, thereby moving the floor 4 in the lateral direction to switch the work position. To prevent the bottom plate 4 from slipping off the slide rails 46, stoppers may be provided at or near both ends of the slide rails 46.

With this multi-station configuration, the operator can quickly perform thermal transfer printing on the articles at a plurality of stations, and can also handle the thermal transfer articles by sliding the base plate 4 to a position away from the upper heat-generating plate 3, thereby improving the convenience of operation.

(other embodiments)

Although the first and second embodiments are described above with reference to the drawings, those skilled in the art may arbitrarily combine the configurations thereof. For example, although the first embodiment describes that the base plate 4 is movable both longitudinally with respect to the main frame 1 and angularly with respect to the main frame 1, the base plate 4 may be provided so as to be rotatable only with respect to the main frame 1 or movable only back and forth with respect to the main frame 1.

For example, although the second embodiment describes the base plate 4 moving laterally relative to the main frame 1, the base plate 4 may further be moved longitudinally relative to the main frame 1 by means of the linkage 6. Alternatively, the base plate 4 may be rotatable relative to the main frame 1.

Through the structure combination, the invention can be compatible with various bottom plate configurations. For example, a configuration in which the base plate 4 can be longitudinally moved back and forth with respect to the main chassis 1, a configuration in which the base plate 4 can be laterally moved left and right with respect to the main chassis 1 to change the station, and a configuration in which the base plate 4 can be further rotated with respect to the main chassis 1, thereby making the thermal transfer printer of the present invention multifunctional and very highly compatible.

The detailed structure of the thermal transfer machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described above in detail, however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the structure of the thermal transfer machine without departing from the scope of the present invention.