JPH04197693A - Recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a user to easily recognize that a card almost comes into a use limit by a method wherein in the card provided with a first recording layer in which pixel information is recorded and erased by heating, a second recording layer which changes in color from a first color to a second color by heating is provided. CONSTITUTION:In a card 21, a metallized thin film 23 and a magnetic recording layer 8 are laminated on one surface of a substrate 22 of a transparent polyethylene terephthalate; and a first thermally color-changing layer 24 coming into a transparent state or an opaque state by heat, a red colored layer 25, a second thermally color- changing layer 26 coming into a transparent state or an opaque state by heat, and a protective layer 27 are provided on the other surface of the substrate 22. In the card 21, a balance operated in a second heat roller heating means 36 is compared with a predetermined balance value in a last stage. If it is less than the predetermined value, a heat roller preset to the transparent temp. of the thermally color-changing layer as the second indication layer is brought into contact with the second indication layer. This operation makes the thermally color-changing layer transparent. The color of the colored layer can be seen through the thermally color-changing layer. The second indication layer is indicated with a change in color as shown by an area 50.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is applicable to reduced amount cards used in telephones, ticket vending machines, etc., ID carts of financial institutions, and identification cards such as employee ID cards. Concerning recording media used for certificates, securities, etc.

(Prior art) Conventionally, with deductible cards, so-called brivate cards, used in telephones, ticket vending machines, etc., in the case of large amounts that cannot be limited to the number of uses, printing is not possible even though there is a balance. Due to reasons such as running out of area and making it unusable, or because it is difficult to print small letters, an update record (printing) of the remaining amount is not used. Therefore, the remaining amount to be used (or the number of usable degrees) is roughly notified by punching a hole. For this reason, there was a problem in that it was impossible to know the usage history and accurate balance.

In response to this, a card has been proposed in which a recording layer is provided on one side of the card that can reversibly change the color or the light transmittance by heat (Patent Application No. 1983-
136357). The configuration of the second cart is shown in FIG. The card 1 has a printing layer 3 on the top of a base material 2 made of plastic or the like, and a reversible recording layer (variable display layer) 5 made of a magnetic recording layer 4 and a thermosensitive material on the bottom (on the back side). There is. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the temperature of the reversible recording layer 5 is raised from T1 to T2 in a transparent state, the reversible recording layer 5 changes from a transparent state to a cloudy state, and when the temperature reaches T1. Even after returning, it remains cloudy. Then, the temperature of the reversible recording layer 5 is changed from T1 to T
When the temperature is increased beyond 2 to T3 and then returned to T1, the cloudy state changes to a transparent state, and the transparent state is maintained as it is. This change is repeatable. There is also a card in which a part of a base material having a magnetic recording layer on the negative side is punched out, filled with a magnetic particle dispersion liquid or magnetic particles, and provided with a shielded display area (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-269281). This card magnetizes the pattern part in the magnetic recording layer,
By attracting magnetic particles to the magnetized part,
Display the pattern on the display. The pattern is retained unless the magnetized pattern is demagnetized. Erasing of the display is accomplished by applying an alternating magnetic field to the magnetic recording layer and the display section. The above cards either have a built-in rewritable display section, or a transfer sheet with a transfer ink layer on the backing material is placed in close contact with the plastic card, the thermal head is driven to record the image, and then the image is fixed. There is also a proposal for a plastic ticket issuing device that fixes the image using a container and forms an image on the card (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-39351).
.

In this card, the display body that forms the image is supplied from outside.

(Invention or problem to be solved) However, these carts are not able to accurately display the usage limit, or even when the usage limit is near, the display mode does not change, so it is difficult for the user to notice when the usage limit is near. There was a problem that it could not be easily recognized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cart that allows a user to easily recognize when the usage limit is near.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first recording layer in which pixel information is recorded and erased by heating; It is characterized by comprising a second recording layer that changes color from the first color to the second color.

(Function) The recording medium of the present invention changes the color of the second recording layer to a second color when the restrictions set in relation to usage conditions or usage limits are approached, making it easily visible to the user. It is.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the recording medium of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional structure of an amount subtraction type card (prepaid card) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The card 21 has a metal vapor-deposited thin film 23 and a magnetic recording layer 8 laminated on one side of a base material 22 made of transparent polyethylene terephthalate with a thickness of 188 μm, and a first thermosensitive discoloration layer that exhibits both a transparent state and an opaque state by heat on the other side. layer 24, a red colored layer 25, a second thermosensitive color changing layer 26 that exhibits both a transparent state and an opaque state when heated, and a protective layer 2.
7 is provided. The first display layer 28 is a metal thin film 23
and a first thermosensitive color changing layer 24. The second display layer 29 is composed of a colored layer 25 and a second thermosensitive color changing layer 26. The thermosensitive color change layer material is composed of a material that exhibits both a transparent state and an opaque state depending on the temperature reached. Materials that exhibit such characteristics include polymer matrices such as vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer resins that become cloudy with high temperature history (e.g., below 90°C) and become transparent with low temperature history (e.g., below 70°C). There are heat-sensitive materials that are composed of low-molecular-weight organic substances such as behenic acid and behenic acid.

Such materials are described in detail in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-154198, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here. As explained using FIG. 5, this material exhibits a transparent state and an opaque (cloudy) state depending on the temperature reached, and this state is stably maintained even when the temperature returns to room temperature. Alternatively, there is a heat-sensitive material composed of a polystyrene-polybutadiene copolymer and stearic acid that becomes cloudy under low temperature history (for example, 65°C or lower) and becomes transparent under high temperature history (for example, 70°C or lower). The former material is used here. The thermosensitive color-changing layer 24 becomes cloudy at 95°C or higher, changes from cloudy to transparent at 80°C to 95°C, and does not change at 80°C or lower. The thermosensitive color-changing layer 26 becomes cloudy at temperatures of 80°C or higher, and becomes cloudy at temperatures of 65°C to 80°C.
It changes from cloudy to transparent at temperatures below 65°C, but does not change at temperatures below 65°C. The initial state of the thermosensitive color changing layer 24 is a transparent state, and the thermosensitive color changing layer 2
6 is in a cloudy state. The first display is thermosensitive color changing layer 2
4 is selectively made cloudy by a thermal recording means such as a thermal head to form a cloudy image. The contrast between the cloudy part and the transparent part is increased by the reflected light from the metal thin film 23 that passes through both parts, and the image is sufficiently visible.
concentration is obtained. To erase this image, remove the thermosensitive color changing layer 24 by 8
This is done by heating from 0°C to 95°C and returning to room temperature. Even when heated to the temperature of the thermosensitive color changing layer 2 of the second display layer, the cloudy state is maintained. Thermosensitive color changing layer 2 with image erased
By selectively heating 4 to 95° C. or higher in the same manner as before, a cloudy image can be formed again. The second display of color change is achieved when the thermosensitive color changing layer 26 changes from cloudy to transparent when heated to 65° C. to 80° C., and the color of the colored layer 25 becomes visible. Even if this temperature is applied to the thermosensitive color changing layer of the first display layer, no change occurs. The first and second display layers can be initialized by heating the thermosensitive color changing layers 24 and 26 to 80°C to 95°C.

In the structure of the card shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic recording layer 5.
A structure may also be adopted in which a metal thin film 23 is provided on the other surface of the base material 22, and a thermosensitive color changing layer 24 and a second display layer are provided on the second surface.

In this case, it is desirable that the total thickness of each layer on the magnetic recording layer be 10 μm or less so as not to impede writing and reading of magnetic data in the magnetic recording layer.

Next, an example of card processing when using the amount subtraction type card shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. FIG. 3 shows a schematic structure of the internal mechanism of the card processing device. This device uses the cart of the first embodiment and is operated as shown in Fig. 2 (a) each time it is used.
), usage history data such as usage date and remaining amount are printed on the cart, and when there is no more space on the first display layer, the previously recorded image is erased and new data is recorded. 3
0 is a card input slot, 31 is a card conveyance path that is composed of known conveyance rollers (not shown), etc. and can convey cards in both left and right directions, and 32 is security-related data such as the identity of the cart and the validity period. , a read head for reading out usage history data such as the remaining amount from the magnetic recording layer of the card 21; 33 a write head for updating and writing magnetic information in the magnetic recording layer of the card 21; 34 a first head of the card 21; a first heat roll heating means for erasing an image when there is no margin left on the display layer (not shown); 3;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a thermal head recording means which is a thermal writing means for recording usage history data such as usage date and remaining amount on the first display layer of the card 21. 36 is a second heat roller heating means that heats the second display layer (not shown) of the card 21; 37 is a reader that reads magnetic information from the magnetic recording layer of the card 21 in order to confirm written and updated data; 38 is a stopper that stops the card when there is any doubt about the card's authenticity, validity period, etc.; 39, 40, and 41 are sensors that detect the position of the leading edge of the card in the transport direction; 42 is a card ejection port; It is.

Next, the card processing operation will be explained. A user inserts the card 21 into the cart slot 30.

The inserted card is conveyed through a conveyance path 31 by conveyance rollers, and a reading head 32 reads security-related data such as the card's authenticity and validity period, and usage history data such as the remaining amount. The validity of the cart is determined based on the read data.

If there is a problem with the card, the stopper 38 is actuated to stop the card, reverse the operation of the motor driving the transport rollers, and eject the card to another tray (not shown). If the card is valid, the next write head 33 updates and writes the usage history data in the magnetic recording layer. In the heat roll heating means 34, when it is determined that there is no margin in the first display layer (not shown) of the card 21 based on the usage history data that has already been read, the heat roller heated to 85°C is heated. touch the image area to be erased;
Make the recorded image transparent and erase it. If there is a margin in the first display layer, the heat roll of the heat roll heating means 34 is retracted so as not to contact the card, and the card is directly conveyed to the next thermal/gutter recording means 35. Here, necessary information such as the date and time of use and the remaining amount is thermally applied to the first display layer of the card 2 as a heat wave of about 100°C, and is recorded as a cloudy image. Furthermore, if the usage amount exceeds the balance before use, the payment amount is recorded, and then the card conveyance operation is reversed and the card is ejected to another tray (not shown). A message is displayed on a display device (not shown) when the cart is ejected. The second heat roller heating means 36 is the calculated remaining amount or the preset remaining amount value (in this case, 500 yen)
If it is within the set remaining value, the transparentization temperature of the thermosensitive color changing layer of the second display layer (approximately 70°C)
The second display layer 1 is brought into contact with the heat roller set at . By this operation, the thermosensitive color changing layer becomes transparent and the color of the colored layer becomes visible through the thermosensitive color changing layer, as shown in Figure 2 (
As shown at 50 in b), the second display layer changes color and is displayed. Further, when the remaining amount of the card exceeds the set remaining amount value, the heat roller is retracted and the second display layer is not heated, so that it passes through without changing color. Sensors 39, 40, and 41 provided in front of each means detect the leading edge of the card and generate reference signals for erasing or recording positioning. After recording, the updated data is read from the magnetic recording layer by the read head 37 to confirm the updated data. Finally, the card comes out through the ejection port 42 and is returned to the user. In this way, 1 is displayed on the first display surface of the card 21.
It was possible to display the image repeatedly 00 times or more. The recorded cloudy image showed no chipping or staining of the background even after the cart processing operation was repeated over 100 times. Further, when reading and writing magnetic information recorded in the magnetic recording layer, there were no problems such as changing the output for reading or changing the output for reading or changing the input for writing. Similarly, the second display layer could be repeatedly discolored over 100 times.

In this way, when a part of the cart changes color, the user is alerted to the card, and can easily recognize that the amount spent on the cart is decreasing.

In the above explanation, we have given an example of setting general conditions regarding the amount of money that can be used with a card.In addition, we have set certain conditions for the reading output of card magnetic information, and when a decrease in the reading output is detected, it will alert you. You may also do this.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible for the user to easily visually recognize that the limit set in relation to the usage conditions of the card or that the usage limit is approaching. In addition, the card can be reused by repeatedly changing the color of the display layer that alerts the user. Furthermore, since the display surface on which characters, numbers, etc. are recorded can be repeatedly erased, the recording capacity can be substantially increased. It is now possible to rewrite the printed display of cards.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the recording medium of the present invention, it is possible to easily make the user aware that the usage limit is approaching.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an amount subtraction type cart which is an embodiment of the recording medium of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the cart processing mode when using the recording medium of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a conventional repeatedly recordable and erasable card, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining recording and erasing operations on the recording layer of the card shown in FIG. 22... Base material, 28... First display layer, 29...
Second display layer, 24.26...Thermosensitive color changing layer, 25...
colored layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] A first recording layer in which pixel information is recorded and erased by being heated; and a first recording layer in which pixel information is recorded and erased by heating;
A recording medium comprising a second recording layer that changes color.