Patent 7176954 was granted and assigned to Seiko Instruments on February, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A thermal activation device has a thermal head having heat generating elements for generating heat to heat a thermal activation sheet. A radiator absorbs and dissipates heat generated by the heat generating elements of the thermal head. The radiator has a portion disposed in contact with an introduction path along which the thermal activation sheet is introduced toward the thermal head for contacting the thermal activation sheet to preheat the thermal activation sheet as the thermal activation sheet advances in the introduction path.