Patents Examined by Kevin D. Williams
  • Laminated distribution structure
    Patent number: 6984080
    Abstract: A laminated ink distribution structure for a printhead comprises a stack having a first layer in which is formed a number of first holes, each first hole being in registry with a supply of ink or air. The stack has a number of subsequent layers, each subsequent layer having formed in it vertical passages and transverse channels for bringing ink, via the holes of the first layer, to one of a number of printhead chips located as an array that is carried by an array of slots in a lower a chip restraining layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research PTY LTD
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Printing path having closely coupled media rollers and printhead
    Patent number: 6981809
    Abstract: A printing path arrangement for an inkjet type printer is provided in which a printing path is defined between print media feed rollers so that the print media is tensioned and unsupported through the printing path and a printing mechanism of the printer prints less than twice the upstream roller radius from the line of engagement of the upstream roller with the print media, so as to provide better printhead to media gap control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Plate supplying apparatus
    Patent number: 6978716
    Abstract: In the plate supplying apparatus of the present invention, various vibrations are provided to a plate secured via suction during a separating operation by causing pad rods 403 to repeat a slight ascent and a pause, and thereafter causing the pad rods 403 to make an abrupt descent, thereby reliably peeling off a slip sheet adhering to the back face of the plate. Further, vibration in the rod-up/down direction is provided to the plate during the separating operation, and the plate is not pushed hard. Thus, it is possible to prevent the plate from being damaged. A raising and lowering motor 52 is driven to lower the cassette 9. A separating operation for peeling off a slip sheet S adhering to the back face of the plate P is performed, and thereafter the plate P secured via suction is turned over and transferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Morihiro Takeda
  • Forced drying of printed ink
    Patent number: 6971313
    Abstract: A printer has a fluid outlet that outputs a drying fluid over at least one surface of print media after printing to dry material printed onto the media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Print engine having a pair of feed rollers and a print zone proximal thereto
    Patent number: 6971811
    Abstract: A print engine for a printer is provided. The print engine includes a support structure, a feed mechanism comprising a pair of feed rollers, at least one print zone which is proximal to the pair of feed rollers and a print head assembly configured for printing in the print zone. The print head assembly includes a print head chip carrier having an arcuate edge portion, wherein the radius of curvature of the arcuate edge portion is similar to the radius of curvature of the feed rollers, thereby allowing the print head chip carrier to extend into the print zone. The proximity of the print zone to the feed rollers results in a closely controlled paper to print head gap and more accurate deposition of ink drops. A printer and a method of printing are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Printing zone with closely located printhead and media
    Patent number: 6964533
    Abstract: A printing zone arrangement for an inkjet printer of the type having an inkjet type printing mechanism comprising at least one nozzle for printing ink onto at least one surface of print media is provided. The printing zone arrangement comprises first and second sets of opposed rollers that engage opposite sides of print media to define a printing zone therebetween. The print media is engaged by the rollers so that it is tensioned and unsupported through the printing zone. The printing zone is arranged adjacent the printing mechanism of the printer so that the nozzle of the printing mechanism is between 0.5 mm and 3 mm from the respective print media surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research PTY LTD
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Optical interlink between an optical transducer and optical data port
    Patent number: 6962448
    Abstract: An optical interlink made from an optical transducer capable of optically exchanging information. Information to and from the optical transducer passes through a light pipe transducer end and an optical data port end. The optical light pipe consists of separate transmit and receive light pipes. To reduce losses as a result of the light pipe transmission, thereare lenses formed to collimate light between the transducer end of the light pipe and the optical transducer. The collimating lenses are formed in the light pipe. There are also provided additional lenses on the optical data port side of the light port. Transmitted light from the light pipe passes through a lens that increases the illumination angle of the light exiting from the optical data port. Received light passes through a lens that amplifies and collimates the light into the receiving light pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Curtis Gregory Kelsay
  • Web infeed device for rotary printing presses
    Patent number: 6948427
    Abstract: A web infeed device for rotary printing presses includes a pointed nose piece having concave side portions. The flexible infeed element is received in a guide, and driving elements are provided for driving the infeed element along the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Henry Boucher, Lev Zlatin
  • Print media loading mechanism for a printer
    Patent number: 6948870
    Abstract: A printer includes a print media loading mechanism that includes a pair of opposed endless belts to pick up print media for printing. The belts ride upon opposed pairs of rollers which are held in slides to limit the rollers' movement to motion towards and away from each other. Worm screws are located parallel to, and on either side of, the belts. Traverser blocks are mounted on the worm screws adjacent each end of the opposed rollers. Scissor members connect the traverser blocks to the ends of adjacent rollers. A motor is arranged to rotate the worm screws thereby causing the traverser blocks to move towards or away from the opposed rollers in order to move the opposed rollers away from each other or towards each other to pick up print media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research PTY LTD
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Inner paper guide for media shape control in a printer
    Patent number: 6942406
    Abstract: A media handling system for handling sheets of media. The system includes a pick roller having a circumferential media-contacting surface and arranged for rotation about a roller axis to contact and pick a sheet from an input source. A drive roller rotates about a drive roller axis, with a media path extending between the pick roller and the drive roller. A first guide structure is positioned along a first longitudinal edge of the media path and providing a first media guide surface. A second guide structure is positioned along a second longitudinal edge of the media path and provides a second media guide surface. The first and second guide surfaces are positioned to constrain the movement of a media sheet in the media path between the pick roller and the drive roller, thereby alleviating trailing edge print defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Craig D. Sunada, William H. Schwiebert, Robert D. Davis
  • Belt drive
    Patent number: 6938544
    Abstract: A belt drive for a machine for printing images on a flat printing material, having a continuous belt revolving during operation, includes a belt guide having stops for two protruding edges of the belt, the edges being oriented in a longitudinal direction of the belt and opposite one another in a transverse direction of the belt; and a machine for printing images on flat printing material having such a belt drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Bäcker, Roland Hirth, Richard Mack, Ralf Weiser
  • Process for making sheet having indicia registered with lines of termination
    Patent number: 6928929
    Abstract: An apparatus and process for making sheets having indicia spaced in a machine direction. Between or among the indicia are perforations or chop-off cuts. The spacing, in the machine direction, between the indicia and perforations or chop-off cuts is maintained over long sheet lengths. The product produced using this apparatus and process is typically paper, and particularly can be used for paper towels or placemats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Kevin Benson McNeil
  • Continuous media printer including memory for buffering pages
    Patent number: 6926455
    Abstract: A printer is provided with a buffer to receive print data. Print data is read from the buffer by a control system and information is printed by one or more printhead assemblies in accordance with print data read by the control system from the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Gas supply to a printhead chip
    Patent number: 6925935
    Abstract: A printhead assembly has one or more printhead chips mounted end or end in or on a housing. The housing has an elongate air duct that supplies air to the printhead chips. The duct is open at both ends so the assembly may be used in left and right hand configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research PTY LTD
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Tobin Allen King
  • Hybrid set-top box and printing device
    Patent number: 6923585
    Abstract: The present invention is a set-top box integrated with a low-height printer. The printer includes an input tray for storing input media sheets and an output area for holding output media sheets. The printer further includes a printhead that scans and prints on the media sheets from the front to the back of the printer. The media sheets are stored in the input tray in a landscape orientation and are held in the output area in a semi-curled position. Alternatively, the media sheets are stored in the input tray in a portrait orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michelle A. Mann, Mark A. Hay, Warren S. Catchpole, Christopher S. Magirl
  • Printing group of a rotary printing press
    Patent number: 6920824
    Abstract: A printing group of a rotary printing press includes at least one forme cylinder and at least one transfer cylinder. The forme cylinder has at least two printing forme end receiving channels. These two channels are spaced circumferentially. At least one of these forme cylinder end receiving channels rolls off against a channel in the transfer cylinder. One of the forme cylinder end receiving channels is at least partially covered by a printing forme carried by the forme cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Helmut Holm
  • Photosensitive device, image forming apparatus and method for forming images
    Patent number: 6920823
    Abstract: A photosensitive device has a cylinder, a photosensitive sheet slidably wrapping outer surface of the cylinder, and a feeding roller in the cylinder. The feeding roller feeds the photosensitive sheet to the outer surface of the cylinder sequentially. The photosensitive device also has a winding roller in the cylinder. The winding roller rolls the photosensitive sheet sequentially from the outer surface of the cylinder. The photosensitive device also has an adjusting member for adjusting contact force emerged between the cylinder and the photosensitive sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideki Nukada, Kenichi Takahara
  • Tamp pad
    Patent number: 6918337
    Abstract: Tamp printing of at least one picture (4) occurs by means of at least one tamp pad (1, 18, 24, 34) on a piece (3), which has boundary surfaces (5, 13) forming angles relative to each other, the tamp pad first printing in one direction (10) against a boundary surface (13, 43) and thereafter, after further compression of the tamp pad (1) against said boundary surface (13) due to its deformation, prints in another direction (45) than the direction (10) against another boundary surface or other boundary surfaces (5, 43), whereby the picture is transferred to said boundary surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ)
    Inventors: Per Holmberg, Lars Eriksson
  • Duplex printing system
    Patent number: 6912952
    Abstract: Apparatus for duplex printing comprising: a first impression roller (24) on which a first side of a sheet (22) having a leading edge and a trailing edge is printed referenced to the leading edge; a second impression roller (26) on which a second side of the sheet is printed; and a transport system (20) that removes a printed sheet from the first impression roller (24) and transports it to the second impression roller (26), the transport system comprising a perfector (32) that receives the sheet and grips it along both the leading and trailing edges of the sheet, which perfector turns the sheet over and transfers the sheet trailing edge first towards the second impression roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Benzion Landa, Yosef Rosen, Aron Shmaiser, Lior Lewintz, Yevgeny Korol, Alex Feygelman, Alon Gazit
  • Printing unit cylinder for a rotary printing machine
    Patent number: 6910415
    Abstract: A printing unit cylinder is subject to only low deformation in the event of operationally induced increases in the temperature of the printing unit. At least the barrel of the body of the printing unit cylinder is produced from a metallic material with a linear coefficient of expansion of ?<5×10?6K?1 in a temperature range of from about 20° to about 60°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Klaus T. Reichel