Cylindrical Platen Patents (Class 400/659)
  • Patent number: 10105969
    Abstract: An elastic roller includes an inner layer side elastic member around a roller shaft, and a coating layer surrounding around the inner layer side elastic member, the coating layer contacting a belt-shaped member. The coating layer is made of silicone resin having JIS-C hardness of 20 degrees or less. A base layer and an intermediate layer of the inner layer side elastic member have JIS-A hardness of 30 to 80 degrees. The rubber hardness of the base layer is higher than the rubber hardness of the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer has tearing strength of 25 N/mm or more, the tearing strength being measured using an unnicked angle-shaped test piece in accordance with JIS K 6252. The intermediate layer has internal grooves having a groove angle of 40 to 160 degrees and having a V-shaped cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Haruhiko Nitta
  • Patent number: 9270855
    Abstract: An embodiment of an integrated scanner apparatus, includes a support surface for objects to be scanned, a scanner unit to perform a scanning movement relative to the support surface to capture images of portions of objects to be scanned, and a printer unit carried by a carriage mobile with respect to said support surface, wherein said scanner unit is carried by said carriage carrying said printer unit to be imparted said scanning movement by said carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Mirko Guarnera, Alfio Castorina, Giuseppe Spampinato, Osvaldo M. Colavin, John Bloomfield, Armand Hekimian, Beátrice Varichon
  • Patent number: 8348533
    Abstract: There is provide a printer having a rotational driving mechanism in which a print sheet can be fed in both of forward and reverse directions and a platen can be securely supported without dropping off from a head holder. The printer contains a head unit 4, a platen 20 that is freely rotatably mounted on the head unit 4 to support a print sheet and feed a print sheet through rotation, and a print head 53 for performing print on the print sheet supported by the platen 20. The head unit 4 has support grooves 10 for supporting the rotational shaft 21 of the platen 20, and a rotational driving mechanism 30 having plural gears for transmitting the rotational driving force of a driving motor 40 to a platen-side gear 22. The rotational driving mechanism 30 contains a gear 33 at the end side and two planetary gears 36 and 37.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Citizen Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichi Miyashita
  • Patent number: 7901151
    Abstract: A platen roller is provided for conveying a thermally active adhesive sheet having a recordable surface formed on one side of a sheet-like substrate and a thermally active adhesive layer formed on the other side of the sheet-like substrate. The platen roller comprises a roller portion containing a compound suitable for use as a solid plasticizer in the thermally active adhesive layer of the thermally active adhesive sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Sato, Masanori Takahashi, Hiroyuki Kohira, Tatsuya Obuchi, Minoru Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20080089731
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for performing a dye diffusion printing process, is provided. An apparatus includes a roller for traversing a print medium through a printer. The roller is adapted to provide a rotational force upon a portion of the print medium for advancing a position of the print medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventor: Ezra Szoke
  • Publication number: 20080003041
    Abstract: A thermal printer includes a first thermal head, a first platen roller, first biasing means, a second thermal head, a second platen roller, and second biasing means. The first thermal head, the first platen roller, the first biasing means are in contact with a heat-sensitive layer of thermal recording paper. The second thermal head, the second platen roller, and the second biasing means are in contact with a heat-sensitive layer of the thermal recording paper. The second thermal head is arranged on the upstream side of the first thermal head in a paper feed direction. A paper feed speed of the first platen roller to the thermal recording paper is larger than a paper feed speed of the second platen roller. The first platen roller is in contact with the thermal recording paper while being more slippery compared with the second platen roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiharu Sekino, Kenji Eoka, Kiyotaka Nihashi, Takeshi Hiyoshi, Tsuyoshi Sanada, Akira Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7267501
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that prints an image on a medium. A transport unit transports the medium in a first direction to supply the medium to the image forming unit, and in a second direction for printing. Media is stacked on a paper cassette. A medium supply and discharge unit picks up the medium from the paper cassette to supply the medium to the transport unit, and discharges the medium being transported in the second direction. The transport unit, the paper cassette, and the medium supply and discharge unit are located at the second direction of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong-sok Yang
  • Publication number: 20070183831
    Abstract: In a sticky note printer, a sticky note is peeled off and fed one by one from a bundle of notes set in position. In empty-feed motion, the sticky note is fed in a normal direction from a peel-off position through a sticky note ejecting slot to a pull-out position in which the sticky note protrudes outside the sticky note printer. In feed-back motion, the sticky note is fed in a reverse direction from the pull-out position to a retracted position in which printing can be performed. In feed-again motion, the sticky note is fed in the normal direction from the retracted position to the pull-out position. The empty-feed motion is made when the sticky note has been pulled away from the pull-out position. The feed-back motion or the feed-again motion is made, when an instruction for printing is given, in a manner synchronized with the printing operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7252448
    Abstract: Embodiments of a platen are shown and described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Angela Krauskopf, Robert M. Yraceburu, Steve O. Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 7220071
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing on a continuous web of linerless tape defined by a print side for subsequent application to an article. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a support for a continuous web of linerless tape; an undriven platen roller located downstream of the support; a print head associated with the undriven platen roller, wherein the undriven platen roller directs the continuous web of linerless tape past the print head for printing on the print side thereof; and a driven roller positioned adjacent the platen roller and downstream of the print head for pulling the web of linerless tape from the platen roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Daniel D. Baker, Lloyd S. Vasilakes
  • Patent number: 6918647
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead assembly includes a carrier. An ink supply assembly is mounted on the carrier and defines a plurality of printhead chip receiving formations that are each dimensioned to engage a printhead chip and a plurality of ink supply conduits that terminate at the formations to supply ink to printhead chips engaged with the formations. A plurality of inkjet printhead chips is engaged with respective said formations to receive the ink via passages defined by the printhead chips in fluid communication with respective ink supply conduits. A rotary platen assembly is mounted on the carrier. The rotary platen assembly includes a platen body that is mounted on a shaft and defines a platen surface for supporting sheets of a print medium as the printhead chips carry out a printing operation on the sheets. The shaft is rotatable to bring the platen surface into and out of alignment with the printhead chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 6910820
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing on a continuous web of linerless tape defined by a print side for subsequent application to an article. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a support for a continuous web of linerless tape; an undriven platen roller located downstream of the support; a print head associated with the undriven platen roller, wherein the undriven platen roller directs the continuous web of linerless tape past the print head for printing on the print side thereof; and a driven roller positioned adjacent the platen roller and downstream of the print head for pulling the web of linerless tape from the platen roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Daniel D. Baker, Lloyd S. Vasilakes
  • Patent number: 6837634
    Abstract: There is disclosed a lightweight portable printer having a frame or housing with a print head and a cooperable platen roll mounted in the housing. The housing pivotally mounts a subassembly. The subassembly mounts an electric motor and gearing driven by the motor for driving the platen roll. The subassembly is resiliently urged to press the print head against the platen roll. The printer has a front door which provides access to the inside of the housing. The front door mounts the platen roll, a label delaminator, a pressure roll, a holder for mounting a supply roll of labels or tags, and a latch for latching the door to the housing and for camming the pressure roll into and out of cooperation with the platen roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Paxar Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Orville C. Huggins, Thomas P. Keller, Dennis S. Prows, David R. Wisecup
  • Patent number: 6695496
    Abstract: A dot printer not using any type, nor requiring any ink ribbon has an ink roller 1, a platen 2 having an outer surface coated with ink by contacting the ink roller 1, and a printing head 3 facing the platen 2 in an appropriately spaced apart relation thereto. The printing head 3 is a dot impact type printing head having a plurality of printing wires caused to project selectively to form letters, and a recording medium 6 is conveyed between the platen 2 and the printing head 3 to have printing made thereon by the printing head 3. A protective film 8 is employed between the printing head 3 and the recording medium 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Precision Inc.
    Inventors: Yuji Nakagaki, Mitsuharu Shishido
  • Patent number: 6688787
    Abstract: A roller device includes a motor and a speed reducer inside a cylindrical roller or arranged coaxially, and an electronic apparatus includes a printer using the roller device. This roller device comprises a motor (5) disposed on a cylindrical roller (2), a sun gear (7), planet gears (8), a first inner tooth gear (10) provided inside of the cylindrical roller (2), and a second inner tooth gear (11) provided inside of a bearing element (12). The rotation of the bearing element (12) is suppressed by a predetermined force. Thus the rotation of the motor (5) is decelerated, and the cylindrical roller is rotated at a reduced speed. By rotating the bearing element with a force greater than a predetermined force, the cylindrical roller can be rotated manually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Toru Arakawa, Masaaki Matsui, Kenji Nakasono, Toshio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6666604
    Abstract: A thermal printing device is capable of being closed by clipping. The device according to the invention includes a printhead 2, a roller 4 integral with a gear assembly, whereon rests the printhead 2 when the device is in the printing position and two orifices 6, 7 on each lateral side of the frame, characterized in that the portion of the orifices 6 and 7 opposite the printhead is so configured as to present a position of unstable equilibrium of the roller when its axis is moving in said orifices 6, 7 when it is subjected to the pressure of the printhead. The invention is applicable to compact devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: A.P.S. Engineering S.A.R.L.
    Inventor: Denis Montagutelli
  • Patent number: 6626597
    Abstract: A printer and a printer assembly of the present invention includes: a line thermal head; a platen roller having surface of high coefficient of friction for holding a printing paper between the platen roller and the line thermal head to feed the printing paper; supporting rollers having surface of low coefficient of friction, disposed at front and rear of the platen roller along a paper feeding direction so as to support the platen roller from a side opposed to the line thermal head; a supporting plate extending along the supporting rollers so as to receive the supporting rollers from a side opposed to the line thermal head; and pressurizing means for applying pressure between the supporting rollers and the line thermal head. The platen roller is supported along its longitudinal direction by the supporting rollers comprising a small member with low coefficient of friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Inventor: Hitoshi Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 6628423
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus comprises a rotary drum for attracting a recording medium to the surface thereof on which a plurality of through holes are formed, the rotary drum for attracting the recording medium via the plural holes by reducing pressure therein, a laser head for emitting a laser beam toward the recording medium on the rotary drum to record an image thereon; and a dummy sheet having an attracting area in which a plurality of through holes are formed, the area having a size substantially equal to the recording medium, the dummy sheet placed between the recording medium and the surface of the rotary drum such that the recording medium is placed on the attracting area and such that the plural through holes of the attracting area and the plural through holes of the rotary drum are superposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6398360
    Abstract: A thermal printing station includes a split rotary platen, which is driven in rotation to move a paper web across a thermal print head held against the split rotary platen. The split rotary platen includes a motor-driven shaft, a main platen roll driven by the shaft, and a platen roll extension, which is slidable along the shaft between a first position, in which the platen roll extension is engaged with to turn with the main platen roll, and a second position, in which the platen roll extension is disengaged from the main platen roll, being allowed to remain stationary due to friction forces arising from contact with the thermal print head. The first position is used for printing on a wide paper web, while the second position is used for printing on a narrow paper web, which extends only along the main platen roll. A clip is attached to the shaft to hold the platen roll extension in the first or second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Gabriel Brewington, Richard Hunter Harris, Jeff David Thomas
  • Patent number: 6322265
    Abstract: A wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material; and methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Gerber Scientific Products, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Mindek, Kenneth O. Wood, William A. Loos, Raymond J. MacQueen, Daniel G. Binnall
  • Publication number: 20010010776
    Abstract: To avoid the effects of unwanted variations in the pen-to-paper spacing of a printer, deliberate and effectively randomised variations are introduced by using paper drive rollers (20) with an irregular cross-section. In one embodiment, an overdrive roller comprises rollers (23-26) the surfaces of which incorporate flattened portions (27, 28) of differing widths and spacings. The number, size and/or spacing of the portions (27, 28) differ from roller to roller. Instead or in addition, variations may be incorporated into a pinch wheel (101), platen (15) or other component of the paper drive system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2001
    Publication date: August 2, 2001
    Inventor: Antoni Gil Miquel
  • Patent number: 6126346
    Abstract: A number-of-pulses correction value corresponding to non-uniformity in conveyance appearing during one circulation of a conveying roller is held in a number-of-pulses correction value storing section 32. A control section 33 produces the target number of pulses (a real number) in the printing position at the destination of one line feed on the basis of the number-of-pulses correction value, and the target number of pulses (a real number) in the printing position at the destination of the line feed is changed into an integer, and the pulses whose number is an integer are fed to a pulse motor 11, to control the amount of rotation of the pulse motor 11. Further, the control section 33 corrects the target number of pulses in the printing position at the current time point in correspondence to the fact that the pulses whose number is not a real number but an integer are fed to the motor. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of non-uniformity in a pitch between lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hibino, Mitsuaki Kurokawa, Yoshinori Senoh
  • Patent number: 5918992
    Abstract: When different tape cartridges accommodating printing tapes having different hardness, thicknesses or widths are exchangeably mounted in the same printing apparatus, excellent printing can be obtained using the present embodiment. In a platen 12 provided in a tape cartridge 10, the harder, thicker or wider the tape T accommodated in the tape cartridge 10, the softer a platen rubber provided on a surface of the platen. The platen rubber 14 having a hardness corresponding to the properties of the tape T is used so as to obtain an ideal contact state between a printing head and the tape T regardless of the properties of the tape T when the tape cartridge 10 is mounted in a tape writer 1. Accordingly, the tape T can be properly conveyed by the platen 12 and a tape guide pin 26 regardless of its properties, and can be brought into contact with a printing head through an ink ribbon R in an ideal and consistent contact state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation, King Jim Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Matsuhashi, Hideo Sodeyama, Daisuke Inakoshi
  • Patent number: 5882131
    Abstract: A drive roller for an ink-jet printer. The drive roller has a media engaging surface that is roughened by grit blasting along an entire media engaging longitudinal peripheral extent. The surface is hardened by anodizing. The roller is relatively inexpensive to fabricate yet has a small error on diameter and run out, and high traction due to the surface roughness, to provide highly accurate media positioning performance. The drive roller rotates about shaft mounted bearings. The shaft journal is formed with a small raised bump, which has very loose diametrical tolerance requirements, but is short in comparison to the bearing length dimension. When the bearing is press fit onto the shaft journal, the material forming the raised bump is sheared by the bearing. The sheared material drops into a recess on the journal, and does not interfere with the axial positioning of the bearing. The axial position of the bearing is controlled by placing the bearing next to a shoulder formed on the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Juan B. Belon, Ravi T. Singh
  • Patent number: 5807004
    Abstract: A roller for an image forming apparatus comprises: a core body having a shaft positioned in the center thereof, the core body being formed by solidifying a fluid around an outer circumference of the shaft; and a surface layer formed on a surface of said core body, the surface layer being made of hard rubber and having a uniform thickness over the surface of the core body. A mold for the roller, comprises: an inner surface whose section is the same as a section of the core body; a pair of half-split bodies, one end wall of each half-split body having a recess for clamping the shaft, other end wall of each half-split body having a injecting hole for injecting a core body forming fluid therefrom; and a stopper body serving as an aligning member having a through hole in the middle thereof for inserting the shaft thereinto, the stopper body further projecting a stopper on an outer circumference thereof for fitting the stopper into the injecting hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Takei, Kenji Sakurai
  • Patent number: 5795088
    Abstract: A resistive thermal printer has a platen drive mechanism which includes (1) a thermal printhead having an array of selectively-activatable thermal elements and (2) a rotatably-driven platen roller opposed to the printhead and forming a nip with the printhead through which a receiver medium is driven by the platen roller while the thermal elements are selectively activated. The platen roller has an inner core and an outer sleeve formed of a heat shrunk material. The platen roller includes a compliant layer below the outer sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Xin Wen, Joseph C. Olsovsky
  • Patent number: 5733052
    Abstract: A thermal printer has a thermal line printhead, which contacts a recording sheet and creates images on the recording sheet. A platen roller is positioned in a fixed location and bears against the thermal line printhead. When a covering member is closed, the platen roller feeds the recording sheet against the thermal line printhead. The platen roller has a roller unit of rubber composition, the surface of which is coated with an adsorption preventing powder agent to prevent it from adhering to the thermal line printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minoru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5551786
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparing graphic products utilizes a printer to print on sheet material and a cutter to cut the sheet material with the printed material within the periphery of the cut edges. Both the printer and the cutter are controlled by machine readable data having a common data base so that the printed material and the cut material correspond positionally in the final graphic product. The printer is a thermal printer that places the printed material on a strip of sheet material generally before the sheet material is cut. The thermal printer utilizes a donor web bearing a transfer ink to create enhanced printed images on the sheet material with half tones, color and other attractive features. The printer is controlled to regulate a number of printing parameters through coding on a cassette in which the donor web is supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Gerber Scientific Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald B. Webster, David J. Logan, Jay T. Niland, William Loos, Joseph W. Stempien
  • Patent number: 5536092
    Abstract: A tape printer capable of performing multicolor printing and permitting an already printed tape to be rewound for printing two line character trains, bold printing and adding ornamental frames beside the first printed character train. The tape printer installs therein a tape cassette in which is housed a print tape and an ink ribbon formed with different colored ink portions at a set pitch in the lengthwise direction of the print tape. An ink ribbon take up mechanism is provided for taking up ink ribbon that passes between a platen and a print element provided external to the cassette. Tape transport mechanism is provided for transporting the print tape. The tape printer is constructed so that ink ribbon and the print tape are transportable in a forward direction for printing, and the ribbon take up mechanism stops and the platen is movable away from the printing section when the tape transport mechanism reversely transports the print tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koshiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 5511892
    Abstract: A resistive thermal printer receives dye donor and dye receiver media between a printhead and a platen having an elastomeric surface. The platen and one of the media is wider than the printhead, and the other media is narrower than the printhead, whereby pressure between the printhead and the platen, with the media there between, tends to compress the platen in the region of the narrow medium. End portions of the platen beyond the narrow medium are relieved so as to not be compressed by pressure between the printhead and the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: James E. Pickering
  • Patent number: 5475412
    Abstract: The invented sheet media marking system provides a platen which is configured to rotate a sheet of medium about a marker so as to accommodate marking of the sheet. The platen preferably takes the form of a rotatable drum, the interior of which supports the sheet at a predetermined distance from the printhead which is suspended within the drum. A printhead support is used to hold the printhead in a fixed rotational orientation relative to the platen's axis of rotation, each rotation passing the sheet across the printhead for marking thereof in a swath of print. The sheet is advanced using a medium advancing mechanism which directs movement of the sheet along the interior surface of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1995
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Chee W. Wong
  • Patent number: 5411339
    Abstract: A thermal printing device having a print mechanism which includes a platen roller assembly in combination with a movable print head assembly. Further aspects of the present invention include a switch mechanism and a tape supply cartridge with switch activation/deactivation members for automatically facilitating adjustment of print parameters to match tape supply upon insertion of the cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1995
    Assignee: Kroy, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey K. Bahrabadi, Arthur J. Paulson
  • Patent number: 5044799
    Abstract: A printer includes a paper guide disposed around an outer peripheral portion of a platen to which a print head is opposed. A platen cover is disposed in proximity to the outer periphery of the platen and has an opening at a portion opposed to the print head, a paper passageway being formed between the platen cover and the paper guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuo Tashiro
  • Patent number: 5013170
    Abstract: A method of producing platens for typewriters and similar office equipment. Conventional platens often include a large number of individual parts and are relatively expensive because of their high assembly and finishing costs. According to the invention, an impact-resistant polyolefin with the addition of a delayed-reacting foaming agent is employed in an injection molding process in such a fashion that, by means of differential cooling of the mold, the material on the platen surface and in areas of other functional elements such as line-advance wheel/notched wheel combinations hardens, while the core of the platen remains a foam. The process allows platens with other functional elements molded to them to be manufactured from a single material in a single operation and without any additional work, despite different demands made on the print backing and the other functional elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1991
    Assignee: TA TRIUMPH ADLER Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Johannes Haftmann, Rudolf Schmeykal
  • Patent number: 5008138
    Abstract: A platen roller comprises a rubber material having a glass transition temperature within the range of from -10.degree. C. to 40.degree. C. mounted around a core metal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jun Murata
  • Patent number: 5000595
    Abstract: A printing apparatus suitable for printing on a print medium of a large size which is reduced in overall size and facilitates adjustment of printing timings of line printing heads therein. The printing apparatus comprises a plurality of line printing heads of the type wherein printing elements are disposed on a line along an end edge thereof. The line printing heads are disposed in a pair of rows spaced in the feeding direction of a print medium in a housing such that the printing elements along the end edges thereof are disposed in an alternate relationship in a pair of rows perpendicular to the feeding direction of a print medium and each located nearest to the other row of the printing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Silver Seiko, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhito Koike, Toshiyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 4982207
    Abstract: An improved heater construction for an ink jet printer of the kind having a rotary print platen for holding and transporting a print sheet through a print path. The platen heater includes a hollow shell mounted for rotation through the print path and has vacuum holes for sheet attachment. A heating foil is detachably mounted in heat transfer relation with a major portion of the interior periphery of said shell and is coupled by brush contacts to an electrical power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David F. Tunmore, Michael J. Poccia
  • Patent number: 4934850
    Abstract: A platen for a printer includes a tubular body section, shaft sections extending from opposite ends of the body section away from each other and coaxially with the body section and an elastic layer provided on an outer periphery of the body section. The shaft sections are smaller in diameter than the body section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshimitsu Okubo, Mamoru Takezawa, Mitsuyoshi Satoh, Kazuhiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 4900175
    Abstract: A platen assembly has a pipe shaft having an elastomeric layer therearound, an end of the pipe shaft having cutouts therein extending parallel to the axis thereof and having locking holes therein between the cutouts, and a power transmission member connected to the end of the pipe shaft, the power transmission member having first convexities removably engaged in the cutouts for holding the member against rotation relative to the pipe shaft, and second convexities resiliently removably engaged in the locking holes for holding the member against disengagement from the pipe shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1990
    Assignee: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ikeda, Takashi Sawada, Mitsuo Bansho
  • Patent number: 4887923
    Abstract: There is provided a platen roll low in generation of noise with keeping superior printability which comprises a shaft and a single layer of rubber composition concentrically and tightly applied around said shaft or two layers of an inner layer of a resin concentrically and tightly applied around said shaft and an outer layer of a rubber composition concentrically and tightly applied around said inner layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1989
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Takumi Ishiwaka, Yukio Andoh, Michiyuki Yamaguchi, Shosuke Suzuki, Yoshinori Egashira, Takeo Yokobori, Takashi Ohashi
  • Patent number: 4816842
    Abstract: A platen for a thermal transfer printer includes a support and a platen body mounted on the support and made of an elastic material. The platen body has a first layer located on a thermal printer head side and having a high hardness and a second layer having a hardness lower than that of the first layer. The hardness of the first layer is a JIS a hardness of 60 to 100. The front layer is treated such that a surface roughness of the first layer is not more than 30 .mu.m and a friction coefficient of a surface thereof is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1989
    Assignee: Konishiroku Photo Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tai Hasegawa, Jun Monnai, Masatoshi Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 4749296
    Abstract: A platen for typewriters or similar machines comprising a platen tube with a resilient outer cover and having stub shaft assemblies press fitted into each end. Each assembly comprises a circular end piece having a central bore into which a stub shaft is press fitted, and a circular plate having a central depression into which one end of the stub shaft is press fitted. The arrangement allows for a platen construction of few easily produced parts which can be easily assembled to provide an inexpensive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1988
    Assignee: TA Triumph-Adler Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Christian Bohmer
  • Patent number: 4722621
    Abstract: A keyboard assembly for selecting characters to be recorded includes a substrate carrying an array of characters arranged on one face thereof. A character selection device moves between advanced and retracted positions along each of two axes of the array and, by means of an optical viewfinder, registers a given character with respect to the position of the selecting device. Registration openings distributed along each of the two axes cooperate with an associated detent carried by the selecting device so as to retain the selecting device in a fixed position relative to the locus of the character which has been selected. Movement of the character selection device to the locus of a given character serves to control the recording of the character selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1988
    Inventor: Reynold B. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4627754
    Abstract: A mechanism for clamping the leading edge of a sheet to be wrapped around a printing drum for printing in a plurality of colors includes a clip that is movably mounted in the drum so that it can be moved between an open position and a clamping position, the clip being biased to its clamping position. One or more deflectable cams are positioned adjacent to the drum for engagement by the clip. When the drum is rotated in its direction for printing successive colors on the sheet, the clip deflects the cam and remains in its clamping position. However, when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction to discharge a printed sheet, the clip is engaged by the cams and wedged thereby to its open position thereby releasing the printed sheet. The mechanism also includes provision for automatically discharging the printed sheet from the drum to a discharge path adjacent to the drum when the clip is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1986
    Assignee: Sanders Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert A. Sholtis, Jon S. Guy
  • Patent number: 4583272
    Abstract: A platen for printers is disclosed. The platen has a tubular resilient sleeve with an outer cylindrical circumferential surface. Shaft means is contained within the sleeve. The shaft means has portions exposed at the ends of the sleeve which are concentrically aligned with the sleeve's outer surface. A molded in place core fills the space between the sleeve and shaft means to connect the two together and to prevent their relative rotation. The method of manufacturing the platen includes filling the sleeve with moldable plastic material and subjecting the plastic to a curing operation while holding the shaft portions in concentrically aligned position relative to the outer surface of the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Assignee: Alinabal Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph R. Keller
  • Patent number: 4543004
    Abstract: A printer has a drum with at least one slot for receiving sheet-like record carriers. The slot extends into the circumference of the drum and is dimensioned to receive clamping means for holding the record carrier with a clamping fit. The control of the clamping means is effected, for example, by means of disks which are secured adjacent the end faces of the drum and whose circumference is also engaged by the clamping means. The disks are provided at their outer side with a first stopper element, which resiliently co-operates with a second stopper element secured to the housing of the device in such a manner that upon rotation of the drum in the printing direction of rotation one stopper element slips over the other and upon rotation of the drum in opposite direction prevent the rotation of the disk. Thus, the clamping means are passed out of the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1985
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Klaus Brandenburg, Wendelin Weber
  • Patent number: 4453848
    Abstract: A noise-reducing platen comprising a circular cylinder, a hub disposed along the longitudinal axis of and within the cylinder, and walls for dividing the annular region between the cylinder and the hub into a plurality of separated longitudinal channels extending the length of the cylinder. The walls include a plurality of vanes disposed at angular intervals about the hub, each vane extending (a) from the hub to the inner surface of the cylinder and (b) along the length of the cylinder, each pair of adjacent vanes defining one of the longitudinal channels. It is believed that the vibrations generated along the longitudinal channels are at a frequency above the audible range, thereby resulting in reduced undesired noise when printing elements strike the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1984
    Assignee: Florida Data Corporation
    Inventors: James W. Adkisson, Paul A. Ishman
  • Patent number: 4335971
    Abstract: A platen roller type printer/plotter is provided having a paper supply which is frictionally driven by the platen. The plate comprises at least three pieces which are mounted on a drive shaft with the centermost of the pieces being keyed to the shaft to rotate therewith while the other pieces of the platen are free to turn about the shaft at the same or different speeds. A paper supply is fed to the platen with a pressure roller in the middle which bears upon the central platen piece and will drive the paper straight if it is started straight. However, if the paper is put into the platen loose and skewed, driving the center platen roller pulls the paper up tight and aligns it automatically. This is due to the differential action of the different pieces of the platen since only the center piece is keyed to the shaft.An input tray which holds the paper is pivoted under the paper. Accordingly, when the paper is presented to the platen at an angle, the tray moves with the paper reducing the angle error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1982
    Assignee: The Perkin-Elmer Corporation
    Inventor: Charles F. deMey, II
  • Patent number: 4255063
    Abstract: A platen for a typewriter, is rotated intermittently by pulsing a winding to establish flux between poles of a stator and a rotor, which rotates through a fixed angle and then back to a datum position under the action of a spring. The magnetic flux also engages an electro magnetic clutch formed by the rotor and a part rotationally fast with the platen so that the platen is rotated only during the forward rotation of the rotor. The stator, rotor and said part are all coaxial with the platen and may be housed inside the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1978
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1981
    Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A.
    Inventors: Adriano Zaltieri, Giuseppe Coli
  • Patent number: 4150903
    Abstract: A toy simulating a typewriter for enabling a child to compose a large number of sentences from a limited number of words, the toy having a keyboard with a plurality of keys, each key having a word imprinted thereon. A carriage is provided with paper receiving imprints of the words from hinged type arms operable upon depression of the keys, depression of one of the keys performing the imprinting operation and release of the key actuating a spacer frame coacting with an indexing bar for incrementing the carriage under force of a spring a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1977
    Date of Patent: April 24, 1979
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles E. Bailey, Sidney Bass, Russell C. Edmisson