Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Lawrence P. Kessler
  • Patent number: 7466954
    Abstract: A receiver member is provided suitable for having an ultra-gloss, image print formed thereon, the receiver member having at least one planar surface, a plurality of standoffs protruding from the planar surface, the plurality of standoffs providing a coefficient of friction for the planar surface for substantially preventing similar stacked receiver members from sticking together, and without adversely affecting any print image thereon. A member is provided for creating a contour on the receiver member. The member includes a surface contoured to exhibit a plurality of valleys which will not adversely impact print image quality, wherein a reciprocal peaked contour is formed on the receiver member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Wilbur Charles Kasiske, Jr., David Daniel Putnam, Jiann-Hsing Chen
  • Patent number: 7454153
    Abstract: Cleaning of contamination in a printer, especially contamination by the use of a fixing aid, in which the contamination is determined by evaluating the register of a print of the printing machine. In the case that the register error is larger than a given amount, a cleaning run is performed. A control device is provided for evaluation of the register for determining contamination of the printer, especially by a fixing aid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jan Dirk Boness, Ingo Klaus Michael Dreher, Stefan Schrader
  • Patent number: 7375842
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparing a Variable Data Print job for printing, having a plurality of documents that are to be printed wherein, each of the documents are defined by variant elements related to content, layout and product intent. Groups are created and defined by a commonality of variants within the document relating to layout and product intent. At least one parameter that relates to the variants is used as a selection criteria to form a plurality of sub-groups. The sub-groups are then arranged for printing according to the form of selection criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David Kloosterman, Timothy F. Donahue
  • Patent number: 7327487
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for Variable Data Printing that adds performance requirements to a raster image processor (RIP) memory optimization that employs memory bands within the page composition process. Documents containing both recurring elements as well as non-recurring elements are sorted into element lists depending on their frequency of recurrence and their layering position. The recurring elements are retained in rasterized form, while the non-recurring elements are rasterized as they are used in output memory. One pass assembly in raster image processing of the elements occurs when the recurring elements are blitted into memory and the variable elements are RIPped on the fly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Rainer Friedrich Prosi
  • Patent number: 7324240
    Abstract: A method for color correction of an image having an insignia portion in a multi-module printer (10). A first color profile is calibrated for a four-color image. A second color profile is calibrated for a four-color image with a transparent toner layer on top of the insignia portion of the four-color image. The image data is then buffered in a color input band buffer (40) and processed through the first (50) and second (60) color profiles in a color management module. The processed image data is stored in an output band buffer (70, 80) corresponding to the image data processed through each color profile. Clear toner input band data stored in a clear toner input band buffer (30) is compared with the processed image data in each output band buffer (70, 80) to select an output signal (100) on a per pixel basis to send to the multi-module printer (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Yee S. Ng
  • Patent number: 7302220
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved fuser roller for use in a high speed fusing station where improved heat transfer from the fuser roller to the fused substrates is required. The invention also relates to an improved fuser system using the improved fuser roller of the present invention in combination with an improved pressure roller to produce an improved fuser section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann-Hsing Chen, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Robert A. Lancaster, Nataly Boulatnikov
  • Patent number: 7298994
    Abstract: Using liquid print color in a printing process in which the print color is transferred from one transfer device onto another transfer device and/or onto a printing medium. To improve handling of the print color, in particular, to optimize it, preferably to avoid adversely affecting transference of the print color and at the same time to avoid adverse effects upon the printing medium, at least one liquid component of the print color is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Frank-Michael Morgenweck, Domingo Rohde, Detlef Schulze-Hagenest, Dinesh Tyagi
  • Patent number: 7273687
    Abstract: A toner fuser member has a substrate, on which is formed a toner release surface layer from a composition that includes: about 95 wt. % to about 99.9 wt. % of a cross-linked, glycidyl end-capped bisphenolic polymer having the formula where R1 and R2 are each independently H or an alkyl group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and R3 and R4 are each independently H, F, or an alkyl group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, Z is a carbonyl cross-linking group, and x is an integer from 1 to about 10; and about 0.01 wt. % to about 5 wt. % of a perfluoroalkylsubstituted glycidyl-reactive compound having the formula where R5 is H or F, Q is OH or SiR6R7R8, R6, R7, and R8 being independently selected from the group consisting of Cl, OH, an alkyl group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, an acyloxy group containing 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, and an amino group containing 0 to about 4 carbon atoms; and n is an integer from 1 to about 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann-Hsing Chen, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Muhammed Aslam, Nataly Boulatnikov
  • Patent number: 7267915
    Abstract: This invention relates to electrophotography and to amorphous condensation polymers comprising a polyester-co-imide, polyester-co-imide, polyesterionomer-co-imide, or polyamide-co-imide as a polymeric electrical charge barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Michel F. Molaire, Wayne T. Ferrar, Tulienne R. Molaire
  • Patent number: 7261986
    Abstract: A method for producing a substrate for a photoconductive member includes etching the substrate with a self-limiting acid that removes the metal oxides from but does not affect the surface roughness of the substrate inner and outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Edward T. Miskinis, Steven O. Cormier
  • Patent number: 7252873
    Abstract: A method for forming a receiver transport member for an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus. The transport member transports receiver members with respect to a fuser assembly and is frictional coupled to a transfer member for driving the transfer member. The method for forming the transport member provides a substrate bearing a high friction layer that includes inorganic particles, with a compound of aluminum selected from the group consisting of aluminum hydroxide, alumina hydrate, aluminum oxide, pseudo-boehmite, boehmite alumina, aluminum salts, and mixtures thereof, dispersed in an organic binder so that the high friction layer is capable of preventing a loss of frictional coupling due to release oil applied to a receiver member bearing a fused toner image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Wayne T. Ferrar, Douglas E. Garman, Larry H. Judkins, Francisco L. Ziegelmuller, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 7253828
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a printer including a light-emitting diode (LED) printhead for non-uniformity on an image plane. The LED recording elements are arranged in a plurality of arrays. A plurality of characteristics (102, 104, 106, 108, 110) associated with each recording element are measured and from the measured characteristics a plurality of parameters (112, 114, 116, 118, 120) associated with each recording element is determined. Adjustment factors for a plurality of parameters are combined mathematically to determine an adjusted power density (122) for each recording element on the image plane. Correction factors (130) are then assigned to each recording element to correct for the adjusted power density (122). The correction factors (130) are stored in a memory (132) associated with the LED printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yee S. Ng, Stacy M. Munechika, Dennis R. Kamp, Lawrence W. Fisher
  • Patent number: 7248812
    Abstract: A cleaning member for mounting around a support in an electrophotographic machine, the support being located peripherally adjacent at least one electrophotographic process device having a surface cleanable by the cleaning member, the cleaning member including a substrate supporting a cleaning agency. The cleaning member is activatable to clean via motion, which can include longitudinal movement and/or rotary movement around the support's longitudinal axis. The cleaning agency can include one or more cleaning agents selected from the following categories: brush, pad, blade, woven material, fabric, cloth, rubber, sponge, and foam. A surface cleanable by the cleaning member can be located on one or more of the following: lens array of a LED writer, charger grid, corona wire, blade, erase lamp, developer pickup scavenger device, densitometer or electrometer sensor, or retractable rotatable process device adjacent the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 7246887
    Abstract: A driver IC (60) for a printhead includes a first set of data side input/output pads (62) and a second set of data side input/output pads (63). The driver IC further includes circuitry (100) that can select that data is to be input at the first set of pads and output at the second set of pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Shawn E. O'Hara, Robert P. Dutt, Denis P. Reilly
  • Patent number: 7247228
    Abstract: A carrier or substrate for a photoconductor to be used for the formation of an electrophotographic recording element, particularly an imaging drum for an electrophotographic printing press, wherein the carrier is made of a metal or a metal alloy, preferably of aluminum, is prepared wherein the surface of the carrier supporting the photoconductor, used to form a barrier layer, is oxidized, preferably by etching and/or anodizing. The oxidized surface of the barrier layer is sealed with a sealing material following oxidation, and a preservative or impregnating agent is used as the sealing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Udo Dräger, Detlef Schulze-Hagenest
  • Patent number: 7239816
    Abstract: An input image capture device, capable of sampling the color density and gloss of the fused printed image (thus not requiring the printing of density patches on a separate calibration page), may compare the printed image's color density and gloss to a predicted value. Then, appearance control may be achieved by changing fuser parameters (such as fuser nip width, fuser roller temperature and the like) and other electrophotographic element control parameters (such as exposure, off-set development voltage, charger voltage and the like) to maintain a desirable constant appearance (density, gloss, etc.) of images consistently in print engine usage (within a print run and between print runs), even if different media substrates are used on the same print job. Therefore, no waste calibration sheet is needed, and a print job operator may receive more timely feedback relating to the current printing job stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Yee S. Ng
  • Patent number: 7236734
    Abstract: A color electrostatographic printer apparatus applies respective color separation toner images to a receiver member to form a color image. A fuser station fuses, or at least tacks, the color image to the receiver. A clear toner overcoat is then applied to the fused color toner image using an inverse mask, and enhanced glossing of the image is provided by a belt glosser to improve color gamut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yee S. Ng, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Diane M. Herrick
  • Patent number: 7236183
    Abstract: A printhead with a variable exposure width having a plurality of exposure elements defining a given exposure width. A plurality of driver ICs are coupled to the exposure elements, each driver IC including a plurality of registers. A data bus is coupled to the plurality of driver ICs. Circuitry is provided in a first driver IC of the plurality of driver ICs for having data received from the data bus bypass the plurality of registers in the first driver IC to disable unused exposure elements of the plurality of exposure elements, whereby the exposure width can be varied from the given width, and data loading bandwidth is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Shawn E. O'Hara, Denis P. Reilly
  • Patent number: 7227735
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for powering opposing corona chargers for discharging moving receiver sheets. The discharging capacity of the chargers is expanded by adding a high voltage DC offset to a current regulated, AC voltage limited power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Charles Herbert Hasenauer, Soenke Schmidt, Andreas Dickhoff
  • Patent number: 7222850
    Abstract: Transporting an essentially sheet-like element, particularly for transporting a sheet of printing material in a printing press, in which the sheet-like element is picked up in the area of its leading edge by at least one rotating transport at a pickup site, transported to a delivery site, and then delivered there, wherein the sheet-like element is curved over a rotational or curvature radius during transport. The sheet-like element is forced between the pickup site and the delivery site by at least one guide element, that is, an intermediate guide element, that blocks at least in the centrifugal direction, in order to maintain the radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Dirk Dobrindt