Abstract: A method and apparatus for resequencing image data for a non-impact printer having a plurality of recording elements. A memory stores image data such that image data for plural recording elements are stored at one address location. The memory is sequentially addressed so that the data stored at successive addresses are sequentially output from the memory in a sequence suited for the type of printhead. A multiplexer controls the outputs from the memory so that only data in the correct sequence is output at each address location during a first empty cycle whereas other image data at each address location are output at subsequent empty cycles.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for raster scanning optical output device, such as a laser printer or the like, an array of independently addressable light emitting devices, such as an array of solid state lasers, is used to control spot position on an image plane in the slow scan direction. The array is disposed such that the spots emitted from each element of the array impinge the image plane displaced in the slow scan direction from one another. The total distance between all the spots is less than the distance between fast scan direction scan lines. Only a single element of the array is operated per scan line, thus only a single spot is formed on the image plane per scan line. Control of which of the elements of the array emits a light beam per scan line allows control of the spot position in the slow scan direction for that scan line.

Abstract: A decurling device wherein paper is transported from a roll while being decurled by a decurling roller. A controller controls the decurling by temporarily stopping rotation of the decurling roller. Particular embodiments include provision of a pressing plate pressing the paper toward the decurling roller and control of the roller in accordance with curl of the paper by detection of diameter of the roll and by detection of path the paper follows during feeding.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes ink ejecting outlets for ejecting ink, an ink container for containing the ink to be supplied to the ejecting outlets, ink supply passage for supplying the ink from the container to the ejecting outlets, a recovery system for forcedly ejecting the ink through the ejecting outlets. The recovery system repeats the forced ejecting action, and a quantity of the ink ejected by one forced ejecting action is larger than an inside volume of the ink supply passage.

Abstract: Wiping and capping method and apparatus for use with an ink-jet printer are described. Preferably the apparatus includes a sled that is gimbal-mounted, and preferably spring-mounted, to a printer's chassis, the sled mounting plural pairs of caps and wipers for each of the printer's movable carriage-mounted printheads. The sled and the chassis are cam-coupled for controlled, relative movement therebetween. The sled and the carriage are also cam-coupled for controlled, relative movement therebetween. Movement of the carriage produces slight vertical and lateral movement of the sled out of its nominal position to place it in three primary positions relative to the carriage: an elevated position for capping the printheads, an intermediate position for wiping the printheads and a lowered position for free reciprocal movement of the carriage without interference between the printheads and either the caps or the wipers.

Abstract: A laser sublimation type color video printer includes a plurality of dye tanks for accommodating solid powder form sublimating dyes. The dye tanks are communicated with liquid dye vaporizing sections via respective accommodating passages which are formed as capillary tubes provided with heating elements for liquefying dyes introduced from the dye tanks. The heating elements may also be active to heat the surface of photographic paper via a protective layer of the head portion of the printer. Each of the vaporizing sections comprises a plurality of vaporizing pores having a light-heat converting element projected thereinto from a head base of the printer. A laser source is mounted over the light-heat converting element, which may comprise a heat resistant light transmitting portion having a light-heat converting layer disposed on a lower end thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ink jet apparatus having a head for forming an image picture on a recording paper, a subsidiary ink tank detachably coupled to the head for accommodating ink and air therein, and a carriage on which the head and the subsidiary ink tank are mounted and used for scanning the recording region. The subsidiary ink tank includes an opening to be coupled to a suction device for adjusting amounts of ink and air accommodated in the interior thereof, and a valve mechanism which assumes an open state when it is coupled to the suction device and a closed state when it is disconnected therefrom.

Abstract: In an apparatus for exposing a set of discrete locations on a photosensitive surface, such as an electrophotographic printer, a scanner transmits a light beam along a scan path onto the photosensitive surface. An optical element, interposed in the scan path between the photosensitive surface and the scanner, defines a plurality of apertures therein where no more than one aperture is disposed at any location along a linear dimension of the optical element parallel to the scan direction. The light beam transmitted through each aperture exposes a discrete location on the photosensitive surface.

Abstract: A wiping apparatus for a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus, which has a recording head including an ink ejection portion, includes a wiping member, and a rotation device for rotating the recording head and/or the wiping member so that the wiping member slides on the ink ejection portion. The apparatus prevents the splash of ink caused when the wiping member leaves the ink ejection portion by using one of the following techniques: First, a wiping speed is decreased at the end of wiping; second, an angle between the wiping member and the ink ejection portion is declined as the wiping proceeds; third, the first and second techniques are combined; and fourth, an approach amount of the wiping member to the ink ejection portion is reduced at least just before the wiping member leaves the ink ejection portion.

Abstract: A gradation data processing method for shortening printing time by processing a signal per bit column makes a heating element generate heat in the mid portion of one line printing time for a low gradation and makes the heating element repeatedly generate heat in all ranges during high gradation printing. The gradation data processing method includes steps for storing per line an N-bit picture data capable of expressing the 2.sup.N gradation, reading per predetermined bit column the N-bit picture data capable of expressing the 2.sup.N gradation and printing per the predetermined bit column the picture data read during the reading step while allowing the picture data to have respectively different heating time per the predetermined column.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an ink-jet type recorder that forms an ink image on a recording medium comprising a porous ink carrier withholding ink in the pores, an ink tank at a soaking position a transferring device for transferring ink carrier from the soaking position to a recording position where the ink carrier and the recording medium face each other, a heating device for heating the ink withheld in pores of the ink carrier to a certain temperature, the heating device including a contact heater which is in contact with the ink carrier at the recording position so as to conduct heat from the contact heater to the withheld ink, and the certain temperature being sufficiently high to lower the viscosity of the ink but insufficiently high to boil the ink, and an electric field generating device for generating an electric field in order to activate an electrostatic force in such a way that the ink is attracted onto the recording medium from the ink carrier.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for forming grey-scale images on a photosensitive imaging medium, the medium being capable of spatial resolution finer than pixel dimensions of the exposing apparatus. The medium is exposed to a pixellated array of exposure sources which may be liquid crystal shutters or light emitting diodes. A transmission density is developed in imaged areas that varies non-linearly with the exposure energy received by the imaged areas in which the exposure conditions are adjusted such that the variation in average transmission over a whole pixel area from image pixel to image pixel caused by spatial energy distribution variations is less than 5% for the same energy delivered to each pixel area.

Abstract: A recording head is described having mounted thereon M modules, each module comprising an array of N LEDs and associated drivers. The recording head comprises a carrier bar, and a carrier strip fixedly and electroconductively and thermoconductively secured to a surface of the carrier bar. The carrier strip comprises along one side thereof M spaced individual module carriers connected with the rest of said carrier strip by means of at least one frangible zone. M LED dies and associated driver module dies are fixedly secured to the surface of said M module carriers, each die containing an array of N linearly arranged LEDs. The array of N LEDs of each die overlaps the space between the spaced individual module carriers in order to come in abutting relationship with the end or ends of neighboring N LED arrays. In said LED array a module carrier on which a defective module is present can be replaced without damaging the adjacent modules.

Abstract: An electrophotographic recording apparatus and method wherein an electrophotographic recording medium is continuously moved in a first direction relative to a row of light-emitting recording elements such as LEDs. A beam shifter assembly is located within an optical path between the LEDs and the recording medium. The beam shifter assembly is operable in a first mode to pass light from the LEDs without substantial lateral shifting and in a second mode to pass light with substantial shifting of said light in a lateral direction having a directional component parallel to the row of LEDs. A control is provided for controlling the beam shifter assembly in different modes on alternate recording time lines of exposure. This helps minimize in-track artifacts. The apparatus is also operable in a multiaddress mode that is automatically instituted when a higher resolution image scanner is used or when a higher resolution character font library is input for recording.

Abstract: In order to optimize print quality, it is desirable to minimize the distance between a inkjet printhead and the media that is being printed on. This reduces print quality degradation by stray drops of ink with different trajectories than the main drop and errors in the nominal trajectory of the main drop. Color inkjet printers commonly employ a plurality of print cartridges, usually either two or four, mounted in the printer carriage to produce a full spectrum of colors. In a multiple printhead printer, it is advantageous if the black print cartridge is closer to the print media when printing text than is the color cartridge when printing color graphics. The apparatus and method of this disclosure enables the black printhead in an inkjet printer with both black and color cartridges to be as close to the media as possible so that black text print quality will be optimized while also allowing the printing of color graphics.

Abstract: An ink refill device includes a body having a chamber with ink therein. The chamber has one wall formed of a frangible material. The body has a needle communicating the chamber with a reservoir, which has a foam of a controlled porosity therein, in a print cartridge when the needle is inserted in a vent of the reservoir to fill the reservoir. Breaking of the frangible wall of the chamber with the needle extending downwardly enables ink to flow from the chamber at a controlled flow rate to the reservoir in the cartridge. In the preferred embodiment, the needle has one or more notched openings adjacent its distal end to increase its surface area through which ink flows to increase flow of ink to the reservoir.

Abstract: A method is described for optimizing printing a first print dot, a second print dot, a third print dot, and a fourth print dot adjacent to each other on a sheet of paper. The method first determines whether the first, second, third, and fourth print dots to be printed are in black color. If any one of the first, second, third, and fourth print dots is in the black color, then the respective one of first, second, third, and fourth print dots needs to be double printed with the black color. If the first and second print dots are in the black color and the third and fourth print dots are color print dots, then the first and second print dots are printed with the black color and the third color print dot is printed during a first print pass by the printer.

Abstract: In an LED head, a photosensitive drum is positioned with reference to an upper surface of a circuit board on which surface at least one light-emitting element is supported in order to accurately set the distance between the light-emitting element and a photosensitive drum. Further, clips and a spring are used to accurately set the distance between the light-emitting element and a lens and to simplify the process of production.

Abstract: An electro-optical head assembly for use in an optical printer or scanner, the electro-optical head assembly including a linear array of electro-optical elements mounted on an elongate support member, a linear lens array held in a rigid lens mount, extending in parallel with the array of electro-optical elements, and means for mounting the lens mount on the support member while maintaining a predetermined distance between the linear array of electro-optical elements and linear lens array over the entire length thereof, the mounting means comprising two elongated plates provided along opposite longitudinal sides of the arrays and having respective first longitudinal edge portions secured to the support member and second longitudinal edge portions, wherein the second longitudinal edge portion of each plate is secured to the lens mount, and each plate is provided with a pattern of holes and/or slots leaving in each plate only a number of separate hinge elements which extend from the first to the second longitudi

Abstract: ElectrophotographLc image formation by an LED array consisting of a plurality of LED chips arranged in a row and a driver having a plurality of drive ICs each connected in parallel to each of m units of LED array chips within each of n groups obtained by partition of the entire LED array. To execute a scanning of the LED array chip emitting in response to drive signals from said drive IC by scanning means to provide repetitious m-divisional scans for each n-partitioned group of chips simultaneously, a control device controls each drive IC, upon leaving a scan in a finest group of chips, to start scanning LED array chips in an adjacent succeeding group with respect to the scanning direction, while another drive IC starts scanning in the first group of chips, the array and the driver thereby scanning in waves to achieve faster printing speed with reduced electronic consumption.