Abstract: The present invention pertains to a data-providing component securing mechanism for a printing apparatus reservoir. According to embodiments of the present invention, a securing mechanism is provided with an image-formation-material reservoir. The securing mechanism includes a drawer-style support feature having two guiding regions that interact with sides of the data-providing component when it is inserted therein. Upon complete or substantially complete insertion of the data-providing component into the drawer-style support feature, a retention feature is engaged at an opening end of the drawer-style support feature in order to retain the data-providing component in its engaged position. Consequently, the data-providing component can be secured without the use of external bonding agents, and can be removed from the drawer-style support feature intact, thereby allowing such data-providing component to be reused.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 21, 2006
Date of Patent:
July 12, 2011
Assignee:
Eastman Kodak Company
Inventors:
Douglas E. Kucmerowski, Kevin R. Barrell, Eugene Edwards, Mark D. Perkins
Abstract: The present method detects an ink consumption condition in an ink cartridge loaded on an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for jetting ink drops, using a piezo-electric device mounted on the cartridge. The method detects the ink consumption condition using the piezo-electric device when the recording head is in a non-recording state. A complicated seal structure is not necessary and the ink residue can be detected surely.
Abstract: An inkjet printer having a printhead maintenance assembly for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition. The maintenance assembly comprises a maintenance roller having an elastically-deformable non-absorbent contact surface for sealing engagement with an ink ejection face of the printhead. An engagement mechanism moves the roller between a first position in which the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the face and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 29, 2009
Date of Patent:
July 5, 2011
Assignee:
Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
Inventors:
John Douglas Peter Morgan, Vesa Karppinen, Patrick John McAuliffe, Kia Silverbrook
Abstract: An inkjet printer comprises a printhead having an ink ejection face and an ink supply system including a face flooding system. A sheet feed arrangement feeds a disposable sheet past the printhead and through a maintenance zone spaced apart from the face, and a print media feed arrangement feeds print media past the printhead and through a print zone. The maintenance zone is nearer the face than the print zone, and no part of the disposable sheet makes contact with the printhead.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 31, 2010
Date of Patent:
July 5, 2011
Assignee:
Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
Inventors:
Brian Robert Brown, Vesa Karppinen, Kia Silverbrook
Abstract: A roll of label stock includes a plurality of first regions suitable for being printed on by thermal printing. The first regions are blank. The label stock also includes a plurality of pre-printed color images, each associated with a respective one of the first regions. A stamp printer that prints postage indicia on the label stock refrains from printing an image thereon, but would print images on another type of label stock that does not include pre-printed images.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 1, 2006
Date of Patent:
June 28, 2011
Assignee:
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Inventors:
Stephen L. Blumberg, David W. Beckstrom, Thomas J. Foth, David K. Asano, Ian A. Siveyer
Abstract: Since a bypass flowing passage which communicates with the inside of a bag part not through a second valve mechanism is provided for an outlet part, ink can be filled from the outlet part into the bag part in spite of the existence of the second valve mechanism. Further, after an empty ink pack has been housed in an inner case, the ink is filled into the ink pack. Therefore, when a first seal film is welded to the inner case, since the bag part is not bulky, the ends of the bag part are caught in a cartridge case. Therefore, the maximum amount of ink for the inner volume of the cartridge case can be filled. Further, since a bypass flowing passage is blocked after the ink has filled into the ink pack, contamination of air bubbles into the bag part through the bypass flowing passage is prevented.
Abstract: Disclosed herein is printing system comprising a first printer configured to print a first set of data on a document, the first printer including a fuser employing fuser oil, and an in-line spray coater configured to deposit a wax coating on a portion of the document to repel or cover fuser oil. A corresponding method is also described. The method and system are useful for preparing MICR encoded documents such as checks.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 16, 2007
Date of Patent:
June 28, 2011
Assignee:
Xerox Corporation
Inventors:
Kurt I. Halfyard, Christine D. Anderson, Gordon Sisler, T. Brian McAneney
Abstract: In a method and thermotransfer printing device for setting the speed of a relative movement between the print head and a recording medium during a printing procedure in the thermotransfer printing device, in particular for setting the transport speed of a mail piece in a thermotransfer printing franking machine, the heat energies required for the generation of a predeterminable print image are calculated for the individual heating elements of the print head from start value that has been established for the desired speed. It is subsequently computationally checked whether the respectively calculated heat energy can be emitted at the respective heating element in a first time interval predetermined by the start value of the desired speed and a predeterminable remaining time. If so, a printing procedure follows in which the beginning of the printing procedure ensues using the end value of the desired speed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 4, 2007
Date of Patent:
June 21, 2011
Assignee:
Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
Inventors:
Frank Reisinger, Dirk Rosenau, Sabine Roth, Olaf Turner
Abstract: A printing system is provided having a printhead, a media drive mechanism for driving media to the printhead for printing, and a media cartridge for supplying the media. The cartridge has a rotatable core for a roll of media and a media delivery arrangement having an opening in the cartridge. The media delivery arrangement is arranged to enable a roller of the print media drive mechanism to contact a wound portion of the roll of media so as to feed an unwound portion of the media from the roll to the printhead on demand operation of the roller on the wound portion.
Abstract: An air filter is configured for incorporation in a solid ink umbilical interface to a printhead. The air filter includes a housing having a first component and a second component that mate to one another to form the housing with an internal cavity, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, an air filter media positioned within the housing to divide the internal cavity; and at least one retention tab extending from the housing to engage an ink umbilical connector housing at a position that locates the air outlet of the air filter proximate an ink nozzle array extending from the ink umbilical connector.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 18, 2008
Date of Patent:
June 14, 2011
Assignee:
Xerox Corporation
Inventors:
Chad David Freitag, Edward Charles Grenier
Abstract: Provided is a thermal inkjet printhead. The inkjet printhead includes a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate; a heater formed on the insulating layer and an electrode to apply current to the heater; a chamber layer that is stacked on the insulating layer and includes an ink chamber; a nozzle layer that is stacked on the chamber layer and includes a nozzle; and at least a heat transfer layer that is formed inside the insulating layer and dissipates heat generated in by the heater toward the substrate.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 11, 2006
Date of Patent:
June 14, 2011
Assignee:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Inventors:
Dong-sik Shim, Hyung Choi, Yong-seop Yoon, Chang-seung Lee
Abstract: A process carried out by an ink-jet printing apparatus (1) comprises the steps of placing articles (3a) to be printed on a support (12) of an apparatus (1) further provided with a carriage (6) carrying at least one main print head (8) and at least one auxiliary head (11), and moving the support (12) and the carriage (6) relative to each other in at least one first ink-laying direction (X). The process is put into practice by carrying out the following steps in succession: laying the ink emitted from the auxiliary print head (11) to carry out printing of the articles (3a, 3b) with a background layer, drying the ink just laid by the auxiliary head (11) through a first drying device (14) disposed alongside the main head (8) and laying the ink emitted from the main head (8) to carry out decorations on the background layer.
Abstract: A light-emitting device includes: light-emitting elements whose luminous energy is controlled according to a current value and a pulse width of a driving signal; a storage unit that stores first and second coefficients for every light-emitting element; a pulse width determining unit that determines the pulse width of the driving signal supplied to each light-emitting element on the basis of the first coefficient, a current value determining unit that determines a current value of the driving signal supplied to each light-emitting element on the basis of the second coefficient, a driving unit that supplies the driving signal having the current value determined by the current value determining unit within the determined pulse width determined, to the light-emitting element, and a coefficient determining unit that calculates the first coefficient based on target values of a light amount and first peak light amounts of one of the light-emitting elements, and calculates the second coefficient.
Abstract: An ink refill cartridge is provided for refilling an inkjet printer ink supply. The refill cartridge includes an outer molding defining a cavity. An inner molding is movably mounted to slide into the cavity and defines a recess. A deformable ink membrane is located within the recess, is configured to store ink and defines an outlet through which the stored ink can pass to the ink supply. A biasing arrangement is located within the cavity between the outer molding and the ink membrane. The biasing arrangement biases the membrane to deform and cause ink to pass from the outlet when the inner molding slides into the cavity.
Abstract: A light emitting device includes a substrate, a light emitting body, a thermally conductive member, and a heat radiation member. The substrate has a first face and a second face which is a face opposite to the first face. The light emitting body is held on a side of the first face of the substrate and emits light. The thermally conductive member is provided so as to be in contact with the second face of the substrate and contains a high thermal conductive material. The heat radiation member is provided so as to be in contact with the thermally conductive member and radiates heat conducted from the substrate through the thermally conductive member.
Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an image forming section, a first frame for supporting the imager forming section, a second frame for supporting the first frame loosely, and a supporting section disposed on an apparatus body for supporting the second frame in a rotatable manner, wherein the first frame moves in association with a rotation of the second frame.
Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection device for ejecting a liquid from a nozzle of a head to a workpiece, the liquid droplet ejection device including: a table for loading the workpiece; a first shifting section capable of shifting the table in a first direction and in a second direction approximately intersecting the first direction at a right angle; a plurality of carriages having the head; and a second shifting section capable of positioning each of the carriages by mutually shifting each of the carriages along the second direction.
Abstract: An ink cartridge attachment/detachment device that loads an ink cartridge into a main body of a recording apparatus by sliding the ink cartridge into includes an ejection lever and an urging force adjustment device. The ejection lever contacts the ink cartridge and urges the ink cartridge using an urging force of an urging device in an ejecting direction in which the ink cartridge is ejected when the ink cartridge is loaded or when the ink cartridge is ejected. The urging force adjustment device changes a ratio of a force with which the urging device urges the ejection lever in a pivotal direction in which the ejection lever is pivoted to a force with which the urging device urges the ejection lever in a radial direction about a pivotal fulcrum of the ejection lever.
Abstract: A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printer comprises a nozzle chamber; an ink supply channel for supplying ink to the nozzle chamber; a cover for covering the nozzle chamber, the cover defining an ink ejection port through which ink is ejected; a plurality of thermal bend actuators radially arranged around the ink ejection port; and a plurality of heater elements each corresponding to one of the plurality of thermal bend actuators. Each heater element is provided at an end of a corresponding thermal bend actuator opposite the ink ejection port.
Abstract: An air folder adjuster (10) includes an air supply (12) and air supply tubing (14) connected to air supply (12) at end (16). The opposite end (18) of air supply tubing (14) is connected to one or more air nozzles (20). In a printing press utilized for folding documents such as books, air folder adjuster (10) is positioned so that air nozzles (20) direct compressed air from air supply (12) downward onto the head (26) of document (24) on either side of chopper arm (34) during the folding process thus ensuring that the document (24) lies flat, square, and untouched during the folding process and thereby allowing the elimination of chopper brushes altogether.