Patents by Inventor Mike C. Gordon

Mike C. Gordon has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Ink jet printer
    Patent number: 5949462
    Abstract: A computer printer having a frame contained within a housing, a media transport and printing mechanism attached to the frame within the housing is provided with at least one debris shield positioned above the printing mechanism to protect it from falling debris. The at least one debris shield may be positioned below an air flow path generated by printer ventilation, and the printer may employ a transfer surface on which an image is generated prior to transfer to a media sheet, and above which the debris shield is positioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Ernest I. Esplin, Jeffrey J. Anderson, Jeffery J. Clark, Terry A. Smith, Mike C. Gordon, Raul Krivoy
  • Ink jet printer having webs between stripper fingers
    Patent number: 5710586
    Abstract: A computer printer having a frame contained within a housing, a media transport and printing mechanism attached to the frame within the housing is provided with at least one debris shield positioned above the printing mechanism to protect it from falling debris. The at least one debris shield may be positioned below an air flow path generated by printer ventilation, and the printer may employ a transfer surface on which an image is generated prior to transfer to a media sheet, and above which the debris shield is positioned. Stripper fingers strip the media sheet from the transfer surface and webs between the stripper fingers form an air flow barrier to prevent debris transmission through gaps between the fingers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Ernest I. Esplin, Jeffrey J. Anderson, Jeffery J. Clark, Terry A. Smith, Mike C. Gordon, Raul Krivoy
  • Print head maintenance method and apparatus with retractable wiper
    Patent number: 5570117
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus (10) for cleaning an ink jet print head (12) draws contaminates from orifices (20) in the print head onto an orifice plate (14) and then wipes the orifice plate. The maintenance apparatus includes a purge cap (24) that has a recessed region (40) with an open end (36). The top side margins (42) of the open end define a periphery (44) around which a seal (60) is positioned. A positioning system (30) urges the orifice plate against the seal. A heating system (128) and a vacuum system (74) cooperate to create a differential pressure across the orifices to draw contaminates carried by liquid ink out of them and onto the orifice plate. A resilient wiper assembly (26) including a spring-mounted wiper blade (78) is positioned in and nominally extends outwardly of the recessed region of the purge cap. The positioning system moves the purge cap downwardly against the orifice plate so that the wiper blade engages and wipes the contamination from the orifice plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1996
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Randy C. Karambelas, Ernest I. Esplin, Terry A. Smith, Mike C. Gordon, Stephen H. Skidmore