Abstract: An apparatus for folding sheet material, including a fold blade having a rounded folding surface, a fold roller, and drive means for moving at least one of the fold blade and the fold roller into operable communication such that the fold roller passes around or along the rounded folding surface.

Abstract: A print monitoring approach is provided in which sequences of irregular two-dimensional frames of image information are captured at a resolution sufficiently high to enable details of individual droplets to be identified. The approach may be used to monitor individual droplets deposited on a medium, such as a sheet of paper, by an inkjet printhead. An optical detector having an irregular two-dimensional array of closely spaced sensor elements is mounted for movement with the inkjet printhead or other print assembly. A processor is responsive to the image frames from the optical detector to adjust print quality parameters when the physical characteristics of the imaged droplets are detected as being outside of a preselected range of acceptability. The physical characteristics that are resolved may include gyrational information or different droplet position information. Optical dot gain can also be measured.

Abstract: A printer having a transparency film discrimination system is disclosed. The printer includes a feed mechanism, an illumination source, a detector, and a processor. Light from the illumination source is reflected on or transmitting through the print medium (such as a transparent film) and is detected by the detector. The detected light is analyzed to determine the type of the medium. If the determined type of the print medium is not acceptable for the printer, then control signal is provided to the printer to halt the printing process as to avoid damage to the printer.

Abstract: The system and method for binding documents as described creates documents having features such as tabs, finger indexes, tear-out cards, and windows. These features are desirable for both their appearance and functionality and are easily added to a document during sheet-by-sheet processing. A sheet-wise binding system includes a sheet transport path for transporting a plurality of printed sheets in a sheet-wise manner and a punch configured to punch a feature into at least one of the sheets traveling through the sheet transport path. A stacking system is provided for stacking the punched and unpunched sheets and a binding system for binding the stacked sheets is used to form a finished document. A controller is programed to control the sheet transport path and the punch to create the features in selected sheets and at selected locations in the sheets according to a punch schedule.

Abstract: A hole-punching process for a sheet-wise booklet maker, including a hole punching device, a clamp, and a drive system. While a folded booklet sheet is being held stationary on its leading side, the drive system advances the trailing side of the folded sheet, thereby forcing the folded edge of the sheet into a hole punching device. The operation of the drive system is based on sheet information associated with the folded sheet, which includes information such as the order number of the folded sheet within the to-be-assembled booklet and the accumulated thickness of other sheets to be positioned within the folded sheet. Position information is also determined, indicating the instantaneous distance between the folded edge of the sheet with a hole punch in the hole punching device.

Abstract: A sheet collecting apparatus in a sheet-wise booklet making system is provided, including a collecting device for supporting folded sheets of material in a stack arranged for stapling, and a stapling device for stapling the folded sheets of material supported by the collecting device. The collecting device and the stapling device are attached to a movable frame such that the stapling device remains aligned with the collecting device during movement of the movable frame.

Abstract: A print monitoring approach is provided in which sequences of irregular two-dimensional frames of image information are captured at a resolution sufficiently high to enable details of individual droplets to be identified. The approach may be used to monitor individual droplets deposited on a medium, such as a sheet of paper, by an inkjet printhead. An optical detector having an irregular two-dimensional array of closely spaced sensor elements is mounted for movement with the inkjet printhead or other print assembly. A processor is responsive to the image frames from the optical detector to adjust print quality parameters when the physical characteristics of the imaged droplets are detected as being outside of a preselected range of acceptability. The physical characteristics that are resolved may include gyrational information or different droplet position information. Optical dot gain can also be measured.

Abstract: Systems and methods for binding a text body are described. A multi-function sheet binder is configured to heat a preformed solid hot melt adhesive to a melting temperature, form the melted adhesive by pressing the melted adhesive into a spine of a text body and folding down edges of the melted adhesive into contact with the text body, and actively cool the formed adhesive. A spot heater is configured to heat one or more localized areas of a solid hot melt adhesive to a temperature sufficient to tack the hot melt adhesive to a text body spine. An adhesive former is configured to press a localized region of a preformed heated solid hot melt adhesive into a spine of a text body and to fold down edge regions of the preformed solid hot melt adhesive into contact with the text body.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and device for identifying recording media in a printer. The invention utilizes fine structure of the media revealed by illumination from one or more directions to distinguish among different kinds of plain papers, coated papers, such as glossy papers, and transparency films. When the medium is bond paper, by introducing light at an angle of less than approximately sixteen degrees relative to the surface, raised surface irregularities cast shadows creating a pattern rich in detail. For glossy surfaces, a high contrast image is obtained in the specular direction from normally incident illumination. The medium surface is imaged on an optoelectronic sensor to form a characteristic vector which is compared with reference vectors, corresponding to different media types, to determine the recording medium. The detection of the recording medium may then be used to change the characteristics of the printer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for efficiently obtaining navigational position of a sensor array based on a correlation between images captured by the sensor array at successive points in time. This is achieved by first acquiring a reference frame through said sensor array, successively acquiring a sample frame through said sensor array. Correlation data representing a relationship between the sample frame and the reference frame is then generated and a displacement of a reference feature contained in both the reference frame and the sample frame is determined based on the correlation data. The correlation surface of the correlation data is modeled as a general two-dimensional Taylor series expansion. The method and apparatus of the present invention can be advantageously employed in a scanning device to provide efficient scheme for obtaining navigational information based on a comparison of image frames captured by a sensor array of the scanning device at successive points in time.

Abstract: A low cost, high speed, high resolution laser printer method and apparatus for re-writable media is presented. A method for finishing of printed sheets into booklets is described. Novel mechanical operations permit the manufacture of a very low-cost, off-line booklet maker for use with desktop laser and ink jet printers. The technology can scale to medium-speed, in-line booklet manufacture. The method is novel because most of the finishing operations are performed on a sheet-by-sheet basis using precision paper positioning and a transverse tool carrier that cuts, scores, folds, punches, and staples the sheets. To form a finished saddle-stitched booklet, each sheet is cut to length determined by its sequence in the booklet and paper thickness, scored, punched (if required), folded, accumulated in a stack, and stapled. The sheet-wise method allows finishing operations to be done with low-cost tools and low actuation forces.

Abstract: A printer is provided with a transmit electrode and a receive electrode with a dry-toner cartridge located therebetween. The transmit and receive electrodes act as two plates of a capacitor, with the toner within the toner cartridge making up a portion of the dielectric between the two capacitor plates. An oscillating transmit signal is then applied to the transmit electrode, and a signal corresponding to the capacitance between the opposing electrodes is detected. The changing capacitance due to the changing toner quantity causes a change in the received signal. The value of the received signal is then converted into the quantity of toner residing between the opposing electrodes, and this quantity is displayed to the user. Arrangements of transmit and receive electrodes may be employed within the printer to not only sense the overall quantity of toner but the distribution of toner within the toner cartridge.

Abstract: A scanning device and method of forming a scanned electronic image include an imaging sensor and at least one navigation sensor. For an embodiment, the imaging sensor enables sensing of color images. In the preferred embodiment, the imaging sensor is a linear array of sensor elements, with a two-dimensional navigation sensor array at each end. The scanning device has three degrees of freedom, since position information from the navigation sensors allows manipulation of an image signal from the imaging sensor to reduce distortion artifacts caused by curvilinear scanning. Acceptable sources of the position information include printed matter and contrast variations dictated by variations in the inherent structure-related properties of the medium on which the scanned image is formed. Inherent structure-related properties can also include color contrast.

Abstract: A solder drop ejector is disclosed where a current through liquid solder in a channel flows in a direction opposite to the direction of current through a fixed conductor insulated from the channel. The magnetic fields generated repulse the solder toward an orifice to eject a droplet of solder. The dielectric layer separating the fixed conductor and the solder is formed of a film. The film may be made extremely thin, such as 0.1 microns, so that the necessary repulsion force generated by the oppositely flowing currents may be achieved with relatively low driving currents of 10-200 amperes. The thin dielectric film is not molded and is not required to provide mechanical support to a channel wall. Hence, the manufacturing of the resulting solder jet printhead is simplified and its reliability is improved.

Abstract: The volume of ink drops ejected from ink jet printers is temperature dependent because physical properties of the ink, such as surface tension and viscosity, depend on the ink temperature. The volume of the ejected ink drop strongly influences the size of the printed spot and this size effects the quality of the recorded text and graphics. The temperature of the ejected drop depends on the temperature of the drop ejection mechanism. The present invention measures the temperature of the ejected drops with a temperature sensor placed within the trajectory of the drops. The printhead carriage mechanism aligns the drop ejector and the temperature sensor. Then, the drop ejector ejects multiple drops onto the temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may reside in an ink drop collection chamber having a capillary device for wicking ink away from the temperature sensor to a waste ink accumulator.

Abstract: A scanning device and method for forming a scanned electronic image include using navigation information that is acquired along with image data, and then rectifying the image data based upon the navigation and image information. The navigation information is obtained in frames. The differences between consecutive frames are detected and accumulated, and this accumulated displacement value is representative of a position of the scanning device relative to a reference. The image data is then positioned-tagged using the position data obtained from the accumulated displacement value. To avoid the accumulation of errors, the accumulated displacement value obtained from consecutive frames is updated by comparing a current frame with a much earlier frame stored in memory and using the resulting difference as the displacement from the earlier frame. These larger displacement steps are then accumulated to determine the relative position of the scanning device.

Abstract: A multi-color ink-jet printing system includes a printing element for applying a precisely metered quantity of a colorless precursor in a binary or ternary chemical reaction to a precisely defined printing location on a recording medium surface. The precursor conditions the medium surface prior to application of one or more colorants to the recording medium surface to prevent recording medium cockle and curl, and to reduce dry time, while conditioning the recording medium surface for uniform dot gain independent of media composition. The precursor also immobilizes the colorants on the recording medium surface to enable one-pass, multi-color printing, while eliminating color bleed.

Abstract: A plurality of inkjet printhead elements are arranged to form a pagewide printhead array. The elements are secured to a flexible interconnect to allow for communication between the individual elements and a printer controller. The elements are arranged in the array so that one or more nozzles overlap nozzles of the two adjacent elements. The printer controller specifies the desired drivers of the heater elements to be actuated in commands sent to the first element in the array over the flexible interconnect. The printer elements monitor the interconnect to determine whether the command specifies a heater element under their control. The printer elements then actuate the specified heater element to cause an ink droplet to be ejected from a nozzle corresponding to the selected heater element.

Abstract: A scanning device and method of forming a scanned electronic image include an imaging sensor and at least one navigation sensor. In the preferred embodiment, the imaging sensor is a linear array of sensor elements, with a two-dimensional navigation sensor array at each end. The scanning device has three degrees of freedom, since position information from the navigation sensors allows manipulation of an image signal from the imaging sensor to reduce distortion artifacts caused by curvilinear scanning. Acceptable sources of the position information include printed matter and contrast variations dictated by variations in the inherent structure-related properties of the medium on which the scanned image is formed. Illumination for optimal operation of the navigation system may be introduced at a grazing angle in some applications or in the normal to a plane of the original in other applications, but this is not essential.

Abstract: A novel, wide inkjet printhead and method of forming said inkjet printhead is disclosed, wherein a pattern of orifices are formed, using a step-and-repeat process, in a flexible tape using laser ablation or other suitable etching devices. The location of the orifices corresponds to where ink will be ejected from the inkjet printhead. The pattern of orifices may extend to any length without difficulty in aligning the orifices, since the tape may be continuous along the entire length of the printhead.