Patents by Inventor Thomas N. Tombs

Thomas N. Tombs 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).

  • Patent number: 8652743
    Abstract: Electrophotographic printing of one or more layers of toner to enable the printing of a wide range of toner mass laydown using electrophotography to produce prints with raised letters. This method encompasses the steps of forming multicolor toner images and fusing the print one or more times to create the raised print having the desired height of raised print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dinesh Tyagi, Louise Granica, Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8634756
    Abstract: A method and system for printing image documents using a variety of toners where some toners using a multi-development station having two or more development stations. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver by the multi-development station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James D. Shifley, Alan J. Swire, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8554089
    Abstract: A method and system for printing image documents using a variety of toners where some toners using a multi-development station having two or more development stations. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver by the multi-development station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James D. Shifley, Alan J. Swire, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8548371
    Abstract: Systems for producing bound electrophotographic prints are provided. In one aspect there is provided a system with a print engine having a printing module to form a toner image on a receiver, a fuser with a heater that heats the toner image to fuse the toner image to a receiver to form a print, a stacking system that stacks the print and a sheet in a stacking area with the fused toner image between the print and the sheet. A heating system has a heat source that applies a heat along an edge of the stack, and a controller that causes the toner image to have toner in a binding area proximate to the heated edge of the stack and in an image area that is separated from the binding area by a separation area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Brian J. Kwarta, James D. Shifley, Donald S. Rimai, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8512933
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method producing printed electronic circuits using electrophotography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8497057
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method producing printed electronic circuits using electrophotography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimal
  • Patent number: 8447203
    Abstract: Toner is applied to a receiver having an area to be folded and a separate area not to be folded. Non-fold and fold-area screening patterns are selected. The non-fold screening pattern has a toner coverage greater than 50% and the fold-area screening pattern has a toner coverage less than 50%. Image data to be applied to the receiver in the area to be folded and the area not to be folded are received. The image data in the area not to be folded are processed using the non-fold screening pattern and the image data in the area to be folded are processed using the fold-area screening pattern to provide screened data. Toner corresponding to the screened data is applied to the receiver. The applied toner is fused to the receiver, so that the area to be folded includes fused toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Thomas N. Tombs, Brian J. Kwarta, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8435712
    Abstract: The use of electrographic printing to prepare prints which have a desired tactile feel or raised information in a controlled manner by utilizing a developer having toner particle size larger than 50 microns volume average diameter and carrier particles larger than the toner particle size such that the volume average distribution overlap between the toner distribution curve and carrier particle distribution curve is less than 35% and the carrier and toner particles have a volume average diameter size differential equal to or greater than 5 microns or the ratio of carrier-to-toner volume average diameter exceeds 1.25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dinesh Tyagi, Patrick M. Lambert, Mark C. Zaretsky, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8437687
    Abstract: A booklet is produced including an outer sheet and an inner sheet folded and nested together. A print image having a thickness is printed where it is between the two sheets when they nest together. A cut length is calculated using the thicknesses of the sheets and the thickness of the print image, so that when the sheets are folded and the inner sheet is nested into the outer sheet, the edges of the inner sheet will not protrude beyond the edges of the outer sheet. The inner sheet is cut to the calculated cut length either before or after printing. The cut inner sheet and the outer sheet are folded and nested together to produce the booklet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Arun Chowdry, Thomas N. Tombs, Brian J. Kwarta, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8417171
    Abstract: A printing method for producing a textured thin film image (142) upon a receiver (20(R)) is provided. The method may include the steps of a. depositing one or more toner images (50) to form a predetermined adhesive image (50) with more than one level of height; and b. applying and fixing a foil (30) to at least a portion of the adhesive image to create a textured thin film image (142).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Leonard R. Christopher, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8401416
    Abstract: A method of printing a job having a type using an electrophotographic (EP) printer includes receiving the job and its type. A processor is used to automatically select a first or a second job mode based on the job type; the first job mode indicates aggressive gray component replacement (aGCR) is used but not clear toner, and the second job mode indicates clear toner is used but not aGCR. The data of the job are processed using the processor according to the selected job mode to provide six separations corresponding to respective colorants. Toner corresponding to the six separations is then applied to the receiver using at least one EP printing module in the EP printer to produce a print image of the job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Hwai-Tzuu Tai
  • Patent number: 8383315
    Abstract: Electrophotographic printing of one or more layers of toner to enable the printing of a wide range of toner mass laydown using electrophotography to produce prints with raised letters. This method encompasses the steps of forming multicolor toner images and fusing the print one or more times to create the raised print, having the desired height of raised print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dinesh Tyagi, Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8371569
    Abstract: A booklet with a cover sheet and a plurality of inner sheets is produced. The cover sheet is folded to begin the booklet. One at a time, the inner sheets are selectively printed, folded, and nested into the booklet. When each inner sheet is nested in the booklet, an edge of the inner sheet protrudes beyond an edge of the cover sheet. The protruding edge of the inner sheet is cut flush with the corresponding edge of the cover sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Arun Chowdry, Thomas N. Tombs, Brian J. Kwarta
  • Publication number: 20130004892
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method producing printed electronic circuits using electrophotography.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimal
  • Patent number: 8320784
    Abstract: Printing of information with a distinct tactile feel can be accomplished by electrographic techniques. Such electrographic printing includes electrographic printing of raised images to selected areas of a receiver member using electrographic techniques so that they are fixed according to the properties of the raised print such as according to the mass per unit area or toner height. In one embodiment, by slowing down the process speed of the fuser to allow for a longer dwell so that the large toner particles and/or toner mass needed to make raised image will properly adhere to the print media without artifacts. To keep the energy requirements and the cost of the equipment down a speed switching technique is used that slows the process speed of the fuser so that the raised image is properly fused on a wide range of paper types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Muhammed Aslam
  • Patent number: 8313883
    Abstract: Methods for forming bound electrophotographic prints are provided. In one aspect a method comprises the steps of applying a toner to a receiver to form a toner image with having toner in a binding area and in an image area. The binding area is proximate to a binding edge of the receiver and the image area that is separated from the binding area by an separation area. The toner image is fused to form a print, and a sheet and the prints are stacked with the toner in the binding area of the print confronting the sheet along a binding edge of the sheet. Heat is applied at the binding edges to cause the toner in the binding area to fuse for a second time. A residual portion of the applied heat heats the separation area but the separation area does not heat the image area to an extent sufficient to fuse toner in the image area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Brian J. Kwarta, James D. Shifley, Donald S. Rimai, Thomas N. Tombs
  • Patent number: 8306461
    Abstract: A method and system for printing image documents using a variety of toners where some toners using a multi-development station having two or more development stations. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver by the multi-development station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, James D. Shifley, Rodney R. Bucks, Donald S. Rimai
  • Publication number: 20120207515
    Abstract: A method and system for printing image documents using a variety of toners where some toners using a multi-development station having two or more development stations. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver by the multi-development station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, James D. Shifley, Rodney R. Bucks, Donald S. Rimai
  • Publication number: 20120114362
    Abstract: A method of printing a job having a type using an electrophotographic (EP) printer includes receiving the job and its type. A processor is used to automatically select a first or a second job mode based on the job type; the first job mode indicates aggressive gray component replacement (aGCR) is used but not clear toner, and the second job mode indicates clear toner is used but not aGCR. The data of the job are processed using the processor according to the selected job mode to provide six separations corresponding to respective colorants. Toner corresponding to the six separations is then applied to the receiver using at least one EP printing module in the EP printer to produce a print image of the job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Hwai-Tzuu Tai
  • Publication number: 20120110843
    Abstract: The present invention provides an article of manufacture using an electrophotographic printer to produce printed electronic circuits by printing a second conductive powder layer and a first thermoplastic layer in registration. The second conductive powder layer is permanently fixed to the first layer before removing conductive powder from portions of the substrate other than that coated with the thermoplastic patterned image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas N. Tombs, Donald S. Rimai