摘要:
A shifted element printing/scanning routine coordinated with media advance through an interaction zone of hardcopy device is provided for inkjet printing mechanisms, scanners or multi-function hardcopy devices. A method is provided of coordinating operation of a reciprocating head with media advance. The head has plural interaction elements, which may be ink-ejecting nozzles in a printing mechanism, or image receptors in a scanning mechanism, with the interaction elements being arranged in a linear array to selectively interact with media. A hardcopy device has a rotating media advancing member, a reciprocating head carrying the interaction elements, an encoder having indicia to track media advance, and a sensor that interprets the encoder indicia and generated a media position signal. A controller adjusts the media advance and shifts operation of selected interaction elements to other interaction elements along the linear array to avoid an indeterminate region of the position signal where the media position cannot be ascertained.
摘要:
An improved paper feed arrangement wherein a low vertical profile is attained through utilizing trained driven belts for picking paper from a hopper, and wherein picking reliability is enhanced both by the broad-expanse area contact offered by such belts, and by a unique coefficient to friction differential area downstream from a hopper wherein inadvertently plural picked paper sheets are easily separated.
摘要:
A novel ink-jet printer (10) is provided. The print provides both paper supply tray (12) and paper collection tray (18) in the front (14) of the printer for ease of paper handling and reduced footprint. The paper collection tray is provided with a pair of opposed output rails (22) which support a sheet of paper (16c) during printing to permit ink on a sheet of paper (16b) previously printed to dry. A paper handling mechanism is provided which eliminates a sheet pickup motor and associated elements. The paper handling mechanism is configured to pick off a sheet of paper from a stack of input paper, bring it around paper drive rollers (24) onto a platen (26), where the printing operation, employing a printhead cartridge (32), occurs. The printer further includes a service station (230) for clearing clogged nozzles in the printhead (33) and removing bubbles therefrom, for covering the nozzles with a protective cap (266), and for wiping contaminants off the nozzles. Reference pads (200) are provided for aligning and securing the printing cartridge in a carriage (35). The carriage is associated with a carriage guide (27), to which the carriage and print medium are referenced. The resulting printer is easy to manufacture, has reduced complexity by eliminating components in the paper drive mechanism and is lower in cost.
摘要:
Methods, printers, and control panels for printers are disclosed. An example printer includes a control panel, a print substrate path exit to output a print substrate from the printer in response to a printing task, and a control panel actuator to move the control panel from a first position in which the control panel at least partially obstructs a print substrate from passing through the print substrate path exit to a second position in which the control panel does not obstruct the print substrate from passing through the print substrate path exit.
摘要:
Predetermined geometric constructs reduce heat loss in a vacuum platen and assist in the reduction of paper cockle in ink-jet printing. A vacuum platen for supporting media during printing is provided with a plurality of heating elements and surfaces interspersed with vacuum ports. The heater elements are laid into surface channels of the platen such that an insulative gap separates the heaters from the main platen support structure. In an alternative embodiment, an insulative gasket is provided for the gap.
摘要:
A mechanism for manifolding a vacuum force to separate surface sectors of a vacuum holddown uses subsurface ducting to apply the vacuum to separate subsurface vacuum plenums wherein each is fluidically coupled to a separate surface sectors. The plenum is segregated by a diaphragm into surface side and vacuum side cavities. Trigger ports and appropriate ducting through the holddown subjacent the surface associated with each sector determine how the vacuum is routed. Only when a trigger port is covered is the vacuum routed to the surface sector associated therewith. The system can be implemented in planar or curvilinear constructs and be provided with features to accommodate a near-continuous range of flexible material sizes. A specific implementation in an ink-jet hard copy apparatus is also described.
摘要:
Described herein is a print medium support mechanism for supporting a print medium such as paper in a print zone adjacent a printer's printhead. The print medium support mechanism includes at least one drive roller positioned upstream from the print zone of the printer to feed paper into the print zone. An upper print media guide is positioned adjacent the drive roller between the drive roller and the print zone to contact and support the paper from above. A lower print media guide is mounted downstream from the upper print media guide to pivot between retracted and non-retracted positions relative to the print zone. When in its non-retracted position, the lower print media guide contacts and supports the paper from below. The support of the upper and lower print media guides against opposite sides of the paper is primarily responsible for establishing the shape and angle of the paper as it passes through the print zone. The print medium support mechanism includes a pivot stop which is adjustable to set the vertical position of the lower print media guide relative to the upper print media guide when the lower print media guide is pivoted to its non-retracted position. This effectively establishes a desired print medium shape and angle. A separate media-to-printhead spacing adjustment mechanism is provided for adjusting the vertical positioning of the printer's printhead relative to the paper. Because of this, the media-to-printhead spacing can be set without affecting the settings made to obtain the optimal print medium shape and angle.
摘要:
A locking system is described for detachably securing two workpieces together (e.g., two housing sections). Elongated arms are carried by one workpiece and a corresponding opening(s) is present in the other workpiece. The outer end of each elongated arm is resiliently deflectable so that it is deflected when being inserted into the opening in the one workpiece; then the arm springs back. A locking arm on the second workpiece is then able to move behind the end of the elongated arm to restrict deflection of the arm, thus preventing any unintentional unlocking of the two workpieces.