公开(公告)号：US06573923B2

公开(公告)日：2003-06-03

申请号：US09833936

申请日：2001-04-12

申请人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  William J. Tortora ,  William A. Loos ,  Kenneth O. Wood ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  David M. Mindek ,  Kurt J. Ehrhardt ,  John K. White ,  Raymond J. MacQueen ,  Brian H. Lis ,  Roy Douglas Downey ,  Michael J. Banavige ,  Daniel G. Binnall

发明人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  William J. Tortora ,  William A. Loos ,  Kenneth O. Wood ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  David M. Mindek ,  Kurt J. Ehrhardt ,  John K. White ,  Raymond J. MacQueen ,  Brian H. Lis ,  Roy Douglas Downey ,  Michael J. Banavige ,  Daniel G. Binnall

IPC分类号： G01D1516

CPC分类号： B41J25/316

摘要： Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer.

公开(公告)号：US06493018B1

公开(公告)日：2002-12-10

申请号：US09288424

申请日：1999-04-08

申请人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  William J. Tortora ,  William A. Loos ,  Kenneth O. Wood ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  David M. Mindek ,  Kurt J. Ehrhardt ,  John K. White ,  Raymond J. MacQueen ,  Brian H. Lis ,  Roy Douglas Downey ,  Michael J. Banavige ,  Daniel G. Binnall

发明人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  William J. Tortora ,  William A. Loos ,  Kenneth O. Wood ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  David M. Mindek ,  Kurt J. Ehrhardt ,  John K. White ,  Raymond J. MacQueen ,  Brian H. Lis ,  Roy Douglas Downey ,  Michael J. Banavige ,  Daniel G. Binnall

IPC分类号： B41J2325

CPC分类号： B41J25/316

摘要： Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer.

摘要翻译： 公开如下：用于在打印纸上打印多色图形产品的宽格式热敏打印机; 用于支撑用于执行诸如切割，印刷或绘图之类的工作操作的片材的真空工作台; 可替换的供体片组件，其包括与热敏打印机一起使用的存储器; 用于改进热敏打印的方法和装置，包括用于保存供体薄片并减少打印多色图形产品所需的时间量的方法和装置; 包括存储器的热打印头; 以及用于在片材上打印或执行其他作业操作的片材的对准的方法和装置。 宽幅热敏打印机可以包括用于从盒式存储架自动装载供体片的盒的设置。 真空工作台可以包括用于确定由工作台支撑的片材的尺寸以及用于控制施加到工作台的工作面中的孔的抽吸。 还公开了用于在用宽格式热敏打印机打印期间控制供体片张力的方法和装置。

公开(公告)号：US06603497B2

公开(公告)日：2003-08-05

申请号：US09726293

申请日：2000-11-30

申请人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  Howard H. Plude ,  William J. Tortora ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  Kenneth O. Wood

发明人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  Howard H. Plude ,  William J. Tortora ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  Kenneth O. Wood

IPC分类号： G01D1516

CPC分类号： B41J25/316

摘要： A wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material; and methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apparatus in a worksurface of the workbed.

摘要翻译： 用于在打印纸上打印多色图形产品的宽格式热敏打印机; 用于支撑用于执行诸如切割，印刷或绘图之类的工作操作的片材的真空工作台; 可替换的供体片组件，其包括与热敏打印机一起使用的存储器; 用于改进热敏打印的方法和装置，包括用于保存供体薄片并减少打印多色图形产品所需的时间量的方法和装置; 包括存储器的热打印头; 用于在片材上打印或执行其他工作操作的片材的对准的方法和装置; 以及在用宽格式热敏打印机打印期间控制供体片张力的方法和装置。 宽幅热敏打印机可以包括用于从盒式存储架自动装载供体片的盒的设置。 真空工作台可以包括用于确定由工作台支撑的片材的尺寸，以及用于控制在工作台的工作面中施加到设备上的抽吸。

公开(公告)号：US06243120B1

公开(公告)日：2001-06-05

申请号：US09288361

申请日：1999-04-08

申请人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  Howard H. Plude ,  William J. Tortora ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  Kenneth O. Wood

发明人： Charles M. Hevenor ,  Howard H. Plude ,  William J. Tortora ,  Edward M. Oscarson ,  Kenneth O. Wood

IPC分类号： B41J1728

CPC分类号： B41J25/316

摘要： Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer.

摘要翻译： 公开如下：用于在打印纸上打印多色图形产品的宽格式热敏打印机; 用于支撑用于执行诸如切割，印刷或绘图之类的工作操作的片材的真空工作台; 可替换的供体片组件，其包括与热敏打印机一起使用的存储器; 用于改进热敏打印的方法和装置，包括用于保存供体薄片并减少打印多色图形产品所需的时间量的方法和装置; 包括存储器的热打印头; 以及用于在片材上打印或执行其他作业操作的片材的对准的方法和装置。 宽幅热敏打印机可以包括用于从盒式存储架自动装载供体片的盒的设置。 真空工作台可以包括用于确定由工作台支撑的片材的尺寸以及用于控制施加到工作台的工作面中的孔的抽吸。 还公开了用于在用宽格式热敏打印机打印期间控制供体片张力的方法和装置。

公开(公告)号：US5810494A

公开(公告)日：1998-09-22

申请号：US709261

申请日：1996-09-06

申请人： Alan W. Menard ,  Robert V. DeMartino ,  John E. Markowski, III ,  Nabil Mishriki ,  Ronald G. Goulet ,  William J. Tortora

发明人： Alan W. Menard ,  Robert V. DeMartino ,  John E. Markowski, III ,  Nabil Mishriki ,  Ronald G. Goulet ,  William J. Tortora

IPC分类号： B41J29/46 ,  B41C1/00 ,  B41J11/28 ,  B41J15/04 ,  B65H5/16 ,  B65H9/08 ,  B65H20/20 ,  B41J15/00

CPC分类号： B41J11/28 ,  B41J15/046 ,  B65H20/20 ,  B65H5/16 ,  B65H9/08 ,  B65H2701/1212

摘要： An apparatus for printing, cutting or otherwise working sheets of sheet material has a friction sheet advance mechanism and a sheet loading mechanism in advance of the feed mechanism having rows of sprocket pins cooperating with complementary rows of sprocket holes in a sheet to assure accurate insertion of a sheet into the sheet advance mechanism and subsequent accurate movement of the sheet through the advance mechanism and past a work station. A photosensor carried by the work head of the apparatus senses one side edge of the sheet as a reference for laterally positioning the work process relative to the sheet, and a transversely extending index edge of an index hole in the proof sheet is detected and used as a reference for the longitudinal positioning of the work process relative to the sheet. When working on both faces of the sheet, the same reference edges are detected and used as references for the work process on the second face as are detected and used as references for the work process on the first face so as to avoid registration errors between the two work processes.

摘要翻译： 用于打印，切割或以其他方式加工片材的片材的装置在进给机构之前具有摩擦片前进机构和片材装载机构，该进给机构具有与片材中的互补排的链轮孔配合的链轮销，以确保准确地插入 片材进入纸张提前机构，并随后通过提前机构精确移动纸张并通过工作台。 由该装置的工作头携带的光传感器感测片材的一侧边缘作为用于相对于片材横向定位工作过程的参考，检测校样片中的分度孔的横向延伸的折射率边缘，并将其用作 用于工作过程相对于纸张的纵向定位的参考。 当在纸张的两面工作时，检测相同的参考边缘，并将其用作第二面上的工作过程的参考，作为第一面上的工作过程的参考，以避免第二面上的注册错误 两个工作流程。

公开(公告)号：US5768789A

公开(公告)日：1998-06-23

申请号：US666248

申请日：1996-06-20

申请人： William J. Tortora ,  Thomas A. Gordon

发明人： William J. Tortora ,  Thomas A. Gordon

IPC分类号： B41J29/00 ,  B43L13/00 ,  G01D15/24 ,  H02G11/00

CPC分类号： G01D15/24 ,  H02G11/006

摘要： A vertically looped ribbon cable having upper and lower lengths connected to one another by a 180.degree. bend for carrying power and control signals is attached at one end to a controller and at its other end to a plotter's tool head. The tool head is mounted to, and can move along the length of a tool head support. A cable support device is provided and includes a trough having an interior channel containing the ribbon cable and mounted to the plotter's frame. A vertically looped cable support strip is also positioned in the trough and has an upper support strip length positioned above and connected by a 180.degree. bend in the support strip to a lower support strip length. During movement of the tool head along the length of the support, one of the upper or lower support strip lengths will increase while the other decreases. The ribbon cable is positioned relative to the support strip so that the upper length of the cable overlies and is vertically supported by the upper support strip length.

摘要翻译： 一个垂直环状的带状电缆，其一端连接到一个控制器，另一端连接到绘图仪的工具头上，上下两个长度彼此相连180度，用于承载电力和控制信号。 工具头安装到工具头支撑件的长度上并可移动。 提供了一种电缆支撑装置，并且包括具有包含带状电缆并且安装到绘图机的框架的内部通道的槽。 垂直环形的电缆支撑条也位于槽中，并且具有上支撑条长度，其定位在支撑条中的180°弯曲上方并连接到较低支撑条长度。 在工具头沿着支撑件的长度移动期间，上部或下部支撑条长度之一将增加，而另一个下降。 带状电缆相对于支撑条定位，使得电缆的上部长度覆盖并由上部支撑条长度垂直支撑。

公开(公告)号：US5727887A

公开(公告)日：1998-03-17

申请号：US629362

申请日：1996-04-08

申请人： Ronald B. Webster ,  Daniel J. Sullivan ,  William J. Tortora ,  Joseph W. Stempien ,  Dwight Curry ,  David P. Boisvert

发明人： Ronald B. Webster ,  Daniel J. Sullivan ,  William J. Tortora ,  Joseph W. Stempien ,  Dwight Curry ,  David P. Boisvert

IPC分类号： B41J15/04 ,  B41J17/32 ,  B41J17/36 ,  B41J29/48 ,  B65H23/182 ,  B65H26/06 ,  B65H75/02 ,  B41J35/28

CPC分类号： B41J17/36 ,  B41J17/32

摘要： A machine and method of performing a work operation requiring a known or predetermined length of unconsumed web has a cassette containing consumable web material, and the cassette has an indicator for identifying a length of unconsumed web in the cassette. The length of unconsumed web in the cassette is compared to a known or predetermined length of unconsumed web required to perform the work operation, and the operation is performed if the length of unconsumed web in the cassette is at least equal to the required length of unconsumed web. In one embodiment, the indicator takes the form of a potentiometer mounted on an exterior surface of the cassette for electrically indicating the amount of unconsumed web, or a pointer carried by a worm gear rotatably coupled to a spool of the cassette, wherein the pointer moves relative to indicia on the cassette upon rotation of the spool to visually indicate the amount of unconsumed web in the cassette.

摘要翻译： 执行需要已知或预定长度的未消耗纸幅的加工操作的机器和方法具有含有可消费纸幅材料的盒，并且该盒具有用于识别纸盒中未消耗纸幅长度的指示器。 将盒中的未消耗纸幅的长度与执行工作操作所需的已知或预定长度的未消耗纸幅进行比较，并且如果盒中未消耗纸幅的长度至少等于未消耗的所需长度，则执行操作 网络 在一个实施例中，指示器采用安装在盒的外表面上的电位计的形式，用于电指示未消耗纸幅的量，或由可旋转地联接到盒的卷轴的蜗轮承载的指针，其中指针移动 相对于在卷轴旋转时在盒上的标记，以可视地指示盒中未消耗纸幅的量。

公开(公告)号：US5765481A

公开(公告)日：1998-06-16

申请号：US814964

申请日：1997-03-11

申请人： William J. Tortora ,  Jessica Dworak

发明人： William J. Tortora ,  Jessica Dworak

IPC分类号： B26D7/27 ,  B26F1/38 ,  B41J2/325 ,  B41J11/00 ,  B41J11/28 ,  B41J11/42 ,  B41J11/46 ,  B41J11/70 ,  B41J15/00 ,  B41J15/04 ,  B41J15/16 ,  B41M1/14

CPC分类号： B41J15/16 ,  B26D7/27 ,  B26F1/38 ,  B26F1/3806 ,  B41J11/008 ,  B41J11/28 ,  B41J11/42 ,  B41J11/46 ,  B41J11/70 ,  B41J15/005 ,  B41J15/04 ,  B41J2/325

摘要： A length of web material is worked by a number of individual work units each of which performs a work function on the material to progressively achieve an end result, the work units being arranged serially along an X coordinate direction extending lengthwise of the web material and the web material being moved unidirectionally by each work unit. Accumulators are provided between adjacent ones of the work units and one or both of the work units located immediately on opposite sides of an accumulator are controlled in response to the amount of slack web material contained in the accumulator, as by stopping the feeding of the web material by the upstream one of the work units when the accumulated slack material exceeds a given amount and/or by stopping the feeding of the web material by the downstream one of the work units when the amount of accumulated material falls below a given amount. The work units may be a number of printers for printing end graphics onto the web material and a following cutting mechanism for cutting the end graphics from the web material. The end graphics may be multi-colored ones with each printer printing a color separate portion of the end graphics.

摘要翻译： 幅材材料的长度通过多个单独的工作单元加工，每个单独的工作单元在材料上执行功函数以逐渐实现最终结果，工件单元沿着沿着幅材材料纵向延伸的X坐标方向排列， 网状材料由各个单元单向移动。 蓄能器设置在相邻的工作单元之间，并且响应于包含在蓄能器中的松弛网状物材料的量而控制位于蓄压器的相对侧的一个或两个工作单元，如通过停止将纸幅 当累积的材料超过给定量时，上游一个作业单元的材料和/或当累积材料的量低于给定量时，通过下游的一个作业单元停止对幅材材料的供给。 工作单元可以是用于将端部图形打印到卷筒纸材料上的多个打印机，以及用于从网状材料切割端部图形的后续切割机构。 结束图形可以是多色的，每个打印机打印结束图形的颜色分离部分。