EP0622224A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Combined central and lateral hold-down plates, and end-of-page advance-distance decrease, in liquid-ink printers
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1994-04-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2014-04-29
Abstract
Abstract In a liquid ink printer, two printing-medium (30) guide systems restrain the medium. One (21) is in an area upstream along the direction of medium advance (33) from the pen (11,34) and extending laterally across the width of the medium (30) except in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of a print-medium advancing device (24, 25). The other guide system (23) is disposed laterally from the pen (11, 34), and extends laterally across the medium only in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of the advancing device (24, 25). The first guide system (21) restrains the medium (30) over an area that stops short of the lateral edges (35) and the second guide system (23) is bifurcated (23L, 23R) and disposed laterally in two directions from the pen (11, 34), and restrains the medium across only the lateral edges (35) of the medium. A human-actuable control (52) selects a print-medium (30, 30') width, and shifts (23L, 23R') at least one bifurcation (23L) of the second guide system (23). A tensioning system (26, 27) longitudinally beyond the marking head (11, 34) from the medium advancing device (24, 25) and generally aligned laterally with that device, tensions the medium (30) away from the advancing device (24, 25) to hold the medium (30) taut at the pen (11, 34). When tensioned, the medium moves a normal distance (41) through the apparatus at each operation of the advancing device (24, 25) ; but after a trailing edge (32) of the medium (30) passes the advancing device (24, 25), the advance distance is decreased (42) preferably by about half).
Inventors
- 👤 Damon W. Broder
- 👤 William C. Hilliard
- 👤 Aneesa Rahman Scandalis
- 👤 Gerold G. Firl
- 👤 Robert R. Giles
- 👤 Joseph P. Milkovits
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 17:29
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J11/00; B41J11/0005; B41J11/0015; B41J11/002; B41J11/0022; B41J11/0024; B41J11/00244; B41J11/0045; B41J11/005; B41J13/00; B41J13/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
Apparatus for printing images, by marking with a liquid-base ink, on a web-form printing medium that has a longitudinal direction and two lateral edges; said apparatus comprising: means (20,25,27) for supplying such medium; a marking head (1) disposed for marking on such medium (30); means (24,25) for engaging such medium (30) and for advancing (33) such medium longitudinally past the marking head (11); first guide means (21) for restraining such medium, over an area that is: upstream, longitudinally, from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across substantially a full width of such medium (30) except in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of the engaging-and-advancing means (24,25) with such medium (30); second guide means (23) for restraining such medium (30), over an area that is: disposed laterally from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across such medium only in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of the engaging-and-advancing means (24,25) with such medium (30).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
Apparatus for printing images, by marking with a liquid-base ink, on a web-form printing medium that has a longitudinal direction and two lateral edges; said apparatus comprising: means (20,25,27) for supplying such medium; a marking head (1) disposed for marking on such medium (30); means (24,25) for engaging such medium (30) and for advancing (33) such medium longitudinally past the marking head (11); first guide means (21) for restraining such medium, over an area that is: upstream, longitudinally, from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across substantially a full width of such medium (30) except in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of the engaging-and-advancing means (24,25) with such medium (30); second guide means (23) for restraining such medium (30), over an area that is: disposed laterally from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across such medium only in one or more regions that are laterally near the engagement of the engaging-and-advancing means (24,25) with such medium (30).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engaging-and-advancing means (24,25) engage such medium (30) only near the lateral edges (35) of such medium; and the first guide means restrain such medium (30) over an area that is extended laterally across substantially a full width of such printing medium except near the lateral edges (35) of such medium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first guide means (21) restrain such medium (30) over an area that is extended laterally across the width of such printing medium except for a strip (36), about one and a half centimeter wide, along each lateral edge (35).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second guide means (23) are: bifurcated (23L, 23R); disposed laterally in two directions from the marking head (11); and extended laterally across only the lateral edges (35L, 35R) of such medium (30), to hold such medium at its lateral edges.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: means (26, 27), longitudinally beyond the marking head (11) from the advancing-and-engaging means (24,25) and generally aligned laterally with the advancing-and-engaging means (24,25) for tensioning such medium (30) away from the advancing-and-engaging means (24, 25) to hold such medium (30) substantially taut at the marking head (11).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: means (26,27) longitudinally beyond the marking head (11) from the advancing-and-engaging means (24,25) and generally aligned laterally with the advancing-and-engaging means (24,25), for tensioning such medium (30) away from the advancing-and-engaging means (24,25) to hold such medium (30) substantially taut at the marking head(11).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: marking head (11) operates in a print zone (34); the advancing-and-engaging means (24, 25) are very closely spaced upstream from the print zone (34); and the tensioning means (26,27) are very closely spaced down-stream from the print zone (34).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 1: wherein the marking head (11) is a thermal-inkjet pen; and further comprising means for scanning the marking head (11) across the supporting means (20) to mark on such medium (30) when supported in the supporting means (20).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
316 words
Apparatus for printing images, by marking with a liquid-base ink, on a web-form printing medium that has two surfaces and two lateral edges; said apparatus comprising: a marking head (11) disposed for marking on a first surface of such medium (30); backup means (20) for restraining a second surface of such medium (30) at a maximum distance from the marking head (11); means (24,25) for engaging such medium (30) and for advancing such medium along the backup means in an advance direction (33) and past the marking head (11); means(26, 27), disposed beyond the marking head (11) from the advancing means (24,25), for tensioning such medium (30) away from the advancing means (24, 25) to hold such medium (30) substantially taut at the marking head (11); first guide means (21) for restraining the first surface of such medium (30), to hold such medium against the backup means (20); said first guide means (21) being adjacent to the backup means (20) over an area of the backup means that is: upstream, with respect to the advance direction (33), from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across substantially a full width of the backup means except at lateral edges of the backup means (20), to hold such printing medium (30) against the backup means (20) across the lateral extent of the backup means (20) except at the edges; second guide means (23) for restraining the first surface of such medium (30), to hold such medium against the backup means (20); said second guide means (23) being adjacent to the backup means (20) over an area of the backup means (20) that is: laterally disposed, with respect to the advance direction (33), in both directions from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across only edges of the backup means (20) to hold edges (35) of the printing medium (30) against the edges of the backup means (20).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
316 words
Apparatus for printing images, by marking with a liquid-base ink, on a web-form printing medium that has two surfaces and two lateral edges; said apparatus comprising: a marking head (11) disposed for marking on a first surface of such medium (30); backup means (20) for restraining a second surface of such medium (30) at a maximum distance from the marking head (11); means (24,25) for engaging such medium (30) and for advancing such medium along the backup means in an advance direction (33) and past the marking head (11); means(26, 27), disposed beyond the marking head (11) from the advancing means (24,25), for tensioning such medium (30) away from the advancing means (24, 25) to hold such medium (30) substantially taut at the marking head (11); first guide means (21) for restraining the first surface of such medium (30), to hold such medium against the backup means (20); said first guide means (21) being adjacent to the backup means (20) over an area of the backup means that is: upstream, with respect to the advance direction (33), from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across substantially a full width of the backup means except at lateral edges of the backup means (20), to hold such printing medium (30) against the backup means (20) across the lateral extent of the backup means (20) except at the edges; second guide means (23) for restraining the first surface of such medium (30), to hold such medium against the backup means (20); said second guide means (23) being adjacent to the backup means (20) over an area of the backup means (20) that is: laterally disposed, with respect to the advance direction (33), in both directions from the marking head (11), and extended laterally across only edges of the backup means (20) to hold edges (35) of the printing medium (30) against the edges of the backup means (20).
Claim 12
Independent Claim
175 words
A method of printing desired images on a printing medium by construction from individual marks formed in pixel arrays by a scanning print head that operates in conjunction with a printing-medium advance mechanism; said method comprising the steps of: repetitively scanning the print head (11) across the printing medium (30); periodically, between repetitions of scanning the print head across the printing medium, operating the printing-medium advance mechanism (24,25) to advance the medium stepwise by a normal distance (41) at each step; generally during the scanning and operating steps, tensioning such medium (30) between an advance wheel (25) and a tensioning wheel (27); determining when (40) a trailing edge (32) of such printing medium (30) passes the advance wheel (25) so that such printing medium (30) is advanced stepwise only by the tensioning wheel (27) and is no longer tensioned; and responding to the determining step by decreasing the distance of advance (42) through the apparatus, for each step, while (40) such printing medium is advanced only by the tensioning wheel and is no longer tensioned.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
175 words
A method of printing desired images on a printing medium by construction from individual marks formed in pixel arrays by a scanning print head that operates in conjunction with a printing-medium advance mechanism; said method comprising the steps of: repetitively scanning the print head (11) across the printing medium (30); periodically, between repetitions of scanning the print head across the printing medium, operating the printing-medium advance mechanism (24,25) to advance the medium stepwise by a normal distance (41) at each step; generally during the scanning and operating steps, tensioning such medium (30) between an advance wheel (25) and a tensioning wheel (27); determining when (40) a trailing edge (32) of such printing medium (30) passes the advance wheel (25) so that such printing medium (30) is advanced stepwise only by the tensioning wheel (27) and is no longer tensioned; and responding to the determining step by decreasing the distance of advance (42) through the apparatus, for each step, while (40) such printing medium is advanced only by the tensioning wheel and is no longer tensioned.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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