Patent US6034705A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6034705A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Thermal printer control system
Assignee: Datametrics Corp
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Filing: 1996-05-29
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Granted: 2000-03-07
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Expires: 2016-05-29
Abstract
Abstract An improved thermal printer has circuits that are responsive to selected parameters of the printer and to the contents of a document to be printed to selectively enable the individual printing electrodes with printing impulses of varying energy depending upon when the electrode had printed. Other circuits cause the selective process to be responsive to whether electrodes adjacent a selected electrode had printed and how recently such printing took place. In different embodiments, circuits utilize not only the history of a selected electrode and its neighbors, the as yet unprinted portion of the document to be printed is utilized to aid in the selection of an appropriate printing impulse.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles V. Tolle
- 👤 Gary L. Mallaley
- 👤 Robert P. Johnson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 03:06
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/40025; H04N1/40043; B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/315; B41J2/32; B41J2/325; H04N1/40031; H04N1/4005
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
146 words
An apparatus for thermal printing having circuits for determining an interval between successive printed marks, a plurality of color printing heads having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, and circuits for determining the onset, duration and magnitude of printing impulses applied to the at least one printing electrode, comprising: data storage means for retaining signals for each printing electrode corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium; impulse generating means for generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a selected duration and magnitude; and printing impulse selecting means coupled to said data storage means and said impulse generating means for choosing one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during each interval based upon the data stored in said data storage means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
146 words
An apparatus for thermal printing having circuits for determining an interval between successive printed marks, a plurality of color printing heads having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, and circuits for determining the onset, duration and magnitude of printing impulses applied to the at least one printing electrode, comprising: data storage means for retaining signals for each printing electrode corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium; impulse generating means for generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a selected duration and magnitude; and printing impulse selecting means coupled to said data storage means and said impulse generating means for choosing one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during each interval based upon the data stored in said data storage means.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
121 words
An apparatus for thermal printing having a plurality of printing heads each having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, comprising: data storage device storing signals corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium; impulse generator generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a selected duration and magnitude; and printing impulse selecting circuit coupled to said data storage device and said impulse generator, including a circuit determining a printing interval and a circuit choosing at least one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during at least one interval based upon data received from said data storage device.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
121 words
An apparatus for thermal printing having a plurality of printing heads each having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, comprising: data storage device storing signals corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium; impulse generator generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a selected duration and magnitude; and printing impulse selecting circuit coupled to said data storage device and said impulse generator, including a circuit determining a printing interval and a circuit choosing at least one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during at least one interval based upon data received from said data storage device.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for thermal printing using an apparatus having circuits for determining an interval between successive printed marks, a plurality of printing heads having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, and circuits for determining the onset, duration and magnitude of printing impulses applied the at least one printing electrode, comprising: retaining signals for each printing electrode corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium in a data storage device; generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a duration and magnitude; and choosing one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during each interval based upon the data stored in said data storage device.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for thermal printing using an apparatus having circuits for determining an interval between successive printed marks, a plurality of printing heads having at least one printing electrode operable in response to applied printing impulses for causing the deposit of a mark upon a medium, and circuits for determining the onset, duration and magnitude of printing impulses applied the at least one printing electrode, comprising: retaining signals for each printing electrode corresponding to the presence or absence of marks upon the medium in a data storage device; generating a plurality of printing impulses, each impulse having a duration and magnitude; and choosing one of said plurality of printing impulses for each printing electrode during each interval based upon the data stored in said data storage device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-03-07 | 2003-09-06 | 2004-03-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-03-07 | 2007-09-06 | 2008-03-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-03-07 | 2011-09-06 | 2012-03-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |