Eastman-kodak Company

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Alan Earl Rapkin

Donald Saul Rimai

Eric C Stelter

Rodney Ray Bucks

Michael Thomas Dobbertin

Richard G Luther

W Charles Kasiske, Jr

Andrew Ciaschi

Jerry Eugene Livadas

John Leonard Hryhorenko

Timothy John Hawryschuk

Jeffrey Allan Pitas

Morris A Karski

Peter S Alexandrovich

James Douglas Shifley

Arun Chowdry

Gary P Lawniczak

Michael H Parsons

Thomas K Sciurba

Steven P Bailey

Walter B Sherwood

Wayne W Forrest

John E Cockayne

Gregory R Jantsch

Anton Suk

Vidanand Chand

Methods for operating a printing system are provided. In one method, an inkjet printhead that is positioned by a support structure is caused to emit droplets of an ink including vaporizable carrier fluid toward a target area to emit droplets according to image data and a shield is used to separate the support structure from the target area to form a first region between the support structure and the shield and a second region between the shield and the target area with the shield providing an opening between the first region and the second region to allow the inkjet printhead to jet droplets to the target area. The shield is heated to a temperature that is at least equal to a condensation temperature of the vaporized carrier fluid in the second region.

Inkjet printing system with condensation control system

Web medium supplies for a printer that uses a web medium on a core and printers are provided. In one aspect, the web medium supply has a frame with a first mounting support and second mounting support that are positioned along an axis of rotation. A first core mounting supports the core for rotation around the axis of rotation and a second core mounting supports the core for rotation around the axis of rotation. Rotation of the core is controlled by a first force applied to the first core mounting and a second force applied to the second core mounting that are both less than a third force that is sufficient to drive an alternative core against an inertial load of the core and web from one driven end.

Printer web medium supply with drive system

A method for transporting developer in an electrophotographic printer with multiple augers includes transporting developer from a first channel to a development roller across at least a portion of the development roller; releasing spent developer from the development roller to a second channel; wherein the second channel has a first region having a first cross-sectional area and a second region having a second cross-sectional area; wherein the first region is a mixing region the second region is a transport region; and wherein the first cross-sectional area is larger than the second cross sectional area.

Method for transporting electrophotographic developer in a printer

A development system () for an electrophotographic printer () with multiple augers containing a development roller (), a first channel () containing a feed auger (), and a second channel () containing a mixing auger () with the second channel having regions optimized for either developer mixing or developer transport. Optimizing the regions of the second channel for mixing and transport ensures that a homogeneous developer is steadily provided to the first channel and the development roller, thus enabling the production of uniform, high-quality images.

Electrophotographic printer development system with multiple augers

In a multi-printer system with two marking engines, the jobs printed are monitored and the remaining lives of consumables in replaceable units (RUs) in the engines are estimated. A decision unit responsive to the estimated lives of the consumables determines that the first RU in the first marking engine should be moved to the second marking engine at a selected service time, so that a remaining amount of the consumable in the first RU is not discarded.

Effectively using a consumable in two printers

Inkjet printing systems are provided. One inkjet printing system has a plurality of inkjet printheads, each having nozzles for jetting ink droplets having a vaporizable carrier fluid, a support structure to which the plurality of inkjet printheads are mounted, such that a face of each of the printheads of the plurality of printheads is positioned to jet the ink droplets toward a target area through which a receiver transport system moves a receiver during printing; and a shield between the support structure and the target area creating a first region between the shield and the target area with the shield having at least one opening through the shield through which the nozzles of the printhead can jet the ink droplets to the target area. An energy source supplies energy to cause the temperature of the shield to rise above a condensation temperature of vaporized carrier fluid in the second region.

Condensation control in an inkjet printing system

An electrophotographic (EP) printer has two toner bottles. Each has a supply volume and a waste volume separated so that toner can pass from the waste volume to the supply volume, and has a status recorder with waste and supply states. An imaging member receives toner from the supply volume of a second toner bottle in a supply receptacle, and an imaging member applies the toner to a receiver to form a print image. A cleaning device removes toner from an imaging members and transporting the removed toner to the waste volume of a first toner bottle in a waste receptacle. A toggle changes the state of the status recorder of the first toner bottle in the waste receptacle to the supply state, so that the waste toner in the waste volume of the first toner bottle is made available to be used as supply toner in the supply receptacle.

Electrophotographic printer with stateful toner bottles

Development stations are provided. A development station has a housing having a recirculation path an auger being rotatable to move the developer along at least part of the recirculation path. A drive transmission has a first output mechanically linked for movement with a first end of the auger and a second output mechanically linked for movement with a second end of the auger and distributes a force at an input end between a first force provided at the first output and at a second force provided at the second output to rotate the auger against a drag. The first force and the second force are less than a third force to drive an alternative auger from a driven end. The auger has a first end yield strength and a second end yield strength that are each less than a driven end yield strength of the alternative auger.

Development station with dual drive

Methods are provided for operating a development station. A method comprises the steps of applying a first force at a first end of an auger and applying a second force at a second end of the auger with the first force and the second force being sufficient to rotate the auger against a drag exerted by a developer and a replenishment toner being moved by rotation of the auger; and, tensioning the auger along a length of the auger by urging the first end of the auger away from the second end and by urging the second end of the auger away from the first end.

Methods for operating development station auger

Methods for operating a development station are provided. In one aspect a method comprises the steps of: applying a first force at a first end of an auger and a second force at a second end of the auger with the first force and the second force being sufficient to rotate the auger against a drag exerted by the developer and the replenishment toner. Both the first force and the second force are less than a third force applied to a single driven end of an alternative auger to rotate the alternative auger against the drag and wherein the auger has a first yield strength at the first end and a second yield strength at the second end that are less than a third yield strength required to receive the third force at the driven end of the alternative auger.

Methods for dual drive operation of an auger in a development station

Development stations are provided. A development station has a housing having a recirculation path and an auger being rotatable to move the developer along part of the recirculation path. A first output is at a first end of the auger through which a first urging force urging the first end of the auger away from the second end can be applied and a second output at a second end of the auger through which a second urging force urging the second end away from the first end can be applied. At least one actuator generates an input force from which at least one of the first force and the second force can be provided; and a separator provides the first urging force and the second urging force to create a tension in the auger.

Development station with auger tensioning

Development stations are provided. A development station has a housing having a recirculation path and an auger being rotatable to move the developer along at least part of the recirculation path. A first actuator drives a first end of the auger and a second actuator drives a second end. A first sensor senses a rotational position of the first end while a second sensor senses a rotational position of the second end of the auger. An auger controller causes the actuators to act so that a first force and a second force rotate the auger against a drag. The first force and the second force are less than a third force to drive an alternative auger from a driven end. The auger has a first end yield strength and a second end yield strength that are less than a driven end yield strength of the alternative auger.

Development station with dual actuator drive

The adjustment method aligns printing engines in a print assembly that is capable of printing on a receiver to form one or more final prints and includes corrections for cross-track misregistration. These adjustments are made in one embodiment by aligning two or more printing engines in an x and y direction relative to a paper path cross track reference and then aligning each printing engines in a cross track direction (z direction) relative to the paper path cross track reference based on measurements in the cross track direction (z direction) relative to the paper path cross track reference.

Method and apparatus for aligning coupled digital print engines

A method and system for improved image quality using an image quality matching method is used to match the optical density of single prints produced on multiple print engines by first sensing the optical density of a first image produced on a first print engine and then sensing the optical density of a second image produced on a second print engine before comparing the optical densities and determining if they are substantially equal. If they are not equal set points and exposures are adjusted on one or both print engines until the differences between the optical densities is less than 0.05, preferably 0.03. The density is changed by adjusting the initial voltage on the primary imaging member of at least one print engine and/or by adjusting the exposure of the primary imaging member of at least one print engine.

Image quality matching in a mixed print engine assembly system

The adjustment method aligns printing engines in a print assembly that is capable of printing on a receiver to form one or more final prints and includes corrections for cross-track misregistration. These adjustments are made in one embodiment by aligning two or more printing engines in an x and y direction relative to a receiver reference and then aligning each printing engines in a cross track direction (z direction) relative to the receiver reference based on measurements in the cross track direction (z direction).

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Pittsford, NY, United States of America

Alan Earl Rapkin