Agfa Corporation

I-tek, Inc.

Itek Graphix Corp.

Agfa Division, Bayer Corporation

Dennis W Dodge

William W Tice

Thomas P Marincic

Philip A Rombult

David B Larsen

Donald J Garand

Phillip A Rombult

Christopher Evans

John William Wolber

Thomas E Robinson

Thomas M Madigan

Roger L Audet

Robert H Powers

James D Roberge

Robert Signorello

Aaron Mirmelshteyn

Paul Matwey

A center justified pin registration system uses a plurality of pairs of registration pins having different thickness heads to align an edge of a printing plate when mounting the plate to a drum of an imaging system. The registration pins are optionally adjustable. The registration system avoids the requirement to punch holes or notches in a printing plate and does not require adjusting the thickness of a common registration pin. The registration system allows printing plates having different widths to be mounted without necessitating adjustments of the registration pins. An alternate embodiment employs a plurality of pairs of registration pins having uniform thickness heads.

Pin registration system for mounting different width printing plates

A pin registration system uses a plurality of registration pins having different thickness heads to align an edge of a printing plate when mounting the plate to a drum of an imaging system. The registration pins are optionally adjustable along the longitudinal axis of the drum. The registration system avoids the requirement to punch holes or notches in a printing plate and does not require adjusting the thickness of a common registration pin. The registration system allows printing plates having different widths to be mounted without necessitating adjustments of the registration pins.

The present invention provides a media handling system for an imaging system, such as an external drum platesetter. Separate input and output trays are provided, thereby allowing pre-staging of a second printing plate while a first printing plate is being imaged. The input tray is positioned over the output tray to reduce the floor space (i.e., footprint) of the imaging system.

External drum imaging system

A media supply cassette is disclosed for use in an imaging system for processing a web of imageable media. The media supply cassette includes a first roller and a second roller for providing a nip through which the media exits the supply cassette through rotation of the first roller. The supply cassette also includes a third roller coupled to the first roller such that rotation of the third roller causes the first roller to rotate. The third roller is positioned to contact a fourth roller in the imaging system such that rotation of the fourth roller causes the third roller to rotate thereby providing rotation of the first roller which causes the media to exit the cassette and enter the imaging system.

Media feed apparatus for imaging system

An imaging system includes a processing device and a scanner. The processing device generates control signals corresponding to representations of color separated images. The scanner outputs the color separated images on an image receiving material in accordance with the control signals. The scanner is operable in a first mode to output each color separated image individually so as to be separated from the other color separated images, and in a second mode to output each of the color separated images so as to be superimposed with the other color separated images.

Dual mode optical scanner control

An electronic prepress system for electronically preparing and outputting images onto image receiving materials includes a computer for generating and storing color separated images in electronic files. A processor processes the electronic files received from the computer and converts the electronic files to rasterized image files. The rasterized image files are accepted by the scan engine from the processor. The scan engine outputs color separated images on an image receiving material and is operable in a first operating mode for outputting the color separated images individually onto a first image receiving material as a set having a separated image for each of the color separated images, and a second operating mode for outputting the color separated images onto a second image receiving material having the color separated images superimposed as an assembled color proof of the image.

Electronic prepress system including thermal imaging apparatus with

A non-contact LED-array image printer is provided having a scanning print head driven by a zero backlash threaded lead screw. The LED array is mounted on a substrate bearing an interface control circuit which receives video data through a ribbon cable, and the LED array is imaged by a lens onto an exposure plane on a platen parallel to the direction of scan. Means are provided for conveniently adjusting object and image distances relative to the image plane. The photosensitive medium is driven in registration in forward and reverse directions biased against the exposure platen defining the image plane. A gear, clutch and brake mechanism is provided to ensure that the photosensitive medium remains in taut registration across the exposure platen.

Non-contact led-array image printer

An optical printhead for contact or non-contact printing on a photosensitive material. The printhead traverses the photosensitive material and is provided with a substrate having a light emitting diode matrix and an interface circuit therein. A lens barrel provided with an optical system therein focuses the diode matrix onto the photosensitive material.

Led-array image printer

Four pairs of paper drive rollers are provided which may be individually adjusted so that proper balancing of the bite pressures result. The same springs employed for this purpose are also utilized to maintain the mechanism locked and to provide rapid and easy opening of the mechanism to widely separate the rollers for the purpose of cleaning and preventing the rollers from being flattened due to continued application of bite pressure when the machine is not being used.

Drive roller biasing mechanism

First and second rotatable edge guide rollers are provided having precision roller positioning means for preventing skewing of sheets of predetermined widths, such rollers being laterally shifted in position to accommodate various widths by means of a roller actuation device which controls a counter which counts the extent of travel of a recording head between a reference position and a position indicative of the guide roller position. The count within the counter is examined by logic circuitry which determines whether the rollers are properly positioned across the width of sheets. The sheet reference platen has a plurality of apertures which receive a fiducial referencing projection mounted upon the roller actuation device and when the actuation device and hence the roller is in one of the predetermined positions the projection device will pass through a particular aperture to permit the sheet referencing platen to be lowered into position. Such projection also produces a visual indication to the operator that the roller is properly positioned with respect to the sheet.

Paper guide with width sensing and width indication system

A non-deformable metallic pulley is coated with a urethane layer having a thickness of about 0.0005 inches. A drive belt, coupled to a recording head, is positioned over the urethane layer of the pulley, which in turn is driven by a stepping motor. The drive pulley is non-deformable, to eliminate backlash and yet has a very high coefficient of friction, about double that of steel, which is maintained consistent throughout the operation of the drive system, regardless of exposure to paper dust, dirt, oil and the like.

Simple recording head drive having virtually zero backlash or slippage

The disclosure is directed to an extremely compact camera-processor which is configured to sharply reverse the direction of the exposed light sensitive sheet as it leaves the exposure plane. The light sensitive sheet is thereafter driven downwardly into a processor bath along with a relatively flimsy receptor sheet.

Diffusion transfer camera processor

A unique gear drive control means is provided for causing the execution of various operations in the camera processor, such as driving the light sensitive medium to the exposure station, cutting the medium, driving the medium through a second transport means, and driving the medium again through the second transport means, along with a receptor sheet, which sheets are thereafter introduced into the entrance portion of a diffusion transfer processor. A single motor turns both the rocker itself and three gears mounted thereon, which gears sequentially actuate various drive gears of the processor to carry out the various film manipulation steps.

Growing community of inventors

Amherst, NH, United States of America

Dennis W Dodge