Zih Corporation

Gregory Paul Panebianco

Richard J Preliasco

Roy Patrick Lyman

David F Beck

Gregory J Klein

Stephen A Petersen

According to one embodiment, a docking station and an associated method for docking a portable printer are provided. The portable printer has a printhead, media drive, and media support externally configured to be latched onto the docking station, and the docking station is adapted for convenient one-hand docking and undocking of the portable printer. The docking station includes a base member having a first surface configured to receive the portable printer, and a latching mechanism including a manually operable actuator and coupled thereto one or more latches adapted to automatically engage and securely dock the portable printer on the first surface of the base member when the printer is positioned on the first surface. The actuator is capable of actuating the latch to unlatch a latched printer and to bias the printer outwardly for removal of the printer from the station.

Docking station and associated method for docking a portable printer

Removable battery

Printer

Cradle for a portable electronic device

A portable printer is provided having a housing with a compartment for a roll of media and two spindle members coupled to roll positioning mechanism in the compartment. Each spindle member has tow sides with different diameter conical surfaces and is reversibly mountable in the printer to select such conical surface having a diameter for engaging the core diameter of a roll mounted between the spindle members. Each of the spindle members is reversible in the printer to enable presentation of two different diameter conical surfaces for engaging two different diameter roll cores in the printer. The conical surfaces can also reshape the ends of a crushed roll core from a oval to a circular cross-sectional shape when the spindle members are urged towards each other by the roll positioning mechanism into the ends of the roll core, thereby providing for proper rotational mounting of such roll in the printer.

Portable printer with spindle members for rotationally mounting media rolls of different core diameters

Growing community of inventors

E. Greenwich, RI, United States of America

Gregory Paul Panebianco