Xerox Corporation

Jack Gaynor Elliot

Eric Michael Gross

Sudhendu Rai

Sharath Srinivas

Erwin Ruiz

Peter M Gulvin

James J Spence

Derek Albert Bryl

Martin Edward Hoover

Timothy Wayne Jacobs

Rachel Lynn Tanchak

Christopher T Chungbin

Piotr Sokolowski

Brendan McNamara

Lalit Keshav Mestha

David Allen Mantell

Peter Paul

Michael F Leo

Vladimir Kozitsky

David Clark Craig

Wayne A Buchar

Brian Robert Conrow

Marc Dennis Daniels

Christine Ann Steurrys

Rakesh Suresh Kulkarni

Stan Alan Spencer

Lloyd A Williams

Joannes N M deJong

Thomas Acquaviva

Bryan James Roof

Jing Zhou

Mark A Atwood

Abu Saeed Islam

Faming Li

Douglas E Proctor

Marina L Tharayil

Fusheng Xu

Ranjit Kumar Ettam

Anand Kumar Singh

Ka Hei Fung

Silvia Mastellone

Leonid Buchman

A material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer identifies a time lag error corresponding to a time lag in the response of printer components to component commands. The identified time lag error is provided to a slicer program that uses the identified time lag error to compensate for the time lag in the response of the printer components.

System and method for calibrating lag time in a three-dimensional object printer

A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another at a constant velocity to form edges of the feature.

System and method for reducing drop placement errors at perimeter features on an object in a three-dimensional (3D) object printer

A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer use positional data from an encoder to control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another to form edges of the feature.

A printing system facilitates the printing of articles of manufacture. The system includes an array of printheads, a support member positioned to be parallel to a plane formed by the array of printheads, a member movably mounted to the support member, an actuator operatively connected to the movably mounted member, an object holder configured to mount to the movably mounted member, and a controller operatively connected to the plurality of printheads and the actuator. The controller is configured to operate the actuator to move the object holder past the array of printheads and to operate the plurality of printheads to eject marking material onto objects held by the object holder as the object holder passes the array of printheads. The support member and printhead array are oriented vertically to enable the printing system to be installed in a vertical cabinet that provides a small footprint in a non-production environment.

System for printing on three-dimensional (3D) objects

A print head includes a backup plate and a nozzle plate. The backup plate has a non-planar lower surface. The nozzle plate also has a non-planar lower surface. The nozzle plate is coupled to the lower surface of the backup plate.

Print head with curved nozzle plate

A method, system, and apparatus for capturing information is disclosed. The method includes emitting energy of a first wavelength from a first energy source located proximate to a first end of a digital pen and forming a first set handwritten markings on the substrate by causing the substrate to image as a result of an exposure of the substrate to the energy emitted from the first energy source. The method also includes detecting by an image-capturing sensor of the digital pen a first detected portion of a position-identifying pattern on the substrate and storing in the memory a digital document file comprising the first set of handwritten markings and the first detected portion of the position-identifying data. An apparatus and system for performing the method is also disclosed.

System and method for creating and modifying physically transient handwritten digital documents

A method of assigning a hub to a job source may include identifying one or more job sources where one or more print jobs are received, identifying one or more hubs to which the print jobs can be sent to be processed, determining a processing cost for each unique pair of job sources and hubs, creating, by a computing device, a job source list by identifying the pair associated with the largest processing cost, assigning the job source of the identified pair a highest position in the job source list, and repeating the identifying and the assigning for a next highest position until all identified job sources are assigned, and assigning the job source having the highest position in the job source list to an associated hub having a lowest processing cost.

Methods and systems for assigning a job source to a hub in a print production environment

A method of determining a cell configuration in a print production environment may include identifying a set of print devices to assign to a cell, identifying a print device number, identifying one or more subsets of print devices from the set, where each subset includes a unique portion of the print devices in the set, and each subset includes a number of print devices equal to the print device number, performing a simulation of operation on each subset to determiner a subset performance metric for each subset, selecting one of the subsets based on the associated subset performance metric, decrementing the print device number by an amount, updating the set with the selected subset, and repeating the identifying one or more subsets, performing the simulation, selecting one of the subsets, decrementing the print device number and updating until no subset performance metric satisfies a performance constraint.

Methods and systems for allocating resources in a print production environment

A method of assigning a job to a production device may include identifying a queue comprising a plurality of print jobs, identifying a plurality of print production devices capable of processing the plurality of print jobs, determining that one of the identified print production devices is an idle print production device, identifying a top priority print job from the queue, determining a completion time associated with processing the top priority print job by each of the identified print production devices, identifying a fastest print production device, assigning the top priority print job to the fastest print production device, determining whether the fastest print production device is the idle print production device, and in response to determining that the fastest print production device is the idle print production device, sending the top priority print job to the fastest print production device and removing the top priority print job from the queue.

Methods and systems for assigning jobs to production devices

A workflow information capture system uses a digital pen to capture handwritten information about a production process resource. The pen captures the handwritten markings from a worksheet, identifies the position of the marking, based on the position determines one or more process parameters for the marking, and saves the handwritten markings and their corresponding process parameter in a memory. The system may then use this information to generate recommendations for improving a workflow that is implemented by the process resource.

System and method for capturing production workflow information

Methods and systems of balancing job assignments to a plurality of machines are disclosed. A computing device receives multiple jobs each having a job size and determines a job order for the jobs based on each job's job size. A machine order is determined for a plurality of machines based on a setup time and a processing rate associated with each machine. The computing device assigns one or more jobs to each machine based on the job order and the machine order such that a maximum total processing time for the machines is minimized. A total processing time for each machine is determined based on the number of jobs and the cumulative job size of the jobs assigned to the machine, and the setup time and the processing time associated with the machine. The maximum total processing time is the largest of the total processing times for the machines.

Methods and systems for balancing job assignments to machines in a production environment

An indirect media flatness measurement system, and method, by which the appropriate level of hold-down force may be determined with some degree of quantitative accuracy. In an ink jet printer that is operative to subject a substrate media to a hold down force during printing, the method including printing a predetermined test image having a predetermined pattern on a substrate media using an ink jet print apparatus to produce a test print. Optionally, pattern may be an array of test symbols. The test symbol may include a line printed on the substrate media in a direction perpendicular to a process direction of the printer. The test print is compared with the predetermined test image, including measuring drop placement errors of test symbols. The height of the substrate media at the location of each test symbol is calculated based upon the drop placement error.

Indirect media flatness measurement

A method and system for managing print shop workflow determines whether variations in print shop workflow may be reduced by shifting one or more customers' scheduled orders to different time periods. By shifting an order from one time period to another, the system may reduce variability in demand levels over time, thus helping increase overall system efficiency. To do this, one or more customers are selected as candidates for print shop order rescheduling. The system identifies customer orders that, if moved to other time periods, will most reduce demand level variations. A user may accept the system's recommendations, or the system may present a user with several alternative load leveling options for selection. The system may then cause the orders to be printed based on the load leveling proposal and the user's selection.

Methods and systems for load leveling in a print shop

A method of adjusting the registration of an image printed on sheets. The method including determining a first image location relative to a first sheet, adjusting a second image to be printed based on the determined first image location and printing the adjusted second image to subsequent sheet(s). The first image location determination made by measuring at least one dimension of a fiducial mark disposed directly on a transfer surface. The fiducial mark formed by the engagement of the first sheet with the transfer surface, whereby an inner edge of the fiducial mark forms at least a partial outline of a periphery of the first sheet. Each measured fiducial mark dimension extending from the fiducial mark inner edge to an outer edge of the fiducial mark. The fiducial mark outer edge being disposed remote from the at least partial outline of the first sheet periphery.

Image on paper registration using transfer surface marks

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Penfield, NY, United States of America

Jack Gaynor Elliot