Xerox Corporation

John Robert Uchal

James Edward Williams

Paul F Sawicki

Robert W Phelps

Michael Quoc Lu

Eliud Robles Flores

Christopher Douglas Atwood

Roger Gaylord Leighton

Paul Allen Hosier

David Keneth Ahl

David Peter Lomenzo

D Clay Johnson

Bruce Earl Thayer

Scott J Phillips

Joseph Herman Lang

Mark A Adiletta

Robert Bruce Anderson, Jr

Patrick James Walker

Robert E Rosdahl, Jr

David Kenneth Ahl

Laurence S Barker

Michael J Severn

Guido Nicholas Dimatteo, Iii

Lina Bian

Robert B Anderson

A transport item moves in a process direction to transport sheets of media. The transport item is positioned between an inkjet printhead and a receptacle. The inkjet printhead has nozzles. The transport item has openings arranged in a pattern, the pattern of the openings is consistent along all of the transport item, and the pattern of the openings in the transport item aligns at least one opening with each of the locations of the nozzles as the transport item moves in the process direction. The nozzles eject ink through the openings to the receptacle when the nozzles are aligned with the openings. When controlling the nozzles to eject ink through the openings to the receptacle, a controller can control the nozzles to simultaneously eject ink on a sheet of media while ejecting ink through the openings to the receptacle.

Vacuum transport having opening pattern allowing jetting of all nozzles to receptacle

A media handling assembly contains a transport path for driving a document sheet downstream in a process direction. A first side edge extends lengthwise along the process direction. A registration guide edge extends lengthwise along the process direction and is situated opposite the first side edge. The media handling assembly includes at least one nozzle that is arranged proximate the first side edge. The at least one nozzle selectively discharges an airstream transverse the process direction towards the registration guide edge. The airstream drives the sheet against the registration edge guide for side registering and deskewing of the sheet.

Active registration system utilizing forced air for edge registration

An image forming apparatus includes a collection system for collecting vapor co-solvents that are a byproduct of liquid ink. In addition, the collection system collects dew condensation from the moist air that is generated by lamps that dry the ink on a substrate. The collection system can be located in an exhaust passage. A condenser is installed in parallel and in front of an exhaust fan in the exhaust passage. The exhaust fan directs a flow of air through the exhaust passage. The collection system also includes a removable waste bottle for collecting the dew condensation and the condensed co-solvents. The exhaust passage bifurcates into an exhaust duct that is located after the exhaust fan and which discharges dry air and a collection channel that is located in front of the exhaust fan and which carries liquid drip off to the removable waste bottle.

Collection system for ink co-solvents

A registration system includes nip rollers for conveying a sheet in a process direction when the nip rollers are in an engaged position, and first and second sets of omnidirectional rollers arranged perpendicularly to each other, for conveying the sheet in the process and cross-process directions, respectively. The omnidirectional rollers each allow the sheet to slide, relative to the omnidirectional roller, in a direction parallel to an axis of rotation of the omnidirectional roller. The nip-rollers are movable from the engaged position to a disengaged position, in which the first pair of omnidirectional rollers convey the sheet in the process direction. A feedback system includes sensors for determining registration errors of the sheet and a control system controls the omnidirectional rollers to reduce the registration errors in the sheet while the nip-rollers are in the disengaged position.

Center registration system

A 3-D printer includes development stations that electrostatically transfer first and second materials to an intermediate transfer surface. The development stations can each include a photoreceptor supplying the materials to the intermediate transfer surface, and a boosted developer roll supplying the materials to the photoreceptor. The boosted developer roll comprises an outer roll rotating in a first rotational direction to move with movement of the photoreceptor, and a magnetic roll within the outer roll rotating in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The magnetic roll comprises alternating permanent magnets. The intermediate transfer surface transfers a layer of the materials to a platen each time the platen contacts the intermediate transfer surface to successively form a freestanding stack of layers on the platen. A bonding station is positioned to apply light and/or heat to the freestanding stack to bond the layers to one another.

Electrostatic 3-D printer having rotating magnetic cores within developer rolls

Layers of build and support material on an intermediate transfer surface are moved past a transfuse station and a platen moves relative to the intermediate transfer surface to contact the platen to one of the layers on the intermediate transfer surface. The intermediate transfer surface transfers a layer of the build material and the support material to the platen each time the platen contacts the layers on the intermediate transfer surface at the transfuse station to successively form a freestanding stack of the layers of build and support material on the platen. The build material has a higher melting temperature than the support material. A support material removal station heats the stack to a temperature above the melting temperature of the support material, but below the melting temperature of the build material, to melt the support material, but leave a 3-D structure made of only the build material.

Electrostatic 3-D development apparatus using different melting point materials

What is disclosed is an object holder for retaining an object in a direct-to-object print system and a direct-to-object print system configured to use various embodiments of the object holder of the present invention. In one embodiment, the object holder has a back support configured to slideably traverse a support member positioned parallel to a plane formed by at least one printhead configured to eject marking material on to a surface of an object. A top and bottom arm are attached to the back support. At least one retention bit is attached to each of the top and bottom arms for collectively retaining the object to the object holder.

Object holder for a direct-to-object printer

What is disclosed is an apparatus and method for inhibiting the formation of sediment in an ink tank of a MICR inkjet printer. In one embodiment, the present apparatus comprises an ink tank containing MICR ink and an electromagnet which resides in a chamber located on, near, or inside the ink tank. Activation of the electromagnet causes the particles to be attracted to the electromagnet's magnetic field such that the particles are lifted off a bottom of the tank to inhibit sediment formation thereon. The electromagnet can be activated in response to the MICR inkjet printer having been turned OFF. A sensor may further be employed to activate the electromagnet in response to one of: sediment in the ink tank having reached a pre-determined level; a flow-rate of liquid ink through the tank having fallen below a threshold level, sediment levels, or a pressure inside the tank.

Inhibiting sediment formation in a MICR ink tank

The present disclosure provides apparatus and method for supplying uninterrupted flow of solid-ink pellets to an image-forming device. The apparatus includes a container for retaining solid-ink pellets, and a selectably-inflatable bladder disposed within the container. Further, the apparatus includes a tube communicating the bladder with a pressure supply.

Method and apparatus for delivering solid-ink pellets

A phase change inkjet printer is equipped with an agitator to prevent settling of metal particles in melted magnetic phase change ink. The agitator operates to agitate the melted magnetic phase change ink as the ink enters the printhead to maintain the metal particles in suspension within the melted ink.

Solid ink printer with magnetic ink mixing

Method and system for delivering solid-ink pellets

A printhead wiper assembly includes an elongated member having a first and second wiper, a linkage, and an actuator. The linkage includes a clutch that enables the elongated member to move to a plurality of positions in response to the actuator activating a plurality of times. The sequence of positions enables first wiper and then the other wiper to contact the printhead face to remove purged ink from the face.

Three position printhead wiper assembly

An ink removal system includes a drip bib and a flexible member. The drip bib collects melted ink flowing down the face of a printhead and the flexible member captures ink dropping from the drip bib after an ink receptacle has received most of the ink collected by the drip bib. When the ink receptacle returns to the position where the receptacle catches melted ink from the drip bib, the receptacle also bends the flexible member and releases the captured ink, which falls into the ink receptacle.

Apparatus and method for collecting and expelling phase change ink in a printer

In an inkjet printing apparatus, a heater heats a drip bib that is located below a plurality of inkjets in a printhead to a temperature that melts ink collected on a surface of the drip bib. Pressurized air is directed toward the surface of the drip bib to remove the melted ink from the surface of the drip bib.

Apparatus and method for removal of ink from an exterior of a printhead

A printhead cleaning device includes a housing having an opening and an ink receptacle positioned within the opening. A member extends from the ink receptacle and through the opening. The member is configured to contact a faceplate of a printhead to enable liquid ink emitted onto the faceplate to move from across the member into the ink receptacle.

Growing community of inventors

Webster, NY, United States of America

John Robert Uchal