Xerox Corporation

Kelly J Burton

Elizabeth Crossen

Annie Liu

Christopher Douglas Atwood

Chu-Heng Liu

Paul J McConville

Douglas K Herrmann

Jason Mathew LeFevre

Roger Gaylord Leighton

Marc Dennis Daniels

Husein Naser Rashed

Sean P Lillis, Jr

An inkjet printer adjusts operation of a vacuum system coupled to a printhead to compensate for pressure changes in the manifold of the printhead caused by vertical displacement of the printhead within the printer. The inkjet printer includes a controller that determines either a difference between an optimal pressure in the manifold and a current pressure to operate a vacuum coupled to the manifold for pressure adjustment or it correlates a current printhead vertical position to a previously observed vertical position and uses a vacuum value associated with the previously observed vertical position to operate the vacuum.

System and method for attenuating ink weeping and air ingestion in a printhead moved by an articulating arm

A printing system treats the surface of three-dimensional objects to be printed to improve the printing of the articles of manufacture. The system includes a surface treatment module that is positioned to part of the printing process and to treat the object surfaces prior to the surfaces being printed. The treatment of the surfaces within the module include operating an abrasive device to remove material from an object surface and to apply solvent to the object surface to clean the surface.

System for preparing three-dimensional (3D) objects for surface printing

What is disclosed is an object holder for securely retaining a 3-dimensional object while it is being printed 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 comprises a frame 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 flexible belt is positioned around an inside of the frame to form a circle. One end of the belt is fixed to the frame. An opposite end of the belt passes through an opening in a side of the frame. Pulling the belt through the opening tightens the belt encircled around the object in the frame. A lock prevents the belt from loosening after it has been pulled tight.

Object holder for a direct-to-object printer

What is disclosed is system which facilitates the application of a mark to a surface of an object in a direct-to-object print system and a direct-to-object print system configured to use various embodiments of the present marking system. The present marking system comprises a camera for capturing an image of an object retained by an object holder configured to slideably traverse a support member positioned to be parallel to a plane formed by at least one printhead configured to eject in onto a surface of the object. A processor receives an image of an object held and communicates the image to a display. A mark to be printed on the object is retrieved and overlaid on the object in the image. A location of the overlaid mark is determined and communicated to a controller which causes the printhead to print the mark on the object at the location.

System for applying a mark to an object in an object holder of a direct-to-object printer

What is disclosed is an object holder for securely retaining an object while it is being printed 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 comprises a shuttle mount 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 memory foam is attached to the shuttle mount. A vacuum pump is used to withdraw a volume of air through a hole in the memory foam such that, a difference in air pressure causes an object to be pressed against the face of the memory foam causing the foam to partially deform to the object's shape.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Kelly J Burton