Hewlett-packard Company

Xerox Corporation

Paul R Spencer

Peter A Crean

Richard F Beaufort

Robert R Hay

Thomas Camis

Robert W Jewell

Jamison B Slippy

Anthony C Palumbo, Jr

Erwin H Schwiebert

A media holding apparatus includes a tray having a support surface configured to receive media and a media stop carried by the tray. The media stop is movably supported for continuously adjustable positioning relative to the tray to conform dimensionally with media received in the tray. The apparatus also includes a position-detecting sensor associated with the tray and the media stop which is operative to generate a unique electrical pattern corresponding with a detected position of the media stop relative to the tray. The unique electrical pattern is indicative of the size of the media detected in the tray. A method is also provided.

Media holding apparatus, media size detector and method for detecting size of media for a document-generating device

Disclosed herein is a uniform heat flux dryer system and method of an ink jet printer, including a 180.degree. contoured paper transport path for transferring paper from an input paper supply tray to an output paper collection tray. During this transfer, the paper receives a uniform heat flux from an infrared bulb which is located at the axis of symmetry for the paper transport path, and reflectors are positioned on each side of the infrared bulb to maximize heat transmission from the bulb to the paper during the ink drying process. Advantageously, the input and output paper trays may be vertically aligned on one side of the printer to facilitate loading and unloading of the paper.

Method for uniformly drying ink on paper from an ink jet printer

Disclosed herein is a uniform heat flux dryer system and method for an ink jet printer, including a 180.degree. contoured paper transport path for transferring paper from an input paper supply tray to an output paper collection tray. During this transfer, the paper receives a uniform heat flux from an infrared bulb which is located at the axis of symmetry for the paper transport path, and reflectors are positioned on each side of the infrared bulb to maximize heat transmission from the bulb to the paper during the ink drying process. Advantageously, the input and output paper trays may be vertically aligned on one side of the printer to facilitate loading and unloading of the paper.

Method and apparatus for uniformly drying ink on paper from an ink jet

An apparatus and method for separating doublets includes a device in which opposed surfaces that are connected to a vacuum source have a rippled portion in which vacuum slots are positioned at the apex of the ripples. There is a gradual transition in the surface of the slots from a planar portion to a rippled portion and back to a planar portion. The two surfaces are spaced a predetermined distance from each other such that when a double sheet of paper is driven through the rippled area, both the upper sheet and the lower sheet can tack to the upper and lower slots without having to jump across a gap. Subsequently, as the two sheets move into the area of the surfaces where there are no ripples, a strong separating force is generated as each sheet remains attached to the respective vacuum slots since the upper and lower slots are not in the same plane.

Apparatus and method for double sheet separation by vacuum ports

Apparatus and method for testing and determining the operating status of a plurality of ink-ejecting nozzles in a thermal ink jet array. An electrically conductive plate is placed adjacent the ink-ejecting orifices in a test position. An ink droplet appearing from an orifice will, for some brief moment, be in contact with both the orifice plate and the electrically conductive plate. The droplet completes a circuit with a conduction detector and allows current to flow thereby indicating an operative nozzle.

Nozzle test apparatus and method for thermal ink jet systems

A corona discharge device for electrophotographic printing is provided in which erasing and primary charging functions are performed by a single device. A screened charging arrangement is used for ion steering, while simultaneous illumination by light produces charge carriers in the photoconducting layer of the drum. In one embodiment, a photochemically etched stainless steel screen is used.

Corona discharge device for electrophotographic charging and potential

Optical fibers are used to sense fluid ink drops along the x, y and z axis of an orthogonal coordinate system. A drop sensing zone is defined in the narrow space between the faces of a single input fiber and two output fibers. An LED infrared light source is coupled to a remote end of the input fiber. Infrared sensitive photodiodes are coupled to the remote ends of each output fiber. The photodiodes are in turn coupled to a differential amplifier whose output represents a displacement error for the x and y axis and represents a time reference for the z axis for the case where the drop flight path is along the z axis. A plurality of sensors are disclosed in an ink recording system having a plurality of nozzles and in an ink recording system having an ink generator traversing the length of a high speed rotating drum.

Differential fiber optic sensing method and apparatus for ink jet

An ink jet printer is disclosed of the type wherein a plurality of nozzles emit parallel streams of droplets toward a target. Each nozzle has a charging electrode to charge droplets selectively depending upon whether a particular droplet is intended for the target or a gutter. A pair of deflection plates span the paths of the droplet streams and deflects the charged droplets according to information to be printed. A multiple field electrostatic lens is used to align charged droplets from different nozzles to a common line on the target despite misalignments between nozzles relative to the common line.

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Meridian, ID, United States of America

Paul R Spencer