Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Corporation

Richard Alan Kelley

Wade A Powell

Steve Orrin Rasmussen

John A Underwood

Bruce G Johnson

Todd R Medin

Michael W Munro

Brooke E Smith

Bruce R Johnson

Anthony W Ebersole

David E DeBellis

Steven B Elgee

Henry Young Chin

Jan Hippen

Daniel R Dwyer

Geoff Wotton

David Lynn Burton

Larry A Jackson

Rick Minoru Tanaka

Christopher M Lesniak

Donald R McClelland

Donald R Bloyer

Jeffrey R Blackman

Antonio Gomez

David M Thorpe

Richard E Olson

John A Christianson

Richard E Berriman

Sandra Y Okazaki

Larry G Neubauer

Elmer Samov Cajigas

Stephen D Dorow

Stephen C Brown

Ilan A Sabar

In a print system including a host communicating with an inkjet print apparatus, a processor executes an inkjet print driver. The driver manages print job communication to the inkjet print apparatus. The print job includes print data and at least one print control parameter. The inkjet print apparatus includes a controller, an inkjet print source which records the print data onto a media, and a mechanism which adjusts source-to-media spacing. The controller responds to a first parameter of the at least one print control parameter to control setting of the source-to-media spacing by the adjusting mechanism for the print job.

Pen to paper spacing for inkjet printing

A printer with a media incising device operably secured thereto and a related method for using the printer is disclosed. The media control device is in communication with a printer controller that commands the media incising device to engage the media. The disclosed incising devices include either mechanical structures that physically contact the media, or an incising fluid ejector that ejects incising fluid onto the media. Accordingly, the printer allows both printing on the media and incising, such as the creation of score lines, perforations, embossing, cutting, and the like, of the media without removing the media from the printer or requiring the use of two different machines to do these different tasks.

Media incising printer

Apparatus for adjusting printhead-to-media spacing in a printer having a frame and a shiftable printhead-carrying carriage mounted on the frame for lateral movement relative to the frame, the apparatus comprising a first immovable mechanical contact actuator anchored to the frame and disposed beyond one end of a print-job range, and a first movable mechanical contact actuator movable with the carriage, positioned toward that side of the carriage which generally faces the first fixed actuator, and engageable with the first fixed actuator during movement of the carriage beyond the one end of the print-job range to cause a positional adjustment of the carriage which effects a change in printhead-to-media spacing.

Printhead-to-media spacing adjustment in a printer

A pick mechanism includes a hinged pick arm which moves between a retracted position and a varying, operating position. The pick arm is anchored about a pivot axis and hinged along its length. Rotation of a pick roller along the arm while in contact with a media sheet induces a moment on the pick arm causing the pick arm to pivot and hinge. A first stop limits the pivoting motion. A second stop limits the hinging motion, Such pivoting and hinging is desirable to create an effective normal force enabling reliable picking of thick media sheets. Such motions are limited to prevent the pick roller from translating too far from a media separation ramp. If the pick roller translates too far, undesirable media buckling may occur during the pick operation.

Hinged-arm pick mechanism

Barcodes can be produced by feeding reel-stock media and receiving a drive signal from a printing device. The media receives, exterior of the printing device, print imaging as a barcode pattern or barcode indicia corresponding to the drive signal. Barcode-bearing media is thereby produced externally of the printing device but making use of the printing device resources.

Barcode printing module

A printer with a media feed apparatus bas a media tray with a surface for supporting a media stack. A wave drive mechanism has a pair of wheels, a belt looped around said wheels, and a plurality of freewheeling rollers. Each one of the freewheeling rollers has an axis attached to and moving with the belt. At least one of the plurality of freewheeling rollers makes contact with the top sheet in the tray while the belt moves the axis in a feed direction to shift the top sheet in the feed direction. A controller controls a bias force of the wave drive mechanism against the top sheet during the time that the wave drive mechanism moves the sheet.

Printer media feed encoder apparatus and method

Apparatus for adjusting to different selectable values the printhead-to-media spacing in a printer having a frame and a reversibly, laterally-shiftable printhead-carrying carriage. The carriage is mounted on the frame both for adjusting by rocking to establish different such spacing values, and is also mounted for the usual lateral movement during a printing operation. One or more mechanical actuators that move with the carriage engage one or more associated stationary actuators effectively anchored to the frame in the printer under certain circumstances with movement of the carriage laterally beyond one or both of the opposite ends of its usual print-job range. Movable and stationary actuator interengagements create rotation of a rotatable structure that is carried on the carriage. This rotatable structure engages an anti-rotation rail to effect up and down rocking of the carriage so as to change, from one value to another, the existing printhead-to-media spacing that exists between printheads that are carried on the carriage and media transported through the printer for printing.

A pick mechanism includes a hinged pick arm which moves between a retracted position and a varying, operative position. The pick arm is anchored about a pivot axis and hinged along its length. Rotation of a pick roller along the arm while in contact with a media sheet induces a moment on the pick arm causing the pick arm to pivot and hinge. A first stop limits the pivoting motion. A second stop limits the hinging motion. Such pivoting and hinging is desirable to create an effective normal force enabling reliable picking of thick media sheets. Such motions are limited to prevent the pick roller from translating too far from a media separation ramp. If the pick roller translates too far, undesirable media buckling may occur during the pick operation.

A printer having a media transport mechanism defining a media path. The path extends from a media supply past a print engine. A media alignment element moves between an extended position intersecting the path between the supply and the engine, and a retracted position away from the path. The printer may include a pair of rollers between the supply and the alignment element and encompassing the path, so that the sheet may be gripped by the rollers at a position adjacent the alignment to preserve the alignment by the element. The rollers may retract the sheet from the alignment element, which may move aside from the media path, so that the media may be fed toward a print engine.

Printer media alignment apparatus and method

Two motors are used to provide motion control in a transport drive system. A primary motor, or a primary and secondary motor, provides primary power for accelerated motion. PWM signals are used to drive the motors according to predetermined fixed functions related to acceleration, deceleration and hold of a load. Alternatively, during onset of large or high speed moves, the primary and secondary motors are on in tandem. During deceleration of a move, the torque provided by the secondary motor is reversed, providing active braking and ensuring the drive train remains loaded wherein backlash is eliminated. During a driver hold phase, the primary and secondary motor push against each other to actively control positioning.

Active damping and backlash control for servo systems

An apparatus for transporting print medium through a printzone of a printing device. The apparatus including a print media movement mechanism configured to advance a first portion of a print medium through the printzone and a reciprocally translating vacuum platen downstream of the print media movement mechanism. The vacuum platen receives the print medium and conveys a remaining portion of the print medium through the printzone so that a printing mechanism can print at a bottom margin of the print medium.

Apparatus and method for transporting print media through a printzone of a printing device

The present invention provides an apparatus for adjusting and fixing default printhead-to-media spacing in a printer having a frame and a printhead-carrying carriage, the apparatus including an elongate, laterally extending carriage rod along which the carriage moves during printing, and selectively adjustable and fixable compliant structure mounting the rod on the frame, and operable to effect positional and fixable adjustment of the rod relative to the frame to establish a desired default printhead-to-media spacing.

Compliant carriage adjustment method and apparatus for setting default printhead-to-media- spacing in a printer

A printing apparatus with an index-feeding printing system having a first media path, a continuous feed finishing apparatus having a second media path, and a media buffer device having a third media path connecting between the first media path and the second media path. The third path may have a first portion communicating with the printing system, and a second portion communicating with the finishing apparatus, with the first and second portions merging with each other to form a common path portion terminating at a common path dead end, such that a media sheet from the printing system stops at the dead end and reverses direction for feeding to the finishing apparatus.

Printer media transport apparatus and method

A printer with a media feed apparatus has a media tray with a surface for supporting a stack of media sheets. A wave drive mechanism above the stack support surface has a media contact element operable to make contact with a top sheet of a media stack in the tray while moving in a feed direction to shift the top sheet in the feed direction. An encoder above the tray operates to detect motion of the top sheet. A controller may monitor the encoder to determine the speed of sheet motion, and set the speed of the wave drive mechanism to maintain the sheet motion above a threshold.

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Richard Alan Kelley