Eastman-Kodak Company

Vlade Josif Kordovich

Daniel C Maslanka

Terrence Lee Fisher

Manh Tang

A thermal printer (10) includes a rotatable platen (34) having opposite shaft ends (122); a print head (30) extended parallel to the platen; a mounting bracket (76, 78, 84, 86) for supporting the print head adjacent the platen; an elongated beam spring (104) with opposite ends (106, 108); a fulcrum member (100, 102) extended from the mounting bracket to engage the beam spring between the ends; and cams (132-140) for engaging the opposite ends to deflect the beam spring and press the print head into engagement with the platen to define a nip for a dye donor web (31) and a receiver sheet (22).

Thermal printer with improved print head assembly

A thermal printer (10) is useful for printing onto a receiver sheet (22, 24, 26) having a leading edge and a trailing edge and includes an elongated rotatable platen (34); an elongated thermal print head (30) positioned parallel to the platen; a closed loop pathway (12, 14, 16) for recirculating the receiver sheet in a printing direction from the platen and back to the platen, the platen being positioned for rotation in the printing direction with at least a portion of the platen in the pathway to engage the receiver sheet or a dye donor web (31); a supply roll (28) of dye donor web positioned upstream of the print head; a mechanism (76-112, 132-142) for moving the print head into the pathway opposite the platen to press the print head into engagement with the dye donor web, the dye donor web into engagement with the receiver sheet, and the receiver sheet into engagement with the platen; a mechanism (180-188) for rotating the platen in the printing direction to move either the dye donor web or both the dye donor web and the receiver sheet between the print head and the platen; and a mechanism (18, 166-174) for recirculating the receiver sheet through the closed loop pathway in the printing direction for successive thermal transfers of different dyes from the dye donor web. A method of thermal printing also is taught.

Thermal printer which recirculates receiver sheet between successive

A thermal printer (10) is useful for printing onto a receiver sheet (22, 24, 26) and includes an elongated rotatable platen (34); an elongated thermal print head (30) positioned parallel to the platen; a supply roll (28) of dye donor web (31) positioned upstream of the print head; a mechanism (76-112, 132-142) for pressing the print head into engagement with the dye donor web and, in an absence of a receiver sheet, for pressing the dye donor web into engagement with the platen; and a mechanism (180-188) for rotating the platen, while the print head is pressing the dye donor web against the platen, to move the dye donor web between the print head and the platen.

Thermal printer which uses platen to transport dye donor web between

A thermal printer includes a web transport for positioning a dye donor web along a path; a sensor along the path and spaced from the print line for detecting the arrival of a leading edge of a dye frame, and a control for the web transport. The control is adapted to reposition the dye donor web along the path so that the leading edge of the dye frame is in substantial alignment with the print line before printing the dye frame begins. The web transport moves the dye donor web in both forward and reverse directions past the print line, and the sensor detects the leading edge of a frame while the donor web moves in a forward direction. The control stops the web and reverses it to thereby rewind the dye donor web until the edge of the dye frame is in substantial alignment with the print line. The control adjusts the amount of repositioning of the dye donor web that is effected as a function of the detected leading edge's location along dye donor web.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Vlade Josif Kordovich