The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 23, 1993
Filed:
Sep. 04, 1992
Marcello D Fiscella, Fairport, NY (US);
James E Pickering, Holcomb, NY (US);
Robert R Brearey, Rochester, NY (US);
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US);
Abstract
A continuous tone thermal printing apparatus of the type having a printing station and a receiver drive station. The drive station repeatedly advances receiver back and forth through the printing station in conjunction with the advance of successive thermal transfer donor dye colors on a carrier web through the printing station to successively print the overlying different color image separations. The drive station preferably comprises a motor driven capstan roller mounted to bear against one surface of the receiver and a pinch roller mounted to bear and exert pressure against the other surface of the receiver and to press the receiver against the capstan roller and define a nip therebetween. The capstan roller has a high friction receiver engaging surface and is relatively hard and uncompressible, and the pinch roller has a low friction receiver contacting surface and is relatively soft and compressible, such that when the receiver is within the nip, it is driven in the advance direction by motor driven rotation of the high friction capstan surface, and the interfacial shear stress between each roller and the respective receiver surface in the nip area is minimized.