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:
Dec. 08, 1998
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1996
Tomoyoshi Nishimura, Saitama, JP;
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, JP;
Abstract
In a one-pass multi-head type color thermal printer having at least first to third printing stages arranged along a transport path, slacks are provided in the recording material between the first to third printing stages. The amounts of the slacks are measured by respective slack sensors. The transporting speed of the recording material through the second printing stage is fixed at a constant value, and the transporting speeds through the first and third printing stages are controlled in accordance with the outputs from the slack sensors, so as to maintain the amounts of the slacks constant. The slacks are provided during an initial loading of the recording material by delaying starting the transport of the recording material in downstream ones of the printing stages for a time after a leading edge of the recording material moves in each of the downstream printing stages until each of the slacks reaches a predetermined amount.