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. 26, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 30, 1999
Steven Lee Lidke, Chaska, MN (US);
Robert Alan Schmidt, Prior Lake, MN (US);
MacDermid Acumen, Inc., Waterbury, CT (US);
Abstract
The method and apparatus of the present invention increases the precision for drying diverse textile printing substrates during printing operation while ink is emitted from an ink jet print head to form patterns upon the textile substrate. The present invention addresses several long-standing obstacles to high quality printed textile output including media handling from a powered media supply roll, through a cross-web tensioning area, an idler pulley, then over a full-web media advance grit roller, through a printing zone, over an idler pulley, through a forced heating zone (preferably dual-sided), then over another idler pulley, and finally onto a take-up spool which is biased against the force created by the powered media supply spool. The print engine of the present invention utilizes an open-web printing zone, dual forced air heating of both the underside and the upper side of freshly printed media, and a continuously biased tension in the axial web directions and cross-web directions. The media is preferably loaded in a center-justified orientation and the engine is tolerant of traditionally produced textile media rolls, cores, and fabric varieties.