Title:
WIDE FORMAT THERMAL PRINTING APPARATUS INCLUDING AN INK DONOR SHEET ASSEMBLY WITH A MEMORY
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO2000059729
Kind Code:
A3
Abstract:
Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory (300), for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer.
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Inventors:
HEVENOR CHARLES M (US)
TORTORA WILLIAM J (US)
LOOS WILLIAM A (US)
WOOD KENNETH O (US)
OSCARSON EDWARD M (US)
MINDEK DAVID M (US)
EHRHARDT KURT J (US)
WHITE JOHN K (US)
MACQUEEN RAYMOND J (US)
LIS BRIAN H (US)
DOWNEY ROY DOUGLAS (US)
BANAVIGE MICHAEL J (US)
BINNALL DANIEL G (US)
KAPUSHINSKI RONALD A (US)
PLUDE HOWARD H (US)
TORTORA WILLIAM J (US)
LOOS WILLIAM A (US)
WOOD KENNETH O (US)
OSCARSON EDWARD M (US)
MINDEK DAVID M (US)
EHRHARDT KURT J (US)
WHITE JOHN K (US)
MACQUEEN RAYMOND J (US)
LIS BRIAN H (US)
DOWNEY ROY DOUGLAS (US)
BANAVIGE MICHAEL J (US)
BINNALL DANIEL G (US)
KAPUSHINSKI RONALD A (US)
PLUDE HOWARD H (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2000/009426
Publication Date:
May 31, 2001
Filing Date:
April 07, 2000
Export Citation:
Assignee:
GERBER SCIENT PRODUCTS INC (US)
HEVENOR CHARLES M (US)
TORTORA WILLIAM J (US)
LOOS WILLIAM A (US)
WOOD KENNETH O (US)
OSCARSON EDWARD M (US)
MINDEK DAVID M (US)
EHRHARDT KURT J (US)
WHITE JOHN K (US)
MACQUEEN RAYMOND J (US)
LIS BRIAN H (US)
DOWNEY ROY DOUGLAS (US)
BANAVIGE MICHAEL J (US)
BINNALL DANIEL G (US)
KAPUSHINSKI RONALD A (US)
PLUDE HOWARD H (US)
HEVENOR CHARLES M (US)
TORTORA WILLIAM J (US)
LOOS WILLIAM A (US)
WOOD KENNETH O (US)
OSCARSON EDWARD M (US)
MINDEK DAVID M (US)
EHRHARDT KURT J (US)
WHITE JOHN K (US)
MACQUEEN RAYMOND J (US)
LIS BRIAN H (US)
DOWNEY ROY DOUGLAS (US)
BANAVIGE MICHAEL J (US)
BINNALL DANIEL G (US)
KAPUSHINSKI RONALD A (US)
PLUDE HOWARD H (US)
International Classes:
B41F1/32; B41J2/325; B41J1/00; B41J2/315; B41J2/32; B41J3/28; B41J11/00; B41J11/06; B41J11/08; B41J11/10; B41J11/20; B41J11/22; B41J11/48; B41J13/10; B41J13/14; B41J13/20; B41J13/22; B41J13/24; B41J17/28; B41J17/32; B41J25/316; B41J31/00; B41J35/36; G01D15/16; G01D15/24; G01N33/02; B41J; (IPC1-7): B41J35/36; B41J17/32
Foreign References:
| EP0654760A2 | 1995-05-24 | |||
| EP0887197A2 | 1998-12-30 | |||
| US5774639A | 1998-06-30 | |||
| US5803627A | 1998-09-08 |
Other References:
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 016, no. 129 (M - 1228) 2 April 1992 (1992-04-02)
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