Media electrostatic hold down and conductive heating assembly

• US 20040233264A1
• Filed: 05/24/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, David E., Yraceburu, Robert M., McNally, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,216,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/102
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0024 using conduction means, e.g. by using a heated platen
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/06 Flat page-size platens or smaller flat platens having a greater size than line-size platens B41J11/0085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/10 Sheet holders, retainers , movable guides, or stationary guides
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material

Abstract

A media hold down and heating assembly of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that includes a dielectric against which media is positioned, a conductive heating element, and an electrostatic hold down element. The conductive heating element is to conductively heat the media through the dielectric. The electrostatic hold down element is to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric.

Claims

1. A media hold down and heating assembly comprising:

a dielectric against which media is positioned;

a conductive heating element to conductively heat the media through the dielectric; and

,

an electrostatic hold down element to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the dielectric comprises at least one of a drum, a belt, and a platen.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the conductive heating element comprises a plurality of electric heater power supplies.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrostatic hold down element comprises a high-voltage source.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrostatic hold down element is capacitive.

6. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrodes that the conductive heating element directly heats to conductively heat the media through the dielectric, and between which the electrostatic hold down element creates an electric field that electrostatically attracts the media against the dielectric.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electrodes are situated to an opposite side of the dielectric to that which the media is positioned against.

8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electrodes are disposed at least partially within the dielectric.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the media is media on which images are formed.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the media is a semiconductor wafer.

11. A media hold down and heating assembly comprising:

a dielectric having a side against which media is positioned;

a plurality of electrodes at least partially situated to an opposite side of the dielectric;

a plurality of electric heater power supplies to heat the plurality of electrodes and to conductively heat the media through the dielectric; and

,

a high-voltage source to create an electric field between the plurality of electrodes to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes are completely situated to the opposite side of the dielectric.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes are at least partially disposed within the dielectric.

14. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electric heater power supplies, and the high-voltage source are spatially positioned relative to one another such that the electric field created by the high-voltage source is substantially unaffected by the plurality of electric heater power supplies.

15. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electric heater power supplies, and the high-voltage source are spatially positioned relative to one another such that a voltage between each successive pair of the plurality of electrodes is substantially equal to a voltage of the high-voltage source.

16. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes are substantially elongated U-shaped electrodes positioned parallel to one another and logically numerative from a first electrode to a last electrode, each electrode having a first end and a second end.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the plurality of electric heater power supplies comprises a first electric heater power supply and a second electric heater power supply, each having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, the high-voltage source also having a positive terminal and a negative terminal.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the first electric heater power supply is connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage source and to each odd-numbered electrode, and the second electric heater power supply is connected to the negative terminal of the high-voltage source and to each even-numbered electrode.

19. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the positive terminal of the first electric heater power supply is connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage source and to the second end of each odd-numbered electrode, and the negative terminal of the first electric heater power supply is connected to the first end of each odd-numbered electrode.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the positive terminal of the second electric heater power supply is connected to the negative terminal of the high-voltage source and to the first end of each even-numbered electrode, and the negative terminal of the second electric heater power supply is connected to the second end of each even-numbered electrode.

21. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the media is one of media on which images are formed, and a semiconductor wafer.

22. A media hold down and heating assembly comprising:

a dielectric against which media is positioned; and

,

means for conductively heating the media through the dielectric and for electrostatically holding down the media against the dielectric.

23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the dielectric comprises one of a drum, a belt, and a platen.

24. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the means is further for conductively heating the media and for electrostatically holding down the media such that electrostatically holding down the media is unaffected by conductively heating the media.

25. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the media is media on which images are formed.

26. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the media is a semiconductor wafer.

27. A fluid-ejection device comprising:

a fluid-ejection mechanism to eject fluid onto media; and

,

a hold down and heating assembly to electrostatically hold down the media for the fluid-ejection mechanism to eject the fluid onto the media, and to conductively heat the media to substantially dry the fluid ejected onto the media.

28. The device of claim 27, further comprising a duplexing mechanism so that the fluid-ejection mechanism is able to eject fluid onto both sides of the media without manual reinsertion of the media into the fluid-ejection device.

29. The device of claim 27, further comprising a media-advance mechanism to advance the media past the fluid-ejection mechanism.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein the fluid-ejection mechanism is an inkjet-printing mechanism, such that the fluid-ejection device is an inkjet-printing device.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein the hold down and heating assembly comprises:

a dielectric against which the media is positioned;

a conductive heating element to conductively heat the media through the dielectric so that the fluid ejected onto the media is substantially dried; and

,

an electrostatic hold down element to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric for the fluid-ejection mechanism to eject fluid onto the media.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein the hold down and heating assembly comprises:

a dielectric having a side against which media is positioned;

a plurality of electrodes at least partially situated to an opposite side of the dielectric;

a plurality of electric heater power supplies to heat the plurality of electrodes and to conductively heat the media through the dielectric so that the fluid ejected onto the media is substantially dried; and

,

a high-voltage source to create an electric field between the plurality of electrodes to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric for the fluid-ejection mechanism to eject fluid onto the media.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electric heater power supplies, and the high-voltage source are spatially positioned relative to one another such that the electric field created by the high-voltage source is unaffected by the plurality of electric heater power supplies.

34. A fluid-ejection device comprising:

a fluid-ejection mechanism to eject fluid onto media; and

,

means for electrostatically holding down the media and for conductively heating the media to dry the fluid ejected onto the media such that electrostatically holding down the media is unaffected by conductively heating the media.

35. The device of claim 34, further comprising a duplexing mechanism so that the fluid-ejection mechanism is able to eject fluid onto both sides of the media without manual reinsertion of the media into the fluid-ejection device.

36. The device of claim 34, wherein the fluid-ejection mechanism ejects ink onto media, such that the fluid-ejection device is an inkjet-printing device.

37. The device of claim 34, wherein the means for electrostatically holding down the media and for conductively heating the media creates an electric field to electrostatically hold down the media, and conductively heats the media without affecting the electric field.

38. A method comprising:

electrostatically holding down a current swath of media against a dielectric;

ejecting fluid onto the current swath of the media; and

,

conductively heating the current swath of the media through the dielectric to dry the fluid ejected.

39. The method of claim 38, further initially comprising advancing the media so that the current swath thereof is positioned against the dielectric.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

advancing the media so that a next swath of the media is the current swath of the media; and

,

repeating electrostatically holding down the current swath of the media, ejecting fluid onto the current swath of the media, and conductively heating the current swath of the media.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein ejecting fluid onto the current swath of the media comprises ejecting ink onto the current swath of the media.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein conductively heating the current swath of the media does not affect electrostatically holding down the current swath of the media.

43. A method:

providing a dielectric against which media is positionable;

providing a conductive heating element capable of conductively heating the media through the dielectric; and

,

providing an electrostatic hold down element capable of electrostatically holding down the media against the dielectric.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein providing the dielectric comprises providing one of a drum, a belt, and a platen.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein providing the conductive heating element comprises providing a plurality of electric heater power supplies.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein providing the electrostatic hold down element comprises providing a high-voltage source.