Printer and ribbon cartridge

• US 20050271439A1
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Fargo Electronics Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Dunham, Matthew, Meier, James, Park, Ryan, Gershenovich, Leon, Klinefelter, Gary, Ibs, Jon, Lenz, Gary, Countryman, Gary, Johnson, Chadwick, Lukaskawcez, Stacy, Platner, Thomas, Pribula, Martin, Upin, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,154,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/202.400
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 17/32 Detachable carriers or holders for impression-transfer material mechanism

Abstract

A printer includes a substrate input, a substrate transport, a printhead, a removable ribbon cartridge, a ribbon cartridge receiver, and a substrate output. The substrate transport is configured to feed a substrate from the substrate input along a print path. The printhead is positioned below the print path and is configured to print an image on a surface of the substrate. The ribbon cartridge is received in the ribbon cartridge receiver and contains a supply of print ribbon that extends between supply and take-up spools and over the printhead. The substrate can then be discharged through the substrate output.

Claims

1. A printer comprising:

a substrate input;

a substrate transport configured to feed the substrate from the substrate input along a print path;

a printhead below the print path and configured to print an image on a surface of the substrate;

a removable ribbon cartridge containing a supply of print ribbon that extends between supply and take-up spools and over the printhead;

a ribbon cartridge receiver in which the ribbon cartridge is received; and

a substrate output through which the substrate is discharged.

2. The printer of claim 1 including a ribbon sensor adjacent the printhead and the print path, the ribbon sensor configured to detect ribbon panels of the print ribbon.

3. The printer of claim 2, wherein the ribbon sensor includes an emitter and a receiver that are positioned on opposite sides of the print ribbon.

4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the ribbon cartridge includes a cleaner roller having a debris-collecting surface.

5. The printer of claim 1 including a supply circuit mounted to the ribbon cartridge, the supply circuit including a memory containing supply information relating to the supply of print ribbon.

6. The printer of claim 1 including an expansion module in line with the print path between the printhead and the substrate input or the substrate output, wherein the expansion module is selected from a group consisting of a data encoder or a magnetic stripe writer.

7. The printer of claim 1 including an input hopper configured to contain a stack of substrates and present a top substrate to the substrate input.

8. The printer of claim 7, wherein the substrates include card substrates.

9. The printer of claim 1 including a motor, a first cam member driven by the motor and a second cam member attached to the printhead, wherein movement of the first cam member by the motor moves the printhead vertically through engagement with the second cam member.

10. A method of aligning active print elements of a printhead to a substrate comprising:

a) receiving a print job from a substrate processing application;

b) receiving an offset value for the printhead;

c) offsetting a set of active print elements of the printhead designated by the print job by the offset value to designate a modified set of active print elements; and

d) processing the print job using the modified set of active print elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the offsetting step c) includes ripping the print job with a printer driver to generate a print file that has been modified in accordance with the offset value, whereby the print file designates the modified set of active print elements.

12. A method of operating a printing device that includes a consumable supply including a supply circuit having a memory, the method comprising steps of:

a) storing a value in the memory;

b) decrementing the value contained in the memory in response to use of the supply; and

c) disabling the memory when the value reaches a predetermined end value.

13. The method of claim 12 including preventing operation of the printing device with the supply when the memory is disabled.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the consumable supply is a print ribbon.

15. A printing device comprising:

a consumable supply;

a supply circuit mounted to the consumable supply and including a memory having a value stored therein; and

a supply circuit reader configured to decrement the value in the memory in response to use of the supply and disable the memory when the value stored therein reaches a predetermined end value.

16. The device of claim 15 including a controller configured to prevent operation of the device with the consumable supply when the memory is disabled.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the consumable supply is a print ribbon.

18. A printing device comprising:

a consumable supply;

a supply circuit mounted to the supply, which contains supply information that has been encrypted in accordance with a first encryption method;

a supply circuit reader configured to decrypt the supply information; and

a controller configured to receive the supply information from the supply circuit.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the supply circuit reader is further configured to re-encrypt the supply information in accordance with a second encryption method that is different from the first encryption method, and the controller is configured to decrypt the re-encrypted supply information.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the consumable supply is a print ribbon.

21. A method of operating a printing device comprising steps of:

a) installing a consumable supply in the printing device, the consumable supply including a supply circuit having a memory containing supply information that has been encrypted in accordance with a first encryption method

b) decrypting the supply information with a supply circuit reader; and

c) providing the supply information to a controller.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein:

the decrypting step b) includes a step b)1) of re-encrypting the decrypted supply information in accordance with a second encryption method that is different from the first encryption method using the supply circuit reader;

the re-encrypted supply information is provided to the controller in the providing step c); and

the method includes d) decrypting the re-encrypted supply information with the controller.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the consumable supply is a print ribbon.