INDENT PRINTING APPARATUS

• US 20080219745A1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Corp.
• Original Assignee: Datacard Corp. (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: Alvig, David, Hoeve, Bryan, Schuller, Peter, Steinbach, Jerry, BUNGERT, Lyle
• Granted Patent: US 7,866,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/521
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/38 for embossing, e.g. for making matrices for stereotypes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/387 with automatic plate transport systems, e.g. for credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 32/02 for endless ribbons

Abstract

An indent printing apparatus that is capable of indent printing on both sides of a document. A desktop card printer that uses the indent printing apparatus, a method of personalizing a document in the printer, and a ribbon cartridge used with the indent printing apparatus are also disclosed. The indent printing apparatus has first and second indenting mechanisms and uses first and second indent printing ribbon cartridges to enable indent printing on both side surfaces of the document.

Claims

1. A desktop card printer, comprising:

a housing with an input and an output, both the input and the output being at one end of the housing;

a print mechanism within the housing that is configured to print on a card;

an indent printing mechanism within the housing after the print mechanism and configured to indent print on a card;

a card transport mechanism configured to transport a card from the input to the print mechanism and the indent printing mechanism, and to transport a card from the indent printing mechanism back through the print mechanism to the output.

2. The desktop card printer of claim 1, comprising an x-direction along a card transport direction, a y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction and parallel to a major surface of the card, and a z-direction perpendicular to the x-direction and the y-direction;

the indent printing mechanism includes at least one punch and an anvil, and the punch and anvil are fixed in the x-direction and the y-direction.

3. The desktop card printer of claim 1, wherein the indent printing mechanism comprises:

a first indent wheel positioned on a first side of a card transport path through the indent printing apparatus and positioned to contact a first side surface of the card, the first indent wheel is rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to the card transport path and parallel to the first side surface, and the first indent wheel including at least one indent character;

a first anvil positioned on a second side of the card transport path generally opposite the first indent wheel and positioned to contact a second side surface of the card; and

a first indent ribbon on the first side of the card transport path.

4. The desktop card printer of claim 3, further comprising:

a second indent wheel positioned on the second side of the card transport path and positioned to contact the second side surface of the card, the second indent wheel is rotatable about an axis that is generally parallel to the rotation axis of the first indent wheel, and the second indent wheel including at least one indent character;

a second anvil positioned on the first side of the card transport path generally opposite the second indent wheel and positioned to contact the first side surface of the card; and

a second indent ribbon on the second side of the document travel path.

5. The desktop card printer of claim 4, wherein the first and second indent ribbons are part of first and second indent ribbon cartridges, and the cartridges are removable from the desktop card printer.

6. An indent printing apparatus for indent printing on a document having first and second side surfaces, comprising:

a first indent wheel positioned on a first side of a document travel path through the indent printing apparatus and positioned to contact the first side surface of the document, the first indent wheel is rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to the document travel path and parallel to the first and second side surfaces; and

the first indent wheel including at least one indent character;

a first anvil positioned on a second side of the document travel path generally opposite the first indent wheel and positioned to contact the second side surface of the document, the first anvil being rotatable about an axis that is parallel to the rotation axis of the first indent wheel; and

a first indent ribbon on the first side of the document travel path.

7. The indent printing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a second indent wheel positioned on the second side of the document travel path and positioned to contact the second side surface of the document, the second indent wheel is rotatable about an axis that is generally parallel to the rotation axis of the first indent wheel, and the second indent wheel including at least one indent character;

a second anvil positioned on the first side of the document travel path generally opposite the second indent wheel and positioned to contact the first side surface of the document, the second anvil being rotatable about an axis that is parallel to the rotation axis of the first indent wheel; and

a second indent ribbon on the second side of the document travel path.

8. The indent printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first side surface includes a personal account number position or a signature panel position, and the first indent wheel is positioned to perform indent printing at either the personal account number position or the signature panel position.

9. The indent printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the indent character comprises a letter, a number, or a symbol.

10. The indent printing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second indent ribbons are part of first and second indent ribbon cartridges, and the cartridges are removable from the indent printing apparatus.

11. The indent printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the document is a card.

12. The indent printing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the document includes a personal account number position on the first side surface and a signature panel position on the side second surface, and the first indent wheel is positioned to perform indent printing at the personal account number position, and the second indent wheel is positioned to perform indent printing at the signature panel position.

13. A method of indent printing, comprising:

printing a character onto a document using a print mechanism; and

indenting the same character in the document at the same location as the printed character, whereby the indented character has the appearance of being infilled.

14. A method of indent printing, comprising:

indenting a plurality of characters into a document; and

printing a colored field around the indented characters.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the colored field has a color that differs from the color of the indented characters.

16. An indent printing ribbon cartridge for use in an indent printing apparatus, comprising:

a housing having an interior space and first and second spaced arms;

a supply reel containing indent ribbon to be used and a take-up reel for taking up used indent ribbon, wherein the supply reel and the take-up reel are disposed in the interior space;

a ribbon guide in each of the first and second arms, each ribbon guide is configured to turn the indent ribbon 90 degrees as it travels along a travel path from the supply reel to the take-up reel; and

the first and second arms are spaced from each other adjacent ends thereof to define an exposed ribbon zone, the exposed ribbon zone exposing the ribbon to the exterior of the housing as the ribbon travels along the travel path to allow the ribbon to be used by the indent printing apparatus for indent printing.

17. The indent printing ribbon cartridge of claim 16, wherein the supply reel and take-up reel are rotatable about a common axis.

18. The indent printing ribbon cartridge of claim 16, wherein the travel path includes a first portion through the first arm, a second portion through the exposed ribbon zone, and a third portion through the second arm, and wherein the first portion is parallel to the third portion, and the second portion is perpendicular to the first portion and the third portion.

19. The indent printing ribbon cartridge of claim 16, further comprising a drive shaft, a clutch between the drive shaft and the take-up reel for controlling torque and rotation of the take-up reel relative to the drive shaft, a clutch between the housing and take-up reel preventing payout direction rotation of the take-up reel, and a clutch between the housing and supply reel allowing selective payout rotation of the supply reel.

20. A method of advancing indent ribbon that extends in a travel path from a supply reel to a take-up reel in an indent printing apparatus, comprising:

unlocking the supply reel to permit free rotation of the supply reel;

advancing an increment of ribbon from the unlocked supply reel as the indent printing apparatus indent prints a character; and

after the character is indent printed, locking the supply reel and operating a take-up motor connected to the take-up reel to take-up slack in the indent ribbon.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein advancing the increment of ribbon comprises actuating a movable ribbon advancement member toward a fixed ribbon advancement member with the indent ribbon disposed between the two members.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising unlocking the supply reel as the movable ribbon advancement member advances toward the fixed ribbon advancement member.

23. A method of processing a card in a desktop card personalization machine, comprising:

inputting a card into the desktop card personalization machine through an input at one end of the desktop card personalization machine;

transporting the card to a personalization mechanism in the desktop card personalization machine;

personalizing the card using the personalization mechanism;

transporting the card to an indent printing mechanism in the desktop card personalization machine;

transporting the card through the indent printing mechanism and indent printing on the card using the indent printing mechanism; and

transporting the card in a reverse direction back through the indent printing mechanism and through the personalization mechanism to an output of the desktop card personalization machine located at the one end thereof.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the personalization mechanism comprises a printer, and personalizing the card comprises printing on the card.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising outputting the card from the desktop card personalization machine through the output.