Printer transport roller with internal drive motor

• US 6,631,986 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2002
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THINH H
• Application Number:
  US10/171,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20030085975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 347/42, 347/103
• US Class Current: 347/103
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0095 Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/076 Construction of rollers; Bearings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/202 Drive control means for carriage movement
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/00 Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed mounting, arrangement or disposition of types or dies B41J1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0057 where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04551 using several operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/165 Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16508 connected with the printer frame
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/023 with reduced dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/04 Means for attaching machines to baseboards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/17 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 : for printing on both faces of the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/10 : using a liquid developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 : Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6529 : Transporting G03G15/6555 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1642 : for the transfer unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 : Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 : Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 : Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/00 : Methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/16 : Means for paper feeding or form feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1814 : including print-ready data, i.e. data already matched to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1815 : Receiving print data in mixed format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/23 : Reproducing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 : using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 : Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32593 : Using a plurality of controllers, e.g. for controlling different interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32603 : Multi-bus systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/41 : Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/504 : Reproducing the colour component signals line-sequentially

Abstract

A transport roller for moving printable media, the transport roller having a sleeve and a rotary driver. The sleeve has a substantially cylindrical outer portion and an internal cavity. The rotary driver is adapted to rotate the sleeve and is at least partially housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A print engine for a printer, the print engine including:

a page width, microelectromechanical, inkjet printhead;

a transport roller arranged adjacent the printhead for transporting one or more sheets of print media on which an image is to be printed past the printhead, the transport roller having a passage defined therein; and

a drive means for rotatably driving the transport roller, the drive means being arranged in the passage of the transport roller.

2. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the transport roller is a hollow right circular cylinder which defines the passage through it.

3. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the drive means includes a motor.

4. The print engine as claimed in claim 3 in which the motor is a stepper motor.

5. The print engine as claimed in claim 3 in which a reduction gearbox is mounted on an output shaft of the motor.

6. The print engine as claimed in claim 5 in which, to reduce space, at least a part of a gear train of the gearbox is a worm gear train.

7. A transport roller for moving printable media comprising:

a sleeve having a substantially cylindrical outer portion and an internal cavity; and

a rotary driver adapted to rotate the sleeve,

wherein the rotary driver is at least partially housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

8. A transport roller as claimed in claim 7 wherein the rotary driver comprises a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, the fixed portion being attached to a fixing point external to the transport roller and the rotatable portion being adapted to rotate around the fixed portion.

9. A transport roller as claimed in claim 8 wherein the majority of the rotatable portion of the rotary driver is housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

10. A transport roller as claimed in claim 8 wherein the rotatable portion of the rotary driver is housed entirely within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

11. A transport roller as claimed in claim 8 wherein the internal cavity of the sleeve has an inner surface and the rotatable portion of the rotary driver has at least one engager adapted to engage at least part of the inner surface of the internal cavity, such that the rotatable portion of the rotary driver and the sleeve are adapted to rotate in unison.

12. A transport roller as claimed in claim 8 wherein the majority of the fixed portion of the rotary driver is housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

13. A transport roller as claimed in claim 8 wherein the rotatable and fixed portions of the rotary driver engage one another via a reduction gearbox.

14. A transport roller as claimed in claim 13 wherein the reduction gearbox has a worm gear train.

15. A transport roller as claimed in claim 7 wherein the rotary driver includes a motor.

16. A transport roller as claimed in claim 15 wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

17. A transport roller as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sleeve has a first end and a second end and wherein the internal cavity extends from the first end of the sleeve to the second end of the sleeve.

18. A transport roller as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sleeve has a first end, a second end and a length and wherein the internal cavity extends from the first end of the sleeve towards the second end of the sleeve and has a depth, and wherein the depth of the internal cavity is less than the length of the sleeve.

19. A print mechanism comprising:

a printhead adapted to apply ink to printable media; and

a transport roller adapted to move printable media past the printhead,

the transport roller comprising;

a sleeve having a substantially cylindrical outer portion and an internal cavity; and

a rotary driver adapted to rotate the sleeve,

wherein the rotary driver is at least partially housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

20. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the rotary driver of the transport roller comprises a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, the fixed portion being attached to a fixing point external to the transport roller and the rotatable portion being adapted to rotate around the fixed portion.

21. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 20 wherein the majority of the rotatable portion of the rotary driver is housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

22. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 20 wherein the rotatable portion of the rotary driver is housed entirely within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

23. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 20 wherein the internal cavity of the sleeve has an inner surface and the rotatable portion of the rotary driver has at least one engager adapted to engage at least part of the inner surface of the internal cavity, such that the rotatable portion of the rotary driver and the sleeve are adapted to rotate in unison.

24. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 20 wherein the majority of the fixed portion of the rotary driver is housed within the internal cavity of the sleeve.

25. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 20 wherein the rotatable and fixed portions of the rotary driver engage one another via a reduction gearbox.

26. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 25 wherein the reduction gearbox has a worm gear train.

27. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the rotary driver includes a motor.

28. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 27 wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

29. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the sleeve of the transport roller has a first end and a second end and wherein the internal cavity extends from the first end of the sleeve to the second end of the sleeve.

30. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the sleeve of the transport roller has a first end, a second end and a length and wherein the internal cavity extends from the first end of the sleeve towards the second end of the sleeve and has a depth, and wherein the depth of the internal cavity is less than the length of the sleeve.

31. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the printhead is an ink ejection type printhead.

32. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the printhead comprises a plurality of microelectromechanical nozzles.

33. A print mechanism as claimed in claim 19 wherein the printhead is a page width printhead.