Print engine mechanism

• US 7,187,470 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Douglas Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/273,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20030189615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11- 118
• US Class Current: 358/1.8
• 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 Prevention or detection 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 controller for controlling printing on both surfaces of a sheet of print media includes a first print controller for controlling printing by a page width printhead of a first print engine and a second print controller for controlling printing by a page with printhead of a second print engine substantially simultaneously with the printing by the printhead of the first print engine. A first communications link interconnects the first print controller and the second print controller for synchronizing the print controllers. An second communications link is connected to at least one of the print controllers for interfacing with a host system for receipt from the host system of descriptions of pages to be printed on said surfaces of the sheet of print media by the print engines.

Claims

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

a page width printhead, the printhead including an ink-ejecting means comprising a micro-electrical mechanical device defining an array of inkjet nozzles which provides photographic-quality and magazine-quality printing and a sealing means surrounding the ink-ejecting means;

a smooth-surfaced transfer means having a discontinuity-free peripheral wall onto which ink ejected by the printhead is received to be transferred to a sheet of print media, the transfer means being arranged adjacent to the printhead; and

a displacement means for displacing the printhead so that its sealing means is urged into abutment with a surface of the transfer means when the printhead is inoperative to inhibit evaporation of ink from the ink-ejecting means, the displacement means further being operable to draw the printhead into spaced relationship relative to the transfer means when printing is to be effected.

2. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the ink-ejecting means of the printhead is a microelectromechanical device having a plurality of inkjet nozzles.

3. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the sealing means is an elastomeric seal surrounding the ink-ejecting means.

4. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the transfer means includes a transfer roller rotatably mounted adjacent to the printhead so that ink ejected by the printhead is deposited on a surface of the transfer roller.

5. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the displacement means includes an electromagnetically operable device.

6. The print engine as claimed in claim 5 in which the electromagnetically operable device is a solenoid which, to draw the printhead away from the transfer means, requires a first, higher current and to hold the printhead in spaced relationship relative to the transfer means requires a second, lower current.

7. The print engine as claimed in claim 1 which includes an urging means for urging a sheet of print media into contact with the surface of the transfer means.

8. The print engine as claimed in claim 7 in which the urging means is a pinch roller.

9. The print engine as claimed in claim 7 in which the urging means is a transfer means of an opposed, aligned print engine.

10. The print engine as claimed in claim 7 which includes a cleaning station for cleaning the surface of the transfer means, the cleaning station being arranged intermediate the urging means and the printhead.

11. The print engine as claimed in claim 10 in which the cleaning station includes a cleaning element of an absorbent, resiliently flexible material and a wiper of a resiliently flexible material, the wiper being arranged intermediate the cleaning element and the printhead.