Identification card printer having ribbon cartridge with cleaner roller

• US 7,344,325 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Fargo Electronics Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Johnson, Chadwick M., Pribula, Martin A., Lukaskawcez, Stacy W., Dunham, Matthew K., Gershenovich, Leon, Platner, Thomas C., Klinefelter, Gary M., Park, Ryan G., Upin, Jeffrey D., Lenz, Gary A., Meier, James M., Ibs, Jon J., Countryman, Jr., Gary P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evanisko; Leslie J
• Application Number:
  US10/647,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20040109715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 400/188, 400/120, 400/521, 400/249, 400/240, 400/208, 400/191, 400/32, 400/36, 400/207, 400/208.1, 400/209, 400/237, 400/240.3, 400/240.4, 400/691, 400/692, 400/693, 400/693.1, 400/120.01, 400/120.02, 400/120.03, 400/120.04, 400/120.16, 400/120.17, 400/88, 347/218, 347/222, 347/172, 347/176, 347/177, 347/178, 347/214
• US Class Current: 400/208
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/009 Detecting type of paper, e.g. by automatic reading of a code that is printed on a paper package or on a paper roll or by sensing the grade of translucency of the paper
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/12 specially adapted for small cards, envelopes, or the like , e.g. credit cards, cut visiting cards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 17/12 Special adaptations for ensuring maximum life
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 17/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsible to material breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/355 Control circuits for heating-element selection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 35/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed disabling devices responsive to ink ribbon breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/04 adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/31 Supports for sheets fully removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

An identification card printer includes a card input, a card transport, a printhead, and a card output. The card transport is configured to feed a card from the card 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 card. The card can then be discharged through the card output.

Claims

1. An identification card printer comprising:

a ribbon cartridge containing a supply of print ribbon and having a cleaner roller including a debris-collecting surface;

a card cleaner roller having a debris-collecting surface configured to engage the debris-collecting surface of the cleaner roller and remove debris from a surface of a card fed along a print path; and

a printhead configured to print an image using the print ribbon.

2. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:

a card input; and

a card transport configured to feed the card from the card input along the print path.

3. The printer of claim 2, wherein the printhead is positioned below the print path and is configured to print the image on a bottom surface of the card.

4. The printer of claim 3, wherein the debris-collecting surface of the card cleaner roller is positioned adjacent a bottom side of the print path and between the printhead and the card input.

5. The printer of claim 1, wherein the ribbon cartridge includes a cartridge housing supporting supply and take-up spools, on which the supply of print ribbon is wound.

6. The printer of claim 5, wherein the print ribbon extends over the printhead, which is positioned within a gap between the supply and take-up spools.

7. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:

a supply circuit mounted to the ribbon cartridge, the supply circuit including a memory containing supply information including a value;

a supply circuit reader configured to communicate with the supply circuit; and

a controller configured to access the supply information using the supply circuit reader and to adjust the value based on use of the print ribbon.

8. The printer of claim 7, wherein the value corresponds to a number of prints remaining and the controller is configured to decrement the value in response to use of the print ribbon.

9. The printer of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to disable use of the memory when the value reaches a predetermined end value.

10. The printer of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to disable use of the memory when the value reaches a predetermined end value.

11. The printer of claim 7, wherein the supply information includes encrypted supply information and the controller is configured to decrypt the encrypted supply information.

12. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:

a supply circuit mounted to the ribbon cartridge, the supply circuit including a memory containing supply information including encrypted supply information that has been encrypted in accordance with a first encryption method;

a supply circuit reader configured to communicate with the supply circuit; and

a controller configured to retrieve the supply information from the supply circuit using the supply circuit reader and decrypt the encrypted supply information.

13. The printer of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to re-encrypt the supply information in accordance with a second encryption method using the supply circuit reader.

14. The printer of claim 13, wherein the second encryption method is different from the first encryption method.

15. The printer of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to decrypt the re-encrypted supply information.

16. 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.

17. The printer of claim 16 including a printer controller and a supply circuit reader, the printer controller configured to access the supply information using the supply circuit reader.

18. The printer of claim 16, wherein the supply information includes a lot code, a supplier code, a ribbon type, a security code, a printer configuration setting, a number of prints completed, or a number of prints remaining.

19. The printer of claim 16, wherein the supply information is encrypted.