Duplex printer with internal hard drive

• US 8,059,309 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2011
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, DOUGLAS Q
• Application Number:
  US13/046,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20110164260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 247 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.18, 358/1.13, 358/1.6, 358/1.1, 358/1.8
• US Class Current: 358/1.8
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00216 using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves
• 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 2/04508 aiming at correcting other parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0451 for detecting failure, e.g. clogging, malfunctioning actuator
• 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 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2139 Compensation for malfunctioning nozzles creating dot place or dot size errors generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material
• 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 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/393 Enlarging or reducing

Abstract

A duplex color printer includes a pair of print engines mounted within the body in an opposed manner to define a print media feed path therebetween; a pair of print media trays mounted on either side of the body for respectively containing print media; a print media feed arrangement for feeding print media from one of the trays along the print media path into the other one of the trays; an internal hard drive for locally storing pre-rasterized documents; and an interface for facilitating user selection of a locally stored pre-rasterized document for printing by the pair of print engines.

Claims

1. A duplex color printer comprising:

a pair of print engines mounted within the body in an opposed manner to define a print media feed path therebetween;

a pair of print media trays mounted on either side of the body for respectively containing print media;

a print media feed arrangement for feeding print media from one of the trays along the print media path into the other one of the trays;

an internal hard drive for locally storing pre-rasterized documents; and

an interface for facilitating user selection of a locally stored pre-rasterized document for printing by the pair of print engines.

2. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feed arrangement comprises a first motor assembly arranged upstream of the print engines to feed print media along the print media path and towards the print engines, and a second motor assembly arranged downstream of the print engines to feed print media along the print media path and from the print engines.

3. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein each print media tray comprises a platen movably mounted within the housing for supporting a stack of print media, and a motorized mechanism configured to move the platen.

4. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a body defining a plurality of docking bays for receiving ink cartridges, wherein at least one of the print engines is pivotally mounted relative to the body.

5. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the interface is defined in a vertical panel of the body, and the interface comprises:

a display configured to display information to a user;

a keypad to enable the user to input information;

a print button so that the user can actuate the printer; and

a stop button so that the user can stop the printer.

6. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein each print engine comprises:

a pair of printheads; and

a transfer roller rotationally mounted relative to the body to receive ink ejected from the printheads and for engaging with the print media fed along the print media path so that the received ink is transferred to the fed print media.

7. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of said pair of printheads and said transfer roller can be moved into contact with each other, whereby the printheads are capped by the transfer roller.

8. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein each print engine includes a cleaning station for removing remaining ink on the transfer roller subsequent to said transfer of received ink to the print media.

9. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cleaning station comprises a resilient wiper and an absorbent sponge.

10. A duplex color printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the docking bays are defined in a roof of the body.