An air dryer (1) is provided for use with an ink jet printer (50) comprising a print head (15) for applying an inked image (18) to a substrate (16). The air dryer (1) comprises: a housing (2) enclosing an internal space (3) therein; an air supply (5) configured to supply air into the internal space (3) of the housing; a heating element (6) configured to heat the air; and an air guide (8) in communication with the internal space (3). The air guide (8) is configured to direct a jet of the heated air (10) at the inked image (18) on the substrate (16) so as to dry the inked image (18). The air guide (8) is configured such that the jet of the heated air (10) between the air guide 8 and the substrate (16) forms an angle θ of between 0 and 30 degrees relative to a direction of travel X of the substrate (16).
A method implemented on a processor for operating an industrial printer comprises obtaining first data that indicates a representative industrial printer used on a production line at a facility and a product to be output by the production line; obtaining second data that indicates a target start time and a target number of the product and a target duration for producing the target number of the product; and upon a condition precedent, determining a line report that indicates productivity of the production line based on the count of print operations and the second data.
The present invention relates to inkjet ink compositions that take advantage of solvent mixtures containing an ester, a ketone, and optionally an alcohol, in order to provide ink compositions that have suitable qualities for inkjet printing. Preferred ink compositions include a C1-C3 alkyl ester of C1-C3 carboxylic acid, a C3-C7 ketone, and optionally a C2-C3 alkyl alcohol.
Apparatus for continuous ink jet printing, comprising: an ink system comprising an ink storage tank (15) operable to supply ink to a print head associated with the apparatus; a single cartridge connection (9) for releasable engagement with a fluid cartridge (8), the cartridge connection (9) comprising: a fluid connector (10) for engaging an outlet of a fluid cartridge; and a conduit configured to allow fluid to flow along a fluid pathway from a cartridge engaged with the cartridge connection, via the fluid connector, to the ink storage tank. The apparatus has a first configuration in which a solvent cartridge is engaged with the cartridge connection and in which the apparatus is configured to receive solvent from the engaged solvent cartridge, and a second configuration in which an ink cartridge is engaged with the cartridge connection and in which the apparatus is configured to receive ink from the engaged ink cartridge.
The invention relates to a high adhesion ink with good abrasion resistance, useful for inkjet printing. These inks include a first resin comprising a polymer comprising vinyl chloride or a polymer comprising vinyl acetate, the first resin having a weight average molecular weight between about 20 kDa and about 80 kDa, a second resin comprising a tackifier resin with a weight average molecular weight between about 200 Da and about 2.5 kDa, and a third resin with a weight average molecular weight between about 500 Da and about 40 kDa.
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
C09D 11/106 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C09D 11/08 - Printing inks based on natural resins
There is provided a computer implemented method comprising, receiving data associated with an industrial printer, the industrial printer operating on a print line and executing a print job, determining, based on the data associated with the industrial printer, an issue associated with the industrial printer, determining, based on the issue, whether the industrial printer requires remedial action or if the industrial printer can continue to be operated with the issue.
A marking unit configured for marking variable data content on a product or product packaging, the marking unit including a plurality of interface modules configured to be connected to a global computer network. The plurality of interface modules includes a wired Ethernet connection module, a wireless WI-FI module, and a cellular data module. The marking unit includes instructions for sending or receiving communications, each communication defined by a category selected from the group consisting of: sending telemetric data over a global computer network to a telemetric data collection / remote support node, receiving updates the machine-readable instructions, and receiving variable data content. The included instructions are also for selecting which of the plurality of interface modules to use for sending or receiving each communication based on the category of the communication and whether each of the plurality of interface modules is available.
H04W 48/18 - Selecting a network or a communication service
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41M 5/24 - Ablative recording, e.g. by burning marks; Spark recording
There is provided a cartridge for storing and dispensing liquid for use with an inkjet printer, the cartridge comprising: a collapsible reservoir enclosing an internal space for storage of the liquid, wherein: the reservoir comprises a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the first wall portion defining a first region of the internal space, the second wall portion defining a second region of the internal space, the first region and the second region being in fluid communication with each another; and the first wall portion and the second wall portion are configured such that at least a part of the second wall portion collapses more easily than the first wall portion when the liquid is withdrawn from the reservoir; an outlet configured to dispense the liquid; and a holder configured to receive an electronic data storage device, wherein the holder is provided on the first wall portion.
Embodiment of the present invention relate to a continuous inkjet ink composition which uses a higher order ketone solvent or solvents (ketones having 5 or more carbon atoms) in place or more hazardous solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone and a secondary solvent with a higher derived no effect inhalation level greater than 200 mg/m3 such as ethanol. These ink compositions contain a combination of resins including a cellulose resin and a polyurethane resin or an acrylic resin, with an optional third resin. A colorant (i.e., a dye, preferably a conductive dye) also is included.
Embodiment of the present invention relate to a continuous inkjet ink composition which uses a higher order ketone solvent or solvents (ketones having 5 or more carbon atoms) in place or more hazardous solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone and a secondary solvent with a higher derived no effect inhalation level greater than 200 mg/m3 such as ethanol. These ink compositions contain a combination of resins including a cellulose resin and a polyurethane resin or an acrylic resin, with an optional third resin. A colorant (i.e., a dye, preferably a conductive dye) also is included.
C09D 11/033 - Printing inks characterised by features other than the chemical nature of the binder characterised by the solvent
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
C09D 11/328 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by colouring agents characterised by dyes
C09D 11/38 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
There is provided a thermal transfer printer 1, which comprises: a printhead 5; a tape drive configured to cause an inked ribbon 7 to be advanced past the printhead 5 so as to allow ink to be removed from the inked ribbon by the printhead and transferred to a substrate during a printing operation; and a printhead carriage 11 on which the printhead 5 is mounted, wherein the printhead carriage 11 is supported by a rail 34 coupled to a body 2 of the printer, and the rail 34 extends along a direction parallel to a direction of travel of the inked ribbon 7; wherein the printhead carriage 11 further comprises a first structure 40 which is arranged to engage with a second structure 50 coupled to the body 2 of the printer, and wherein the first and second structures 40, 50 are configured such that the printhead carriage 11 is rotatable around the rail 34 but a rotation of the printhead carriage around the rail remains within a predetermined range.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 33/34 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms driven by motors independently of the machine as a whole
This invention relates to metal complex dyes that are free of chromium, are not carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reproductive toxins. These dyes have good solubility and conductivity in organic solvents, chemical stability, and light stability. The invention also relates to a method of inkjet printing comprising using the ink compositions and ink cartridges.
A method of operating a continuous inkjet printer (1). The printer comprise a printhead. The printhead comprises a droplet generator (16) comprising a printing nozzle (17) for ejecting an ink jet for printing, at least one electrode (22, 23) for steering the inkjet, and a gutter (18) having an ink receiving orifice (24) for receiving parts of the ink jet which are not used for printing. The method comprises performing a cleaning operation. Said cleaning operation comprises: ejecting a solvent jet from the printing nozzle towards the gutter; and causing at least a portion of the solvent jet to contact at least a part of the gutter (18) surrounding the orifice (24) for cleaning said part of the gutter surrounding the orifice.
The present invention relates to inkjet ink compositions that take advantage of solvent mixtures containing an ester, a ketone, and optionally an alcohol, in order to provide ink compositions that have suitable qualities for inkjet printing. Preferred ink compositions include a C1-C3 alkyl ester of C1-C3 carboxylic acid, a C3-C7 ketone, and optionally a C2-C3 alkyl alcohol.
C09D 11/033 - Printing inks characterised by features other than the chemical nature of the binder characterised by the solvent
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
C09D 11/107 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof
16.
Method and apparatus for continuous inkjet printing
A method of processing phase signals for continuous inkjet printing, said method comprising: providing at least one phase signal, wherein said at least one phase signal is an analogue signal; converting the at least one phase signal into at least one corresponding digitised phase signal; and processing said at least one digitised phasing signal, wherein the processing comprises extracting at least one predetermined phase parameter from the at least one digitised phasing signal when the at least one digitised phasing signal is a time-domain digitalised phase signal, and wherein the at least one predetermined phase parameter comprises one or more time-domain signal features of the at least one digitised phasing signal.
The present invention is a thermal inkjet ink that provides good reliability at a wide range of industrial print conditions from both low temperature to high temperature environments across a broad range of humidities. It is particularly advantageous in low-temperature applications, for example, printing at temperatures down to 5° C. or lower continuously for 8 hours without developing print defects which can lead to unreadable codes; and, in the meantime also maintains other critical functional aspects including contrast, wetting, decap time, dry time, adhesion, ink cartridge stability, etc. The inks contain one or more binder resins that exhibit a hydroxyl number or acid number of at least 100 mg KOH/g; one or more terpene phenolic resins; one or more volatile organic solvents; and one or more dyes, and optionally further components.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
B41J 2/035 - Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet by electric or magnetic field
A system having a plurality of marking and/or coding devices and a computing system coupled to the devices and having processor configured to: receive sensor data associated with each device; and store printer metadata and batch job metadata in a backup file for each device. The processor is configured to classify a fault condition of a respective one device based on one or more of received sensor data, device self-test data, current operational data and historical device condition data. The processor is configured to determine autonomously a repair process recommendation in response to the classified fault condition and based on an estimated time to repair (ETR) the device using a self-repair recovery process relative to a line recovery time (LRT) threshold. The processor is configured to recommend as the repair process recommendation the self-repair recovery process in response to the ETR being less than or equal to the LRT threshold.
A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
A binary array ink jet printhead assembly includes a cavity for containing ink, nozzle orifices in fluid communication with the cavity for passing the ink from the cavity to form droplets, the nozzle orifices extending along a length of the cavity, and an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a front face configured to be disposed generally parallel to a plurality of droplet paths of droplets from the nozzle orifices. A plurality of charge electrodes are disposed on the front face, each charge electrode corresponding to a droplet path and disposed parallel to the droplet path. Circuitry is disposed on the electrode assembly, wherein each electrode is electrically connected to the circuitry. The circuitry is further in electrical connection to a connector for connecting the electrode assembly to a controller for the printhead.
Apparatus for continuous ink jet printing, comprising: an ink system comprising an ink storage tank (15) operable to supply ink to a print head associated with the apparatus; a single cartridge connection (9) for releasable engagement with a fluid cartridge (8), the cartridge connection (9) comprising: a fluid connector (10) for engaging an outlet of a fluid cartridge; and a conduit configured to allow fluid to flow along a fluid pathway from a cartridge engaged with the cartridge connection, via the fluid connector, to the ink storage tank. The apparatus has a first configuration in which a solvent cartridge is engaged with the cartridge connection and in which the apparatus is configured to receive solvent from the engaged solvent cartridge, and a second configuration in which an ink cartridge is engaged with the cartridge connection and in which the apparatus is configured to receive ink from the engaged ink cartridge.
The invention relates to a high adhesion ink with good abrasion resistance, useful for inkjet printing. These inks include a first resin comprising a polymer comprising vinyl chloride or a polymer comprising vinyl acetate, the first resin having a weight average molecular weight between about 20 kDa and about 80 kDa, a second resin comprising a tackifier resin with a weight average molecular weight between about 200 Da and about 2.5 kDa, and a third resin with a weight average molecular weight between about 500 Da and about 40 kDa.
C09D 11/033 - Printing inks characterised by features other than the chemical nature of the binder characterised by the solvent
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
24.
METHOD FOR DETECTING AN ISSUE WITH AN INDUSTRIAL PRINTER
There is provided a computer implemented method comprising, receiving data associated with an industrial printer, the industrial printer operating on a print line and executing a print job, determining, based on the data associated with the industrial printer, an issue associated with the industrial printer, determining, based on the issue, whether the industrial printer requires remedial action or if the industrial printer can continue to be operated with the issue.
A cartridge for storing and dispensing ink for use with an inkjet printer. The cartridge comprises a reservoir having at least one wall enclosing an internal space for storage of the ink, an outlet for dispensing the ink, the outlet provided at a base of the reservoir, and a sediment shield, the sediment shield having an aperture and defining an enclosed fluid communication path between the aperture and the outlet, the aperture being provided at a separation distance from the base of at least 5 millimetres.
There is provided a cartridge for storing and dispensing liquid for use with an inkjet printer, the cartridge comprising: a collapsible reservoir enclosing an internal space for storage of the liquid, wherein: the reservoir comprises a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the first wall portion defining a first region of the internal space, the second wall portion defining a second region of the internal space, the first region and the second region being in fluid communication with each another; and the first wall portion and the second wall portion are configured such that at least a part of the second wall portion collapses more easily than the first wall portion when the liquid is withdrawn from the reservoir; an outlet configured to dispense the liquid; and a holder configured to receive an electronic data storage device, wherein the holder is provided on the first wall portion.
This specification discloses non-aqueous solvent, pigmented ink formulations that are suitable for the electronic and aerospace industries and form printed marks that are resistant to smearing and dissolution by organic solvents commonly used in overcoatings in this industry and others. These ink formulations are based on use of an acidic resin with an inherent acid value of at least about 25 mg KOH/g, preferably at least partially neutralized by a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and/or alcohol amine acid neutralizing or modifying agent.
C09D 11/38 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
C09D 11/328 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by colouring agents characterised by dyes
C09D 11/107 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof
C09D 11/033 - Printing inks characterised by features other than the chemical nature of the binder characterised by the solvent
B41M 7/00 - After-treatment of printed works, e.g. heating, irradiating
B41M 5/00 - Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
This specification discloses non-aqueous solvent, pigmented ink formulations that are suitable for the electronic and aerospace industries and form printed marks that are resistant to smearing and dissolution by organic solvents commonly used in overcoatings in this industry and others. These ink formulations are based on use of an acidic resin with an inherent acid value of at least about 25 mg KOH/g, preferably at least partially neutralized by a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and/or alcohol amine acid neutralizing or modifying agent.
C09D 11/106 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C09D 11/107 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof
A tape drive comprises a spool support for supporting a tape spool, wherein the spool support comprises a support surface mounted to a tape drive base plate such that the support surface is fixed against rotation relative to the base plate, the support surface being configured such that, in use, as tape is removed from or wound onto the spool, the spool rotates relative to the spool support such that the spool rotates around the support surface.
An electronic data storage device for use with a cartridge for storing and dispending liquid for use with an inkjet printer, the electronic data storage device storing printing data, wherein the printing data comprises at least one of: liquid density data, liquid conductivity data, recirculation data, and printer geometry data.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.
B41J 2/31 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of impact or pressure on a printing material or impression- transfer material using a print element with projections on its surface impacted or impressed by hammers
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 2/035 - Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet by electric or magnetic field
The invention provides stable nucleic acid-tagged ink compositions suitable for printing an ink mark on an object as an identifier or for authentication of goods, and methods of marking an article with such a mark. These ink compositions contain a specific nucleic acid of known length and sequence that can be deposited on an article by inkjet printing or thermal transfer printing to produce a mark, which may be visible or invisible, covert or overt. These ink products are stable and can accurately deliver an amount of nucleic acid tag that can be removed or sampled and analyzed by known DNA analytical methods to detect the specific nucleic acid on the marked article but which cannot be identified without previous knowledge of the nucleic acid sequence in the mark. The invention also provides methods of applying these tagged marks using inkjet printers and printer systems, and the systems for using the tagged ink compositions.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate, a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead, a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor. Said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor and at least partially based upon a target position. Said control signals for the stepper motor are arranged to cause a magnetic field to be generated by windings of the stepper motor. A field angle being defined between an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and an orientation of the generated magnetic field. Said control signals comprise a first control signal configured to cause said field angle to have a predetermined value, and a second control signal configured to cause said magnetic field to have a predetermined magnitude, and said controller is configured to vary said first and second control signals based upon said target position and said output of said sensor.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
There is a print head connector assembly for a printer, the print head connector assembly providing at least one continuous fluid and/or electrical connection between a first port and a second port, the at least one continuous connection being provided by at least one conduit. The print head connector assembly comprises: a first component connectable to an umbilical conduit at the first port; a second component connectable to a print head at the second port, wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a print head connection axis at the second port and the other of the first component and the second component comprises an axis of rotation, the first component and the second component housing the at least one conduit; adjustment means between the first component and the second component for adjusting the print head connector assembly into a plurality of configurations, wherein each of the plurality of configurations has a respective rotational relationship between the first component and the second component, and wherein in each of the plurality of configurations the print head connection axis and the axis of rotation are substantially parallel and aligned; and a locking component for locking the print head connector assembly in each of the plurality of configurations. There is also a printer and a method of assembling a print head connector assembly.
There is provided a printhead for a continuous inkjet printer. The printhead comprises: an ink gun comprising a nozzle for ejecting an ink jet; at least one electrode for steering the ink jet for printing; a gutter having an ink receiving orifice for receiving parts of the ink jet which are not used for printing; and a housing having a first printing configuration in which parts of the ink jet are permitted to leave the printhead for printing, and a second cleaning configuration in which the housing at least partially encloses a cleaning volume comprising at least a part of the at least one electrode and the ink receiving orifice. There is also provided a continuous inkjet printer, and method of cleaning a printhead for a continuous inkjet printer.
A method of operating a continuous inkjet printer (1). The printer comprise a printhead. The printhead comprises a droplet generator (16) comprising a printing nozzle (17) for ejecting an ink jet for printing, at least one electrode (22, 23) for steering the inkjet, and a gutter (18) having an ink receiving orifice (24) for receiving parts of the ink jet which are not used for printing. The method comprises performing a cleaning operation. Said cleaning operation comprises: ejecting a solvent jet from the printing nozzle towards the gutter; and causing at least a portion of the solvent jet to contact at least a part of the gutter (18) surrounding the orifice (24) for cleaning said part of the gutter surrounding the orifice.
Techniques for operating an industrial printer include causing it to report data that indicates COO parameter values based on output sensors and/or component detection module configured to measure physical phenomena related to components of the printer referred to as COO parameters. The COO parameters values, which may include waste values, are derived and displayed in a graphical user interface dynamically on a real time basis. One or more graphical user interface is generated to present a one or more active areas to select the display of the COO parameter values in numeric and or graphical form or combinations thereof.
A printhead for a thermal transfer printer comprising a plurality of printing elements, each of the printing elements being configured to transfer ink from an ink carrying ribbon to a substrate, and at least one sensor arranged to sense ink carrying ribbon. The at least one sensor comprises at least one emitter arranged to emit radiation towards the ribbon and a plurality of receivers. Each of the plurality of receivers is arranged to receive a respective reflected signal reflected by the ribbon, each reflected signal is based upon radiation emitted by the at least one emitter.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 35/36 - Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsive to ink-ribbon breakage or exhaustion
40.
System and method for tracking production line productivity with an industrial printer
A method and system for operating an industrial printer includes obtaining initial data that indicates the industrial printer used on a production line at a facility and a product to be output. Target data is obtained indicating target start time and target number of the product and target duration. The industrial printer is operated to report a count of print operations for the product at regular time intervals. Actual data is stored indicating the count and the time interval. Upon a condition, a line report is determined based on the count and the target data. The line report is presented on a display device. The condition is one or more of passage of the target duration after the target start time, passage of the target duration after a first print operation, a change in shift workers on the production line, a time of day, and a predetermined event.
A method of processing phase signals for continuous inkjet printing, said method comprising: providing at least one phase signal, wherein said at least one phase signal is an analogue signal; converting the at least one phase signal into at least one corresponding digitised phase signal; and processing said at least one digitised phasing signal, wherein the processing comprises extracting at least one predetermined phase parameter from the at least one digitised phasing signal when the at least one digitised phasing signal is a time-domain digitalised phase signal, and wherein the at least one predetermined phase parameter comprises one or more time-domain signal features of the at least one digitised phasing signal.
A system comprising a plurality of marking and/or coding devices and a computing system coupled to the devices and having at least one processor configured to: receive sensor data associated with each device and to classify, by a classifying module, a fault condition of a respective one device based on one or more of received sensor data, device self-test data, current operational data and historical device condition data, to determine autonomously a repair process recommendation, in response to the classified fault condition and based on an estimated time to repair (ETR) a non-marking or non-coding device using a self-repair recovery process relative to a line recovery time LRT threshold.
The present invention is a thermal inkjet ink that provides good reliability at a wide range of industrial print conditions from both low temperature to high temperature environments across a broad range of humidities. It is particularly advantageous in low-temperature applications, for example, printing at temperatures down to 5 °C or lower continuously for 8 hours without developing print defects which can lead to unreadable codes; and, in the meantime also maintains other critical functional aspects including contrast, wetting, decap time, dry time, adhesion, ink cartridge stability, etc. The inks contain one or more binder resins that exhibit a hydroxyl number or acid number of at least 100 mg KOH/g; one or more terpene phenolic resins; one or more volatile organic solvents; and one or more dyes, and optionally further components.
C09D 11/36 - Inkjet printing inks based on non-aqueous solvents
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
C09D 11/106 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C09D 11/103 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds of aldehydes, e.g. phenol-formaldehyde resins
C09D 11/107 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof
C09D 11/328 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by colouring agents characterised by dyes
Embodiments of the invention relate to ink compositions suitable for applications in the printing industry, for example continuous inkjet printing, including ultra-high speed continuous inkjet printing. The ink compositions use volatile organic solvents, a colorant, and one or more binder resins including a resin that is a phenolic resole resin, wherein the ink composition is free of methanol, halogens, halogenated compounds and bisphenol-A. A phenolic resole resin of the ink composition preferably contains less than 0.1% by weight of free formaldehyde. The one or more binder resins including the phenolic resole resin may be present in an amount that is from about 5% to about 30% by weight of the ink composition.
C09D 11/103 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds of aldehydes, e.g. phenol-formaldehyde resins
B41J 2/02 - Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet
B41M 5/00 - Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
C09D 11/328 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by colouring agents characterised by dyes
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate, a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead, a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor. Said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor and at least partially based upon a target position. Said control signals for the stepper motor are arranged to cause a magnetic field to be generated by windings of the stepper motor. A field angle being defined between an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and an orientation of the generated magnetic field. Said control signals comprise a first control signal configured to cause said field angle to have a predetermined value, and a second control signal configured to cause said magnetic field to have a predetermined magnitude, and said controller is configured to vary said first and second control signals based upon said target position and said output of said sensor.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 2/35 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads providing current or voltage to the thermal head
B41J 25/304 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
There is a print head connector assembly for a printer, the print head connector assembly providing at least one continuous fluid and/or electrical connection between a first port and a second port, the at least one continuous connection being provided by at least one conduit. The print head connector assembly comprises: a first component connectable to an umbilical conduit at the first port; a second component connectable to a print head at the second port, wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a print head connection axis at the second port and the other of the first component and the second component comprises an axis of rotation, the first component and the second component housing the at least one conduit; adjustment means between the first component and the second component for adjusting the print head connector assembly into a plurality of configurations, wherein each of the plurality of configurations has a respective rotational relationship between the first component and the second component, and wherein in each of the plurality of configurations the print head connection axis and the axis of rotation are substantially parallel and aligned; and a locking component for locking the print head connector assembly in each of the plurality of configurations. There is also a printer and a method of assembling a print head connector assembly.
There is provided a charge electrode for charging ink droplets for continuous ink jet printing. The charge electrode has a generally cylindrical main body defining a generally cylindrical passage for the ink droplets, said passage extending along a travel axis that represents, in use, the position of an ink jet in ingress to the electrode and a direction of travel of the ink droplets once these have detached from the ink jet. The charge electrode comprises two distinct axially disposed regions: a first region for charging the droplets as required; and, a second region for screening the charged droplets from any electric fields which could undesirably affect the trajectory of the ink jet and/or the droplets. The second region may fully surround at least a portion of the travel axis. The invention therefore provides improved screening for the ink jet and/or the droplets. This may in turn enable better control of the charge applied to the charged droplets, and/or of their travel trajectory.
A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.
There is provided a tape drive. The tape drive comprises first and second spool supports on which spools of tape may be mounted. The tape drive further comprises an optical sensing system. The optical sensing system comprises a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, said radiation emitter and radiation detector having a fixed positional relationship in use with respect to said first and second spool supports. The tape drive further comprises a controller. The controller is operative to, energise the radiation emitter to emit radiation, and determine a diameter data indicative of a diameter of a spool mounted on one of the first and second spool supports based on a radiation signal generated by the detector.
B41J 33/34 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms driven by motors independently of the machine as a whole
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 33/16 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with drive applied to spool or spool spindle
B41J 29/38 - Drives, motors, controls, or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
B41J 35/36 - Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsive to ink-ribbon breakage or exhaustion
A method of operating a transfer printer configured to transfer ink from a printer ribbon to a substrate which is transported along a predetermined substrate path adjacent to the printer. The printer comprises a tape drive comprising two tape drive motors, two tape spool supports on which said spools of ribbon may be mounted, each spool being drivable by a respective one of said motors. The printer further comprises a printhead being displaceable towards and away from the predetermined substrate path and being arranged to, during printing, contact one side of the ribbon to press an opposite side of the ribbon into contact with a substrate on the predetermined substrate path, and a printing surface. The printer further comprises a controller configured to control the tape drive to transport ribbon between the first and second ribbon spools. The method comprises controlling the tape drive to perform a ribbon movement in which ribbon is transported between first and second ribbon spools along a ribbon path, the ribbon path having a first length during a first part of said ribbon movement, and a second length during a second part of said ribbon movement, a transition from the first length to the second length being caused by a displacement of the printhead with respect to the printing surface, wherein control of at least one of the tape drive motors is based upon data indicative of the first and second lengths.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
Embodiments of the invention relate to ink compositions suitable for applications in the printing industry, for example continuous inkjet printing, including ultra-high speed continuous inkjet printing. The ink compositions use volatile C5 ketone (pentanone) solvents (e.g., 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, or 3-methyl-2-butanone) as a major solvent or the only solvent, and also include a binder resin and a colorant, but preferably contain substantially no acetone, methanol, or methyl ethyl ketone, or other solvents listed on the Japan ISHL class II organic solvents list. Preferred ink compositions can contain up to 30% ethanol, n-propanol, or other solvents not listed on the Japan ISHL class II organic solvents list, but preferably contain substantially no ethanol.
A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of the label stock; a motive device configured to propel the label stock along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support; a first arrangement configured to produce a first signal indicative of a speed at which label stock is removed from the supply spool by the motive device; a controller configured to receive the first signal and output a brake assembly control signal based upon the first signal; and a brake assembly configured to apply a braking force to the supply spool support based upon the brake assembly control signal, the braking force resisting rotation of the supply spool support. The controller is configured to output the brake assembly control signal based upon a target supply spool speed.
09 - Scientific and electric apparatus and instruments
Goods & Services
Industrial marking machines and machine tools; coding machines and machine tools; labelling machines, equipment and apparatus; packaging machines, equipment and apparatus; laser marking machines and machine parts; laser heads; laser engraving machines; parts and fittings for all the aforesaid goods. Printers; contact and non-contact equipment and apparatus for coding, imaging, marking, printing or labelling namely, ink jet printers and imagers, laser printers and imagers, thermal transfer overprinters and imagers, roller printers, stamp printers, thermal transfer printers, coders and markers; computer software for controlling packaging coding equipment; computer software for controlling labelling printers, product recognition apparatus, bar code printers, bar code readers, production line equipment, packaging and labelling machines; computer software for warehouse management; computer software for production line management; computer software and operating systems for ink jet printers and imagers, laser printers and imagers, thermal transfer overprinters and imagers, coders and markets; printing controllers; controllers, assemblies, sub-assemblies, components, parts and fittings for ink jet and laser printers and imagers, thermal transfer overprinters and imagers; electronic controllers for production and bindery lines; apparatus, equipment and computer software for monitoring and controlling printers, industrial marking machines, imagers, coders and markers.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate provided adjacent to the printer, the printhead having a first configuration in which the printhead is spaced apart from the printing surface and a second configuration in which the printhead is configured to press the substrate against a printing surface during a printing operation. The printer further comprises a printhead drive assembly configured to cause movement of the printhead towards and away from the printing surface between the first and second configurations, the printhead drive assembly comprising a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is in a first condition, an attractive magnetic force is generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet, and when the electromagnet is in a second condition, a repulsive magnetic force is generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet, each of said attractive and repulsive magnetic forces being configured to one of urge the printhead away from and towards the printing surface. The printhead drive assembly is configured such that, when the printhead is in each of the first and second configurations, it is retained in that configuration by the printhead drive assembly when the electromagnet is in the first condition, the printhead being retained in one of the first and second configurations by said attractive magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 2/355 - Control circuits for heating-element selection
B41J 25/308 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print gap adjustment mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
The invention provides stable nucleic acid-tagged ink compositions suitable for printing an ink mark on an object as an identifier or for authentication of goods, and methods of marking an article with such a mark. These ink compositions contain a specific nucleic acid of known length and sequence that can be deposited on an article by inkjet printing or thermal transfer printing to produce a mark, which may be visible or invisible, covert or overt. These ink products are stable and can accurately deliver an amount of nucleic acid tag that can be removed or sampled and analyzed by known DNA analytical methods to detect the specific nucleic acid on the marked article but which cannot be identified without previous knowledge of the nucleic acid sequence in the mark. The invention also provides methods of applying these tagged marks using inkjet printers and printer systems, and the systems for using the tagged ink compositions.
Techniques for operating an industrial printer include causing it to report data that indicates COO parameter values based on output sensors and/or component detection module configured to measure physical phenomena related to components of the printer referred to as COO parameters. The COO parameters values, which may include waste values, are derived and displayed in a graphical user interface dynamically on a real time basis. One or more graphical user interface is generated to present a one or more active areas to select the display of the COO parameter values in numeric and or graphical form or combinations thereof.
A method and system for operating an industrial printer includes obtaining initial data that indicates the industrial printer used on a production line at a facility and a product to be output. Target data is obtained indicating target start time and target number of the product and target duration. The industrial printer is operated to report a count of print operations for the product at regular time intervals. Actual data is stored indicating the count and the time interval. Upon a condition, a line report is determined based on the count and the target data. The line report is presented on a display device. The condition is one or more of passage of the target duration after the target start time, passage of the target duration after a first print operation, a change in shift workers on the production line, a time of day, and a predetermined event.
G05B 19/418 - Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control (DNC), flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), integrated manufacturing systems (IMS), computer integrated manufacturing (CIM)
G05B 19/18 - Numerical control (NC), i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form
B41M 1/40 - Printing on bodies of particular shapes
A method of operating a thermal transfer printer, the thermal transfer printer comprising first and second spool supports each being configured to support a spool of ribbon; a ribbon drive configured to cause movement of ribbon from the first spool support to the second spool support along a predetermined ribbon path; and a printhead. The printhead is moveable towards and away from a printing surface, and, during printing, is configured to selectively transfer ink from the ribbon to a substrate as the substrate and printhead are moved relative to one another at a print speed. The method comprising causing relative movement between the ribbon and the printhead at a ribbon speed. A relative speed of movement between the ribbon and the substrate during printing is controlled based upon a force exerted upon the ribbon by the printhead during a printing operation, and/or a parameter indicative of an area of contact between a portion of the printhead and a portion of the printing surface.
B41J 2/32 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 17/06 - "Creep" feed, i.e. impression-transfer material fed slower than the record paper
B41J 17/07 - Feed dependent on the record-paper feed, e.g. both moved at the same time electromagnetically controlled
B41J 33/34 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms driven by motors independently of the machine as a whole
B41J 33/16 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with drive applied to spool or spool spindle
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 33/36 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with means for adjusting feeding rate
B41J 35/36 - Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsive to ink-ribbon breakage or exhaustion
59.
Printer device, printer marking system and method with multi-stage production print inspection
A device comprising a printer configured to apply a code of printed content on a substrate of a product based on a printer technology type, the code having a plurality of digits. The device includes an optical code detector, executed by one or more processors, to detect the code in a received image of the product printed by the printer by optically recognizing characters in the received image using a trained optical character recognition (OCR) algorithm for the printer technology type. The OCR algorithm is trained to identify each digit of the plurality of digits of the code in a region of interest (ROI) based on at least one product parameter to which the printed content is directly applied and the printer technology type. A system and method are also provided.
A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a spool of label carrying web, a labelling station arranged to remove labels from a label carrying web supported by the supply spool, a take up spool support for supporting web from which labels have been removed, and a first motive apparatus for transporting web from the supply spool support to the take up spool support via the labelling station. The supply spool support, the labelling station and the take up spool support are mounted to a base plate. The base plate includes a first portion which supports the labelling station via a base of the labelling station such that the labelling station extends from the base plate in a first direction, and a second portion. The maximum distance to which the second portion and any component supported by the second portion extend from the base of the labelling station in a second direction is greater than the maximum distance to which the first portion and any component supported by the first portion extend from the base of the labelling station in the second direction, the first and second directions being generally opposite.
An electronic data storage device for use with a cartridge for storing and dispending liquid for use with an inkjet printer, the electronic data storage device storing printing data, wherein the printing data comprises at least one of: liquid density data, liquid conductivity data, recirculation data, and printer geometry data.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises in a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 2/035 - Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet by electric or magnetic field
A cartridge for storing and dispensing liquid for use with an inkjet printer includes a reservoir for storage of the liquid and an outlet for dispensing the liquid. The reservoir has a reinforcing structure and maintains a predetermined separation. The reinforcing structure separates an internal space of the reservoir into a first and second chamber. The reinforcing structure provides a fluid communication path between the chambers. The reinforcing structure has first and second portions of wall that partially defining the first and second chambers. The reinforcing structure has a wall partially defining the fluid communication path. The first and second portions of the wall have an arcuate profile. The first and second chambers have respective first and second widths. The fluid communication path has a third width which is less than the first or second widths.
Embodiments of the invention relate to ink compositions suitable for applications in the printing industry, for example continuous inkjet printing, including ultra-high speed continuous inkjet printing. The ink compositions use volatile organic solvents, a colorant, and one or more binder resins including a resin that is a phenolic resole resin, wherein the ink composition is free of methanol, halogens, halogenated compounds and bisphenol-A. A phenolic resole resin of the ink composition preferably contains less than 0.1% by weight of free formaldehyde. The one or more binder resins including the phenolic resole resin may be present in an amount that is from about 5% to about 30% by weight of the ink composition.
C09D 11/10 - Printing inks based on artificial resins
C09D 11/101 - Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
C09D 11/103 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds of aldehydes, e.g. phenol-formaldehyde resins
A printing machine comprising a processor and a memory storing computer readable instructions. The computer readable instructions are arranged to cause the processor to generate access request data for processing by an access control server, receive access response data responsive to the access request data, process the access response data to determine a first print limit indicated by the access response data, and update, responsive to processing the access response data, an access status in the memory to indicate a second print limit.
Method and Apparatus for Securing Peripheral Devices A printing machine 1 comprises a processor (2a) and a memory (2b, 2c) storing computer readable instructions. The computer readable instructions are arranged to cause the processor (2a) to generate access request data for processing by an access control server (3), receive access response data responsive to the access request data, process the access response data to determine a first print type and a first print quantity indicated by the access response data, and update, responsive to processing the access response data, an access status in the memory to indicate a second print quantity for the first print type.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate, a first motor coupled to the printhead and arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out to thereby control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface, and a controller arranged to control the first motor. The controller is arranged to control the magnitude of current supplied to windings of the first motor so as to cause a predetermined pressure to be exerted by the printhead on the printing surface.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 25/304 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
B41J 2/35 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads providing current or voltage to the thermal head
A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock comprising a web and a plurality of labels attached to the web and which are separable from the web; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of web; a motive means configured to propel the web along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support. A sensor has a transmitter portion and a receiver portion, the receiver portion comprising a plurality of receivers, the transmitter portion and receiver portion are configured to receive a portion of the label stock therebetween, and the plurality of receivers are each configured to produce a respective sensor signal which is a function of a property of a portion of label stock at a plurality of positions spaced from one another in a direction non-parallel to the web path. In addition, a controller is configured to monitor each of the sensor signals produced by the receivers and to select one of the sensor signals produced by the receivers based on said monitoring of each of the sensor signals produced by the receivers.
A tape drive comprises a spool support (30) for supporting a tape spool (32), wherein the spool support comprises a support surface (34) mounted to a tape drive base plate (36) such that the support surface (34) is fixed against rotation relative to the base plate (36), the support surface (34) being configured such that, in use, as tape is removed from or wound onto the spool (32), the spool (32) rotates relative to the spool support (30) such that the spool (32) rotates around the support surface (34).
A method of operating a transfer printer configured to transfer ink from a printer ribbon to a substrate which is transported along a predetermined substrate path adjacent to the printer. The printer comprises a tape drive comprising two tape drive motors, two tape spool supports on which said spools of ribbon may be mounted, each spool being drivable by a respective one of said motors. The printer further comprises a printhead being displaceable towards and away from the predetermined substrate path and being arranged to, during printing, contact one side of the ribbon to press an opposite side of the ribbon into contact with a substrate on the predetermined substrate path, and a printing surface. The printer further comprises a controller configured to control the tape drive to transport ribbon between the first and second ribbon spools. The method comprises controlling the tape drive to perform a ribbon movement in which ribbon is transported between first and second ribbon spools along a ribbon path, the ribbon path having a first length during a first part of said ribbon movement, and a second length during a second part of said ribbon movement, a transition from the first length to the second length being caused by a displacement of the printhead with respect to the printing surface, wherein control of at least one of the tape drive motors is based upon data indicative of the first and second lengths.
A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.
There is provided a tape drive. The tape drive comprises first and second spool supports on which spools of tape may be mounted. The tape drive further comprises an optical sensing system. The optical sensing system comprises a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, said radiation emitter and radiation detector having a fixed positional relationship in use with respect to said first and second spool supports. The tape drive further comprises a controller. The controller is operative to, energise the radiation emitter to emit radiation, and determine a diameter data indicative of a diameter of a spool mounted on one of the first and second spool supports based on a radiation signal generated by the detector.
B41J 33/36 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with means for adjusting feeding rate
B41J 35/36 - Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsive to ink-ribbon breakage or exhaustion
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 29/38 - Drives, motors, controls, or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
09 - Scientific and electric apparatus and instruments
Goods & Services
Software; software for printers; software for conducting
quality control during printing; software for conducting
quality control in printers, labelling printers, bar code
printers and readers, packaging and labelling machines;
software for detecting and correcting errors during
printing, coding and labelling; software for computer
operating systems for industrial printers, coders and
labellers; checking, measuring and control apparatus,
instruments and software.
A removable module for an inkjet printer comprises: a housing; a plurality of fluid conduits; two cartridge connections; a printer connection; and an electrical link. The plurality of fluid conduits are disposed within the housing. The two cartridge connections are each for releasable engagement with a fluid cartridge. Each cartridge connection is exposed by the housing and comprises: a fluid connector for engaging an outlet of a fluid cartridge to allow fluid to flow from the engaged cartridge to one of the plurality of fluid conduits; and an electrical contact arranged to contact a corresponding contact on the engaged fluid cartridge. The printer connection is for releasable engagement with an inkjet printer.
Apparatus for use in continuous inkjet printing, comprising: a cabinet, an ink system located in the cabinet, the ink system comprising, an ink pump, an ink system air inlet, and an ink system air outlet, and an air circulation device arranged to cause air to flow within the cabinet. The air circulation device is arranged to cause air to flow along a predetermined air flow path through the ink system air inlet, past the ink pump, and through the ink system air outlet.
09 - Scientific and electric apparatus and instruments
Goods & Services
Software for conducting quality control during printing; Software for conducting quality control in printers, labelling printers, bar code printers and readers, packaging and labelling machines; Software for detecting and correcting errors during printing, coding and labelling; Software for computer operating systems for industrial printers, coders and labellers; Checking, measuring and control apparatus and instruments, namely, sensors for conducting quality control in printers, labelling printers, bar code printers and readers, packaging and labelling machines and sensors for detecting and correcting errors in printers, labelling printers, bar code printers and readers, packaging and labelling machines; checking, measuring and control apparatus and instruments, namely, sensors for conducting quality control during printing, coding and labelling, and sensors for detecting and correcting errors during printing, coding and labelling
77.
Continuous ink jet print head with zero adjustment embedded charging electrode
A continuous ink jet print head, including: a droplet generator (32, 32′, 32″) for generating ink droplets (64); a charging electrode (22, 22′, 22″) having a passageway (74, 74′, 74″) through which the ink droplets travel to receive a charge; a deflection electrode (60, 60′, 60″) for deflecting the charged ink droplets; a gutter (50, 50′, 50″, 50′″) having a gutter entrance (52, 52′, 52″, 52′″); wherein the passageway is aligned with the gutter entrance through which uncharged droplets enter; and a mounting deck (10, 10′, 10″) configured to secure the gutter entrance into a fixed, nonadjustable gutter entrance position (56, 56′, 56″, 56′″) and to secure the charging electrode into a fixed, nonadjustable charging electrode position (24, 24′, 24″) relative to the gutter entrance.
There is provided a charge electrode for charging ink droplets for continuous ink jet printing. The charge electrode has a generally cylindrical main body defining a generally cylindrical passage for the ink droplets, said passage extending along a travel axis that represents, in use, the position of an ink jet in ingress to the electrode and a direction of travel of the ink droplets once these have detached from the ink jet. The charge electrode comprises two distinct axially disposed regions: a first region for charging the droplets as required; and, a second region for screening the charged droplets from any electric fields which could undesirably affect the trajectory of the ink jet and/or the droplets. The second region may fully surround at least a portion of the travel axis. The invention therefore provides improved screening for the ink jet and/or the droplets. This may in turn enable better control of the charge applied to the charged droplets, and/or of their travel trajectory.
Embodiments of the invention relate to ink compositions suitable for applications in the printing industry, for example continuous inkjet printing, including ultra-high speed continuous inkjet printing. The ink compositions use volatile C5 ketone (pentanone) solvents (e.g., 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, or 3-methyl-2-butanone) as a major solvent or the only solvent, and also include a binder resin and a colorant, but preferably contain substantially no acetone, methanol, or methyl ethyl ketone, or other solvents listed on the Japan ISHL class II organic solvents list. Preferred ink compositions can contain up to 30% ethanol, n-propanol, or other solvents not listed on the Japan ISHL class II organic solvents list, but preferably contain substantially no ethanol.
This application concerns an apparatus comprising a housing arranged to be positioned at any one of a plurality of rotational angles, a display mounted to the housing and a processor arranged to execute instructions stored in a memory. The instructions are arranged to cause a user interface to be displayed on the display, to receive an indication of a rotation amount and rotation direction from a rotation input, rotate at least one corner element about its centre point by the rotation amount in the rotation direction and if the rotation amount is greater than a first predetermined limit, move the at least one corner element to a different one of a plurality of corner portions of the display.
G06F 1/16 - Constructional details or arrangements
G06F 3/0481 - Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate provided adjacent to the printer, the printhead having a first configuration in which the printhead is spaced apart from the printing surface and a second configuration in which the printhead is configured to press the substrate against a printing surface during a printing operation. The printer further comprises a printhead drive assembly configured to cause movement of the printhead towards and away from the printing surface between the first and second configurations, the printhead drive assembly comprising a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is in a first condition, an attractive magnetic force is generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet, and when the electromagnet is in a second condition, a repulsive magnetic force is generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet, each of said attractive and repulsive magnetic forces being configured to one of urge the printhead away from and towards the printing surface. The printhead drive assembly is configured such that, when the printhead is in each of the first and second configurations, it is retained in that configuration by the printhead drive assembly when the electromagnet is in the first condition, the printhead being retained in one of the first and second configurations by said attractive magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet.
B41J 2/32 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 25/304 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
A laser marking system comprises at least one controller to control an array of optical devices, between a laser source and a scan head. The array applies a selected pattern of portions of the received spatial profile of the laser beam to the substrate to achieve a second intensity different from the first intensity of laser beam at a rate of power deposition relative to a rate of thermal diffusion in the substrate for a predetermined time interval to thermally heat locations of the substrate with the selected pattern of the portions. The second intensity effectuates carbonization of materials of the substrate to create a mark without ablation.
B41J 2/435 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material
B41J 2/44 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material using single radiation source, e.g. lighting beams or shutter arrangements
B41J 2/47 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material using the combination of scanning and modulation of light
A continuous ink jet print head (10), including: an ink droplet generator (116) configured to emit an ink droplet (158) along an undeflected droplet flight path (30); a charge electrode (118) configured to impart a charge to the ink droplet; deflector plates (120A, 120B) adjacent the undeflected droplet flight path, downstream from the charge electrode, and configured to deflect the ink droplet to a deflected droplet flight path that lies within a range of deflected flight paths bounded by at least deflected droplet flight path and a most deflected droplet flight path; a gutter (122) configured to receive an ink droplet traveling along the undeflected droplet flight path; and an ink buildup sensor (102) configured to detect an accumulation of ink (140) relative to a droplet flight path disposed within the range of deflected flight paths.
B41J 2/045 - Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers
A printhead for a thermal transfer printer comprising a plurality of printing elements, each of the printing elements being configured to transfer ink from an ink carrying ribbon to a substrate, and at least one sensor arranged to sense ink carrying ribbon. The at least one sensor comprises at least one emitter arranged to emit radiation towards the ribbon and a plurality of receivers. Each of the plurality of receivers is arranged to receive a respective reflected signal reflected by the ribbon, each reflected signal is based upon radiation emitted by the at least one emitter.
A device comprising a printer configured to apply a code of printed content on a substrate of a product based on a printer technology type, the code having a plurality of digits. The device includes an optical code detector, executed by one or more processors, to detect the code in a received image of the product printed by the printer by optically recognizing characters in the received image using a trained optical character recognition (OCR) algorithm for the printer technology type. The OCR algorithm is trained to identify each digit of the plurality of digits of the code in a region of interest (ROI) based on at least one product parameter to which the printed content is directly applied and the printer technology type. A system and method are also provided.
G06K 9/18 - Methods or arrangements for reading or recognising printed or written characters or for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints using printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks, e.g. the character being composed of individual strokes of different shape, each representing a different code value
G06K 9/62 - Methods or arrangements for recognition using electronic means
G06K 9/78 - Combination of image acquisition and recognition functions
G06K 15/02 - Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data using printers
G06F 17/22 - Manipulating or registering by use of codes, e.g. in sequence of text characters
87.
LASER MARKING SYSTEM WITH THROUGH-THE-LENS AUTOFOCUS
The embodiments include a system, comprising: a scanhead with a marking laser having a marking field. The system includes a vision system having a camera embedded in the scanhead having a field of view (FOV) within the marking field and an autofocus module which uses pixel information in an in-focus region of interest (ROI) of a target surface of a part to obtain a Z-axis focus in a vertical dimension above a two-dimensional (2D) plane. The marking laser selectively marks with a laser beam the target surface in the marking field based on at least the Z-axis focus.
A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 25/316 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with tilting motion mechanisms relative to paper surface
b) configured to cause movement of ribbon from the first spool support to the second spool support along a predetermined ribbon path; and a printhead (7). The printhead (7) is moveable towards and away from a printing surface, and, during printing, is configured to selectively transfer ink from the ribbon to a substrate as the substrate and printhead are moved relative to one another at a print speed (V-substrate). The method comprising causing relative movement between the ribbon and the printhead at a ribbon speed (V-ribbon). A relative speed of movement between the ribbon and the substrate during printing is controlled based upon a force exerted upon the ribbon by the printhead (F-printhead) during a printing operation, and/or a parameter indicative of an area of contact between a portion of the printhead and a portion of the printing surface.
B41J 2/315 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
B41J 17/06 - "Creep" feed, i.e. impression-transfer material fed slower than the record paper
B41J 17/07 - Feed dependent on the record-paper feed, e.g. both moved at the same time electromagnetically controlled
B41J 33/34 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms driven by motors independently of the machine as a whole
B41J 33/16 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with drive applied to spool or spool spindle
B41J 25/312 - Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print pressure adjustment mechanisms, e.g. pressure-on-the-paper mechanisms
B41J 33/36 - Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms with means for adjusting feeding rate
B41J 35/36 - Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsive to ink-ribbon breakage or exhaustion
An electronic data storage device for use with a cartridge for storing and dispending liquid for use with an inkjet printer, the electronic data storage device storing printing data, wherein the printing data comprises at least one of: liquid density data, liquid conductivity data, recirculation data, and printer geometry data.
A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of the label stock; a motive device configured to propel the label stock along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support; a first arrangement configured to produce a first signal indicative of a speed at which label stock is removed from the supply spool by the motive device; a controller configured to receive the first signal and output a brake assembly control signal based upon the first signal; and a brake assembly configured to apply a braking force to the supply spool support based upon the brake assembly control signal, the braking force resisting rotation of the supply spool support. The controller is configured to output the brake assembly control signal based upon a target supply spool speed.
A method of operating a thermal transfer printer, the thermal transfer printer comprising: first and second spool supports each being configured to support a spool of ribbon; a ribbon drive configured to cause movement of ribbon from the first spool support to the second spool support along a predetermined ribbon path; and a printhead, the printhead being a corner edge printhead. The printhead is configured to selectively transfer ink from the ribbon to a substrate as the substrate and printhead are moved relative to one another at a print speed. The method comprises transferring ink from the ribbon to the substrate when the print speed is less than 40 millimetres per second.
B41J 2/325 - Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
A cartridge for storing and dispensing liquid for use with an inkjet printer is provided. The cartridge comprises a reservoir having at least one wall enclosing an internal space for storage of the liquid, and an outlet for dispensing the liquid. The reservoir comprises a reinforcing structure extending from a first part of the at least one wall and from a second part of the at least one wall. The reinforcing structure is adapted to maintain a predetermined separation in a first direction between the first and second parts of the at least one wall, the first and second parts of the at least one wall being within a boundary of the at least one wall. The reinforcing structure is further adapted to separate the internal space of the reservoir into a first chamber and a second chamber, the reinforcing structure and the first and second chambers being arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The reinforcing structure is further adapted to provide at least one fluid communication path between the first and second chambers. The reinforcing structure comprises first and second portions of wall, the first and second portions partially defining the first and second chambers, respectively. The reinforcing structure further comprises a wall partially defining the at least one fluid communication path. The first and second portions of wall each define a smooth profile. The first and second chambers have respective first and second widths in a third direction perpendicular to each of said first and second directions. Said at least one fluid communication path has a third width, in said third direction. Said third width is less than said first or second widths.
A printing machine comprising a processor and a memory storing computer readable instructions. The computer readable instructions are arranged to cause the processor to generate access request data for processing by an access control server, receive access response data responsive to the access request data, process the access response data to determine a first print limit indicated by the access response data, and update, responsive to processing the access response data, an access status in the memory to indicate a second print limit.
