# US 10,078,294 B2 · Contact control of print blanket to impression drum

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- Number: US 10,078,294 B2
- Document ID: US10078294B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/320,385
- Filed: 2014-06-30
- Published: 2017-06-08
- Granted: 2018-09-18
- Earliest claimed: 2014-06-30
- Assignees: HP Indigo B.V.
- Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
- Inventors: Vitaly Portnoy; Michel Assenheimer; Amiran Lavon; Amir Ofir
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10078294B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/161: {with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent}
- G03G 15/1605: {using at least one intermediate support (G03G15/1625 takes precedence)}
- G03G 2215/0112: Linearly moving set of recording members
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

In an example, a method of controlling voltage applied to a print blanket within a printing device includes printing a print job. During the printing, a null cycle trigger is received. In response to the trigger, contact between a print blanket and an impression drum is reduced.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling contact between a print blanket and an impression drum, comprising:
printing a print job in a printing device that comprises a print blanket to receive an ink image from a photoreceptor in a first transfer, and to transfer the ink image onto print media supported on an impression drum in a second transfer;
during the printing, positioning the impression drum in a print position to create a print width nip level contact between the print blanket and the impression drum, and receiving a null cycle trigger; and,
in response to the trigger, repositioning the impression drum to a null position to reduce contact between the print blanket and the impression drum from the print width nip level contact to a null width level contact.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method as in claim 1, wherein to reduce contact between the print blanket and the impression drum comprises reducing compression of the print blanket in a contact area between the print blanket and the impression drum.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A method as in claim 2, wherein the contact area between the print blanket and the impression drum comprises a nip, and reducing compression of the print blanket comprises reducing a width of the nip.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method as in claim 1, wherein the print blanket is wrapped around an intermediate transfer medium (ITM) drum, and to reduce contact between the print blanket and the impression drum comprises:
displacing the impression drum away from the ITM drum while leaving the ITM drum stationary.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method as in claim 1, further comprising, suspending writing and development of images to the photoreceptor and halting transportation of print media to the impression drum during the null cycle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method as in claim 1, wherein receiving a null cycle trigger comprises receiving an interrupt signal from a printing subsystem indicating the subsystem is not ready to continue the printing.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

A method as in claim 5, further comprising:
during the null cycle, receiving an additional null cycle trigger; and
in response to the additional null cycle trigger, maintaining the null width level contact between the print blanket and the impression drum; and
continuing to suspend writing and development of images to the photoreceptor and halt transportation of print media to the impression drum.

### Claim 8

A printing device comprising:
a photoreceptor on an imaging cylinder, the photoreceptor for developing an ink image to a latent image;
a print blanket to transfer the ink image from the photoreceptor onto print media on an impression (IMP) drum during printing;
a drum displacer to displace the IMP drum; and
a controller to receive a null cycle trigger, and in response to the trigger, to cause the drum displacer to move the IMP drum out of a print position in which there is a print width nip level contact between the print blanket and the impression drum, and into a null position in which there is a null width level contact between the print blanket and the impression drum.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A printing device as in claim 8, further comprising a printing subsystem selected from a media transport subsystem and a color calibration subsystem, the subsystem to generate the null cycle trigger when the subsystem senses it is not ready to perform a print cycle.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a printing device, cause the printing device to:
during a print cycle of a printing process, in which a print blanket is to receive an ink image from a photoreceptor in a first transfer, and to transfer the ink image onto print media supported on an impression drum in a second transfer, detect an interrupt from a printing subsystem;
in response to detecting the interrupt,
reduce contact between a print blanket and an impression drum from a print level to a null level; and
insert a first null cycle into the printing process following the print cycle;
insert an additional null cycle following the first null cycle for each null cycle in which the detection of the interrupt persists; and
maintain the reduced contact between the print blanket and the impression drum during each null cycle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as in claim 10, the instructions further causing the printing device to:
detect that the interrupt has stopped;
in response to detecting that the interrupt has stopped, increase the contact level between the print blanket and the impression drum from the null level back to the print level; and,
insert a print cycle into the printing process following the null cycle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as in claim 11, wherein detecting that the interrupt has stopped occurs during a last null cycle in a series of null cycles that begins with the first null cycle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as in claim 12, wherein the last null cycle comprises the first null cycle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as in claim 10, wherein the impression drum comprises a first axis and the print blanket is wrapped around an ITM drum having a second axis, and wherein reducing the contact between the print blanket and the impression drum comprises:
increasing a distance between the first axis and the second axis.