Drop-on-demand identification document printing with surface pre-treatment
AssigneeEntrust Datacard Corporation
InventorsCory Wooldridge, Norbert Kill, Lex Prenevost, Brendan Hinnenkamp, Jon Wawra, Thomas Wagener
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment station is used to treat the card surface prior to performing drop-on-demand printing on the card surface. The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than the width of the card. The card and the plasma nozzle are moved relative to one another using a two direction control scheme during plasma treatment in order to be able to plasma treat a desired area of the card surface. The card and the plasma nozzle may also be moveable toward or away from one another to change the distance therebetween.
Claims20
A method of processing a plastic card or a passport page in a plastic card or passport page printing system, comprising:
- in the plastic card or passport page printing system, plasma treating a surface of the plastic card or the passport page in a plasma treatment station, the plasma treatment station has a plasma discharge width that is less than a width of the surface so that only a portion of the surface is plasma treated in a single pass of the plastic card or the passport page along a travel path within the plasma treatment station and a portion of the surface is not plasma treated, wherein the portion of the surface that is plasma treated borders on the portion of the surface that is not plasma treated;
- prior to, during or after plasma treating the surface of the plastic card or the passport page in the plasma treatment station, using a controller that is operatively connected to the plasma treatment station to move a plasma nozzle of the plasma treatment station in a direction toward or away from the travel path;
- after plasma treating the surface of the plastic card or the passport page in the plasma treatment station, inputting the plastic card or the passport page into a printer of the plastic card or passport page printing system;
- and
- thereafter printing on the surface of the plastic card or the passport page using the printer.
A method of processing a plastic card or a passport page in a plastic card or passport page printing system, comprising:
- in the plastic card or passport page printing system, plasma treating a surface of the plastic card or the passport page in a plasma treatment station having a plasma nozzle;
- during the plasma treating moving the plasma nozzle relative to the plastic card or the passport page in a first direction and moving the plastic card or the passport page in second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- thereafter, inputting the plastic card or the passport page into a printer of the plastic card or passport page printing system;
- and
- thereafter printing on the surface of the plastic card or the passport page using the printer.
A method of processing a plastic card or a passport page in a plastic card or passport page printing system, comprising:
- in the plastic card or passport page printing system, plasma treating a surface of the plastic card or the passport page in a plasma treatment station, the plasma treatment station has a travel path along which the plastic card or the passport page can travel, at least one plasma nozzle with a plasma discharge width that is less than a width of the surface so that only a portion of the surface is plasma treated and a portion of the surface is not plasma treated, wherein the portion of the surface that is plasma treated borders on the portion of the surface that is not plasma treated, and a controller that is operatively connected to the plasma treatment station to control movements of the at least one plasma nozzle;
- and
- prior to, during or after plasma treating the surface of the plastic card or the passport page in the plasma treatment station, using the controller to move the at least one plasma nozzle in a direction toward or away from the travel path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.