US 11,235,568 B2Granted

Indirect printing system

AssigneeLanda Corporation Ltd.

InventorsBenzion Landa, Aharon Shmaiser, Alon Siman-Tov, Alon Levy

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Abstract

An indirect printing system is disclosed having an intermediate transfer member (ITM) in the form of an endless belt that circulates during operation to transport ink images from an image forming station. Ink images are deposited on an outer surface of the ITM by one or a plurality of print bars. At an impression station, the ink images are transferred from the outer surface of the ITM onto a printing substrate. In some embodiments, the outer surface of the ITM 20 is maintained within the image forming station at a predetermined distance from the one or each of the print bars 10, 12, 14 and 16 by means of a plurality of support rollers 11, 13, 15, 17 that have a common flat tangential plane and contact the inner surface of the ITM. In some embodiments, the inner surface of the ITM is attracted to the support rollers, the attraction being such that the area of contact between the ITM and each support roller is greater on the downstream side than the upstream side of the support roller, referenced to the direction of movement of the ITM.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An indirect printing system having an intermediate transfer member (ITM) in the form of a circulating endless belt for transporting ink images from an image forming station, where the ink images are deposited on an outer surface of the ITM by at a plurality of print bars, to an impression station where the ink images are transferred from the outer surface of the ITM onto a printing substrate, wherein the outer surface of the ITM is maintained within the image forming station at a predetermined vertical distance from the print bars by a plurality of support rollers that have a common flat tangential plane and contact the inner surface of the ITM, the support rollers being disposed such that a different respective support roller is both (i) located below and (ii) vertically aligned with each print bar of the plurality of print bars, wherein:

A. each given support roller of the plurality of support rollers is associated with a respective rotational-velocity measurement device and/or a respective encoder for measuring a respective rotational-velocity of the given support roller;
B. the plurality of support rollers include an upstream roller and a downstream roller, neither of which change the direction of the ITM and both of which are associated with a resepective rotational-velocity measurement device and/or respective encoder;
and
C. a direction of deposition of the ink images onto the ITM outer surface by the print bars is parallel to and opposite a normal direction of the common flat tangential plan.

1 more element

A method of operating an indirect printing system having an intermediate transfer member (ITM) in the form of a circulating endless belt, the method comprising:

at an image forming station of the indirect printing system, depositing ink images on an outer surface of the ITM by at a plurality of print bars;
transporting the images from the image forming station to an impression station of the indirect printing system;
and
at the impression station, transferring the ink images from the outer surface of the ITM onto a printing substrate,
wherein the outer surface of the ITM is maintained within the image forming station at a predetermined vertical distance from the print bars by a plurality of support rollers, the support rollers (i) having a common flat tangential plane;
(ii)
contacting the inner surface of the ITM;
and (iii) being disposed such that a different respective support roller is located below and vertically aligned with each print bar of the plurality of print bars, and wherein the method further comprises:
for each given support roller of the plurality of support rollers, monitoring a respective rotational velocity of the given support roller by operating at least one monitoring-device selected from the group consisting of:
(i) a respective rotational-velocity measurement device that is respectively associated with said each given support roller;
and (ii) a respective encoder to measure the respective rotational-velocity of said each given support roller,
wherein:
A. the plurality of support rollers include an upstream roller and a downstream roller, neither of which change the direction of the ITM and both of which are associated with respective rotational-velocity measurement device and/or a respective encoder;
and
B. a direction of deposition of the ink images onto the ITM Outer surface by the print bars is parallel to and opposite to a normal direction of the common flate tangential plan.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/784,208Filed 6 Feb 2020 · continuation
Priority: GB 150471620 Mar 2015
Published: US 2020/0276801 A13 Sep 2020
Granted: 1 Feb 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

B41J 2/01
Characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material: ink jet
B41J 2002/012
Ink jet: with intermediate transfer member
B41J
Typewriters

Family

PCT/IB2016/051560Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Mar 2016
US 2020/0276801 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Sep 2020
Application15/556,324Parent of this continuation
US 10,596,804 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0093470 A1Published application
US 11,235,568 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.