Scanning inkjet printer with low friction transport belt
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorErik P. J. Verhoeven
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printer includes a transport belt and a suction box. The suction box is in fluid connection with a suction source to apply an underpressure to a print medium on the transport belt. The suction box is provided with a plurality of protrusions having free ends that define a support plane for the transport belt and are provided with inlet openings. The transport belt is air permeable and endless, is provided over the suction box, and is provided with an inner channel structure which connects outer openings on an outer side of the transport belt to inner openings on an inner side of the transport belt. The inner openings are positioned to align with the inlet openings, and the inner channel structure widens from the inner openings to the outer openings.
Claims12
A printer comprising:
- a transport belt that is air permeable and endless, further defining a transport direction;
- and
- a suction box configured to be in fluid connection with a suction source to apply an underpressure to a print medium on the transport belt,
- wherein the suction box is provided with a plurality of protrusions having free ends that define a support plane for the transport belt and are provided with inlet openings,
- wherein the transport belt is provided over the suction box and provided with an inner channel structure which connects outer openings on an outer side of the transport belt to inner openings on an inner side of the transport belt, and
- wherein the inner openings are positioned to align with the inlet openings, and the inner channel structure widens from the inner openings to the outer openings in a lateral direction perpendicular to the transport direction.
A printer comprising:
- a transport belt that is air permeable and endless;
- and
- a suction box configured to be in fluid connection with a suction source to apply an underpressure to a print medium on the transport belt,
- wherein the suction box is provided with a plurality of protrusions having free ends that define a support plane for the transport belt and are provided with inlet openings,
- wherein the transport belt is provided over the suction box and provided with an inner channel structure which connects outer openings on an outer side of the transport belt to inner openings on an inner side of the transport belt,
- wherein the inner openings are positioned to align with the inlet openings, and the inner channel structure widens from the inner openings to the outer openings, and
- wherein the inner openings have a combined open area that is substantially smaller than a combined open area of the outer openings.
A printer comprising:
- a transport belt that is air permeable and endless;
- and
- a suction box configured to be in fluid connection with a suction source to apply an underpressure to a print medium on the transport belt,
- wherein the suction box is provided with a plurality of protrusions having free ends that define a support plane for the transport belt and are provided with inlet openings,
- wherein the transport belt is provided over the suction box and provided with an inner channel structure which connects outer openings on an outer side of the transport belt to inner openings on an inner side of the transport belt,
- wherein the inner openings are positioned to align with the inlet openings, and the inner channel structure widens from the inner openings to the outer openings, and
- wherein each inner opening is dimensioned corresponding to the inlet opening over which the inner opening extends.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.