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US 4,395,146 AGranted
Method and apparatus for operating a thermal printer with uniform heat distribution
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorKiyoshi Arai
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorKiyoshi Arai
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus are provided for controlling a printer of the type having a number of blocks of print heads, each block including print heads preferably of the thermal print type. Data signals representing the selective energization of the print heads are stored, and these data signals are selectively read out to energize a group of print heads in each block, sequentially by block. After one group of print heads in each block is energized, another, different group of print heads in each block is energized, and so on, until all of the print heads have been energized. The print heads in each group are sufficiently spaced from each other to minimize thermal interference due to the energization of an adjacent print head. Consequently, the temperature of the print heads is distributed uniformly.
Apparatus for controlling a printer of the kind having m blocks of print heads, each block including n print heads (m and n are integers), comprising storage means for storing data representing the selective energization of said print heads;
A method of controlling a printer of the kind having m blocks of energizable thermal print heads, each block including n thermal print heads, such that the print heads, when energized, exhibit a substantially uniform heat distribution, said method comprising the steps of storing m blocks of data signals, each block of data signals representing the selective energization of a respective block of n print heads;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.