Multi-color-thermal printer with a movable printer head
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorJong-Woo Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed a video printer having a plate-like platen, a pair of paper holders each provided on one end of the platen, a cam with a curved cam surface, a bracket with a cam follower, and a thermal printing head attached to the lower end of the bracket, the head being moved up or down and right or left by the cam follower moving along the curved cam surface.
Claims17
A video printer, comprising:
- a plate-like platen;
- a pair of paper holders, each provided on respective ends of said platen;
- a cam having a curved cam path;
- a cam follower mounted in said curved cam path;
- a bracket having one end attached to said cam follower;
- and
- a thermal printing head attached to another end of said bracket, said thermal printing head being moved up or down and left and right by said cam follower moving along said curved cam path and above said platen.
In a multi-color thermal printer for printing on an imprintable medium, said printer comprising a multiple color print ribbon and a thermal print head for causing transfer of color from said ribbon to said medium, the improvement comprising:
- a platen having an essentially planar first surface for supporting said imprintable medium;
- and
- means for moving said print head towards said platen and for sweeping said print head parallel to said first surface in close proximity to said first surface of said print head for desired color transfer.
A multi-color thermal printer, comprising:
- a platen having an essentially planar first surface for supporting an imprintable medium;
- a thermal print head;
- a multi-color ribbon located between said print head and said platen;
- and
- means for moving said print head toward said first surface of said platen, and for moving said print head parallel to said first surface of said platen.
A multi-color video printer, comprising:
- a platen having a planar first surface for supporting an imprintable medium;
- means pivotally coupled to said platen, for pivotally engaging and holding the imprintable medium at a plurality of locations, against said first surface;
- a print head;
- means located above said first surface, for guiding said print head through a continuous path extending across and spaced-apart from said platen while enabling longitudinal displacement of said print head toward and away from said platen and while said holding means maintains the imprintable medium stationary against said first surface;
- and
- means for coupling said print head to said guiding means.
A process for multi-color thermal printing, comprising:
- loading an imprintable medium onto a planar first surface of a platen;
- holding the imprintable medium fixedly in place with a pivotally operated pressing plate;
- pressing a multi-color print ribbon against the imprintable medium with a thermal printing head;
- moving said thermal printing head in a direction parallel to the first surface of the platen and along the print ribbon;
- and
- raising the thermal printing head off of the print ribbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.