US 5,856,650 AGranted

Method of cleaning a printer media preheater

AssigneeTektronix, Inc.

InventorsJames D. Rise, William Y. Pong, Timothy L. Crawford, Meade Neal, Larry E. Hindman, Carl T. Urban

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method of cleaning a media preheater that is positioned in the media path of a printer is disclosed. The media preheater has a fixed heater and a movable plate array biased toward the heater such that printer media passing between the plate array and the heater is compressed therebetween and heated. The preheater may be positioned upstream of a print head and downstream of a media advancing mechanism in the media path. More than one plate may be provided in the plate array to accommodate non-planarity of the heater or the printing media. The method elevates the temperature of the contact surface of the preheater to a cleaning temperature that is greater than the operating temperature and then passes a chase sheet over the surface to remove contamination from the preheater surface.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of cleaning a media preheater contaminated with phase change ink in a phase change ink printer, the preheater having a surface normally maintained at an operating temperature for heating sheets of media passing over the surface, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a liquid intermediate transfer surface to a support surface;
applying a phase change ink image to the liquid intermediate support surface;
passing at least one sheet of media through the preheater prior to contact transferring the phase change ink image from the liquid intermediate transfer to the sheet of media;
raising the preheater surface to an elevated cleaning temperature of from about 100.degree. C. to about 125.degree. C., the cleaning temperature being greater than the operating temperature to heat contamination on the surface;
and
passing at least a first sheet over the surface to remove contamination from the surface.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/864,252Filed 28 May 1997 · division
Priority: 25 Nov 1992
Granted: 5 Jan 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B41M 5/38257
Contact thermal transfer or sublimation processes: characterised by the use of an intermediate receptor
B41J 2/0057
Characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material: where an intermediate transfer member receives…
B41J 2/01
Characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material: ink jet
B41J 2/38
Characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material: preheating, i.e. heating to a…

Family

Serial981,646Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Nov 1992
Serial358,138Parent of this division · filed 16 Dec 1994
US 5,691,756 AParent of this division
US 5,389,958 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,856,650 AThis patent

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