Indexing stop for a printer carriage
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorSteven B. Elgee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An indexing stop is moveable relative to a printer carriage that carries cartridges for printing a swath at a time. Part of the stop is in the path that the carriage travels. The stop is advanced while the cartridges print one, "first" swath (that is, while the carriage is stationary). The stop is advanced to a position corresponding to the location where the carriage is to be moved to facilitate printing of the next, "second" swath. Once the first swath is printed, the carriage is controlled to move toward and abut the stop, thus arriving in the location for printing the second swath. The stop simplifies and speeds the carriage movement between swaths, thereby increasing printer throughput.
Claims17
A method of controlling movement of a carriage along a path in a printer, comprising the steps of:
- providing the carriage with a print cartridge that is controllable for printing ink onto print media that is adjacent to the carriage;
- advancing a stop to a first position in the path of the carriage while the carriage is held stationary;
- moving the carriage to abut the stop while holding the stop at the first position;
- advancing the stop to a second position;
- moving the carriage to abut the stop when the stop is in the second position;
- and
- printing from the print cartridge while the stop is advancing.
A method for printing ink from a print cartridge that is carried by a carriage so that ink is printed from the cartridge onto print media that is directed through a printer to be adjacent to the cartridge, wherein the print media has a printable surface between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the method comprising the steps of:
- directing the print media through the printer so that the leading edge is spaced by a gap from the trailing edge;
- repeatedly directing the print media to be adjacent to the cartridge in a manner such that the printable surface and the gap are alternately located adjacent to the cartridge;
- printing from the cartridge when the printable surface is adjacent to the cartridge and while the carriage is in a first printing location relative to the media;
- and
- moving the carriage against a stop member and into a second printing location relative to the print media while the gap is adjacent to the cartridge.
A printer carriage and stop assembly, comprising:
- a carriage mounted for controlled reciprocating movement along a path within a printer;
- a stop mounted to the printer near the carriage and movable relative to the carriage, the stop including a first abutment member that protrudes into the path of the carriage thereby to limit movement of the carriage along the path;
- carrier means for directing print media through the printer to be adjacent to the carriage path, wherein the print media has a printable surface between a leading edge and a trailing edge;
- and
- handling means for holding the print media in the printer so that the leading edge is spaced by a gap from the trailing edge and for repeatedly directing the print media to be adjacent to the carriage so that the printable surface and the gap are alternately located adjacent to the carriage.
The assembly of 10 wherein the stop includes a second abutment member that protrudes into the path of the carriage.
An indexing stop for controlling movement of a carriage that is reciprocated along a path in a printer, comprising:
- a base slidably mounted for movement next to the carriage path and for movement parallel with the carriage path;
- and
- a first abutment member attached to the base and protruding into the path of the carriage to abut the carriage and thereby limit movement of the carriage in a first direction along the path and
- control means for holding the stop at a first location in the path until the carriage becomes motionless after the carriage abuts the first abutment member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.