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US 6,450,496 B2Granted
Variable cross-section vacuum grooves in an external drum imaging system
AssigneeAgfa NV
InventorsJames J. Hebert, Philip A. Rombult
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for holding recording media against a media support surface of an imaging system using an arrangement of variable cross-section vacuum grooves. Each vacuum groove has a continuously decreasing cross-section along its length. Each vacuum groove has a maximum cross-section adjacent a vacuum port and a minimum cross-section at a distal end of the vacuum groove.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- an external drum media support surface;
- and
- at least one variable depth vacuum groove in the media support surface, wherein a depth of each vacuum groove varies continuously along a length of the vacuum groove.
An imaging system comprising:
- a supply of recording media;
- an external drum media support surface for supporting a supply of recording media;
- at least one variable cross-section vacuum groove in the media support surface, wherein a depth of each vacuum groove varies continuously along a length of the vacuum groove;
- a vacuum system for applying a vacuum to each vacuum groove to hold the recording media against the media support surface;
- and
- a system for recording image data onto the recording media.
3 more elements
An external drum imaging apparatus for recording an image onto media, said apparatus comprising:
- an external drum support surface for supporting the media;
- and
- at least one variable cross-section vacuum groove in the support surface, wherein the cross-section of each vacuum groove varies by a factor in the range of about 7 to 1 from a first end of the vacuum groove to a second end of the vacuum groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.