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US 7,226,226 B2Granted
Printing apparatus
AssigneeMarkem Technologies Limited
InventorDavid Anthony Troman
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMarkem Technologies Limited
InventorDavid Anthony Troman
Estimating the term…
A printing apparatus (10) includes a carrier ribbon supply tool (12) and a carrier ribbon take-up spool (16), a print head (22) having a plurality of heating elements which are individually addressable and energizable selectively to remove pixels of marking medium from the carrier ribbon (14) during a printing operation, a first motor (13) which when the printing apparatus (10) is operated in a first configuration, moves the print head (22) during a printing operation relative to a substrate (15) on which an image is to be printed and when the (10) is operated in a second configuration, the first motor (13) moving the carrier ribbon (14) relative to the print head (22) during a printing operation, and there being a second motor (25) which is operative when the printing apparatus (10) is operated in the first and second configurations to advance carrier ribbon (14) from which pixels of marking medium have been removed in a previous printing operation, onto the carrier ribbon take-up spool (16), the printing apparatus (10) being configurable to either of the first and second printing apparatus (10) being configurable to either of the first and second configurations.
A printing apparatus including a carrier ribbon supply spool and a carrier ribbon take-up spool, a print head having a plurality of heating elements which are individually addressable and energisable selectively to remove pixels of marking medium from the carrier ribbon during a printing operation, a first motor which when the printing apparatus is operated in a first configuration, moves the print head during a printing operation relative to a substrate on which an image is to be printed, and when the apparatus is operated in a second configuration, the first motor moving the carrier ribbon relative to the print head during a printing operation, and there being a second motor which is operative when the printing apparatus is operated in the first and second configurations to advance carrier ribbon from which pixels of marking medium have been removed in a previous printing operation, onto the carrier ribbon take-up spool, the printing apparatus being configurable to either of the first and second configurations.
A printing apparatus including a carrier ribbon supply spool and a carrier ribbon take-up spool, a print head having a plurality of heating elements which are individually addressable and energisable selectively to remove pixels of marking medium from the carrier ribbon during a printing operation, a first motor to move the carrier ribbon relative to the print head during a printing operation, and a second motor to advance carrier ribbon from which pixels of marking medium have been removed in a previous printing operation, onto the carrier ribbon take-up spool, wherein the carrier ribbon is moved past the print head inbetween printing operations to advance used ribbon onto the take-up spool in a direction opposite to the direction the ribbon is moved during a printing operation, and inbetween printing operations, a carrier ribbon length is advanced past the print head generally equal to the length of carrier ribbon used in the preceding printing operation plus the length of carrier ribbon to be used for the next printing operation.
A printing apparatus including a carrier ribbon supply spool and a carrier ribbon take-up spool, a print head having a plurality of heating elements which are individually addressable and energisable selectively to remove pixels of marking medium from the carrier ribbon during a printing operation, a first motor to move the carrier ribbon relative to the print head during a printing operation, and a second motor to advance carrier ribbon from which pixels of marking medium have been removed in a previous printing operation, onto the carrier ribbon take-up spool, wherein in a first mode of operation when the substrate moves relative to the print head during a printing operation in a first direction, the carrier ribbon moves in the same direction as the substrate, and in a second mode of operation when the substrate moves relative to the print head during a printing operation in a second direction, the carrier ribbon moves in the same direction as the substrate, and in the first mode of operation where the substrate moves in the first direction during a printing operation, inbetween printing operations, a length of the carrier ribbon is advanced past the print head which is generally equal to the length of carrier ribbon used in the preceding printing operation plus the length of carrier ribbon to be used for the next printing operation, and in the second mode of operation when the substrate moves relative to the print head in a second direction during a printing operation, inbetween printing operations the carrier ribbon is generally stationary relative to the print head.
A method of printing using a printing apparatus including a carrier ribbon supply spool and a carrier ribbon take-up spool, a print head having a plurality of heating elements which are individually addressable and energisable selectively to remove pixels of marking medium from the carrier ribbon during a printing operation the carrier ribbon being movable relative to the print head during a printing operation, and there being a motor to advance carrier ribbon from which pixels of marking medium have been removed in a previous printing operation, onto the carrier ribbon take-up spool wherein the method includes moving the substrate relative to the print head during a printing operation in a first direction, and moving the carrier ribbon in the same direction as the substrate, and moving the carrier ribbon inbetween printing operations in a second opposite direction, the method including, inbetween printing operations, advancing a length of the carrier ribbon past the print head which is generally equal to the length of carrier ribbon used in the preceding printing operation plus the length of carrier ribbon to be used for the next printing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.