US 7,363,857 B2Granted

Cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus

AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

InventorsToru Kawada, Toshio Tamura, Shiro Kitawaki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Depending on the lateral width thereof, an image recording material P is stably positioned on a recording drum, employing two positioning pins with an appropriate pitch therebetween. Non-contacting portions prevent any irrelevant positioning pins from coming into contact with the material P. The material P may be transported onto the recording drum 5 while one end thereof constitutes an angle U with a rotation axis 5N of the recording drum 5. A reference notch 44ae first fits with a positioning pin 51a. Thereafter, as the aforementioned end of the material P abuts with a positioning pin 51b, accurate positioning occurs. Each positioning pin 51 includes a tapered portion having a reference taper angle 2T. When a leading-end clamp 52 clamps the aforementioned end, the material P comes in contact with the tapered portion, with a, reduced friction force against the positioning pin 51, thereby preventing deformation of the material P.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus for recording an image on an image recording material mounted thereon, comprising:

a recording section having a cylindrical outer surface on which the image recording material is mounted,
wherein the recording section at least includes:
a first positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface;
a second positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface and located at a first pitch from the first positioning member along a cylindrical axis direction of the recording section;
and
a third positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface and located at a second pitch from the first positioning member along the cylindrical axis direction, so that the third positioning member is further away from the first positioning member than the second positioning member, the second pitch being greater than the first pitch;
wherein the cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus further comprises a first non-contacting portion forming section for forming a first non-contacting portion in the image recording material to prevent the second positioning member from coming in contact with the image recording material when the image recording material is mounted and positioned in place on the recording section by the first and third positioning members;
and
wherein the cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus further comprises a punching section for punching the image recording material to specify where on the recording section the image recording material is to be mounted,
wherein the punching section at least includes:
the first non-contacting portion forming section;
and
a fitting portion forming section for forming a fitting portion in the image recording material, such that the first positioning member fits in the fitting portion,
wherein, in a case where the image recording material is to be positioned in place on the recording section by using the first and second positioning members, the fitting portion forming section forms the fitting portion in the image recording material, so that the image recording material is positioned in place by fitting the first positioning member in the fitting portion and abutting the second positioning member with an end of the image recording material, and
wherein, in a case where the image recording material is to be positioned in place on the recording section by using the first and third positioning members, the fitting portion forming section and the first non-contacting portion forming section form the fitting portion and the first non-contacting portion, respectively, in the image recording material, and the image recording material is positioned in place by fitting the first positioning member in the fitting portion and abutting the third positioning member with the end of the image recording material.

12 more elements

A cylindrical outer surface scanning method for recording an image on an image recording material mounted on a cylindrical outer surface, comprising:

a mounting step of mounting the image recording material on the cylindrical outer surface,
wherein the mounting step further comprises a positioning step of positioning the image recording material in place on the cylindrical outer surface by selectively employing:
a first positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface;
a second positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface and located at a first pitch from the first positioning member along a cylindrical axis direction of cylindrical outer surface;
and
a third positioning member fixed on the cylindrical outer surface and located at a second pitch from the first positioning member along the cylindrical axis direction, so that the third positioning member is further away from the first positioning member than the second positioning member, the second pitch being greater than the first pitch,
wherein the cylindrical outer surface scanning method further comprises:
a non-contacting portion forming step of forming a non-contacting portion in the image recording material to prevent the second positioning member from coming in contact with the image recording material when the positioning step positions the image recording material in place on the cylindrical outer surface by employing the first and third positioning members;
the cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus further comprising:
a punching section for punching the image recording material to specify where on the recording section the image recording material is to be mounted;
and
a transportation section for transporting the image recording material having been punched by the punching section onto the recording section,
wherein the punching section at least includes:
the first non-contacting portion forming section;
a first fitting portion forming section for forming a first fitting portion in the image recording material such that the first, fitting portion fits with the first positioning member;
and
a second fitting portion forming section for forming a second fitting portion in the image recording material such that the second fitting portion fits with the third positioning member, wherein the recording section rotates around the cylindrical axis of the recording section, and
wherein, when transporting the image recording material having been punched by the punching section onto the recording section, the transportation section transports the image recording material in such a manner that the end of the image recording material is tilted with respect to the cylindrical axis of the recording section, and the image recording material is positioned in place on the recording section by fitting the first positioning member in the fitting portion formed in the image recording material and thereafter fitting the third positioning member in the second fitting portion formed in the image recording material;
the cylindrical outer surface scanning apparatus further comprising:
a clamp section disposed on the cylindrical outer surface of the recording section for pinching the end of the image recording material against the cylindrical outer surface of the recording section to stabilize the image recording material on the recording section;
and
a second transportation section for transporting the image recording material with the fitting portion into the clamp section on the recording section,
wherein the recording section rotates around the cylindrical axis of the recording section,
wherein the first positioning member includes a tilted portion presenting a tilt toward a direction in which the second transportation section transports the image recording material, such that the fitting portion formed in the image recording material is fitted with the tilted portion when positioning the image recording material in place on the recording section, and
wherein, the second transportation section transports the image recording material with the fitting portion into the clamp section in such a manner the tilted portion of the first positioning member fits in the fitting portion, and
wherein the clamp section stabilizes on the recording section the image recording material having been transported by the second transportation section so that the tilted portion of the first positioning member fits in the fitting portion.

23 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/140,195Filed 8 May 2002
Priority: JP 2001-14234011 May 2001
Published: US 2003/0147107 A17 Aug 2003
Granted: 29 Apr 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H04N 1/0813
Holding methods: holding sides of the sheet which are substantially parallel to the drum axis
G03F 7/2055
Using a laser: for the production of printing plates; Exposure of liquid photohardening compositions
G03F 7/24
Exposure; Apparatus therefor: curved surfaces
H04N 1/08
Using cylindrical picture-bearing surfaces , i.e. scanning a main-scanning line substantially perpendicular to the axis and lying in a curved…:…