Guide unit for positioning trays in edible ink printer
OwnerLeonid M. Kofman, Yuri D. Chernov +1inventors
InventorsLeonid M. Kofman, Yuri D. Chernov, Gennady I. Kleyman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for printing a visual image on food items (20) has a printing station provided with a printer (12) connected to the computer and having software for directly printing the image on the exposed surface of the food item. The printing station includes a frame, at least one tray receiving the food item and displaceably supported on the frame, a printer head and a guide mechanism operative to linearly displace the tray so that a distance between the printer head and the exposed surface of the food item remains uniform as the tray is displaced along the travel direction.
Claims16
An apparatus for printing an image onto a food item, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one cassette including a recess corresponding to variable dimensions of the food item in order to receive the food item therein;
- a directing tray for receiving the at least cassette;
- a guide mechanism for receiving the directing tray, guiding the directing tray in a first direction, and maintaining a planar height of the directing tray;
- and
- a printing device that is moveable only within a plane at a fixed height above the directing tray, for printing an image onto the food item,
- wherein a depth of the recess of the at least one cassette is determined based upon a thickness of the food item, such that a top surface of the food item is positioned a predetermined optimal distance from the printing device when the directing tray receiving the at least one cassette is positioned below the printing device.
A method for printing an image onto a food item using a printing apparatus including a directing tray, a guide mechanism, and a printing device, the method comprising:
- selecting dimensions of the food item;
- designing a cassette for supporting the food item including a recess corresponding to the dimensions of the food item in order to receive the food item therein;
- receiving, by the cassette, the food item;
- receiving, by the directing tray, the cassette, the directing tray being capable of receiving a plurality of cassettes;
- receiving, by the guide mechanism, the directing tray;
- guiding, by the guide mechanism, the directing tray in a first direction while maintaining a planar height of the directing tray;
- and
- printing, by the printing device, the image onto the food item as the directing tray passes under the printing device in the first direction, the printing device being moveable only within a plane at a fixed height above the directing tray,
- wherein designing the cassette for supporting the food item comprises determining a depth of the recess of the cassette based upon a thickness of the food item, such that a top surface of the food item is positioned a predetermined optimal distance from the printing device when the directing tray receiving is positioned below the printing device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.