US 8,478,145 B2Granted

Apparatus for forming durable combination prints

AssigneeEastman Kodak Company

InventorsGary P. Lawniczak, Donald S. Rimai

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Abstract

A printer is provided for forming a durable combination of printed receivers having a printer controller cooperating with a print engine, a receiver transport system, an overlap positioning system and a fuser to cause a first toner image on a first side of a first receiver with toner in an overlap area proximate to a first edge of the first receiver to overlap the first edge of the first receiver with a second edge of the second receiver having a thickness and to fuse the overlapped first receiver and second receiver to cause the toner in the overlap area to bond to the receivers. A toner edge shield forms a first end confronting a second edge that extends from a first side of the first receiver to at least about 50% of the thickness and that has a deflection surface that slopes toward a second end.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A printer for forming a durable combination of printed receivers, the printer comprising:

a print engine cooperating with a receiver transport system to form a first toner image on a first side of a first receiver including toner in an overlap area and toner forming a toner edge shield, and a second toner image on a first side of a second receiver;
an overlap positioning system cooperating with the receiver transport system to allow the first receiver to be overlapped with the second receiver;
a fuser that fuses the first receiver and the second receiver;
and,
a printer controller cooperating with the print engine, the receiver transport system, the overlap positioning system and the fuser to cause a first toner image to be formed on the first side of the first receiver with toner at least in an overlap area proximate to a first edge of the first receiver;
to overlap the first edge of the first receiver having a first thickness with a second edge of the second receiver having a second thickness at a second end and to fuse the overlapped first receiver and second receiver to cause the first toner image to bond to the first receiver, to cause the second toner image to bond to the second receiver, and to cause the toner in the overlap area to bond the first receiver to the second receiver;
wherein the toner edge shield forms a first end confronting the second edge that extends from a first side of the first receiver to at least about 50% of the second thickness and that has a deflection surface that slopes toward a second end of the toner edge shield apart from the first end with the second end extending from the first side to a lesser extent than the first end.

4 more elements

A printer comprising:

a source of a print order including information from which an image and a receiver length for printing the image can be determined;
a print engine cooperating with a receiver transport system to form a first toner image on a first side of a first receiver and a second toner image on a first side of a second receiver;
an overlap positioning system cooperating with the receiver transport system to allow a first receiver to be overlapped with a second receiver,
a fuser that fuses the toner in the first toner image to the first receiver and toner in the second toner image to the second receiver;
a printer controller cooperating with the source of the print order, the print engine, the receiver transport system, the overlap positioning system and the fuser to determine an image to be printed and a receiver length on which the image is to be printed;
said printer controller further identifying an overlapped arrangement of at least a first receiver having a first thickness and a second receiver having a second thickness that forms the determined receiver length and establishing a first toner pattern to form a first portion of the determined image on a first side of the first receiver and a second toner pattern to form a second portion of the determined image on a first side of the second receiver positioned so that the determined image is formed when the first receiver is overlapped by the second receiver to form the identified arrangement;
to cause toner to be applied to the first side of the first receiver and to the first side of the second receiver according to the second toner pattern;
to cause the overlap positioning system and receiver transport system to cooperate to cause a portion of the first receiver to be overlapped by a portion of the second receiver to form the identified arrangement;
and, to cause the fuser to fuse the overlapped first receiver and second receiver;
wherein the printer controller causes the first toner pattern to provide toner on an overlapped portion of the first receiver such that fusing the overlapped first receiver and second receiver causes the toner in the overlapped portion to bind the first receiver to the second receiver;
wherein the printer controller further causes the first toner pattern to provide toner to form a toner edge shield having a first end confronting a second edge of the second receiver with the first end having sufficient thickness of toner to extend from the first side of the first receiver to at least about 50% of the second thickness and to provide a deflection surface sloped away from the first end to a second end of the toner edge shield with the second end extending from the first side to a lesser extent than the first end.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.