# US 8,740,337 B2 · Wrinkle elimination for solid inkjet web printer

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- Number: US 8,740,337 B2
- Document ID: US8740337B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/562,687
- Filed: 2012-07-31
- Published: 2014-02-06
- Granted: 2014-06-03
- Earliest claimed: 2012-07-31
- Assignees: Eastman Kodak Company
- Applicants: Borden Hicks Mills, III; John Leonard Hryhorenko
- Inventors: Borden Hicks Mills, III; John Leonard Hryhorenko
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8740337B2

## CPC

- B41J 13/025: {Special roller holding or lifting means, e.g. for temporarily raising one roller of a pair of nipping rollers for inserting printing material}
- B41J 2/17593: {Supplying ink in a solid state}
- B41J 11/0005: {Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material}
- B41J 15/04: Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
- B41J 15/16: Means for tensioning or winding the web
- B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
- B65H 20/02: by friction roller
- B65H 23/0251: {with a straight axis}
- B65H 2301/51242: Stretching transversely; Tentering
- B65H 2404/1441: involving controlled actuator
- B65H 2515/31: Tensile forces
- B65H 2515/34: Pressure, e.g. fluid pressure
- B65H 2515/84: Quality; Condition, e.g. degree of wear
- B65H 2553/41: Photoelectric detectors
- B65H 2553/42: Cameras
- B65H 2801/12: Single-function printing machines, typically table-top machines
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

A solid inkjet web printer for reducing wrinkles on a web including a solid ink jet engine for jetting a patterned layer of solid jettable ink and a system having a processor, and a spreader, the spreader having a pressure roller and a spreader roller forming a nip and means for adjusting the force applied at the nip. The processor controls the adjustment of the force applied by the pressure and spreader rollers to the printed portion on the web causing the spreader to reduce the force when the non-image portion is in the nip. A sensor for providing a signal to the processor indicates the location of the image and non-image portions of the web.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A solid inkjet web printer for reducing wrinkles on a web comprising;
a solid ink jet engine for jetting a patterned layer of solid jettable ink against a printed portion of the web; and
a system having a processor, and a spreader, the spreader having a pressure roller and a spreader roller wherein at least one is comformable forming a nip and means for adjusting the force applied at the nip; the processor causing the adjustment of the force applied by the pressure and spreader rollers to the printed portion on the web when the web is in the nip to spread the printed portion on the web; and causing the spreader to reduce the force when the non-image portion is in the nip; and a sensor for providing a signal to the processor indicating the location of the image and non-image portions of the web and the processor responding to the signal for causing the force adjusting means to reduce the force at the nip when the non-image portion is in the nip.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The solid inkjet web printer according to claim 1, wherein the force adjustment means includes at least one roller loading device for applying adjustable force to the pressure roller in response to the processor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The solid inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein the processor uses image content information to determine the amount of force to be applied by the roller loading device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The solid inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is either an area image sensor or a linear image sensor.