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US 9,067,408 B2Granted
Printing media supportable on movable pallets
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorAlex Veis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A media transport assembly includes a plurality of pallets arranged to circulate on an endless track through a print zone and a handling zone. In the print zone, the pallets are temporarily grouped together to support and move a print media during printing at a substantially constant velocity. In the handling zone, the pallets are spaced apart from each other as they circulate back to the print zone without supporting any print media.
Claims13
A printing system comprising:
- a plurality of pallets;
- an endless track on which the pallets circulate through:
- a print zone wherein some of the pallets temporarily form a group in a position immediately adjacent each other and wherein the group supports and moves a print media, wherein each pallet is smaller than the print media;
- and
- a handling zone wherein the other respective pallets are moved along the track and return to the print zone;
- and
- a printing mechanism positioned in the print zone and configured to print onto the print media carried by the at least some pallets in the print zone.
4 more elements
A printing system comprising:
- a plurality of pallets;
- an endless track on which the pallets circulate through:
- a print zone wherein some of the pallets temporarily form a group in a position immediately adjacent each other, wherein the group supports and moves a print media, and wherein each pallet is smaller than the print media;
- and
- a handling zone wherein the other respective pallets are moved along the track and return to the print zone,
- a controller configured to individually control a velocity of each pallet along the track;
- and
- a pneumatically controlled conveying assembly in electrical communication with the controller and configured to control a position and velocity of each pallet independently along the track.
5 more elements
A printing system comprising:
- a plurality of pallets;
- and
- an endless track on which the pallets circulate through:
- a print zone in which some of the pallets are immediately adjacent each other to temporarily form a group that supports and moves print media;
- and
- a handling zone in which the pallets move without supporting a print media;
- wherein the track includes:
- a support structure to enable movement of the pallets relative to the track;
- and
- a drive mechanism extending generally parallel with the support structure to control a position and movement of each pallet,
- a controller configured to individually control a velocity of each pallet along the track, wherein the controller is configured to cause the group of pallets to move at a first substantially constant velocity in the print zone and to move at a second velocity in at least a return portion of the handling zone, wherein the second velocity is substantially higher than the first velocity.
8 more elements
A method of transporting print media sheets, the method comprising:
- grouping together a plurality of sheet-supporting pallets at or before a print zone;
- carrying a single print media sheet through the print zone on the group of pallets;
- ungrouping the pallets;
- and
- repeatedly performing the acts of grouping, carrying and ungrouping throughout a printing operation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.