Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-18
2003-03-11
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Combined
C358S449000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06530633
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a card printing method and a card printing apparatus which are capable of carrying out so-called beyond-edge printing on a card having a predetermined thickness.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, a card printing method and a card printing apparatus of this kind have been proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-254657, which feed a card placed on a tray in one direction, and at the same time cause a print head to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the direction of feed of the card, thereby carrying out beyond-edge printing for ejecting ink droplets onto areas outside the opposite edge portions of the card. In this case, the card is placed on the tray such that it is fit into a shallow rectangular groove in an ink absorbent material arranged on the top of the tray, and the ink droplets ejected onto areas beyond the opposite edge portions of the card are absorbed by the ink absorbent material such that they are prevented from adhering to end faces of the card at the edges.
In the conventional card printing method and apparatus configured as above, adhesion and drying of ink repeatedly occurs in the ink absorbent material, so that this material suffers from clogging as time elapses. If the ink absorbent material is clogged as described above, the ink is sucked in contact portions between the ink absorbent material and the card by capillary action, thereby causing ink to readily adhere to the end surfaces of the card on the contrary.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIGS. 12A and 12B
, when a print head
101
reciprocates while ejecting ink droplets A, the ink droplets A are ejected onto a card C in a relatively slanting direction to the direction of movement of the print head
101
. If beyond-edge printing is carried out in a state in which the ink droplets A are ejected as above, the ink droplets A are actively caused to hit an end face on a rear side of the card C in the direction of movement of the print head
101
. As a result, the ink positively adheres to the end face.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a card printing method and a card printing apparatus which are capable of preventing or minimizing the possibility of adhesion of ink to end faces of a card.
To attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of printing on a card having a predetermined thickness by using a print head by an ink jet printing method.
The method according to the first aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising the steps of:
reciprocating moving the print head; and
carrying out beyond-edge printing in which ink droplets are ejected beyond opposite edges of the card, immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in one direction, and immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in another direction opposite to the one direction.
To attain the above object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a card printing apparatus for printing on a card having a predetermined thickness by an ink jet printing method.
The card printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising:
a card feed mechanism for feeding the card;
a print head for carrying out printing on the card being advanced, while performing reciprocating motions; and
a controller for controlling the card feed mechanism and the print head,
the controller causing the print head to carry out beyond-edge printing in which ink droplets are ejected beyond opposite edges of the card, immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in one direction, and immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in another direction opposite to the one direction, if the beyond-edge printing is required.
According to the above card printing method and card printing apparatus, when beyond-edge printing is to be carried out at one edge of a card, the beyond-edge printing is carried out immediately before termination of ejection of ink droplets when the print head is moved in one direction, for instance, whereas when beyond-edge printing is to be carried out at an another edge of the card opposite to the one edge, the beyond-edge printing is carried out immediately before termination of ejection of ink droplets when the print head is moved in the other direction. In other words, beyond-edge printing on the edge portions of the card is not carried out immediately after the start of the ejection of ink droplets not only when the print head is moved in one direction but also when the print head is moved in the other direction.
The print head carries out printing operations by ejecting ink droplets during reciprocation, and therefore ink droplet shit (are ejected onto) the card from a relatively slanting direction. Therefore, if beyond-edge printing is carried out on the edge portions of the card immediately after the start of the ejection of ink droplets, the ink droplets hit the end faces of the end portions as well. In contrast, if beyond-edge printing is carried out on the edge portions of the card immediately before termination of ejection of ink droplets, the ink droplets do not hit the end faces of the end portions.
Preferably, a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the one direction and a printing are a printed when the print head is moved in the another direction opposite to the one direction extend from an intermediate portion of the card to the opposite edges of the card.
Preferably, the controller controls the card feed mechanism and the print head such that a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the one direction and a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the another direction opposite to the one direction extend from an intermediate portion of the card to the opposite edges of the card.
According to these preferred embodiments, in each printing operation during the advancing and returning motions of the print head, ejection of ink droplets is always started from the intermediate portion (preferably, a center line) of the card and terminated at locations beyond edge portions of the card, so that it is possible to cause the printing to be each time effected on approximately one of left and right halves of the whole card surface, by simple control.
In general, it is preferred that whenever the print head prints on one line, printing is carried out on approximately one half of the line on the card. If the card can be fed such that it is reciprocatingly moved, however, approximately one half of the whole card may be printed in each of forward and rearward printing operations.
Preferably, a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the one direction and a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the another direction opposite to the one direction overlap each other to form an overlapping area.
Preferably, the controller controls the card feed mechanism and the print head such that printing area printed when the print head is moved in the one direction and a printing area printed when the print head is moved in the another direction opposite to the one direction overlap each other to form an overlapping area.
According to these preferred embodiments, the left-hand side printing area and the right-hand side printing area are caused to overlap each other, whereby it is possible to prevent a faulty printing operation, such as thinned dots at the intermediate portion (boundary portion) of the card in comparison with the case in which printing is carried out for one half of the card each time. In short, inconsistencies in density at the boundary portion between the left-hand side and right-hand side printing areas can be eliminated.
Preferably, an amount of ink droplets ejected onto the overlap area per unit image and an amount of ink droplets ejected onto each non-o
Morozumi Kazuaki
Nakajima Kenichi
Barlow John
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Liang Leonard
Seiko Epson Corporation
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