Typewriting machines – Means auxiliary to typewriting function – Frame – casing – or support for typewriter
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-15
2001-05-29
Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Means auxiliary to typewriting function
Frame, casing, or support for typewriter
C400S691000, C347S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238115
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a modular printer. The invention relates particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, to a modular commercial printer for effecting high speed, digital, photographic quality, commercial printing.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
In high speed printing, large printing presses are daisy-chained together to print predetermined pages of publications which are then secured together to form the publications. Such printing presses occupy an extremely large volume and are very expensive.
The applicant has also proposed a commercial printer using a number of floor mounted printers having pagewidth print heads. This commercial printer is intended for extremely high production rates such as up to five 180 page documents per second.
To achieve such high production rates, large quantities of consumables need to be readily available for the printers. Thus, once again, such a commercial printer needs to occupy an extremely large volume although the cost of such a printer is considerably lower than equivalent high end, commercial printers which do not use the applicant's MEMJET (MEMJET is a trade mark of Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd) technology.
The applicant has recognised a need for a commercial printer which occupies a smaller volume and which has a lower throughput rate but of the same quality as the applicant's previously proposed MEMJET commercial printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a modular printer which includes
a housing containing printing components, the housing having a first, external surface and an opposed, second external surface;
a plurality of mounting elements arranged on the second surface of the housing; and
a plurality of locating zones arranged on the first surface of the housing, there being at least the same number of locating zones as there are mounting elements and each locating zone having a plurality of locating formations, each mounting element of the housing of one printer engaging one of the locating formations of the housing of an adjacent printer, in use, to locate adjacent printers with respect to each other.
The housing may comprise a first cover defining the first external surface and an opposed, second cover defining the second external surface.
Each mounting element may include a lockable device which lockably engages its associated locating formation for securing adjacent printers together. Each mounting element may comprise a locking foot having a locking means for locking said foot with respect to its associated locking formation. More particularly, the locking means of each locking foot may include a sleeve carrying an engaging formation, for example, a pin, the sleeve being rotatable through a predetermined arc to effect locking or unlocking relative to its associated locating formation.
Each locating formation may be in the form of a receiving bore for receiving its associated locking foot, the bores of each locating zone being arranged in spaced relationship so that, by appropriate choice of bores of each locating zone, adjacent printers can be secured together in an offset manner.
Further, the printer may include a first guide means at an inlet end of the housing and a second guide means at an outlet end of the housing, the position of each guide means being adjustable to cater for different angles of ingress and egress of the print media relative to the housing and said angle being dependent on a degree of offset of the printers relative to each other. Each guide means may be a guide roller.
The invention extends also to a printer assembly which includes a plurality of printers as described above, the printers being secured together.
In one embodiment of the assembly, the printers may lie horizontally and may be vertically stacked with respect to each other. Adjacent printers may be offset with respect to each other.
In another embodiment of the assembly, the printers may extend vertically and may be horizontally spaced apart from each other with adjacent printers being secured together.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5336004 (1994-08-01), Harada et al.
patent: 5718172 (1998-02-01), Ruckmann et al.
patent: 6132122 (2000-10-01), Robinson et al.
patent: 10-207575 (1998-08-01), None
King Tobin Allen
Silverbrook Kia
Colilla Daniel J.
Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
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