Typewriting machines – Carriage or carriage-moving or movement-regulating mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2001-10-16
Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Carriage or carriage-moving or movement-regulating mechanism
C400S208000, C101S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302601
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer that will print from a carrier ribbon, film or web to a substrate carried on a flexible support that is planar and is driven directly by rollers or drives. The substrate carrier can be removed from the printer to be changed, and/or for other manipulation, such as loading it into another device for a related operation on the substrate. A removed carrier can be driven back into the printer. A cartridge carrying the printhead is also provided.
Thermal printing technology for substrates, such as compact discs (CDs) and recordable compact discs (CD-Rs) and also identification cards incorporate pivotally mounted heads and linear platens with resilient surfaces and carriers that have clamping mechanisms for the substrate. The carriers are generally separately driven.
Current technology for printing onto plastic substrates uses expensive head actuating and force modifying mechanisms. The printhead is moved on pivotally mounted arms that extend substantially beyond the envelope of the printhead, with a linearly driven carriage that has to hold the disc over an expensive, flat resilient surface with a clamping device that moves with the carriage. Threading the ribbon through the printhead and mounting ports of the presently available printers is a tedious job which includes taping the ribbon to the carriage, then taping the ribbon after the carriage is driven into the printer. This leads to large, high-cost printers for plastic substrates such as CD's, CD-R's and digital videodiscs. It is desirable to substantially reduce the printer size in order to take less space for the CD printers, as well as reducing manufacturing costs and user interaction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate carrier or tray and printhead cartridge that mount into a frame for reliably printing on flat substrates of various shapes, such as a rectangular ID card, CDs, CD-Rs, DVDs and irregular shapes. A substrate carrier or tray is substantially planar and is removable from the printer for loading. Friction drives that engage the planar carrier, such as one or more spring-loaded rollers are used. The substrate on the carrier is urged against stops by drive rollers, for positive positioning. The drive rollers shown act on a flexible or semi-flexible planar support that will move the substrate into the installed print cartridge.
A platen roller is mounted so that it and the carrier for the substrate can be moved against a printhead under a controlled spring force. The platen roller, in one form of the invention, can be slidably mounted, and can be urged toward the printhead with springs that can be varied in force. In another form of the invention, the platen, the substrate carrier and the substrate are mounted on a pivoting frame and urged up against the printhead where the force is reacted by the printhead for contact printing.
The pivoting frame mounts not only the platen, but also drive rollers for the substrate carrier. The force with which the platen, carrier and/or substrate are urged against the printhead during the loading and printing operation is controlled by a cam that acts on a cam follower connected to the platen frame by springs so that the frame pivots toward the printhead under spring load. One drive roller for the substrate tray or carrier is on the pivoting frame and rests against a spring-loaded pinch roller. The printhead cartridge also carries the printhead and a second pinch roller. The platen is spring-loaded and resilient to load the cartridge and the substrate against the printhead, which is held in a fixed position. A second drive roller is provided on the printer housing and cooperates with the second pinch roller, so the carrier is driven by rollers after it has passed through an inlet opening.
According to another aspect of the invention, a printhead cartridge contains the printhead, as well as the ribbon, film or web supply and take-up rollers. The cartridge permits easy loading of the ribbon since the ribbon does not have to be threaded through pairs of rollers or openings, and does not require special “lead-in” tapes or the like. Also, the printer provides easy front loading of both the printhead cartridge and the substrate carrier. The outer printer housing fits within a PC box or other container.
The flexible or semi-flexible planar substrate carrier or tray is moved in and out with motors or drives that are synchronized for printing and for insertion and removal. The carrier for the substrate can be adapted to a wide range of shapes, because the substrate is seated by being held against edges or stops on the carrier by the action of the five rollers. Alternatively, the carrier can have a recess formed to the peripheral shape of the substrate to provide for positioning the substrate.
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Hagstrom Erick
Strobel Mark D.
Eickholt Eugene
Primera Technology Inc.
Westman Champlin & Kelly P.A.
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