Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Utility Patent
1998-10-09
2001-01-02
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S076000
Utility Patent
active
06168259
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to ink jet printers and methods and more particularly relates to an ink jet printer for forming a full-width image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, and method of assembling the printer.
An ink jet printer produces images on a receiver by ejecting ink droplets onto the receiver in an imagewise fashion. The advantages of non-impact, low-noise, low energy use, and low cost operation in addition to the capability of the printer to print on plain paper are largely responsible for the wide acceptance of ink jet printers in the marketplace.
Traditionally, prints were made with a blank border surrounding the printed image. However, today there is an established market for so-called “borderless” (i.e., full-width) prints. Borderless prints are aesthetically desirable because distracting borders around the image are nonexistent. Also, misaligned images cause uneven borders which are undesirable. Moreover, prints that are borderless when printed conserve print stock because there is then no need to trim-away the distracting border which would otherwise surround the image.
A prior art technique for producing borderless prints is simply to begin operating a print head such that ink droplets commence ejection at a predetermined distance before the print head aligns with a marginal edge of the receiver. This prior art technique avoids the previously mentioned borders and thus provides borderless prints.
However, use of this prior art technique gives rise to a problem. That is, when the print head is operated in this manner, ink droplets will also deposit onto a transverse side of the receiver and may even migrate to an underside of the receiver. Deposit of ink onto the transverse side as well as onto the underside of the receiver detracts from aesthetic enjoyment of the image.
Moreover, commencing ejection of ink before the print head aligns with the marginal edge gives rise to yet another problem. In this regard, ink droplets not deposited onto the receiver are deposited elsewhere within the printer. Deposit of ink elsewhere in the printer may contaminate components contained in the printer, a highly undesirable result. It is therefore important to capture ink droplets not deposited onto the receiver during borderless printing, so that these ink droplets can be later easily removed from the printer for disposal or recycling.
Therefore, there is need to provide a printer for forming a full-width image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, and method of assembling the printer, such that inadvertent deposit of ink on the transverse side and elsewhere in the printer is avoided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a printer for forming a full-width image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, and method of assembling the printer.
With this object in view, the present invention resides in a printer for forming an image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, comprising a print head adapted to eject an image-forming fluid commencing a predetermined distance from the transverse side for forming the image on the receiver exclusive of the transverse side of the receiver; and a reservoir associated with said print head and extending along the predetermined distance for receiving the fluid ejected along the predetermined distance, so that the transverse side is fluid-free.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the printer comprises a print head adapted to eject a plurality of ink droplets onto a receiver sheet, so as to form an image that can extend a full-width of the receiver sheet. Full-width printing obtains so-called “borderless” prints which are aesthetically pleasing to the viewer of the print. The terminology “borderless print” is defined herein to mean a print without a blank border surrounding the image formed on the receiver sheet. To achieve this result, the print head commences ejection of ink droplets a predetermined distance before reaching a transverse side of the receiver sheet. As used herein, the terminology “transverse side” is defined to mean that side of the receiver sheet that is seen when the receiver sheet is viewed transversely.
A reservoir is disposed adjacent the transverse side and extends along the predetermined distance for receiving ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance, so that none of the ink droplets are inadvertently deposited onto the transverse side or onto components housed in the printer. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reservoir is an absorbent material that absorbs the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance. In a second embodiment of the invention, the reservoir is a drain for collecting the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance. In a third embodiment of the invention, the ink droplets are caused to possess an electrostatic charge of a first polarity and the reservoir is caused to possess an electrostatic charge of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, so that the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance are preferentially attracted to the reservoir.
A feature of the present invention is the provision of a reservoir for capturing ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance.
An advantage of the present invention is that use thereof provides borderless prints without transverse side ink contamination in order to enhance aesthetic enjoyment of the image formed on the receiver sheet.
Another advantage of the present invention is that use thereof avoids ink contamination of components within the printer.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.
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patent: 5196863 (1993-03-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 5534896 (1996-07-01), Osborne
patent: 5966145 (1999-10-01), Miura et al.
patent: 6019466 (1999-10-01), Hermanson
patent: 4-04187440 (1992-07-01), None
Eastman Kodak Company
Hsieh Shih-Wen
Le N.
Stevens Walter S.
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