Vacuum workbed
US6322265A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 8, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J33/16
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material; and methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack. The vacuum workbed can include provision for determining the size of the sheet material supported by the workbed, and for controlling the suction applied to the apertures in a worksurface of the workbed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.