| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 347215000 | Record receiver and transfer medium feeding or driving means | 41 |
| 20090066778 | THERMAL PRINTER, THERMAL PRINTER CONTROL METHOD, AND PRINTING SYSTEM - A thermal printer | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090086007 | OBJECT MOVING APPARATUS - An object moving apparatus for controlling the movement of an object such as a print medium includes a first motor, a second motor, a moving module, a first power transmission module, a second power transmission module and a controlling module. The moving module is for moving the object. The first power transmission module is coupled between the first motor and the moving module, and is for delivering power from the first motor to the moving module to drive the moving module to move the object. The second power transmission module is coupled between the second motor and the moving module, and is for delivering power from the second motor to the moving module to drive the moving module to move the object. The controlling module is coupled to the first and second motors, and is for selectively turning on the first motor or the second motor. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090128614 | HEAD MECHANISM OF THERMAL PRINTER - A head mechanism of a thermal printer includes a platen roller rotatably supported by a housing, and a thermal head arranged at a front end of a head bearing member the front end of which is adapted to be rotatable about a rear end supported by the housing, and arranged to face the platen roller, and is constructed such that, during recording, a sheet provided for recording is sandwiched between the platen roller and the thermal head, and an electric current is selectively applied to heat-generating elements arranged in the thermal head, thereby obtaining desired recording. The thermal head and the platen roller are arranged to form a gap with a dimension smaller than the thickness of the sheet provided for recording during non-recording. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090268006 | LINE THERMAL PRINTER - A line thermal printer includes a platen roller and a line thermal head including a plurality of heating elements. The heating elements are disposed to face the entire area of a recording sheet in a width direction of the recording sheet and selectively generate heat. The recording sheet is interposed between the platen roller and the line thermal head. The line thermal printer performs printing at the interposed position on the recording sheet by the selective generation of heat of the heating elements while the recording sheet is moved. The line thermal printer includes a foreign material blocking member. The foreign material blocking member is disposed upstream of the interposed position to come in contact with an upper surface of the recording sheet, and prevents foreign materials, which are placed on the upper surface of the recording sheet, from being moved toward the interposed position. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20100002065 | Recording device, control method for a recording device, and a control program - If the recording medium and the thermal head stick together, a recording device, a control method for a recording device, and a control program enable avoiding media transportation problems caused by such adhesion. If the recording medium has a release coat layer or an overcoating layer and the recording medium is left in contact with the thermal head, an operating pattern is set according to the contact conditions for moving the surface of the recording medium a specific distance from the thermal head, and transportation is controlled according to the set operating pattern. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20100134585 | PRINTER - A printer comprises a transfer assembly | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100220170 | PRINTER - A printer includes a feeding unit, a conveying unit, a print unit to print information on an intermediate transfer film or a print medium, a transfer unit to transfer the information printed on the intermediate transfer film to a transferred article, a winding unit, a discharge unit, a detection unit structured so as to detect the intermediate transfer film or the print medium and inform the detection information to a setting unit, and the setting unit to decide an intermediate transfer film mode to operate the feeding unit, conveying unit, print unit, transfer unit, and winding unit when the detection information sent from the detection unit indicates that the intermediate transfer film is detected or decide a direct medium mode to operate the feeding unit, conveying unit, print unit, and discharge unit when the detection information sent from the detection unit indicates that the print medium is detected. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100259591 | IMAGE RECORDING MEDIUM TRANSFER APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS - An image recording medium transfer apparatus includes: a capstan that transfers a recording medium for an image; a pinch roller provided opposite the capstan to pass the recording medium between the pinch roller and the capstan; and a pressing force application unit configured to exert a pressing force to press the capstan and the pinch roller against each other via the recording medium. The capstan includes a plurality of projections on a pressing surface of the capstan that presses the recording medium. When a height of each of the projections from the pressing surface is defined as H, the height H is in a range of 20 mm| 10-14-2010 | |
| 20100302339 | PRINTER - In the case where printing density is set to 180 dpi and temperature of a thermal head is under t5, low-density dot-expanding printing is carried out wherein a dot occupying two printing lines for 360 dpi is formed and thermally transferred onto a surface tape by conveying the surface tape and an ink ribbon by two printing lines for 360 dpi in a single printing cycle with heater elements to be used for printing based one line of line printing data being heated. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100309276 | PRINTING APPARATUS - A printing apparatus includes an image transfer unit thermally transferring a plurality of color materials onto a recording medium to superimpose images in respective color materials, a medium conveyance unit conveying the recording medium through the image transfer unit using a stepper motor, a synchronism loss detection sensor detecting a loss of synchronism with the stepper motor, a reference position detection sensor detecting that the recording medium is located at a predetermined reference position, and a conveyance control unit making the medium conveyance unit repeat a forward conveyance and a reverse conveyance of the recording medium and, if the loss of synchronism is detected in the repeating process, making the image transfer unit resume the color printing on the recording medium through positioning the recording medium to the reference position and conveying the recording medium from the reference position to the transfer start position. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100321460 | PRINTING APPARATUS AND THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTING METHOD - Provided is a printing apparatus including: a medium transporting unit configured to transport a printing target medium; a sheet traveling unit configured to allow a thermal transfer sheet, in which a color material layer and a protection layer are formed on a sheet in a line along a travel direction, to travel; a printing unit configured to sequentially and thermally transfer the color material layer and the protection layer onto the printing target medium by applying thermal energy to the printing target medium and the thermal transfer sheet which are sandwiched by the printing unit; and a pressure changing mechanism configured to change the sandwiching force acting on the printing target medium and the thermal transfer sheet so as to have a relationship of force P | 12-23-2010 |
| 20110007123 | THERMAL TRANSFER SHEET AND IMAGE FORMATION METHOD USING SAME - A thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer containing a thermo-transferable dye in a binder resin, wherein the dye layer contains at least one polymer containing a repetitive unit derived from (a) a monomer of the following formula (1) and (b) a monomer having an aliphatic group that has a bridging linkage and has at least 7 carbon atoms: | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110012977 | TAPE DRIVE AND PRINTING APPARATUS - A tape drive for use in for example a transfer printing apparatus to drive a printer ribbon. The printer ribbon is mounted on two spools each of which is driven by a respective stepper motor. A controller controls the energization of the motor such that the ribbon is transported in at least one direction between spools mounted on the spool support. The controller is operative to energize both motors to drive the spools of ribbon in the direction of ribbon transport to achieve push-pull operations. Ribbon tension is monitored to enable accurate control of ribbon supply and ribbon take-up, the ribbon tension being monitored, for example, by monitoring power supply to the two stepper motors. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110050831 | Thermal Printer - A thermal printer avoids or reduces difficult to correct problems caused by recording paper that has passed the printing position leaving the paper transportation path. A printing mechanism has a head mounting plate that carries a line thermal head, a front guide plate disposed downstream from the head mounting plate, a platen roller that defines the printing position A, and a back guide member disposed downstream from the platen roller. The head mounting plate and front guide plate have interlocking parts that interlock with each other widthwise to the paper transportation path. A paper detector that detects entry of the recording paper | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110050832 | Printing apparatus and printing method - A printing apparatus | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110157292 | PRINTER AND METHOD OF PRINTING - A printer comprises a moveable print head such that print elements of the print head are able to print to two streams of media having different physical locations. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110157293 | METHOD OF FORMING IMAGE USING HEAT-SENSITIVE TRANSFER IMAGE-RECEIVING SHEET HAVING A LENTICULAR LENS - A method of forming an image, having the steps of: superposing a heat-sensitive transfer sheet on a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet having a lenticular lens and at least one receptor layer on a transparent support; and applying thermal energy in accordance with image signals from a thermal head,
| 06-30-2011 |
| 20110304680 | PRINTING APPARATUS - Provided is a thermal transfer-system recording device which, by accurately conveying a medium between each of the thermal heads, eliminates image position displacement and image pitch variations between each of the thermal heads, thereby improving the overlay precision of each color and enabling printing on both sides of the medium. A pair of small pieces ( | 12-15-2011 |
| 20120007936 | THERMAL PRINTER, THERMAL PRINTER CONTROL METHOD, AND PRINTING SYSTEM - A thermal printer | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120069125 | PRINTING METHOD AND APPARATUS - A thermal transfer printer comprises a print head drive mechanism that is configured to reciprocally move a print head parallel to movement of a carrier ribbon past the print head. A controller is configured to control the print head drive mechanism to move the print head in a first direction along the carrier ribbon to transfer ink material from the carrier ribbon to a substrate to print a first portion of an image on a first area of the substrate. The controller is also configured to control movement of the print head in a second direction opposite to the first direction as the carrier ribbon and substrate are also moved in the second direction to position the print head relative to the carrier ribbon so that a second portion of the image is printed on a second are of the substrate adjacent to the first area of the substrate. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120092433 | Printing apparatus and printing control method - When a certain dot line is printed, in a case where a head power supply time for a thermal head unit is shorter than a motor stepping time so that an idle time is present, and it is predicted that, in a succeeding dot line, the head power supply time is longer than the motor stepping time and the motor stepping time becomes long, a printing control unit of a printing apparatus starts printing the succeeding dot line before succeeding motor stepping is started. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120127255 | IMAGING APPARATUS WITH MOVEABLE MEDIA GUIDE - An imaging apparatus including a media supply, a transport path, a supply path for transporting sheets of photothermographic imaging media from the media supply to the transport path, a drive roller driving sheets of imaging media along the supply path, and a media guide moveable from a normally closed position to an open position to provide a continuous surface for moving a sheet of imaging media from the supply path onto the transport path in a first direction along the transport path, and wherein the media guide is moveable from the open position to the normally closed position upon the entire sheet of imaging media being moved onto the transport path to block the sheet of imaging media from entering the supply path when moving along the transport path in a direction opposite the first direction. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120154505 | THERMAL PRINTER AND OVERCOAT PRINTING METHOD - A thermal printer which transfers ink to a printing medium to print an image, comprises a transfer unit configured to transfer dye ink to the printing medium to print an image, and transfer an overcoat onto the entire image to protect the image; and a control unit configured to control transfer of the overcoat by the transfer unit. The control unit forms a region where no overcoat is transferred to embed information in the overcoat, and forms, in the vicinity of the region where no overcoat is transferred, a pattern for hiding the information, to avoid visual perception of the information by a difference in gloss between the region where no overcoat is transferred and a region where the overcoat is transferred. | 06-21-2012 |
| 20120293595 | Thermal Printer, Thermal Printer Control Method, and Printing System - A thermal printer and control method for a thermal printer is provided. The thermal printer includes a print head and a paper feed mechanism for conveying a print medium past the print head at a controlled print speed based on predetermined print speed control factors. Operations include determining the print speed of the print medium based on the print speed control factors; determining a change, if any, in the print speed; determining if the change in print speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and controlling the paper feed mechanism to limit the change in the print speed if the change in the print speed is determined to have exceeded the threshold value. The change of the print speed is decreased for at least one predetermined time when the change in the print speed is determined to have exceeded the threshold value. | 11-22-2012 |
| 20120306986 | PRINTING RIBBON SECURITY APPARATUS AND METHOD - An apparatus and method of securing and maintaining the integrity of desired information on a ribbon and media subsequent to a printing operation is provided. The apparatus and method includes a thermal transfer printer having a print station and a printhead operable for performing a printing operation. The printhead is capable of performing an initial print operation and then being raised from the media, thereby allowing the used ribbon to be rewound a predetermined distance about a supply spindle. Thereafter, a second print operation is performed on the space previously printed upon using characters, designs or block-out patterns and the used ribbon is then wound onto a take-up spindle. In exemplary embodiments, the used ribbon can also be reprinted with a waste media several times thus further obscuring the image on the used ribbon. | 12-06-2012 |
| 20130027496 | THERMAL MARKING SYSTEM - One or more arrays of heating elements are configured with insulating regions to prevent the dissipation of heat to unintended regions of a thermochromic substrate. Methods include printing and arranging impressions on a two-sided substrate avoiding bleeding and other problems more-commonly associated with traditional two-sided thermal printing techniques. A simple and reliable thermal printing system is provided for use in ballot marking, including several mechanisms for receiving and detecting the orientation of a substrate within a thermal printing apparatus. | 01-31-2013 |
| 20130033556 | PRINTING SYSTEM - A printing system having a chassis for housing a modular print station; a power source in communication with the print station; a controller circuit card assembly encoded with at least one feature module and being in communication with the print station; a display panel in communication with the print station; a media rewind hub; a pair of adjustable media guides connected about a base of the print station; and at least one sensor affixed to the print station base and being operable for detecting the presence and position of media passing through a media feed path of the printing system. | 02-07-2013 |
| 20130106974 | TAPE DRIVE AND PRINTING APPARATUS | 05-02-2013 |
| 20130169730 | PEN-BARREL HEAT TRANSFERRING DEVICE - A heat transferring device for a workpiece such as a pen barrel includes a pneumatic mechanism, a roller mechanism, a heating mechanism, and a rolling mechanism. The pneumatic mechanism is connected with the roller mechanism. The rolling mechanism rotates the pen barrel, and the roller mechanism includes an elastic force applying mechanism that applies an elastic force on the pen barrel during rotation. As the rolling mechanism rotates the pen barrel, the elastic force applying mechanism applies an elastic force to the pen barrel that keeps a roller wheel in contact with respective faces of the pen barrel during rotation. Thus, the force that the elastic force applying mechanism applies to the pen barrel is uniform and the respective faces of the pen barrel receive a uniform force. Therefore, the device can heat transfer designs on pen barrels having non-circular as well as circular shapes. | 07-04-2013 |
| 20130250027 | THERMAL HEAD AND THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER USING THERMAL HEAD - A thermal head in a thermal transfer printer in which a tension is given to an ink ribbon that has warped as being heated by the thermal head to reduce friction force generated between the thermal head and the ink ribbon. A ribbon transport direction changing member | 09-26-2013 |
| 20130258030 | PRINTER - The disclosure discloses a printer includes a main-body case, a housing portion configured to house substantially sheet-shaped media to be printed as a print object therein, a pickup roller configured to pick up and feed the medium to be printed toward a first direction along a surface direction of the medium, a platen roller configured to feed the medium to be printed, a print head configured to perform desired printing on the medium to be printed being fed, a paper guide configured to reverse the medium to be printed being fed toward a second direction in opposite to the first direction, the paper guide including at least one arc-shaped surface portion provided along the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller in an opposed manner thereto, and a coupling member that couples between the paper guide and a rotation shaft of the platen roller. | 10-03-2013 |
| 20140078236 | Thick, Printable Labels Suitable for Use in a Thermal Transfer Printer - Thick, compressible, multilayer labels with the appearance and feel of hard plastic identification shields comprise:
| 03-20-2014 |
| 20140098173 | Print Head, Printer, and Control Method of Printer - In connection with a printer, a platen roller is configured to rotate in a first direction and to transport a recording medium. A print head facing the platen roller includes a head body portion having a printing portion to perform printing on the recording medium when the platen roller transports such medium. A supporting mechanism supports the head body portion, presses the head body portion against the platen roller, and moves the head body portion by rotation of the platen roller. An urging unit urges the head body portion toward the platen roller. When the platen roller rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the supporting mechanism moves the head body portion by the rotation of the platen roller, and a contact position of the head body portion with respect to the platen roller is shifted while maintaining the head body portion pressed against the platen roller. | 04-10-2014 |
| 20140267534 | TAPE DRIVE - A thermal transfer printer incorporating a tape drive comprising a first torque-controlled motor and a second position-controlled motor, two tape spool supports on which spools of tape may be mounted, each spool being drivable by a respective one of said motors, and a controller for controlling the energization of the motors such that the tape may be transported in at least one direction between spools mounted on the spool supports. The controller is arranged to determine a control signal to be provided to the torque-controlled motor to set the tape tension, and to provide said control signal to the torque-controlled motor, determination of the control signal including determination of a component intended to compensate for the inertia of a spool of tape driven by the torque-controlled motor. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140362156 | Thermal Transfer Ribbon Marking - Objects of arbitrary shape and size are marked by a method using a thermal transfer ribbon. The method comprises the steps of creating a graphic on a thermal transfer ribbon, joining the graphic-bearing ribbon to a receptor substrate, removing the graphic-bearing ribbon from the receptor substrate, placing the graphic-bearing ribbon on a target object with the graphic in contact with a surface of the target object, applying sufficient heat and pressure to the graphic-bearing ribbon such that the graphic is transferred from the ribbon to the surface of the target object, and removing the ribbon from the surface of the target object. | 12-11-2014 |
| 20150035933 | THERMAL PRINTER - A thermal printer configured for preventing fluttering of a sheet during its printing by a thermal head for preventing printing failure or a sheet jam. A thermal head ( | 02-05-2015 |
| 20150049151 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING RECEIVER TYPE IN A THERMAL PRINTER - The present invention is directed to systems and methods of directly determining the type of receiver media loaded in a thermal printer by measurements taken from the receiver media itself. In one embodiment, a tri-color emitter and detector combination work in conjunction to determine the intensity of light transmitted through the receiver media. The type of receiver media may be determined by the voltage response or transmission profile generated by the receiver in response to being illuminated by the tri-color emitter. | 02-19-2015 |
| 20150298468 | LABEL AND/OR RECEIPT PRINTER - The invention relates to a printer ( | 10-22-2015 |
| 20160176199 | MEDIA GATE FOR THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTERS | 06-23-2016 |
| 347216000 | Including separating means | 2 |
| 20090015648 | DISK LABEL PRINTER - Disclosed is a disk label printer that includes a slot-in type optical disk driving mechanism and a printing mechanism integrated with each other, has a small size, and smoothly transfers optical disks. The disclosed disk label printer includes: a case that has a slot through which an optical disk is inserted or ejected formed therein; an optical disk driving mechanism that is provided in the case and writes and/or reads signals to and/or from the optical disk mounted to a disk mounting portion; and a printing mechanism that is provided in the case and includes a thermal head which prints a desired image on a label surface of the optical disk. The printing mechanism is provided on a transfer path of the optical disk toward the optical disk driving mechanism between the slot and the optical disk driving mechanism. The thermal head and a platen roller come into pressure contact with each other with the optical disk interposed therebetween on the transfer path, only when the optical disk is transferred during the driving of the printing mechanism. The thermal head and the platen roller are withdrawn from the transfer path so as to be separated from each other, when the optical disk is transferred during operations other than the driving of the printing mechanism. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20130342625 | ROLL-FED DUPLEX THERMAL PRINTER - A roll-fed duplex thermal printing system, comprising a supply roll of receiver media, a printing path, a reversing path, a diverter and a cutter positioned between the diverter and the reversing path. When the diverter is in a first position the receiver media is directed from the supply roll or the reversing path into the printing path. When the diverter is in a second position the receiver media is directed from the supply roll into the reversing path. During a printing operation, the diverter is positioned in the first position and the receiver media is fed into the printing path where a first side image is printed. The diverter is then repositioned the receiver media is fed into the reversing path where it is cut. The diverter is then repositioned again and the receiver media is fed into the printing path where a second side image is printed. | 12-26-2013 |
