Ultraviolet (UV) heat-activated laminating adhesive for an inkjet printing process
Granted: December 20, 2022
Patent Number:
11529800
Apparatus, compositions, and systems for ultraviolet (UV) heat-activated laminating adhesives applied via an inkjet printing process are disclosed. A system includes a first inkjet mechanism configured to deposit ink in a particular pattern onto a surface of a rigid medium. A second inkjet mechanism is configured to deposit a laminating adhesive onto the particular pattern printed on the surface of the rigid medium. A pair of stainless steel plates is configured to receive an overlay…
Linear rotary encoder
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11525707
A linear rotary encoder includes a pair of rotational surfaces. A contact belt has a first end coupled to a first rotational surface in the pair and a second end coupled to a second rotational surface in the pair. The contact belt is driven to rotate around the pair of rotational surfaces by a driving force applied to media to move the media from the first end toward the second end. An encoding scale is coupled to an inner surface of the contact belt. A reader is positioned to read the…
Assessing printer quality by assigning quality scores to images
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11468554
Disclosed here is a system enabling users/customers to receive an objective assessment of the performance of a printer. This is accomplished by comparing a quality score of an earlier-in-time image with a quality score of a later-in-time image. A processor analyzes each image based on several criteria and uses various image-analysis methods, to flag errors within an image. A numeric quality score, based on the number of errors, is provided to the user to objectively evaluate whether the…
Apparatus to flatten a substrate along a print path of a printer
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11305563
Disclosed here is an apparatus to flatten the substrate as the substrate travels along the print path of a printer, thus reducing damage to the transport belt, motor, gearbox, etc., and increasing print quality. The apparatus includes two strapping metal bands mounted on the printer and parallel to the print path. The two strapping metal bands are under tension from a torsion spring and a ratchet placed at least at one end of the print path. In a rest position, the two strapping metal…
Multiple zone printer vacuum tables, systems and methods
Granted: January 25, 2022
Patent Number:
11230122
Disclosed are printer vacuum tables, and corresponding systems and methods for their use, in which the printer vacuum tables include multiple zones to apply vacuum, to hold a variety of media types and thicknesses within a given flatness range, to allow high definition printing. The vacuum zones run in the print direction, and each can be controlled for vacuum on and off. In an illustrative embodiment, the vacuum zones include one or more vacuum zones that are fixed with respect to a…
Printing non-user patterns with a print job
Granted: January 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11227200
The systems and methods presented here completely separate a non-user pattern from the user jobs being printed. In fact, depending on the number of images in the job and the number of patterns provided by the manufacturer or press operator, the patterns may appear on different images of the job each time the job is printed. This is because the image marks are generated and processed according to the configuration of ROUS, independent of the user jobs being printed.
Shape packing technique
Granted: January 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11219928
A shape packing technique is introduced that can be applied in various applications such as automated print production. In an example embodiment, items that are to be placed into a target shape are sorted based on size to form item groups that include similarly sized items. Potential blocks including arrangements of one or more items are created from the sorted item groups. A placement solution is then generated by placing the potential blocks in the target shape using a recursive…
Interactive three-dimensional (3D) color histograms
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11212421
Techniques for interactively determining/visualizing the color content of a source image and how the corresponding image data is mapped to device colors are described herein. For example, the color content of a digital image can be converted between different color spaces to identify gamut limitations of an output device (e.g., a printing assembly), discover color(s) that cannot be accurately reproduced, etc. Color space conversions enable the transformation of the color content of the…
Wide format staggered single pass printing apparatus
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11203212
The disclosed embodiments relate to a wide format single pass printing apparatus. The printing apparatus can include multiple print housings configured to receive print beams with print heads configured to print onto a substrate. The print housings can be horizontally adjacent to one another relative to a horizontal plane. The print housings can also be oriented opposite to one another. The print beams can be inserted and/or removed from each print housing from opposing ends, allowing…
Woodgrain suppression in inkjet printing
Granted: November 16, 2021
Patent Number:
11173724
The present embodiments relate to a printing apparatus capable of mitigating/preventing instances of turbulent deviation of ink jetted from print heads when printing onto a substrate, a severe form of which looks like woodgrain. The printing apparatus can include a jet plate disposed on a subjacent surface of the printing apparatus that can include a series of apertures formed in the jet plate that are configured to receive corresponding print heads of the printing apparatus. The jet…
Method and apparatus for variable gloss reduction
Granted: November 9, 2021
Patent Number:
11169462
Various variable gloss reduction techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a textured roller and a wiper impregnated with fuser oil to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss of an image printed on a substrate. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a combination of heat and pressure to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss in specific regions of an image printed on a…
Step compensating carriage printer
Granted: November 9, 2021
Patent Number:
11167574
Disclosed herein is a technique that enables a carriage printer to reduce precision in a media conveyor by improving mobility of the carriage. The carriage includes a mobile jetplate that adjusts the position of the printheads within the carriage. The mobile jetplate includes multiple motors that enable shifts in an axis matching the axis of the media. Operating the motors of the jetplate at different locations or at different intensities causes the jetplate to skew and achieve mobility…
Variable smoothing in printing
Granted: November 2, 2021
Patent Number:
11164053
Methods, apparatus and systems for printing an image using an array of nozzles are described. In one example aspect, a printer system includes an array of nozzles and a control device coupled to the array of nozzles. The control device is configured to determine a step size for printing a current section of an image based on a set of masks. The set of masks includes one or more masks used for printing previous sections of the image. The control device is also configured to adjust the set…
Impermeable unitary structure for routing fluids
Granted: October 12, 2021
Patent Number:
11141988
The disclosed embodiments include a system for generating a unitary structure with a three-dimensional (3D) printing process. The unitary structure includes a cavity configured to contain a fluid and a passageway configured to route the fluid to or from the cavity.
Laser cutting of printed labels
Granted: August 31, 2021
Patent Number:
11106953
Apparatuses and embodiments related to compensated laser cutting of labels. A computer system receives an image of a label, and rasterizes the image. The computer system determines how much of each type of printer ink of a label printer to deposit at each pixel location of the image. The computer system determines which pixels intersect a cut line, and determines the characteristics of the ink of the pixels, such as the quantity or thickness of the ink at the pixel locations. The…
Visual ink savings
Granted: August 24, 2021
Patent Number:
11097534
When a job does not exactly match the purpose of a printing profile but would benefit from some of the characteristics of a different printing profile, dynamically making the tradeoffs between the printing profiles is desirable. For example, a high-ink, large gamut profile might not be needed for a particular job, but an ink-saving profile would be excessively grainy. An intermediate profile would be recommended. Alternatively, the ink-saving profile can be adequate for everything except…
Method and apparatus for variable gloss reduction
Granted: August 10, 2021
Patent Number:
11086246
Various variable gloss reduction techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a textured roller and a wiper impregnated with fuser oil to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss of an image printed on a substrate. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a combination of heat and pressure to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss in specific regions of an image printed on a…
Manufacturing garments and textiles with printed patterns thereon
Granted: July 6, 2021
Patent Number:
11052677
Disclosed herein is a technique that improves material efficiency in generating garments and textiles that include graphics. A given product is sorted into cut patterns used to assemble the product. Graphics are digitally applied to each cut pattern in order to generate abstract cut patterns including aligned graphics. Blank cut patterns are nested across a virtual sheet of fabric in a 2D space without any consideration to the graphics. The nested cut patterns implement the abstract cut…
Integration of a line-scan camera on a single pass inkjet printer
Granted: June 22, 2021
Patent Number:
11040528
Disclosed is an industrial single-pass inkjet printer/press incorporating an line-scan camera. The line-scan camera enables system software to inspect every sheet for quality assurance purposes. These inspection results are tied back to a digital printer to take one or more of several possible actions. Actions include ensuring a particular number of acceptable prints are generated and sorted. Actions further include performing nozzle checks without pausing or interrupting production…
Method and apparatus for variable gloss reduction
Granted: June 1, 2021
Patent Number:
11022906
Various variable gloss reduction techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a textured roller and a wiper impregnated with fuser oil to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss of an image printed on a substrate. In one embodiment, a gloss reduction technique is disclosed using a combination of heat and pressure to create a differential gloss pattern that reduces the gloss in specific regions of an image printed on a…
