阅读说明：本技术 痕迹减轻装置 (Trace reducing device ) 是由 A·埃斯特拉 M·图亚萨达 B·埃尔南德斯马丁内斯 于 2017-06-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于打印装置的痕迹减轻装置具有保护器薄板,以覆盖打印机装置的打印机压板的肋部,以防止由肋部在打印介质上产生痕迹。痕迹减轻装置还具有固定系统,以相对于打印机压板固定痕迹减轻装置。保护器薄板具有开口,以使由打印机压板施加的真空穿过,以吸引打印介质。(A trace mitigating device for a printing apparatus has a protector sheet to cover a rib of a printer platen of the printing apparatus to prevent a trace from being generated on a printing medium by the rib. The trace mitigation device also has a securing system to secure the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen. The protector sheet has openings to allow the vacuum applied by the printer platen to pass through to attract the print media.)

1. A trace mitigation device for a printing device, the trace mitigation device comprising:

A protector sheet to cover a rib of a printer platen of the printer apparatus to prevent a mark from being generated on a printing medium by the rib; and

A fixing system to fix the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen, wherein,

The protector sheet includes openings to allow vacuum applied by the printer platen to pass through to attract print media.

2. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the protector sheet further comprises a window for an optical media advance sensor disposed at the printer platen to monitor the advance of the print media through the window.

3. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a slit, wherein the slit has a slit width corresponding to a gap between adjacent ribs of the printer platen.

4. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the protector sheet comprises a plurality of openings arranged in series separated by a strip of protector sheet material, wherein the strip is for covering the rib.

5. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the securing system comprises a flange to align the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen, wherein the flange is foldable.

6. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the securing system comprises an edge retainer to retain the protector sheet downward toward the printer platen.

7. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the protector sheet is made of polycarbonate.

8. The trace mitigation device of claim 1, wherein the protector sheet has a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

9. A trace mitigation device according to claim 1, wherein the trace mitigation device comprises two separate protector sheets, each for covering half of the printer platen.

10. The trace mitigation device of claim 9, wherein a length of each of the two separate protector sheets corresponds to half a length of the printer platen.

11. A printer apparatus, comprising:

A printer platen, wherein the printer platen comprises: an aperture to apply a vacuum to attract the print media; and a rib to support the printing medium; and

a trace mitigation device, wherein the trace mitigation device comprises: a protector sheet to cover the rib to prevent a mark from being generated on the printing medium by the rib; and a fixing system to fix the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen.

12. The printer apparatus of claim 12, wherein the printer platen further comprises an optical media advance sensor disposed at the printer platen to monitor the advance of the print media, and the protector sheet further comprises a viewing window for the optical media advance sensor to monitor the advance of the print media through the viewing window.

13. The printer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the printer apparatus is an inkjet printer comprising an inkjet printhead, wherein the printer platen is disposed along a print position of the printhead.

14. A method of installing a trace mitigation device at a printer device, wherein,

The printer device includes a printer platen, wherein the printer platen includes: an aperture to apply a vacuum to attract the print media; and a rib to support the printing medium;

The trace mitigation device comprises: a protector sheet to cover the rib to prevent a mark from being generated on the printing medium by the rib; and a securing system to secure the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen, wherein the protector sheet includes openings to pass a vacuum applied by the printer platen to attract print media; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

The method comprises the following steps:

Positioning the protector sheet over the printer platen, an

The protector sheet is fixed relative to the printer platen by the fixing system.

Background

some printer devices have a print zone equipped with a printer platen having a protruding rib to support the print media. The ribs may create marks (e.g., scratches) on sensitive print media as the print media advances through the print zone.

Drawings

Examples will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of an example printer apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail view of FIG. 1 showing a printer platen of the exemplary printer device;

FIG. 3 illustrates a protector sheet of an example trace mitigation device;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged detail view of the protector sheet mounted on the printer platen;

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate a retention system for the trace mitigation device;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a two-piece protector sheet for a trace mitigation device; and

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a method of mounting the trace mitigation device to a printer platen.

Further, the figures provide examples and/or embodiments consistent with the present description; however, the present description is not limited to the examples and/or embodiments provided in the drawings.

Detailed Description

The present specification relates to a trace mitigation device for a printing device. The present specification also relates to a printing apparatus including the trace mitigation apparatus and a method of installing the trace mitigation apparatus at the printing apparatus.

an example mark mitigating device for a printing device has a protector sheet to cover a rib of a printer platen of the printing device to prevent a mark from being generated on a printing medium by the rib. The trace mitigation device also has a securing system to secure the mitigation device relative to the printer platen. The protector sheet has one or more openings to allow vacuum applied by the printer platen to pass through to attract the print media.

An example printer device has a printer platen. The printer platen has holes to apply a vacuum to attract the print media. The printer platen has ribs to support the print media. The printer apparatus also has a trace mitigating device having a protector sheet to cover the rib to prevent a trace from being generated on the printing medium by the rib. The trace mitigation device also has a securing system to secure the mitigation device relative to the printer platen. The protector sheet has one or more openings to allow vacuum to pass through.

In an example method of installing a trace mitigation device at a printer device, the printer device has a printer platen, wherein the printer platen has: an aperture to apply a vacuum to attract the print media; and a rib to support the printing medium. The trace mitigating device has a protector sheet to cover the rib to prevent a trace from being generated on the printing medium by the rib. The trace mitigation device also has a securing system to secure the mitigation device relative to the printer platen. The protector sheet has openings to allow the vacuum applied by the printer platen to pass through to attract the print media. The method comprises the following steps: positioning a protector sheet over a printer platen; and fixing the protector sheet relative to the printer platen by a fixing system.

in some examples, the printer platen is disposed in a print zone of the printer device. For example, the printer platen is arranged along a (possible) printing position of a print head of the printer apparatus. The printer platen has ribs that protrude from a surface of the printer platen to support the print media. The ribs may control de-wrinkling of the media during printing, for example, as a function of temperature and ink humidity. Controlling wrinkles during a print job allows for increased image print quality. In some examples, the printer device is an inkjet printer, e.g., having one or more scanning type inkjet printheads. In some examples, the printer platen is arranged below the printhead and/or the printhead scan path, i.e., in a vertical direction opposite the printhead from the perspective of the print media currently being printed on.

In some examples, the trace mitigation device may be mounted and dismounted to the printer device by a single operator of the printer device. This allows, for example, an operator of the printer device to easily mount the trace mitigation device to the printer device for printing sensitive printing media and to easily dismount the trace mitigation device from the printer device, for example, for printing less sensitive printing media. The trace mitigation device does not limit the versatility or ability of the printer device to process different types of print media. Conversely, the trace mitigation device enhances the printer device's ability to trace-sensitive (e.g., scratch-sensitive) print media. For example, the trace mitigation device may represent the following accessories: the operator installs the attachment prior to a particular job utilizing sensitive media, and thereafter, can remove the attachment and return the printer device to its original media control, working as usual (i.e., without a trace mitigation device).

for example, in the case when the trace mitigation device is not mounted to the printer device, the friction of the print medium may be reduced because the contact surface between the print medium and the printer platen is the topmost portion of the rib. The ribs may also prevent the print medium from sticking to the printer platen in the event that ink saturates the print medium to its back side (i.e., the side of the print medium opposite the side currently being printed on). For example, when performing printing, the print media may advance through a print zone between the printhead and the printer platen, and the printer platen supports the print media.

In the case when the trace mitigating device is mounted to the printer device, the trace mitigating device allows the rib of the printer platen to be covered by the protector sheet of the trace mitigating device. The protector sheet prevents marks on sensitive print media that would otherwise be created by the ribs. This enhances, for example, the ability of the printer device to print on print media having sensitive coatings. For example, the trace mitigation device is disposed on top of the printer platen. The protector sheet forms an additional layer between the print media and the ribs and provides an increased support area for supporting the print media as compared to the ribs. This reduces the risk of marks on sensitive print media.

The printer platen has one or more holes to apply a vacuum to draw the print media toward the printer platen. For example, the vacuum helps hold the print media down, supports proper alignment of the print media, and/or prevents the print media from curling and/or wrinkling. The protector sheet of the trace mitigation device has one or more openings (e.g., holes) in the protector sheet to direct a vacuum through the protector sheet toward the print media. This allows maintaining the influence of the vacuum on the print medium even in the case where the trace mitigation device is installed at the printer device. To cover the ribs (e.g., completely), in some examples, the openings of the protector sheet are placed at locations other than the locations corresponding to the ribs, e.g., at locations directly intermediate adjacent ribs.

In some examples, an optical media advance sensor is disposed at the printer platen to monitor the advance of the print media. For example, the printer platen is equipped with one or more optical media advance sensors (hereinafter, OMAS). For example, the printer device may determine, by the OMAS, the media advance, e.g., the distance moved during the media advance. In some examples, errors regarding media advancement may be corrected in real-time by the printer device based on information obtained by the OMAS. In some examples, the printer device identifies alignment marks (already) printed on the print medium by the OMAS, e.g., to ensure edge-to-edge proper alignment in duplex printing. In some examples, the printer platen includes a plurality of platens, including one or more platens that carry the OMAS and one or more non-OMAS platens, i.e., platens that do not carry the OMAS.

in some examples, the protector sheet has one or more windows through which the progress of the print media is monitored by one or more OMAS. The protector sheet window allows the OMAS to maintain monitoring of the print media advancement (even where the trace mitigation device is installed at the printer device). For example, the OMAS may be viewed through a window in the protector sheet to monitor the print media advancement.

In some examples, the window for the OMAS is an aperture of the protector sheet. In these examples, the protector sheet has at least two types of apertures, i.e., one or more openings for vacuum and one or more windows for the OMAS. In some other examples, the window for the OMAS includes a transparent portion of the protector sheet, e.g., a transparent polycarbonate section.

In some examples, the window for the OMAS has a structural shape that corresponds to an outline of the OMAS. This enables an operator to easily align the protector sheet relative to the printer platen when installing the trace mitigation device. For example, one or more windows of the protector sheet have embossments and/or shapes that allow gripping of one or more OMAS to easily align the protector sheet relative to the printer platen.

In some examples, the method of installing the trace mitigation device at the printer device further includes aligning the protector sheet by referencing the one or more optical media advance sensors and the one or more windows.

in some examples, the opening for vacuum has a slit, e.g., the opening has a slit shape. Vacuum throughput can be increased because in some examples the slit extends in the direction of the rib (i.e. in the direction along the short side of the protector sheet) and the slit width is less than the distance between two adjacent ribs. For example, the width of the opening corresponds to the spacing between adjacent ribs of the printer platen. This allows, for example, increasing vacuum throughput while maintaining full coverage of the ribs. In some examples, the protector sheet has two, three, or more than three openings arranged in series in a direction along the rib. In some examples, the series of two, three or more openings extends substantially over the width of the protector sheet, with a narrow strip of protector sheet material on each side of the series at the protector sheet length side, and a narrow strip of protector sheet separating adjacent openings of the series.

In general, the series of openings of the protector sheet means that each pair of openings of the series is separated by a strip of protector sheet material.

in some examples, the protector sheet has a plurality of openings (for vacuum) arranged in series in a direction transverse to the ribs. For example, the protector sheet has two or three or more series of openings that are substantially parallel in a direction transverse to the ribs (i.e., in a direction along the length side of the protector sheet). For example, the position of the strips (separating the series of openings in a direction transverse to the rib) corresponds to the position of the rib. When the trace mitigation device is mounted to the printer device, the strips cover the ribs, while the series of openings maintain the effect of vacuum on the print media in the middle of the ribs.

In some examples, the protector sheet has openings arranged in a matrix, e.g., with two, three or more parallel series of openings extending transverse to the ribs (i.e., in a direction along the length side of the protector sheet). For example, the openings of the protector sheet form a network of openings extending over the protector sheet to apply vacuum uniformly to the print media in the area of the protector sheet.

as described previously, the trace mitigation device has a fixing system to flexibly mount and dismount the trace mitigation device to the printer device, for example by an operator of the printer device. This allows the operator to mount the trace mitigation device to the printer device as desired. For example, the trace mitigation device may be mounted to the printer device when printing sensitive print media, and may be detached from the printer device when printing less sensitive print media.

In some examples, the securing system has one or more tensioning elements to secure the trace mitigation device to the printer device. In some of these examples, the plurality of tensioning elements are arranged at one of the length sides of the trace mitigation device, while the fixation system has one or more jaws on the opposite length side. This allows for a simple installation of the trace mitigation means, for example. In some other examples, a plurality of tensioning elements are disposed at either length side of the trace mitigation device. This allows, for example, a symmetrical arrangement of the tensioning elements to provide more degrees of freedom of orientation for mounting the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen. In some examples, the tensioning elements are located in pairs opposite each other on opposite length sides of the protector sheet. This can prevent the protector sheet from curling because the tension force applied by the tension member pair extends parallel to the rib portion (i.e., perpendicular to the length side of the protector sheet).

In some examples, the fixture system has a flange to align the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen. In some examples, the flange may be foldable, for example, to clamp the trace mitigation device to the printer device. In some examples, the flange includes and/or represents a tensioning element, as previously described.

in some examples, the trace mitigation device has one or more edge retainers to hold the protector sheet down toward the printer platen. For example, the edge retainer(s) cover the leading and/or trailing edges of the protector sheet. For example, the leading edge is an edge oriented toward the parking position of the print head. In some examples, the trace mitigation device has two edge holders located on opposite sides (e.g., a leading edge and a trailing edge) of the protector sheet in a direction along the length sides of the trace mitigation device. For example, the edge holder may prevent the print head from hitting the trace mitigation device.

in some examples, the trace mitigation device has two separate protector sheets. For example, the length of the protector sheet corresponds to half the length of the printer platen. For example, for a 126 inch length of the platen, the length of the protector sheet is 63 inches. One of the two protector sheets may be mounted from the left side of the printer device, and the other may be mounted from the right side. This simplifies the installation and removal of the trace mitigation device for the operator of the printer system. In some of these examples, the trace mitigation device has an edge retainer to be arranged at a boundary between two protector sheets. For example, in some of these examples, the mitigation device has two other edge retainers at the leading and trailing edges of the protector sheet, i.e., it has a total of three edge retainers.

For example, in some examples, the protector sheet has a thickness of about 0.3mm, 0.5mm, or 0.8 mm. This allows the trace mitigation device to be installed at the printer device without interfering with the printing function of the printer device. In some examples, the protector sheet is made of plastic (e.g., polycarbonate).

Referring now to fig. 1, a schematic overview of an example printer apparatus 100 is shown. For illustrative purposes, portions of the printer 100 are not drawn, and so the printer platen 101 extending along the print zone of the printer device 100 becomes visible in FIG. 1. For example, printer devices are used to print on endless print media. In some other examples, a printer device is used to print on a single sheet of print media. In some examples, the printer device is a scanning type inkjet printer in which the printhead scans back and forth (e.g., from left to right in fig. 1, and vice versa) and applies ink to the print medium. When printing, the print medium is advanced in a direction transverse to the print zone (e.g., from top to bottom in fig. 1). Returning to the example printer apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, in the print zone, the print media is supported by a printer platen 101.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged perspective detail view of the printer platen 101. The printer platen 101 has holes 102 to apply a vacuum to draw print media toward the printer platen 101 in the print zone. The printer platen 101 also has ribs 103 that protrude from the printer platen surface to support the print media. This prevents the print media from being directly on the printer platen surface. For example, the rib 103 has a serpentine shape, as shown in fig. 2. In some other example printer devices, the rib has a linear shape. The printer platen 101 shown in fig. 2 also has an Optical Media Advance Sensor (OMAS)104 to optically monitor the advance of the print media. In some examples, the OMAS protrudes from the printer platen surface, e.g., at the same height as the height of the ribs 103.

the trace mitigation device 105 shown in fig. 3 may be installed at the printer device 100, as described in more detail below. The trace mitigation device 105 has a protector sheet 106 to cover the ribs 103 to prevent traces on the print medium from being generated by the ribs. The protector sheet is made of polycarbonate and has a thickness of (about) 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail view of the trace mitigation device 105 mounted on top of the printer platen 101. The protector sheet 106 extends substantially over the width of the printer platen 101 (i.e., in the vertical direction in fig. 4). The protector sheet 106 has two parallel series 107 of openings 108 to allow the vacuum applied by the holes 102 to pass through to attract the print media. The parallel series 107 of openings 108 extend in the direction of the length side of the protector sheet 106 (i.e., in the horizontal direction in fig. 4), which corresponds to the length side of the printer platen 106. The opening 108 has a (rectangular) slit shape. Each pair of adjacent openings 108 is separated by a strip 109 of protector sheet material. These bars 109 cover the rib 103 when the trace mitigation device 105 is installed at the printer device 100. For example, the width of the strip corresponds to the maximum extension of the serpentine shaped rib 103 in a direction perpendicular to the rib 103. For example, the width of the opening 108 corresponds to the spacing (i.e., the minimum distance) between adjacent ribs 103.

The protector sheet 106 also has a window 110 for the OMAS 104. This enables the OMAS 104 to monitor the progress of the print media through the window 104 when the trace mitigation device 105 is installed at the printer device 100.

As shown in fig. 5a and 5b, the trace mitigation device 105 has a fixing system to fix the trace mitigation device 105 relative to the printer platen 101. The securing system has a foldable flange 111 to align the trace mitigation device relative to the printer platen 101 and to apply tension to the protector sheet 106 to secure the protector sheet 106 at the printer platen 101. For example, the flange 111 may snap into a recess in the printer platen 101, as shown in fig. 5 a. The fixing system also has an edge holder 112 to hold the protector sheet 106 down towards the printer platen 101, as shown in fig. 5 b. For example, the edge holder 112 has: a strip 113 to cover the leading or trailing edge of the protector sheet 106; and tensioners 114 on either side of the strap 113 to apply tension to hold the protector sheet 106 down.

As shown in fig. 6, the example trace mitigation device 105 has two protector sheets 106, each covering half of the printer platen 101, i.e., each protector sheet 106 has a length corresponding to half of the length of the printer platen 101. For example, such a two-piece protector sheet trace mitigation device makes it easier for an operator of the printer device 100 to mount and dismount the trace mitigation device 105. Fig. 6 also shows a respective edge holder 112 at either short side of the pair of protector sheets 106. In some other examples, the trace mitigation device has a single protector sheet that is substantially the same length as the printer platen.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates an example method 200 of installing the trace mitigation device 105 at the example printer device 100 described with respect to FIGS. 1-6. The method 200 includes positioning the protector sheet 105 over the printer platen 101 in block 201. In some examples, a two-piece protector sheet (i.e., two protector sheet(s) 105 having half the length of the printer platen 101) makes it easier for an operator to handle the protector sheet(s) 105 for positioning it over the printer platen 101.

The example method 200 also includes, in block 202, fixing the protector sheet(s) 106 relative to the printer platen 101 by a fixing system. In some examples, this includes snapping the bendable flange 111 into a corresponding recess of the printer platen 101. In some examples, the method further comprises attaching one, two or three edge holders to the printer platen at the protector sheet(s) short side.

In some example methods of mounting the mark mitigation device 105 to the printer device 100, the method further includes aligning the protector sheet 106 by using the OMAS 104 and the window 110 as references for alignment. In some examples, the window 110 is shaped as an aperture in the protector sheet 106, and the shape of the aperture corresponds to the contour of the OMAS 104. In some examples, the method of installing the trace mitigation device 105 at the example printer device 100 further includes pushing the protector sheet 106 (slightly) down near the window 110, for example, by a fingertip, to grasp the OMAS 104 with the window 110. The protector sheet 106 can be aligned relative to the printer platen 101 by grasping the OMAS 104 with the window 110.

yet another example method of detaching the trace mitigation device 105 from the printer device 100, such as by an operator of the printer device 100, includes removing any edge retainers 112 and releasing the bendable flanges 111, and removing the protector sheet 106 from the printer platen 101.

Although some examples of methods and products have been described herein, other variations are generally within the scope of this specification. As will be appreciated, the present description generally contemplates various embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.