US3911818A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Computer controlled ink jet printing
Assignee: Moore Business Forms Inc
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Filing: 1973-09-04
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Granted: 1975-10-14
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Expires: 1993-09-04
Abstract
Abstract Variable alpha/numeric data is printed by a non-impact printing system in registered and aligned relationship with fixed data printed by a master plate cylinder on a moving web at press speeds. A programmed computer provides coded data representative of the variable data in a selected multiple line message format. Character timing signals are generated in response to the coded data and command signals from the computer represent the sequential position of the alpha/numeric data in the multiple line message format. The timing signals are automatically adjusted to accommodate different web speeds and variable form depths by an electrical top of form pulse occurring prior to the mechanical top of form of the master cylinder for each revolution thereof corrected by pulses, the rate of which is dependent on the speed of the web. The variable alpha/numeric data is printed by using the character timing signals to independently control the projection of ink droplet streams from a plurality of ink jet nozzles onto the moving web.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald A Macilvaine
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:18
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J3/00; B41J3/44; B41J3/50; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/145; B41J5/00; B41J5/30; B41J5/31; B41J5/40; B41J5/42
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
224 words
A printing system wherein variable alpha/numeric data is printed in registered and aligned relationship with fixed data printed by a master plate cylinder on a moving web at press speeds, comprising: means for providing coded data representative of said variable data in a selected multiple line message format and for providing command signals; control means for receiving said coded data and responsive to said command signals for generating character timing signals representing the sequential position of said alpha/numeric data in said multiple line message format, and including means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals to account for different web speeds and variable form depth data, said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals includes means for generating a top of form pulse for each revolution of said master cylinder, said top of form pulse occurring prior to the mechanical top of form of said master cylinder, means for generating first pulses having a pulse rate dependent on the speed of the web, and means for correcting said top of form pulse in accordance with said first pulses, said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals being responsive to said corrected top of form pulse; and means for printing said variable data in response to said character timing signals by the projection of independently controlled ink droplet streams onto said moving web.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
224 words
A printing system wherein variable alpha/numeric data is printed in registered and aligned relationship with fixed data printed by a master plate cylinder on a moving web at press speeds, comprising: means for providing coded data representative of said variable data in a selected multiple line message format and for providing command signals; control means for receiving said coded data and responsive to said command signals for generating character timing signals representing the sequential position of said alpha/numeric data in said multiple line message format, and including means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals to account for different web speeds and variable form depth data, said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals includes means for generating a top of form pulse for each revolution of said master cylinder, said top of form pulse occurring prior to the mechanical top of form of said master cylinder, means for generating first pulses having a pulse rate dependent on the speed of the web, and means for correcting said top of form pulse in accordance with said first pulses, said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals being responsive to said corrected top of form pulse; and means for printing said variable data in response to said character timing signals by the projection of independently controlled ink droplet streams onto said moving web.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
A printing system as in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for establishing a number of different master cylinder form depths and said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals includes switching means for correcting said top of form pulse in accordance wIth a desired one of said form depths.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
89 words
A printing system as in claim 2 wherein said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals further includes means for counting pulses including a first counter for counting said first pulses, means for controlling said first counter to count for a fixed period of time and said means for correcting said top of form pulse includes a counter for storing the count in said first counter and counting said first pulses until a predetermined count is reached and generating a signal representing said corrected top of form pulse.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A printing system as in claim 3 wherein said means for controlling said first counter comprises a third counter and means for generating second pulses at a fixed rate, said third counter establishing a periodic sampling for the operation of said first counter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
108 words
A printing system as in claim 3 wherein said control means further includes pulse generating means for generating second pulses having a fixed number of pulses per revolution of said master cylinder and said means for automatically adjusting said character timing signals further includes second counter means for counting said second pulses, number decoding means for determining the number of pulses corresponding to said number of form depths and gate means for gating the number of decoded pulses to said switching means in response to said top of form pulse, said switching means delaying the initiation of said second counter means in accordance with a desired form depth.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
A printing system as in claim 5 wherein said means for establishing a number of different master cylinder form depths further includes means for inhibiting to establish a correct phasing when a form depth of two is selected.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
197 words
A printing system as in claim 1 wherein said means for printing includes at least one printing unit including a number of ink-jet nozzles mounted in staggered relationship along an axis parallel to the movement of said web and each independently controlling the release of an ink droplet stream, and said control means further includes a master controller and a number of slave controllers for controlling said at least one printing unit, said master controller controls that ink-jet nozzle first confronting selective printing areas on said moving web and said slave controllers each control a selected one of said remaining ink-jet nozzles, said master controller is responsive to said corrected top of form pulse for generating signals controlling the release of ink droplets from the associated ink-jet nozzle and secondary timing signals, one of said slave controllers generating tertiary timing signals controlling the release of ink-droplets from the associated ink-jet nozzles and for controlling another of said slave controllers, whereby said slave controllers generate signals for controlling the release of ink droplets from an associated ink-jet nozzle and additional timing signals for controlling that slave controller associated with a successively displaced one of said ink jet nozzles.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
78 words
A printing system as in claim 7 wherein said means for providing coded data includes buffer and print storage means for storing successive alpha/numeric characters within said multiple line message format and means for generating shift pulses from said corrected top of form pulse to shift data from said buffer register to said print register and to store new data in said buffer register, and said means for printing being responsive to the output from said print register.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
70 words
A printing system as in claim 7 wherein said signals from said master and slave controllers for controlling the release of ink droplets each include primary pulses having a pulse rate determined at least partially by the speed of said moving web and secondary pulses spaced between said primary pulses, said primary pulses denoting successive alpha/numeric characters and said secondary pulses controlling an ink-droplet stream from the associated ink-jet nozzle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
68 words
A printing system as in claim 9 wherein said master controller includes counting means for receiving heading distance information from said means for providing coded data, means for gating said first pulses to said counting means for decrementing said counting means, and means responsive to the decrementing of said counting means to zero to produce an artificial strobe pulse for initiating the generation of said secondary timing signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
A printing system as in claim 10 wherein said master controller further includes means for dividing said first pulses and first gating means responsive to the output of said dividing means to generate said primary pulses and second gating means responsive to the output of said dividing means for generating said secondary pulses.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
61 words
A printing system as in claim 9 wherein said slave controllers each includes counting means, and means for gating said first pulses to said counting means and means responsive to said counting means attaining a predetermined count representative of said staggered relationship between said ink-jet nozzles for generating an artificial strobe pulse for initiating the generation of said additional timing signals.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
A printing system as in claim 12 wherein each of said slave controllers further includes means for dividing said first pulses and first gating means responsive to the output of said dividing means to generate said primary pulses and second gating means responsive to the output of said dividing means for generating said seconary pulses.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
88 words
A printing system as in claim 9 wherein said control means further includes means for determining the number of characters printed by each of said ink jet nozzles and being responsive to said primary and secondary pulses from each of said master and slave controllers and wherein said means for providing coded data further includes means for temporarily storing coded data representative of said variable data and responsive to said means for determining the number of characters printed to transmit said coded data to said means for printing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
A printing system as in claim 14 wherein said means for temporarily storing said coded data comprises paired sets of storage and print buffer circuitry each respectively storing two characters whereby the coded data representative of said two stored characters is successively gated from said storage buffer to said print buffer and to said means for printing by said means for determining said number of characters printed.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
70 words
A printing system as in claim 9 wherein said control means further includes means responsive to said primary and secondary pulses from each of said master and slave controllers for determining the end of said selected multiple line message format and wherein said master and slave controllers are each responsive to an associated one of said end of message signals for terminating the generation of said primary and secondary pulses.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
174 words
A method for printing variable alpha/numeric data in registered and aligned relationship with fixed data printed by a master plate cylinder on a moving web at press speeds, comprising the steps of: providing coded data representative of the variable data in a selected multiple line message format and providing command signals; generating character timing signals in response to said command signals representing the sequential position of said alpha/numeric data in said multiple line message format; generating a top of form pulse for each revolution of said master cylinder prior to the mechanical top of form of said master cylinder; generating first pulses having a pulse rate dependent on the speed of the web; correcting said top of form pulse in accordance with said first pulses; automatically adjusting said character timing signals to account for different web speeds and variable form depth data in accordance with said corrected top of form pulse; and printing said variable data in response to said character timing signals by projecting independently controlled ink droplet streams onto said moving web.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
174 words
A method for printing variable alpha/numeric data in registered and aligned relationship with fixed data printed by a master plate cylinder on a moving web at press speeds, comprising the steps of: providing coded data representative of the variable data in a selected multiple line message format and providing command signals; generating character timing signals in response to said command signals representing the sequential position of said alpha/numeric data in said multiple line message format; generating a top of form pulse for each revolution of said master cylinder prior to the mechanical top of form of said master cylinder; generating first pulses having a pulse rate dependent on the speed of the web; correcting said top of form pulse in accordance with said first pulses; automatically adjusting said character timing signals to account for different web speeds and variable form depth data in accordance with said corrected top of form pulse; and printing said variable data in response to said character timing signals by projecting independently controlled ink droplet streams onto said moving web.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method as in claim 17 further including the step of establishing a number of different master cylinder form depths and said step of automatically adjusting the character timing signals includes correcting the top of form pulse in accordance with a desired one of said form depths.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
76 words
A method as in claim 17 further comprising the step of generating a plurality of primary pulse trains, each train having a pulse rate determined at least partially by the speed of the moving web and a plurality of secondary pulse trains, each train spaced between a respective different one of said primary pulse trains, said primary pulse trains each denoting successive alpha/numeric characters and said secondary pulse trains each controlling a respective ink droplet stream.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-13 | 1979-04-14 | 1979-10-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-13 | 1983-04-14 | 1983-10-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-13 | 1987-04-14 | 1987-10-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |