MLchartDataset catalogue

Patent · US10427399B2 · B2 · US

Apparatus for threading an intermediate transfer member of a printing system

(11) Publication number
US10427399B2
(21) Application number
16/118,494
(22) Filing date
2018-08-31
(30) Priority date
2015-04-14
(43) Publication date
2019-10-01
(45) Date of grant
2019-10-01
(51) IPC
B41J 11/00; B41J 13/08; B41J 15/04; B41J 15/16; B41J 2/005; B41J 2/01; B65G 17/32; G03G 15/16
(52) CPC
  • B41J Typewriters; selective printing mechanisms, i.e. mechanisms printing otherwise than from a forme; correction of typographical errors: 2/0057, 11/007, 13/08, 15/048, 15/16, 2002/012
  • B29C Shaping or joining of plastics; shaping of material in a plastic state, not otherwise provided for; after-treatment of the shaped products, e.g. repairing: 65/48, 65/505, 66/02245, 66/1142, 66/14, 66/4322, 66/4324, 66/855
  • B29L Indexing scheme associated with subclass B29C, relating to particular articles: 2031/709, 2031/767
  • B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 17/00, 17/323
  • G03G Electrography; electrophotography; magnetography: 15/1605, 15/1615
(73) Assignee
Landa Corp Ltd
(72) Inventors
Aharon Shmaiser; Sagi MOSKOVICH; Zohar Goldenstein; Matan BAR-ON; Yiftach Katzir
(54) Title
Apparatus for threading an intermediate transfer member of a printing system
(57) Abstract

A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.

Full text
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Claims (10)

  1. An intermediate transfer member (ITM) for a printing system, the ITM comprising an endless belt formed by threading an elongate strip through the printing system and joining the two opposing ends of the strip at a seam, the two opposing ends including a leading end and a trailing end, the elongate strip comprising: a. a leading edge, such that when the strip is threaded through the printing system it is pulled from the leading edge; and b. lateral formations provided along the edges of the strip, and adapted to be received in channels of the printing system so as to guide the strip and maintain it under lateral tension when driven by two drive members having respective laterally projecting grippers shaped for form-locking engagement with the lateral formations on the leading end, wherein the two ends of the strip are formed with rebates for receiving a joining tape to form a seam, and are configured to be joined at a seam while maintaining the thickness of the intermediate transfer member uniform throughout the length of the seam.
  2. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the leading edge is V-shaped.
  3. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the leading edge is formed as part of a leader that is separably connected to one end of the strip.
  4. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, operable to transport an ink image from an image forming station at which the ink image is deposited on the ITM, to an impression station where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate.
  5. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the lateral formations have a greater thickness than that of the strip.
  6. A method of forming an intermediate transfer member (ITM) for use in a printing system from an elongate strip having lateral formations provided along the edges thereof, the method comprising: a. connecting a leading end of the strip to two grippers projecting laterally from respective drive members disposed within respective channels of the printing system, the grippers being shaped for form-locking engagement with the lateral formations; b. rotating the drive members in synchronism with one another to thread the leading end of the strip through a plurality of stations of the printing system, such that the lateral formations are received in the channels so as to guide the strip and maintain it under lateral tension; and c. joining the ends of the strip to one another to form an endless belt after the strip has been threaded through the printing system, wherein: i. the ends of the strip are rebated, and ii. the joining comprises adhering a tape within the rebates in the ends of the strip to form a seam while maintaining the uniformity of the thickness of the intermediate transfer member.
  7. The method of claim 6, wherein a leading edge of the strip is formed as part of a leader that is separably connected to one end of the strip.
  8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising the step of separating the leader from the remainder of the strip before the joining.
  9. The method of claim 6, wherein a leading edge of the strip is V-shaped.
  10. The method of claim 6, wherein the lateral formations have a greater thickness than that of the strip.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a printing system in which liquid ink droplets are deposited at an image forming station onto a movable intermediate transfer member and transferred at an impression station from the intermediate transfer member onto a printing substrate. Specifically this disclosure pertains to an apparatus for threading the intermediate transfer member through the various stations of the printing system.

The present Applicant has previously disclosed a printing system and process wherein images made up of inks having an aqueous carrier are jetted onto a recirculating intermediate transfer member that transports them to an impression station where they are transferred to the desired printing substrate (e.g., paper, cardboard, plastic films etc.). As against inkjet printers, that deposit ink directly onto the printing substrate, such systems allow the distance between the surface of the intermediate transfer member and the inkjet print head to be maintained constant and reduces wetting of the substrate, as the inks may be dried while being transported by the intermediate transfer member before they are transferred to the substrate. Consequently, the final image quality on the substrate is less affected by the physical properties of the substrate and benefits from various other advantages as a result of the image remaining above the substrate surface. More details of such a system are disclosed in WO2013/132418, filed on Mar. 5, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.

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Record as JSON 
{
  "publication_number": "US10427399B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Apparatus for threading an intermediate transfer member of a printing system",
  "abstract": "A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An intermediate transfer member (ITM) for a printing system, the ITM comprising an endless belt formed by threading an elongate strip through the printing system and joining the two opposing ends of the strip at a seam, the two opposing ends including a leading end and a trailing end, the elongate strip comprising: a. a leading edge, such that when the strip is threaded through the printing system it is pulled from the leading edge; and b. lateral formations provided along the edges of the strip, and adapted to be received in channels of the printing system so as to guide the strip and maintain it under lateral tension when driven by two drive members having respective laterally projecting grippers shaped for form-locking engagement with the lateral formations on the leading end, wherein the two ends of the strip are formed with rebates for receiving a joining tape to form a seam, and are configured to be joined at a seam while maintaining the thickness of the intermediate transfer member uniform throughout the length of the seam.",
    "2. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the leading edge is V-shaped.",
    "3. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the leading edge is formed as part of a leader that is separably connected to one end of the strip.",
    "4. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, operable to transport an ink image from an image forming station at which the ink image is deposited on the ITM, to an impression station where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate.",
    "5. The intermediate transfer member of claim 1, wherein the lateral formations have a greater thickness than that of the strip.",
    "6. A method of forming an intermediate transfer member (ITM) for use in a printing system from an elongate strip having lateral formations provided along the edges thereof, the method comprising: a. connecting a leading end of the strip to two grippers projecting laterally from respective drive members disposed within respective channels of the printing system, the grippers being shaped for form-locking engagement with the lateral formations; b. rotating the drive members in synchronism with one another to thread the leading end of the strip through a plurality of stations of the printing system, such that the lateral formations are received in the channels so as to guide the strip and maintain it under lateral tension; and c. joining the ends of the strip to one another to form an endless belt after the strip has been threaded through the printing system, wherein: i. the ends of the strip are rebated, and ii. the joining comprises adhering a tape within the rebates in the ends of the strip to form a seam while maintaining the uniformity of the thickness of the intermediate transfer member.",
    "7. The method of claim 6, wherein a leading edge of the strip is formed as part of a leader that is separably connected to one end of the strip.",
    "8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising the step of separating the leader from the remainder of the strip before the joining.",
    "9. The method of claim 6, wherein a leading edge of the strip is V-shaped.",
    "10. The method of claim 6, wherein the lateral formations have a greater thickness than that of the strip."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure relates to a printing system in which liquid ink droplets are deposited at an image forming station onto a movable intermediate transfer member and transferred at an impression station from the intermediate transfer member onto a printing substrate. Specifically this disclosure pertains to an apparatus for threading the intermediate transfer member through the various stations of the printing system.\n\nThe present Applicant has previously disclosed a printing system and process wherein images made up of inks having an aqueous carrier are jetted onto a recirculating intermediate transfer member that transports them to an impression station where they are transferred to the desired printing substrate (e.g., paper, cardboard, plastic films etc.). As against inkjet printers, that deposit ink directly onto the printing substrate, such systems allow the distance between the surface of the intermediate transfer member and the inkjet print head to be maintained constant and reduces wetting of the substrate, as the inks may be dried while being transported by the intermediate transfer member before they are transferred to the substrate. Consequently, the final image quality on the substrate is less affected by the physical properties of the substrate and benefits from various other advantages as a result of the image remaining above the substrate surface. More details of such a system are disclosed in WO2013/132418, filed on Mar. 5, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.",
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  "filing_date": "2018-08-31",
  "publication_date": "2019-10-01",
  "grant_date": "2019-10-01",
  "priority_date": "2015-04-14",
  "application_number": "US-201816118494-A",
  "family_id": "53333754",
  "cited_by_count": 17,
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