Patent ID: 6392681
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of aligning a sheet material disposed upon a worksurface for enhancing printing or other operations on the sheet material, comprising the steps of:placing the sheet material over the worksurface; determining the alignment of the sheet material in a coordinate system having first and second axes for specifying locations relative to the worksurface and the sheet material overlaying the worksurface; differentially driving spaced portions of the sheet material for moving the sheet material for providing a selected alignment of the sheet material; providing a pair of translatable sheet material clamps each extending from a first end to second end and spanning a dimension of the sheet material for clamping and translating the sheet material relative to the worksurface, the first ends mechanically coupled and the second ends mechanically coupled such that the clamps are substantially fixedly spaced along the direction of translation; clamping the sheet material with at least one of the clamps; and differentially translating the first and second ends of the clamps.