Patent ID: 6792856
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: B41K,B82Y,G03F

Abstract:
A printing apparatus, comprising:a print surface lying in a print plane defined by an imaginary x-axis and y-axis, the print surface having an outward normal pointing in the positive direction along an imaginary z-axis, such that the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are substantially orthogonal to one another; a lower stamp clamp disposed adjacent to the negative-x edge of the print surface; an upper stamp clamp, moveable in two dimensions in a trajectory plane defined by the x-axis and z-axis; a stamp comprising a flexible material, the stamp having a first end attached to the lower stamp clamp and a second end attached to the upper stamp clamp, such that a cross section of the stamp parallel to the trajectory plane forms an arc extending from an origin point Q on the lower stamp clamp having (x, z) coordinates (0, 0) to point E on the upper stamp clamp, this arc being described by the mathematical function &thgr;(s), where s is the curvilinear distance along the arc measured from point Q, and &thgr; is the angle between the print plane and an imaginary line, the imaginary line being tangent to the cross section of the stamp at s; and a stamp-control system movable along the x-axis, wherein, during a print operation, the upper stamp clamp is moved in a trajectory comprising a plurality of xz positions of the upper stamp clamp that blend into a substantially continuous motion, the trajectory being effective in laying the stamp down smoothly and flat upon the print surface in a manner such that a moving contact front between the stamp and the print surface is created, the contact front being disposed substantially along a line characterized by a contact-front coordinate s0â‰¡x0 that increases as the trajectory progresses, the trajectory also being effective in causing the curvature &dd;Î¸&dd;sof the stamp at or near the contact front to be substantially constant throughout the motion; andwherein, throughout the trajectory, each xz position of the upper stamp clamp is a function of the displacement xC of the stamp-control system along the x-axis; the trajectory being effective in laying the stamp down upon the print surface such that the stamp is in continuous contact with a contact surface of the stamp-control system throughout the trajectory, the location of the contact surface being characterized by an arc-length coordinate sC that increases as the trajectory progresses.