Patent ID: 8591127
Filing Date: 2013-11-26
Classification: B41J,B65H,G01B

Abstract:
1. A thermal transfer printer for selectively transferring a meltable ink material carried on a tape to a substrate intended to receive ink for printing an image on the substrate, the printer comprising: two spool supports on which two spools of tape carrying meltable ink material may be mounted for rotation, with the spool supports being configured for tape to be wound on the spools and for a span of tape to be held in tension between the spools, with a region of unused tape to be made available for each image to be printed on the substrate; a print head positioned adjacent to the span of tape between the spools comprising a plurality of heating elements selectively energizable to transfer meltable ink material on the span of tape extending between the spools to the substrate when the heating elements are energized and are in contact with the tape, with the tape in contact with the substrate; a print head drive configured to selectively move the print head between an extended position adjacent the span of tape to transfer ink material on the tape to the substrate to print an image and a retracted position spaced apart from the span of tape between successive printings of images on the substrate; a monitor configured to monitor a parameter indicative of a diameter of at least one of the spools of tape; a tape drive comprising two electrically energizable spool drives, one for each tape spool support, with each spool drive being configured to be selectively operable when energized to rotate its respective spool of tape through an angular displacement to a commanded angular position and being selectively operable when energized to hold its respective spool of tape at the commanded angular position against tension in the tape extending between the spools; the tape drive further comprising a spool drive controller operatively associated with the spool drives and configured to control energization of one of the spool drives to rotate its respective spool of tape in a tape transport direction for supplying tape in the tape transport direction past the print head in coordination with energization of the other spool drive to rotate its respective spool of tape in the tape transport direction for taking up tape in the tape transport direction, and configured for the coordinated energization of the two spool drives to be based at least in part on the parameter indicative of a diameter of at least one of the spools of tape; the spool drive controller further being configured to control energization of each of the spool drives to rotate its respective spool of tape in the tape transport direction to transport the tape a predetermined distance in the tape transport direction when the print head is in a retracted position to present a region of unused tape relative to the print head for printing a next image on the substrate and independently of transport of the substrate so that tape may be transported a distance different from a distance the substrate is to be moved to receive the next image to be printed; and a print head controller operatively associated with the heating elements and configured to control energization of the heating elements on the print head to be heated in a predetermined sequence for transferring meltable ink material from the region of unused tape to the substrate for printing an image onto the substrate.