Abstract:
A fume hood apparatus in combination with a printer comprises a printer outputting printout sheets, a suction source and a support structure. A hood is supported by the support structure. The hood has a hollow cavity, and an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the hollow cavity. The outlet is in fluid communication with the suction source. The inlet has a peripheral configuration associated with the printer such that a suction volume is created between a peripheral surface of the hollow cavity and a fume-emitting surface of a printout sheet output by the printer, upon actuation of the suction source, whereby printing fumes from the printer are removed from the suction volume by the suction source.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This patent application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Applications No. 60/612,514, filed on Sep. 24, 2004, and No. 60/686,398, filed on Jun. 2, 2005, both by the present applicant. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a fume hood for printing equipment and, more particularly but not exclusively, to a fume hood and method used with a large-format printer.  
         [0004]     2. Background Art  
         [0005]     Printing equipment has evolved in producing new printing equipment as a response to ever increasing and diversified demand in printing formats, resolution, finish, amongst various factors. As a function thereof, a wide variety of printers have been developed according to the various needs of the printing industry. Accordingly, large-format printers are readily available (e.g., ink jet format).  
         [0006]     A disadvantage associated with larger printers (e.g., large-format printers) is that a non-negligible amount of fumes emanates from the printouts of such printers, because of the quantity of ink used to cover the large surfaces of such printouts. Such fumes are toxic above some levels of concentration. Therefore, printing equipment such as larger printers is often confined to a printing room with adequate ventilation, or with restricted access.  
         [0007]     Moreover, the output rate of large-format printers is often limited by a drying period for the ink. Accordingly, some large-format printers are provided with heaters to accelerate the drying period of the ink, yet this results in increased emanations over time.  
         [0008]     For instance, dryers have been developed to be used in combination with large-format printers. One known dryer, the IP-263 dryer (www.seiko-i.com), has a plurality of fans blowing heated air on the inked surface of the printout of a large-format printer. Although such a dryer increases the output rate of the large-format printer by accelerating the drying period, emanations are increased over time, and this typically leads to the confinement of the large-format printer to a dedicated printing room.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a novel fume hood for printers.  
         [0010]     It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a fume hood that addresses issues associated with the prior-art systems.  
         [0011]     It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method for disposing of fumes in a printing environment.  
         [0012]     Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a fume hood apparatus in combination with a printer, comprising: a printer outputting printout sheets; a suction source; a support structure; and a hood supported by the support structure, the hood having a hollow cavity, and an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the hollow cavity, the outlet being in fluid communication with the suction source, the inlet having a peripheral configuration associated with the printer such that a suction volume is created between a peripheral surface of the hollow cavity and a fume-emitting surface of a printout sheet output by the printer, upon actuation of the suction source; whereby printing fumes from the printer are removed from the suction volume by the suction source.  
         [0013]     Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for collecting fumes emanating from a printer, comprising the steps of: providing a hood connected to a suction source; positioning the hood adjacent to a fume source of the printer so as to define a suction volume between the hood and a printout sheet of the printer; and activating the hood to collect fumes from the fume source of the printer through the suction volume. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hood apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, in an operating configuration with a treatment station with respect to a printer;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 1 , without a suction drum;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of a connector of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 1 , without the suction drum;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 1 , in a first maintenance position;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 1 , in a second maintenance position;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, in an operating configuration with the treatment station with respect to the printer;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, in an operating configuration with respect to a printer;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 7 , showing a suction enclosure;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 7 , in an operating configuration with respect to a printer;  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 7 , separated from the printer to illustrate a heater;  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 7 , showing the heater and deflector; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of the hood apparatus of  FIG. 7 , showing the heater and deflector. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]     Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to  FIG. 1 , a hood apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is generally shown at  20 , in an operating position with respect to a printer  10 .  
         [0028]     In  FIG. 1 , the printer  10  is a large-format printer having a printing section  11 , by which a substrate (e.g., paper) from a substrate feed  12  is outputted as a printout  13 . A heated drum  14  is positioned behind the printout  13 , and is typically in contact therewith, to accelerate the drying of the ink of the printout  13 .  
         [0029]     The hood apparatus  20  is positioned adjacent to the printer  10 . The hood apparatus  20  has a hood  21 . Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the hood  21  has a curved wall  22  and lateral walls  23 , by which the hood  21  defines a concavity  24 .  
         [0030]     One of the lateral walls  23  has a connector  25 , whereas the other of the lateral walls  23  has a support member  26 . More precisely, the connector  25  is a hollow cylinder defining an opening in the respective lateral wall  23 . A portion of the connector  25  extends beyond the lateral wall  23  and out of the hood  21 . On the other hand, the support member  26  is a hollow cylinder that is closed.  
         [0031]     As seen in  FIG. 1 , the connector  25  and the support member  26  are shaped so as to support a suction enclosure  27  (e.g., a suction drum or like hollow compartment). The suction enclosure  27  has a hollow cylindrical body having a longitudinal slot  28  (or any other suitable slot pattern, e.g., ¾″ wide) on its periphery, through which slot  28  air enters the suction enclosure  27 . The above-described slot configuration causes a generally even distribution of the airflow across the entire length of the hood  21  and increases the velocity of the flow. It is pointed out that other configurations are considered to define the longitudinal slot  28 , such as a baffle plate  27 A ( FIG. 8 ) extending from one longitudinal edge of the curved wall  22  to an interior of the hood  21  to define the slot  28 .  
         [0032]     In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the hood  21  is shown without the suction enclosure  27 , whereby the opening in the connector  25  is visible. As will be described, a conduit (e.g., ventilation conduit, exhaust conduit) is to be connected to the protruding end of the connector  25 , to convey air from the suction enclosure  27  out of the hood apparatus  20 .  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a treatment station A is connected to the hood apparatus  20  by way of a flexible conduit B secured to the protruding end of the connector  25 . The connection between the flexible conduit B and the connector  25  is preferably airtight to ensure an optimized flow of fluid from the suction enclosure  27  to the treatment station A. The treatment station A is any suitable station selected as a function of the printing fumes to be absorbed. For instance, the treatment station A may have various levels of filters, as well as active substances such as activated carbon that will react with the fumes of the printing operation.  
         [0034]     Alternatively, the treatment station A may be replaced by a ventilation system (or like suction source) that will exhaust the printing fumes out of the printing environment for subsequent treatment, or exhaust.  
         [0035]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the hood apparatus  20  is positioned such that the hood  21  is adjacent to the printer  10 , with the concavity  24  being opposite the printout  13 . Moreover, the concavity  24  and the heated drum  14  are on opposite sides of the printout  13 . An edge  29  of the curved wall  22  is slightly separated from the printing section  11  of the printer  10 . As shown at  29 A, a sealing member is optionally provided on the edge  29  to seal off any gap between the casing of the printer  10  and the edge  29  of the hood  21 . Moreover, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , sealing flaps  29 B are optionally provided projecting from the lateral walls  23  to generally seal off any gap between the printer  10  and the lateral walls  23 .  
         [0036]     As the hood  21  covers the printout  13  after the printing section  11 , the hood  21  will encapsulate the fumes emanating from the ink of the printout  13 . The longitudinal slot  28  is oriented within the concavity  24  so as to generally cause a relative negative pressure within the concavity  24 , to induce air from the concavity  24  into the suction enclosure  27 . As the air within the concavity  24  has a high concentration of fumes (solvent fume-laden air), the fumes are collected/extracted by the suction enclosure  27  and exhausted through the conduit B, for instance to the treatment station A or other exhaust destination. It is pointed out that the hood apparatus  20  could be positioned elsewhere with respect to the printer  10 , so as to collect fumes from any fume source associated with the printer  10 .  
         [0037]     The heated drum  14  of the printer  10  typically enhances fume emanation from the ink of the printout  13 . As the concavity  24  is positioned generally across the heated drum  14  on the opposite side of the printout  13 , the hood apparatus  20  increases its collection of fumes from the ink. The hood  21  also isolates the surrounding volume of the printout  13  from external air currents and drafts that would move the fumes out of the extraction air stream induced by the hood apparatus.  
         [0038]     Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the hood  21  is shown being mounted to a structure  30 . More specifically, the hood  21  is supported to legs  31  of the structure  30 , by detachable connectors  32 . The hood  21  is pivotable with respect to the detachable connectors  32 , whereby the hood  21  may be pivoted away from its operating configuration ( FIG. 1 ), to various maintenance positions, such as that illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , for instance to access the substrate.  
         [0039]     The structure  30  is supported by casters  33 , such that the hood apparatus  20  may be displaced toward or away from the printer  10 . Accordingly, it is contemplated to retrofit printers with the hood apparatus  20  of the present invention. Moreover, the hood apparatus  20  may be retrofitted to existing exhaust systems. Although the connector  25  has a cylindrical end, other types of connector geometries may be used to enable various types of conduits to be compatible with the hood apparatus  21  of the present invention.  
         [0040]     The combination of the slotted enclosure  27  and confining hood  21  allows the use of a low cfm extracting purifier as station A, which enables more solvent fumes to be captured with less air movement.  
         [0041]     The curved wall  22  is shown made of a clear material, such as co-polyester. Co-polyester may have poor resistance to the solvent fume that is captured. For instance, co-polyester may soften when exposed to the solvent fume and be easily marred if touched. However, during the extraction process of the present invention, it was determined that the inside surface of the hood  21  would not be touched, so the hood material, if chosen as co-polyester, softens when exposed to the fumes but then returns to its original state after a period of time away from the fume. Co-polyester therefore represents a low-cost material with good optical clarity that can be used with the process of the present invention.  
         [0042]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the hood apparatus  20  is shown having another hood  40 . The hood  40  is in fluid communication with the treatment station A by way of a flexible conduit C. The hood  40  is funnel-shaped, and is secured to the printer  10 . At this position, the hood  40  is generally opposite the printer head  15 , when the latter is at the end of a printing stroke (direction D). It has been determined that the fume concentration at that position is relatively high for some printers, as the fumes of the ink may be entrained by the printer head  15 . Accordingly, the hood  40  efficiently collects a portion of the fumes at that position.  
         [0043]     It is pointed out that the hood  40  may be strategically positioned elsewhere with respect to the printer  10 . For instance, if the printer head  15  is able to support the weight of the hood  40 , the hood  40  could be mounted to the printer head  15 .  
         [0044]     In order to accelerate the drying period of the ink, it is contemplated in an alternative embodiment to provide a heater with the hood apparatus  21 . More specifically, referring to FIGS.  7  to  12 , there is shown a hood apparatus  20 ′. The hood apparatus  20 ′ of FIGS.  7  to  12  and the hood apparatus  20  of FIGS.  1  to  6  have similar components, whereby like elements will bear like reference numerals.  
         [0045]     The hood apparatus  20 ′, in addition to the hood  21  and associated components and to a structure  30 ′, has a heater  50 . The heater  50  is provided so as to emit heat that will accelerate the drying period of the ink of the printout  13 .  
         [0046]     Referring to FIGS.  9  to  12 , the heater  50  is preferably an infrared heater that is positioned below the hood  21 , in proximity to the printout  13 . The intensity of heat emitted by the heater  50  is controllable, for instance by way of a rheostat  52  ( FIG. 7 ).  
         [0047]     A deflector plate  51  is provided between the heater  50  and the hood  21 , such that any suction exerted through the hood  21  results in a movement of air from the bottom up. Accordingly, solvent-laden air between the printout  13  and the heater  50  flows toward the slot  28  of the hood  21 . Therefore, the deflector plate  51  increases the efficiency of the hood apparatus  20 ′.  
         [0048]     In an embodiment, the deflector plate  51  is connected to the structure  30 ′ by way of magnets, such that the deflector plate  51  is readily releasable from the structure  30 ′.  
         [0049]     It is considered to provide the hood apparatus  20 ′ with various types of printers. Therefore, a plurality of adjustment mechanisms are optionally provided so as to increase the efficiency of the hood apparatus  20 ′ in drying the ink of the printout  13 , and in collecting fumes associated with the printout  13 .  
         [0050]     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the structure  30 ′ has telescopic arms  60 , so as to enable horizontal adjustment of the heater  50 . The heater  50  is also pivotable at the end of the arms  60 , whereby the heater  50  can be rotated to a suitable position with respect to the printout  13 . Although the heater  50  is illustrated as being below the hood  21 , it is contemplated to position the heater  50  in other positions as long as the hood  21  can collect the fumes generated by the heating of the ink by the heater  50 .  
         [0051]     The structure  30 ′ also has a telescopic portion  61 , whereby the vertical spacing between the heater  50  and the hood  21  is adjustable. Finally, the structure  30 ′ can optionally be telescopic in a longitudinal direction, so as to adjust the structure  30 ′ to various sizes of hoods, such as the hood  21 . For convenience, the hood apparatuses  20  and  20 ′ are typically actuated by way of local power outlets.