WO2020192909A1

WO2020192909A1 - Maintenance and service station for handheld printer

Info

Publication number: WO2020192909A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/057755
Authority: WO
Inventors: Olaf JANSON
Original assignee: Jt International S.A.
Priority date: 2019-03-27
Filing date: 2019-03-27
Publication date: 2020-10-01

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a handheld printer (10) comprising a housing body (1)a feed channel (3) formed within the housing body (1), the feed channel (3) having an inlet opening (3a) in a side wall of the housing body (1) for inserting an object (P) to be imprinted into the feed channel (3), and at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel (3) in the housing body (1) and having a printhead configured to print onto an object (P) to be imprinted fed to the feed channel (3). The handheld printer (10) further includes a spitting and wiping unit (30) having at least one spittoon (31) configured to collect spat out ink from the printhead and at least one wiping blade (35) configured to wipe the printhead, the at least one spittoon (31) and the at least one wiping blade (35) being mounted on a supporting rack (32), the supporting rack (32) being movable along two rack guiding rails (37) underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

Description

Maintenance and service station for handheld printer

The present invention pertains to a handheld printer, particularly for imparting printed images on the side surfaces of consumer goods packages made from cardboard or similar materials, the handheld printer having integrated a maintenance and service station.

For advertising and promotional purposes, it may be desirable for a manufacturer of consumer goods to individualize the packaging and shipping containers of those consumer goods. Even more so, possibilities for customers to personalize consumer goods packaging with specific design, patterns or other customizable images would highly enhance consumer satisfaction and purchase experience. For example, consumer goods packages such as packages for smokeable products like cigarettes or cigarillos may be altered in their visual appearance according to the customers' preferences.

Those alterations may be printed on the consumer goods packages using mobile printers, i.e. printers that operate independently of stationary printing systems and that may be carried around by an operator. Conveying customizable printings, labels or similar visual markings to three-dimensional objects, specifically at point-of-sale locations, is a daunting task. For example, document US 6,312,124 B1 discloses a handheld inkjet printing mechanism for printing selected images on a solid hard or semi-flexible body. Document WO 2015/027229 A1 discloses a portable printer for the personalization of toothbrushes. Document US 6,577,922 B2 discloses a method for personalizing a product at a point-of- sale by a customer. Document US 2013/0152506 A1 discloses a dynamic product personalization system.

Specifically for producing individualized consumer goods packages by printing customized images, designs or patterns on the outer surface of the packages, document EP 2 153 412 B1 proposes an apparatus for providing a container with an individually customized surface design. A further handheld printer for printing on consumer goods packages is disclosed in document EP 3 272 540 A1 . Inkjet printing mechanisms commonly use cartridges (called“pens”) to eject small drops of liquid colourant (called“ink”) onto a surface to be printed upon. Each of the cartridges includes a printhead that is implemented with minuscule nozzles through which the colourant may be pushed through. To print an image with a stationary printing mechanism, there need to be multiple printheads and/or movement of the object to be printed upon underneath the printing mechanism. Known ink ejection mechanisms used in various inkjet printers include piezo-electric or thermal printhead technology.

Mobile printers based on such inkjet technology should be ready to use at any time with minimum warm-up periods, specifically when in use at point-of-sale locations for imprinting consumer goods packages as the consumer experience may be detrimentally affected if technical preparations preceding a printing order take too long to perform. On the other hand, however, the operation of such mobile inkjet printers is intermittent, i.e. there may be prolonged periods of non-use during which the print heads of the inkjet printers may be subject to drying out.

Maintenance and service stations for mobile printers in general are known to be separate components from the printer such as in document US 6,312,124 B1 . Integrated maintenance and service stations such as in document US 7,963,631 B2 are known for larger printers with movable printhead units.

However, improved solutions for servicing and maintaining mobile printers are needed so that they are easy to use by an operator, failsafe and rapid in their manner of operation. Moreover, the mobile printers should not require extensive maintenance, should be easy to set up for an operator and should provide cost effective individualization of packages for consumer goods.

Therefore, according to a first aspect of the present invention a handheld printer comprises a housing body with a feed channel formed through the housing body. The feed channel includes an inlet for inserting an object to be imprinted into the feed channel and an outlet for retrieving the imprinted object from the feed channel. At least one first printing device is arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel in the housing body and includes a printhead configured to print onto an object to be imprinted fed through the feed channel. A user input device is provided at the housing body and includes a user interface configured to receive user input commands via the user interface. A printer controller arranged within the housing body is coupled to the user input device and the at least one first printing device. The printer controller is configured to output printing control signals to the at least one first printing device on the basis of the user input commands to the user input device.

The purpose of the handheld printer is to provide a possibility to personalize consumer goods packages, such as cigarette or electronic cigarette packages, with custom-made graphics, patterns, designs, images and/or text by using a portable printer. The portable, handheld printer may be designed with dimensions such as length, height, width and sufficiently low weight so that it can be conveniently held by a user in one or both hands, thus being readily and easily portable. The handheld printer may be equipped with an electrical energy storage such as for example accumulators or one-way batteries, thus obviating the need for cables and wires. This aids in providing sufficient flexibility for the printer to be portable and operable without an external stationary power supply nearby.

The handheld printer may be dimensioned to accommodate packages of different sizes in the feed channel so that the printer is flexibly usable for a plurality of applications for different consumer goods and/or various types of packs. The handheld printer may be equipped with a user interface enabling an operator to use the printer to an extent that lets them print customized designs, patterns and/or images on consumer goods packages with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction on their own.

The handheld printer is mechanically robust, fail-secure and fail-safe, thereby reducing the need for extensive maintenance and increasing the dependability of the printer. Particularly advantageous may be the provision of a feed channel formed through the housing body so that both the printing devices within the feed channel as well as an object conveyed through the feed channel during printing are protected against humidity, dust or other possibly intruding objects from the outside. Moreover, the printing process is entirely performed within the inside of the housing, thereby reducing the risk of unwanted interference of a user with the printing process which could negatively impact the printing results or, even worse, damage the printer components. The printing and conveying components of the printer which are generally vulnerable to unintended contact by the user, intrusion of dust and debris or mechanical shock are advantageously shielded within the feed channel.

One idea of the invention is to provide a maintenance and service station integrated into the printer chassis. To clean and protect the printheads, the mechanism maintenance and service station has one or more different and independently operating components supported by the printer chassis. As the printheads in the handheld printer of the invention are stationary, the service station components are moveable towards the printheads in order to engage with the latter for purposes of maintenance for storage purposes, during non-printing periods or for preparatory tasks right before a print job.

If the handheld printer is to be put into operation for purposes of printing on a surface of a consumer goods package, the various components of the maintenance and service station may be advantageously moved out of the way of the object to be printed upon.

One of the maintenance and service station components is a capping unit which substantially seals the printhead nozzles from contaminants and drying when the handheld printer is in prolonged periods of non-use. The capping unit may be designed to facilitate priming for example by means of a pumping unit that draws a vacuum on the printheads, thereby clearing the nozzles from remains of ink of the last print job.

Another one of the maintenance and service station components is a spitting and wiping unit that periodically clears clogs in the printhead nozzles. The basic function is that a small amount of ink is fired through each of the nozzles (a process commonly called“spitting” as ink is spat out of the printheads in rapid motion). The spitting and wiping unit comprises a reservoir portion designed to collect the released among of ink from the nozzles so that the spat out ink does not contaminate other parts of the handheld printer. This reservoir portion is sometimes called a“spittoon”. After the spitting procedure, the printhead surfaces are wiped clean in order to remove ink residues, debris, dust or other particles that would interfere with the printing process. To that end, the spitting and wiping unit may comprise a wiper, for example made from elastomeric material, that performs a wiping motion by moving the wiper of the spitting and wiping unit past the nozzles of the printhead. According to an embodiment of the handheld printer, the printhead of the at least one first printing device may be spaced apart from the object to be imprinted by a predefined distance, which is preferably in the range between 0.1 mm and 1 cm, preferably between 0.1 mm and 3 mm. In this range, neither physical contact between the printhead and the surface may occur, nor spraying effects, which would otherwise blur the imprinted images.

According to another embodiment of the handheld printer, the handheld printer may further comprise at least one conveying device which is arranged in the feed channel and which is configured to convey an object to be imprinted by the handheld printer from the inlet to the outlet through the feed channel. In one embodiment, the at least one conveying device may be arranged within the inner wall of the feed channel. In this regard, one embodiment may include a resiliently biased pressure roller configured to press against the object to be imprinted fed through the feed channel. The resiliently biased pressure roller may in particular be configured to keep the object to be imprinted in contact with the first inner wall of the feed channel while being fed through the feed channel. This advantageously provides precise control over the printing process without the user having the worry about exact positioning of the object to be imprinted. It simplifies the handling process of the printer, while maintaining accurate and predictable printing results to be achieved. Moreover, the distance between the printhead and the surface of the object to be imprinted upon may be exactly controlled and may in particular be kept constant, for example in the range between 0.1 mm and 1 cm, preferably between 0.1 mm and 3 mm, for example about 1.4 mm. In another embodiment, the conveying device may include a sliding carriage. The sliding carriage may be configured to receive the object to be imprinted. Once the object is mounted on the sliding carriage, the sliding carriage is guided along guiding rails running within and parallel to the feed channel so that the object may be transported underneath the printing devices of the printer and back again once the printing procedure has been completed. A sliding carriage has the advantage that the positioning of the object to be imprinted may be controlled more precisely. Moreover, a conveying mechanism involving a sliding carriage may provide more free space within the feed channel in the region of the printing devices so that components of the maintenance and service station may be installed more easily without the conveying mechanism and the components of the maintenance and service station blocking each other’s pathing. According to a further embodiment of the handheld printer, the housing body may include a handhold for a user to carry the printer in his/her hands. In some embodiments, such a handhold may be integrally formed with the housing body. This provides for a smooth and compact appearance of the printer, increasing mechanical durability and stability, while at the same time offering a tight grip for a user onto the printer thereby reducing the risk of unwanted dropping of the printer. In other embodiments, the handhold might be a strap attached to the housing body.

According to yet another embodiment of the handheld printer, at least one second printing device may be arranged within a second inner wall of the feed channel. The second printing device may have a printhead configured to print onto the object to be imprinted fed through the feed channel. The second inner wall may be in particular arranged substantially perpendicularly to the first inner wall. This advantageously enables the printer to print two adjacent side surfaces of an object to be imprinted, such as a cigarette package, at once, thereby reducing the amount of iterations needed to print designs, graphics, patterns and/or images on multiple side surfaces of the object. In particular, to imprint all six side faces of a package having cuboid shape, only three iterations of the printing process using the handheld printer are needed.

According to another embodiment of the handheld printer a plurality of first printing devices may be arranged in series within the first inner wall of the feed channel in the housing body. The first printing devices are each stationary, i.e. fixedly mounted at a predetermined location within the housing body, and may each have printheads configured to print onto an object to be imprinted fed through the feed channel with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel. The advantage of such a multi-printhead printer is the ability to print on side surfaces of packages of varying size without having to resort to movable printheads which might be prone to mechanical failure, especially when the printer is subject to unintended concussion or vibration during use, and without having to resort to expensive printheads with an extension over the whole desired printing width.

According to another embodiment of the handheld printer, the printer may further comprise at least one registration sensor configured to register a position of the object to be imprinted within the feed channel. The registration sensor may be arranged within one of the inner walls in the feed channel of the housing body as well. In this respect, the printer controller may be coupled to the at least one registration sensor in one embodiment, being configured to control the at least one first printing device on the basis of sensor signals generated by the at least one registration sensor. Using registration sensors advantageously enables the printer to enhance printing precision and control over the conveyance of the object to be imprinted through the feed channel. Specifically, the printer may flexibly adapt to any package dimensions for packages inserted in the feed channel by dynamically determining the position and extension of the packages. Furthermore, the information provided by the registration sensors may advantageously be used by the printer controller to control any conveying devices within the feed channel to hold an already imprinted package at the outlet of the feed channel in a convenient, yet safe position for the user to manually remove the package from the printer. Additionally, information provided by the registration sensors may also advantageously be used in controlling the movement of components of the maintenance and service station so that it may be ensured that the location of objects to be imprinted within the feed channel does not interfere with the maintenance and service functions. For example, the information provided by the registration sensors may be used by the printer controller of the handheld printer to control the operation of the capping unit and/or the spitting and wiping unit.

According to another embodiment of the handheld printer, the printer may further comprise an electrical energy storage device arranged within the housing body and configured to provide the at least one first printing device, the user input device and/or the printer controller with electrical energy. Not having to provide electrical energy via wiring or power cables enhances the flexibility of the handheld printer and removes potential hazards during unattended use of the printer by operators.

According to a further embodiment of the handheld printer, the user interface may comprise a keyboard and/or a display, particularly a touchscreen display. The user interface may advantageously be ruggedized for fail-secure and fail-safe usage by operators, thereby enabling the printer to be employed in potentially unattended point-of-sale locations which are free to use for operators. According to a further embodiment of the handheld printer, the printer may further comprise a two-part insert having an outer shape corresponding to the shape of the feed channel. The two-part insert may comprise a first part extending into at least a portion of the feed channel from a lid end, adapted to close the inlet, to a connecting end, adapted to detachably latch to a second part. The two-part insert may further comprise a second part extending into at least a portion of the feed channel from a lid end, adapted to close the outlet, to a connecting end, adapted to detachably latch to the first part. One of the first and second parts of the two-part insert may in some embodiments extend substantially from the inlet to the outlet, thus, the respectively remaining part of the first and second parts would substantially be a lid of the inlet/outlet with latching means to connect to the other part. The two-part insert may be used to close the feed channel to the outside in order to prevent damage to the components in the feed channel during transportation.

According to a further embodiment of the handheld printer, the printer may further comprise a slidable guide latch arranged within the housing body and configured to slidably adjust the inlet width of the feed channel for an object to be imprinted. The provision of such a latch provides visual and tactile guidance to a user, advantageously reducing the risk of unintended and accidental maloperation by a user of the printer when manually inserting a consumer goods package, such as a cigarette package, into the feed channel.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of obtaining a personalised consumer goods package comprises the steps of inserting a consumer goods package to be imprinted into an inlet of a feed channel formed within a housing body of a handheld printer, the handheld printer having at least one stationary first inkjet printing device with a printhead arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel in the housing body, moving a capping unit having at least one protective cover sealingly enclosing the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device, moving a spitting and wiping unit mounted on a supporting rack along two rack guiding rails underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device, wiping the printhead using at least one wiping blade of the spitting and wiping unit, collecting spat out ink from the printhead using at least one spittoon of the spitting and wiping unit, moving the a spitting and wiping unit away from underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device, conveying the consumer goods package to be imprinted by the handheld printer within the feed channel from the inlet opening to a position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device, and imprinting at least one surface of the consumer goods package with the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device.

According to an embodiment of the method, the method may further include the steps of conveying the imprinted consumer goods package within the feed channel from the position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device back to the inlet opening and retrieving the imprinted consumer goods package from the inlet opening of the feed channel. According to some embodiments, the method may then comprise the step of moving the capping unit towards the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device and having the at least one protective cover sealingly enclose the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device again.

Advantageously, the method of the further aspect of the invention allows the handheld printer to be protected against drying out of the inkjet printing devices during periods of non use, by means of the capping unit. When a printing job is to be started, the capping unit may be moved out of the way of the consumer goods package to be printed upon since the inkjet printing devices are stationary, i.e. cannot be moved towards the consumer goods package. Before the printing routine is performed, the spitting and wiping unit is used to clean the nozzles in an ink spitting process and the spat out ink is collected in the spittoon. A wiping process ensures that the inkjet nozzles of the printhead(s) are free of residual ink, dust and debris. Once the spitting and wiping maintenance has been completed, the spitting and wiping unit may also be moved out of the way of the consumer goods package to be printed upon so that the print job to be performed on the consumer goods package may commence with optimum printing quality.

The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a partially transparent perspective view on the handheld printer of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a partially transparent plan view on inner components of the handheld printer of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates an explosion view of a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates an explosion view of the handheld printer in Fig. 5 from a different angle according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a sectional side view through the handheld printer depicted in Fig. 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a partially transparent plan view on inner components of the handheld printer depicted in Fig. 5 and 6;

Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a spitting and wiping unit for a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 schematically illustrates a perspective partial view of a spitting and wiping unit and parts of a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 1 1 schematically illustrates yet another perspective partial view of a spitting and wiping unit and parts of a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 12 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of a method for obtaining a personalized consumer goods package using a handheld printer according to an embodiment of the invention. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a handheld printer 10 from a top-front perspective, while Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a handheld printer 10 from a bottom-front perspective. Fig. 2 shows a similar top-front perspective on the handheld printer 10 of Fig. 1 with elements on the front being shown in virtual transparency to illustrate details within the housing body of the printer 10. Fig. 3 illustrates a plan view on inner components of the handheld printer 10 of Figs. 1 and 2, with the housing body 1 not explicitly being illustrated.

The handheld printer 10 comprises a housing body 1 with a front surface 1 a and a back surface 1 b on a generally opposite side the front surface 1 a. The front surface 1 a of the housing body 1 is facing a user during normal, i.e. intended use of the printer 10. To that end, the housing body 1 may include a handhold 4 for a user to carry the printer 10 in his/her hands. The handhold 4 may be integrally formed with the housing body 1 which may in turn be made from injection molded plastics or resin for example. The handhold 4 may be ergonomically designed to fit a user’s hand to provide a comfortable grip for a user. As exemplarily shown in Fig. 4, the handhold 4 may also be configured differently from an integrally formed handle piece and may for example be formed as a separately attachable strap. The strap may be attached to the housing body 1 via rivets, screws or similar attachment means. It should be understood by the skilled person that multiple different possibilities for providing gripping aids to the user of a handheld printer 10 are possible.

Near the back surface 1 b of the housing body 1 , a feed channel 3 is formed within the housing body 1 , i.e. a hollow passageway having an inlet opening 3a on a side face 1c of the housing body 1. The feed channel 3 may be open only to one side of the housing body 1 , i.e. may be configured as a blind channel. In other configurations, it may be possible to provide an outlet opening 3b on an opposite side face 1 d of the housing body 1 , i.e. the feed channel 3 being formed through the housing body 1 . The feed channel 3 is formed having inner walls in the hollow passageway separating the inner components within the housing body 1 from the path of the passageway. The feed channel 3 may for example be integrally formed with the housing body 1 . The feed channel 3 may for example have the inner shape of a cuboid, i.e. a rectangularly shaped inlet openings 3a being connected to a tunnel of substantially constant cross-section over the extension of the feed channel 3 within the housing body 1 . It may of course also be possible to form the feed channel 3 with rounded corners.

The feed channel 3 may run from one side face to another side face of the housing body 1 . The feed channel 3 may be open to the other side face by virtue of the outlet opening 3b or may be closed off at the other side face in a manner of a blind channel. The feed channel 3 is designed to receive a consumer goods package of generally cuboid shape, such as a cigarette package P. The package P is manually inserted at the inlet opening 3a on side face 1 c of the printer 10 in an insertion direction and is conveyed within the feed channel 3. In the configuration of the feed channel 3 running through the housing, the package P may be retrieved by a user again at the outlet opening 3b on the opposite side face 1 d of the printer 10 in a retrieval direction. In the configuration of the feed channel 3 being a blind channel, the package P may be retrieved by a user again at the inlet opening 3a on the same side face 1 c of the printer 10 in a retrieval direction that is 180° turned with respect to the inserting direction, i.e. the package P is fed into the inlet opening 3a, transported within the feed channel 3 to the printing device(s) 6a, 6b and after the printing process transported within the feed channel 3 back to the inlet opening 3 again.

To convey the package P within the feed channel 3 in either direction, the printer 10 may comprise at least one conveying device 9 arranged in the feed channel. For example, there may be several conveying devices 9 spaced apart within an inner wall of the feed channel 3, enabling a handover between subsequent conveying devices 9 the further the package P travels within the feed channel 3.

The conveying devices 9 may for example be resiliency biased pressure rollers that are configured to press against the package P. By way of friction, the pressure rollers 9 keep the package P in contact with one or more of the inner walls of the housing body while the package P is travelling through the feed channel 3. It may also be possible for the conveying device 9 to comprise a sled or sliding carriage onto which the package P is placed. This sliding carriage may then be guided along guiding rails running within and parallel to the inner walls of the feed channel 3, thereby taking along the package P by movement of the sled along the guiding rails.

In a first of the inner walls of the feed channel 3, at least one first printing device 6a is arranged within the housing body 1. For example, there may be several first printing devices 6a which are arranged in series within the housing body 1 in the back surface 1 b. Each of the printing devices 6a may have a printhead configured to print onto an object P to be imprinted fed through the feed channel 3. In particular, the printing devices 6a are stationary printing devices, i.e. the printing devices 6a are installed at a fixed location within the housing body 1 and may not be moved within the housing body 1 . In that way, any object P to be printed upon needs to be moved underneath the printing devices 6a.

The printheads of the printing devices 6a may for example extend or protrude at least partially into the feed channel 3 of the housing body 1 . Alternatively, the printheads may be set back into the inner portion of the housing body 1 so that a surface of a package P travelling through the feed channel pressed against the first inner wall of the feed channel 3 may be guided near the first printing devices 6a by way of the conveying devices 9 so that the printheads may be spaced apart from a side surface of the package P by a predefined distance. Such distance may for example be in the range between 0.1 mm and 3 mm, and may for example be about 1 mm or about 1 .4 mm. The first printing devices 6a may further comprise conventional printing components such as ink tanks, thermal transfer rollers and the like, so that designs, patterns, text or other printing images may be imparted on the package P by the printheads. In particular, the first printing devices 6a may include printheads with ink nozzles used to extract ink from an ink cartridge of the first printing devices 6a. For example, the printing devices 6a may include laser printing or inkjet printing technology with a resolution of for example 600 dpi. The first printing devices 6a may be arranged with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel 3 so that eventually each region of the side surface of the package P in contact with or near the printheads may be imprinted along the feed channel 3.

The printer 10 further includes a printer controller 7a which is arranged within the housing body 1 . The printer controller 7a may for example comprise a microcontroller storing an operating system, firmware and/or other software for operating the various electronic components of the printer 10 on a read-only memory. The printer controller 7a is configured to output printing control signals to the first printing devices 6a, thereby controlling, coordinating and synchronizing the first printing devices 6a to impart coherent and tiled printing images on the package P. Preferably, the printer controller 7a stores a design library for an operator to choose from design components to be printed on the package P.

In order to print on two adjacent side surfaces of a cuboid package P at once, the printer 10 may further comprise second printing devices 6b - similar in construction and printing mechanism to the first printing devices 6a - which are arranged in a second inner wall of the feed channel 3, preferably in an inner wall of the housing body 1 . The printheads of the second printing devices 6b may be facing inward towards a package P transferred past the second printing devices 6b in order to impart printing images on a surface of the package P under control of the printer controller 7a. The second printing devices 6b may in this case be aligned substantially orthogonally to the at least one first printing devices 6a, i.e. arranged in a second inner wall of the feed channel 3 that is arranged substantially perpendicularly to the first inner wall in which the first printing devices 6a are located.

A slidable guide latch may be slidably held in a sliding channel in the housing body 1 . The slidable guide latch may provide a movable closure of the feed channel 3 in the side face 1c of the housing body 1 . The slidable guide latch may be used to adjust the inlet width of the feed channel 3, and optionally the width of the feed channel 3 overall, for a package P to be imprinted. With the provision of the guide latch, packages P with cuboid shape of various sizes may be handled by the printer 10. For example, the feed channel may be designed to receive packages P of a width of up to 1 10 mm, a length up of to 1 10 mm and a height of up to 30 mm. Of course, other dimensions for the feed channel may be implemented as well, depending on the desired maximum sizes of objects to be imprinted.

Although not explicitly shown in the drawings, the handheld printer 10 may further comprise a two-part insert that may be used to close of the feed channel 3 to the outside in order to prevent damage to the components in the feed channel 3, for example during transportation. The feed channel 3 may be conveniently closed by means of the two-part insert, for example when the printer 10 is not in use, during transport or during storage of the printer 10. This prevents dust, particles, humidity or other objects from accidentally entering the feed channel 3 and possibly causing damage to the printing devices 6a, 6b, the sensors 8, the conveying devices 9 or other fragile components of the printer 10.

The two-part insert may generally include a first part and a matching second part that may be latched to the first part at a connection end thereof. The first part and the matching second part may generally have an outer shape that corresponds to the inner shape of the feed channel 3. That way, the first part may be inserted into the feed channel 3 and extend at least partially into the feed channel 3. The lid end of the first part is then adapted to close off the inlet. Similarly, a second part may be inserted into the feed channel 3 from an opposite side face and extend at least partially into the feed channel 3 as well. The lid end of the second part is then adapted to close off the outlet.

Both the first part and the second part of the two-part insert may together reach through the complete feed channel 3 so that latching means attached to the respectively inner end portions of the first part and the second part may connect to each other within the feed channel. For example, the first and second part may substantially look the same so that, when being inserted from different ends of the feed channel 3, their connections portions meet substantially in the middle of the feed channel. Alternatively, one of the first and second parts may extend substantially the whole length of the feed channel 3 from the inlet to the outlet, so that the respectively other part of the first and second parts would simply need to be a lid of the inlet/outlet with latching means to connect to the other part.

The printer 10 may comprise various registration sensors (not explicitly shown) in order to register a position of a package P to be imprinted within the feed channel. The printer 10 may for example comprise a line of first registrations sensors lined up in the housing body 1 along the feeding direction of the package P. The first registrations sensors are configured to track a conveying location of the package P within the feed channel 3. Additionally, the printer 10 may comprise second registrations sensors arranged in a horizontal line along the inlet of the feed channel, registering the lateral and longitudinal dimensions of any package P inserted in the feed channel 3. Alternatively or additionally, more registrations sensors may be included in the inner walls of the feed channel 3 within the housing body 1 . The registrations sensors may for example comprise optical sensors, contact sensors, ultrasonic sensors, light barriers, registration mark readers or similar devices. All registrations sensors may output sensor signals which are input to the printer controller 7a which in turn may be configured to control the first and/or second printing devices 6a, 6b on the basis of the received and evaluated sensor signals.

The printer 10 may further comprise an electrical energy storage device 7b, such as an accumulator or a replaceable battery, which is arranged within the housing body 1. The electrical energy storage device 7b may be coupled to all electronic and electrical components within the printer 10 and may provide electrical power for the operation of the components. Particularly, the electrical energy storage device 7b may provide power to the various electrical drives for moving components of the printer 10, such as for example the components of the maintenance and service station as described further below.

The printer 10 may include a user input device included at a surface of the housing body 1 , for example in the front surface 1 a of the housing body 1 . The user input device may include a user interface 2, such as a keyboard and/or a display, for example a touchscreen display. The user interface 2 is configured to receive user input commands which are conveyed to the printer controller 7a which in turn is configured to output the printing control signals to the first and/or second printing devices 6a, 6b on the basis of the user input commands input to the user input device. The user input device may include further components such as various pushbuttons, for example power switches or volume sliders, or input/output ports such as USB ports, memory card slots or interface for charging cords. The user input device may in particular allow the operator of the printer to choose design components to be printed on a package P from a design component library stored in the printer controller 7a or a memory accessible by the printer controller 7a and user input device.

The user input device may generally resemble a tablet computer which may be connectable to the housing body 1 by means of a socket integrated into the housing body 1 . Operating system information OS may be displayed on the user interface 2, such as application information, home buttons, timing information or other icons and widgets. For example, the user input device may run an operating system such as iOS, Android, Cyanogen, Tizen, Ubuntu Mobile, Linux Mint, Unix, Windows 8.1 , Firefox or any similar mobile operating system.

The user interface 2 may for example display drag & drop content in a display bar that may be selected by a user, such drag & drop content being available from a design component library as previously explained. The drag & drop content may be previewed in a preview image on the screen and then edited by use of digital paint tools displayed in a paint dialogue bar, such as recoloring tools, re-sizing tools, cropping tools, rotating tools or formatting tools. The user interface 2 may display a three-dimensional graphical representation of the package with an envisioned look after printing. A print button may be displayed when the user is done with customizing the printing model and wants to initiate the printing process.

Then, the user interface 2 may display instructions for the user to insert a package P in the inlet of the feed channel 3. The package P will be automatically pulled in through the conveying devices 9 and will be imprinted by the various printing devices 6a, 6b. The package P will then be fed to the outlet 3b of the feed channel 3 where it will be held in place by the conveying devices 9 until it is pulled out manually by the user again. One or two side surfaces of the package P may be printed at a time. If other side surfaces are to be imprinted, the package P may need to be re-inserted in the feed channel 3. The user interface 2 may display instructions to the user on how to rotate and insert the package P correctly so that the right side surfaces will be printed in the desired orientation of the printing images.

In order to protect the printing components of the first and/or second printing devices 6a and/or 6b, the handheld printer 10 includes a maintenance and service station integrated into the housing body 1 of the handheld printer 10. Various configurations from different perspectives of such maintenance and service stations are depicted in Figs. 5 to 1 1 .

The maintenance and service station may include one or both of two components: a spitting and wiping unit 20 that collects spat out ink and wipes the printheads of the printing devices 6a/6b clean right before a printing operation; and a capping unit 30 that provides a capping of the printheads of the printing devices 6a/6b when the printer 10 is not in use for a prolonged period of time in order to avoid drying out of the printhead orifices. Both of these components are in some way movable and/or displaceable within the housing body 1 so that they may provide maintenance and service functions for printheads of stationary printing devices 6a/6b. Without any loss of generality, the main direction of extension of the feed channel 3 may be referred to as x-direction. The spitting and wiping unit 20 is then implemented to be linearly transposable out of the feed channel 3 perpendicular to its inner walls (i.e. without loss of generality in y-direction). The capping unit 30 is implemented to be movable away from the printheads below the feed channel 3 (i.e. without loss of generality in z-direction). That way, spitting and wiping unit 20 and/or the capping unit 30 is/are integrated into the handheld printer 10 while keeping the whole printer compact. The maintenance and service functions to be performed by either of those maintenance and service components may be advantageously automated so that no exterior maintenance operation needs to be undertaken by an operator.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show exploded views of the printing mechanism components within the housing body 1 of the handheld printer 10 and a conveying device 9 arranged in a feed channel of the housing body 1. The conveying device 9 is formed as sliding carriage that is configured to receive the object P to be imprinted. The sliding carriage may be guided along carriage guiding rails 9a that run within and parallel to the feed channel 3. In FIGS. 5 and 6 the sliding carriage is illustrated to be loaded with a cigarette package P. The sliding carriage is configured to carry the cigarette package through the inlet opening in the housing body 1 into a channel that leads to underneath the stationary printing devices 6a. The stationary printing devices 6a may be held in place within the housing body 1 by printing device holders 5a. The direction of travel of the sliding carriage is generally denoted as x-direction.

As specifically shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 7 and 8, the housing body 1 houses a capping unit 20. The capping unit 20 has at least one protective cover 22, i.e. one protective cover 22 per printhead to be covered. The protective cover(s) 22 may be used to sealingly enclose the printhead(s) of the stationary inkjet printing device(s) 6a during non-use. For example, the protective cover(s) 22 may include a sealing lip around the circumference to complete surround and seal the printhead(s) in a substantially fluid-tight manner. Further, the protective cover(s) 22 may include moistened pads as inlays within the cover(s) 22 in order to keep the moisture levels of the atmosphere around the printheads at some predefined minimum threshold. The protective cover(s) 22 is/are mounted on a capping unit supporting rack 23. This supporting rack 23 is movable towards and away from the printhead(s), substantially in a direction generally denoted as z-direction.

FIG. 7 shows a sectional view in the plane of the feed channel 3 within the housing body 1 from the side. The sliding carriage is shown on the right of the housing body 1 with a cigarette package P loaded and about 3/4 of the way loaded into the feed channel 3. In the middle of the housing body 1 , three inkjet printing devices 6a having printing cartridges with their printheads facing down are shown. The three inkjet printing devices 6a are arranged in series within an upper inner wall of the feed channel 1 and held in place by printing device holder 5a. Underneath the printheads, the capping unit supporting rack 23 of the capping unit 20 as component of the maintenance and service station is shown.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the section depicted in FIG. 7 where the capping unit supporting rack 23 is lowered in the bottom part of the housing body 1 . To lower and raise the supporting rack 23, a scissor lift 21 may be employed. The supporting rack 23 may in this case form the scissor lift table. In FIG. 7, the scissor lift 21 is shown in an extended position, whereas FIG. 8 depicts the collapsed state of the scissor lift 21 .

Scissor lifts, such as the scissor lift 21 , are a type of mechanism that allows for vertical displacement of some load through the use of linked, folding supports. The folding supports, often called scissor members or scissor arms are interlinked in a crisscross X-shaped pattern, i.e. in a pantograph type of linkage. The scissor lift 21 may include the supporting rack 23 as a lift platform or lift table which may be lifted in an upward motion towards the printheads of the stationary inkjet printing devices 6a. The upward motion may for example be produced by the application of force to the outside of the one set of supports, thereby elongating the X-shaped pattern and propelling the lift platform or lift table vertically, i.e. in a z-direction.

To exert the forces for actuating the scissor lift, a lift drive mechanism may include a lift drive motor 24 coupled to one set of scissor members by means of a cam shaft 25. The lift drive motor 24 may be a stepper motor configured to displace the one set of scissor members within a sliding pivot channel in order to produce the propelling effect on the lift platform or lift table. The direction of travel of the supporting rack 23 is advantageously perpendicular to the direction of travel of the consumer goods packages P. Specifically, the carriage guiding rails 9a of the sliding carriage are running perpendicular to the direction of movement of the supporting rack 23 on the scissor lift 21 .

The scissor lift table (i.e. the supporting rack 23) is raised with the scissor lift 21 from the bottom of the housing body 1 through the height of the feed channel 3 towards the printhead(s) so that each printhead is covered with a corresponding protective cover 22. The protective cover(s) 22 may be used during non-use periods, i.e. for storage of the printer 10 or more generally during non-printing periods. The capping unit 20 substantially seals the printhead nozzles from contaminants and drying. Optionally, the protective cover(s) 22 may also be designed to facilitate priming, such as by being connected to a pumping unit that draws a vacuum on the printhead.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 1 1 schematically illustrate perspective views of a spitting and wiping unit 30 and such a spitting and wiping unit 30 installed within a handheld printer 10, respectively.

Inkjet printing mechanisms, such as the inkjet printing devices 6a of the handheld printer 10 described in this disclosure, use cartridges, often called“pens,” which eject drops of liquid colorant, referred to generally herein as“ink,” onto a page. Each pen has a printhead formed with very small nozzles through which the ink drops are fired. To print an image, the printhead is propelled back and forth across the page, ejecting drops of ink in a desired pattern as it moves. The particular ink ejection mechanism within the printhead may take on a variety of different forms known to those skilled in the art, such as those using piezo electric or thermal printhead technology. In a thermal system, barrier layer containing ink channels and vaporization chambers is located between a nozzle orifice plate and a substrate layer. This substrate layer typically contains linear arrays of heater elements, such as resistors, which are energized to heat ink within the vaporization chambers. Upon heating, an ink droplet is ejected from a nozzle associated with the energized resistor. By selectively energizing the resistors as the printhead moves across the page, the ink is expelled in a pattern on the print media to form a desired image (e.g., picture, chart or text). To clean the printhead, clogs in the printhead may be periodically cleared by firing a number of drops of ink through each of the nozzles in a process known as“spitting,” with the waste ink being collected in a“spittoon” reservoir portion of a service station. After spitting, uncapping, or occasionally during printing, such a service station may have an elastomeric wiper that wipes the printhead surface to remove ink residue, as well as any paper dust or other debris that has collected on the printhead. The wiping action may be achieved through relative motion of the printhead and wiper, for instance by moving the wiper across the printhead.

FIG. 9 illustrates a spitting and wiping unit 30 with three wiping blades 35 and three spittoons 31 as box-shaped reservoirs behind the wiping blades 35. The number of wiping blades 35 and spittoons 31 is, of course, only exemplary shown as three, and any number of wiping blades 35 and spittoons 31 may be implemented as well. The particular number of wiping blades 35 and spittoons 31 may be adapted to the number printheads and inkjet printing devices 6a to be serviced, respectively.

The wiping blades 35 and spittoons 31 are mounted on a spitting and wiping unit supporting rack 32 serving as baseplate to the servicing components. The supporting rack 32 may be supported by suspension brackets 33 or hanger brackets 33 on the left and right. The two hanger brackets 33 may have channels 34 formed therethrough so that two rack guiding rails 37 may be brought into sliding engagement with the channels 34 of the two hanger brackets 33. To that end, the channels 34 may be correspondingly shaped, for example tube-shaped. The channels 34 may be used to guide the spitting and wiping unit 30 on the two parallel rack guiding rails 37 laterally, i.e. horizontally through the housing body 1 of the handheld printer 10 and perpendicular to the extension of the feed channel 3 in which the sliding carriage may be moved.

The spittoons 31 are configured to collect spat out ink from the printhead, while the wiping blades 35 are configured to wipe the printhead(s) of the stationary first inkjet printing device(s) 6a. In order to move the supporting rack 32 along the two parallel rack guiding rails 37, the handheld printer 1 may include a supporting rack drive, as exemplarily shown and depicted in FIGS. 10 and 1 1 . FIG. 10 shows an explosion view of part of the interior of the handheld printer 1 . The view is from underneath the printheads. The rails for guiding the spitting and wiping unit 30 are shown to run across the feed channel 3 for the sliding carriage. FIG. 1 1 shows the handheld printer 1 similar to FIG. 10, but from a different angle and with the spitting and wiping unit 30 moved underneath the stationary inkjet printing devices 6a.

The spitting and wiping unit 30 may be moved using a supporting rack drive. This supporting rack drive is coupled to the supporting rack 32. The supporting rack drive includes a rack drive motor 39a that is drivingly coupled to a rack drive belt 38 via a rack drive shaft 39b suspended on two toothed belt drive axes. The rack drive belt 38 frictionally engages with the supporting rack 32, for example by means of the two hanger brackets 33. Those hanger brackets 33 can include angled belt clamping members 36 which are designed to frictionally engaging with the rack drive belt 38 when the rack drive belt 38 is wedged between the angled belt clamping members 36 and the top side of the hanger brackets 33.

The wiping blades 35 may for example be elastomeric wipers which are configured to slidingly engage and wipe an ink nozzle orifice of printheads of the inkjet printing devices 6a in order to remove accumulated dust, debris and ink residues. The spittoons 31 may for example include an ink storage reservoir. In some configurations a vacuum pump may be connected to a corresponding outlet of the ink storage reservoir, for example at its bottom, so that the vacuum pump when building up negative pressure to the ink storage reservoir may remove ink out of the ink storage reservoir. This helps to keep the ink storage reservoirs of the spittoons 31 at a reasonably low level so that the ink does not overflow over the edges of the spittoons 31 .

The movement of the spitting and wiping unit 30 along the rails 37 is controlled by a controller of the handheld printer 10 so that during spitting, the spittoons 31 are positioned beneath the printheads and during wiping, the spitting and wiping unit 30 is moved as a whole past the printheads so that the wipers 35 may remove ink residues and other particles from the printhead nozzles. A single linear motion to move the wipers 35 only once past the printhead nozzles may be sufficient for maintenance, but it may also be possible for the controller to move the spitting and wiping unit 30 back and forth multiple times for improved or more thorough cleaning results. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method M for obtaining a personalised consumer goods package P, such as a cigarette pack with customized surface printing. The method M may in particular be performed using a handheld printer 10 as described and explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 1 1 . In a first step M1 , a consumer goods package P (for example a pack of cigarettes or smoking articles) to be imprinted is inserted into an inlet of a feed channel 3 formed within a housing body 1 of a handheld printer 10. The handheld printer 10 may in particular have at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a with a printhead arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel 3 in the housing body 1.

In a second step M2, a capping unit 20 is moved away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a. The capping unit 20 has at least one protective cover 22 sealingly enclosing the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a. After the capping unit 20 has been moved away from the printhead, a spitting and wiping unit 30 is moved underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a in a third step M3. The spitting and wiping unit 30 is mounted on a supporting rack 32 along two rack guiding rails 37 which allow for the movement of the spitting and wiping unit 30 underneath the printhead. The linear movement of the spitting and wiping unit 30 allows for wiping the printhead using at least one wiping blade 35 of the spitting and wiping unit 30 in a step M4.

In a spitting process of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a, ink is spat out from nozzles of the printhead(s), and the spat out ink from the printhead is collected in a step M5 using at least one spittoon 31 of the spitting and wiping unit 30. After the spitting and wiping actions have been completed, the spitting and wiping unit 30 is moved away from underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a in a sixth step M6.

Once the space beneath the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a is cleared from all components of the maintenance and service mechanism, the consumer goods package P to be imprinted by the handheld printer 10 is conveyed in a seventh step M7 within the feed channel 3 from the inlet opening 3a to a position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a, so that at least one surface of the consumer goods package P may be imprinted in an eighth step M8 using the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a.

After the printing process has been completed, an optional ninth step M9 may involve conveying the imprinted consumer goods package P within the feed channel 3 from the position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a back to the inlet opening 3a, so that the imprinted consumer goods package P may be retrieved in a step M10 from the inlet opening of the feed channel 3. If the handheld printer 10 should not be needed directly after the completed printing process again, the capping unit 20 may be moved towards the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a again in a step M1 1 . This way, the at least one protective cover 22 sealingly encloses the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device 6a again in order to keep the ink from drying out.

The handheld printers according to the disclosure herein are equipped with service and maintenance functionality for stationary printheads. The service and maintenance functionality is implemented in such a manner that spitting and wiping of printheads on one hand and capping of the printheads on the other may be performed independently from each other. In some cases, the service and maintenance functionality may only involve spitting and wiping of the printheads, in some other cases only capping of the printheads, and in some further cases both functions in the same apparatus.

The components of the integrated maintenance and service station in the handheld printers according to the disclosure herein may be advantageously removed entirely or almost entirely out of the path of the object to be printed upon within the housing of the handheld printer. Thus, the integrated maintenance and service station in the handheld printers according to the disclosure provide for a compact solution for service and maintenance that does not require substantial enlargement of the outer dimensions of the housing of the handheld printer.

With the maintenance and service station in the handheld printers according to the disclosure herein an exact positioning for improved maintenance and servicing of the printing mechanism is possible. The operability of the handheld printer is ensured at all times. The service and maintenance functionality can further be automated entirely so that operators do not need specific training of pre-knowledge about the handheld printer and its internal manner of operation.

In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in one or more examples or examples with the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Many other examples will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reviewing the above specification.

Claims

1 . A handheld printer (10), comprising:

a housing body (1 );

a feed channel (3) formed within the housing body (1 ), the feed channel (3) having an inlet opening (3a) in a side wall of the housing body (1 ) for inserting an object (P) to be imprinted into the feed channel (3);

at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel (3) in the housing body (1 ) and having a printhead configured to print onto an object (P) to be imprinted fed to the feed channel (3),

the handheld printer (10) being characterized by

a spitting and wiping unit (30) having at least one spittoon (31 ) configured to collect spat out ink from the printhead and at least one wiping blade (35) configured to wipe the printhead, the at least one spittoon (31 ) and the at least one wiping blade (35) being mounted on a supporting rack (32), the supporting rack (32) being movable along two rack guiding rails (37) underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

2. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one conveying device (9) arranged in the feed channel (3) and configured to convey an object (P) to be imprinted by the handheld printer (10) within the feed channel (3) from the inlet opening (3a) to a position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

3. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one conveying device (9) comprises a resiliently biased pressure roller configured to press against the object (P) to be imprinted fed through the feed channel (3).

4. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one conveying device (9) comprises a sliding carriage configured to receive the object (P) to be imprinted, the sliding carriage being guided along carriage guiding rails (9a) running within and parallel to the feed channel (3).

5. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 4, wherein the carriage guiding rails (9a) are running perpendicular to the rack guiding rails (37).

6. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 5, comprising a plurality of stationary first inkjet printing devices (6a), the plurality of stationary first inkjet printing devices (6a) being arranged in series within the first inner wall of the feed channel (3) in the housing body (1 ) and having printheads configured to print onto an object (P) to be imprinted fed to the feed channel (3) with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel (3).

7. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 6, further comprising a printer controller (7a) arranged within the housing body (1 ) coupled to the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a), the printer controller (7a) being configured to output printing control signals to the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

8. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 7, further comprising at least one registration sensor configured to register a position of the object (P) to be imprinted within the feed channel (3).

9. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 8, when referring back to claim 7, wherein the printer controller (7a) is coupled to the at least one registration sensor and configured to control the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) on the basis of sensor signals generated by the at least one registration sensor.

10. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 9, further comprising a supporting rack drive having a rack drive motor (39a) coupled to a rack drive belt (38) via a rack drive shaft (39b), the rack drive belt (38) frictionally engaging with the supporting rack (32).

1 1 . The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the supporting rack (32) includes two hanger brackets (33) having channels (34) formed therethrough, the two rack guiding rails (37) being in sliding engagement with the channels (34) of the two hanger brackets (33).

12. The handheld printer (10) according to claims 10 and 1 1 , wherein at least one of the two hanger brackets (33) includes an angled belt clamping member (36), the angled belt clamping member (36) frictionally engaging with the rack drive belt (38).

13. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 12, wherein the at least one wiping blade (35) is an elastomeric wiper configured to slidingly engage and wipe an ink nozzle orifice of the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) in order to remove accumulated dust, debris and ink residues.

14. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 13, wherein the at least one spittoon (31 ) includes an ink storage reservoir configured to be coupled to vacuum pump, the vacuum pump being configured to remove ink out of the ink storage reservoir by means of negative pressure applied to the ink storage reservoir.

15. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 14, further comprising a capping unit (20) having at least one protective cover (22) configured to sealingly enclose a printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) during non-use, the at least one protective cover (22) being mounted on a capping unit supporting rack (23) which is movable towards and away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

16. A handheld printer (10), comprising:

a housing body (1 );

the handheld printer (10) being characterized by a capping unit (20) having at least one protective cover (22) configured to sealingly enclose a printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) during non-use, the at least one protective cover (22) being mounted on a supporting rack (23) which is movable towards and away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

17. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 16, further comprising at least one conveying device (9) arranged in the feed channel (3) and configured to convey an object (P) to be imprinted by the handheld printer (10) within the feed channel (3) from the inlet opening (3a) to a position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

18. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 17, wherein the at least one conveying device (9) comprises a resiliently biased pressure roller configured to press against the object (P) to be imprinted fed within the feed channel (3).

19. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 17, wherein the at least one conveying device (9) comprises a sliding carriage configured to receive the object (P) to be imprinted, the sliding carriage being guided along carriage guiding rails (9a) running within and parallel to the feed channel (3).

20. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 19, wherein the carriage guiding rails (9a) are running perpendicular to direction of movement of the supporting rack (23).

21. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 16 to 20, comprising a plurality of stationary first inkjet printing devices (6a), the plurality of stationary first inkjet printing devices (6a) being arranged in series within the first inner wall of the feed channel (3) in the housing body (1 ) and having printheads configured to print onto an object (P) to be imprinted fed to the feed channel (3) with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel (3).

22. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 16 to 21 , further comprising a printer controller (7a) arranged within the housing body (1 ) coupled to the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a), the printer controller (7a) being configured to output printing control signals to the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

23. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 16 to 22, further comprising at least one registration sensor configured to register a position of the object (P) to be imprinted within the feed channel (3).

24. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 23, when referring back to claim 22, wherein the printer controller (7a) is coupled to the at least one registration sensor and configured to control the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) on the basis of sensor signals generated by the at least one registration sensor.

25. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 16 to 24, further comprising a scissor lift (21 ), the supporting rack (23) forming the scissor lift table.

26. The handheld printer (10) according to claim 25, further comprising a lift drive having a lift drive stepper motor (24) coupled to at least one scissor arm of the scissor lift (21 ) via a lift drive shaft (25), the scissor lift (21 ) being configured to move the supporting rack (23) towards and away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

27. The handheld printer (10) according to one of the claims 16 to 26, further comprising a spitting and wiping unit (30) having at least one spittoon (31 ) configured to collect spat out ink from the printhead and at least one wiping blade (35) configured to wipe the printhead, the at least one spittoon (31 ) and the at least one wiping blade (35) being mounted on a spitting and wiping unit supporting rack (32), the spitting and wiping unit supporting rack (32) being movable along two rack guiding rails (37) underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

28. A method (M) of obtaining a personalised consumer goods package (P), comprising the steps of: inserting (M1 ) a consumer goods package (P) to be imprinted into an inlet of a feed channel (3) formed within a housing body (1 ) of a handheld printer (10), the handheld printer (10) having at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) with a printhead arranged within a first inner wall of the feed channel (3) in the housing body (1 ) ;

moving (M2) a capping unit (20) having at least one protective cover (22) sealingly enclosing the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) away from the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a); moving (M3) a spitting and wiping unit (30) mounted on a supporting rack (32) along two rack guiding rails (37) underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a);

wiping (M4) the printhead using at least one wiping blade (35) of the spitting and wiping unit (30);

collecting (M5) spat out ink from the printhead using at least one spittoon (31 ) of the spitting and wiping unit (30);

moving (M6) the spitting and wiping unit (30) away from underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a);

conveying (M7) the consumer goods package (P) to be imprinted by the handheld printer (10) within the feed channel (3) from the inlet opening (3a) to a position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a); and

imprinting (M8) at least one surface of the consumer goods package (P) with the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a).

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

conveying (M9) the imprinted consumer goods package (P) within the feed channel (3) from the position underneath the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) back to the inlet opening (3a); and

retrieving (M10) the imprinted consumer goods package (P) from the inlet opening of the feed channel (3).

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of: moving (M1 1 ) the capping unit (20) towards the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) and having the at least one protective cover (22) sealingly enclose the printhead of the at least one stationary first inkjet printing device (6a) again.