US3864691A - Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means Download PDF

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Publication number
US3864691A
US3864691A US318979A US31897972A US3864691A US 3864691 A US3864691 A US 3864691A US 318979 A US318979 A US 318979A US 31897972 A US31897972 A US 31897972A US 3864691 A US3864691 A US 3864691A
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United States
Prior art keywords
aperture
magnetic ink
ink
document
magnet
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US318979A
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English (en)
Inventor
Eugene Nelson Schroeder
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International Business Machines Corp
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International Business Machines Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by International Business Machines Corp filed Critical International Business Machines Corp
Priority to US318979A priority Critical patent/US3864691A/en
Priority to FR7329792A priority patent/FR2212782A5/fr
Priority to JP48094541A priority patent/JPS4975221A/ja
Priority to DE19732346614 priority patent/DE2346614A1/de
Priority to JP48107673A priority patent/JPS4991653A/ja
Priority to GB5295873A priority patent/GB1407538A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3864691A publication Critical patent/US3864691A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/145—Arrangement thereof

Definitions

  • the invention relates to nonimpact printing, and more particularly to code printing of magnetic ink for high speed printers.
  • Bar codes such as a bar-half bar code or a delta distance code may be used for the subsequent sorting of mail, checks, and other high volume documents.
  • High speed printers are desired. At the printing speeds required, impact printers are not practical.
  • Present high speed nonimpact printers generally utilize ink droplets ejected from a nozzle having a small orifice, which are electrostatically charged, then accelerated and deflected so as to strike the document in the desired pattern.
  • Such electrostatic nonimpact printers are primarily applicable to the printing of alphanumeric characters. Magnetic inks are generally undesirable for use in such electrostatic printers since they contain relatively large magnetic particles which will abrade and clog the small orifice of the nozzle, causing nonuniform printing and requiring frequent maintenance.
  • a code pattern is produced by placing a deflecting means, such as electromagnets, along the ink path between the spinning disc and the aperture to intermittently deflect the ink away from the aperture. Additionally, where magnetic inks are used, another magnet may be placed behind the document to attract the magnetic particles towards a predetermined place on the document after such ink particles leave the aperture of the printer housing.
  • a deflecting means such as electromagnets
  • FIG. 1 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the printer in accordance with this invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a side view of the printer, taken through line 2-2 of FIG. 1, depicting the printing of a full bar.
  • FIG. 3 shows full deflection of the ink to produce a space.
  • FIG. 4 shows the printing of a half bar.
  • FIG. 5 shows an alternate design of the rotor base surface with a serrated edge where an intermittent projection of ink is desired.
  • FIG. 6 is an end view of FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 7 is another alternative of the rotor base surface which provides for a change in the projection path of the ink.
  • FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 7.
  • a rotor 2 shaped as a hyperbolic cone with its base, 3, forming a thin disc or other sharp edge for the upper surface is mounted on a shaft 4 and driven at high speeds by motor 6.
  • the lower portion of the cone is immersed in an ink reservoir 8.
  • the aperture width and location is chosen so that in the absence of deflection, a substantially square beam of ink is emitted from the lower half of the aperture.
  • Other shapes and locations of the aperture may be used depending upon the type and dimensions of the codes to be printed.
  • full-bar coding where a binary l is represented by a full-bar and a binary 0 is represented by a half-bar, dimensions in the order of 0.110 inches high by 0.106 inches wide are contemplated for full bars while half the height or 0.055 inches high are contemplated for half-bars. Spacings between bars may be equal to the bar width.
  • an aperture of the same size, or slightly smaller size to allow for diversions of the ink after emission from the aperture may be used.
  • a pair of electromagnets 18 and 20 are placed above and below the projected ink.
  • Electromagnet 20 is protected from the ink by casing 21. The electromagnets deflect the ink in such a manner that it will pass through the aperture and print upon the document intermittently in a discernable code.
  • Electromagnets l8 and 20 are activated from a controlled electric signal 40 connected through coils 22 and 24, respectively.
  • electromagnets l8 and 20deflect the ink so as to produce full-bar, half-bar code upon the document will be more fully explained in the statement of the operation.
  • An additional electromagnet 26, may be positioned behind the document and activated by control signal 40 through coil 28 so as to attract the magnetic particles to a predetermined area of the document.
  • a supply inlet 30 may be built into the printer to afford a continuous supply of ink, 32.
  • An outlet, 31 may also be provided to remove ink which has been projected towards but then deflected away from the aperture. If it is undesirable to have this ink returned to the reservoir, a separate waste receptacle may be provided.
  • a stirrer 34 may be mounted on the tip of the rotor to maintain the particles in suspension. Also, a set screw 35 may be placed in contact with the rotor tip to provide a thrust bearing and fine vertical positioner. The top of the housing, 36, may be made easily removable for cleaning and maintenance.
  • the disc edge may be serrated so that the ink will be intermittently projected from the rotor.
  • the use of such a design is particularly applicable to barno bar codes as more fully described in the statement of the operation.
  • the ink is intermittently emitted from tips 5 at the edge of the rotor base 2.
  • FIGS. 7 and 8 show another variation of the rotor edge which project the ink towards and away from the aperture without the aid of magnets or additional defleeting means.
  • edges 7, which are higher than edges 9 it moves upward, intermittently printing a bar, as is more fully described in the statement of the operation.'The number of sets of edges 7 and 9 on the rotor base will depend upon the spacing of the bars as well as the speed of the rotor and the document.
  • Magnetic ink 32 is supplied via inlet 30 to a predetermined level below the rotor base surface 3 of the rotor 4.
  • the level may be adjusted to provide desired print density. The higher the ink level, the thicker will be the spray being projected off the edge of the rotor. However, the ink level must not be raised so high as to cause splattering.
  • the ink in the reservoir into which the lower portion of the cone of the rotor is immersed, is drawn upward to the edge of the rotor base 3. The ink is then emitted from the edge of the base in a generally radial flow and for the most part strikes the housing and is returned to the reservoir. However, at aperture 12 on the housing, the ink may pass through the housing. the aperture is constructed with knife edges 14 so that all ink striking these edges are deflected back into the reservoir.
  • electromagnet 20 in normal operation, electromagnet 20 is energized so that all the ink projected toward the aperture is deflected downward, striking the housing and returning to the ink reservoir.
  • electromagnet 20 By deactivating electromagnet 20 from a control signal through coil 24, the ink will pass through the bottom half of the aperture to print a half-bar code of 0 as shown in FIG. 4.
  • electromagnet 20 is intermittently pulsed off and on so that the projected ink upon deactivation of the magnet 20 sweeps up to half the height of the aperture, coding the document with a half-bar, and upon reactivation of the magnet 20 sweeps back down giving document 16 a substantially double coat.
  • electromagnet 18 By activation of electromagnet 18 from a control electrical signal through coil 22 at the same time as electromagnet 20 is deactivated, the magnetic ink may be deflected the entire height of the aperture thereby producing a full-bar on document 16 as seen in FIG. 2. Similarly, as electromagnet 18 is deactivated and electromagnet 20 is reactivated, the deflected ink will sweep back down giving substantially a double coat to the document.
  • a single pole piece magnet may be used in place of electromagnet 26, while a single deflecting magnet may be sufficient in place of electromagnets l8 and 20.
  • the edge of the rotor 2 may be desirable to modify the edge of the rotor 2 by providing a non-uniform circumference. Such modifications, may be made anrintegral part of the rotor or may be accomplished by providing for separate parts to be attached to the base of the rotor so a number of code patterns can be obtained from the same printer.
  • the serrated shaped edge shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 the ink is projected from the rotor 2 in intermittent beams from points 5 rather than in a continuous sheet. In the absence of deflection, a uniform series of bars on a moving document is produced. The number of points, 5, will depend upon the bar spacing, as well as the speed of the rotor and the document.
  • By synchronizing activation of magnet 20 with the rotor position of points 5 individual bars are removed by downward deflection of the selected ink beams away from the aperture as can be generally seen in FIG. 3.
  • FIGS. 7 and 8 Another rotor edge shape, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, contains at least one set of emitting surfaces, terminating in edges 7 and 9, one part being angularly displaced from the other.
  • the ink emitted from edge 7 is projected towards the aperture while the ink projected from edge 9 is projected below the aperture.
  • the rotor edge is projecting a uniform series of half-bars. Magnet 20 is only activated to form a space where a half-bar would normally be printed while magnet 22 is only activated to form a full bar.
  • a nonimpact printer comprising:
  • a housing having thereon an aperture for the emission of magnetic ink and containing therein a magnetic ink reservoir;
  • spinning means for delivering said magnetic ink from said reservoir towards said aperture along a projected path, said spinning means being in the shape of a cone with the tip of said cone pointing downward and immersed into said reservoir and the base of said cone terminating into a thinedge positioned above said reservoir and in substantially the same horizontal plane as said aperture, to prevent clogging of said printer by magnetic particles in said magnetic ink;
  • deflecting means along said magnetic ink projection path from said spinning means to said aperture to intermittently deflectsaid magnetic ink away from said aperture so that a document to be printed, passing adjacent to said aperture, is printed with a discernable code
  • said deflecting means being electromagnets controlled by electrical signals so that said magnetic ink is deflected according to said electrical signals, thereby printing said discernable code.
  • the printer of claim 1 further including a magnet placed outside of said housing and behind said document to be printed to attract said magnetic ink to the proper area on said document.
  • the periphery of said base of said cone contains a plurality of serrations to provide an intermittent spray of said magnetic ink.
  • said serrations on said base of said cone contains at least one set of emitting surfaces, said surfaces being angularly displaced from each other so that said magnetic ink being projected from the edge of said surfaces is displaced in a vertical direction.
  • a process for printing a bar-half bar code pattern onto a document comprising the steps of:

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  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)
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  • Fax Reproducing Arrangements (AREA)
US318979A 1972-12-27 1972-12-27 Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means Expired - Lifetime US3864691A (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US318979A US3864691A (en) 1972-12-27 1972-12-27 Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means
FR7329792A FR2212782A5 (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1972-12-27 1973-08-09
JP48094541A JPS4975221A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1972-12-27 1973-08-24
DE19732346614 DE2346614A1 (de) 1972-12-27 1973-09-15 Verfahren und drucker zur erzeugung von codestreifen
JP48107673A JPS4991653A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1972-12-27 1973-09-26
GB5295873A GB1407538A (en) 1972-12-27 1973-11-15 Non-impact printing devices

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US318979A US3864691A (en) 1972-12-27 1972-12-27 Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means

Publications (1)

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US3864691A true US3864691A (en) 1975-02-04

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US318979A Expired - Lifetime US3864691A (en) 1972-12-27 1972-12-27 Method and apparatus for printing code patterns by nonimpact means

Country Status (5)

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US (1) US3864691A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html)
JP (2) JPS4975221A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html)
DE (1) DE2346614A1 (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html)
FR (1) FR2212782A5 (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html)
GB (1) GB1407538A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3946404A (en) * 1975-04-25 1976-03-23 General Electric Company Direct current bias fields for magnetic printing
US4077322A (en) * 1973-04-18 1978-03-07 Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme Method for rapid marking of articles
WO1996014212A1 (en) * 1994-11-07 1996-05-17 Jemtex Ink Jet Printing Ltd. Multi-jet generator device for use in printing
US5965214A (en) * 1996-04-23 1999-10-12 Flying Null Limited Methods for coding magnetic tags
US6382091B1 (en) * 2000-12-01 2002-05-07 Bernard E. Speranza Method of coding a high-speed object
US6499839B1 (en) 1999-02-09 2002-12-31 Source Technologies, Inc. Acicular particle ink formulation for an inkjet printer system
US20060038021A1 (en) * 2004-08-20 2006-02-23 Cantwell Jay S Method and apparatus for reading bar code symbols
US20060086270A1 (en) * 2002-05-17 2006-04-27 Baldwin Jimek Ab Method and device for keeping a number of spray nozzles in a printing press beam clean
US20100201758A1 (en) * 2007-08-31 2010-08-12 Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurweten Schappelijk Onderzoek Tno Droplet break-up device

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2399283A1 (fr) * 1977-08-05 1979-03-02 Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme Dispositif de marquage d'objets
DE2904031C2 (de) * 1979-02-02 1984-01-12 Schmid, Hans A., Dr., 8000 München Vorrichtung zum Aufspritzen von balkenförmigen Farbmarkierungen auf relativ zur Vorrichtung bewegte Gegenstände, sowie ein Verfahren zum Aufspritzen von Farbmarkierungen mit dieser Vorrichtung
FR2754471B1 (fr) 1996-10-14 1998-12-24 Imaje Sa Procede et dispositif d'emission de liquide de maniere controlee, application a l'impression

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2763204A (en) * 1955-05-11 1956-09-18 Sperry Rand Corp Magnetic printer
US2912170A (en) * 1957-06-03 1959-11-10 Carrier Corp Liquid distributor
US3287734A (en) * 1965-11-26 1966-11-22 Xerox Corp Magnetic ink recording
US3510878A (en) * 1968-04-02 1970-05-05 Vibrac Corp Oscillographic writing system
US3596285A (en) * 1969-07-11 1971-07-27 Teletype Corp Liquid metal recorder

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2763204A (en) * 1955-05-11 1956-09-18 Sperry Rand Corp Magnetic printer
US2912170A (en) * 1957-06-03 1959-11-10 Carrier Corp Liquid distributor
US3287734A (en) * 1965-11-26 1966-11-22 Xerox Corp Magnetic ink recording
US3510878A (en) * 1968-04-02 1970-05-05 Vibrac Corp Oscillographic writing system
US3596285A (en) * 1969-07-11 1971-07-27 Teletype Corp Liquid metal recorder

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4077322A (en) * 1973-04-18 1978-03-07 Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme Method for rapid marking of articles
US3946404A (en) * 1975-04-25 1976-03-23 General Electric Company Direct current bias fields for magnetic printing
WO1996014212A1 (en) * 1994-11-07 1996-05-17 Jemtex Ink Jet Printing Ltd. Multi-jet generator device for use in printing
US5534904A (en) * 1994-11-07 1996-07-09 Meir Weksler Multi-jet generator device for use in printing
US5965214A (en) * 1996-04-23 1999-10-12 Flying Null Limited Methods for coding magnetic tags
US6499839B1 (en) 1999-02-09 2002-12-31 Source Technologies, Inc. Acicular particle ink formulation for an inkjet printer system
WO2002044852A3 (en) * 2000-12-01 2002-09-06 B E Speranza Inc Method of coding a high-speed object
US6382091B1 (en) * 2000-12-01 2002-05-07 Bernard E. Speranza Method of coding a high-speed object
US20060086270A1 (en) * 2002-05-17 2006-04-27 Baldwin Jimek Ab Method and device for keeping a number of spray nozzles in a printing press beam clean
US7861651B2 (en) * 2002-05-17 2011-01-04 Baldwin Jimek Ab Method and device for keeping a number of spray nozzles in a printing press beam clean
US20060038021A1 (en) * 2004-08-20 2006-02-23 Cantwell Jay S Method and apparatus for reading bar code symbols
US20100201758A1 (en) * 2007-08-31 2010-08-12 Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurweten Schappelijk Onderzoek Tno Droplet break-up device
US9056453B2 (en) * 2007-08-31 2015-06-16 Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno Droplet break-up device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2346614A1 (de) 1974-07-04
JPS4991653A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1974-09-02
JPS4975221A (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1974-07-19
GB1407538A (en) 1975-09-24
FR2212782A5 (cg-RX-API-DMAC10.html) 1974-07-26

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