Dryer rollers of a print system with increasing contact area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11485597-B2
Application number	US-201916722474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for dryer rollers of a print system with increasing wrap angles. In one embodiment a dryer includes a turning device configured to rotate about an axis, and to guide a web of print media. The dryer also includes rollers configured to transport the web from an entrance of the dryer to the turning device. The rollers include a series of three or more rollers positioned in the dryer to consecutively increase an amount of contact area with the web as the web travels toward the turning device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a dryer comprising:
a turning device configured to rotate about an axis;
rollers configured to transport a web of print media from an entrance of the dryer to the turning device, where the turning device is configured to change a traveling direction of the web, and
supports configured to transport the web from the turning device to an exit of the dryer,
wherein the rollers include a series of three or more rollers positioned in the dryer to consecutively increase an amount of contact area with the web as the web travels toward the turning device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the rollers are positioned relative to one another such that a distance between adjacent ones of the rollers increases as the web travels toward the turning device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the rollers are positioned in an arc around the turning device to define a path for the web along the arc between the entrance of the dryer and the turning device, and
the supports are positioned along the arc and radially between the rollers and the turning device, the supports configured to reverse the path of the web along the arc between the turning device and the exit of the dryer.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:
the rollers define the path of the web along the arc in a first circular direction; and
the supports define the path of the web along the arc in a second circular direction opposite to the first circular direction.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein:
the supports are positioned relative to one another such that a distance between adjacent ones of the supports decreases as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein:
the rollers are configured to apply heat to the web to dry ink applied to the web, and
the supports interlace with the rollers along the arc to transport the web in an alternating fashion with the rollers as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:
the web contacts a first circumferential portion of each of the rollers as it travels toward the turning device and a second circumferential portion of each of the rollers as it travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer, and
the supports are positioned relative to the rollers such that the amount of contact area of the web with the second circumferential portion of each of the rollers increases for each subsequent roller as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:
one or more of the supports are configured to adjust position relative to a roller to change the amount of contact area of the web with the second circumferential portion of the roller.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
one or more supplemental rollers positioned within the series of three or more rollers and contacting the web as the web travels toward the turning device.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a continuous-forms printing system that marks the web with ink upstream from the dryer.

11. A web handling system comprising:
a turning device of a dryer configured to rotate about an axis;
rollers of the dryer configured to transport a web of print media from an entrance of the dryer to the turning device, where the turning device is configured to change a traveling direction of the web; and
supports of the dryer configured to transport the web from the turning device to an exit of the dryer,
wherein the rollers include a series of three or more rollers to consecutively increase an amount of contact area with the web as the web travels toward the turning device.

12. The web handling system of claim 11 wherein:
the rollers are positioned relative to one another such that a distance between adjacent ones of the rollers increases as the web travels toward the turning device.

13. The web handling system of claim 11 wherein:
the rollers are positioned in an arc around the turning device to define a path for the web along the arc between the entrance of the dryer and the turning device, and
the supports are positioned along the arc and radially between the rollers and the turning device, the supports configured to reverse the path of the web along the arc between the turning device and the exit of the dryer.

14. The web handling system of claim 13 wherein:
the rollers define the path of the web along the arc in a first circular direction; and
the supports define the path of the web along the arc in a second circular direction opposite to the first circular direction.

15. The web handling system of claim 13 wherein:
the supports are positioned relative to one another such that a distance between adjacent ones of the supports decreases as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

16. The web handling system of claim 13 wherein:
the rollers are configured to apply heat to the web to dry ink applied to the web, and
the supports interlace with the rollers along the arc to transport the web in an alternating fashion with the rollers as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

17. The web handling system of claim 16 wherein:
the web contacts a first circumferential portion of each of the rollers as it travels toward the turning device and a second circumferential portion of each of the rollers as it travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer, and
the supports are positioned relative to the rollers such that the amount of contact area of the web with the second circumferential portion of each of the rollers increases for each subsequent roller as the web travels from the turning device and toward the exit of the dryer.

18. The web handling system of claim 17 wherein:
one or more of the supports are configured to adjust position relative to a roller to change the amount of contact area of the web with the second circumferential portion of the roller.

19. A method comprising:
providing a turning device in a dryer of a printer to rotate about an axis;
positioning rollers in the dryer to define a path for the web between an entrance of the dryer and the turning device, where the turning device changes a traveling direction of the web;
increasing an amount of contact area of the web consecutively with three or more of the rollers as the web travels toward the turning device; and
positioning supports in the dryer to reverse the path of the web between the turning device and an exit of the dryer.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
increasing a distance between adjacent ones of the rollers as the web travels toward the turning device.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein positioning the supports comprises:
positioning the supports between the rollers.

22. A system comprising:
a dryer comprising:
a turning device configured to rotate about an axis;
rollers configured to transport a web of print media from an entrance of the dryer to the turning device, where the turning device is configured to change a traveling direction of the web; and
supports configured to transport the web from the turning device to an exit of the dryer,
wherein the rollers include a series of three or more rollers positioned such that an amount of contact area between the web and individual ones of the rollers increases on a moving average basis as the

Assignees

• Boland Stuart J
• Johnson Scott R
• Sakamoto Wataru
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Boland Stuart J
• Johnson Scott R
• Sakamoto Wataru

Classifications

• B65H23/192

  motor-controlled · CPC title

• F26B13/08 Primary

  using rollers · CPC title

• F26B13/18

  heated {or} cooled, {e.g. from inside, the material being dried on the outside surface by conduction} · CPC title

• B65H20/10

  by a feed band against which web is held by fluid pressure, e.g. suction or air blast · CPC title

• B41J11/0024

  using conduction means, e.g. by using a heated platen · CPC title