Printing Apparatus Jam Restoration via Sheet Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing apparatuses do not effectively manage sheet and ink waste, nor reduce user effort and time when a jam occurs during printing, as they require discarding all sheets and restarting the process.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding unit, print unit, cutter unit, and detecting unit that allows for manual jam restoration by cutting the sheet at the location of the jam, reducing waste and effort by allowing continued printing from unaffected sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all sheets are discarded when a jam occurs, then the printing apparatus can be restored to a clean state, but sheet waste and ink waste increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous sheet is segmented at the jam location using the cutter unit, separating the jammed portion from the unaffected portion. This allows the unaffected sheet to be reused for printing while only the jammed segment is discarded, significantly reducing sheet waste compared to discarding the entire sheet roll.
Solution Approach 2:
The jammed portion of the sheet is extracted and removed from the printing system through manual intervention guided by the detecting unit. The detecting unit identifies the precise jam location, and the cutter unit separates the problematic segment, allowing the rest of the sheet to continue being used.
2Reliability
If all sheets are discarded when a jam occurs, then the printing apparatus can be restored to a clean state, but ink waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sheet at the jam location rather than discarding the entire sheet, the invention preserves printed content on unaffected portions. This reduces ink waste because previously printed sheets that are not contaminated by the jam can be reused, avoiding the need to reprint those portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention recovers usable sheet material by discarding only the jammed segment. The unaffected portions of the continuous sheet are recovered and可以继续 used for printing, maximizing material utilization and reducing both sheet and ink waste.
3Reliability
If all sheets within the device are removed and discarded, then the jam can be resolved, but user effort and time for restoration work increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cutter unit automatically cuts the sheet at the jam location before manual intervention is needed. This preliminary automated action prepares the sheet for easy removal of only the necessary jammed segment, reducing the manual effort and time required compared to removing and discarding all sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The detecting unit automatically identifies the jam location and the cutter unit automatically segments the sheet at that location. This self-service capability reduces the user's burden from having to manually inspect and remove entire sheets to simply removing a pre-cut, small jammed segment.
4Reliability
If all sheets within the device are removed and discarded, then the jam can be resolved, but operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Segmentation of the sheet at the jam location enables rapid restoration by affecting only a small portion of the total sheet. This maintains high operational efficiency because printing can resume quickly using the unaffected, already-printed portions of the sheet without requiring complete reprocessing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention maintains continuity of useful action by preserving the printed content on unaffected sheet portions. After cutting out the jammed segment, printing can continue seamlessly on the remaining sheet without interruption to the overall printing workflow, thereby maintaining high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
In the event that occurrence of a jam has been detected during conveyance of a sheet, the sheet is cut at a cutter unit, and a user is prompted to perform manual jam restoration processing according to the location where the jam has occurred. If the jam has occurred upstream from the cutter unit, the cut sheets left downstream from the cutter unit are discharged as completed articles.