Magician Harry Houdini patented a "Diver's Suit" enabling the wearer to "quickly divest himself of the suit while being submerged and to safely escape and reach the surface of the water."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8303201 | Card cleaning mechanism, card cleaning method and card printing apparatus A card cleaning mechanism has a cleaning roller that cleans a surface of a card by contacting the conveyed card, and a roller-shaped cleaner that cleans a surface of the cleaning roller by contacting the cleaning roller. The cleaning roller is configured to move bet... | 11/06/2012 |
| 7290146 | Managed credential issuance In a method of issuing a credential, a request for issuance of the credential is received. Next, a unique identification for the requested credential is assigned and data elements corresponding to the credential are provided. A credential production data collection ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7161610 | Thermal printer with cleaning device and cleaning method for thermal head A cleaning roller and a platen roller are provided in a first rotating plate which rotates around a main shaft. The cleaning roller and the platen roller are disposed at an equal distance from the main shaft. In printing, the platen roller is positioned at a facing ... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7154519 | Printer and ribbon cartridge A printer includes a substrate input, a substrate transport, a printhead, a removable ribbon cartridge, a ribbon cartridge receiver, and a substrate output. The substrate transport is configured to feed a substrate from the substrate input along a print path. The pr... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7040826 | Imaging devices and related cleaning means Imaging apparatus in accordance with the present invention generally include a housing and a portal defined therethrough, whereby a vacuum filter cartridge can be placed in an operable position within the housing by way of the portal. The vacuum filter cartridge can... | 05/09/2006 |
| 6954023 | Linear actuator In order to provide a linear actuator which is capable of solving deposition of deposit due to a long-time use and preventing malfunction, the linear actuator has a driving shaft 3 which reciprocates or expands and contracts to its axial direction, a slider | 10/11/2005 |
| 6923534 | Ink type recording device and method for cleaning control of the same The printer moves printing paper (12) toward an ejecting direction and a feeding direction in order to clean a notched rollers (28). Next, the printer moves the printing paper (12) toward the feeding direction under conditions where a cutting pa... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6900823 | Thermal printer and method of cleaning thermal head A heating element array is cleaned in case foreign matters are adhered or deposited to a thermal head, such as after printing. A color thermal recording paper is fed in a state that the thermal head is heated not so as to develop a cyan thermosensitive coloring laye... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6837636 | Imager featuring service station assembly for servicing imager print heads An imager has a cartridge assembly with a print head arranged directly over a production path. The print head vertically moves on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the production path for allowing the print head to be purged, cleaned, parked or a combination the... | 01/04/2005 |
| 6736560 | Printer A removing member which rotates while being in contact with the periphery of a rotating member for conveying a sheet of paper that rotates while being in contact with a printed side of a sheet of paper is provided. When undried ink on the printed side is transferred... | 05/18/2004 |
| 6582141 | Card cleaning roller assembly A card printer is provided with a cleaning roller that will pick up debris on the surface of a card on which printing is to take place. The cleaning roller has a sticky surface, that is engagement with a band of adhesive tape that moves to contact the sur... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6402406 | Recording apparatus and method of removing foreign objects therefor A recording apparatus removes foreign objects adhering to a recording medium over a long period of time, so that images having no defects caused by foreign objects are obtained over a long period of time. The recording apparatus includes a recording mediu... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6190071 | Printer and control method therefor A printer includes platen opening/closing means for increasing a gap between a platen and a print head when a printing medium is set to the printer, and cleaning means for cleaning a photo sensor device. The cleaning means removes paper dust, for example,... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6062685 | Sheet convey apparatus A recording medium convey apparatus including a rotary member rotated while contacting with a recorded surface of a recording medium on which the recording was effected by using ink, and a cleaner for removing the ink transferred to the rotary member from... | 05/16/2000 |
| 5995126 | Apparatus and method for recording thermal image The improved thermal image recording apparatus and method have a cleaning mode in which after a specified number of image prints have been produced, the thermal head is cleaned by delivering the thermal recording material without applying energy to the th... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5986683 | Cleaning roller system and operating method thereof A cleaning roller system, which is preferable for use in a printer having a printing head, is disclosed. The cleaning roller system comprises an adhesive roller which is provided on a recording material feeding side relative to a print head, the adhesive ... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5926197 | Linerless label web, method of making same and method of cleaning and using a print head There is disclosed a release-coated linerless label web which includes a cleaner and a printable portion. The web can be threaded into contact with a thermal print head and the cleaner can clean the print head and thereafter the web is advanced to printed... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5914734 | Printhead servicing system and method using a moveable wiper between a fluid source and a printhead A wet-wiping printhead cleaning system including a source of treatment fluid further including a treatment fluid reservoir and a treatment fluid transfer element adapted to transfer treatment fluid from the reservoir to at least one of the two elements in... | 06/22/1999 |
| 5906443 | Labeler There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels and for printing tags. The labeler has a keyboard, a display, a scanner, and a battery-containing handle. The labeler is user-friendly and compact. The labeler can be easily loaded wi... | 05/25/1999 |
| 5905513 | Ink jet printhead body having wiper cleaning zones located on both sides of printhead An ink jet printhead body includes one or more zones for cleaning, guiding and stabilizing a printhead wiper of an ink jet printer. The printhead body includes a receptacle providing a reservoir for ink, and the receptacle includes a wall having an outer ... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5870116 | Spiral staggered cleaning member for a full-width array ink jet apparatus A wiping member is described for slidingly cleaning a discharge port face of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein electrothermal convertors generate heat energy causing film boiling in the ink so that the ink is discharged from the discharge ports. By ... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5702189 | Rack and pinion cleaning mechanism in a serial printer In a serial printer a pinion and a rack for lateral movement of a carriage, a dislodging member with edges proximate to the rack is provided to remove any chads or other foreign matters that may be attached to the rack, as they approach the pinion with th... | 12/30/1997 |
| 5688060 | Thermal transfer printer A thermal transfer printer in which when a printing head is soiled, the debris on the printing head can be removed automatically. The printing head movable to and from a platen is mounted on a carriage capable of being reciprocated along the platen, and a... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5636929 | Sheet feeding apparatus having multiple rotary members and cleaning members The present invention provides a recording system including a recording head for performing recording on a sheet, a first rotary member disposed at a downstream side of the recording head and contacting an unrecorded surface of the sheet on which the reco... | 06/10/1997 |
| 5455609 | Printhead servicing station for printers Methogology and apparatus are described which employ an improved modular service station design wherein a printhead-servicing sled is selectively vertically driven to effect execution of servicing tasks. In keeping with its desired modularity, the sled is... | 10/03/1995 |
| 5401111 | System and method for cleaning data bearing cards An apparatus and method are described for removing particulate matter from one or more surfaces of a workpiece, such as a credit card blank, prior to printing a graphic design thereon. The apparatus includes a pair of cleaning rollers which engage both si... | 03/28/1995 |
| 5220355 | Resistive sheet thermal transfer printer A resistive sheet thermal transfer printer includes a plurality of recording electrodes in in contact with a resistance layer of a current sensitized ink sheet, a common electrode in contact with the resistance layer of the current sensitized ink sheet, a... | 06/15/1993 |
| 5165810 | Portable printing apparatus The apparatus includes a bearing structure (2), a slidably movable print head (6) guided in said bearing structure, a dragging unit (22, 23) adapted to move a sheet (7) to be printed under the print head and exhibiting dragging members (22) directly actin... | 11/24/1992 |
| 5089897 | Facsimile paper supply cartridge system A facsimile machine and paper cartridge system wherein the facsimile machine is convertible by accepting disposable cartridges having either plain paper or paper coated with a thermal transfer coating, either cartridge having a paper flow path which rever... | 02/18/1992 |
| 5060076 | Thermal paper cartridge for facsimile machine A thermal paper cartridge for a facsimile machine, the cartridge including an internal supply of thermal paper, a facsimile machine print head cleaning surface, and an internal paper flow path which reverses the natural curl of the paper to provide genera... | 10/22/1991 |
| 5057930 | Plain paper cartridge for facsimile machine A plain paper cartridge for a facsimile machine, the cartridge having an internal supply of plain paper and thermal transfer ribbon, a wiping surface for cleaning the facsimile machine print head upon the insertion and removal of the cartridge from the ma... | 10/15/1991 |
| 5037216 | System and method for producing data bearing cards An apparatus and method for printing a graphic design on a hard plastic workpiece such as a credit card blank includes a thermal printing element which is supported by a head assembly that has been designed a single link, to have low mechanical compliance... | 08/06/1991 |
| 5033884 | Wire dot printer head with oil absorbing member A wire dot printing head includes armatures each of which is coupled to a printing wire, a felt guide for reducing the friction between the printing wires and a printing wire guide, a residual sheet disposed over a magnetic core frame, a biasing leaf spri... | 07/23/1991 |
| 5009739 | Hand-held labeler There is disclosed a hand-held labeler having a housing with a handle, a thermal print head for printing on labels of a composite label web, a platen roll cooperable with the print head, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for app... | 04/23/1991 |
| 4918464 | Heat-sensitive image transfer type printing apparatus A transfer ink film having one major surface containing sublimable dyes is passed through a path between the surface of a drum and a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements which are selectively energized in response to input image signal, whi... | 04/17/1990 |
| 4861178 | Vacuum system for computer printers For a computer printer having a paper feeder designed to engage a continuous perforated paper having a series of prepunched holes on the left and right marginal strips, a vacuum attachment is disclosed for keeping clean the interior of the computer printe... | 08/29/1989 |
| 4853717 | Service station for ink-jet printer A service station (10) for use in an ink-jet printer comprises (a) pump means (12) for priming the printhead (18) of a cartridge (20), (b) a sled (14) to actuate the service station and seal the printhead, and (c) wiping means (58) for cleaning the printhead. The servic... | 08/01/1989 |
| 4705415 | Matrix printer and inker for indefinite length articles A stationary dot matrix printer for printing both continuously variable and repetitive information on a moving substrate utilizing a continuously driven endless loop of ink absorbing web material and either a solvent laden wick to wipe the print wires or ... | 11/10/1987 |
| 4621274 | Method of cleaning the record head of electrostatic image recording system of transfer type A method of cleaning the record head of an image recording system of the transfer type including an electrostatic record head having a multiplicity of electrodes arranged in an array or arrays and a preliminary charging unit operative to uniformly charge ... | 11/04/1986 |
| 4579467 | Dot printer with predriving force for removing particles from dot pins A dot printer is adapted to make test printing by driving dot pins (161 to 167) included in a print head (16) before the first character is printed out. More specifically, a central processing unit (1) makes evaluation of the value of a period of approxim... | 04/01/1986 |