Modular Printer With Arcuate Printheads

Abstract

A modular printer includes a housing having an upper and lower cover, a first side wall having an air duct with an air inlet, and a second side wall defining air exit vents, the air duct, air inlet and air vent facilitating ducting of warm air over print media passing through the housing; entry and exit media feed roller assemblies located at opposite ends of the housing for feeding the print media through the housing, each roller assembly having a pair of rollers with a print media feed path interposed between the rollers; and a print engine having two opposing printhead assembly, each printhead assembly having two arcuate printheads. Each printhead has a radius of curvature approximating a radius of the rollers.

1 . A modular printer comprising:
 a housing having an upper and lower cover, a first side wall having an air duct with an air inlet, and a second side wall defining air exit vents, the air duct, air inlet and air vent facilitating ducting of warm air over print media passing through the housing;   entry and exit media feed roller assemblies located at opposite ends of the housing for feeding the print media through the housing, each roller assembly having a pair of rollers with a print media feed path interposed between the rollers; and   a print engine having two opposing printhead assembly, each printhead assembly having two arcuate printheads, wherein   each printhead has a radius of curvature approximating a radius of the rollers.   
   
   
       2 . The modular printer of  claim 1 , further comprising a print media loading mechanism including a pair of opposed endless belts between the entry and exit media feed rollers. 
   
   
       3 . The modular printer of  claim 2 , wherein the belts are foraminous to enable warm air ducted through the duct to be blown through the belts over both surfaces of the print media after printing. 
   
   
       4 . The modular printer of  claim 2 , wherein each belt passes around a pair of spaced rollers held captive and operatively vertically displaceable in slides mounted on a frame of the printer. 
   
   
       5 . The modular printer of  claim 4 , wherein each roller is mounted at one end of an arm with opposed ends of each arm connected at a common pivot point to a traverser block, so that the arms are connected to their associated traverser block scissors-fashion. 
   
   
       6 . The modular printer of  claim 5 , wherein each traverser block is mounted on a worm screw rotatably driven by a motor.