DAVID ANDREW WEST
Pilots at Whitewood Dr, Streamwood, IL

5874980, Feb 23, 1999

Jan 27, 1997

8/791448

David A. West - Streamwood IL

Zebra Technologies Corporation - Vernon Hills IL

B41J 238

347186

A thermal demand printer for printing on media is a novel system which includes a case structure including a hinged cover panel, easily removable guide structures and media hanger, and a single central support wall to which the various components are attached. The printer includes a power supply circuit for receiving power from an external source and conditioning it for operation of the printer. An input device is provided for receiving command signals related to the operation of the printer. A control circuit for processing the command signals and generating corresponding control signals for controlling the operation of the printer and a printhead assembly for processing the control signals and generating corresponding control signals for controlling the operation of the printer are mounted in the case structure and coupled to the input device and the power supply circuit. The printhead assembly includes a printhead support structure which controls the printhead. A ribbon take-up spindle, method of operating the take-up spindle using a PMDC motor, and a spring wrap clutch device help to control the tension in the transfer ribbon used in the printer.

6057870, May 2, 2000

Apr 1, 1999

9/283459

Dan E. Monnier - Arlington Heights IL
David L. Poole - Libertyville IL
David A. West - Streamwood IL
Daniel F. Donato - Mundelein IL
James W. Ensinger - Palatine IL
William J. Hamman - Justice IL
Kenneth V. Naegele - Vernon Hills IL

Zebra Technologies Corporation - Vernon Hills IL

B41J 2900, B41J 2902

347171

A demand printer has an input structure for receiving command signals related to the operation of the printer; a control circuit coupled to the input structure, and a power supply circuit for processing command signals and generating corresponding control signals for controlling the operation of the printer. A switch circuit line is coupled to at least a first and a second point on the power supply circuit. The switch circuit line provides a first operating voltage for the operation of the printer when connected between the first and second points in the power supply circuit and provides a second operating voltage when the connection between said first and second points is opened by a severing structure. The severing structure projects into a base cavity of the case and is retained therein for maintaining an open circuit between the first and second points on the power supply circuit once said switch circuit line is severed. The severing structure includes a wall of the base cavity which has an control aperture extending therethrough, a severing body having a head end and a severing end wherein the severing end projecting through the control aperture and contacting and severing the switch circuit line; a retaining segment on the severing body operatively associated with the case when the severing body is inserted through the control aperture for retaining the severing body in contact with the switch circuit line to maintain an open circuit between the first and second points.

6020906, Feb 1, 2000

Apr 7, 1999

9/288131

Vincent C. Adams - Buffalo Grove IL
Jeffrey R. Kaufman - Waukegan IL
Dan E. Monnier - Arlington Heights IL
Michael K. Platt - Mt. Prospect IL
David L. Poole - Libertyville IL
David A. West - Streamwood IL
David S. Zubriski - Addison IL
Thomas P. Zwier - Buffalo Grove IL
Daniel F. Donato - Mundelein IL
James W. Ensinger - Palatine IL
William J. Hamman - Justice IL
Kenneth V. Naegele - Vernon Hills IL

Zebra Technologies Corporation - Vernon Hills IL

B65H 7522, B41J 3314

347217

A demand printer for printing on media includes a ribbon take-up spindle for accumulating spent printing ribbon and facilitating removal of the spent ribbon from the spindle. The spindle has a surface with a protrusion bore formed therethrough. At least one protruding segment extends through the protrusion bore. The protruding segment controllably projects away from the spindle surface for maintaining a space between a portion of the spindle surface and the spent ribbon accumulated on the spindle. A biasing structure is operatively associated with the spindle and the protruding segment for controllably biasedly directing the protruding segment through the protrusion bore in the spindle. A retracting structure is provided for controllably compressing and expanding the biasing means to controllably move the protruding segment through the protrusion bore.

5995128, Nov 30, 1999

Mar 31, 1999

9/282494

Vincent C. Adams - Buffalo IL
David L. Poole - Libertyville IL
David A. West - Streamwood IL
Davis S. Zubriski - Addison IL
Daniel F. Donato - Mundelein IL
James W. Ensinger - Palatine IL
William J. Hamman - Justice IL

Zebra Technologies Corporation - Vernon Hills IL

B41J 3352

347217

A novel demand printer is used for printing on tickets, tags, pressure sensitive labels and other media. The printer has a spring wrap clutch assembly operatively associated with a media delivery structure for use with a rotating shaft to maintain a constant tension on a ribbon. The spring wrap clutch assembly includes a coiled spring having a leg extending away from one end of the coil, a collar having a bore therein for receiving the coiled spring with the leg extending away from the collar, the rotating shaft extending through the coiled spring and the collar is attachable to the rotating shaft, and a plurality of ramped teeth positioned around the rotating shaft. Each of the ramped teeth has a sloped surface and the leg of the coiled spring controllably engages the ramped teeth.

6201255, Mar 13, 2001

Oct 30, 1998

9/183817

Karl Torchalski - Arlington Heights IL
David A. West - Streamwood IL

ZIH Corporation - Wilmington DE

B41J 2918

2505594

The present invention provides media sensors for sensing the position of a media in a printer, such as a thermal demand printer. A repositionable media sensor for monitoring the location of a web of label media which utilizes a visible light source projected onto the label media to accurately indicate the position of the media sensor to the operator relative to the label media and facilitate any required adjustment thereof. A printed label sensor is provided for use with a thermal demand printer and includes a light emitter and light detector pair wherein a single light pipe for receiving a sensing beam from the emitter and reflecting the sensing beam at a predetermined angle towards the detector is provided. Preferably, the light pipe is mounted in a peel bar and no electronics are required outside the electronic housing of the printer.

6532434, Mar 11, 2003

Jun 1, 2000

09/585863

David A. West - Streamwood IL 60107

G06F 1500

702187, 706 47

An apparatus and method for the periodic acquisition of data through the use of sensors and/or electronic interfaces. The apparatus is modular, having a control module and one or more A acquisition modules interconnected with a module bus. The control module provides timing and control information to the acquisition modules, as well as an interface for communication to a host computer. Each acquisition module contains circuitry to make measurements of one or more physical property and convert the measurements into digital values. Temperature, altitude, airspeed, engine speed, gravitational force, pulse width, and voltage are examples of physical values that may be measured. Each acquisition module also contains electronic memory in which the digital values are stored. In operation the control module keeps track of elapsed time and periodically signals the acquisition modules to make readings and store values. When data logging is complete, the system is attached to the host computer and the data stored in each acquisition module is transferred for analysis.

5132709, Jul 21, 1992

Aug 26, 1991

7/749923

David A. West - Streamwood IL

Zebra Technologies Corporation - Vernon Hills IL

G01D 1500

346 76PH

The heating elements of a thermal printing head are respectively driven through drive transistors under the control of strobe pulses and are respectively provided with temperature control circuits, each such circuit including a sense resistor connected in series between the heating element and the drive transistor for sensing the current flow therethrough. Each control circuit has a flip-flop which is clocked by an associated strobe signal to turn on the corresponding drive transistor. The voltage drop across the sense resistor of each control circuit is amplified and compared to a reference level corresponding to a predetermined temperature, and when it exceeds the reference it resets the associated flip-flop to turn off the corresponding drive transistor.

5624188, Apr 29, 1997

Oct 20, 1994

8/326542

David A. West - Streamwood IL

G01K 1122, G01K 1124

374119

A thermometer using the temperature dependance of the speed of sound, measures the average temperature along a path traversing an open environment containing a medium. A transmitting transducer, coupled to a signal generator and placed at a first point in the medium, produces a burst of sound of predetermined frequency and duration. The sound burst travels through the medium to a second point, located a predetermined distance from the first. At the second point, a passive sound reflector, or an active apparatus, produces a returning sound burst. A receiving transducer, positioned close to the transmitting transducer, receives the returned sound. A detection circuit, coupled to the receiving transducer, indicates the presence of the returned sound burst. A timer, with connections to the signal generator and the detection circuit, measures the elapsed time for the round trip of the sound. The resulting time measurement is an indicator of the average temperature along the path between the first and second points.