The invention is in the field of fusing and fusing apparatus for print media, particularly for fusing toner to print media and other variations.
Fusers are commonly implemented in electrographic print systems to fix toner, for example, to a print media such as a sheet of paper or plastic. Fuser temperature may be maintained by a feedback control loop that senses fuser roller surface temperature and turns heater lamps on and off in a pulse-width-modulated duty cycle to maintain roller temperature at a setpoint. At the beginning of a run, if the system has been in standby mode, fuser roller temperature is at, or very near, the desired setpoint. During the run, fuser roller temperature will undergo a transient decline, reaching a minimum and then begin to recover, eventually coming back up to the setpoint. During the transient, fuser roller temperature can fall to a level where fusing quality is compromised with reduced adhesion of the toner and increased crack-width in the fused toner. The amount of this transient “droop” depends on the heat capacity of the receiver, which in turn depends on the specific heat and mass of the receiver sheet.
Heavy coated papers represent a worst case due to greater mass and specific heat. One control scheme uses proportional-integral control with added feed-forward compensation to try to anticipate the transient droop and compensate by adding additional heat. The feed-forward is open loop since there is no sensor to measure heat removed by the receiver. An improved apparatus and control system is desired.
Various aspects of the invention are presented in
In
An advantage with this control scheme lies in regulating the heater roller temperature 122, and indirectly the heat source 112. Preferably, the controller 118 is operative to prevent the heater roller temperature 122 from exceeding a predetermined maximum heater roller temperature, which may prevent damage to the heater roller or burn-out of the heat source 112, which may be a heat lamp, for example (of course other suitable heaters may be implemented, particularly electrothermal heaters). The effect of the controller 118 capping the quantity of heat energy that the heater roller 110 can deliver to the first of the rollers 106 may be offset by configuring the fuser assembly 100 to supply sufficient heat energy for a range of expected print media stocks. Thus, faster recovery from droop may be provided while also providing better control of the heat source 112.
According to one embodiment, although not so limited, the controller 118 switches power on to the heat source 112 until the heater roller temperature 122 reaches a maximum heater roller temperature, and then the controller 118 switches power off to the heat source 112. In response, the roller temperature 120 continues to increase but at a slower rate, the heater roller temperature 122 decreases and the controller switches power on and off to the heat source 112 cyclically until the roller temperature 120 reaches a controlled temperature at the temperature setpoint for fusing.
Still referring to
The controller 118 may be operative to establish a heating power ratio between the heat source 112 and the another heat source 113. Temperature plot 134 represents the another heater roller temperature 123 for a desired heating power ratio. The desired heating power ratio may not be achieved, as indicated by temperature plots 130 and 132, since regulating the temperature of the roller 106 and the temperatures of the heat sources 112 and 113 may be a greater priority. Temperature plot 130 is an example where not as much heat power is needed to fuse the print media. Temperature plot 132 is an example where more heat power is needed to fuse the print media. Overall, the system is more responsive and flexible compared to prior art systems. Of course, there are many possible variations in the temperature plots and these examples are representative only to assist in understanding.
According to one embodiment, the two rollers 104 and 106 comprise a pressure roller and a fuser roller, respectively, the first of the rollers 106 being the fuser roller. The roller temperature is a surface temperature of the first of the rollers 106, the heater roller temperature 122 is a surface temperature of the heater roller 110, and the another heater roller temperature 123 is a surface temperature of the another heater roller 111.
Referring now to
Changing the fusing force may influence the temperature of certain components in the fuser assembly. For example, referring again to
The thickness sensor 204 may be a multi-feed sensor located upstream from the fuser assembly (as shown in
Referring again to
The controller 218 may be operative to increase heating power in response to an increase in the print media thickness 206. According to another embodiment, the controller 218 is operative to decrease heating power in response to a decrease in the print media thickness 206. The controller 218 may be operative to do both. The heating power may be a function of the print media thickness 206.
The fusing nip 102 may comprise a heated roller 106, the controller being operative to increase heating power to the heated roller 106 in response to an increase in the print media thickness 206. According to another embodiment, the fusing nip 102 comprises a heated roller 106, the controller 218 being operative to decrease heating power to the heated roller 106 in response to a decrease in the print media thickness 206. The controller 218 may be operative to do both. The heating power may be a function of the print media thickness 206.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now
Referring now to
Referring now to
The process may comprise changing the fusing control parameter between ends (a leading edge and a trailing edge) of a single print media 505. This may be implemented by the controller being operative to change the fusing control parameter in the manner just described.
The process may also comprise changing the fusing control parameter while the stream of print media 504, all of the same type, is moving through the fuser assembly, based at least in part on a thickness of the print media, the size of the print media, and/or the bending stiffness of the print media. Again, this may be implemented by the controller 506 being operative to change the fusing control parameter in the manner just described.
The fusing assembly 502 may comprise the fusing nip 102 having a fusing forces, the at least one fusing parameter being the fusing force. For example, the fusing force may be decreased from a beginning of the stream of print media 504 to an end of the stream of print media 504 (e.g. 90 to 100% of max load at the beginning, 75 to 85% of max load at the end). This may be implemented by the controller 506 being operative to decrease the fusing force concurrently with the stream of print media 504. This process may compensate for heating and thermal expansion of the fuser roller over the length of a run, and minimize wrinkling of prints at the beginning of a run, maintain adequate nip load for good fusing quality during thermal droop, and then minimize image defects (“slapdown” or “lakes”) due to excessive differential overdrive at the end of the run. The process may also comprise monotonically decreasing the fusing force concurrently with the stream of print media 504.
Alternatively or in addition, the process may comprise increasing fusing force upon a fusing temperature decreasing to a predetermined temperature. This may at least partially compensate for the decreased fusing temperature and provide suitable fusing, especially during thermal droop. Again, this may be implemented by the controller 506 being operative to increase the fusing force upon the fusing temperature decreasing to the predetermined temperature.
Still referring to
The roller 106 may be a fuser roller, and the roller 104 may be a pressure roller, the fuser roller having a cross-sectional diameter that is constant along a length of the fuser roller. In some prior fusing systems, it has been advantageous to vary the pressure exerted by the pressure member against the receiver sheet and fuser member. This variation in pressure can be provided, for example in a fusing system having a pressure roller and a fuser roller, by slightly modifying the shape of the fuser roller and/or pressure roller. The variance of pressure, in the form of a gradient of pressure that changes along the direction through the nip that is parallel to the axes of the rollers, can be established, for example, by continuously varying the overall diameter of the fuser roller and/or pressure roller along the direction of its axis such that the diameter is smallest at the midpoint of the axis and largest at the ends of the axis, in order to give the fuser roller and/or pressure roller a subtle “bow tie” or “hourglass” shape. This causes the pair of rollers to exert more pressure on the receiver sheet in the nip in the areas near the ends of the rollers than in the area about the midpoint of the rollers. This gradient of pressure helps to prevent wrinkles and cockle in the receiver sheet as it passes through the nip. A fuser roller is disclosed in United Patent Application Publication US 2004/0023144 A1, filed Aug. 4, 2003, in the names of Jerry A. Pickering and Alan R. Priebe, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Changing the fusing force over the stream of print media may eliminate the need for changing the diameter of the fuser roller and/or pressure roller along the direction of its axis.
Still referring to
An example of a fusing force profile is presented in
The fusing force between ends (a leading edge and a trailing edge) of the print medium 505 may be changed while the print medium 505 is moving through the fusing nip 102 based at least in part on a thickness of the print medium 505, a size of the print medium 505, or a bending stiffness of the print medium 505. The thickness sensor 204 (
As previously described, these processes may be implemented by the controller 506 being operable to perform one or more steps.
Referring now to
Printer machine 10 includes a controller or logic and control unit (LCU) 24, preferably a digital computer or microprocessor operating according to a stored program for sequentially actuating the workstations within printer machine 10, effecting overall control of printer machine 10 and its various subsystems. LCU 24 also is programmed to provide closed-loop control of printer machine 10 in response to signals from various sensors and encoders (e.g. 57, 76) Aspects of process control are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,986 incorporated herein by this reference.
A primary charging station 28 in printer machine 10 sensitizes belt 18 by applying a uniform electrostatic corona charge, from high-voltage charging wires at a predetermined primary voltage, to a surface 18a of belt 18. The output of charging station 28 is regulated by a programmable voltage controller 30, which is in turn controlled by LCU 24 to adjust this primary voltage, for example by controlling the electrical potential of a grid and thus controlling movement of the corona charge. Other forms of chargers, including brush or roller chargers, may also be used.
An exposure station 34 in printer machine 10 projects light from a writer 34a to belt 18. This light selectively dissipates the electrostatic charge on photoconductive belt 18 to form a latent electrostatic image of the document to be copied or printed. Writer 34a is preferably constructed as an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), or alternatively as another light source such as a laser or spatial light modulator. Writer 34a exposes individual picture elements (pixels) of belt 18 with light at a regulated intensity and exposure, in the manner described below. The exposing light discharges selected pixel locations of the photoconductor, so that the pattern of localized voltages across the photoconductor corresponds to the image to be printed. An image is a pattern of physical light which may include characters, words, text, and other features such as graphics, photos, etc. An image may be included in a set of one or more images, such as in images of the pages of a document. An image may be divided into segments, objects, or structures each of which is itself an image. A segment, object or structure of an image may be of any size up to and including the whole image.
Image data to be printed is provided by an image data source 36, which is a device that can provide digital data defining a version of the image. Such types of devices are numerous and include computer or microcontroller, computer workstation, scanner, digital camera, etc. These data represent the location and intensity of each pixel that is exposed by the printer. Signals from data source 36, in combination with control signals from LCU 24 are provided to a raster image processor (RIP) 37. The Digital images (including styled text) are converted by the RIP 37 from their form in a page description language (PDL) to a sequence of serial instructions for the electrographic printer in a process commonly known as “ripping” and which provides a ripped image to a image storage and retrieval system known as a Marking Image Processor (MIP) 38.
In general, the major roles of the RIP 37 are to: receive job information from the server; parse the header from the print job and determine the printing and finishing requirements of the job; analyze the PDL (Page Description Language) to reflect any job or page requirements that were not stated in the headers; resolve any conflicts between the requirements of the job and the Marking Engine configuration (i.e., RIP time mismatch resolution); keep accounting record and error logs and provide this information to any subsystem, upon request; communicate image transfer requirements to the Marking Engine; translate the data from PDL (Page Description Language) to Raster for printing; and support diagnostics communication between User Applications The RIP accepts a print job in the form of a Page Description Language (PDL) such as PostScript, PDF or PCL and converts it into Raster, a form that the marking engine can accept. The PDL file received at the RIP describes the layout of the document as it was created on the host computer used by the customer. This conversion process is called rasterization. The RIP makes the decision on how to process the document based on what PDL the document is described in. It reaches this decision by looking at the first 2K of the document. A job manager sends the job information to a MSS (Marking Subsystem Services) via Ethernet and the rest of the document further into the RIP to get rasterized. For clarification, the document header contains printer-specific information such as whether to staple or duplex the job. Once the document has been converted to raster by one of the interpreters, the Raster data goes to the MIP 38 via RTS (Raster Transfer Services); this transfers the data over a IDB (Image Data Bus).
The MIP functionally replaces recirculating feeders on optical copiers. This means that images are not mechanically rescanned within jobs that require rescanning, but rather, images are electronically retrieved from the MIP to replace the rescan process. The MIP accepts digital image input and stores it for a limited time so it can be retrieved and printed to complete the job as needed. The MIP consists of memory for storing digital image input received from the RIP. Once the images are in MIP memory, they can be repeatedly read from memory and output to the Render Circuit. The amount of memory required to store a given number of images can be reduced by compressing the images; therefore, the images are compressed prior to MIP memory storage, then decompressed while being read from MIP memory.
The output of the MIP is provided to an image render circuit 39, which alters the image and provides the altered image to the writer interface 32 (otherwise known as a write head, print head, etc.) which applies exposure parameters to the exposure medium, such as a photoconductor 18.
After exposure, the portion of exposure medium belt 18 bearing the latent charge images travels to a development station 35. Development station 35 includes a magnetic brush in juxtaposition to the belt 18. Magnetic brush development stations are well known in the art, and are preferred in many applications, alternatively, other known types of development stations or devices may be used. Plural development stations 35 may be provided for developing images in plural colors, or from toners of different physical characteristics. Full process color electrographic printing is accomplished by utilizing this process for each of four toner colors (e.g., black, cyan, magenta, yellow).
Upon the imaged portion of belt 18 reaching development station 35, LCU 24 selectively activates development station 35 to apply toner to belt 18 by moving backup roller or bar 35a against belt 18, into engagement with or close proximity to the magnetic brush. Alternatively, the magnetic brush may be moved toward belt 18 to selectively engage belt 18. In either case, charged toner particles on the magnetic brush are selectively attracted to the latent image patterns present on belt 18, developing those image patterns. As the exposed photoconductor passes the developing station, toner is attracted to pixel locations of the photoconductor and as a result, a pattern of toner corresponding to the image to be printed appears on the photoconductor, thereby forming a developed image on the electrostatic image. As known in the art, conductor portions of development station 35, such as conductive applicator cylinders, are biased to act as electrodes. The electrodes are connected to a variable supply voltage, which is regulated by programmable controller 40 in response to LCU 24, by way of which the development process is controlled.
Development station 35 may contain a two component developer mix which comprises a dry mixture of toner and carrier particles. Typically the carrier preferably comprises high coercivity (hard magnetic) ferrite particles. As an example, the carrier particles have a volume-weighted diameter of approximately 30μ. The dry toner particles are substantially smaller, on the order of 6μ to 15μ in volume-weighted diameter. Development station 35 may include an applicator having a rotatable magnetic core within a shell, which also may be rotatably driven by a motor or other suitable driving means. Relative rotation of the core and shell moves the developer through a development zone in the presence of an electrical field. In the course of development, the toner selectively electrostatically adheres to photoconductive belt 18 to develop the electrostatic images thereon and the carrier material remains at development station 35. As toner is depleted from the development station due to the development of the electrostatic image, additional toner is periodically introduced by toner auger 42 into development station 35 to be mixed with the carrier particles to maintain a uniform amount of development mixture. Toner auger 42 is driven by a replenisher motor 41 controlled by a replenisher motor control 43. This development mixture is controlled in accordance with various development control processes. Single component developer stations, as well as conventional liquid toner development stations, may also be used.
A transfer station 46 in printing machine 10 moves a receiver sheet S into engagement with photoconductive belt 18, in registration with a developed image to transfer the developed image to receiver sheet S. Receiver sheets S may be plain or coated paper, plastic, or another medium capable of being handled by printer machine 10. Typically, transfer station 46 includes a charging device for electrostatically biasing movement of the toner particles from belt 18 to receiver sheet S. In this example, the biasing device is roller 46b, which engages the back of sheet S and which is connected to programmable voltage controller 46a that operates in a constant current mode during transfer. Alternatively, an intermediate member may have the image transferred to it and the image may then be transferred to receiver sheet S. After transfer of the toner image to receiver sheet S, sheet S is detacked from belt 18 and transported to fuser station 49 where the image is fixed onto sheet S, typically by the application of heat. Alternatively, the image may be fixed to sheet S at the time of transfer. The fuser station 49 implements the one or more of apparatus and processes previously described in relation
A cleaning station 48, such as a brush, blade, or web is also located behind transfer station 46, and removes residual toner from belt 18. A pre-clean charger (not shown) may be located before or at cleaning station 48 to assist in this cleaning. After cleaning, this portion of belt 18 is then ready for recharging and re-exposure. Of course, other portions of belt 18 are simultaneously located at the various workstations of printing machine 10, so that the printing process is carried out in a substantially continuous manner.
LCU 24 provides overall control of the apparatus and its various subsystems as is well known. LCU 24 will typically include temporary data storage memory, a central processing unit, timing and cycle control unit, and stored program control. Data input and output is performed sequentially through or under program control. Input data can be applied through input signal buffers to an input data processor, or through an interrupt signal processor, and include input signals from various switches, sensors, and analog-to-digital converters internal to printing machine 10, or received from sources external to printing machine 10, such from as a human user or a network control. The output data and control signals from LCU 24 are applied directly or through storage latches to suitable output drivers and in turn to the appropriate subsystems within printing machine 10.
Process control strategies generally utilize various sensors to provide real-time closed-loop control of the electrostatographic process so that printing machine 10 generates “constant” image quality output, from the user's perspective. Real-time process control is necessary in electrographic printing, to account for changes in the environmental ambient of the photographic printer, and for changes in the operating conditions of the printer that occur over time during operation (rest/run effects). An important environmental condition parameter requiring process control is relative humidity, because changes in relative humidity affect the charge-to-mass ratio Q/m of toner particles. The ratio Q/m directly determines the density of toner that adheres to the photoconductor during development, and thus directly affects the density of the resulting image. System changes that can occur over time include changes due to aging of the printhead (exposure station), changes in the concentration of magnetic carrier particles in the toner as the toner is depleted through use, changes in the mechanical position of primary charger elements, aging of the photoconductor, variability in the manufacture of electrical components and of the photoconductor, change in conditions as the printer warms up after power-on, triboelectric charging of the toner, and other changes in electrographic process conditions. Because of these effects and the high resolution of modern electrographic printing, the process control techniques have become quite complex.
Process control sensor may be a densitometer 76, which monitors test patches that are exposed and developed in non-image areas of photoconductive belt 18 under the control of LCU 24. Densitometer 76 may include a infrared or visible light LED, which either shines through the belt or is reflected by the belt onto a photodiode in densitometer 76. These toned test patches are exposed to varying toner density levels, including full density and various intermediate densities, so that the actual density of toner in the patch can be compared with the desired density of toner as indicated by the various control voltages and signals. These densitometer measurements are used to control primary charging voltage VO, maximum exposure light intensity EO, and development station electrode bias VB. In addition, the process control of a toner replenishment control signal value or a toner concentration setpoint value to maintain the charge-to-mass ratio Q/m at a level that avoids dusting or hollow character formation due to low toner charge, and also avoids breakdown and transfer mottle due to high toner charge for improved accuracy in the process control of printing machine 10. The toned test patches are formed in the interframe area of belt 18 so that the process control can be carried out in real time without reducing the printed output throughput. Another sensor useful for monitoring process parameters in printer machine 10 is electrometer probe 50, mounted downstream of the corona charging station 28 relative to direction P of the movement of belt 18. An example of an electrometer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,544 incorporated herein by this reference.
Other approaches to electrographic printing process control may be utilized, such as those described in International Publication Number WO 02/10860 A1, and International Publication Number WO 02/14957 A1, both commonly assigned herewith and incorporated herein by this reference.
Raster image processing begins with a page description generated by the computer application used to produce the desired image. The Raster Image Processor interprets this page description into a display list of objects. This display list contains a descriptor for each text and non-text object to be printed; in the case of text, the descriptor specifies each text character, its font, and its location on the page. For example, the contents of a word processing document with styled text is translated by the RIP into serial printer instructions that include, for the example of a binary black printer, a bit for each pixel location indicating whether that pixel is to be black or white. Binary print means an image is converted to a digital array of pixels, each pixel having a value assigned to it, and wherein the digital value of every pixel is represented by only two possible numbers, either a one or a zero. The digital image in such a case is known as a binary image. Multi-bit images, alternatively, are represented by a digital array of pixels, wherein the pixels have assigned values of more than two number possibilities. The RIP renders the display list into a “contone” (continuous tone) byte map for the page to be printed. This contone byte map represents each pixel location on the page to be printed by a density level (typically eight bits, or one byte for a byte map rendering) for each color to be printed. Black text is generally represented by a full density value (255, for an eight bit rendering) for each pixel within the character. The byte map typically contains more information than can be used by the printer. Finally, the RIP rasterizes the byte map into a bit map for use by the printer. Half-tone densities are formed by the application of a halftone “screen” to the byte map, especially in the case of image objects to be printed. Pre-press adjustments can include the selection of the particular halftone screens to be applied, for example to adjust the contrast of the resulting image.
Electrographic printers with gray scale printheads are also known, as described in International Publication Number WO 01/89194 A2, incorporated herein by this reference. As described in this publication, the rendering algorithm groups adjacent pixels into sets of adjacent cells, each cell corresponding to a halftone dot of the image to be printed. The gray tones are printed by increasing the level of exposure of each pixel in the cell, by increasing the duration by way of which a corresponding LED in the printhead is kept on, and by “growing” the exposure into adjacent pixels within the cell.
Ripping is printer-specific, in that the writing characteristics of the printer to be used are taken into account in producing the printer bit map. For example, the resolution of the printer both in pixel size (dpi) and contrast resolution (bit depth at the contone byte map) will determine the contone byte map. As noted above, the contrast performance of the printer can be used in pre-press to select the appropriate halftone screen. RIP rendering therefore incorporates the attributes of the printer itself with the image data to be printed.
The printer specificity in the RIP output may cause problems if the RIP output is forwarded to a different electrographic printer. One such problem is that the printed image will turn out to be either darker or lighter than that which would be printed on the printer for which the original RIP was performed. In some cases the original image data is not available for re-processing by another RIP in which tonal adjustments for the new printer may be made.
Processes for developing electrostatic images using dry toner are well known in the art. The term “electrographic printer,” is intended to encompass electrophotographic printers and copiers that employ a photoconductor element, as well as ionographic printers and copiers that do not rely upon a photoconductor.
Electrographic printers typically employ a developer having two or more components, consisting of resinous, pigmented toner particles, magnetic carrier particles and other components. The developer is moved into proximity with an electrostatic image carried on an electrographic imaging member, whereupon the toner component of the developer is transferred to the imaging member, prior to being transferred to a sheet of paper to create the final image. Developer is moved into proximity with the imaging member by an electrically-based, conductive toning shell, often a roller that may be rotated co-currently with the imaging member, such that the opposing surfaces of the imaging member and toning shell travel in the same direction. Located adjacent the toning shell is a multipole magnetic core, having a plurality of magnets, that may be fixed relative to the toning shell or that may rotate, usually in the opposite direction of the toning shell. The developer is deposited on the toning shell and the toning shell rotates the developer into proximity with the imaging member, at a location where the imaging member and the toning shell are in closest proximity, referred to as the “toning nip.”
According to a further aspect of the invention a process is provided, comprising forming an electrostatic image on an imaging member, forming a developed image on the electrostatic image, moving a print medium past the imaging member, transferring the developed image to the print medium, moving the print medium through a fusing nip comprising a fusing force, and changing the fusing force while the print medium is moving through the fusing nip. This process may be carried out while the print medium is contacting the imaging member during transfer of the developed image to the print medium and while the print medium is moving through the fusing nip. As previously described, smearing of the image proximate the trailing edge of the print medium may be avoided.
Although certain aspects of the invention have been described with external heat sources, such as heater rollers 110 and 111, internal heat sources may be implemented as well, for example inside rollers 104 and/or 106 instead of or in addition to one or more external heat sources.
It should be understood that the programs, processes, methods and apparatus described herein are not related or limited to any particular type of computer or network apparatus (hardware or software), unless indicated otherwise. Various types of general purpose or specialized computer apparatus may be used with or perform operations in accordance with the teachings described herein. While various elements have been described as being implemented by software, in other embodiments hardware or firmware implementations may alternatively be used, and vice-versa. Similarly, the controllers may implement software, hardware, and/or firmware. In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention.
The claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to that effect. In addition, use of the term “means” in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6, and any claim without the word “means” is not so intended.
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims that follow. It is therefore intended to include within the invention all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
This application is a Divisional of Utility patent application Ser. No. 11/087,321, filed on Mar. 23, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,260,338, entitled APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR FUSER CONTROL and Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/556,091 filed Mar. 24, 2004, also entitled “APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR FUSER CONTROL”, incorporated by reference herein and commonly-assigned to the Eastman Kodak Company.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11087321 | Mar 2005 | US |
Child | 11778227 | US |