And Delivering To Sheet Receiver (e.g., By Roller Couple) Patents (Class 400/625)
  • Patent number: 6554512
    Abstract: A printer comprises a loader (2) for supports (1) to be printed, a printing device (9) and transfer elements delimiting a series of gripping regions (8) forming a transport path (8A) to lead sequentially the printed supports (1) from the outlet (5) of the loader (2) to the printing device (9) and from the printing device (9) toward collection elements disposed below the loader (2). At least the portion of a wall (7) with an opening (4) of the loader (2) is inclined at a positive angle relative to the transport path (8A) to give to the support (1) to be printed an inclination in the inlet direction of a first gripping region (8) of the transport path (8A). The inlet is provided with a deflector (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: ZIH Corp.
    Inventors: Gaëtan Heno, Michaël Hinry
  • Patent number: 6540420
    Abstract: A transport roller 32 has high rigidity and the surface supported at its center portion thereof is formed as a low-friction surface 32a by the polish finishing process and the surface thereof except for the low-friction surface is formed as a high-friction surface 32b by the ceramic coating process. The driven roller 33 is disposed so as to oppose to the low-friction surface in a manner that the surface thereof extends over the boundary of the low-friction surface 32a and the high-friction surface 32b. The driven roller 33 may be disposed in a manner that the surface thereof extends over the entire width of the low-friction surface 32a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Fujioka, Hiroshi Asawa
  • Patent number: 6536968
    Abstract: A tray for holding a stack of sheets of paper for feeding into a printer includes opposite paper guides one of which is adjustable relative to the other for varying the spacing between the paper guides. The adjustable paper guide is slideable across the tray and includes a releasable lock which engages the tray for locking the paper guide in position. The releasable lock is preferably a spring biased lever which includes a tooth that normally engages a rack in the paper tray until released by operation of the lever for the paper guide to be adjusted. As the paper guide is locked in position it cannot move away from its location during feeding of papers from the tray. The paper guide may also include a spring arm for applying a bias against the edge of the sheets of paper as they are fed from the tray to prevent them from skewing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Hock Lim Lee, Kong Hock Lim
  • Patent number: 6530706
    Abstract: A paper feed unit has a paper feed tray stacking sheets thereon, a primary paper feed roller and a secondary paper feed member, wherein an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the paper feed tray is transferred toward the secondary paper feed member from the primary paper feed roller, a tip end of the sheet then contacts with the secondary paper feed member, and primary paper feed is then completed while the sheet is being bent. A counter rotation stop mechanism, which allows the primary paper feed roller to rotate in a paper feed direction but prevents the primary paper feed roller from rotating in a counter direction to the paper feed direction, and a rotation stop release mechanism, which releases a state in which the primary paper feed roller is prevented from rotating in the counter direction by the counter rotation stop mechanism, are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sugimoto, Akitoshi Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20030026640
    Abstract: Backlash is reduced by stopping substrate short of a printing position, then slowly advancing the drive system to move the substrate to the printing position. Where a stepper motor drives a driven roller via a gear train, the stepper motor stops the substrate a predetermined number of steps shy of the printing position. The stepper motor is then advanced by the predetermined number of steps, taking up backlash and moving the substrate to the printing position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Moore, Eric A. Merz
  • Patent number: 6511227
    Abstract: A removable bearing for mounting on a slot of a supporting wall is disclosed. The removable bearing includes a bearing member having a bore for receiving a rotatable shaft. The bearing also includes a handle fixedly attached to the bearing member. Attached to the handle is a latching member for engaging a corresponding aperture in the supporting wall when mounting the removable bearing thereon. The handle has an engagement portion that allows tool engagement for moving the handle away from the supporting wall to disengage the latching member when removing the bearing from the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: We-Lym Darren Siow, Ching Yong Chua, Pui Wen Huang
  • Patent number: 6503011
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for performing the recording operation of a recording medium conveyed by a conveying portion using a recording portion has an irregularity forming discharging portion for forming the recording direction crossing a conveying direction of the recording medium in a position of the recording medium opposed to the recording portion, and discharging the recording medium to the exterior of the recording apparatus. The recording apparatus also has a supporting member for supporting the recording medium discharged by the irregularity forming discharging portion so as to curve the recording medium in a concave shape with respect to a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The supporting member is arranged in a position corresponding to a convex portion near each of both end portions of the recording medium formed in the shape having the corrugated irregularities with respect to the conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Kono
  • Patent number: 6494632
    Abstract: A parallelepiped shape printer (20) suitable being stacked with equipment, comprising a fixed structure (65) upon which an outer casing (22) of the printer is mounted; a movable cassette (21) bearing a printing assembly (33); and a feeding tray (34) which contains a ream (36) of sheets of paper (37), wherein the cassette (21) may be manually extracted from and inserted in the outer casing (22) through a front side (23) of the printer (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Olivetti Tecnost S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Cappello, Piero Salussolia
  • Publication number: 20020164190
    Abstract: An imaging media tray is provided for use in an imaging system having a housing. The tray includes an imaging media holding portion adapted and constructed to retain imaging media in position for processing by the imaging system. At least one tray closure element is movably connected directly to the imaging media holding portion. The at least one closure element is movable between a first, open position permitting insertion of imaging media into the imaging media holding portion without movement of the imaging media holding portion with respect to the housing of the imaging system, and a second, closed position in which the imaging media is in position for processing by the imaging system. In an embodiment, the at least one tray closure element is provided as a door having a generally rectangular cross-section including a top, a bottom, a left side, and a right side. The left and right sides of the door have a height that is substantially less than a length of the top and bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2001
    Publication date: November 7, 2002
    Inventor: Sunny E. Hill
  • Patent number: 6457888
    Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the sheet discharging apparatus in which a sheet can be discharged without causing any spur trace on the surface of the sheet. Therefore, a sheet P having an image formed thereon is discharged to a sheet discharging section by sheet discharging device 502, 503 and rotary members 504, 505. A plurality of projections 504a, 505a are respectively formed on outer circumferential portions of the rotary members 504, 505. The rotary members 504, 505 are rotated by rotation of the sheet discharging device 502, 503 while the sheet P is pressed by the projections 504a, 505a. When the rotary members 504, 505 are rotated while pressing the sheet P, orientations of the rotary members 504, 505 are changed by an attitude changing device in accordance with a movement of the sheet P so that rotating directions of the rotary members 504, 505 are made coincide with a discharging direction of the sheet P.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiya Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6454476
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for picking and feeding a single sheet from a stack. A pick roller and a retard roller are held together in a pick assembly, and positioned so that the pick roller is in contact with the top surface of the top sheet and adjacent a leading edge of the top sheet. The pick roller is driven to pick a sheet from the stack, pulling the sheet into the nip between the pick roller and the retard roller. The retard roller applies a retard force to the retard roller tending to resist the rotation of the retard roller as print media is driven into the nip during a pick operation. The retard force is less than a feed force applied to the top sheet by the pick roller as the top sheet is passed into the nip, the retard force being greater than a sheet-to-sheet frictional drag force between the top sheet and an adjacent sheet, thereby separating an adjacent sheet from the top sheet to prevent multiple sheet picks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Matias Negatu, Szymon Morawski
  • Patent number: 6422772
    Abstract: A printer having an interference-free receiver sheet feed path and method of assembling the printer. The printer, which is a thermal dye printer, comprises a print head for forming an image on a movable receiver sheet belonging to a stack of receiver sheets having a front edge portion. The stack of receiver sheets reside in a receiver sheet supply tray. A roller feeds the top-most receiver sheet along a receiver sheet feed path, leading edge first, from the supply tray and to the print head for printing by means of thermal activation of a first one of a plurality of dye donor patches belonging to a dye donor ribbon. After the first dye donor patch prints, the receiver sheet returns, trailing edge first, to the supply tray before printing by the next dye donor patch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Terrence L. Fisher, Sr., Walter S. Stevens
  • Patent number: 6419410
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable internet appliance printer having a removable combination input/output tray cassette with a support mounted therein for holding the output tray in substantially horizontal plane when the output tray is extended outwardly from the cassette a sufficient distance to support from below individual sheets of media discharged from the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: James M Osmus, Yeo Chye Kuan Gavin
  • Publication number: 20020067945
    Abstract: A printing apparatus with an index-feeding printing system having a first media path, a continuous feed finishing apparatus having a second media path, and a media buffer device having a third media path connecting between the first media path and the second media path. The third path may have a first portion communicating with the printing system, and a second portion communicating with the finishing apparatus, with the first and second portions merging with each other to form a common path portion terminating at a common path dead end, such that a media sheet from the printing system stops at the dead end and reverses direction for feeding to the finishing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Richard A. Kelley, Michael W. Munro, Ilan A. Sabar, Bruce G. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6382851
    Abstract: A printer includes a flat case having a flat top surface in which a printing mechanism and a sheet storage portion capable of accommodating a plurality of printing sheets are housed to be arranged along the top surface such that the printed sheet is fed out through an exit slot formed in the top surface. With such an arrangement, a thin printer can be achieved. In addition, the printed sheet fed out through the exit slot onto the flat top surface can be used just like a scratch pad or a notebook while being placed thereon. Moreover, the printer is of a thermal-type using thermal sheets, leading to reduced number of components. Therefore a compact printer can be achieved. Furthermore the printer uses thermal sheets of standard size such as A6 or B7. Accordingly, the printer can be formed to have a size substantially the same as that of a small notebook. A printer that can be handled like stationery, thus, can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignees: F&F Limited, Seiko Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 6382857
    Abstract: The present invention provides a bearing mechanism in which a groove portion in a shaft and a pawl portion on a bearing corresponding to the groove portion are not required and which can improve production efficiency and operability, and a conveying apparatus which has such a bearing mechanism and in which, when a driven roller is not located at an entire area of a sheet to be conveyed, a side edge of the sheet to be conveyed can be directed correctly not to damage the sheet to be conveyed after the sheet was discharged, and a recording apparatus having such a conveying apparatus. A bearing mechanism includes a pair of pinching portions for pinching both surfaces of a supporting plate, and a fixing portion, and further includes a guide member for directing a side edge of the sheet to be conveyed, and a sheet catching preventing protecting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruyuki Yanagi, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Shinya Sonoda
  • Publication number: 20020051670
    Abstract: A recording apparatus comprises a conveying roller for conveying a recording medium, a conveying motor for generating driving force to drive the conveying roller, a driving transmitter for transmitting the driving force of the conveying motor to the conveying roller, a detector for detecting a rotation angle of the conveying roller, and a controller for controlling driving and stopping of the conveying roller on the basis of a signal from the detector, wherein a conveying quantity of the recording medium at a time of recording operation is an integer multiple of a conveying quantity of the recording medium corresponding to one period of a torque change or a speed change caused by the conveying motor or the driving transmitter, so that stop accuracy of the recording medium is not influenced by a torque (speed) ripple of the conveying motor or the transmitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Publication date: May 2, 2002
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Saito
  • Patent number: 6371611
    Abstract: A printer having a media path through which a media sheet having a first surface and a second surface is transported. The printer includes a printhead, and a media frame having a base and an extension portion angularly extending upwardly away from the base. The base has a first edge spaced apart from a second edge. The first and second edges are located for contacting the media sheet on the first surface. The extension portion has a support surface for providing support for the media sheet at the first surface. The printer further includes a roller assembly having a roller positioned opposed to the extension portion, the roller engaging the second surface of the media sheet to define a line of contact with the media sheet. The line of contact defined by the roller and the first edge of the base determine a first curvature of the media sheet having a first radius, and the first edge and the second edge determine a second curvature of the media sheet having a second radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Wendell Billings, David Vincent Iorio, John Dennis Zbrozek
  • Patent number: 6367998
    Abstract: A paper jamming prevention device includes a conveying portion for conveying a sheet of paper from a paper feeding portion according to a feed command; a discharging portion for receiving the conveyed sheet of paper for discharge; and a base frame, installed between the conveying portion and the discharging portion, having a flat surface disposed toward the conveying portion and a curved conveyance surface disposed toward the discharging portion, the conveyance surface deviating from the flat surface toward the discharging portion. The conveyance surface has a curved middle region and side regions which slope symmetrically upward on each side of the base frame. The discharging portion is made up of discharging rollers and star wheels installed along the curvature of the conveyance surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong-Duk Lee
  • Patent number: 6364553
    Abstract: A hardcopy printing mechanism and a greeting card feeder retrofit kit therefor, along with a retrofitting method are provided for printing images on a first-sized media, and on both surfaces a second-sized greeting card media without removing the first-sized media from its normal supply tray. The hardcopy device may be an electrophotographic or inkjet printer preferably equipped with a duplexer module which inverts media from a printed first surface to an opposing second surface for printing an image thereon. For a printer having an alignment surface, and a width adjuster to push the first-sized media against the alignment surface, the greeting card feeder includes a biasing member which pushes the card stock against the alignment surface. The retrofit kit includes a supply of pre-scored greeting card stock and a software program with a group of greeting card images for a consumer to select from to print store-bought quality greeting cards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Thomas E. McCue, Jr., Todd M. Gaasch, Mark Garboden
  • Patent number: 6343787
    Abstract: There is provided a sheeting transport apparatus comprising two roller pairs as a component of an auxiliary scan transport mechanism in optical beam scanners and an anti-positional offset mechanism that is provided between the two roller pairs to prevent any positional offset of sheeting that may occur in the depth direction from the optical scan position, for example a retaining roller pair including a fixed roller and a retainer roller capable of adjusting the force of urging the fixed roller. This apparatus further includes opening and closing mechanisms for independently advancing or retracting a roller of each roller pair with respect to a fixed roller, and drive units thereof. This apparatus is a small, compact and low-cost apparatus that is simple in configuration and which yet is optimal for precise image reading and recording purposes. The apparatus is capable of suppressing the adverse effects of curl and other undesirable phenomena in the sheeting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Kato, Tsuyoshi Tanabe
  • Patent number: 6341861
    Abstract: In a conveying apparatus, a convey path is divided into a first convey path portion and a second convey path portion, a discharge tray as an escape portion for temporarily escaping a sheet conveyed in the first convey path portion and for conveying the sheet to the second convey path portion with a tail end of the sheet facing forwardly is provided between the first and second convey path portions, and there are provided nip roller and a D-cut roller as a conveying means which does not apply any load to the sheet when the sheet is being conveyed by a conveying system of an image forming means (first processing portion) and which starts to apply a conveying force to the sheet after conveyance of the sheet effected by the conveying system of the first processing portion is finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norio Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6340256
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable Internet appliance printer for use with a television receiver and monitor and responsive to commands from a remote device for printing user desired information. The printer has a box like rectangular shaped housing conforming in size to that of conventional electronic audio video components such as cable boxes, DVD players, amplifiers, video tapes and the like to facilitate the stacking of the printer with such other components. A base member supports in a front portion of the printer a printbar and associated printheads to provide the user with easy printhead head access. The base member has an open bottom for receiving a removable combination input/output tray cassette. Upon removal of the combination input/output tray cassette, front user access is made available for the purposes of removing a paper jam should one occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Kerry N McKay, Junji Yamamoto, James M Osmus, Caroline Zepeda, Mark A Hay, Victor T Escobedo, Daniel S Kline
  • Publication number: 20020006300
    Abstract: A discharging unit has multiple discharging rollers for transporting sheets downstream from a recording head in the direction of transporting, arrayed in the direction of transporting. Of the multiple discharging rollers, a second discharging roller at the farthest-downstream disposed farthest downstream in the sheet transporting direction is formed with higher precision than a first discharging roller disposed further upstream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Publication date: January 17, 2002
    Inventor: Koichiro Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 6336759
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus including a feeding roller for separating and feeding a sheet, a conveying roller for conveying the sheet, a drive motor directly connected to the conveying roller and capable of being rotated forwardly and reversely, a drive intermittent device for selectively transmitting a driving force from the drive motor to the feeding roller, and a drive switching device for rotating the feeding roller in a conveying direction regardless of a rotational direction of the drive motor, and wherein, in the drive switching device, a spring clutch is used as a one-way clutch for effecting drive transmitting when the drive motor rotates the conveying roller in the conveying direction as forwardly rotation and a clutch of pendulum type is used as a one-way clutch for effecting the drive transmission when the drive motor rotates the conveying roller in a direction opposite to the conveying direction as reverse rotation, and the number of gears is differentiated between the forward rotation and the reve
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuji Nakano
  • Patent number: 6336758
    Abstract: A printer wherein a drive roller of a pair of sheet discharge rollers is made of rubber and a driven roller of the pair of sheet discharge rollers is made of synthetic resin; the leading end of a sheet is guided so as to be abutted against the drive roller earlier than the driven roller; the sheet that is in the course of being discharged is guided by a sheet discharge tray so as to come in slidable contact with an edge portion that is on a print head side of a sheet discharge opening. As a result, the printer can provide satisfactory printing conditions quickly with a simple structure and reduce noise leaking from the sheet discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ishida, Shigeki Mizuno, Kenjiro Murakami, Toshikazu Kotaka, Tatsumi Tsuboki, Motoyuki Niimura, Norio Horaguchi, Yoshiaki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20010051066
    Abstract: A part of the insertion platform 3′ to send the sheets in which the image receiving sheet on which the image is formed, and the transfer sheet onto which the image is to be transferred, are superimposed, to the heat roller pair to heat and press the sheets, in the image transfer apparatus is structured by the member 2G having a function to transmit the light from the lower side. The light transmission function member is any one of a transparent portion, translucent portion, light diffusion portion, or opening portion, and the light source 2L is arranged on its lower side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Inventor: Mitsuru Sawano
  • Patent number: 6325560
    Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Business Machines, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Hirabayashi, Shinji Kanemitsu
  • Publication number: 20010043831
    Abstract: A paper feed unit has a paper feed tray stacking sheets thereon, a primary paper feed roller and a secondary paper feed member, wherein an uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the paper feed tray is transferred toward the secondary paper feed member from the primary paper feed roller, a tip end of the sheet then contacts with the secondary paper feed member, and primary paper feed is then completed while the sheet is being bent. A counter rotation stop mechanism, which allows the primary paper feed roller to rotate in a paper feed direction but prevents the primary paper feed roller from rotating in a counter direction to the paper feed direction, and a rotation stop release mechanism, which releases a state in which the primary paper feed roller is prevented from rotating in the counter direction by the counter rotation stop mechanism, are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sugimoto, Akitoshi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6309120
    Abstract: A printer includes a box-like main body cover, an upper cover, a stacker, and stacker attaching means. The main body cover has an opening and stores a printing unit main body. The upper cover is attached to be able to open/close the opening of the main body cover and pivots about a rear end side of the main body cover as an axis. The stacker is attached to a rear end portion of the upper cover to temporarily place a paper sheet thereon. The stacker attaching means supports the stacker to be pivotal in a direction opposite to a pivoting direction of the upper cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Kasahara
  • Patent number: 6305858
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sheet-fed printing press which includes at least one high performance printing unit, especially a laser printing unit, and several ink jet printing units which are each situated on one of several parallel sheet conveying channels. The sheet conveying channels being connected to a shared input channel on the input side via sheet guides and to several sheet temporary storage devices on the output side. The sheet temporary storage devices are connected in turn to a shared sheet output channel on the output side. The at least one high-performance printing unit is connected to the shared sheet input channel of the ink jet printing units or to the shared sheet output channel of the sheet temporary storage device. The inventive sheet-fed printing press enable quick, problem-free and economical multicolor printing and is simple and economical to produce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Océ Printing Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Hubert Mugrauer
  • Patent number: 6302606
    Abstract: A sheet receiving/stacking device, which has a sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets, a sheet conveying portion for conveying sheets to the sheet stacking portion, and a retractable sheet guiding portion for catching the bottom surface of a sheet and then guiding the sheet to the sheet stacking portion. The sheet guiding portion is moveable between a guide position and a retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyoshi Hayakawa, Teruo Komatsu, Tsuyoshi Waragai, Tomoyuki Araki, Atsushi Ogata, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 6296407
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable Internet appliance printer for use with a television receiver and monitor and responsive to commands from a remote device for printing user desired information. The printer has a box like rectangular shaped housing conforming in size to that of conventional electronic audio video components such as cable boxes, DVD players, amplifiers, video tapes and the like to facilitate the stacking of the printer with such other components. A base member having defines an interior cavity for receiving a removable combination input/output tray cassette and supports from below a low profile printbar including its feed motor, drive motor, associated electronic drivers for controlling the firing of low profile printheads, carriage movement and the moving of paper to print user desired images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Kerry N. McKay, Junji Yamamoto, James M Osmus, Caroline Zepeda, Andrew Chiu
  • Patent number: 6293718
    Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a low-profile and narrow-width printer that has two rollers, a pick roller and a feed roller, and two roller motors. Each one of the two roller motors is used to drive one of the two rollers. As a result, a short gear train can be used to allow a longer paper path for enabling a low height printer. Also, a print media can be picked up from the input tray while another print media is being printed upon by an ink jet printhead or printhead. Thus, throughput of the printer can be enhanced when the printer is printing a multi-page document. Further, the printer straightens out print media that are skewed when picked up by the pick roller. Finally, the printer is able to locate a paper jam by using two sensors, one by the pick roller and the other by the feed roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: James M. Osmus
  • Patent number: 6290409
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable Internet appliance printer having a removable combination input/output tray cassette. An elongated opening centrally disposed in a front wall of the cassette allows a user to determine the amount of paper stored in the cassette without withdrawing the cassette from the printer body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: James M Osmus
  • Patent number: 6287032
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable internet appliance printer having a removable combination input/output tray cassette with a support mounted therein for holding the output tray in substantially horizontal plane when the output tray is extended outwardly from the cassette a sufficient distance to support from below individual sheets of media discharged from the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: James M Osmus, Yeo Chye Kuan Gavin
  • Patent number: 6276852
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low profile stackable Internet appliance printer for use with a television receiver and monitor and responsive to commands from a remote device for printing user desired information. The printer has a box like rectangular shaped housing conforming in size to that of conventional electronic audio video components such as cable boxes, DVD players, amplifiers, video tapes and the like to facilitate the stacking of the printer with such other components. A base member supports in a front portion of the printer a printbar and associated printheads to provide the user with easy printhead head access. The base member has an open bottom for receiving a removable combination input/output tray cassette. Upon removal of the combination input/output tray cassette, front user access is made available for the purposes of removing a paper jam should one occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: James M Osmus
  • Patent number: 6264386
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an apparatus body for printing on recording paper, and a paper feed cassette attached rotatable over a prescribed range on the apparatus body and feeding the recording paper to the apparatus body. As the paper feed cassette is attached rotatable over a prescribed range on the apparatus body, it is possible to freely open/close a top cabinet, even when the printing apparatus is placed without sufficient space therebehind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Sugahara
  • Patent number: 6238114
    Abstract: A print media handling system for an imaging apparatus having a media feed path includes a pair of media support members, each have a first wall defining a media contact surface and a support portion defining a media support surface. The pair of media support members are pivotally mounted to the imaging apparatus for symmetrical operation with respect to a centerline of the media feed path. The pair of media support members define a media bin for receiving printed media. The print media handling system further includes a drive system for operating the pair of media support members between a first position wherein the media support surface of the pair of support members carries a printed media sheet and a second position wherein the printed media sheet is released to fall into the media bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Dan Bennett, III, Michael Craig Leemhuis, David Kyle Murray
  • Patent number: 6210055
    Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of paper cockle by stretching the paper as it progresses along the paper path through the wet colorant printing station of a hard copy apparatus. The hard copy apparatus uses a paper feed belt system as a paper platen in which the belt or set of belts is splayed along the paper path. Firmly adhering a sheet of print media to the belt, or belts, system, such as by use of a vacuum force, as it travels through the apparatus printing zone, stretches the media orthogonally and particularly in an orientation perpendicular to the paper path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Angela S. Chen, Steven P. Downing
  • Patent number: 6146036
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for switching a pickup roller of an inkjet printer to eliminate an unnecessary load due to maintenance of a contact state between the pickup roller and a knockup plate. The device maintains the contact state between the pickup roller and the knockup plate during a paper feed operation by mounting a rotatable cam device on the paper feeder part. The cam separates the pickup roller from the knockup plate according to the rotational direction of the line feed motor 24 as the driving system of the paper feeder part. After the feed operation has ended, the cam separates the pickup roller from the knockup plate and, as a result, an unnecessary load after the paper feed has ended is eliminated. A uniform quality for the line feed can be gained by feeding the paper without an excessive load at the beginning, and accordingly loss of printing quality (white line, etc.) is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: SamSung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong-Hun Kim
  • Patent number: 6132122
    Abstract: A printer architecture provides for significant reduction in overall printer height, allowing front panel of the printer to be used for print cartridge, paper jam, paper load, and print retrieval access. The input paper tray is placed above the output paper tray, behind the scanning print cartridges. The print bar is located adjacent the front panel, allowing the user to easily access paper jams and the print cartridges. This placement of the print bar also facilitates stacking the printer in a racked system or in a consumer entertainment system to perform these necessary functions without removal of the printer from the stack. The output tray is mounted for sliding motion, so that the user can access the printed output upon completion without having to leave an extended paper output during printing. The printing mechanism is located on a slide drawer to allow the user access to load the input tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Andrew R. Robinson, Kerry N. McKay, Kirkpatrick W. Norton
  • Patent number: 6106178
    Abstract: The present invention provides a paper tray for an imaging device that includes both device for holding paper prior to printing thereon, and device for receiving paper exiting from the printer. In this way a single paper tray can both supply to and receive paper from the printer, and therefore it is only necessary to provide access to one side of the printer in which the tray is inserted. The printer may therefore be incorporated as part of a stack of other electrical/electronic items such as audio-visual equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Andrew Shun Pui Chiu
  • Patent number: 6099179
    Abstract: An image recording device having a detachable web roll cassette in which a rolled web sheet is accommodated. The device includes a frame body having a web roll cassette insertion port, a web roll cassette accommodating portion, and a web sheet passage extending from the web roll cassette accommodating portion in a sheet feeding direction. The device also includes a sheet feeding unit including a drive roller and a pinch roller for nipping the web sheet therebetween, and a print head for printing the image on the web sheet fed by the sheet feed unit. A pivot mechanism is provided to move the front end discharge portion of the web roll cassette toward an operating position. The pivot mechanism is also provided with the drive roller for moving the drive roller toward the sheet nipping position when the front end discharge portion is moved to the operating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Higashi, Yasuhiro Shibata, Koshiro Yamaguchi, Kiyoshi Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 6092948
    Abstract: A method and mechanism are provided for supporting and stacking a liquid ink printed sheet moving along an in-track path and direction in a liquid ink printing system and having a flat, cross-track dimension "D1" defined by a first edge and a second and opposite edge of such sheet. The mechanism for the method includes an output tray defining and providing a stacking surface for holding the liquid ink printed sheet in a stack; and a first member having an edge supporting portion and an edge guiding portion for supporting and guiding the first edge of the liquid ink printed sheet, the first member being mounted at a first position having a first desired height distance above the stacking surface, and the first member extending along the in-track path and direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Kenneth W. Altfather
  • Patent number: 6089772
    Abstract: A printer includes a housing defining a media feed portion and a media eject port, the housing being adapted to house a print engine for printing onto recording media. Included in the printer is a base slideably receivable in the housing at a position laterally distanced from the media eject port, the base having at least a pair of recesses extending in a sliding direction of the base. A pair of flaps are included in the printer, each of which has at least one width portion corresponding to the lateral distance between the base and the eject port. Each flap is hinged into a corresponding recess of the base and is biased in an upward direction via a spring which provides for angular motion of the flap relative to the base. Upon sliding action of the base out of the housing, the flaps are biased upward out of the recesses to a height corresponding to the position of the media eject port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Business Machines
    Inventors: Makoto Takemura, Masanori Kaneko, Shinji Kanemitsu
  • Patent number: 6048119
    Abstract: A sheet discharge mechanism is provided which is capable of preventing improper sheet transfer. The sheet discharge mechanism includes discharge rollers for moving a recording paper sheet, and an electric discharge brush adjacent to the discharge roller. The electric discharge brush includes a plurality of filaments for removing electrostatic charge generated at the discharge rollers. The filaments of the brush also prevent the recording paper sheet from being moved in unintended directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Yasuhito Bandai
  • Patent number: 6027270
    Abstract: A sheet-fed printing press having a plurality of stations arranged in a row and including at least one feeder, at least one digital printing unit and at least one delivery, and a common sheet transport path, over which all sheets pass, extending between the at least one printing unit and the at least one delivery, includes a postprocessing unit for the printing press, having a plurality of postprocessing stations arranged in a row, the row of postprocessing stations being disposed parallel to and offset with respect to the row of stations of the printing press, a sheet deflector disposed on the common sheet transport path for feeding the sheets selectively to the at least one delivery and to a collecting container for receiving a batch of sheets, and a displacement device for pushing a batch of sheets, which have been collected in the collecting container, transversely to the general sheet transport direction in the printing press, into an input station of the postprocessing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Martin Greive
  • Patent number: 6027269
    Abstract: According to a discharged sheet stacking apparatus and an image forming apparatus, in which sheet collecting ability can be improved by preventing scattering of discharged sheets, in order to prevent the scattered stacking when sheets having B5 size longitudinal or A5 size longitudinal are discharged and stacked, a discharged sheet stacking portion is provided with two supporting members (high rib and low rib) constituting a scattering preventing means extending in a direction parallel to a sheet discharging direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahito Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6017161
    Abstract: A print head and check flipper subassembly having a removable flipper cartridge allows printing of both sides of a check or other document in one continuous operation, in which the orientation of the check or other document is reversed in relation to a print head, eliminating the need for an operator to remove and reinsert the check during the printing or handling process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: International Business Machine Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Hunter Harris, Robert Andrew Myers, Jeff David Thomas, Kevin Hunter Vorhees