PRINTER PICK SYSTEM

Abstract

A pick system for a printer is disclosed. The pick system has at least two sets of replacement parts. Each set of replacements parts is tuned for a different type of media.

Description

BACKGROUND

Printers use a variety of media types, for example plain paper, photo paper, transparencies, card stock and the like. The different media types vary in the surface finish of the media, thickness or weight of the media, stiffness of the media, material of the media and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an example pick system 100 for a printer.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of an example pick roller 108.

FIG. 3 is an example block diagram of a printer.

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram of the processor 302 coupled to memory 304.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There are many types of printers, for example LaserJet printers and inkjet printers. Most home or office printers, regardless of the type, feed sheets of media from an input tray through a paper path, past a print zone, and into an output tray. At the beginning of the paper path, a pick system is used to separate the top sheet from the stack of sheets located in the input tray. Once the top sheet has been separated, it is fed through the paper path, past the print zone, and into the output tray.

The pick system typically comprises a pick roller, a separation pad or separation roller, some type of spring tensioning system and may contain a motor lift mechanism. The pick system is typically optimized for the media type most commonly used in the home or office environment. The most commonly used media in the home and office is plain paper. Therefore the pick system is typically optimized for plain paper. When optimizing a pick system, the weight or thickness of the media, the surface finish of the media, the stiffness of the media and the material of the media are considered.

When other types of media that have different characteristics are loaded into the input tray, the pick system may not perform as well. For example, when very thin or light weight media is used, the pick system may have more frequent multi-pick events. A multi-pick event is when more than one sheet of media is fed into the paper path at the same time. When thick media or media with a slick surface finish is loaded into the input tray, the frequency of mispick events may increase. A mispick event is when the pick system is unable to pick the top sheet of media from the stack of media. In some cases a skewed-pick event may occur. A skew-pick event is where the page is picked and separated from the rest of the stack, but some problem causes the page to not be parallel with the paper path direction.

Modern printers are typically designed to print a large number of pages over the life of the printer. Some parts of the printer may wear out quicker than other parts. For example the pick roller in a pick system may wear out before the rest of the print engine. When the pick roller begins to wear out, the frequency of mispicks or multi-picks may increase. Many printers have pick rollers that are user replaceable. Pick rollers are fairly inexpensive compared to the print engine. Therefore replacing the inexpensive pick roller extends the useful life of the more expensive print engine. Currently the pick roller replacement part is the same design as the original pick roller. Therefore when the pick roller is replaced, the pick system is still optimized for plain paper.

In one example, a number of different pick rollers will be available where each pick roller set is designed or tuned for a different type of media. Because the pick roller is user replaceable, a user can select a pick roller set to match the type of media they wish to use. Once the pick roller tuned for that media type is installed, the pick system will have fewer mispicks or multi-picks for media that is different from plain paper. When the user is done using the specialty media and is ready to go back to plain paper, the original pick roller (or a pick roller tuned for plain paper) can be re-installed back into the printer.

By providing a number of different pick roller sets, with each pick roller set tuned for a different media type or groups of media types, good performance of the pick system can be broadened across a much wider range of media types (e.g. the gamut of media types the printer will successfully pick is broadened). In some examples, other pieces of the pick system may also be tuned for different media types, for example the separation roller or separation pad, as well as the spring tensioning device. A number of sets of pick parts may be provided with each set of parts tuned for a different type of media.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an example pick system 100 for a printer. Pick system 100 comprises an input tray 102, a pick roller 108, a separation roller 110 and drive rollers 111 and 112. Input tray 102 has a spring 106 loaded bottom surface 104. A stack of media 116 is shown loaded into input tray 102. Spring loaded bottom surface 104 moves the stack of media 116 upwards as the sheets are fed into the paper path. Pick roller 108 contacts the top sheet of media 118 in the input tray 102. As the pick roller rotates (as shown by the arrow) the top sheet of media is separated from the other sheets in the stack. Sheet 118 is shown moving towards the nip between drive rollers 111 and drive roller 112. Separation roller 110 prevents more than one sheet of media from entering the paper path at a time. Sheet 120 is shown inside paper path. Paper path may comprise additional drive rollers, the print zone and the output tray, but these items are not shown for clarity.

Pick roller 108 has a tensioning system (114 and 106) that controls the force between the pick roller and the top sheet of media 118 in the input tray. The tensioning system may comprise springs, pivot arms, mounting brackets and the like. The amount of force used in tensioning system (114 and 106) may depend on the type of media the pick system is tuned for. Separation roller 110 prevents multiple sheets of media from being passed through the paper path at the same time.

In this example the pick roller 108, the separation roller 110 and at least one spring in the tensioning system (114 and 106) are user replaceable. When the printer is shipped, the pick roller 108, the separation roller 110 and the tensioning system (114 and 106) installed in the printer are tuned for the most commonly used papers (for example plain paper) or media types. When the user wishes to use media that differs from the most commonly used plain paper or plain media types, one or more of the user replaceable parts can be swapped out for parts tuned for that media. In some examples. the pick roller 108, the separation roller 110 and a spring in the tensioning system (114 and 106) may need to be swapped out to tune the pick system for a particular type of media. In other examples only the pick roller may need to be swapped out for a different type of media.

In one example the replacement parts come in different sets of replacement parts, with each set of replacement parts tuned for a different type of media or group of media types. In some examples one or more of the parts in a set of replaceable parts may be color coded. The color code can be matched up with the type of media that set of replacement parts are tuned for. For example, a green color may indicate a set of parts tuned for thin media. A blue color may indicate that the set of replacement parts is tuned for thick or stiff media. In one example the set of parts tuned for plain paper are not marked with a color. In other examples, the set of parts tuned for plain paper will be marked with a color. There may be a number of different sets of replaceable parts. In some examples there may be between 2 and 15 different sets of replacement parts, for example 5 sets of replacement parts. The side of a part or the surface of the part may be the area marked with the different colors or perhaps the whole part structure may be molded in a particular color.

Some types of media may require three or more user replaceable parts to be included in the set of replacement parts for that type of media. Other types of media may only require one or two of the user replaceable parts to tune the pick system for that type of media.

When tuning the pick system for different media types, the parameters of the different replaceable parts may be varied. FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of an example pick roller 108. Pick roller 108 comprises hub or axel 228, compression material 226 and outer material 224. Hub 228 is connected to a drive system that rotates pick roller 108. Compression material 226 is formed around hub 228. Outer material 224 is attached to the outer diameter of compression material 226.

Compression material 226 is typically a flexible material, for example rubber or foam. Compression material in conjunction with the tensioning system, controls how much the surface of outer material deforms when making contact with the media. When compression material 226 is softer or more flexible, more of the surface area of outer material contacts the top sheet of media. Softer or more flexible material can be used to tune the pick roller for stiffer or heavy weight media. When compression material 226 is stiffer or less flexible, less of the surface area of outer material contacts the top sheet of media. Stiffer or less flexible material can be used to tune the pick roller for thin or light weight media. The change in stiffness can be accomplished by a change in material, a change in the physical layout of the part, or both.

Outer material 224 may be selected for its surface properties. Some of the surface properties that can be varied include the roughness of the surface or surface finish, the tackiness or stickiness or the surface, the hardness of the surface, the compliance of the material and the like. These properties generally control the coefficient of friction of the surface of the pick roller. The surface finish can be varied from a smooth finish, to a rough finish, or even a surface with treads or sipings (like a tire). The change in the coefficient of friction of the surface of the pick roller can be accomplished by a change in material, a change in the surface finish, or both. A smooth finish can be used for thin or light weight media. A rough surface or compliant material can be used for a stiff or heavy weight media. In some examples the pick roller may be fabricated from a single material and no outer material 224 is used.

Other properties of the pick roller may be varied, for example the width of the pick roller. A full width pick roller may be used for standard sized paper. A narrower pick roller may be used for media that is not as wide as letter sized paper, for example an envelope.

Similar variations in properties can be used to tune the separation roller or the separation pad for different media types. The tensioning system (114 and 106) can be tuned for different media types by changing one or more springs in the tensioning system (114 and 106). A stronger spring force may be used for stiff or heavy weight media and a weaker spring force may be used for thin or light weight media. The material and design of the roller surface may also be varied to withstand certain paper additives such as calcium carbonate and the like.

In some examples, a label or mark may be attached to the media packaging material. The label or mark may indicate which set of replaceable parts work best for that type of media. In one example the label may match the color code of one of the sets of replaceable parts. In another example the label may indicate the set of replaceable parts to use for the media, for example use the thin media replacement parts. In yet another example, both types of information may be included on the label. In this way the user can easily select the correct set of replaceable parts for the media they wish to use.

In some examples the printer may determine that a different type of media is being used. Some printers have sensors that can measure different media properties, for example surface finish, stiffness, color, thickness, and the like. When the sensors detect a different type of media being used, the printer may recommend a different set of pick parts. In this case the printer may recommend, based on the measured media properties, the set of replaceable pick parts to use with the type of media loaded in the printer.

In other examples, the printer may determine that a different type of media is in use or that a different set of replaceable pick parts is needed by tracking errors in the pick system. The printer may track errors related to the print path and recommend a set of replaceable parts based on recorded errors or machine analysis of combinations, patterns, or frequency of errors. For example when the printer detects a higher frequency of mispicks, the printer may recommend a set of replacement parts tuned for stiffer or heavy weight media. When the printer detects a higher frequency of multi-picks, the printer may recommend a set of replacement parts tuned for thinner or light weight media. The recommendation may be triggered when the frequency of errors exceeds a threshold.

FIG. 3 is an example block diagram of a printer. Printer comprises a processor 302, memory 304, input/output (I/O) module 306, print engine 308, display 314 and controller 310 all coupled together on bus 312. In some examples printer may also have a user interface module, an input device, and the like, but these items are not shown for clarity. Processor 302 may comprise a central processing unit (CPU), a micro-processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination of these devices. Memory 304 may comprise volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and a storage device. Memory 304 is a non-transitory computer readable medium. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and read only memory (ROM). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, static random access memory (SRAM), and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Examples of storage devices include, but are not limited to, hard disk drives, compact disc drives, digital versatile disc drives, optical drives, and flash memory devices.

I/O module 306 is used to couple printer to other devices, for example the Internet or a computer. Printer has code, typically called firmware, stored in the memory 304. The firmware is stored as computer readable instructions in the non-transitory computer readable medium (i.e. the memory 304). Processor 302 generally retrieves and executes the instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to operate the printer and to execute functions. In one example, processor executes code that recommends a replacement part set.

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram of the processor 302 coupled to memory 304. Memory 304 contains software 420. Software 420 contains a pick system module 424. The processor 302 executes the code in pick system module 424 to track pick system errors and recommend replacement parts sets based on the tracked errors. The recommend replacement part set can be displayed on the display 314 (see FIG. 3).

Claims

1. A part system for a printer, comprising:

at least two sets of replacement parts for a pick system in the printer;

a first of the at least two sets of replacement parts is tuned for media of a first type;

a second of the at least two sets of replacement parts is tuned for media of a second type different than the first type of media.

2. The part system of claim 1, wherein each set of replacement parts has at least one part selected from the following group of part types: a pick roller, a separation pad, a separation roller and a spring.

3. The part system of claim 1, wherein at least one part in each set of replacement parts is color coded for the type of media the set of replacement parts is tuned for.

4. The part system of claim 1, where each part in the set of replacement parts is user replaceable.

5. The part system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first pick roller tuned for media of the first type;

a second pick roller tuned for media of the second type;

wherein at least one pick roller feature of the first pick roller is different than the at least one pick roller feature of the second pick roller where the at least one pick roller feature is selected from the following group of pick roller features: coefficient of friction of the surface of the pick roller, compressibility of the pick roller, width of the pick roller and material of the pick roller.

6. The part system of claim 1, further comprising:

a printer, the printer comprising:

a controller coupled to a display and a pick system, the pick system having at least one user replaceable part that can be swapped with a part in each of the at least two sets of replacement parts:

the controller to display a recommended set of replacement parts when media of a different type is detected in the pick system.

7. The part system of claim 6, wherein the controller detects media of a different type by tracking errors, error patterns, or error frequencies in the pick system.

8. The part system of claim 6, further comprising:

a sensor to detect media properties of media in the pick system wherein the controller detects media of a different type by a change in the detected media properties.

9. The part system of claim 1, further comprising:

packaging material for media, the packaging material having a label, the label indicating one of the at least two sets of replacement parts that work with media packaged in the packaging material.

10. The part system of claim 1, where there are between 2 and 15 different sets of replacement parts and each set of replacements parts is tuned for a different media type.

11. A method of printing, comprising:

selecting a type of media;

loading one of at least two sets of replaceable parts into a pick system of a printer where the one of at least two sets of replaceable parts is selected to match the selected media type:

loading the media into the printer and printing on the media.

12. The method of printing of claim 11, wherein each set of replaceable parts has at least one part selected from the following group of part types: a pick roller, a separation pad, a separation roller and a lift spring.

13. The method of printing of claim 11, wherein a label on packaging material for the media indicates the set of replaceable parts to be selected to match the selected media type.

14. The method of printing of claim 11, wherein a first one of the at least two sets of replaceable parts has a first pick roller tuned for media of a first type;

a second one of the at least two sets of replaceable parts has a second pick roller tuned for media of a second type;

wherein at least one pick roller feature of the first pick roller is different than the at least one pick roller feature of the second pick roller where the at least one pick roller feature is selected from the following group of pick roller features: coefficient of friction of the surface of the pick roller, compressibility of the pick roller, width of the pick roller and surface material of the pick roller.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, perform the following steps:

determine when the type of media loaded into a pick system of a printer has changed;

recommend one set of replacement parts from a plurality of sets of replacement parts to be used with the media in the pick system.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining when the type of media loaded into a pick system of a printer has changed is determined by tracking errors in the pick system.