EP1952996B1 - Interface d'impression multifonction à profil bas pour dispositif de manipulation de feuilles - Google Patents

Interface d'impression multifonction à profil bas pour dispositif de manipulation de feuilles Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1952996B1
EP1952996B1 EP20080001907 EP08001907A EP1952996B1 EP 1952996 B1 EP1952996 B1 EP 1952996B1 EP 20080001907 EP20080001907 EP 20080001907 EP 08001907 A EP08001907 A EP 08001907A EP 1952996 B1 EP1952996 B1 EP 1952996B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sheet material
print
printer
feed path
interface system
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP20080001907
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1952996A2 (fr
EP1952996A3 (fr
Inventor
Aaron D. Smith
Robert J. Allen
James A. Fairweather
Neil F. Baldino
Thomas M. Lyga
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Pitney Bowes Inc
Original Assignee
Pitney Bowes Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US11/731,298 external-priority patent/US7845639B2/en
Application filed by Pitney Bowes Inc filed Critical Pitney Bowes Inc
Publication of EP1952996A2 publication Critical patent/EP1952996A2/fr
Publication of EP1952996A3 publication Critical patent/EP1952996A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1952996B1 publication Critical patent/EP1952996B1/fr
Ceased legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements  of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
    • B41J11/0095—Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
    • B41J13/009—Diverting sheets at a section where at least two sheet conveying paths converge, e.g. by a movable switching guide that blocks access to one conveying path and guides the sheet to another path, e.g. when a sheet conveying direction is reversed after printing on the front of the sheet has been finished and the sheet is guided to a sheet turning path for printing on the back
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
    • B41J13/10—Sheet holders, retainers, movable guides, or stationary guides
    • B41J13/106—Sheet holders, retainers, movable guides, or stationary guides for the sheet output section
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/60—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing on both faces of the printing material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H29/00—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles
    • B65H29/58—Article switches or diverters
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2402/00—Constructional details of the handling apparatus
    • B65H2402/10—Modular constructions, e.g. using preformed elements or profiles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2402/00—Constructional details of the handling apparatus
    • B65H2402/40—Details of frames, housings or mountings of the whole handling apparatus

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to systems for integrating a printer with accessory equipment, and, more particularly, to a system for integrating a printer with a sheet handling device and, still more particularly, a print interface system for performing conventional print operations in addition to printing content material on demand for use by a downstream module of a sheet handling device.
  • a mail insertion system or a "mailpiece inserter” is commonly employed for producing mailpieces intended for mass mail communications.
  • Such mailpiece inserters are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mail communications where the contents of each mailpiece are directed to a particular addressee.
  • other organizations such as direct mailers, use mailpiece inserters for producing mass mailings where the contents of each mailpiece are substantially identical with respect to each addressee.
  • JP 2002120955 A describes a sheet carrying device and image forming device adapted to accurately detect a rear end position of a sheet material by a sensor even if a rotational position of a carrying passage switching member is switched when the sheet material passes.
  • the sensor is integrally installed on an upper surface of the carrying passage switching member via a support plate so that the sensor integrally rotates with the carrying passage switching member.
  • US 2004/0251609 A1 describes a sheet transport path switching mechanism which includes a movable guide to be moved rotatably about a support shaft parallel to the width direction of a transport path so as to selectively take either a main posture where the movable guide directs a sheet to the downstream side of a main transport path relative to a branch point, and a branch posture where the movable guide directs a sheet to a branch transport path.
  • An engagement hook is provided in an apparatus body and supports a central region in the longitudinal direction of the movable guide to prevent the movable guide from being deformed due to interference with a sheet fed toward the branch transport path- The mechanism prevents deformation of the movable guide while facilitating reduction in material and production costs and adequately meeting requirements of waste treatment.
  • a typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line.
  • Sheets and other raw materials enter the inserter system as inputs.
  • Various modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced.
  • inserter systems prepare mail pieces by arranging preprinted sheets of material into a collation, i.e., the content material of the mail piece, on a transport deck.
  • the collation of preprinted sheets may continue to a chassis module where additional sheets or inserts may be added based upon predefined criteria, e.g., an insert being sent to addressees in a particular geographic region.
  • the collation may be folded and placed into envelopes. Once filled, the envelopes are closed, sealed, weighed, and sorted. A postage meter may then be used to apply postage indicia based upon the weight and/or size of the mail piece.
  • inserters typically require the use of "preprinted" sheets which are presented to the various downstream devices by a feed module for subsequent processing. That is, a mailpiece job run is printed to produce an "ordered" stack of mailpiece content material which may be fed to the mailpiece inserter. Scan codes disposed in the margin of the first or last sheet of each mailpiece document provide the instructions necessary to process the mailpiece, i.e., whether additional inserts will be added, how the content material is to be folded (C-fold, Z-fold, etc.) and/or what size envelop will the content material be contained. To facilitate communication of these instructions, a user computer and a printing device are typically network connected to the mailpiece inserter such that scan codes can be easily printed and interpreted.
  • printers have been integrated with mailpiece inserters so that mailpiece content material may be supplied "on-demand", and/or "just-in-time".
  • inserters having integrated printers include the DI 900 and DI 950 mailpiece inserters manufactured by Pitney Bowes Inc., located in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. While such integration facilitates the flow and handling of mailpiece content material, it is often desirable, if not essential, that the printers used in such mailpiece inserters be repairable, replaceable or interchangeable with other printers.
  • DI 900 and DI 950 inserters employ HP 4350 B&W and HP 4700 color printers
  • OEMs Original Equipment Manufactures
  • duplex printing produces unique requirements inasmuch as a diverter mechanism, typically used in conjunction with printer accessories (such as a stapler or collator), must be controlled to divert sheet material to the mailpiece inserter. That is, while the diverter is typically controlled by the internal printer program code, i.e., when an accessory is added, the diverter must now be controlled in accordance with a different set of algorithms to cooperate with the inserter.
  • printer accessories such as a stapler or collator
  • the printer must be controlled to send sheet material to a stacking tray when being operated as a conventional printing apparatus and to a downstream module of the inserter (typically referred to as the buffer/accumulator or input module) when being used to generate mailpieces.
  • a downstream module of the inserter typically referred to as the buffer/accumulator or input module
  • a print interface system for integrating a printer with a sheet handling device, the printer having an output opening for feeding sheet material
  • the print interface system including: an interface module disposed proximal to the output opening for accepting the sheet material and having upper and lower housing segments, the interface module defining first and second feed paths, a first feed path for directing sheet material to a stacking tray and a second feed path directing sheet material to a downstream module of the sheet handling device, the upper housing segment of the interface module pivotally mounted to the lower housing segment to provide internal access to one of the first and second feed paths; and a repositionable diverter for directing sheet material to one of the first and second feed paths, wherein the diverter is arranged to bifurcate the feed paths such that one feed path is disposed substantially above the other feed path, and wherein the upper housing segment defines the first feed path and includes an output opening leading to the stacking tray, the upper housing segment further including a pair of nip rollers proximal to the terminal end of
  • a print interface system wherein the upper housing segment defines the first feed path and includes an output opening leading to the stacking tray and further comprises a light sensor disposed proximal to the output opening of the stacking tray and a flag lever pivotally mounted to the upper housing segment, the flag lever being rotatable to a threshold rotational position and operative to interrupt the light sensor in response to sheet material accumulating in the stacking tray, the light sensor, furthermore, arranged to issue a signal to an interface controller to terminate print operations when sheet material accumulates in the stacking tray to a threshold level.
  • a print system and a print interface system according to said first aspect, wherein the printer includes a lever arm pivotally mounted to the output opening of the printer and a light sensor, the lever arm operative to interrupt the light sensor upon rotating to a threshold position, the light sensor, furthermore, operative to issue a terminate print operation signal to the printer when interrupted by the lever arm, and further comprising a stop mechanism, responsive to an actuation signal from the interface controller, for rotating the lever arm to interrupt the light sensor.
  • a print interface system including a printer integrated in combination with a sheet handling system such as a mailpiece inserter.
  • the print interface system facilitates the handling of sheet material in various operating modes, including conventional printing, duplex printing, and mailpiece creation modes.
  • the system includes an interface module having upper and lower housing segments defining first and second feed paths.
  • a first feed path directs sheet material to a stacking surface of the upper housing segment and a second feed path directs sheet material to a downstream module of the sheet handling device.
  • a repositionable diverter bifurcates the path exiting the printer to direct sheet material to one of the two feed paths.
  • the upper housing segment is pivotally mounted to the lower housing segment to provide internal access to one of the first and second feed paths.
  • inventive print interface system and control algorithms therefor are described in the context of a mailpiece inserter system, though the inventive interface system may be used in combination with any sheet handling device which requires printing "on-demand” or "on request".
  • inventive interface system is described in the context of a DI 900 Model Mailpiece Inserter, i.e., a mailpiece creation system produced by Pitney Bowes Inc., located in Stamford, State of Connecticut, USA, though the inventive subject matter may be employed in any mailpiece inserter and/or with any print manager software used in the printing/creation of mailpieces, such as PBFirst ®.
  • PBFirst is a registered trademark of Pitney Bowes Inc. and is a software product for printing/producing mailpieces processed by a mailpiece inserter system.
  • the printers described herein include the HP 4350 BW and HP 4700 Color printers manufactured by Hewlett Packard Company, located in Palo Alto, State of California, U.S.A.
  • a dedicated printer 8 is integrated with the mailpiece inserter 10 and is disposed upstream of various inserter devices (also referred to as downstream devices relative to the printer 8) which handle and process the mailpiece content material 12.
  • inserter devices also referred to as downstream devices relative to the printer 8
  • the terms "mailpiece content material”, “printed material”, “sheets” and /or "sheet material” will used interchangeably.
  • an HP 4350 and HP 4700 model printer manufactured by Hewlett Packard (HP), is integrated with the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • the HP 4350 printer system is a black & white printer having an output rate of approximately fifty-five (55) pages per minute.
  • the HP 4700 is a color printer having an output rate of approximately thirty (30) pages per minute.
  • a mechanical buffer or page buffer 16 is disposed downstream of the printer 8 and, inter alia, functions to monitor/track the throughput of printed pages 12 being processed by the mailpiece inserter 10. More specifically, the page buffer 16 receives printed pages 12 from the printer 8 and includes a plurality of sequential page stations 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e disposed along a serial feed path. Position sensing devices 20 are located at or along each of the page stations 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e and monitor the rate that printed pages enter or leave the page buffer 16.
  • the sensing devices 20 are operative to issue position signals 22 to a system controller 24 such that the inserter 10 may determine whether a page or sheet 12 is positioned at a particular one of the page stations 18a, 18b,18c, 18d, 18e.
  • the sensing devices 20 are photocells, though any position sensor 20 may be employed.
  • the rate of change of the position signals 22 may be used by the controller 24 to determine the rate at which the throughput of the content material 12 is processed.
  • the "throughput” or “throughput rate” is the magnitude at which sheet material 12 is processed, whether in terms of a steady number of "sheets per unit time", bundles of sheets (e.g., bundles of five (5) sheets requested every several seconds) or a non-steady flow of sheets.
  • any downstream device may be adapted to issue a throughput signal indicative of the rate that content material 12 or mailpieces are processed by the inserter 10.
  • downstream devices may additionally, or alternatively, include an accumulator 25, a pre-fold accumulator 26, a folder 27, an envelope inserter 28, and/or a sealer 29.
  • the system controller 24 monitors the throughput data and issues command signals 30 indicative of the number of pages 12 to be printed by the integrated printer 8. More specifically, the command signals 30 are indicative of a specific page number to begin printing along with the number of pages 12 to follow. For example, the controller 24 may issue command signals 30 requesting the printer 8 to generate page number thirty (Page # 30) plus five (5) additional pages of data. Before this request is issued to the printer (in the more conventional sense), the controller 24 issues the command through a page-based language monitor 34. In the preferred embodiment, the system controller 24 generally issues a command signal 30 to print between three (3) to seven (7) pages with each request, though several command signals 30 may be generated within a very short period of time.
  • the mailpiece inserter 10 further includes a User Interface Module (UIM) 36 interposing the mechanical page buffer 16 and the system controller 24.
  • the UIM 36 is responsive to the position signals 22 of the mechanical page buffer 16 for determining when additional pages, sheets or content material 12 can be accepted by the page buffer 16.
  • the UIM 36 is operative to issue a request signal 38 to the system controller 24, which request signal 38 is indicative of the number of mailpiece content pages 12 to be printed.
  • conversion of the position signals 22 to a command signal 30 may be performed by either the system controller 24 or by the UIM 36, depending upon where the program logic/intelligence is located.
  • the controller 24 may have received a message that the print job, i.e., determined at the User PC 14, is complete. Consequently, in this instance, the controller 24 will not forward a command signal 30 to the language monitor 34 for issuance to the printer 8.
  • the page-based language monitor 34 receives print stream data from a page-based print processor 40 and is interposed between the system controller 24 and the dedicated printer 8.
  • the LM 34 is the gate-keeper of data communicated to the printer 8 from the controller 24. More specifically, the LM 34 retains material content data, including an object-data dictionary, for each page of material content and triggers the printer 8 to generate a particular page (i.e., page number) along with N number of additional pages. While this request to print is made by the controller 24, the LM 34 contains the active program code which intercepts the print stream data, i.e., the print control language (PCL), from the printer driver to throttle the rate at which content material 12 is generated by the printer 8.
  • PCL print control language
  • the page-based LM 34 is operative to vary the flow of print stream data to the printer 8 and vary the production rate of mailpiece content material.
  • the LM 34 includes a buffer file capable of storing 300 MB (300,000,000 bytes) of data and, accordingly, the buffer file is capable of storing multiple pages of data, including duplex pages.
  • a "page" of data includes all data which may be found on a one or two-sided sheet of paper.
  • the LM 34 and print processor 40 issue a print command signal 44 to throttle/control the output of the printer in order to be consistent with or match the throughput of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • a print command signal 44 to throttle/control the output of the printer in order to be consistent with or match the throughput of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • additional or more frequent requests for additional printed pages can be made.
  • requests can be made for a fewer number of printed pages or at less frequent intervals to prevent an overload condition or too many sheets from being printed over a prescribed period of time.
  • printer throughput and/or operation should not be adversely impacted when performing specialized functions such as duplex printing.
  • some printers feed duplex-printed pages to an upper output tray rather than to an accessory feed path.
  • certain sheet handling equipment such as certain mailpiece inserters
  • various control and/or feed path modifications must be performed without impacting throughput or creating new/additional modes of failure.
  • high-output printers are costly pieces of capital equipment, it is oftentimes necessary that the printer be used in multiple modes to justify/amortize the original investment. Consequently, the printer may necessarily include a suitable interface to operate both independently and in conjunction with the sheet handling device.
  • printers such as the HP 4350 BW printer, feed duplex-printed pages to an output tray rather than to an accessory feed path. That is, these printers are preprogrammed by the OEM to feed duplex-printed pages to an upper output tray.
  • FIG. 3 an inventive print interface system 50 is shown, including various structural/control modifications to address the challenges associated with duplex printing. More specifically, the print interface system 50 is disposed between a printer 52 and a mailpiece inserter 10.
  • the printer 52 includes multiple feed paths FFP, SFP for feeding sheet material 12 to an upper output/staging tray 54 or to a page buffer 16 similar to that described in the preceding paragraphs.
  • a first feed path FFP manipulates sheet material 12 internally of the printer 52 such that, following a first operation (denoted by dashed lines in Fig. 3 ), the sheets 12 are passed or staged to the upper staging tray 54.
  • the first operation involves passing the sheet material 12 past a print head 55 for printing on a first face surface of the sheet material 12.
  • the sheet material 12 reverses direction and re-enters the printer 52 such that a second face of the sheet 12 may pass the print head 55 for printing on the reverse face of the sheet material 12 (i.e., an operation denoted by the dotted line in the Figure),
  • a second face of the sheet 12 may pass the print head 55 for printing on the reverse face of the sheet material 12 (i.e., an operation denoted by the dotted line in the Figure)
  • other pages 12 are being handled/ conveyed within the printer 52 such that several pages may pass the print head 55 to print on one face or an opposite face of the sheet 12. That is, to maximize throughput in the duplex printing mode, several sheets 12 may simultaneously be conveyed or handled internally of the printer 52.
  • two or more sheets may be printed on one face sheet before one of these same sheets is printed on its opposite face.
  • the print interface system 50 includes a controllable/positionable diverter 56 having at least two positions.
  • a first position shown in Fig. 4a sheets of material 12 are fed to the upper staging tray 54 in much the same manner as previously performed to reverse the direction of the sheets 12. That is, after printing on one face, the diverter 56 sends sheets 12, i.e., sheets which have now been printed on a single side, along the first feed path FFP to the upper staging tray 54.
  • the diverter 56 sends the sheets 12, i.e., sheets which have now been printed on both sides, along the second feed path SFP to the page buffer 16 (see Fig. 4b ).
  • a first sheet sensor 60 is disposed proximal to a first printer opening 63, which outputs sheets 12 to the staging tray 54, and a second sheet sensor 60 is disposed immediately upstream of the diverter 56. More specifically, the first sheet sensor 60 optically detects the passage of the leading edge of a sheet 12 as it momentarily enters the staging tray 54 and subsequently reverses direction to re-enter the printer 52. The second sheet sensor 62 optically detects the passage of the trailing edge of a sheet 12 as it passes the diverter 56 into the page buffer 16 of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • sheets of material 12 are printed on one side and are diverted to the upper staging tray 54.
  • the diverter 56 is spring-biased in a first direction, or to a position causing the sheets to follow the first feed path FFP, through the first printer opening 63 and past the first sensor 60.
  • a staging signal 60S is issued to a controller 66 and an internal timer or clock 68 therein is set/started.
  • many staging signals 64 may be issued thereby setting several timers 68 within the controller 66.
  • the second print operation i.e., the operation which prints on the opposing face of the duplex-printed sheet, consumes a fixed period of time X (in seconds)
  • X in seconds
  • the controller 66 is responsive to the staging signal 60S issued by the first sensor to reposition the diverter 56 from a first position to a second position for directing sheets to the mailpiece inserter 10. Specifically, however, the controller 66 is operative to reposition the diverter 56 following a threshold period of time X from receipt of the staging signal.
  • the threshold period X is between 3.0 to 4.0 seconds, and, more precisely, between about 3.3 to about 3.7 seconds.
  • the second sensor 62 issues a position signal 62P to the controller 66. That is, when the trailing edge of a sheet 12 passes the optical beam 62B of the second sensor 62, the controller 66 is responsive to the position signal 62P to rapidly reposition the diverter 56 from the second position to its original or first position. Accordingly, the first and second sensors 60, 62 communicate with the controller 66 to ensure that a duplex-printed page 12 is ready to be diverted to the page buffer 16 and has safely past the mechanism of the diverter 56.
  • the print interface system 50 includes a mechanism 70 for actuating the diverter 56. Furthermore, the mechanism 70 is adapted to permit separation and/or disengagement of the printer 12 relative to the page buffer 16 of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • the mechanism 70 includes a linear actuator 72, a bell crank 74, a lever arm 76 and a plunger 78. More specifically, the linear actuator 72 and bell crank 74 are mounted to a housing structure 16H (see Fig. 3 ) of the page buffer 16 while the lever arm 76 and plunger 78 are affixed to a bridge structure 52H ( Fig. 3 ), i.e., a structure bridging the output openings (i.e., staging and accessory output areas) of the printer 52.
  • the mechanism 70 is adapted to overcome the spring bias force, thereby repositioning the diverter 56 to its second position, i.e., for directing sheet material 12 to the page buffer 16 of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • the actuator 72 retracts linearly to pivot the bell crank 74 in a counterclockwise direction about a pivot point 74P.
  • a displacement device 74D e.g., a cylindrical pin, follows an arcuate path to engage a cam surface 76CS at a first end 76 E1 of the lever arm 76.
  • the downward displacement of the lever arm 76 is transferred to the plunger 78 by means of a slotted yoke/pin coupling 80 formed at the juncture of the second end 76 E2 of the lever arm 76 and the upper end of the plunger 78. Additionally, the downward motion of the plunger 78 is, in turn, transferred to an actuation pin 82 which engages the diverter 56. Finally, the actuation pin 82 engages a surface of the diverter 56 to effect a force couple or moment M about the pivot mount 56P of the diverter 56. The moment force M, therefore, alternately repositions the diverter 56 between its actuating or sheet diverting positions.
  • the bell crank 74 and lever arms 76 are not positively coupled (i.e., the coupling-free interface defined by the interaction of a pin 74D and a cam surface 76 cs ), these elements may be freely separated by the horizontal displacement of the printer 52 relative to the page buffer 16. That is, by separating the printer 52 and page buffer 16 horizontally, in the direction of arrows HL, HR, the print interface system 10 facilitates removal, replacement or repair of the printer 52 and/or printer components which may be accessible only by separating the components.
  • the printer must be controlled to send sheet material to a stacking tray when being operated as a conventional printing apparatus and to a downstream module of the inserter when being used to generate mailpieces.
  • the print interface In addition to adapting the print interface for use in multiple modes, it is oftentimes desirable to minimize the impact on the external dimensions of the printer or sheet handling device, e.g., the height dimension, for ergonomic considerations and/or to minimize the overall space envelope occupied by the integrated sheet handling system.
  • a printer 90 has a single output opening 92 for feeding sheet material 12. While such printer 90 has the advantage of predefined program code to accommodate duplex printing, i.e., without the requirement to stage sheet material to an output tray, a disadvantage relates to its inability to stack sheet material for conventional print operations. That is, the printer 90 lacks a dedicated output tray for stacking printed sheet material.
  • the print interface system 100 includes an interface module 102 disposed proximal to the output opening 92 for diverting sheet material 12 along one of two feed paths PHP, STP.
  • the first feed path PHP directs sheet material 12 to the page buffer 16 of the mailpiece inserter 10 while the second feed path STP directs sheet material 12 to a stacking tray 105.
  • the interface module 102 includes upper and lower housing segments 104a, 104b wherein the upper housing segment 104a is pivotally mounted to the lower housing segment about a pivot axis 106.
  • the first feed path (also referred to as the page buffer path) PHP is defined by the combination of the upper and lower housing segments 104a, 104b and, more specifically, by a lower housing surface 108 of the upper housing segment 104a and an upper conveyor surface 110 of the lower housing segment 104b. Additionally, the upper and lower housing segments 104a, 104b, each include a plurality of rolling elements 116R, 118R projecting from the respective lower housing and conveyor surfaces 108, 110.
  • the rolling elements 116R, 118R are aligned such that upon closure of the housing segments 104a, 104b (i.e., about the pivot point or axis 106), the rolling elements 116R, 118R define drive nips 119 to convey the sheet material 12 along the paper handling feed path PHP.
  • a spring-biased latching mechanism 104L is disposed in combination with the upper housing segment 104a to engage a recess 104R of the lower housing segment 104b for the purpose of securing the housing segments 104a, 104b. More specifically, a retention pin 104P is disposed at an end portion of the latching mechanism 104L and is spring biased to positively engage an L-shaped portion of the recess 104R. Additionally, the position of the drive nips 119 is maintained by the latching mechanism 104L.
  • the second feed path or stacking tray path STP is defined internally of or within the upper housing segment 104b and, more specifically, is disposed between a lower feed surface 112 and an upper guide surface 114 thereof.
  • the lower feed surface 112 is disposed above the lower housing surface 106 and the upper guide surface 114 is defined by a wedge-shaped cap or cover 116.
  • the second feed path STP terminates in an opening 122 leading to the stacking surface 105 and includes a pair of nip rollers 124 proximal to the terminal end of the stacking path STP.
  • a repositionable diverter 120 is disposed upstream of the first and second feed paths PHP, STP to bifurcate the feed paths PHP, STP.
  • the diverter 120 causes the content material 12 to follow one of the feed paths PHP, STP toward either the stacking tray 105 or to the page buffer 16 of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • the system controller 24 commands or requests content material 12 from the printer 90 in accordance with the throughput commands signals 30 (see Fig. 1 ).
  • the controller 24 commands the diverter to assume one of two positions.
  • the diverter 120 is commanded to an upward position (depicted as dashed lines in Fig. 3 ) such that the sheet material 12 is directed along the paper handling path PHP and toward the page buffer 16.
  • the print interface system 10 of the present invention takes advantage of the length of its paper handling feed path PHP. That is, inasmuch as the feed path PHP spans a length equal to the length of a sheet, the interface module 100 is adapted to define at least one of the page stations (e.g., page station 18a) of the page buffer 16. That is, a position sensor 126 is disposed in the paper handling feed path PHP of the interface module 100 and is operative to issue position signals 22 to the controller 24 of the mailpiece inserter 10.
  • this signal 22 in combination with other position signals 22 from each of the remaining page stations 18b, 18c, 18d, and 18e, may be used to derive throughput data indicative of the number of pages which can be accepted by the page buffer 16.
  • the repositionable diverter 120 is disposed to a downward position (depicted as solid lines in Fig. 5 ).
  • sheet material 12 is sensed by an optical sensor 128 (see Fig. 5 ) to drive nips 124 to convey sheet material to the stacking tray 105. More specifically, the optical sensor 128 sends a signal to the controller 24 to drive a motor 132 (see Fig. 6 ) internally of the upper housing 104a to augment the transport of sheet material to the upper stacking tray.
  • the invention may also be adapted to a method for integrating a printer with a mailpiece inserter. More specifically, the pivotal mount of the upper and lower segments 104a, 104b enables the interface module 100 to define dual feed paths STP, PHP while maintaining a minimal height dimension, i.e., a low profile, and a minimal space or total length envelope. One of the feed paths direct sheet material 12 to the upper stacking tray 105 while the other feed path directs sheet material 12 to the page buffer 16.
  • the method provides an opportunity to optimally utilize the spatial envelop of the interface module 100. That is, the length of the page buffer feed path PHP may be utilized to function as one of the page stations of the page buffer 16. Accordingly, the requirement for increased height or length in the page buffer 16 to provide another page station may be eliminated.
  • the interface module 100 is also adapted to include a mechanism for terminating print operations when the stacking tray 105 has been filled to capacity. More specifically, and referring to Fig. 7 , the printer 52 as originally provided by the OEM, includes a stacking tray (not shown) which is removed to accommodate the interface module 100. When printed sheet material fills the stacking tray, a lever arm 140 is provided to terminate print operations. That is, when printed sheet material accumulates to a threshold level, the lever arm 140 pivots upward, i.e., from a first position (shown in dashed lines in Fig. 7 ) to a second position (shown in solid lines).
  • the lever arm 140 includes a flag 142 to interrupt a first light sensor 144 when the lever arm 140 remains in position for a predetermined period of time, e.g., thirty (30) seconds.
  • the light sensor 144 then issues a terminate print signal 146 to the printer to discontinue print operations.
  • a flag lever 150 is similarly provided at the output end or opening 122 of the stacking tray feed path STP. More specifically, the flag lever 150 pivots upward, from a first position (shown in dashed lines) to a second position (shown in solid lines), to interrupt a second light sensor 154. When the flag lever 150 reaches a threshold rotational position, a signal 156 is issued to the controller 24 to terminate print operations. Inasmuch as the interface controller 24 is not in direct communication with the printer controller 52C, a stop mechanism 160 cooperates with the lever arm 140 of the printer 52 to discontinue or terminate print operations.
  • the interface controller 24 issues an actuation signal 162 to a linear actuator or solenoid 164 which is pivotally mounted to an actuation arm 166.
  • a piston rod 168 of the solenoid 164 moves linearly to effect rotation of the actuation arm 166, i.e., in a counterclockwise direction from a first position (shown in dashed lines) to a second position (shown in solid lines).
  • the actuation arm 166 engages the lever arm 140 to effect lift and rotation, i.e., as if the rotation were effected by the accumulation of sheet material.
  • the stop mechanism 160 simulates a "full stack" or "tray full" condition to terminate print operations.
  • the above described configuration introduces a time delay with respect to terminating print operations. That is, the flag lever 150 actuates the light sensor 154 which, in turn, actuates the lever arm 140 and corresponding light sensor 144 through the stop mechanism 160. Further, the lever arm 140 must interrupt the light sensor 144 for a predetermined or threshold period of time, e.g., thirty (30) seconds, before print operations are terminated.
  • a predetermined or threshold period of time e.g., thirty (30) seconds
  • the flag lever 150 and light sensor 154 may be pre-positioned in advance such that additional sheet material may accumulate during the lag period. For example, if sheet material is output at a rate of one (1) sheet for every two (2) seconds, then the flag lever 150 may be advanced to trip the light sensor 154 such that fifteen (15) additional sheets may be added to the stacking tray 105 before reaching full capacity. Accordingly, during the thirty second (30) lag delay, fifteen (15) sheets may continue to be delivered or accumulate without exceeding the stacking tray capacity.
  • the print interface system which is low profile to facilitate handling of stacked sheet material.
  • the print interface system is, furthermore, adapted to accommodate both conventional printing and mailpiece creation modes of operation.
  • a low profile interface is affected by parallel feed paths, i.e., a stacking tray feed path and a sheet handling feed path, wherein sheet material is directed to one of two feed paths by a repositionable diverter.
  • the print interface system furthermore, includes an interface module having upper and lower housing segments wherein the upper housing segment is pivotally mounted to the lower housing segment to facilitate handling and feeding through the stacking tray and sheet handling feed paths.
  • the interface module includes various other mechanisms to augment and duplicate the feeding of sheet material to the upper stacking tray.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Pile Receivers (AREA)
  • Collation Of Sheets And Webs (AREA)

Claims (8)

  1. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) pour intégrer une imprimante (52, 90) avec un dispositif de manipulation de feuilles (10), l'imprimante (52, 90) ayant une ouverture de sortie (92) pour alimenter le matériau de feuille (12), le système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) comprenant :
    un module d'interface (102) disposé à proximité de l'ouverture de sortie (92) pour accepter le matériau de feuille et ayant des segments de logement supérieur et inférieur (104a, 104b), le module d'interface (102) définissant des première et seconde trajectoires d'alimentation (FFP, STP ; SFP, PHP), une première trajectoire d'alimentation (FFP, STP) pour diriger le matériau de feuille (12) vers un plateau d'empilement (54, 105) et une seconde trajectoire d'alimentation (SFP, PHP) dirigeant le matériau de feuille (12) vers un module en aval du dispositif de manipulation de feuilles (10),
    le segment de logement supérieur (104a) du module d'interface (102) étant déplacé de manière pivotante vers le segment de logement inférieur (104b) pour fournir l'accès interne à l'une des première et seconde trajectoires d'alimentation (FFP, STP ; SFP, PHP) ; et
    un dérouteur repositionnable (56,120) pour diriger le matériau de feuille (12) vers l'une des première et seconde trajectoires d'alimentation (FFP, STP ; SFP, PHP),
    dans lequel le dérouteur (56, 120) est agencé pour faire bifurquer les trajectoires d'alimentation de sorte qu'une trajectoire d'alimentation est disposée sensiblement au-dessus de l'autre trajectoire d'alimentation, et
    dans lequel le segment de logement supérieur (104a) définit la première trajectoire d'alimentation (FFP, STP) et comprend une ouverture de sortie (122, 63) menant au plateau d'empilement (54, 105), le segment de logement supérieur (104a) comprenant en outre une paire de rouleaux pinceurs (116R, 119) à proximité de l'extrémité terminale de la trajectoire d'empilement, un capteur (60) pour détecter le matériau de feuille (12) alimenté le long de la trajectoire d'empilement et un moteur (132) pour entraîner les rouleaux pinceurs (116R, 119) afin d'augmenter le transport du matériau de feuille (12) vers le plateau d'empilement.
  2. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le segment de logement supérieur (104a) définit une surface de face inférieure (108) et le segment de logement inférieur (104b) définit une surface de transporteur (110), les surfaces de face inférieure (108) et de transporteur (110), en combinaison, définissant la trajectoire d'alimentation de manipulation de feuilles.
  3. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel les segments de logement supérieur et inférieur (104a, 104b) comprennent chacun une pluralité d'éléments roulants (116R, 118R) et dans lequel les éléments roulants d'un segment de logement sont opposés aux éléments roulants correspondants du segment de logement inférieur (104b) pour définir des espaces entre les rouleaux d'entraînement (119) pour transporter le matériau de feuille (12) le long de la seconde trajectoire d'alimentation (SFP, PHP).
  4. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le module d'interface (102) comprend un mécanisme de verrouillage (104L) afin de maintenir les positions relatives des segments de logement supérieur et inférieur (104a, 104b) alors que le système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) est en fonctionnement.
  5. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le module d'interface (102) est agencé pour amener le matériau de feuille (12) vers un butoir de page (16) d'un dispositif d'insertion de courrier (10), et dans lequel la trajectoire d'alimentation de manipulation de feuille (SFP, PHP) est adaptée pour servir de station de page (18a-e) du butoir de page (16).
  6. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel la trajectoire d'alimentation de manipulation de feuilles (SFP, PHP) comprend un capteur de position (126) le capteur de position (126) étant opérationnel pour transmettre des signaux de position (22) à un organe de commande (24) du dispositif d'insertion de courrier (10) pour déterminer son débit et pour étrangler une sortie de l'imprimante (52, 90).
  7. Système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le segment de logement supérieur (104a) définit la première trajectoire d'alimentation (FFP, STP) et comprend une ouverture de sortie (122, 63) menant au plateau d'empilement (54, 105) et comprend en outre un capteur de lumière (128, 154) disposé à proximité de l'ouverture de sortie (122, 63) du plateau d'empilement (54, 105) et un levier indicateur (150) monté de manière pivotante sur le segment de logement supérieur (104b), le levier indicateur (150) pouvant tourner jusqu'à une position de rotation de seuil et étant opérationnel pour interrompre le capteur de lumière (154, 128) en réponse au matériau de feuille (12) s'accumulant dans le plateau d'empilement (54, 105), le capteur de lumière (154, 128) étant en outre agencé pour transmettre un signal (156) à un organe d'interface (24) pour achever les opérations d'impression lorsque le matériau de feuille (12) s'accumule dans le plateau d'empilement (54, 105) jusqu'à un niveau de seuil.
  8. Système d'impression comprenant : une imprimante (52, 90) ; et le système d'interface d'impression (50, 100) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel l'imprimante (52, 90) comprend un bras de levier (150) monté de manière pivotante sur l'ouverture de sortie (92) de l'imprimante (52, 90) et un capteur de lumière (154, 128), le bras de levier (150) étant opérationnel pour interrompre le capteur de lumière (154, 128) après avoir tourné jusqu'à une position de seuil, le capteur de lumière (154, 128) étant en outre opérationnel pour transmettre un signal d'interruption d'opération d'impression à l'imprimante lorsqu'il est interrompu par le bras de levier (150), et comprenant en outre un mécanisme de butée, en réponse à un signal d'actionnement (162) provenant de l'organe de commande d'interface (24), pour faire tourner le bras de levier (150) afin d'interrompre le capteur de lumière (154).
EP20080001907 2007-02-05 2008-02-01 Interface d'impression multifonction à profil bas pour dispositif de manipulation de feuilles Ceased EP1952996B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US89955807P 2007-02-05 2007-02-05
US11/731,298 US7845639B2 (en) 2007-02-05 2007-03-30 Multi-function low profile print interface for a sheet handling device

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1952996A2 EP1952996A2 (fr) 2008-08-06
EP1952996A3 EP1952996A3 (fr) 2012-12-12
EP1952996B1 true EP1952996B1 (fr) 2014-04-30

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Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5337134A (en) * 1992-08-11 1994-08-09 Fujitsu Limited Sheet inverting unit and an imaging forming apparatus employing the same
JP4669599B2 (ja) * 2000-07-25 2011-04-13 キヤノン株式会社 画像形成装置
JP3935313B2 (ja) * 2000-10-13 2007-06-20 株式会社リコー シート搬送装置及びそれを装着した画像形成装置
US7216866B2 (en) * 2003-04-28 2007-05-15 Kyocera Mita Corporation Sheet transport path switching mechanism
JP4224687B2 (ja) * 2003-05-09 2009-02-18 富士ゼロックス株式会社 シート排出装置及びこれを用いたシート処理装置

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EP1952996A2 (fr) 2008-08-06
EP1952996A3 (fr) 2012-12-12

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