Thumb referencing and drive system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsPaul C. Coffin, Robert L. Mueller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cartridge picker assembly may include a frame having a first side wall and a second side wall positioned in spaced-apart relation and a cartridge access end. A lateral guide surface being substantially parallel to a lateral plane is associated with the first side wall of the frame. A thumb assembly is slidably mounted to the first and second side walls of the frame so that the thumb assembly is capable of moving toward and away from the cartridge access end of the frame. A guide member is mounted to the thumb assembly, engaging the lateral guide surface on the first side wall of the frame so that lateral motion of the thumb assembly is controlled as the thumb assembly moves toward and away from the cartridge access end of the frame.
Claims15
A cartridge picker assembly, comprising:
- a frame having a first side wall and a second side wall positioned in spaced-apart relation;
- a lateral guide surface associated with the first side wall of said frame, said lateral guide surface being substantially parallel to a lateral plane;
- a thumb assembly slidably mounted to the first and second side walls of said frame so that said thumb assembly is capable of moving toward and away from a cartridge access end of said frame;
- and
- a guide member mounted to said thumb assembly, said guide member engaging said lateral guide surface on the first side wall of said frame so that said thumb assembly may move toward and away from the cartridge access end of said frame.
A method for guiding a thumb assembly of a cartridge picker assembly toward and away from a cartridge access end of a frame, comprising:
- providing a first side wall and a second side wall in said frame, placed in spaced-apart relation;
- providing a lateral guide surface associated with the first side wall of said frame being substantially parallel to a lateral plane;
- mounting a guide member to said thumb assembly;
- and
- engaging said guide member with said lateral guide surface on the first side wall of said frame so that lateral motion of said thumb assembly is limited as it is longitudinally moved toward and away from the cartridge access end of the frame.
A cartridge picker assembly, comprising:
- a frame having a first side wall and a second side wall positioned in spaced-apart relation and a cartridge access end;
- a lateral guide surface attached in parallel, spaced-apart relation to the first side wall of said frame;
- a thumb assembly being adapted to selectively engage and disengage a cartridge and being slidably mounted to the first and second side walls of said frame so that said thumb assembly is capable of moving toward and away from the cartridge access end of said frame;
- and
- a guide member mounted to said thumb assembly, said guide member having a width substantially equal to a distance between said lateral guide surface and the first side wall of said frame, said guide member slidably engaging between said first side wall and said lateral guide surface so that said thumb assembly may move toward and away from the cartridge access end of said frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.