US 4,728,966 AGranted

Printer/feeder having integral control system

AssigneeEastman Kodak Company

InventorsMichael J. Piatt, Douglas S. Maggart, Timothy P. Grayson

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Abstract

A printer/feeder apparatus of the type having: (i) a feed/transport platen rotatable so that its peripheral surface moves past a sheet supply zone, a print path ingress, a print zone and a print path egress; (ii) frictional feed surface located on a peripheral sector of the platen surface and (iii) means for selectively effecting feeding engagement between the face sheet(s) of a stack of sheet media and the feed surface features a detection/control system that includes (a) a first detector for sensing and signalling when and when not a forward edge of the feed surface is at a predetermined start position; (b) a second detector means for sensing and signalling when and when not engagement condition exists; (c) a third detector means for sensing and signalling when and when not a sheet is located along a predetermined portion(s) of the print path; and (d) a control system for receiving signals from the detectors and enabling printing cycles and signalling error conditions.

Claims3

Dependent claims

In printer/feeder apparatus of the type having:

(i) a feed/transport platen rotatable so that its peripheral surface moves past a sheet supply zone, a print path ingress, a print zone and a print path egress;
(ii) frictional feed means located on a peripheral sector of said platen surface from a forward edge to a trailing end and (iii) means for selectively moving the face sheet(s) of a stack of sheet media between engaging and non-engaging conditions vis-a-vis said feed means, a detection/control system comprising:
(a) first detector means for sensing and signalling when and when not the forward edge of said feed means is at a predetermined start position, opposing said sheet stack;
(b) second detector means for sensing and signalling when and when not said moving means is in said engaging condition;
(c) third detector means for sensing and signalling when and when not a sheet is located along a predetermined portion(s) of said print path;
and
(d) control means for receiving signals from said detector means and enabling a commence printing cycle condition.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.