Passbook printer
AssigneeUnisys Corporation
InventorsAlain Keryhuel, Pierre Dupuis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A passbook printer uses a conveyor belt (16) to urge a passbook (86) towards a raised barrier (40) for the passbook (86) to strike the barrier (40) and then have one edge thereof aligned with the barrier (40) by sliding engagement with the conveyor belt (16). After alignment, the barrier (40) is lowered and the passbook (86) is advanced beneath a printhead and sensor assembly (38) which senses the orientation of the passbook (86) and prints thereon in a correct and upright manner regardless of the orientation of the passbook (86).
Claims22
A passbook printer comprising a barrier, a horizontally positioned conveyor belt, a transport apparatus and a printhead assembly, said passbook printer further including means for raising said barrier in response to the placing of an open passbook on said conveyor belt, means for operating said conveyor belt for a predetermined period of time, whereby said conveyor belt conveys said passbook towards said barrier and into engagement with said barrier with an edge of said passbook aligned with the barrier;
- means for lowering said barrier, whereby said passbook becomes free to pass thereover;
- means for operating said transport apparatus for engaging said passbook and transporting said passbook a selectable distance along a path towards said printhead assembly;
- said printhead assembly comprising a sensor, means for moving said sensor across said path and detection means, responsive to said sensor, for detecting the transverse position of said passbook;
- said detection means further including means for detecting a first predetermined mark and a second predetermined mark on said passbook and means for measuring the respective distances, transverse to said path, between said point whereat said detection means detects said passbook and the point whereat said detection means detects said first mark, and between said first and second marks, in order to determine which edge of said passbook has become aligned with said barrier;
- said printhead assembly further comprising a printhead for printing a visible record at a selectable distance transversely to said path from the point whereat said sensor detected said passbook.
A method of printing a line of information on a document, said document having first and second opposed edges and third and fourth opposed edges, said line of information to be printed between said third and fourth edges with the top of said line of information opposing said first edge, said document positioned below a printing mechanism with one of its edges aligned against a reference line, said method including the steps of:
- a--determining if the aligned document edge is said first edge;
- b--if the aligned document edge is said first edge, printing said line of information parallel to said aligned document edge with the top of said line of information opposing said aligned document edge;
- c--if the aligned document edge is not said first edge, determining if the aligned document edge is said second edge;
- d--if the aligned document edge is said second edge, printing said line of information parallel to said aligned document edge with the bottom of said line of information opposing said aligned document edge.
An apparatus for printing on a document, comprising:
- printhead means for printing information on said document;
- feeder tray means for horizontally transporting said document from an initial position towards said printhead means and to an aligned position;
- barrier means, positioned between said feeder tray means and said printhead means, for positioning said document with one of its edges in said aligned position;
- and
- transport means, positioned adjacent to said barrier means, for transporting said document from said aligned position to a first position below said printhead means;
- said printhead means including a printhead, sensor means for detecting reference marks on said document, and printhead control means, responsive to said transport means having transported said document to said first position, for moving said printhead and said sensor means across said document along a path corresponding to said first position;
- said printhead control means including means, responsive to said sensor means, for detecting an edge of said document, for detecting the presence or absence of any of said reference marks across said document along said path corresponding to said first position, and for determining the distance between said detected edge and each of said any reference marks;
- said printhead control means further including means, responsive to the number and distance between any of said reference marks detected, for determining whether the aligned edge of said document is a first edge, a second edge, a third edge or a fourth edge, said first edge defining a top boundary of said document, said second edge defining a bottom boundary of said document, said third edge defining a right boundary of said document and said fourth edge defining a left boundary of said document;
- said printhead control means further including means, responsive to the determination whether the aligned edge of said document is said first edge, said second edge, said third edge or said fourth edge, for controlling said printhead to print a line of information across said document and parallel to said first edge;
- said printhead control means further including means, responsive to said second edge being said aligned edge, for controlling said printhead to print said line of information upside down with respect to said aligned edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.