Paper feeding and transport through printers
AssigneeMannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsGuenter Gomoll, Wolfgang Hauslaib
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Multiple paper sources, including several single sheet channels and a tractor driven endless sheet channel, feed a common channel; the single sheets are friction roller driven upstream from the common channel. The common channel is curved and feeds past a flat platen off a downstream friction roller pair which however deflects the paper to hold it taut against the platen. The friction rollers and tractors are reversibly driven and the tractor is separately disconnected from the drive and through a sensor control sheets can be retracted from the platen.
Claims19
In a printer having a bar-shaped printing platen with flat printing surface, a device for feeding individual sheets, as well as endless sheets, to a print position adjacent to the platen, comprising in combination:
- a first feeder channel for single sheets, including a first pair of friction rollers for transporting the individual sheets towards said platen;
- a second feeder channel for endless sheets, including a sheet engaging tractor arranged to bypass said first friction roller pair, and also feeding said endless sheet towards said printing platen, there being a common channel and a merger point and area for feeder paths into which, respectively, either a single sheet or an endless sheet are to be fed;
- means for reversibly driving said first pair of friction rollers;
- means for reversibly driving said tractor;
- and
- means for selectively connecting and disconnecting said tractor from its means for driving said tractor.
In a printer having a bar-shaped printing platen with flat printing surface, a device for feeding individual sheets, as well as endless sheets, to a print position adjacent to the platen, comprising in combination:
- a first feeder channel for single sheets, including a first pair of friction rollers for transporting the individual sheets towards said platen;
- a second feeder channel for endless sheets, including a sheet engaging tractor arranged to bypass said first friction roller pair, and also feeding said endless sheet towards said printing platen;
- a third, curved feeder channel into which the first and second channels merge, said third feeder channel feeding paper into a particular vertical or near vertical direction towards said platen;
- and
- a second pair of friction rollers arranged such that upon engagement with paper as emerging from the third channel, the paper is held by the platen by providing a slight lateral deflection.
In a printer having a bar-shaped printing platen with flat printing surface, a device for feeding individual sheets, as well as endless sheets, to a print position adjacent to the platen, comprising in combination:
- a first feeder channel for single sheets, including a first pair of friction rollers for transporting the individual sheets towards said platen;
- a second feeder channel for endless sheets, including a sheet engaging tractor having a shaft and being arranged to bypass said first friction roller pair, and also feeding said endless sheet towards said printing platen, there being a merger channel into which either a single sheet or an endless sheet are being fed;
- means for reversibly driving said first pair of friction rollers;
- a means for reversibly driving said tractor;
- a second pair of friction rollers downstream from the platen;
- second means for reversibly driving the first and second pairs of friction rollers and the tractor;
- and
- coupling means for causing the means for driving the tractor to selectively engage with and disengage from the tractor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.