Method and apparatus for pinless feeding of web to a utilization device

A method for adapting a printing device that feeds a continuous pin feed web in a downstream direction by engaging pin feed perforations on side edges thereof to feed a continuous pinless web having side edges that are free of pin feed perforations, the printing device having a moving tractor pin feed system including a lower tractor pin feed unit, and a high volume rotating image drum located on a web feed path therebetween, and the tractor pin feed system being operatively connected to and moving at a speed that is synchronized with a rotational speed of the rotating image drum, the tractor pin feed system generating a drive movement pulse signal based upon movement of predetermined web length increments therethrough, the method comprising:

• operatively connecting a drive roller, having a confronting idler, to a drive axle of the lower tractor pin feed unit including providing a differential between the drive axle and the drive roller and interconnecting a differential motor to the differential for advancing and retarding a rotation of the drive roller relative to the drive axle, including positioning the drive roller in an alignment that is between opposing tractor pin feed strips of the lower tractor pin feed unit and arranging the opposing tractor pin feed strips out-wardly of respective side edges of the pinless web;
• locating a mark sensor that reads marks located at predetermined intervals on the pinless web and that generates a mark sensor signal in response to reading the marks at a location at a predetermined distance from the image element;
• and
• providing a registration controller that compares the mark sensor signal and the drive movement pulse signal to selectively operate the differential motor to advance and retard the drive roller relative to the lower axle.

A controller for use in a utilization device adapted to feed either of a pin feed continuous web having tractor pin feed holes and a pinless continuous web devoid of pin holes and having marks disposed in an upstream-to-downstream direction therealong at predetermined length intervals having a tractor pin feed system that includes a lower tractor feed unit, wherein the lower tractor feed unit includes opposing moving tractor pin feed strips each having sets of pins located outwardly of opposing side edges of the pinless continuous web, a high volume moving utilization device element, located downstream of the lower tractor feed unit that rotates at an element movement speed and that thereby performs a predetermined operation at selected locations onto either of the pin feed continuous web and the pinless continuous web a drive roller that engages the pinless continuous web at a location upstream of the utilization device element and drives the pinless continuous web toward the utilization device element, a central drive motor that drives the lower tractor pin feed unit at a speed that matches the speed of the utilization device element, a differential having a central drive motor input and a differential input, the differential being operatively interconnected with the drive roller and the differential being constructed and arranged so that the drive roller rotates in conjunction with the central drive motor at a roller rotational speed, wherein the roller rotational speed is varied based upon input movement at the differential input a mark sensor, located at a predetermined distance from the utilization device element that reads occurrences of the marks on the pinless continuous web as the pinless continuous web passes therethrough and that generates a mark sensor signal in response to a sensed occurrence of each of the marks, a transducer, connected to the tractor pin feed system, constructed and arranged to provide a pulse that indicates an amount of movement of the pin feed continuous web through the tractor pin feed system, and a registration controller motor being operatively interconnected to the differential input to drive the differential to thereby vary the roller rotational speed of the drive roller, the controller comprising:

• a first input that receives the mark signal from the mark sensor;
• a second input that receives the pulse from the transducer;
• the controller being constructed and arranged to compare the mark sensor signal to the movement signal and thereby generate a control signal;
• and
• an output for transmitting the control signal to the registration controller motor to, thereby selectively operate the registration controller motor to vary the drive roller rotational speed to maintain a desired rate of passage of pinless continuous web into the utilization device element.