Sheet feeding device with compact media path for paper-based and photographic media
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorMichael J. Klausbruckner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet feeding device for a photographic image forming device which has a print part, such as an inkjet. A non-stationary sheet pick device pushes the separated sheet out of the paper tray in an upward angle. Then the separated sheet is pushed towards a sheet feeding roller which in turn forces the sheet through a radius, so that the trailing edge never touches the roller. Then the roller reverses the rotation direction and pushes the sheet backwards. A sheet path control device forces the sheet into a new paper path direction, onto the print table and towards the final sheet advance roller. Forcing the sheet through a radius and providing a paper path which wraps around the print mechanism enables miniaturization of the entire device.
Claims20
A method for feeding a sheet of print media from an input supply device to an ink jet printing device along a media path, comprising:
- picking a sheet having opposed first and second sheet surfaces from the input supply device disposed at a supply location adjacent a first side of the printing device and passing the sheet along the media path;
- transporting the picked sheet in a forward direction along a curved media path portion and a first linear path portion until a trailing edge of the picked sheet passes a predetermined location on the media path, the picked sheet at a location adjacent a second side of the ink jet printing device, wherein the media path through which the picked sheet is transported during this step is wrapped about the ink jet printing device to conserve space, said first linear path portion disposed in a plane generally parallel to an input plane at which the sheets are supplied by the input supply device, said media path through which the sheet is transported during the transporting step is a generally U-shaped path having said first linear path portion and a second generally linear path portion at the input plane joined by the curved path portion, and the ink jet printing device is positioned between the first and second generally linear portions;
- actuating a sheet path control device;
- transporting the picked sheet in a reverse direction, such that the trailing edge in a forward direction sense is now the leading edge in a reverse direction sense, and deflecting the picked sheet with the sheet path control device into a printing/output media path portion;
- and
- passing the picked sheet along the printing/output media path portion through a printing area adjacent the ink jet printing device to an output end of the printing/output media path portion.
A sheet feeding system for feeding a sheet of print media from an input supply device to an ink jet printing device along a media path, comprising:
- a media path defined through the system and having a curved path portion and a linear path portion connected to the curved path portion, the linear path portion disposed in a plane generally parallel to an input plane at which the sheets are supplied by the input supply device such that the input plane, the curved path portion and the linear path portion define a generally U-shaped path, the media path further including a media printing/output path portion, the media path being wrapped about the ink jet printing device such that the ink jet printing device is disposed between the input supply device and the linear path portion;
- a pick apparatus for picking a sheet having opposed first and second sheet surfaces from the input supply device disposed at a supply location adjacent a first side of the printing device and passing the sheet along the media path;
- a sheet drive apparatus for transporting the picked sheet in a forward direction along the curved media path portion until a trailing edge of the picked sheet passes a predetermined location on the media path, wherein the picked sheet is at a transport location adjacent a second side of the ink jet printing device;
- a sheet path control device positioned in said media path;
- the sheet drive apparatus further for transporting tie picked sheet in a reverse direction, such that the trailing edge in a forward direction sense is now the leading edge in a reverse direction sense;
- actuating apparatus for moving the sheet path control device for deflecting the picked sheet with the sheet path control device into the printing/output media path portion;
- and
- apparatus for passing the picked sheet along the printing/output media path portion through a printing area to an output end of the printing/output media path portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.