Tandem printer printing apparatus
OwnerJohn S. Cornellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing assembly comprises a first printer for printing documents encoded in computer generated signals and a second printer for printing documents encoded in computer generated signals, the documents including alphanumeric characters, charts and graphics. The printers are disposed one above the other and are connected in tandem to one another via a multiple-page continuous web of paper extending along a U- or C-shaped path from a paper output port of the first printer to a paper feed port of the second printer. A computer for generating a signal encoding a multiple page document is coupled via connection componentry to the printers for transmitting odd pages in encoded form to one of the printers and even pages to the other printer.
Claims20
A printing assembly comprising:
- a desktop-type first laser printer;
- a desktop-type second laser printer substantially identical to said first laser printer, said first laser printer and said second laser printer each having a paper feed port on one side and a paper output port on a substantially opposite side, said first laser printer and said second laser printer each being disposed in an upright orientation, said second laser printer being disposed below said first laser printer in a reversed orientation relative to said first laser printer so that a printing substrate travels in opposite directions through the two printers, the paper output port of said first laser printer being located substantially vertically above the paper feed port of said second laser printer, the paper feed port of said first laser printer being located substantially vertically above the paper output port of said second laser printer;
- a digital processor operatively connected to data inputs of said first laser printer and said second laser printer, said processor being programmed to detect odd pages and even pages in an electronically encoded document, to separate odd pages from even pages, and to transmit odd pages of said document to said first laser printer and even pages of said document to said second laser printer, said processor being further programmed to synchronize operation of said first laser printer and said second laser printer so that opposite sides of essentially every sheet portion bear consecutive pages;
- and
- a paper guide disposed between (1) the paper output port of one of the laser printer and (2) the paper feed port of the other of said laser printer for guiding paper from said one of said laser printers to said other of said laser printers.
A printing assembly comprising:
- first printer for printing documents encoded in computer generated digital signals;
- a second printer for printing documents encoded in computer generated digital signals, said first printer and said second printer being disposed one above the other in upright and relatively reversed orientations so that paper sheets travel in opposite directions through the two printers and so that paper sheets at a paper output port of said first printer are fed to a paper infeed port of said second printer along a path having exactly one U- or C-shaped portion;
- and
- a computer operatively connected to data inputs of said first printer and said second printer for generating a digital signal encoding a multiple page document and for transmitting odd pages of said multiple page document in encoded form to one of said first printer and said second printer and even pages of said multiple page document to the other of said first printer and said second printer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.