Compound kicker in media handling system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsCherng Linn Teo, Tzy Woei Chu, Keng San Chia, Chuah Fatt Ng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A kicker in a printing device is mounted adjacent to an entrance of a feed zone where a pick roller is located for picking a top sheet from an input tray in a pick process. A plurality of next-to-top sheets next to the top sheet move out of the input tray and stop approximately at the entrance of the feed zone during the pick process. The kicker includes a relatively rigid base part for kicking a first portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray and a flexible top part attached to the base part for kicking a second portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray.
Claims7
A kicker in a printing device mounted adjacent an entrance of a feed zone where a pick roller is located for picking a top sheet from an input tray in a pick process, wherein a plurality of next-to-top sheets next to the top sheet move out of the input tray and stop approximately at said entrance during the pick process, the kicker comprising:
- a rigid base part for kicking a first portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray;
- and
- a flexible top part attached to the base part and extending out of an end of the base part for kicking a second portion of the next-to-top sheets located between said first portion and said top sheet back to the input tray.
A media handling system in a printing device, comprising:
- a pick roller for picking a top sheet from an input tray toward a print zone during a pick process, wherein a plurality of next-to-top sheets next to the top sheet are drawn out of the input tray and stop approximately at an entrance of the print zone during the pick process;
- and
- a kicker mounted adjacent the pick roller, including a rigid base part for kicking a first portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray, and a flexible top part attached to the base part and extending out of an end of the base part for kicking a second portion of the next-to-top sheets located between said first portion and said top sheet back to the input tray.
A method for kicking a plurality of next-to-top sheets back to an input tray in a printing device, wherein the next-to-top sheets move out of the input tray and stop approximately at an entrance of a feed zone during a pick process, the method comprising
- providing a kicker having a relatively rigid base part and a flexible top part attached to the base part;
- kicking a first portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray by using the base part of the kicker;
- and
- kicking a second portion of the next-to-top sheets back to the input tray by using the top part of the kicker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.