Cassette acceptance device with state recognition for a printing mail processing apparatus
AssigneeFrancotyp-Postaliz GmbH
InventorFrank Geserich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printing mail processing apparatus has an apparatus housing with a cassette bay therein, for removably receiving an exchangeable cassette. The cassette bay is closed by a cassette flap that has a finger on an underside thereof that interacts with a sensor. The sensor can detect, before exchange of a cassette that flap position for which a cassette extraction is possible. A microprocessor is connected to the sensor and uses the signal from the sensor to detect the position of the cassette flap. Given a closed cassette flap, the microprocessor causes voltage to be supplied to a chip reader unit mounted in the cassette bay. Given an opened cassette flap, the microprocessor causes voltage to be disconnected from the chip reader unit before each cassette exchange.
Claims14
In a printing mail processing apparatus having an apparatus housing with a cassette bay therein, adapted to removably receive an exchangeable cassette, and a chip reader unit mounted in the cassette bay, said chip reader unit being supplied with voltage from a voltage source in the apparatus, the improvement of a cassette acceptance device comprising:
- an openable and closeable flap covering said cassette bay, said flap having an underside facing said cassette bay with a flap finger projecting therefrom;
- a sensor disposed to interact with said flap finger to detect, and to generate a sensor signal, when said flap is in a position at which extraction of a cassette from the cassette bay is possible;
- and
- a microprocessor connected to said sensor, said microprocessor detecting a state of said cassette flap from said sensor signal and, when said flap is closed, causing voltage to be supplied from said voltage source to said chip reader unit, and when said flap is open, said microprocessor disconnecting said voltage source from said chip reader unit before said cassette is exchanged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.