Print media flipping mechanism and method
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAron Shmaiser, Yosef Rosen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for delivering a sheet to a surface, comprising a rotating gripper that receives and grips the sheet at or near a leading edge thereof at a first position and delivers the leading edge to a second position, the first and second positions being situated along a circular path along which the rotating gripper travels; a surface having a stop at the second position; and a blower adapted to blow air at the sheet as it is held by the rotating gripper and after it is released by the gripper at the second position, the blowing of the air being in a direction that urges the sheet away from the circular path. The sheet is not positively held on the circular path except by the leading edge grippers.
Claims26
Apparatus for delivering a sheet to a surface, comprising:
- a rotating gripper that receives and grips the sheet at or near a leading edge thereof at a first position and delivers the leading edge to a second position, the first and second positions being situated along a circular path along which the rotating gripper travels:
- a surface having a stop at the second position:
- a blower adapted to blow air at the sheet as it is held by the rotating gripper and after it is released by the gripper at the second position, the blowing of the air being in a direction that urges the sheet away from the circular path,
- wherein the sheet is not positively held on the circular path except by the rotating gripper
- wherein the gripper is a vacuum gripper,
- wherein the gripper is situated at the end of an arm that rotates about a center of the circular path.
Apparatus for delivering a sheet to a surface, comprising:
- a rotating gripper that receives and grips the sheet at or near a leading edge thereof at a first position and delivers the leading edge to a second position, the first and second positions being situated along a circular path along which the rotating gripper travels:
- a surface having a stop at the second position;
- a blower adapted to blow air at the sheet as it is held by the rotating gripper and after it is released by the gripper at the second position, the blowing of the air being in a direction that urges the sheet away from the circular path.
- wherein the sheet is not positively held on the circular path except by the rotating gripper.
- wherein the stop includes a second gripper that holds the leading edge at the second position after its release by the rotating gripper.
Apparatus for delivering a sheet to a surface, comprising:
- a rotating gripper that receives and grips the sheet at or near a leading edge thereof at a first position and delivers the leading edge to a second position, the first and second positions being situated along a circular path along which the rotating gripper travels;
- a surface having a stop at the second position,
- a blower adapted to blow air at the sheet as it is held by the rotating gripper and after it is released by the gripper at the second position, the blowing of the air being in a direction that urges the sheet away from the circular path,
- wherein the sheet is not positively held on the circular path except by the rotating gripper,
- wherein the stop is a conditional stop that can be opened or closed.
Apparatus for delivering a sheet to a surface, comprising:
- a rotating gripper that receives and grips the sheet at or near a leading edge thereof at a first position and delivers the leading edge to a second position, the first and second positions being situated along a circular path along which the rotating gripper travels;
- a surface having a stop at the second position;
- a blower adapted to blow air at the sheet as it is held by the rotating gripper and after it is released by the gripper at the second position, the blowing of the air being in a direction that urges the sheet away from the circular path,
- wherein the sheet is not positively held on the circular path except by the rotation gripper,
- wherein the surface is the surface of a belt,
- wherein after the sheet comes to rest on the belt, the belt is operative to remove the sheet from the second position,
- wherein the belt can be selectively driven in either direction so that it can selectively transport the sheet in either one of two opposite directions,
- wherein when driven in one direction the belt delivers the sheet in a flipped orientation to be printed on the side opposite a side that was previously printed on.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.