Auxiliary media unit transporter for media processing devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189660-B1
Application number	US-201715643966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 7, 2017
Priority date	Jul 7, 2017
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A media processing device with a housing includes: a motorized media unit transporter to drive a media unit along a media processing path between an unprocessed media unit source and a processed media unit output; an auxiliary media unit transporter including a roller connected to a converter, and a bias member connected between the converter and the housing. In a first operating mode, the auxiliary transporter receives the media unit from the transporter to drive the roller and the converter; rotation of the converter deforms the bias member from a resting position to a primed position. In a second operating mode initiated upon rotation of the converter to a bias release position, the auxiliary transporter propels the media unit by releasing the bias member from the primed position to drive rotation of the converter and the roller as the bias member returns to the resting position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A media processing device having a housing, the media processing device comprising:
a motorized media unit transporter configured to drive a media unit along a media processing path defined within the housing between an unprocessed media unit source and a processed media unit output;
an auxiliary media unit transporter including a roller, a converter fixedly connected to the roller, and a bias member connected to the converter;
the auxiliary media unit transporter configured to:
(i) in a first operating mode:
receive the media unit from the motorized media unit transporter into engagement with the roller to drive the roller and the converter concurrently; and
via rotation of the converter, deform the bias member from a resting position to a primed position; and

(ii) in a second operating mode:
initiated upon rotation of the converter in the first operating mode to a bias release position, propel the media unit by releasing the bias member from the primed position to drive rotation of the converter and the roller concurrently as the bias member returns to the resting position.

2. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the converter is rotatable about an axis, and the converter includes an anchor radially displaced from the axis for connecting the converter with the bias member.

3. The media processing device of claim 2 , wherein the converter reaches the bias release position when the bias member is coplanar with the axis and the anchor.

4. The media processing device of claim 2 , wherein the roller is rotatable about the axis.

5. The media processing device of claim 1 , further comprising an additional roller forming a nip with the roller.

6. The media processing device of claim 5 , wherein the additional roller is a passive roller.

7. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the motorized media unit transporter is configured to:
drive the media unit along the media processing path when a redirector is in a first position; and
drive the media unit into the auxiliary media unit transporter when the redirector is in a second position, the redirector being movable between the first and second positions.

8. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary media unit transporter lies on an auxiliary media processing path defined within the housing, the auxiliary media processing path extending from the motorized media unit transporter to a rejected media unit output.

9. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the bias member is under greater tension in the primed position than in the resting position.

10. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the bias member is under greater compression in the primed position than in the resting position.

11. The media processing device of claim 1 , wherein the bias member includes a coil spring.

12. The media processing device of claim 1 , the motorized media unit transporter configured to release the media unit upon rotation of the converter to the bias release position.

13. An auxiliary media unit transporter for a media processing device, comprising:
a roller;
a converter fixedly connected to the roller; and
a bias member connected between the converter and a housing of the media processing device, wherein:
in a first operating mode, the roller is configured to receive the media unit from a motorized media unit transporter of the media processing device, and to drive the converter to deform the bias member from a resting position to a primed position; and
in a second operating mode initiated upon rotation of the converter in the first operating mode to a bias release position, the bias member is configured to return from the primed position to the resting position to concurrently drive rotation of the converter and the roller to propel the media unit.

14. The auxiliary media unit transporter of claim 13 , wherein the converter is rotatable about an axis, and the converter includes an anchor radially displaced from the axis for connecting the converter with the bias member.

15. The auxiliary media unit transporter of claim 14 , wherein the converter reaches the bias release position when the bias member is coplanar with the axis and the anchor.

16. The auxiliary media unit transporter of claim 14 , wherein the roller is rotatable about the axis.

17. The auxiliary media unit transporter of claim 13 , wherein:
the auxiliary media unit transporter lies on an auxiliary media processing path defined within the housing;
the motorized media unit transporter is configured to drive the media unit along the media processing path when a redirector is in a first position; and
the motorized media unit transporter is configured to the media unit along the auxiliary media processing path when the redirector is in a second position, the redirector being movable between the first and second positions.

18. The auxiliary media unit transporter of claim 13 , the motorized media unit transporter configured to release the media unit upon rotation of the converter to the bias release position.

Assignees

• Zih Corp

Inventors

• Rosales Angel B
• Chow Steve Ting Kei

Classifications

• B65H2404/1442

  Tripping arrangements · CPC title

• B65H5/062 Primary

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B65H2701/1914

  Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards · CPC title

• B41J13/12

  specially adapted for {small} cards, envelopes, or the like {, e.g. credit cards, cut visiting cards} · CPC title

• B65H2403/532

  Crank-and-rocker mechanism · CPC title