Card reorienting mechanism and methods utilizing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384883-B2
Application number	US-201313773753-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2013
Priority date	Feb 23, 2012
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods that utilize a card reorienting mechanism are described. Generally, the card reorienting mechanism can transport and rotate a card without substantially contacting one of the principal surfaces of the card. The use of the card reorienting mechanism permits reorienting of the card without substantially contacting the principal surface of the card after the operation has been performed on the principal surface of the card. The card reorienting mechanism of the present disclosure can be useful where rotation of the card without contacting the principal surfaces of the card is desired moments after ink is applied to one of the principal surfaces of the card. In addition, substantially the entire principle surface is accessible for processing operations while the card is on the reorienting mechanism, such as for laser personalization or for image capture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of transporting a card onto or from a card reorienting mechanism in a card processing machine, the card having a principle surface, comprising:
transporting the card onto and from the card reorienting mechanism using a card transport device that contacts a side surface of the card without contacting the principal surface of the card.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
with the card on the card reorienting mechanism, rotating the card reorienting mechanism so as to reorient the card without contacting the principal surface of the card.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the principal surface of the card while the card is on the card reorienting mechanism.

4. A card reorienting mechanism of a card processing machine, comprising:
a rotatable platform having an upper surface on which a plastic card can lay flat;
at least one actuatable card transport device mounted on the rotatable platform and rotatable therewith, the at least one actuatable card transport device is configured to drivingly engage a side edge of the plastic card without drivingly engaging a principal surface of the plastic card; and
an electric motor in driving engagement with the at least one actuatable card transport device to actuate the at least one actuatable card transport device.

5. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the at least one actuatable card transport device includes a rotatable roller.

6. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the at least one actuatable card transport device includes at least two rotatable rollers.

7. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 4 , wherein the at least one actuatable card transport device includes a drive roller, an idler roller, and a belt that is supported by the drive roller and the idler roller.

8. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 4 , comprising two of the actuatable card transport devices, wherein each one of the actuatable card transport devices includes a drive roller, an idler roller, and a belt that is supported by the drive roller and the idler roller.

9. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the two actuatable card transport devices are disposed at opposite sides of the rotatable platform.

Assignees

• Datacard Corp
• Entrust Datacard Corp

Inventors

• Cronin Patrick C
• Sobania Mark J
• Paulson Arthur J
• Juriasingani Rajesh Kalachand

Classifications

• B65H2301/442

  by acting on edge of handled material · CPC title

• B65H2301/33214

  about an axis perpendicular to the direction of displacement and parallel to the surface of material · CPC title

• B65H2701/1914

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

• B65H15/00

  Overturning articles · CPC title

• B65G47/24 Primary

  orientating the articles · CPC title