Media guides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10961073-B2
Application number	US-201616332064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

An example system includes an advancement mechanism to drive print media into a stacking region, a movable media guide arrangement and a controller. The movable media guide arrangement includes a pair of opposing media guides to receive opposing edges of a print medium therein and a translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides between at least two positions, the at least two positions including a deployed position and a retracted position. The controller is to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides into the deployed position when the advancement mechanism transports a print medium into the stacking region and to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides to the retracted position to release the print medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an advancement mechanism to drive print media into a stacking region;
a movable media guide arrangement, comprising:
a pair of opposing media guides to receive opposing edges of a print medium therein; and
a translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides between at least two positions, the at least two positions including a deployed position and a retracted position; and

a controller to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides into the deployed position when the advancement mechanism transports a print medium into the stacking region and to actuate the translation mechanism to move the opposing media guides to the retracted position to release the print medium from the opposing media guides while the print medium remains engaged by the advancement mechanism.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the opposing media guides extend longitudinally in a direction of transport of the print medium by the advancement mechanism.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the opposing media guides extend substantially a length of the stacking region.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the opposing media guides form channels to receive at least one sheet of print media therein.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the opposing media guides include a lead-in portion to facilitate entry of print media into the channels.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the translation mechanism includes a translator coupled to a corresponding media guide of the opposing media guides, each translator including a rack and pinion to facilitate movement of the corresponding media guide.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to:
release the print medium from the advancement mechanism after release of the print medium from the opposing media guides.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to:
raise the opposing media guides to a predetermined height; and
lower the opposing media guides to substantially match a height of the incoming print medium.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to:
deploy the opposing guides inward to correspond to a width of an incoming print medium.

10. A method, comprising:
advancing a print medium into a stacking region with an advancement mechanism, the advancing including directing edges of the print medium into corresponding movable media guides;
retracting the movable media guides outward away from the print medium to release the print medium from the movable media guides while the print medium remains engaged by the advancement mechanism; and
disengaging the print media from the advancement mechanism.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
raising the movable media guides to a predetermined height;
deploying the movable media guides inward to correspond to a width of an incoming print medium; and
lowering the movable media guides to substantially match a height of the incoming print medium.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the movable media guides extend longitudinally in a direction of the advancing of the print medium into the stacking region.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the movable media guides extend substantially a length of the stacking region.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the movable media guides form channels to receive at least one sheet of print media therein.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein disengaging the print media from the advancement mechanism comprises disengaging the print media from the advancement mechanism after retracting the movable media guides.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a computing system, the computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to:
engage a print medium with an advancement mechanism to advance the print medium into a stacking region, the advancing including directing edges of the print medium into corresponding movable media guides;
actuate a translation mechanism to release the print medium from the movable media guides while the print medium remains engaged by the advancement mechanism; and
release the print medium from the advancement mechanism.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein instructions to actuate the translation mechanism include instructions to actuate the translation mechanism to move the movable media guide outward and away from the print medium.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein instructions to actuate the translation mechanism further include instructions to:
raise the movable media guides to a predetermined height;
deploy the media guides inward to correspond to a width of an incoming print medium; and
lower the movable media guides to substantially match a height of the incoming print medium.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein instructions to actuate the translation mechanism include instructions to release the print medium from the advancement mechanism after release of the print medium from the movable media guides.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the movable media guides extend substantially a length of the stacking region.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Rasmussen Steve O
• Johnson Bruce G
• Downing Elliott
• Mccue Tom
• Jones Gene
• Gaasch Todd M
• Spafford Jonathan C
• Ebersole Anthony W

Classifications

• B65H2404/7412

  retractable · CPC title

• B65H29/52 Primary

  Stationary guides or smoothers · CPC title

• B65H31/20

  adjustable for different article sizes · CPC title

• B65H29/34

  from supports slid from under the articles · CPC title

• B65H2403/41

  Rack-and-pinion, cogwheel in cog railway · CPC title