Card printer alignment bracket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027565-B2
Application number	US-201916590851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2019
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

The disclosure describes a method for aligning a card on a printer belt. A printer includes the belt, a print unit having a head, and a card feeder having an alignment bracket. The card feeder deposits a card onto the belt along a processing axis in a first orientation. The belt moves the card away from the card feeder in a first direction. The card feeder is positioned in a second orientation where the alignment bracket aligns with the belt. The alignment bracket has a rear wall and a guide extending therefrom that align the card within the alignment bracket. The belt is overdriven in a second direction and the card moves into the alignment bracket for alignment. The belt then moves in the first direction and the card clears the alignment bracket. The card feeder is then positioned in a third orientation to allow printing with the head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for aligning a card for printing within a printing device, the printing device including a transport mechanism, a print unit that is configured to move relative to the transport mechanism thereby defining a print area, and a card feeder having an alignment bracket disposed proximate to the transport mechanism, the method comprising:
positioning the card feeder in a first orientation and depositing the card from the card feeder onto the transport mechanism along a processing axis;
moving the transport mechanism in a first direction where the card moves away from the card feeder along the first direction on the transport mechanism;
positioning the card feeder in a second orientation different from the first orientation where the alignment bracket aligns with the transport mechanism along with the processing axis, the alignment bracket having a rear wall that engages the card when the card is moved into the alignment bracket and a guide that projects in a perpendicular direction from the rear wall;
moving the transport mechanism in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the card moves into the alignment bracket and an edge of the card abuts the rear wall, wherein the guide aligns the card along the processing axis;
moving the transport mechanism in the first direction such that the card clears the alignment bracket; and
positioning the card feeder to a third orientation separate from the first and second orientations where the card feeder is outside the print area when the card feeder is in the third position.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alignment bracket further includes a slanted wall extending from the guide.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transport mechanism is overdriven when moving in the second direction such that the card moves into the alignment bracket and the edge abuts the rear wall.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the card feeder deposits the card with a left of form variation where a central axis of the card is offset from the processing axis in the left of form variation where a first edge of the card abuts the slanted wall and then a second edge abuts the guide while the transport mechanism is overdriven in the second direction such that slanted wall and the guide align the central axis of the card with the processing axis as the transport mechanism is overdriven in the second direction and the card moves into alignment bracket.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the card feeder deposits the card in a skewed configuration relative to the processing axis where a first edge of the card abuts the guide and a second edge of the card abuts the rear wall as the transport mechanism is overdriven in the second direction such that the card is aligned with the processing axis.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein printing device is an ink jet printer and the ink jet printer further includes a sensor and a controller and the method further comprises:
detecting, by the sensor, the presence of the card on the transport mechanism; and
sending, from the controller, an instruction to move the transport mechanism in the second direction in response to the sensor detecting the presence of the card on the transport mechanism.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the alignment bracket further includes:
a housing;
a front wall forming a front portion of the housing;
a second slanted wall opposite the slanted wall; and
a second guide opposite the guide where the slanted walls and the guides extend between the front wall and the rear wall thereby defining a cavity having a width that is greater than a width of the card.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the card feeder deposits the card with a left of form variation where a central axis of the card is offset from the processing axis in the left of form variation where a first edge of the card abuts the slanted wall and then a second edge abuts the rear wall while the transport mechanism is overdriven in the second direction such that slanted wall and the rear wall align the central axis of the card with the processing axis as the transport mechanism is overdriven in the second direction and the card moves into alignment bracket.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the printing device is an ink jet printer and the print unit includes an ink jet print head.

10. A printer comprising:
a transport mechanism having an exposed surface configured to engage and feed a card along a processing axis; and
an alignment bracket disposed proximate to the transport mechanism, the alignment bracket having a rear wall, a guide projecting in a perpendicular direction from the rear wall, and a slanted wall extending from the guide, wherein the rear wall engages a card when the card is moved into the alignment bracket and the guide is configured to align the card with the processing axis on the transport mechanism when the card moves into the alignment bracket.

11. The printer of claim 10 , wherein the alignment bracket further includes:
a housing;
a front wall forming a front portion of the housing;
a second slanted wall; and
a second guide, wherein the slanted walls and the guides extend between the front wall and the rear wall thereby defining a cavity having a width that is greater than a width of the card.

12. The printer of claim 10 , further comprising a card feeder configured to deposit the card onto the exposed surface of the transport mechanism from a first end of the card feeder, wherein the alignment bracket is disposed at a top side of the card feeder proximate the first end of the card feeder.

13. The printer of claim 10 , wherein the printer further comprises a transport mechanism motor configured to move the transport mechanism in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction.

14. The printer of claim 13 , further comprising:
a sensor configured to detect the presence of the card on the transport mechanism; and
a controller configured to send an instruction to move the transport mechanism in the second direction via the transport mechanism motor in response to the sensor detecting the presence of the card on the transport mechanism.

15. The printer of claim 14 , wherein the printer is further configured to:
overdrive the transport mechanism in the second direction via the controller; and
feed the card into the alignment bracket such that the printer aligns the card with the processing axis via the alignment bracket when the card is deposited with a left of form variation where a central axis of the card is offset from the processing axis in the left of form variation.

16. The printer of claim 14 , wherein the printer is further configured to:
overdrive the transport mechanism in the second direction via the controller; and
feed the card into the alignment bracket such that the printer aligns the card with the processing axis via the alignment bracket when the card is deposited in a skewed configuration relative to the processing axis.

17. The printer of claim 10 , further comprising a card feeder having a first end proximate to the transport mechanism for depositing the card onto the transport mechanism.

18. The printer of claim 17 , wherein the card feeder comprises:
a card feeder frame; and
a motorized feed roller supported by the card feeder frame, wherein the motorized feed roller is configured to cause the card to be deposited onto the transport mechanism.

19. An alignment bracket for aligning a card product deposited onto a transport mechanism of a printer, the alignment bra

Assignees

• Assa Abloy Ab

Inventors

• Woizeschke Michael Jon
• Snyder Tanya Jegeris
• Skoglund John P

Classifications

• B41J13/26 Primary

  Registering devices · CPC title

• B41J13/0063

  Handling thick cut sheets, e.g. greeting cards or postcards, larger than credit cards, e.g. using means for enabling or facilitating the conveyance of thick sheets (B41J11/20, B41J13/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• B41J13/12 Primary

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

• B41J11/0095

  Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end · CPC title

• B65H2404/1421

  rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis, e.g. parallel to the roller axis · CPC title