Patent ID: 7331576
Filing Date: 2008-02-19
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A media unit feeder device adapted to cooperate with a drive mechanism to drive an end media unit in a feed direction, the end media unit having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to the feed direction, said media unit feeder device comprising: a media unit hopper adapted to receive a stack of a plurality of media units and to provide the end media unit to the drive mechanism, said media unit hopper comprising: a biased member disposed adjacent to the drive mechanism, downstream of the media unit hopper, and configured to urge the end media unit against the drive mechanism as the end media unit is fed past the biased member and downstream to a printing apparatus by the drive mechanism, the biased member thereby being adapted to increase a driving force on the end media unit by the drive mechanism; and a gate apparatus disposed adjacent to the drive mechanism downstream of the biased member, the gate apparatus being mounted separately from and being discretely operable with respect to the biased member, the gate apparatus having a flexible blade member operably engaged therewith, the blade member being configured to cooperate with the gate apparatus, separately and discretely of the biased member, so as to control a thickness of the media unit capable of being fed to the printing apparatus.