Patent ID: 6454476
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: B41J,B65H

Abstract:
A machine including capability of feeding media, comprising:an input stack of sheets of media; a media path along which sheets of said media are passed from the input stack; a pick system for picking a top sheet from the input stack, comprising: a pick roller and a retard roller assembly arranged in cooperative relationship to form a nip between adjacent external surfaces of the pick roller and the retard roller, the pick roller being positioned adjacent a leading edge of the top sheet and in contact with a top surface of the top sheet; a pick roller drive apparatus coupled to the pick roller for rotating the pick roller during a pick operation, the pick roller applying a force to the top sheet to drive the top sheet into the nip and into a media path; the retard roller including a torque limiter apparatus for applying a retard force to the retard roller tending to resist the rotation of the retard roller as print media is driven into the nip during a pick operation, the retard force less than a feed force applied to the top sheet by the pick roller as the top sheet is passed into the nip, the retard force being greater that a sheet-to-sheet frictional drag force between the top sheet and an adjacent sheet; and a suspension apparatus coupled to the pick roller and retard roller assembly for permitting the assembly to move through a range of movement as the height of the media stack changes due to repeated pick operations, such that the pick roller is in contact with the top sheet for media stacks of varying heights.