Patent ID: 7597314
Filing Date: 2009-10-06
Classification: B41J,B65H

Abstract:
1. A picker assembly for a printer having rollers to feed a sheet of porous print media past a printhead, said picker assembly comprising: a pivot rod linked to a pick-up bar by means of swing arms, a first motor connected to the pivot rod operatively reciprocating the pick-up bar between a stack of sheets and the rollers; first and second sets of fluid ports located on the pick-up bar, said fluid ports having pads to facilitate contact with the print media; an air pump configured to deliver air to the first set of fluid ports via a fluid delivery manifold; an extraction pump configured to extract air from the second set of fluid ports via a fluid extraction manifold; a second motor, the air pump being arranged on an output shaft at one end of the second motor and the extraction pump being arranged on the output shaft at an opposed end of the second motor; and a valve arrangement alternately connecting the delivery manifold and extraction manifold to the air pump and extraction pump respectively in time with the reciprocating motion of the pivot rod, so that the sheet is lifted from the stack by the first set of fluid ports blowing air onto the sheet and the second set of fluid ports sucking the sheet thereto once the sheet lifts from the stack.