Patent ID: 7099039
Filing Date: 2006-08-29
Classification: B41J,B42C,G07B

Abstract:
1. A parallel path printing system for use in a high velocity document processing system using lower velocity print technology, the document processing system having a transport path and a system transport velocity, the printing system comprising: a diverting mechanism at an upstream end of the printing system, the diverting mechanism receiving documents from the transport path, the diverting mechanism having a first position for diverting documents at a first oblique angle to a first print module and a second position for diverting documents at a second oblique angle to a second print module, the diverting mechanism alternately diverting consecutive transported documents to the first and second print modules; the first print module comprising a first print transport and a first print head positioned at a downstream end of the first print transport, the first print transport controlled by a controller according to a predetermined motion profile, whereby the first print transport decelerates to a nominal print velocity prior to a printing operation in a first segment, maintains the nominal print velocity during printing in a second segment, and accelerates the first print transport back to the transport velocity in a third segment, after completion of printing; a second printing module, parallel to the first printing module, comprising a second print transport and a second print head positioned at a downstream end of the second print transport, the second print transport controlled by the controller according to the predetermined motion profile, whereby the second print transport decelerates to the nominal print velocity prior to printing operation in the first segment, maintains the nominal print velocity during printing in the second segment, and accelerates the second print transport back to the transport velocity in the third segment, after completion of printing; a merging mechanism downstream of the first and second print modules, the merging mechanism combining document outputs of the first and second print modules back into a single output transport path; a first divert transport between the diverter mechanism and the first print module, the first divert transport receiving documents diverted from the diverter mechanism and transporting them at the first oblique angle to the first print module, the first divert transport operating at the transport velocity; and a second divert transport between the diverter mechanism and the second print module, the second divert transport receiving documents diverted from the diverter mechanism and transporting them at the second oblique angle to the second print module, the second divert transport operating at the transport velocity.