A document printer including an aligner mechanism for aligning a document within said printer

Abstract: A document printer is provided having an aligner mechanism (24) for aligning a document (18) in said printer having a slot defined by first and second walls (20,22). The aligner mechanism (24) comprises first and second control sleeves (40,42) which are keyed to first and second end portions (36,38), respectively, of a first shaft (30) arranged to rotate between first and second positions. First and second levers (52,58) are pivotally mounted on the shaft adjacent to the first and second control sleeves (40,42), respectively, for pivotal movement. The aligner mechanism (24) also includes an aligner bar (44) having first and second leg portions (46,48) secured to the first and second control sleeves (40,42), respectively. The first and second levers (52,58) have projections (70,72) thereon which cooperate with slots (71,73) in the first and second control sleeves (40,42) respectively, to provide a lost motion coupling therebetween. The levers support a second shaft (26-1) which carry pinch rollers (26), each of which cooperate with a corresponding drive roller (28), and form a gripper means (26,28,52,58) for transporting said document therebetween. During movement of the first shaft (30) between the first and second positions, the aligner bar (44) engages the first wall (20), and thereafter, movement of the first shaft (30) resiliently biases the alignment bar (44) against the first wall (20), and cause the levers (52,58) to rotate thereby opening the gripper means (26,28), permitting an edge of said document to be aligned with said aligner bar (44). During movement of the first shaft (30) from the second position to the first position, causes the gripper means (26,28) to close, thereby gripping said document, and causes the aligner bar (44) to move away from the first wall (20).

Description: This invention relates to a document printer, and more particularly, it relates to a printer having an aligner mechanism for aligning a document within the printer. A typical document printer includes a printer mechanism for printing data on a document, such as a sales receipt. In some printers, it is necessary to align a document in a slot within the printer prior to mechanically gripping the document in preparation for printing. Some prior art printers accomplish aligning the document by using a plurality of solenoids and a complex arrangement of mechanical levers and parts to stop the document in the slot and to grip the document. Thus, these printers required the use of parts and mechanisms which take up a lot of space and which are expensive. This invention overcomes these problems by providing a document printer having an aligner mechanism which effects aligning a document without the use of multiple solenoids or complex mechanical arrangements. An object of this invention is to provide a document printer having an aligner mechanism which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Another object of this invention is to provide an aligner mechanism which can be easily mounted in a limited amount of space in the printer. Another object of this invention is to provide a document printer having an aligner mechanism which utilize only one solenoid to effect moving an aligner bar and pivoting a pinch roller. According to the present invention there is provided a document printer including an aligner mechanism for aligning a document in said printer prior to a printing operation, said aligner mechanism including a guide wall for guiding said document within said printer, characterized in that said aligner mechanism further includes a shaft arranged for rotational movement between a first and a second position, gripper means coupled to said shaft and arranged to be moved between an open and a closed position, resilient alignment means connected to said shaft for movement therewith, and actuating means connected to said shaft for moving said shaft between said first and second positions, whereby, during movement of said shaft from said first position to said second position, said alignment means is caused to engage said guide wall while said gripper means remains in a closed position, and thereafter said alignment means is deformed and resiliently biased against said side wall while said gripper means is moved to said open position so as to enable an edge of said document to be moved into engagement with said alignment means, and whereby, during movement of said shaft from said second position to said first position, said gripper means is moved to said closed position thereby gripping said document, and thereafter said alignment means is moved out of engagement with said side wall. The document printer having an aligner mechanism according to the invention has the advantages of being simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and takes up a limited amount of space. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 is a general isometric view of a document printer in which a preferred embodiment of this invention may be used; Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the document printer shown in Fig. 1, showing an aligner mechanism therein made according to this invention; Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the manner in which Figs. 3A-3C are arranged; Figs. 3A-3C taken together show an exploded assembly view of the aligner mechanism shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side view of the aligner mechanism taken from the general direction of arrow A in Fig. 2, showing a pinch roller and a drive roller gripping a document; Fig. 5, which is shown on the sheet containing Fig. 2, is a fragmentary view which is taken along the general line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing an angular relationship between a projection of a first lever and a first control member of a control sleeve; Fig. 6A is a side view similar to Fig. 4, showing a document about to be placed in a document receiving throat or slot, with the drive and pinch rollers engaging each other and with the aligner mechanism in a first position; Fig. 6B is a view similar to Fig. 6A, showing an aligner bar engaging a first wall of the slot; Fig. 6C is a view similar to Fig. 6B, showing the drive and pinch rollers in a second or spaced position, thereby permitting the document to be inserted in the throat and enabling an edge of the document to be aligned on an engaging portion of the aligner mechanism; Fig. 6D is a view similar to Fig. 6C, showing the pinch roller forcing the document against the drive roller before the aligner bar moves out from underneath the document; and Fig. 6E is a view similar to Fig. 6D, showing the aligner bar in the first position. Fig. 1 is a general isometric view of document printer 10 in which a preferred embodiment of this invention may be used. The document printer 10 comprises a housing 12 and a control means 14 (seen in Fig. 4) located in the housing 12 for controlling the operation of the document printer 10. The document printer 10 also includes a slot 16 in the top (as viewed in Fig. 1) of the housing 12 in order to permit a document 18 having a bottom edge 18-1 to be inserted into the slot 16 from the top of the document printer 10 so that data can be printed on the document 18. As illustrated in Figs. 2, 3A and 4 the slot 16 is formed by a first wall 20 and a second wall 22 which are positioned in spaced parallel relationship to form the slot 16 therebetween. The first and second walls 20 and 22 are conventionally secured to the housing 12 and the slot 16 extends through the housing 12. The first wall 20 is slightly higher than the second wall 22 so as to enable an aligner bar 44 (Fig. 3A) to pass over the top of the second wall 22 in order to engage the first wall 20, as will be discussed later herein. The document printer 10 further includes an aligner mechanism, designated generally by arrow 24 in Figs. 2 and 3A-3C. The aligner mechanism 24 is positioned in the housing 12 shown in Fig. 2. The function of the aligner mechanism 24 is to align the document 18 in the slot 16 between a pinch roller 26 and a drive roller 28. The aligner mechanism 24 comprises a shaft 30 which is rotatably mounted in first and second supports 32 and 34 which are an integral part of the housing 12. The shaft 30 has a first end portion 36 and a second end portion 38. The aligner mechanism 24 (Figs. 3A-3C) also comprises first and second control sleeves 40 and 42 which are "keyed" to the first and second end portions 36 and 38, respectively. The first and second control sleeves 40 and 42 include control members 66 and 68, respectively. The aligner mechanism 24 also comprises the aligner bar 44 having a first leg portion 46. a second leg portion 48, and an engaging portion 50 joining the first and second leg portions 46 and 48. The first control sleeve 40 has a securing portion 40-1 for securing the first leg portion 46 to the first control sleeve 40, and the second control sleeve 42 has a securing portion 42-1 for securing the second leg portion 48 to the second control sleeve 42. In the embodiment being described, the first and second leg portions 46 and 48 are generally "L" shaped, and they are made of spring steel which makes them resiliently bendable. The aligner mechanism 24 (Figs. 3A-3C) further comprises a first lever 52 having first and second ends 54 and 56 and a second lever 58 having first and second ends 60 and 62. The first ends 54 and 60 are pivotally mounted on the shaft 30 adjacent to the first and second control sleeves 40 and 42. The first ends 54 and 60 include radially extending projections 70 and 72, respectively, which engage in complementary notches 71 and 73 in control members 66 and 68. The projections 70 and 72 are smaller than the notches 71 and 73, so that there is lost motion between the sleeves 40, 42 and the members 66, 68, when one is moved with respect to the other. The control members 66 and 68 may be angularly displaced from the projections 70 and 72, respectively, by a predetermined angle (as indicated by double arrow line E in Fig. 5) after these parts are assembled or mounted on the shaft 30. In the embodiment being described, the predetermined angle is less than 4 degrees. The operation of the control members 66 and 68 and projections 70 and 72 will be described later herein. A support rod 74 (Fig. 3A) is conventionally secured between the second ends 56 and 62 of the first and second levers 52 and 58, respectively. A carriage 76 having a printer or print member 78 secured thereto, is conventionally mounted on the support rod 74. In the embodiment being described, the print member 78 is a conventional 9-wire wire matrix printer, although other printer members may be used. The pinch roller 26, having an axle 26-1, is rotatably mounted between the second ends 56 and 62 of the first and second levers 52 and 58, respectively, in suitable roller bearings (not shown). The drive roller 28 is rotatably mounted in the housing 12 by suitable roller bearings (not shown) so that it is operatively positioned opposite the pinch roller 26. The carriage 76, drive roller 28, print member 78, and pinch roller 26 are all operatively coupled to the control means 14. The control means 14 controls the movement of the carriage 76 as well as the rotation of the rollers 26 and 28. The aligner mechanism 24 (Figs. 3A-3C) also includes an actuating means 86 for causing the shaft 30 to rotate from a first position to a second position. The first position corresponds to the situation in which the pinch roller 26 and the aligner bar 44 are in the position shown in Fig. 6A. The second position corresponds to when the pinch roller 26 and aligner bar 44 are in the position shown in Fig. 6C. The actuating means 86 includes an actuating lever 88 (Figs. 3C and 4) which is operatively coupled to either the first control sleeve 40 or the second control sleeve 42. In the embodiment described, the actuating lever 88 is molded as part of the first control sleeve 40. The actuating means 86 also includes a solenoid 90 which is operatively coupled to the actuating lever 88. The solenoid 90 is conventionally coupled to the control means 14 as shown. The solenoid 90 is a conventionally pull-type solenoid which can pull the actuating lever 88 to move in the direction of arrow B (Fig. 3C). Because the first control sleeve 40 is keyed to the shaft 30, the shaft 30 will rotate in direct proportion to the rotation of the control sleeve 40. Similarly, when the solenoid is deactivated, the shaft 30 will rotate in an opposite direction in proportion to the rotation of the control sleeve 40. The aligner mechanism 24 further includes resilient means 92 (shown schematically in Fig. 3C) for biasing the first and second levers 52 and 58 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) to the first position. In the embodiment being described, the resilient means 92 could be any suitable resilient device, such as a torsion-type spring. The operation of the aligner mechanism 24 in the document printer 10 will now be described. When it is desired to print data or information on the document 18, the document 18 is inserted into slot 16 until the bottom edge 18-1 engages the pinch and drive rollers 26 and 28 (Fig. 6A). The control means 14 energizes the solenoid 90 of actuating means 86 which pulls the actuating lever 88 in the direction of arrow B in Fig. 3C. This in turn causes the first control sleeve 40 and shaft 30 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4. The second control sleeve 42 also rotates in the counterclockwise direction because, like the first control sleeve 40, it is keyed to the shaft 30. The angular displacement E (Fig. 5) between control members 66 and 68 and the associated projections 70 and 72 permit the control sleeves 40 and 42 to rotate counterclockwise approximately 4 degrees before the control members 66 and 68 engage the projections 70 and 72, respectively. Just before the control members 66 and 68 rotate to the predetermined angle of 4 degrees, the engaging portion 50 of the aligner bar 44 engages the first wall 20 as shown in Fig. 6B. During this initial 4 degrees of movement, the pinch roller 26 remains in the position illustrated in Fig. 6A, and the first and second levers 52 and 58 do not pivot. As the shaft 30 rotates counterclockwise beyond 4 degrees in the embodiment described, the control members 66 and 68 engage the projections 70 and 72, respectively, and move the first and second levers 52 and 58 in the direction of arrow C in Fig. 6C. This in turn causes the pinch roller 26 to be moved away from the drive roller 28. Notice that as the shaft 30 rotates beyond 4 degrees, the control sleeve 40 and 42 continue to rotate, and this continued rotation introduces a bend (indicated by arrow D in Fig. 6C) into each of the first and second leg portions 46 and 48. The bend in leg portions 46 and 48 cause the engaging portion 50 to be resiliently biased against the first wall 20 as the pinch roller 26 is being moved away from the drive roller 28. As the pinch roller 26 is moved away from the drive roller 28 (Fig. 6C), the document 18 is inserted or "dropped" until the bottom edge 18-1 of the document 18 engages or becomes aligned with the engaging portion 50 of the aligner bar 44. After the document 18 is aligned as just described, the pinch roller 26 is then moved towards the drive roller 28 (by de-engergizing the solenoid 90) to secure the document 18 therebetween before the aligner bar 44 moves out from underneath the document 18 as shown in Fig. 6D, to the position shown in Fig. 6E. As mentioned previously herein, the resilient means 92 biases the first and second levers 52 and 58 to rotate in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) toward the first position. This rotation causes the first and second levers 52 and 58 to pivot toward the first position until the pinch roller 26 forces or pinches the document 18 against the drive roller 28. After the aligner bar 44 has been moved to the position indicated in Fig. 6E, the carriage 76 and print member 78 can traverse the length of the support rod 74 in order to print a line of data on the document 18. In order to effect printing multiple line of data, the control means 14 can cause the drive roller 28 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise (as viewed in Fig. 6E) which in turn causes the document 18 to move up or down, respectively, in the slot 16. When it is desired to remove the document 18 from the document printer 10, the document 18 is moved upwardly in the slot 16 (as viewed in Fig. 4 and 6E) until the bottom edge 18-1 is positioned above the position where the aligner bar 44 engages the first wall 20 or until the document 18 is moved entirely out from between the drive roller 28 and pinch roller 26. This ensures that the engaging portion 50 does not engage the document 18 when the aligner bar 44 moves toward the first wall 20. The method and sequence of operations shown in Figs. 6A-6E are then repeated. As was described earlier herein, the aligner bar 44 engages the first wall 20 before the pinch roller 26 moves toward the second position shown in Fig. 6C. This prevents the document 18 from falling below the engaging portion 50 to the bottom of the slot 16 after the pinch roller 26 disengages the drive roller 28. It is to be noted that the solenoid 90 may not be energized until the document 18 has been removed from the slot 16 and then only if it is desired to print on another document 18. By not opening the pinch roller 26 and drive roller 28, the document is at the maximum height for an operator to grip and remove the document 18 from the document printer 10. While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, this description is merely illustrative, and it is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Various other modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims: A document printer including an aligner mechanism (24) for aligning a document in said printer prior to a printing operation, said aligner mechanism including a guide wall (20) for guiding said document within said printer, characterized in that said aligner mechanism further includes a shaft (30) arranged for rotational movement between a first and a second position, gripper means (26,28,52,58) coupled to said shaft and arranged to be moved between an open and a closed position, resilient alignment means (44) connected to said shaft for movement therewith, and actuating means (90) connected to said shaft for moving said shaft between said first and second positions, whereby, during movement of said shaft from said first position to said second position, said alignment means (44) is caused to engage said guide wall (20) while said gripper means remains in a closed position, and thereafter said alignment means is deformed and resiliently biased against said side wall while said gripper means is moved to said open position so as to enable an edge of said document to be moved into engagement with said alignment means, and whereby, during movement of said shaft from said second position to said first position, said gripper means is moved to said closed position thereby gripping said document, and thereafter said alignment means is moved out of engagement with said side wall. A document printer according to claim 1, characterized in that said alignment means (44) is connected to sleeve means (40,42) mounted on said shaft for movement therewith, and said gripper means (26,28) includes lever means (52,58) mounted on said shaft adjacent said sleeve means for cooperation therewith to provide a lost motion coupling, so that during movement of said shaft to said second position, said sleeve means cause said alignment means to move into engagement with said guide wall (20), and thereafter movement of said shaft and said sleeve means cause said lever means to move, thereby causing said gripper means to move to said open position. A document printer according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said gripper means (26,28,52,58) is biased to said closed position by resilient means (92) acting upon said lever means (52,58). A document printer according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that said lever means (52,58) is provided with a cylindrical end portion (60) having a hole therethrough to accommodate said shaft, and radially extending protrusion means (72); said sleeve means (40,42) having radially extending slot means (71) and being arranged to cooperate with said end portion (60) to enable said protrusion means to be accommodated within said slot means, said slot means being larger than said protrusion means so that said sleeve means can rotate a predetermined distance before said lever means is moved, thereby providing said lost motion coupling. A document printer according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said alignment means (44) comprises a bar having first and second leg portions (46,48) depending from first and second end portions of said bar respectively, said leg portions being connected to said shaft. A document printer according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said actuating means includes a solenoid. A document printer according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said gripper means includes pinch roller means (26) mounted on a further shaft (26-1) supported by said lever means (52,58), drive roller means (28) mounted for cooperation with said pinch roller means enabling said document to be transported between said pinch roller means and said drive roller means. A document printer according to claim 7, characterized in that said pinch roller means (26) is biased towards said drive roller means (28) by said resilient means (92). A document printer according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 8, characterized in that said lever means (52,58) support a rod (74) for mounting a carriage (76) and print member (78).

Inventors: PASSER BARRY E, WILSON HILLIS L, YAICHUK PETER W, PASSER, BARRY E., WILSON, HILLIS L., YAICHUK, PETER W.
Applicants: NCR INT INC, NCR INTERNATIONAL INC.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B41J13
IPC codes: B41J13, B65H9, G06K13