Patent Publication Number: US-6985266-B2

Title: Printer of a new type

Description:
The present invention relates to a printer for printing, preferably by thermal transfer, of articles such as cards, in particular of plastic material. 
   It relates more particularly to a printer of the type comprising, from upstream to downstream, a loader for articles to be printed, adapted to coact with a motor element for articles leaving the loader, a printing device and transfer means to conduct sequentially the articles from the loader outlet to the printing device and from the printing device to means to collect the printed articles. 
   Such printers are well known to those skilled in the art. Until now, the ejection of a card contained in the loader in the direction of the printer takes place as follows. The loader is constituted by a casing connected to one of the surfaces of the frame of the printer. This casing comprises, in its rear wall, an opening. The stacked cards within the loader are maintained in bearing relation against the bottom of the casing by a weight. A cylinder projects partially through the opening and comes to bear against said cards. This cylinder is driven in rotation by a motor to give rise, by friction, to the movement of a card out of the casing of the loader. This motor is stopped upon the card leaving, which is then driven in movement within the printer by transport rollers driven in rotation by means of a second motor. A printing device, disposed within the printer, is itself controlled in operation by means of a third motor. The design of the printer thus requires arranging on the one hand a motor dedicated solely to the operation of the expulsion cylinder for the cards from the loader, and on the other hand a motor dedicated to the operation of the transport rollers. 
   An object of the present invention is to provide a printer of the type mentioned above whose design permits omitting one motor in comparison to the conventional printers known until now, without impeding the operation of the printer. 
   To this end, the invention has for its object a printer for printing, preferably by thermal transfer, of articles such as cards, in particular of plastic material, of the type comprising, from upstream to downstream, a loader of articles to be printed, adapted to coact with a motor element for the outlet of articles from the loader, a printing device and a transfer means to lead articles sequentially from the outlet of the loader to the printing device and from the printing device to means to collect the printed articles, characterized in that the motor element for articles leaving the loader, constituted by a cylinder in contact with the articles to be printed by means of an opening provided in a wall of the loader, is moved by a motor common to the transfer means, a contact between the loading cylinder and the articles to be printed being sequentially interrupted by an isolating device displaced by a mechanical connection with the motor of the printing device. 
   Thanks to the presence of the isolating device between the rotating cylinder of the loader and the article contained in the loader, the cylinder of the loader can be driven in rotation, including during a printing cycle, without causing the outlet of a fresh card from the loader. 

   
     The invention will be better understood from a reading of the following description of embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a printer according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of the mechanical connection between the printing device and the isolating device in so-called initial position; 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the connection between the printing device and the isolating device in a so-called article loading position; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic perspective view of the connection between the printing device and the isolating device in a printing position of an article, and 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view of the insulating device and of the loading cylinder in an exploded position of the elements. 
   

   The printer which is the object of the invention is more particularly adapted for printing, preferably by thermal transfer, of articles  20  such as cards, in particular of plastic material. 
   This printer comprises, in a known manner, from upstream to downstream, a loader  1  for articles  20  to be printed adapted to coact with a motor element for removing the articles  20  from the loader  1 , a printing device  2  and transfer means  3  to conduct sequentially the articles  20  from the outlet of the loader  1  to the printing device  2  and from the printing device  2  to the collection means for the printed articles. These collection means (not shown) can be constituted particularly by a collection bin disposed on the introduction side of the card into the printer or on the opposite side of the printer. A cleaning device  21  can also be interposed between the printing device  2  and the outlet  18  of the loader. This cleaning device  21  can be constituted by at least one cleaning roller disposed parallel to and below a rotating roller  3  constituting one of the elements of the transfer means. The card  20  to be printed comes from the outlet of the loader to be disposed between said rollers delimiting a pinching region and is driven by means of the rotating roller  3  coacting with the cleaning roller in the direction of the printing device  2 . In the course of this passage between said rollers, dirt covering the card  20  is eliminated by an appearance of the dirt to the cleaning roller. The card proceeds to move along the transport path delimited by the transfer means  3  to come to the printing device  2 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the card  20  is moved by transfer means  3  beyond the printing device  2  and then is returned below the head  2 B of the printing device there to be printed before being extracted from the body of the printer by the transfer means  3 . 
   In this printer, the loader  1  is constituted by a casing generally fixed removably on one of the surfaces of the body of the frame of the printer. This casing comprises an opening  5  provided in one of its walls, in this instance the bottom wall of the loader  1 . The cards  20  to be printed are maintained within the loader  1  bearing against the wall having this opening  5 . The exit of the cards  20  from the loader is achieved by means of a motor element constituted by a cylinder  4  rotating in contact with the cards  20  to be printed, through the opening  5 . Driving in rotation of this cylinder  4  gives rise, by frictional contact with a card  20  held bearing against the wall of the loader  1 , to the exit of this card through a slot  18  of the loader  1 . This card  20  is then driven, by means of the transfer means  3  which will be described hereafter, to the interior of the printer to be printed. 
   In a manner characteristic of the invention, and as shown in the drawings, the cylinder  4 , constituting the drive element for the cards  20  from the loader, is moved by a motor  6  common to the transfer means  3 . In the illustrated examples, these transfer means  3  are constituted by pairs of cylinders or parallel rotating rollers disposed along the path of movement and of transport of the card  20  within the printer. Each pair of rollers delimits a pinching region for the card  20  driven by friction upon driving in rotation one of the rollers of the pair, the other roller being adapted to be freely mounted in rotation. The connection between motor  6 , transverse cylinders  3  and drive cylinder  5  for loading, can be obtained by means of an endless transmission such as a belt transmission. 
   To prevent continuous supply of the cards  20  contained in the loader in the direction of the printer, the contact between cylinder  4  of loader  1  and articles  20  to be printed is sequentially interrupted by an isolating device  7  which will be described in greater detail hereafter. This isolating device  7  is moved by a mechanical connection  8  with the motor  9  of the printing device  2 . 
   In the illustrated examples, the loader  1  comprises means  10  returning, preferably resiliently, the articles  20  to be printed in the direction of the opening  5  of the loader  1  to bring them into bearing contact with the drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the return means  10  are constituted by a spring returning a pivoting flap  25  disposed within the loader  1  bearing against the top of the pile of cards  20 . The isolating device  7  comprises itself means  11 A,  11 B bearing sequentially against said articles  20  to move them against the return means  10  to as to prevent any contact between articles  10  and drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1 . Thus, the isolating device  7  tends, in the illustrated examples, to raise the cards  20  contained within the loader  1  when they occupy an active position corresponding to a position bearing against the drive cylinder  4 . 
   In a particular manner, this isolating device  7  is formed by a cage  11  partially surrounding the drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1  by means of a discontinuous peripheral wall. In the illustrated examples, the discontinuous peripheral wall of the cage is shaped to delimit at least two bars  11 A,  11 B, at least one of said bars  11 A,  11 B being adapted, in a first active angular position of the cage, to isolate the articles  20  to be printed from the drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1  turning freely within the cage  11  and, in a second inactive angular position of the cage, to withdraw so as to permit, in the space between the bars  11 A,  11 B, a contact between article  20  and cylinder  4 . 
   Each bar thus has the shape of a curved wall moving about a circle passing through the axis of rotation of the cylinder  4  of the loader. These bars  11 A,  11 B are so constructed as partially to enclose the cylinder  4  so as to provide in the space between the bars one or several openings through which the cylinder  4  can come into contact with the article  20 , such as a card, stored within the loader  1 . The cage  11  thus defined can occupy at least a first angular position, so-called active, in which at least a portion of the wall, such as a bar, in this case the bar  11 A, isolates the articles to be printed from the freely turning drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1 . This first position is more particularly shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . This cage  11  can also occupy at least one second angular position, so-called inactive position, in which the wall or respectively the bars  11 A,  11 B are retracted to permit contact between the article and the cylinder  4 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Clearly, each time, the angular movements of this cage  11  are controlled by a motor  9  common to the printing device  2 . 
   The printing device  2  is itself constituted by at least one shaft  2 A with cams  2 C on which bears a printing head  2 B driven with an up and down movement during angular movement of the shaft  2 A to move between an upper inactive position and a lower active position, the angular movement of said shaft  2 A being synchronized with the angular movement of the cage  11  so as to define at least two positions, one so-called loading position in which the printing head  2 B and the cage  11  are in inactive position and a fresh article  20  is driven from the loader, the other, so-called printing position, in which printing head  2 B and cage  11  are in the active position to avoid any drive of a fresh article during the printing sequence. The printing head  2 B will not be described in greater detail because it is well known to those skilled in this art. 
   This printing head  2 B is generally mounted within a support as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   The cage  11  and the shaft  2 A with a cam can occupy at least a third position intermediate the first and second positions, in which the cage  11  is in an active position whilst the printing head  2 B is in an inactive position. This position is more particularly shown in  FIG. 2 . The passage from one angular position to another of the isolation device on the one hand and of the shaft  2 A with cams  2 C of the printing device on the other hand, is obtained by means of a single motor  9 . The isolation device  7  is connected to this motor  9  by a mechanical connection  8  constituted by a device of the crank type comprising a rotatable flywheel  13  connected to the motor  9  by a reducing mechanism  14 , this flywheel  13  with an eccentric crank pin  15  receiving a rod  16  connected to the cage  11  by a crank arm  17  so as to give rise, during actuation of the motor  9 , to an angular displacement of the cage  11 . At least a portion of this reducing mechanism  14 , disposed between the crank and the motor  9  of the printing device  2 , is common to the drive mechanism  12  of the printing device  2 . Thus, the shaft  2 A with cams  2 C of the printing device  2  is connected by a reducing mechanism  12  with pinions to the motor  9  controlling the operation of the isolating device  7 . 
   The motor  9  of the printing device  2  is reversible in direction. There is thus obtained a succession of positions as follows. In a first instance, isolating device  7  and printing device  2  occupy an inactive position as shown in  FIG. 2 . This position is called the initial position or intermediate position. In this initial position the bar  11 A of the cage is disposed in a position in which it isolates the cards  20  contained in the loader  1  of the drive cylinder  4  adapted to be driven in rotation by a motor  6  common to the transport rollers  3 . The printing head  2 B is itself maintained in an upper or inactive position by means of cams  4 C on the camshaft  2 A. When a card  20  is to be expelled from the loader, the motor  9 , common to the isolating device  7  and to the printing device  2 , is driven in rotation so as to drive the cage  11  of the isolating device  7  to the left from the position shown in  FIG. 2 . The printing device and the isolating device then occupy a so-called loading position, shown in  FIG. 3 . In this position, again, the printing device is in the inactive position, thanks to the positioning of the cams  2 C on the camshaft  2 A, whilst the bar  11 A of the cage  7  has been moved to permit the cylinder  4  to come, because of the free space between bars  11 A and  11 B, into contact with the cards  20  disposed in the loader. This position thus corresponds to an outlet position for a card  20  from the loader  1  by bearing contact against cylinder  4  and the card is disposed against the bottom of the loader  1 . Upon the exit of the card  20  from the loader  1 , the printing device  2  and the isolating device  7  return to the position shown in  FIG. 2  by reversal of the direction of rotation of the motor. The card then pursues its path within the printer by means of the transport rollers  3  as shown in  FIG. 1 , until it extends beyond the printing device  2 . In this position, the transfer means  3  are stopped in rotation and the shaft  2 A with cams  2 C and the cage  11  are driven in a direction of rotation corresponding to a rotation toward the left of the cage  11  to bring the printing head  2 B into the lower or active position and to permit the isolating device  7  to maintain an isolation between cards  20  contained in the motor  1  and cylinder  4  by means of the bar  11 B. In this printing position, the card is printed by coaction of the printing head  2 B with an impression film  22  shown in  FIG. 1 , in a manner known per se. This film  22  can then be wound on the rollers  23 , the so-called printing rollers. These printing rollers  23  can be motor-driven independently in the case of a polychrome printing process or be driven in a manner coupled with the motor  9  of the printing device in the case of a monochrome arrangement. A motor  24  corresponding to a polychrome arrangement is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   Once printing is finished, the printing device  2  and the isolating device  7  are brought back to the initial position corresponding to  FIG. 2  and the printed card follows its path to the collection means (not shown) for the cards, this movement being obtained by means of the transport rollers  3 . 
   Thanks to the presence of the isolating device  7  and the coupling of this isolating device  7  to the motor  9  controlling the printing device  2 , it is possible to drive in rotation the drive cylinder  4  controlling the exit of the cards from the motor  1 , including during the printing step, such that this rotatable cylinder  4  can be coupled to the transport rollers  3  and be controlled in operation by a single motor  6  acting in parallel on the transport rollers  3 . There results a simplification of the obtained printing. 
   It is to be noted that, in the illustrated examples, that the isolating device  7  is mounted by snapping on to the shaft of the cylinder  4  of the loader  1 . There results a rapidity and simplification of mounting. To this end, the end walls of the cage  11  adjoining the peripheral wall of the cage are shaped to provide bearings in which will be disposed the shaft carrying the rotatable drive cylinder  4  of the loader  1 .