Patent ID: 7568694

Claim:
A printed medium collector, comprising: a guide surface having an intake edge and a drop off edge, with the guide surface being downwardly inclined from the intake edge to the drop off edge such that when a printer releases a printed medium onto the guide surface, the printed medium can be drawn by gravity across the guide surface and over the drop off edge with a leading edge of the printed medium moving within a range of trajectories, each trajectory having a downward and lateral component; and a printed medium storage area arranged to receive a printed medium with a leading edge moving within the range of trajectories, said printed medium storage area having a support surface to provide support against downward movement of the printed medium and a stop extending above the support surface to an extent that is sufficient to engage a leading edge of any printed mediums received by the print storage area to block lateral travel of said printed mediums so that such printed mediums are stored on the support surface against the stop to form a stack, such that said range of trajectories comprises a maximum trajectory in which the leading edge of the printed medium is capable of first contacting the stop, and a minimum trajectory where the leading edge of the printed medium is capable of contacting a location on a printed medium on the support surface which is at or just past a trailing edge of the printed medium on the support surface; said support surface and said stop being positioned at an elevation and at a lateral location relative to the drop off edge such that the leading edge of a printed medium that follows the range of trajectories will laterally travel past the trailing edge of each of the printed mediums in the stack before the leading edge passes downward of the trailing edge of that printed medium.