Patent ID: 8186787

Claim:
An apparatus for printing information on a print medium, comprising: a printing station having a print head; a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium toward the printing station; and a thickness measuring mechanism for determining a thickness of the print medium at a location upstream from the printing station; wherein the apparatus is structured to cause a distance between a top face of the print medium and a portion of the print head when the print medium is located below the print head to be within a specified distance range based on a thickness of the print medium determined by the thickness measuring mechanism; and wherein the transport mechanism is a variable height transport mechanism including a support surface on which the print medium is supported while the print medium is located below the print head, and wherein the variable height transport mechanism is structured to enable a height of the support surface to be selectively adjusted; and wherein the variable height transport mechanism is a series of linked, flexibly coupled, transport belt assemblies, the linked transport belt assemblies including a first transport belt, a second transport belt, a third transport belt, a fourth transport belt, a fifth transport belt, a first shaft, a second shaft, a third shaft and a fourth shaft, wherein the first transport belt and the second transport belt are pivotally coupled to the first shaft, wherein the second transport belt and the third transport belt are pivotally coupled to the second shaft, wherein the third transport belt and the fourth transport belt are pivotally coupled to the third shaft, and wherein the fourth transport belt and the fifth transport belt are pivotally coupled to the fourth shaft, and wherein the variable height transport mechanism is structured to enable a height of the second shaft, the third shaft and the third transport belt to be selectively adjusted, while the second and fourth transport belts, linked to the third transport belt, can be flexibly tilted to form ramps to and from the height adjusted third transport belt.