Machine element or mechanism – Gearing – Interchangeably locked
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-01-09
Marmor, Charles A. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Gearing
Interchangeably locked
C400S629000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170348
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS, IF ANY
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
The present invention relates to automatic printing devices such as desktop printers, copiers and similar devices which have a media supply tray which holds a stack of sheets of media on which printing is to take place or which are already printed and are to be copied. Throughout the present disclosure reference will be generally made to a “printing device” which is understood to encompass various types of printing devices including printers, copiers, combination printers and copiers, etc.
In typical printing devices, a first motor is used for driving the printing or copying elements and for movement of the sheet of paper or other media through the device. A separate motor is used for driving the media sheet pick roller or rollers which pick single sheets of media from the top (or sometimes bottom) of the media stack in the feed tray or supply tray. The present invention is directed to a transmission for transmitting power from the main printing device drive to drive a media pick roller and move individual sheets of media from a media supply tray through the printing device without the necessity of requiring a separate motor and controls for this purpose.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accordingly provides a transmission for transmitting power from a printing device drive to drive a media pick roller to move media from a printing device media supply tray comprising:
a) a support chassis;
b) a transmission power input gear mounted on said chassis;
c) a sun gear mounted on said chassis for rotation about a first axis and driveably connected to said power input gear;
d) a media pick roller drive gear mounted for rotation on said chassis;
e) a planetary gear mounting arm mounted on said chassis for pivotal movement about said first axis;
f) a planet gear mounted for rotation on said mounting arm, said planet gear being driveably connectable to said pick roller drive gear;
g) a cam track mounted on said chassis centered on said first axis and arcuately extending from a first location to a second location proximate said media pick roller drive gear, said cam track having a transmission engagement cam surface which inclines from said first location to said second location, said cam track also having a transmission reset cam surface spaced from said engagement cam surface, said reset cam surface extending from said second location to said first location;
h) a swing arm mounted on said chassis for movement with said mounting arm about said first axis, said swing arm having a cam follower thereon engageable with said cam track surfaces and said cam follower when engaged with said inclined engagement cam surface being resiliently biased away from said mounting arm; whereby,
(1) during a transmission engagement phase, said power input gear may rotate said sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm together in a first direction to arcuately move said follower in engagement with said engagement cam surface from said first location to said second location to move said planet gear into driving relationship with said pick roller drive gear,
(2) during a drive phase, said swing arm and said mounting arm remain stationary while power may be transmitted by rotation of said input gear in a second direction to rotate said sun gear to rotate said planet gear to rotate said drive gear,
(3) during a transmission disengagement phase, said power input gear again may rotate said sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm together in said first direction to arcuately move said follower past an end of said cam track to disengage said follower from said engagement cam surface and to disengage said planet gear from driving relationship with said pick roller drive gear, and
(4) during a reset phase, said power input gear may rotate said sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm in a second direction with said follower engaged with said reset cam surface to return said mounting arm and said swing arm to said first position.
The present invention further provides a printing device having a chassis and a media input tray and media sheet pick roller for feeding individual sheets of media from said tray to a media travel path in said printing device, said printing device including a transmission transmitting power from a main drive gear (
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) in said printing device drive to drive said media pick roller, said transmission comprising:
a) a transmission power input gear mounted on said chassis in engagement with said main drive gear;
b) a sun gear mounted on said chassis for rotation about a first axis and driveably connected to said power input gear;
c) a media pick roller drive gear mounted for rotation on said chassis in driving engagement with said pick roller;
d) a planetary gear mounting arm mounted on said chassis for pivotal movement about said first axis;
e) a planet gear mounted for rotation on said mounting arm, said planet gear being driveably connectable to said pick roller drive gear;
f) a cam track mounted on said chassis centered on said first axis and arcuately extending from a first location to a second location proximate said media pick roller drive gear, said cam track having a transmission engagement cam surface which inclines from said first location to said second location, said cam track also having a transmission reset cam surface spaced from said engagement cam surface, said reset cam surface extending from said second location to said first location;
g) a swing arm mounted on said chassis for movement with said mounting arm about said first axis, said swing arm having a cam follower thereon engageable with said cam track surfaces and said cam follower when engaged with said inclined engagement cam surface being resiliently biased away from said mounting arm;
whereby, (1) during a transmission engagement phase, said main drive gear may rotate said power input gear, said sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm together in a first direction to arcuately move said follower in engagement with said engagement cam surface from said first location to said second location to move said planet gear into driving relationship with said pick roller drive gear, (2) during a media pick phase, said swing arm and said mounting arm remain stationary while power may be transmitted by reverse rotation of said main drive gear in a second direction to rotate said input gear, sun gear and said planet gear to rotate said pick roller drive gear, (3) during a transmission disengagement phase, said main drive gear again may rotate said input gear, sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm together in said first direction to arcuately move said follower past an end of said cam track to disengage said follower from said engagement cam surface and to disengage said planet gear from driving relationship with said pick roller drive gear, and (4) during a reset phase, said main drive gear may rotate said power input gear, said sun gear, said mounting arm and said swing arm in a second direction with said follower engaged with said reset cam surface to return said mounting arm and said swing arm to said first position.
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Emmenegger Stephan
Faucher Paul
Gustafson Michael
Hewlett--Packard Company
Marmor Charles A.
Parekh Ankur
LandOfFree
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