US-12623473-B2 - Movable arms for printer input trays

US12623473B2US 12623473 B2US12623473 B2US 12623473B2US-12623473-B2

Abstract

Examples include a device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. The device comprises a support, a movable arm extended along the media advance direction, a spring for generating a spring force urging the movable arm against the support, and a releasable actuator for compensating the spring force and for selectively offsetting the movable arm away from the support in a plane parallel to a base of the input tray. The movable arm is maintained parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm.

Inventors

Javier Onecha Celestino
Ricardo Sanchis Estruch
Eduardo MARTIN ORUE

Assignees

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210714

Claims (15)

1 . A device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray, comprising: a support; a movable arm extended along a media advance direction; a spring for generating a spring force urging the movable arm directly against the support; and a releasable actuator for compensating the spring force and for selectively offsetting the movable arm away from the support in a plane parallel to a base of the input tray, whereby the movable arm is maintained parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm.
2 . The device according to claim 1 , whereby: the support comprises a first and a second support wedge; the movable arm comprises a first and a second movable arm wedge; whereby the wedges are comprised in planes substantially perpendicular to the base of the input tray and inclined in relation to the media advance direction by a same inclination angle comprised between 5 and 85 degrees, the first, respectively second, support wedge facing the first, respectively second, movable arm wedge; and whereby the spring urges the first, respectively second, support wedge flush against the first, respectively second, movable arm wedge, during movement of the movable arm, in order to maintain the movable arm parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm.
3 . The device according to claim 1 , the device further comprising a set of linked arms connecting the support to the movable arm, each linked arm being connected by a respective pair of pivots to both the support and the movable arm, the pivots permitting rotation of the linked arms around a rotation axis substantially normal to the base of the input tray, the pivots of each pair being separated by a same distance from each other, in order to maintain the movable arm parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm.
4 . The device according to claim 1 , the device comprising an alignment pin in order to maintain the movable arm parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm.
5 . The device according to claim 1 , whereby the movement of the movable arm is a translation in a plane parallel to the base of the input tray, the translation comprising a first component along the media advance direction and a second component along a direction perpendicular to the media advance direction, whereby a magnitude of the first component exceeds a magnitude of the second component.
6 . The device according to claim 1 , the releasable actuator comprising a lever movable between a released position and a latched position, the spring force pulling the lever from the latched position to the released position, the lever being movable from the released position to the latched position by hand against the spring force.
7 . The device according to claim 6 , whereby the lever comprises a cam.
8 . The device according to claim 1 , the releasable actuator comprising a solenoid, the solenoid comprising an armature movable between a released position and an energized position and back, the spring force pulling the armature from the latched position to the released position, the armature being movable against the spring force from the released position to the energized position by energizing of the solenoid.
9 . The device according to claim 1 , whereby the releasable actuator is movable between a released position and a plurality of other positions, each one of the other positions offsetting the movable arm away from the support by a respective offset distance.
10 . A printer comprising: an input tray for printing media; a movable arm located along a side of the input tray along a media advance direction; a spring for generating a spring force pressing the movable arm directly against the side of the input tray; and a releasable actuator for overcoming the spring force and for shifting the movable arm away from the side of the input tray, whereby the movable arm remains parallel to the media advance direction during shifting of the movable arm.
11 . The printer according to claim 10 , whereby the printer comprises a page wide array of nozzles.
12 . The printer according to claim 11 , whereby adjacent nozzles of the page wide array of nozzles are separated from each other along a direction substantially perpendicular to the media advance direction by a nozzle separation distance, whereby the releasable actuator enables a movement of the movable arm of at least the nozzle separation distance along the direction substantially perpendicular to the media advance direction.
13 . A method comprising: shifting a movable arm away from a side of an input tray of a printer by overcoming a spring force using a releasable actuator, whereby the movable arm is located along the side of the input tray along a media advance direction, whereby the spring force is generated by a spring directing the movable arm directly against the side of the input tray, and whereby the movable arm remains parallel to the media advance direction during the shifting of the movable arm; placing a printing medium on a base of the input tray and adjacent to the shifted movable arm; and releasing the releasable actuator such that the movable arm returns directly against the side of the input tray.
14 . The method according to claim 13 , whereby the printing medium is a rigid printing medium.
15 . The method according to claim 13 , whereby the printer is a page wide array printer, the method further comprising: placing the printing medium on the base of the input tray and adjacent the movable arm, the movable arm being against the side of the input tray.

Description

BACKGROUND This disclosure generally relates to the handling of printing media which are widely used as support to share information in a written or graphical form. In order to obtain satisfactory printing quality, printing media should be precisely located in an input tray of a printer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A-C illustrate an example device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. FIGS. 2A-D illustrate another example device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. FIGS. 3A-C illustrate a further example device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. FIGS. 4A-C illustrate yet another example device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. FIG. 4D illustrates yet a further example device for offsetting printing media in a printer input tray. FIG. 5 illustrates an example printer. FIG. 6 illustrates another example printer. FIG. 7 illustrates an example method. FIG. 8 illustrates another example method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In order to get printed on, printing media follows a printing media path along a media advance direction in a printer, such printing media path starting in a printer input tray. The correct positioning of printing media in the input tray permits engaging the printing media correctly on the media path towards a print zone of the printer. In some cases, the printing media takes a generally rectangular shape and comprises a leading edge, a trailing edge and sides, the sides being, during printing, substantially aligned with the media advance direction, the leading edge and trailing edge being, during printing, substantially perpendicular to the media advance direction, the printing media having a substantially constant thickness in a direction perpendicular to the sides and to the leading and trailing edges. In this disclosure, the use of the word substantially should be understood as within plus or minus one degree of the direction concerned. Positioning of such a generally rectangular shaped printing media in the input tray can involve guiding one or both sides of the printing media using one or more guides. Such guides permit aligning the printing media sides with the direction of the media advance direction, such that a graphical representation may be printed as expected on the printing media. Appropriate guiding however relies on the assumption that the sides of the printing media are straight. In cases where the sides of the printing media are not straight, the printing media may get displaced, or skewed, by the guides, as the printing media advances along the media advance direction. While such displacement or skew may take marginal values, such displacement or skew may introduce printing imperfections sometimes called “zebra effect”. Avoiding or reducing the occurrence of such printing imperfections forms the foundation of the present disclosure. As will be described in the following examples, a combination of a movable arm, of a spring and of a releasable actuator is disclosed which permits on one hand placing a printing medium on a base of an input tray, and on the other hand releasing the movable arm once the printing medium is placed. While the placement of the printing medium on the base of the input tray permits guiding of the printing medium towards a printing zone along a media advance direction, the releasing of the movable arm once the printing medium has been placed permits maintaining the printing medium in a same orientation as the printing medium moves along the input tray along the media advance direction, even in case of a printing medium having uneven sides. In order to avoid misplacement of printing media regardless of the positioning of the movable arm, the movable arm is maintained parallel to the media advance direction during movement of the movable arm. The combined action of the spring and of the release permits a rapid and reliable operation. FIGS. 1A-C illustrate an example device 100 for offsetting printing media 110 in a printer input tray. Printing media should be understood as a sheet like or planar shaped material to receive a printing fluid in order to print a graphical representation. The sheet may be rigid or may be flexible. In some examples, the printing media has a thickness of about 0.1 mm. In some examples, the printing media has a thickness of up to 10 mm. In some examples, the printing media takes a cut sheet format such as one of ANSI (American National Standards Institute) A (229 mm×305 mm), B (305 mm×457 mm). C (457 mm×610 mm), D (610 mm×914 mm) or E (914 mm×1219 mm) cut sheets. Other example format comprise ISO formats, in particular International Standard Organization, ISO, 216 paper sizes A, B or C. DIN (German Institute for Standardization) paper sizes A0 to A10, or Japanese Industrial Standard, JIS paper sizes. In some example, the printing media comprise cellulose based fibers. A printing media may be made of paper, carboard, wood or foamboard for example. A p