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Card printing mechanism with card return path

  • US 10,049,320 B2
  • Filed: 12/30/2016
  • Issued: 08/14/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A card processing system, comprising:

  • a card processing path;

    a card feed mechanism configured to contain cards to be fed onto the card processing path;

    a card printing mechanism disposed along the card processing path downstream from the card feed mechanism, the card printing mechanism includes;

    a primary card travel path along which cards can travel in a downstream direction;

    at least one drop-on-demand print station on the primary card travel path that performs a printing operation on a surface of a card on the primary card travel path, the drop-on-demand print station includes at least one print head;

    a return card travel path, separate from the primary card travel path, along which cards can travel to be returned back to the primary card travel path at a position upstream of the drop-on-demand print station, the return card travel path including a portion that is substantially parallel to but displaced from the primary card travel path;

    a smart card programming mechanism disposed in the card processing path and not disposed on the return card travel path, the smart card programming mechanism configured to program a chip embedded in a card fed from the card feed mechanism.

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