Printer with secure tray

• US 10,118,421 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TESco Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TESco Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Teets, Jeffrey, Teets, Willard
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US15/275,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20180079234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 773 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/266 Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer B65H1/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2402/60 Coupling, adapter or locking means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/121 Locking means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2557/11 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6502 Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6588 characterised by the copy material, e.g. postcards, large copies, multi-layered materials, coloured sheet material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1654 Locks and means for positioning or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/125 Secure containers

Abstract

A secure printer with a secure tray. Valuable paper can be put in the secure tray, such as prescription paper, stock certificates, etc. The secure printer can lock the secure tray so that the secure tray cannot be removed from the secure printer or printed to. A wireless fob can be used to unlock the secure printer and thus enable removal of the secure tray from the secure printer and/or enable printing to the secure tray. A latch can be retracted and extended into a notch in the secure tray. When the latch is extended it would lock the secure tray from removal. A processor can control when to retract and extend the latch. A standard printer can also be converted to a secure printer by installing some components including a latch assembly, a processor board, and a detectable object on a side of the secure tray.

Claims

1. A printer, comprising:

a secure tray configured for insertion into the printer, the secure tray comprising a notch on a side of the secure tray;

a printing mechanism configured to, upon receiving a print command print on a sheet of paper picked from the secure tray;

a latch assembly comprising a latch, the latch structured to have an extended position extending into the notch thereby locking the secure tray inside the printer when the secure tray is fully inside the printer, and the latch also structured to have a retracted position not extending into the notch thereby enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer when the secure tray is fully inside the printer, wherein the latch is structured to enable the secure tray to push the latch from the extended position into the retracted position upon insertion of the secure tray into the printer thereby enabling insertion of the secure tray when the latch is initially in the extended position;

a transceiver connected to a controller processor, the transceiver configured to receive wireless signals; and

the controller processor configured that upon receipt of a particular wireless command by the transceiver, causes the latch to retract into the retracted position from the extended position.

2. The printer as recited in claim 1, wherein the latch assembly further comprises:

a solenoid configured to cause the latch to extend and retract.

3. The printer as recited in claim 2, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a spring structured to urge the latch to default to the extended position.

4. The printer as recited in claim 2, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a latch arm flag attached to the latch configured to move along with the latch.

5. The printer as recited in claim 4, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a latch sensor configured to detect presence and absence of the latch arm flag.

6. The printer as recited in claim 5, wherein the latch sensor is connected to the controller processor.

7. The printer as recited in claim 2, further comprising a latch processor configured to command the solenoid to energize which causes the latch to be in the retracted position and de-energize which causes the latch to be in the extended position, the latch processor being in communication with the controller processor.

8. The printer as recited in claim 7, wherein the latch processor is configured to require an encrypted command from the controller processor before the latch processor causes the solenoid to energize.

9. The printer as recited in claim 1, further comprising a detectable object located on the side of the secure tray and a tray sensor configured to detect the detectable object.

10. The printer as recited in claim 9, wherein the tray sensor is connected to the controller processor, and the controller processor is further configured such that when the detectable object is not detected by the tray sensor then printing from the secure tray is disabled.

11. The printer as recited in claim 10, wherein the controller processor is further configured such that the printing from the secure tray is disabled by disabling a pickup roller associated with the secure tray.

12. The printer as recited in claim 1, further comprising a fob which comprises a plurality of buttons, the fob configured to transmit the particular wireless command upon a particular button or combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed.

13. The printer as recited in claim 1, further comprising an LED display connected to the controller processor comprising a plurality of LEDs, the controller processor further configured to illuminate a particular set of LEDs out of the plurality of LEDs based on a current mode of the printer with the current mode being in a set of possible modes which comprises a refuse mode and an accept mode, wherein the refuse mode does not allow paper to be drawn from the secure tray, and the accept mode allows for printing from the secure tray.

14. The printer as recited in claim 1, further comprising valuable paper located inside the secure tray.

15. A printer, comprising:

a secure tray fully inserted into the printer, the secure tray comprising a notch on a side of the secure tray;

a printing mechanism configured to, upon receiving a print command, print on a sheet of paper picked from the secure tray;

a latch assembly comprising a latch, the latch structured to have an extended position extending into the notch thereby locking the secure tray inside the printer and a retracted position not extending into the notch thereby enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer;

a transceiver connected to a controller processor, the transceiver configured to receive wireless signals;

the controller processor configured that upon receipt of a particular wireless command by the transceiver, causes the latch to retract into the retracted position from the extended position; and

a left corner shield located at a left rear inside of the secure tray and a right corner shield located at a right rear inside of the secure tray.

16. The printer as recited in claim 15, further comprising a backstop located at a center rear inside of the secure tray.

17. The printer as recited in claim 15, further comprising a fob which comprises a plurality of buttons, the fob configured to transmit the particular wireless command upon a particular button or combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed.

18. The printer as recited in claim 15, further comprising valuable paper located inside the secure tray.

19. A printer, comprising:

a secure tray fully inserted into the printer, the secure tray comprising a notch on a side of the secure tray;

a printing mechanism configured to, upon receiving a print command, print on a sheet of paper picked from the secure tray;

a latch assembly comprising a latch, the latch structured to have an extended position extending into the notch thereby locking the secure tray inside the printer and a retracted position not extending into the notch thereby enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer;

a transceiver connected to a controller processor, the transceiver configured to receive wireless signals;

the controller processor configured that upon receipt of a particular wireless command by the transceiver, causes the latch to retract into the retracted position from the extended position; and

a non-secure tray which has no locking mechanism and the printer is configured to enable printing from the non-secure tray when printing is prevented to the secure tray.

20. The printer as recited in claim 19, further comprising a fob which comprises a plurality of buttons, the fob configured to transmit the particular wireless command upon a particular button or combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed.

21. The printer as recited in claim 19, further comprising valuable paper located inside the secure tray.

22. A printer, comprising:

a secure tray fully inserted into the printer, the secure tray comprising a notch on a side of the secure tray;

a printing mechanism configured to, upon receiving a print command, print on a sheet of paper picked from the secure tray;

a latch assembly comprising a latch, the latch structured to have an extended position extending into the notch thereby locking the secure tray inside the printer and a retracted position not extending into the notch thereby enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer;

a transceiver connected to a controller processor, the transceiver configured to receive wireless signals; and

the controller processor configured that upon receipt of a particular wireless command by the transceiver, causes the latch to retract into the retracted position from the extended position,

wherein the controller processor is connected to a paper pick actuator configured to enable and disable operation of a pickup roller for the secure tray, the controller processor configured to disable the pickup roller when the printer is in a first mode of operation, the controller processor configured to enable the pickup roller when the printer is in a second mode of operation.

23. The printer as recited in claim 22, further comprising a fob which comprises a plurality of buttons, the fob configured to transmit the particular wireless command upon a particular button or combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed.

24. The printer as recited in claim 22, further comprising valuable paper located inside the secure tray.

25. A printer, comprising:

a secure tray fully inserted into the printer, the secure tray incorporating a locking mechanism having a locked state preventing removal of the secure tray from the printer and an unlocked state enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer;

a printing mechanism configured to, upon receiving a print command, print on a sheet of paper picked from the secure tray;

a transceiver;

a controller processor connected to the transceiver and the printing mechanism, the controller processor configured to read and execute computer readable instructions from a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable instructions programmed to cause the controller processor to;

implement a refuse mode by default, the refuse mode preventing the printing mechanism from printing from the secure tray;

change modes from the refuse mode to an accept mode when a particular wireless command is received, the accept mode enabling printing from the secure tray; and

change modes from the accept mode to the refuse mode when a specific wireless command is received.

26. The printer as recited in claim 25, wherein the computer readable instructions are further programmed to change the secure tray from the locked state to the unlocked state when a certain wireless command is received.

27. The printer as recited in claim 25, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a latch assembly comprising a latch, the latch structured to have an extended position extending into a notch on the secure tray thereby locking the secure tray inside the printer in the locked state and a retracted position not extending into the notch thereby enabling removal of the secure tray from the printer in the unlocked state.

28. The printer as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer readable instructions are further programmed to change the latch from the extended position to the retracted position when a certain wireless command is received.

29. The printer as recited in claim 25, wherein the printer further comprises a pickup roller associated with the secure tray, wherein the computer readable instructions are further programmed such that the refuse mode disables the pickup roller.

30. The printer as recited in claim 25, further comprising a fob which comprises a plurality of buttons, the fob configured to transmit the particular wireless command upon a particular button or particular combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed, and the fob configured to transmit the specific wireless command upon a specific button or specific combination of buttons out of the plurality of buttons being pressed.

31. The printer as recited in claim 25, further comprising valuable paper located inside the secure tray.

32. A method to convert a printer to a secure printer, comprising:

providing the printer;

installing a controller processor on the printer;

removing at least one rail guide from the printer;

installing at least one latch assembly in place of the at least one rail guide;

connecting a latch assembly cable between the latch assembly and the controller processor;

connecting a transceiver to the controller processor; and

installing a secure tray which comprises a detectable object on a side of the secure tray.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising inserting valuable paper inside the secure tray.