Card Cartridge

• US 20030152409A1
• Filed: 04/19/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Fargo Electronics Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Meier, James R., Pribula, Martin A., Lokken, Anthony L., Lukaskawcez, Stacy W., Klinefelter, Gary M., Upin, Jeffrey D., Lenz, Gary A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,932,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/718
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/009 Detecting type of paper, e.g. by automatic reading of a code that is printed on a paper package or on a paper roll or by sensing the grade of translucency of the paper
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/12 specially adapted for small cards, envelopes, or the like , e.g. credit cards, cut visiting cards
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/06 for separation from bottom of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/31 Supports for sheets fully removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A card cartridge includes a housing having a pair of opposing side walls, a top, a front wall, a back wall opposite the front wall, and a base. The housing includes an interior cavity that is sized to accommodate a stack of cards, a card access, and a card output slot. The card access allows a card transport mechanism to engage a lead card contained in the housing and feed the lead card through the card output slot.

Claims

1. A card cartridge for use with an identification card printer comprising a housing having an interior cavity that is sized to accommodate a stack of cards, the housing including a pair of opposing side walls, a top, a front wall, a back wall opposite the front wall, a base, a card access, through which a card transport mechanism can engage a lead card, and a card output slot.

2. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the housing is formed of transparent or opaque plastic.

3. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an aperture which forms the card access.

4. The card cartridge of claim 3, wherein the base of the housing includes the card access.

5. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein the housing includes first and second apertures, which form the card access.

6. The card cartridge of claim 5, wherein the base of the housing includes the card access.

7. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein the base of the housing includes connecting members for attaching the base to the front, back and side walls of the housing.

8. The card cartridge of claim 1, including a biasing mechanism adapted to apply a force to an end card opposite the lead card of an enclosed stack of cards thereby directing the lead card toward the housing adjacent the output slot.

9. The card cartridge of claim 8, wherein the biasing mechanism directs the stack of cards toward the base of the housing.

10. The card cartridge of claim 8, wherein the biasing mechanism includes:

a card plate that engages the end card; and

a spring compressed between the housing and the card plate.

11. The card cartridge of claim 8, wherein the force is less than 3.0 lbs.

12. The card cartridge of claim 1, including a supply circuit mounted to the housing, the supply circuit having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card cartridge.

13. The card cartridge of claim 12, wherein the supply circuit includes electrical contacts through which the supply information can be accessed.

14. The card cartridge of claim 12, wherein the supply circuit is mounted to the base of the housing.

15. The card cartridge of claim 14, wherein the card access is formed in the base of the housing adjacent the supply circuit.

16. The card cartridge of claim 15, wherein the card access includes first and second apertures respectively positioned adjacent the front and back walls of the housing.

17. The card cartridge of claim 1, including a stack of cards enclosed in the housing.

18. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a removable cover, whereby the cavity can be accessed for loading and unloading of cards.

19. The card cartridge of claim 1, including a connector attached to the housing for mounting the cartridge to a cartridge receiver of the identification card printer.

20. The card cartridge of claim 19, wherein the connector includes a pair of tab members attached to the side walls of the housing at a proximal end, a distal end of the tab members including a latching component adapted to engage a cooperating component of the cartridge receiver to facilitate mounting the card cartridge to the cartridge receiver when the tab members are in a locking position and disengage the cooperating component of the cartridge receiver when in a release position.

21. The card cartridge of claim 20, wherein the tab members are biased toward the locking position.

22. The card cartridge of claim 20, wherein the latching component includes a shoulder member.

23. The card cartridge of claim 20, wherein the tab members include finger pads.

24. The card cartridge of claim 1, wherein the base includes a card separating member adjacent back wall, whereby card feed operations are improved.

25. The card cartridge of claim 24, wherein the card separating member is a ramp or a curved step member.

26. An identification card printer comprising:

the card cartridge of claim 1 containing a stack of cards;

a cartridge receiver adapted to receive the card cartridge;

a transport mechanism adjacent the cartridge receiver and adapted to feed cards through the output slot and transport cards along a print path; and

a print mechanism positioned adjacent the print path for printing on the cards.

27. The printer of claim 26, including a connector attached to the housing for mounting the cartridge to the cartridge receiver.

28. A card cartridge for use with an identification card printer comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity that is sized to accommodate a stack of cards, the housing including a pair of opposing side walls, a top, a front wall, a back wall opposite the front wall, a base, a card access, through which a card transport mechanism can engage a lead card of an enclosed stack of cards, and a card output slot; and

a biasing mechanism adapted to apply a force to an end card of the stack of cards and direct the lead card toward the base.

29. The card cartridge of claim 28, including a connector for mounting the card cartridge to a cartridge receiver of an identification card printer.

30. The card cartridge of claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the housing is formed of transparent or opaque plastic.

31. The card cartridge of claim 28, wherein the biasing mechanism includes:

a card plate that engages the end card; and

a spring compressed between the housing and the card plate.

32. The card cartridge of claim 28, including a supply circuit mounted to the housing, the supply circuit having a memory containing supply information relating to parameters of the card cartridge.

33. The card cartridge of claim 32, wherein the supply circuit includes electrical contacts through which the supply information can be accessed.

34. The card cartridge of claim 32, wherein the supply circuit is mounted to the base of the housing.

35. The card cartridge of claim 28, wherein the housing includes a removable cover for loading and unloading cards.

36. The card cartridge of claim 29, wherein the connector includes a pair of tab members attached to the side walls of the housing at a proximal end, a distal end of the tab members including a latching component adapted to engage a cooperating component of the cartridge receiver to facilitate mounting the card cartridge to the cartridge receiver when the tab members are in a locking position and disengage the cooperating component of the cartridge receiver when in a release position.

37. The card cartridge of claim 36, wherein the tab members are biased toward the locking position.

38. The card cartridge of claim 36, wherein the latching component includes a shoulder member.

39. The card cartridge of claim 36, wherein the tab members include finger pads.

40. The card cartridge of claim 28 including a stack of cards in the interior cavity.

41. The card cartridge of claim 28, wherein the base includes a card separating member adjacent back wall, whereby card feed operations are improved.

42. The card cartridge of claim 41, wherein the card separating member is a ramp or a curved step member.