CARD REORIENTING MECHANISM AND METHODS UTILIZING SAME

• US 20130220984A1
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Corp.
• Original Assignee: Datacard Corp. (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: CRONIN, Patrick C., SOBANIA, Mark J., PAULSON, Arthur J., JURIASINGANI, Rajesh Kalachand
• Granted Patent: US 10,384,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.82
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/24 orientating the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 15/016 employing rotary or reciprocating elements supporting transport means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/33214 about an axis perpendicular to the direction of displacement and parallel to the surface of material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/442 by acting on edge of handled material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards

Abstract

Systems and methods that utilize a card reorienting mechanism are described. Generally, the card reorienting mechanism can transport and rotate a card without substantially contacting one of the principal surfaces of the card. The use of the card reorienting mechanism permits reorienting of the card without substantially contacting the principal surface of the card after the operation has been performed on the principal surface of the card. The card reorienting mechanism of the present disclosure can be useful where rotation of the card without contacting the principal surfaces of the card is desired moments after ink is applied to one of the principal surfaces of the card. In addition, substantially the entire principle surface is accessible for processing operations while the card is on the reorienting mechanism, such as for laser personalization or for image capture.

Claims

1. A card reorienting mechanism for use in a card processing machine, comprising:

a first electric motor;

a card reorienting device that includes a rotatable platform and a transport mechanism,

a first drive train between the first electric motor and the card reorienting device whereby the first electric motor is able to rotate the card reorienting device, a second electric motor; and

a second drive train between the second electric motor and the transport mechanism whereby the transport mechanism is actuatable by the second electric motor.

2. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is configured to transport a card without contacting a principal surface of a card.

3. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is configured to contact a side surface of a card.

4. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism includes a driver roller.

5. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism includes a drive roller, an idler roller, and a belt that is supported by the drive roller and the idler roller.

6. A card reorienting mechanism for use in a card processing machine, wherein the mechanism includes a rotatable platform and a card transport mechanism that is positioned relative to the rotatable platform to transport a card disposed on the rotatable platform without contacting a principal surface of the card.

7. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 6, wherein the card transport mechanism is configured to contact a side surface of a card.

8. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 7, wherein the card transport mechanism includes a drive roller that contacts the side surface of the card.

9. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 6, wherein the card transport mechanism includes a drive belt that contacts the side surface of the card.

10. A card reorienting mechanism of a card processing machine, comprising:

means for transporting a card without contacting a principal surface of the card; and

means for reorienting the card without contacting the principal surface of the card.

11. The card reorienting mechanism of claim 10, wherein the means for transporting comprises a drive roller that contacts a side surface of the card or a drive belt that contacts a side surface of the card.

12. A method of reorienting a card in a card processing machine, comprising:

disposing a card on a rotatable card reorienting mechanism;

transporting the card onto and from the card reorienting mechanism without contacting a principal surface of the card; and

rotating the card reorienting mechanism so as to reorient the card without contacting the principal surface of the card.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising transporting the card using a card transport mechanism that contacts a side surface of the card.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the card processing machine includes an image capturing device or a laser personalization mechanism, and while the card is on the card reorienting mechanism capturing an image of the principal surface of the card using the image capturing device or performing a laser personalization process on the principal surface of the card using the laser personalization mechanism.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising orienting the principal surface of the card to an angle α

relative to an optical axis of the image capturing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the angle α

is more than 0° and

less than 90°

.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising processing the principal surface of the card while the card is on the card reorienting mechanism.