Tabs printing in a printer

• US 5,452,062 A
• Filed: 03/28/1994
• Issued: 09/19/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, LeRoy A., Naramore, Ray, Petocchi, Ermanno C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, A. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Thu A.
• Application Number:
  US08/220,312
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 355/325, 355/308, 355/309, 355/316, 355/317, 355/318, 355/319, 355/311, 355/321-323, 271/3, 271/226-227, 271/109, 271/113, 271/9, 271/242.3, 271/298, 271/182, 271/258
• US Class Current: 399/382
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/235 the image receiving member being preconditioned before transferring the second image, e.g. decurled, or the second image being formed with different operating parameters, e.g. a different fixing temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6564 with correct timing of sheet feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6594 characterised by the format or the thickness, e.g. endless forms
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00405 Registration device
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00523 Other special types, e.g. tabbed

Abstract

A printer for printing images from a photoconductor onto copy sheets and tab stock includes stalled roller registration nip in a copy sheet path. The printer has a special materials tray and a sheet feeder for feeding tab stock from the tray to the paper path. Dual sensors connected to an AND gate are positioned in line across the paper path downstream of the special materials feeder to sense the feeding of tab stock and send a signal to a controller which stops the sheer feed. Once a signal is received by the controller that an image is in a particular position on the photoconductor, the sheet feeder is started again by the controller with the roller registration nip operating at process speed as well. When standard copy sheets are fed from conventional paper trays, the stalled roller registration nip operates to stall and register copy the sheets before they are fed to the U photoconductor.

Claims

1. In printer for printing copy sheets and tab stock, with a copy sheet path and a photoconductor, said copy sheet path including transport rollers and a stalled roller registration nip for registering copy sheets and subsequently feeding them in synchronism with an image on the photoconductor, the improvement comprising:

a special sheet materials feed tray for holding tab stock;

a retard roller nip for feeding sheet materials from said feed tray;

at least two sensors positioned in line and orthogonal to the feed direction of said copy sheet path and upstream of said stalled roller registration nip and adapted to send a signal when a sheet of tab material has been fed;

a controller for controlling the functioning of said stalled roller registration nip and said retard roller nip once a signal is received from said at least two sensors such that said registration roller nip and said retard roller nip are stopped and subsequently started in order for the sheet of tab material to be in synchronism with an image of said photoconductor with said registration roller nip rotating at the same speed as said transport rollers.

2. The printer of claim 1, including an AND gate, and wherein said at least two sensors are connected through said AND gate to said controller and adapted to give off a signal only when both sensors are covered by sheet material.

3. The printer of claim 2, wherein said stalled roller registration nip is adapted to stall and register sheets in said registration nip in first mode of operation and not stall and rotate at the speed of transport rollers in a second mode of operation.

4. The printer of claim 3, wherein said at least two sensors are positioned closely adjacent to and downstream of said retard roller nip.

5. A system for feeding a sheet of tab stock and non tab stock materials into a paper path in synchronism with an image on a photoconductor of a copier/printer, comprising:

a feed tray;

a feeder for feeding individual sheets of tab stock material from said feed tray;

a retard roller pair forming a nip for preventing multifeeds of tab stock material;

a pair of sensors positioned in line and orthogonal to the feed direction of said paper path and downstream of said retard roller nip, said sensors being adapted such that a signal is given off only when both sensors are covered by a sheet of the tab stock material;

a dual mode, stalled roller registration pair adapted in a first mode to stall and register individual non tab stock materials and in a second mode to not stall and function as a transport roller to forward individual sheets of tab stock material to said photoconductor; and

a controller adapted to stop rotation of said retard roller pair and said stalled roller registration pair upon receipt of a signal from said pair of sensors when a sheet of tab stock material is being forwarded by said retard roller pair, and subsequently restart said retard roller pair and said stalled roller registration pair in order to feed the sheet of tab stock material in synchronism with an image on said photoconductor.

6. The printer of claim 5, including an AND gate, and wherein said at least two sensors are connected through said AND gate to said controller and adapted to give off a signal only when both sensors are covered by sheet material.

7. The printer of claim 6, wherein said at least two sensors are positioned closely adjacent to and downstream of said retard roller nip.