Method and apparatus for pivotally mounted media transport bridge with improved counterbalance system

• US 5,769,301 A
• Filed: 10/23/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agfa Corporation (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Tellam, Mark E., Hebert, Thomas K., Kelley, Edward L., Krupica, Libor, Austin, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Stodola, Daniel P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARCELO, EMMANUEL MONSAYAC
• Application Number:
  US08/736,234
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 226/112, 226/108, 226/101, 226/189, 355/309, 355/221
• US Class Current: 226/108
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 13/003 Film feed or extraction in development apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0057 Conveying sheets before or after scanning arrangements for conveying sheets as part of the scanning operation H04N1/04 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00591 from the scanning position H04N1/00572 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00602 Feed rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00618 Transporting curved sheets or curving sheets during transportation, e.g. for feeding to a drum-type scanner

Abstract

A media transport bridge is an integral media transport device within an internal drum laser imagesetter that transports media from an imaging area in the drum to an external processor or intermediate buffer. Five pairs of rollers transport the film over the drum. A first stage of the bridge includes a first pair of rollers driven independently so that the first stage is removable and replaceable with a take-up cassette if desired. A friction drive within the imagesetter is adaptable to drive either the first stage or the take-up cassette when installed. Upon removal of the first stage, an automatic adjustment of the bridge is performed to balance the pivotally mounted bridge. The media is moved into the bridge by a pair of drum rollers while the first stage is synchronized with the other four pairs of rollers in the bridge and monitored to keep a slack loop of media at the first stage rollers to eliminate perturbations in the media. A mechanical flag sensor changes state to slow and speed up the bridge rollers to maintain the slack loop.

Claims

1. A dual-mode media handling system having a transport mode and a storage mode, comprising:

a. a first stage transport means for accepting and transporting media at a first media handling station during the transport mode of said dual-mode media handling system;

b. a second stage transport means connected to said first stage transport means for delivering media from said first stage transport means to a second media handling station during the transport mode; and

,

c. a storage means for accepting and storing media at said first media handling station during the storage mode, wherein said first stage transport means is detachable from said second stage transport means and removable from said dual-mode media handling system during said storage mode and said storage means is mounted at the first media handling station instead of said first stage transport means upon removal of said first stage transport means from said dual-mode media handling system.

2. The dual-mode media handling system according to claim 1, further comprising a remote drive means engaged with said first stage transport means for driving said first stage transport means when said dual-mode media handling system is in said transport mode, said remote drive means being fixed within said dual-mode media handling system, such that upon removal of the first stage transport means, said first stage transport means disengages from said remote drive means.

3. The dual-mode media handling system according to claim 2, wherein said storage means comprises a power assisted take-up cassette, and said remote drive means engages and drives said power assisted take-up cassette when said handling system is in said storage mode.

4. A method for providing a transport mode and a storage mode in a dual-mode media handling system having a first stage transport removably connected to a second stage transport, and a storage container, said method comprising the steps of:

a. accepting media in the first stage transport at first media handling station during transport mode of said media handling system;

b. transporting media through the second stage transport from said first stage transport to a second media handling station during transport mode;

c. disengaging the first stage transport from the second stage transport and removing the first stage transport from the dual-mode media handling system; and

d. mounting the storage container at the first media handling station upon removal of the first stage transport and accepting and storing media in the storage container during the storage mode.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

a. driving the first stage transport means by means of a remote drive motor when in the transport mode; and

b. disengaging the first stage transport from the remote drive upon removal of the first stage transport from the dual-mode media handling system.

6. An image recording system for recording a latent image onto a recording media and for processing the latent image recorded on said recording media, comprising:

(a) an image recorder for recording the latent image onto the recording media, said image recorder including a front side, a rear side and a recording support surface substantially extending from said front side to said rear side;

(b) a processing station adjacent to said rear side for processing the latent image recorded on said recording media; and

,

(c) a bridge including a media path for advancing the recording media from said recording support surface at the front side to said processing station at the rear side.

7. An imaging system according to claim 6 wherein a floor space footprint of said image recorder and said bridge is not greater than a floor space footprint of said image recorder alone.

8. An image recording system according to claim 6 wherein said image recorder includes a recording media supply area for providing at least one web of said recording media and wherein a floor space footprint of said media supply area, said image recorder and said bridge is not greater than a floor space footprint of said image recorder alone.

9. An image recording system according to claim 6 wherein said bridge includes a removable portion and wherein a take-up cassette including a take-up core is installed in place of said removable portion for receiving the recording media with said latent image recorded thereon and winding the recording media onto said take-up core.

10. An image recording system according to claim 9 wherein said image recorder further includes a drive apparatus for driving said take-up core, said drive apparatus winding the recording media onto said take-up core.

12. An image recording system according to claim 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 wherein said image recorder is an internal drum recorder and wherein said recording support surface is formed by the inner surface of a cylinder having a diameter which substantially extends from said front side to said rear side.

11. An image recording system for recording a latent image onto a recording media and for processing the latent image recorded on said recording media, comprising:

(a) an image recorder for recording the latent image onto the recording media, said image recorder including a front side, a rear side, a recording support surface substantially extending from said front side to said to rear side, a web media supply area for providing at least one web of said recording media, a media transport system for advancing a leading edge of said recording media from said media supply area across said recording support surface starting at said rear side and advancing toward said front side, a bridge having a media path for transporting the leading edge of said recording media from said recording support surface at the front side and out the rear side of the image recorder, a media cutter positioned between said recording surface and said bridge for cutting a page from said recording media, said page including at least one latent image; and

;

(b) a processor station adjacent to the rear side of the image recorder, said processor station including a media transport apparatus for receiving said page from said bridge and for processing said at least one latent image recorded on said page.

13. An image recording system according to claim 11 wherein said bridge includes a removable portion and wherein a take-up cassette including a take-up core is installed in place of said removable portion for receiving the leading edge of said recording media from said media transport system and winding said recording media onto said take-up core, said recording media having at least one latent image recorded thereon.

14. An image recording system according to claim 13 wherein said image recorder further includes a drive apparatus for driving said take-up core thereby winding the recording media onto said take-up core.

15. An image recorder for recording a latent image onto a recording media, said image recorder having a front side and a rear side, comprising:

(a) a supply web of said recording media;

(b) an image recording surface substantially extending from the front side to the rear side of said image recorder;

(c) a media transport system for advancing a leading edge of said recording media across said image recording surface starting from the rear side of said image recorder and advancing toward the front side of said image recorder;

(d) a cutter for cutting said recording media to form a page, said page having a leading edge and at least one latent image recorded thereon; and

,

(e) a bridge having a media path for advancing the leading edge of said page from said image recording surface at the front side of said image recorder to an exit at the rear side of said image recorder.

16. An image recorder according to claim 15 further including a system for pivotally mounting said bridge about a pivot axis adjacent the rear side of said image recorder, wherein said bridge is pivotable about said pivot axis from an operating position to a non-operating position.

17. An image recorder according to claim 16 further comprising an assist mechanism, connected between said bridge and an image recorder frame member, for providing a counterbalancing force to support said bridge upon rotation about said pivot axis, said counterbalancing force holding said bridge stationary in a plurality of non-operating rotational positions.

18. An image recorder according to claim 17 wherein said bridge includes a removable portion and wherein said assist mechanism automatically adjusts said counterbalancing force when said removable portion is removed from said bridge.

19. An image recorder according to claim 15 wherein said bridge includes a removable portion, and wherein a take-up cassette including a take-up core is installed in place of said removable portion for receiving the leading edge of said recording media from said media transport system and winding said recording media onto said take-up core, said recording media having at least one latent image recorded thereon.

20. An image recorder according to claim 19 wherein said image recorder further includes a drive apparatus for driving said take-up core to wind said media onto said take-up core.

21. An image recorder according to claim 15 wherein said image recording surface is an internal drum recording surface and wherein said bridge comprises:

(a) a first stage including a media path formed between at least one drive roller and at least one driven idler roller for receiving said page from said media transport system;

(b) a second stage including a media path formed between at least one drive roller and at least one driven idler roller for receiving said page from said first stage and advancing it out the rear side of said image recorder;

(c) first means for driving said at least one first stage drive roller independently from said at least one second stage drive roller; and

,

(d) second means for driving said at least one second stage drive roller independently from said at least one first stage drive roller.

22. A method for recording an image onto a recording media using an image recorder having a front side, a rear side and a recording surface substantially extending from said front side to said rear side, comprising the steps of:

(a) advancing the recording media from a media supply area across said recording surface starting at the rear side of said image recorder and advancing toward the front side of said image recorder;

(b) holding the recording media stationary with respect to said recording surface while recording a latent image thereon; and

,

(c) advancing said recording media from the recording surface at the front side of said image recorder and out the rear side of said image recorder.

23. A method for recording an image according to claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning a processing station including a media transport system at the rear side of said image recorder;

(b) passing said recording media having a latent image recorded thereon from the rear side of said image recorder to said media transport system; and

,

(c) processing said latent image.

24. A method for operating an imaging system in an automatic processing mode, comprising the steps of:

(a) recording a latent image onto a recording media with an image recorder, said image recorder including a front side, a rear side, a recording support surface substantially extending from the front side of said image recorder to the rear side of said image recorder, a web media supply area for providing at least one web of said recording media, a media transport system for advancing a leading edge of said recording media from said media supply area across said recording surface starting at the rear side of said image recorder and advancing toward the front side of said image recorder, a bridge having a media path for transporting the leading edge of said recording media from said recording surface at the front side of said image recorder and out the rear side of the image recorder, a media cutter positioned between said recording surface and said bridge for cutting a page from said web, said page having at least one latent image recorded thereon; and

;

(b) processing the latent image recorded on the recording media with a processor station positioned adjacent to the rear side of the image recorder, said processor station including a media transport apparatus for receiving said page from said bridge and for processing said at least one latent image recorded on said page.

25. A method for operating an imaging system in an automatic processing mode or in a storage mode. comprising the steps of:

(a) recording a latent image onto a recording media with an image recorder, said image recorder including a front side, a rear side, a recording support surface substantially extending from the front side of said image recorder to the rear side of said image recorder, a web media supply area for providing at least one web of said recording media, a media transport system for advancing a leading edge of said recording media from said media supply area across said recording surface starting at the rear side of said image recorder and advancing toward the front side of said image recorder;

(b) transporting said recording media on a bridge having a media path for transporting the leading edge of said recording media from said recording surface at the front side of said image recorder and out the rear side of said image recorder, said bridge including a removable portion;

(c) cutting a page from said web with a media cutter positioned between said recording surface and said bridge, said page having at least one latent image recorded thereon;

(d) processing the latent image recorded on the recording media with a processor station positioned adjacent to the rear side of the image recorder, said processor station including a media transport apparatus for receiving said page from said bridge and for processing said at least one latent image recorded on said page; and

(e) exchanging said removable portion with a take-up cassette including a take-up core for receiving the leading edge of said recording media and for winding said recording media onto said take-up core, said take-up cassette being interchangeable with said removable portion for changing from said automatic processing mode to said storage mode.