Card turning device having a rotary body and roller units

• US 5,771,058 A
• Filed: 10/26/1995
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nisca Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nisca Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takehito
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, LYNNE D
• Application Number:
  US08/547,733
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 347/218, 347/197, 347/172, 347/174, 400/120.16, 400/188, 400/535, 400/624, 400/625, 101/93.43, 101/232, 101/453, 101/487, 399/339, 399/406, 399/323, 399/401, 399/402, 355/23, 355/26, 271/297, 271/305, 235/479, 235/480
• US Class Current: 347/218
• 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 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 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards

Abstract

A card turning device turns over a record medium such as an ID card sent out from a thermal printer after printing on one side of the card, so that both sides of the card can be effectively printed by use of the printer having a function of performing one-side printing. By providing a card feed means including card feed rollers in the turning device with a rotation switch means such as a one-way clutch, the card feed rollers are stopped when a rotary body holding the card revolves, so that the card can be turned over without causing displacement of the card.

Claims

1. A card turning device for a card printer, comprising a rotary body rotatable on a turning axis, said rotary body including roller units with card feed rollers being in contact in pairs on a card feed passage transverse to said turning axis;

a card feed means including a card feeding motor and an axial pulley disposed on said turning axis for transmitting rotational motion of said card feeding motor to at least one of said card feed rollers to move the card held between said card feed rollers;

means for turning said rotary body; and

a rotation switch means for selectively transmitting the rotation of said card feeding motor through said pulley to said at least one card feed roller.

2. A card turning device for turning over a card issued from a card printer, comprising:

a rotary body rotatable on a turning axis placed tranversely on a card feeding passage along which the card is forwarded, said rotary body including two roller units each having paired card feed rollers being in contact in pairs on said card feed passage, said roller units being supported symmetrically with respect to said turning axis;

a card feed means including a card feeding motor and at least one axial pulley disposed freely rotatably on said turning axis of said rotary body for transmitting rotational motion produced by said card feeding motor through said pulley to at least one of said card feed rollers to move the card held between said paired card feed rollers;

means for turning said rotary body on said turning axis; and

a rotation switch means for transmitting the rotation in at least one direction from said card feeding motor to said at least one card feed roller,

said card feed rollers being driven by said card feed means to move the card, and stopped by said rotation switch means when said rotary body revolves to turn over the card.

3. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein said card feed means further includes a stationary-side transmission means for connecting said card feeding motor to said axial pulley, a feeding pulley secured on a rotation shaft on which at least one of said rollers is supported, said feeding pulley incorporating said rotation switch means, and a turning-side transmission means for connecting said axial pulley to said feeding pulley.

4. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein said rotation switch means is a one-way clutch.

5. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein said rotation switch means is an electromagnetic clutch.

6. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein one of said paired card feed rollers in each roller unit is a drive roller driven by said card feed means, and the other card feed roller is an idle roller coming in press contact with said drive roller.

7. A card turning device according to claim 6, wherein said drive roller in one of said roller units is connected to said drive roller in the other roller unit through a rotation transmission system.

8. A card turning device according to claim 6, wherein both said drive rollers in said roller units are driven by said card feed means.

9. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein said rotary body is formed of a frame, said frame rotatably supported on a support base, including a horizontal beam, said beam having side ends and being provided on its side ends with side walls, wherein said roller units are retained between said side walls, said support base being provided with a position sensor for detecting the rotary body assuming its horizontal posture.

10. A card turning device according to claim 9, wherein said position sensor is formed of marking tags protruding horizontally from one of said side walls and a photo interrupter for detecting one of said marking tags.

11. A card turning device according to claim 2, wherein said rotary body is provided with a card face detector for perceiving the card.

12. A card turning device according to claim 11, wherein said card face detector is formed of a semicircular index plate and an index sensor for detecting said index plate.

13. A card turning device according to claim 9, wherein said rotary body is provided with a card face detector for perceiving the card.

14. A card turning device according to claim 13, wherein said card face detector is formed of a semicircular index plate and an index sensor for detecting said index plate.