Greeting card feeder operating system

• US 6,325,503 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Garboden, Mark, Gaasch, Todd M., McCue, Thomas E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): EICKHOLT, EUGENE H
• Application Number:
  US09/560,432
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 347/101, 347/104, 347/8, 347/16, 347/5, 400/70, 400/188, 400/605, 400/68, 400/624, 400/625, 400/629, 400/648, 101/483, 271/9.09, 358/500, 399/107
• US Class Current: 347/101
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material

Abstract

A hardcopy printing mechanism and a greeting card feeder retrofit kit therefor, along with an operating method are provided for printing images on a first-sized media, and on both surfaces a second-sized greeting card media without removing the first-sized media from its normal supply tray. The hardcopy device may be an electrophotographic or inkjet printer preferably equipped with a duplexer module which inverts media from a printed first surface to an opposing second surface for printing an image thereon. For a printer having an alignment surface, and a width adjuster to push the first-sized media against the alignment surface, the greeting card feeder includes a biasing member which pushes the card stock against the alignment surface. The retrofit kit includes a supply of pre-scored greeting card stock and a software program with a group of greeting card images for a consumer to select from to print store-bought quality greeting cards.

Claims

1. A method for printing images on a first-sized media and on opposing first and second surfaces a second-sized media, comprising the steps of:

providing a hardcopy printing mechanism having a frame, a first input device for storing a supply of the first-sized media, a duplexer unit for inverting media, a controller responsive to input signals to print images, and a second input device for receiving a sheet of the second-sized media;

loading a sheet of the second-sized media into the second input device;

initiating a software program having a selection of images each having a first portion and a second portion;

selecting one of the images from said selection of images;

generating input signals for the controller in response to said selecting step; and

first printing the first portion of said selected one of the images on the first surface of the loaded sheet of second-sized media, and thereafter, printing the second portion of said selected one of the images on the second surface of the second-sized media, while retaining a supply of the first-sized media in the first input device.

2. A method according to claim 1 further including the step of inverting the loaded sheet using the duplexer unit after the first printing step.

3. A method according to claim 1 further including the step of generating an initial display for display on a computer monitor.

4. A method according to claim 3 further including the step of generating another display having a list of image selections for display on the computer monitor.

5. A method according to claim 4 further including the step of generating an additional display having a representation of an image selected from the list for display on a computer monitor.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said additional display includes a browsing feature selectable to view representations of other images on the list.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said additional display includes a print feature selectable to initiate the step of generating input signals for the controller.

8. A method according to claim 3 further including the steps of Generating a category display having a list of image categories for display on the computer monitor, including an image category selection feature, and generating a further sublist display having a sublist of image categories for display on the computer monitor, including a sublist image selection feature.

9. A method according to claim 8 further including the step of generating an additional display having a representation of an image selected from the list for display on a computer monitor, with said additional display including a browsing feature selectable to view representations of other images on the list and a print feature selectable to initiate the step of generating input signals for the controller.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second-sized media comprises greeting card stock.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the hardcopy printing mechanism comprises an inkjet printer.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein said second supply device comprises an output tray defining a slot therein for receiving said second-sized media.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said second-sized media comprises greeting card stock having a width and a length, and the output tray defines said slot to have a width sized to receive said width of the greeting card media during said loading step.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the providing step further comprises providing the hardcopy printing mechanism as including an alignment surface, and a first width adjustment member which is adjustable to push the first-sized media against the alignment surface.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the providing step further comprises providing the hardcopy printing mechanism with the second input device including a biasing member which pushes the second-sized media against the alignment surface during said loading step.