Apparatus and method for reducing edge margin tolerances in a printing device with one or more supplies of print media

• US 6,357,848 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Steve O., Underwood, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSIEH, SHIH WEN
• Application Number:
  US09/470,173
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 347/16, 347/101, 347/104, 347/19, 400/630, 400/632, 400/579, 271/265.01, 399/361-410, 346/134, 358/1.12
• US Class Current: 347/16
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/0027 in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems

Abstract

An apparatus and method for reducing print media edge margin tolerances in a printing device with one or more supplies of print media are disclosed. An apparatus embodiment includes a sensor that detects a supply of print media and outputs a signal indicative of the detected supply of print media. The apparatus also includes a computing device that receives the signal indicative of the detected supply of print media. The computing device determines a median position of the supply of print media in a printzone of the printing device based on a plurality of trials of feeding the supply of print media into the printzone and adjusts a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone. A method embodiment includes determining a range of positions of a supply of print media in a printzone of a printing device and determining a median position of the supply of print media in the printzone. The method additionally includes adjusting a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone. Further characteristics and features of the apparatus and method are disclosed herein, as are exemplary alternative embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for use in a printing device, the printing device including a supply of print media and the printing device being configured to feed the supply of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the supply of print media, the method comprising:

determining a range of positions of the supply of print media in the printzone;

determining a median position of the supply of print media in the printzone; and

adjusting a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the range of positions of an edge of the supply of print media in the printzone is determined, the median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone is determined, and the position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited is adjusted based on the determined median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the supply of print media comprises at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.

4. A method for use in a printing device, the printing device including a first supply of print media and a second supply of print media, and the printing device being configured to selectively feed one of the first supply of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the first supply of print media and the second supply of print media into the printzone where printing composition is deposited on the second supply of print media, the method comprising:

determining a range of positions of the first supply of print media in the printzone;

determining a range of positions of the second supply of print media in the printzone;

determining a median position of the first supply of print media in the printzone;

determining a median position of the second supply of print media in the printzone;

adjusting a position in the printzone for the first supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the first supply of print media in the printzone; and

adjusting a position in the printzone for the second supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the second supply of print media in the printzone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the range of positions of an edge of the first supply of print media in the printzone is determined, the range of positions of an edge of the second supply of print media in the printzone is determined, the median position of the edge of the first supply of print media in the printzone is determined, the median position of the edge of the second supply of print media in the printzone is determined, the position in the printzone for the first supply of print media where printing composition is deposited is adjusted based on the determined median position of the edge of the first supply of print media in the printzone, and the position in the printzone for the second supply of print media where printing composition is deposited is adjusted based on the determined median position of the edge of the second supply of print media in the printzone.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the first supply of print media and the second supply of print media comprise at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.

7. An apparatus for use in a printing device, the printing device including a supply of print media and the printing device being configured to feed the supply of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the supply of print media, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to detect the supply of print media and output a signal indicative of the detected supply of print media; and

a computing device coupled to the sensor to receive the signal indicative of the detected supply of print media, the computing device being configured to determine a median position of the supply of print media in the printzone based on a plurality of trials of feeding the supply of print media into the printzone, and the computing device being further configured to adjust a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensor is configured to detect an edge of the supply of print media and output a signal indicative of the detected edge of the supply of print media, and further wherein the computing device is configured to determine a median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone based on a plurality of trials of feeding the supply of print media into the printzone, and the computing device is still further configured to adjust a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the supply of print media comprises at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.

10. An apparatus for use in a printing device, the printing device including a plurality of supplies of print media and the printing device being configured to selectively feed any one of the supplies of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the selected supply of print media, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to detect each of the supplies of print media and output a signal indicative of each of the detected supplies of print media; and

a computing device coupled to the sensor to receive the signal indicative of each of the supplies of print media, the computing device being configured to determine a median position of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone based on a plurality of trials of feeding each of the supplies of print media into the printzone, and the computing device being further configured to adjust a position in the printzone for each of the supplies of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor is configured to detect an edge of each of the supplies of print media and output a signal indicative of the detected edge of each of the supplies of print media, and further wherein the computing device is configured to determine a median position of the edge of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone based on a plurality of trials of feeding the supply of print media into the printzone, and the computing device is still further configured to adjust a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the supplies of print media comprises at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.

13. An apparatus for use in a printing device, the printing device including a supply of print media and the printing device being configured to feed the supply of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the supply of print media, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a range of positions of the supply of print media in the printzone;

means for determining a median position of the supply of print media in the printzone; and

means for adjusting a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining a range of positions determines the range of positions of an edge of the supply of print media in the printzone, the means for determining a median position determines the median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone, and the means for adjusting a position in the printzone adjusts the position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the supply of print media comprises at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.

16. An apparatus for use in a printing device, the printing device including a plurality of supplies of print media and the printing device being configured to selectively feed any one of the supplies of print media into a printzone where printing composition is deposited on the selected supply of print media, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a range of positions of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone;

means for determining a median position of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone; and

means for adjusting a position in the printzone for each of the supplies of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining a range of positions determines the range of positions of an edge of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone, the means for determining a median position determines the median position of the edge of each of the supplies of print media in the printzone, and the means for adjusting a position in the printzone adjusts the position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the edge of the supply of print media in the printzone.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the supplies of print media comprises at least one sheet of print media in a print media input tray.