Multiple card hopper for card printer

• US 6,431,537 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Fargo Electronics Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Meier, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US09/604,642
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 271/9.01, 271/9.05, 271/9.06, 271/9.08, 271/9.07, 271/9.12, 271/162
• US Class Current: 271/9.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/28 compartmented to receive piles side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42322 from bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/3311 for storing articles horizontally or slightly inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/351 shifting transversely to transport direction, e.g. for handling stepped piles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/44 Simultaneously, alternately, or selectively separating articles from two or more piles

Abstract

A card printer has a card feed hopper assembly that will support stacks of two different size cards in hopper sections. The card feed hopper assembly is movable transversely of the printer to position the respective hopper sections to be aligned with a card feed path on the printer, and then positioned so that cards in the hopper section aligned with the card feed path will be driven into the printer. The hopper is lifted when it is moved transversely, and then lowered down to provide the card drive for cards in the hopper section that is aligned with the card feed path.

Claims

1. A card feed hopper assembly for feeding cards from a selected one of a plurality of hopper sections in the hopper assembly into a printer, said hopper assembly including at least first and second hopper sections positioned adjacent each other and movable to positions wherein one of the hopper sections is in a first reference position, the hopper assembly including a lift plate, and the hopper sections being slidable on said lift plate, and a lift member to move said lift plate to provide clearance for the hopper sections to slidably move on the lift plate to selectively place each hopper section in the first reference position.

2. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least first and second hopper sections each have a tray at the bottom thereof forming a card support, said tray of each of the hopper section lifting a card stack in the hopper sections as the card hoppers are lifted.

3. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 1, wherein the hopper sections are positioned side by side.

4. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 1, wherein said lift plate has an upright portion and a generally horizontal portion, the horizontal portion being substantially parallel to cards in a card stack in each hopper, the lift member to move the lift plate comprising a cam, the lift plate being engageable with the cam, said cam being rotatable to raise and lower the lift plate and the hopper sections.

5. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 4, wherein said cam is rotatably mounted on a printer frame, and is driven by a separate motor controlled by said control to lift and lower the lift plate and the card feed hopper assembly.

6. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 4, wherein said cam is rotatably mounted on a printer frame, and a manual knob to rotate the cam to lift and lower the lift plate and the card feed hopper assembly.

7. The card feed hopper of claim 1 and a power drive connected to the hopper to move the hopper section selectively to the reference position.

8. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 4, wherein the card feed hopper assembly has a pair of slider pins on a wall thereof, the slider pins extending into a slide track on the upright portion of the lift plate.

9. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 5, in a combination with a printer having a frame comprising side plates, the lift plate having tabs that slidably mount in the side plates for movement between lifted and lowered positions of the card feed hopper assembly.

10. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 5, wherein said card feed hopper assembly has wall portions which extend downwardly from a card support plane, a card feed comprising a pair of rollers that support cards in the one hopper in the first reference position, the rollers being mounted on shafts that extend axially beyond the rollers, said wall portions engaging the shaft on at least one of the rollers when the card feed hopper assembly is in a lowered position.

11. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 10, wherein said rollers include an idler roller having a shaft and positioned at an open end portion of the card feed hopper sections, said idler roller supporting the stack of cards when the card feed hopper assembly is in a lowered position, and a bottom tray for supporting the card stack when the card feed hopper assembly is in a raised position, the tray having surface portions that will ride on a shaft for said idler roller when the card feed hopper assembly is lowered, the idler roller extending above the tray when the card feed hopper assembly is lowered.

12. The card feed hopper assembly of claim 1, and a drive connected to the card feed hopper assembly for moving the hopper sections between the first reference position and second positions comprising an endless belt mounted below the card feed hopper assembly, said belt being drivably connected to said card feed hopper assembly at a location such that when the belt is driven in a first direction, the card feed hopper assembly will be moved to position the first hopper section in the first reference position comprising a card feed position, and such that when the belt is moved in an opposite direction, the card feed hopper assembly will be shifted to place the second card hopper section aligned with the card feed position.

13. A hopper assembly for a printer comprising a plurality of hopper sections, each of said sections being of size to hold a substrate to be moved into a printer, the hopper assembly being mounted on a printer frame, and the hopper assembly including a support slidably mounted for transverse movement relative to the printer frame, and a lift mechanism to lift the hopper assembly to provide clearance for moving the support and hopper assembly transversely from a first position to a second position, wherein the hopper sections are selectively aligned with a printing path on the printer in one of the first and second positions.

14. The hopper of claim 13 and a power drive to drive the support and hopper assembly transversely between the first and second positions.

15. The hopper of claim 13, wherein said hopper assembly is mounted onto a lift plate supported on the printer frame, guide members on the hopper, a slot on the printer frame for receiving said guide members, and a drive between the hopper assembly and the lift plate for laterally moving the hopper relative to the lift plate between its first and second positions.

16. The hopper of claim 15, wherein said lift plate includes a cam follower section, a cam rotatably mounted on a printer frame for engaging the cam follower section, said cam being rotatable to lift the lift plate to a first lifted position, and to lower said lift plate to a second drive position wherein cards in one of the hoppers engage a card feed drive.

17. The hopper of claim 16 and a motor connected to the cam for rotating the cam.

18. A method of selectively feeding at least two different cards to a card printer having a card feed station comprising providing a plurality of card hoppers adjacent each other and movably mounted on the printer, lifting the card hoppers, selectively moving one of the card hoppers into alignment with the card feed station, and lowering the one card hopper in alignment with the card feed station to permit feeding cards in the one hopper to the printer.