Card media processing system including track assembly and cars for carrying cards, and related methods

• US 9,434,562 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Premier Digital, LLC
• Original Assignee: Premier Digital, LLC
• Inventors: Carlson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCULLOUGH, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US14/084,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4212 of articles substantially horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/447 transferring material between transport devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4472 Suction grippers, e.g. moved in paths enclosing an area
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2402/53 Guideways
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/92 Electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2406/344 circulating in closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2406/351 facing the surface of the handled material
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2555/24 Servomotors
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1914 Cards, e.g. telephone, credit and identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/241 Suction devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/0816 separating from the top of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/40 by two or more separators acting alternately on the same pile rotary or oscillating bodies carrying two or more separators B65H3/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/04 by movable tables or carriages rotary tables B65H5/18 ; suction gripper or gripper tables B65H5/10

Abstract

A card media processing system for treating individual cards includes a treatment assembly including a treatment device configured for sequentially treating individual cards. A car is configured to hold an individual card and to move the card to the treatment device. An endless loop track assembly is configured to support the car. The car includes a driven roller configured to engage the endless loop track assembly to move the car therealong, and the driven roller is operatively connected with a motor for causing rotation of the driven roller.

Claims

1. A card media processing system for treating individual cards, comprising:

a treatment assembly including a treatment device configured for sequentially treating individual cards,

a car configured to hold an individual card and to move the card to the treatment device, the car including a card holding member and a vacuum chuck for holding the card in engagement with the card holding member using vacuum pressure,

an endless loop track assembly configured to support the car, and

a vacuum pressure source and a rotatable hub operatively associated with the vacuum pressure source, the rotatable hub configured to rotate as the car moves along the endless loop track assembly so as to enable the vacuum pressure source to provide vacuum pressure to the vacuum chuck at any location of the car along the endless loop track assembly,

wherein the car includes a driven roller configured to engage the endless loop track assembly to move the car therealong, the driven roller being operatively connected with a drive for causing rotation of the driven roller.

2. The card media processing system of claim 1, wherein the endless loop track assembly includes an upper rail surface, an inner rail surface, and an outer rail surface, and the car further includes a pair of guide rollers, and further wherein the driven roller engages the upper rail surface and the pair of guide rollers respectively engage the inner rail surface and the outer rail surface when the car moves along the endless loop track assembly.

3. The card media processing system of claim 1, wherein the card holding member includes a card holding surface configured for receiving the card in a generally horizontal orientation.

4. The card media processing system of claim 1, further comprising a card loading and unloading assembly configured to deliver a card to the car and to remove a card from the car.

5. The card media processing system of claim 4, wherein the card loading and unloading assembly includes a loading device configured for delivering a card to the car and a separate unloading device configured for removing a card from the car.

6. The card media processing system of claim 1, where the treatment device is configured to perform at least one of a printing treatment and a magnetic strip encoding treatment.

7. The card media processing system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the cars, each car being configured to be controlled independently of the other cars.

8. The card media processing system of claim 1, wherein the endless loop track assembly has a generally I-shaped profile including a foot, a head, and a web extending between the foot and the head, and further wherein the driven roller engages the head of the profile when the car moves along the endless loop track assembly.

9. The card media processing system of claim 1, wherein the treatment assembly includes a plurality of treatment devices for treating cards.

10. A card media processing system for treating individual cards, comprising:

a treatment assembly including a plurality of treatment devices configured for sequentially treating individual cards,

a plurality of cars, each car being configured to hold an individual card and to move the card to and between the plurality of treatment devices, each car including a card holding member and a vacuum chuck for holding the card in engagement with the card holding member using vacuum pressure,

an endless loop track assembly configured to support the plurality of cars,

a card loading and unloading assembly configured to deliver a card to a car of the plurality of cars and to remove a card from the car, and

a vacuum pressure source and a rotatable hub operatively associated with the vacuum pressure source, the rotatable hub configured to rotate as the plurality of cars move along the endless loop track assembly so as to enable the vacuum pressure source to provide vacuum pressure to the vacuum chuck of each car at any location of the car along the endless loop track assembly,

each car being configured to be controlled independently of the other cars and including a driven roller configured to engage the endless loop track assembly to move the car therealong, each driven roller being operatively connected with a drive for causing rotation of the driven roller.

11. The card media processing system of claim 10, wherein the endless loop track assembly includes an upper rail surface and the driven roller of each car engages the upper rail surface when the car moves along the endless loop track assembly.

12. The card media processing system of claim 10, wherein the card holding member of each car includes a card holding surface configured for receiving the card in a generally horizontal orientation.

13. The card media processing system of claim 10, wherein the card loading and unloading assembly includes at least one arm having a hand configured to retain the card.

14. A method of treating card media, comprising:

delivering an individual card onto a car having a card holding member,

holding the card in engagement with the card holding member using vacuum pressure,

operating a drive to move the car along an endless loop track assembly toward a treatment device,

providing vacuum pressure to the car with a vacuum source operatively associated with a rotatable hub, the rotatable hub configured to rotate as the car moves along the endless loop track assembly so as to enable the vacuum pressure source to provide the vacuum pressure to the car at any location of the car along the endless loop track assembly,

performing a treatment on the card with the treatment device,

operating the drive to move the car further along the endless loop track assembly away from the treatment device, and

removing the card from the car.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the car includes a driven roller configured to engage the endless loop track assembly, the driven roller being operatively connected with the drive for causing rotation of the driven roller.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein performing a treatment occurs with the car stopped on the endless loop track assembly.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein performing a treatment occurs with the car moving on the endless loop track assembly.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of delivering an individual card and removing the card occurs with the car stopped on the endless loop track assembly.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of delivering an individual card and removing the card occurs with the car moving on the endless loop track assembly.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of operating the drive to move the car toward the treatment device or operating the drive to move the car away from the treatment device includes controlling a servomotor to accelerate the car along the endless loop track assembly.