Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
METHOD AND APP~RATUS FOR PRINTING
AND HANDLING T~O-PLY FANFOLD PAPER
Background of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to
printing and paper handling, and more particularly to
a method and apparatus for printing and handling two-
ply fanfold paper in which the plies are separated.
Prior art printing and handling methods for two-ply
fanfold paper involve printing in one machine and
separatiny the plies in another machine, and do not
recognize that the two processes can be combined in
the same machine to increase efficiency and lower
costs.
Summary of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to
provide a new and improved method and apparatus for
printing and handling two-ply, reprographic fanfold
paper.
It is another object of the present invention
to separate the plies of the paper in the same
apparatus which has printed upon the paper.
It is yet another object of the pres~nt
invention to position the printed plies such that one
ply serves as a convenient copy ~or verification and
checking purposes while the other ply (containing
information identical to the first ply) -- more
permanent -- is neatly refolded and stacked.
It is still a further object of the present
invention to provide an apparatus for meeting the
above objects which can print and handle single-ply
fanfold paper, or two-ply fanfold paper when there is
no desire to separate the plies.
There is provided in accordance with the
present invention a printing and handling apparatus
for printing and handling multiple-ply continuous
?
paper including a printer for printing on the paper, a
feeder for feeding the paper through the printer, and
a ply separator for separating the paper into its
plies.
The details of the present invention will be
revealed in the following description with reference
to the attached drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a front isometric view of the
presently inventive fanfold paper printer and handler.
Figure 2 is a rear isometric view of the
presently inventive fanfold paper printer and handler.
Figure 3 is a side view of the presently
inventive fanfold paper printer and handler.
Figure 4 is a front isometric view of the
lower tray.
Figure 5 i5 a rear isometric view of the
lower tray.
Figure 6 is a front isometric view of the
separator bar.
Figure 7 is a front isometric view of the
lower tray with the separator bar locked in place.
Figure 8 is a front isometric view of the
printing mechanism.
Figure 9 is a front isometric view of the
deflector cover.
Figure 10 is a rear isometric view of the
deflector cover.
Figure 11 is a front isometric view of the
upper tray.
Figure 12 is rear isometric view of the paper
guide.
Figure 13 is a front isometric view of the
combined deflector cover, upper tray and paper guide.
Figure 14 is a rear isometric view of the
combined deflector cover, upper tray and paper guide.
Descriytion of the Preferred ~mbodiment
Figures 1 and 2 show front and rear isometric
views of the printing and handling apparatus 100.
"Handling" here means separating the plies of two-ply
fanfold paper and (continuously~ neatly refolding and
stacking one of the plies in a tray after printing has
occurred. The reference numbers in Figures 1 and 2
pertain to components which will be described later
while referring to Figures 3 and 9.
The side view of the printing and handling
apparatus 100 in Figure 3 is more illustrative of the
process. The major components of the apparatus 100
are a lower tray 302, a separator bar (or ply
separator) 310, a printer 312 (described more fully
infra, with reference to Figure 8), a deflection cover
316, an upper tray 318, and a paper guide 322. The
fanfold paper 301, which is self-reprographic (e.g.,
carbon-less) and has two plies in the preferred
embodiment, is introduced to the apparatus 100 in a
supply stack 304 of the lower tray 302. The paper 301
is separated into two plies 306 and 308 by wedging a
portion of the separator bar 310 therebetween, prior
to the paper being printed upon. Although the plies
are separated, the positioning of the plies relative
to each other does not change.
The separated plies 306 and 308 are merged in
a channel 314 for printing by the printer 312. The
printer 312 simultaneously prints and advances the
plies 3Q6 and 308 through the channel 314, the result
being the production of two identical plies.
The deflector cover 316 deflects the printed
plies towards the upper tray 318, upon which the
deflector cover 316 is mounted. In addition to being
mounted upon the upper tray 318, the deflector cover
316 is also attached to the paper guide 322. A path
320 between the upper tray 318 and the paper guide 322
-
allows the second ply 308 to be deflected and neatly
refolded and stacked into a stack 32~. The first ply
306 advances over the top of the paper guide 322 to
exit the printing and handling apparatus 100.
The first ply 306 can either be viewed
through a window 904 (seen best in Figures 1, 9 and
13) in the deflector cover 316 or by looking at that
ply on the top of the paper guide and from the rear of
the apparatus 100 (the view seen in Figure 2, for
example~, etc. After the user has verified and
checked the information on the first ply 306, he may,
for example, discard that ply and simply retain the
neatly refolded second ply 308 (stacked in stack 328)
in the upper tray 318.
Figure 4 shows a more detailed version of the
lower tray 302 (front view). The lower tray 302 has
an end wall 402, an open space area 404 approximately
equal in area to the end wall 402, two side walls 406
and 408, a bottom surface 410, and an upper open space
area 412 approximately equal in area to the area of
the bottom surface 410. Two printer locators 41~ and
416 locate and secure the printer 312 when the
apparatus 100 is fully assembled. Two upper tray
locator tabs 418 and 420 locate the correct
positioning of the upper tray 318 when the apparatus
is fully assembled. Two separator bar holes 422 and
424 serve both as separator bar 310 locators and as
anchors for said bar. A horizontal bar member 426
serves as a convenient handle for grasping the lower
tray 302, when it is assembled in the apparatus 100,
for example. Also, a ledge 428 which impinges upon
the paper as it leaves the lower tray 302 serves to
align the paper with the channel 314.
The rear view of the lower tray 302 in Figure
5 contains the same elements as in Figure 4, except
that Figure S additionally shows a separator bar
locators 502 and 504. The separator bar locators 502
5 - ~
and 504 are for locating and supporting the separator
bar 310.
The separator bar 310 is dekailed in
Figure 6. The separator bar 310 contains a paper
separator portion 602, two end bar portions 604 and
606, and two end posts 608 and 610 for positioning in
the separator bar holes 422 and 424. Figure 7 shows
the lower tray 302 with the separator bar 310 in place
(stems 608 and 610 resting in holes 422 and 424 !
respectively, and the elbows 612 and 614 of the
separator bar 31Q resting upon the separator bar
locators 502 and 504).
Figure 8 illustrates the printer 312, which
is described in more detail in U.S. Patent 4,204,777,
issued May 27, 1980, and assigned to the assignee of
the present invention. The printer 312 is also sold
by the assignee of the present invention, and has the
product name of Answer Printer 2195. The printer 312
has a printer mechanism 802 for printing onto the
fanfold paper, and a feeder mechanism (or feeder)
designated generally as 804, for advan~ing the paper
through the printer 312. The printer mechanism 802
may be of the dot matrix pin variety, daisy wheel
variety, or other variety, as will be appreciated by
those sXilled in the art.
The deflector cover 316 in Figure 9 has a
base or frame 902, the open area 904, and a group of
hooks 906-914. The rear view of the deflector cover
316 in Figure 10 additionally reveals a paper
separation slot 1002 through which the ~irst ply 306
of the paper 301 exits the deflector cover 316, two
snap hooks 1004 and 1006 and two locator tabs 1008 and
1010 for attaching the deflector cover 316 to the
upper tray 318.
The upper tray 318 in Figure ll has a sloped
surface 1102 with deflector cover holes 1104 and 1106
A
-- 6 --
~l~3~$~
which receive snap hooks 1004 and 1006, respectively,
and holes 1108 and 1110 which receive the locator tabs
1008 and 1010, respectively. The base 1112 includes a
resting bar 1114 upon which the paper guide 322 rests,
and a hollow 1116 which permits easy grasping of the
stack 328 for removal. Two notches 1118 ~seen in
Figure 13~ and 1120 fit over the upper tray locator
tabs 418 and 420 (see Figure 4) to correctly position
the upper tray 318 with respect to the lower tray 302
when the apparatus 100 is fully assembled.
The paper guide 322 in Figure 12 has two
slightly angled surfaces 1202 and 1204 which merge
into a relatively flat planar surface portion 1206
with cutouts 1208-1216. The cutouts 1208-1216 accept
the hooks 906-914 of the deflector cover 316 to attach
the paper guide 322 to the deflector cover 316, such
as is shown in Figures 13 (front view of upper tray,
deflector cover and paper guide) and 14 (rear view of
upper tray, deflector cover and paper guide). In
operation, the first ply 306 is fed through the
opening 1002 over the top of the paper guide 322l
while the second ply 308 continues on the path 320
under the paper guide 322 and is deflected thereby to
cause the paper second ply to refold and stack neatly
underneath the paper guide 322.
If single ply fanfold paper is used the
printed paper can be made either to travel over the
top of the apparatus 100, or underneath the paper
guide 322 to form a neatly refolded stack. The same
applies to two~ply fanfold paper where it is not
desired to separate the plies.
Variations and modifications to the present
invention are possible given the above disclosure.
However, such variations and modifications are
intended to be within the scope of the invention
claimed by this letters patent.
7 _ ~ r
For example, the fan~old paper need not be
limited to having two plies. In the case where more
than two plies are separated, the number of separator
bars is equal to n-l, where n represents the number of
plies. The other components can be appropriately
modified.
.,
