EP0344097A1 - Device for transporting charts in office machines, particularly for papers in paper-processing appliances - Google Patents

Abstract

In a device for transporting charts (3) in office machines, particularly for papers in paper processing appliances (1), the chart (3) can in each case be fed in with processing means (5), in particular printing and/or reading means (6, 7) moved into positions outside the chart path, and there is a drawing-in shaft (8) composed of guide means which form one or more successive recesses (19), extending transversely in the direction (4) of transport, for the processing means (5) which are movable transversely to the direction (4) of transport. <??>In order to allow fault-free drawing-in even of damaged or irregular charts (3) or papers, it is proposed that the recesses (19) be at least partially closable by means of elastic coverings (24, 25) which each form inlet funnels (26) for the chart (3) in the direction (4) of transport, and that, in the case of transverse movements of the processing means (5), the respective elastic covering (24, 25) can temporarily be moved by the moved processing means (5) from its respective functioning position assumed in the starting state into another functioning position while the processing means (5) are being moved past. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for the transport of record carriers in office machines, in particular for receipts in document processing devices, in which the record carrier can be inserted in each case in the case of processing means, particularly printing and / or reading means, which are moved to positions outside the record carrier path, and a feed chute consists of guide means. which form one or more consecutive, transversely extending recesses in the transport direction for the processing means movable transversely to the transport direction.

Such devices serve the purpose of recording media such as Receipts (checks, forms, etc.) flat and without bulges at the corners in the office machine, e.g. into a document processing device or a printer, and to put it into a writing or reading position.

It is known to form a feed chute from a lower support level on the lower part of the device and from lower transport rollers protruding through cutouts and a counter-roller located above it, a support rail being arranged opposite the support level, which has the thickness of the thickest printed material and thus the height of the feed chute limited and not adjustable itself. In contrast, the counter roller can be adjusted resiliently and adjusts itself to the thickness of the record carrier. The lower transport rollers are driven. The upper counter rollers can be driven and are usually smaller in diameter than the lower transport rollers.

In such transport devices, special processing means are provided which are moved transversely to the transport direction of the record carrier and which necessarily interrupt the course of the feed chute. For example, in a document processing device the feed shaft is interrupted in the transport direction behind the first pair of counter roller / transport roller by a transverse recess for a print head, a pressure abutment being arranged on the length of the movement path of the print head. In the same document processing device, a recess for a reading head is provided in the transport direction behind the path of movement of the print head and behind a further pair of counter roller / transport roller, which is also moved on a carriage transversely to the transport direction of the recording medium. Within such a recess, which can therefore occur in the lower part of the device and / or in the upper part of the device, opposite to the reading head, only the abovementioned support level in the lower part of the device is not interrupted, but the upper part of the device, in which the slide guide for the reading head must be arranged.

These recesses of all kinds and the processing means (print head, print head guide, read head, read head guide and the like) basically interfere with the free transport of the recording medium. In the event that the record carrier now also has deformations (damage to the edges, dog ears and the like), the transport of the record carrier is considerably at risk, if not made impossible. Such faults lead to a misdirection of one or several record carriers, for example with smaller documents, or to a jam of deformed pieces of paper, depending on the type of processing.

The invention is therefore based on the object of proposing means for office machines which have interruptions in the transport path of the record carrier, in particular the feeder shaft (so-called cutouts), in order to eliminate the adverse effects of such interruptions.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that the recesses can be at least partially closed by means of elastic covers, which each form inlet funnels for the recording medium in the transport direction and that, in the event of transverse movements of the processing means, the respective elastic covering by the moving processing means from its respective functional position assumed in the initial state during the moving past of the processing means is temporarily movable into another functional position. As a result, covers, e.g. are created from transparent, thin plastic films, which initially form inlet funnels for the recording medium and, after the recording medium has been pulled into the feed chute in trouble-free feeding mode and after reaching the cut-outs for the processing means, are opened or displaced, i.e. be moved to a desired position.

An embodiment of the invention provides that the cover is attached to a guide plate as a guide means and extends angularly outside the guide plate, a cover assigned to a pressure medium covering the ink ribbon outside the print field. This is intended for a print head that can be raised and lowered Cover is thus used successively as an inlet funnel and as a ribbon guide or as a ribbon cover, deformed documents being drawn in without interference and smearing of the document being prevented by the ribbon.

Another improvement of the invention provides that two opposite, angled covers are provided above the recess for the reading means, which are opposite to one another or touch each other when reading means are in end positions. As a result, the films close in the running area of the optical reading device when the latter is in the right or left rest position and thus form the desired inlet funnel on the feed side.

The invention is further developed in that the cover is provided with an additional angled downward into the feed shaft. As a result, the document chute is narrowed, depending on the thickness of the record carrier, so that the record carrier is guided more closely in the feed chute in the case of curvature on the head or foot side and misdirection is prevented.

Finally, a further development of the invention consists in that adjacent covers for adjacent processing means are combined to form a single cover. These features limit the number of covers or foils.

• Fig. 1 eine Draufsicht auf ein geöffnetes Belegverarbeitungsgerät mit Druck- und Lesemittel,
• Fig. 2 einen Querschnitt II-II gemäß Fig. 1, wobei das Lesemittel jedoch in seiner Endstellung, d.h. an einem Anschlag steht,
• Fig. 3 den Querschnitt II-II wie Fig. 2 mit in Betrieb befindlichem Druckkopf bzw. Lesekopf,
• Fig. 4 eine Draufsicht auf eine Abdeckung zusammen mit dem Führungsblech im Bereich des Lesemittels,
• Fig. 5 die zu Fig. 4 gehörende Seitenansicht,
• Fig. 6 eine Draufsicht auf eine Abdeckung zusammen mit einem anderen Führungsblech im Bereich zweier benachbarter Bearbeitungsmittel (Lese- und Druckmittel) und
• Fig. 7 die zu Fig. 6 gehörende Seitenansicht.

In the drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown schematically and is explained in more detail below. Show it:

• 1 is a plan view of an open document processing device with printing and reading means,
• 2 shows a cross section II-II according to FIG. 1, but the reading means is in its end position, ie at a stop,
• 3 shows the cross section II-II as in FIG. 2 with the print head or read head in operation,
• 4 is a plan view of a cover together with the guide plate in the area of the reading means,
• 5 shows the side view belonging to FIG. 4,
• Fig. 6 is a plan view of a cover together with another guide plate in the area of two adjacent processing means (reading and printing means) and
• Fig. 7 is the side view belonging to Fig. 6.

A document processing device 1 with a lower device part 2 is shown as an office machine (FIG. 1). A record carrier 3 is moved in the transport direction 4 by the document processing device 1. The record carrier 3 can also consist of documents, such as those that are common in banking. For the processing of the recording medium 3, processing means 5 are therefore required, which in the present case consist of printing means 6, such as e.g. consist of a matrix needle print head or a thermal print head, or of a reading means 7 for optical character recognition.

A feed shaft 8 consists of a lower support level 9 on the lower part 2 of the device and of lower transport rollers 11 protruding through cutouts 10 and one located above each Counter roller 12. At the beginning of the feed chute 8, a guide plate 13 is arranged opposite the support plane 9, which limits the thickness of the thickest printed material and thus the height of the feed chute 8. The guide plate 13 itself is not adjustable. In contrast, the counter roller 12 can be adjusted resiliently and adjusts itself to the thickness of the recording medium 3. The lower transport roller 11 can be driven. In the exemplary embodiment (FIG. 1), only in the front pair of counter roller and transport roller is the counter roller 12 driven by means of a belt drive 14 or by means of drive elements having the same effect. A common drive shaft 15 is used for the drive transmission. In each case two counter rollers 12 are mounted together and connected via shafts 16. The lengths of the shafts 16 are matched to the width of a record carrier 3 or a document. The guide plate 13 is provided with cutouts 17 for the counter roller 12. The transport rollers (11) are all driven, only the counter roller (12) is also driven for the first pair of rollers.

The processing means 5 can be moved in the transverse direction 18, that is to say transversely to the transport direction 4 of the recording medium 3. Special slide guides are provided for the transverse direction 18, but are of no importance for understanding the invention in its embodiment. The necessary aids for the processing means 5, ie the slide guides for the processing means 5, necessarily interrupt the course of the feed chute 8. For example, in the document processing device 1 shown, the feed chute 8 is traversed behind the first pair of counter roller 12 and transport roller 11 in the transport direction 4 a transverse recess 19 interrupted. Within the recess 19 there is a pressure abutment 20 with a length that corresponds to the path of movement of the pressure medium 6. Further transport rollers 11 and counter rollers 12 are now provided in the transport direction 4 behind the recess 19. Here, the counter rollers 12 are each rotatably mounted on pivot levers 21, and all pivot levers 21 are fastened to a pivot shaft 22 which is provided with a drive 23. From the pair of counter roller 12 and transport roller 11 there also follows a recess 19 which, however, is represented by the said slide guide for the reading means 7. Here, too, the feed slot 8 is interrupted, so that there is a risk of paper jams. The recess 19 is located in the area of the reading means 7 in the upper part of the device (not shown).

The invention solves this problem in that the recesses 19 can be at least partially closed by means of elastic covers 24 or 25, these elastic covers 24 or 25 e.g. consist of transparent, elastic plastic films and these elastic covers 24, 25 each form their own inlet funnel 26 in order to avoid the paper jam due to an irregular recording medium 3.

The system of elastic covers 24, 25 is further designed such that the transverse movement of the processing means 5 changes the initial state (the starting position) of the covers 24 and 25 for the overflow of the processing means 5, the respective inlet funnel 26 being temporarily lost or remaining . After an overflow, i.e. the processing of the recording medium 3, the initial state is assumed again.

The cover 24 is fastened to a guide plate 27 as a guide means and extends outside the guide plate 27 as angular cover 24a. The cover 24 assigned to the printing medium 6 covers an ink ribbon 28 outside a printing field 29, as a result of which smearing on the recording medium 3 is avoided.

Above the recess 19 for the reading means 7 there are two covers 24 and 25 located opposite one another. When the reading means 7 is in an end position 30, the covers 24 and 25 lie opposite one another except for a gap (37) or even touch.

The cover 24 is provided with an additional bend 31 directed downward into the feed shaft 8 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 7).

Adjacent covers for adjacent processing means 5, e.g. the pressure means 6 and the reading means 7 can be combined into a single cover 24.

The cutting of the covers 24 and 25 is shown separately in FIGS. 4 to 7. The guide plate 27 is provided with the cutouts 17 and is formed with a guide bracket 32 for the counter rollers 12. The guide plate 27 is fastened through screw holes 33 by means of screws 34 (FIG. 1) at the necessary height distance from the lower part 2 of the device. The foil-like covers 24 and 25 made of transparent plastic are adapted in their outlines to the local conditions. For the reading means 7 (FIGS. 4 and 5), the cover 25 is provided with cutouts 35 in the area of the counter rollers 12. Similar cutouts 36 are attached to the cover 24 (FIGS. 6 and 7).

The covers 24 and 25 can be moved into two positions with respect to the reading means 7: In the end position 30 of the reading means 7 (FIG. 2), the covers 24 and 25 are except for a narrow gap 37 closed. In the operating position (FIG. 1), the reading means 7 temporarily opens the covers 24 and 25 during the movements in the transverse directions 18. Here, an inlet funnel 26a is always retained. The cover 24 or the angular cover 24a, however, is in the upper position 30 of the pressure medium 6 in an upper position (FIG. 2) and is pressed down during the movements in the transverse directions 18 (FIG. 3), with a bevel 38 on the pressure abutment 20 creates a favorable installation of the angular cover 24a. In addition, the ink ribbon 28 is covered outside the printing field 29, whereby smearing on the recording medium 3 is avoided.

Claims (5)

1.Device for the transport of record carriers in office machines, in particular for receipts in document processing devices, in which the record carrier can be inserted in each case in the case of processing means which are moved into positions outside the record carrier path, in particular printing and / or reading means, and a feed chute consists of guide means which consist in Transport direction form one or more successive, transverse recesses for the processing means movable transversely to the transport direction,
characterized,
that the recesses (19) can be at least partially closed by means of elastic covers (24, 25) which each form inlet funnels (26) for the recording medium (3) in the transport direction (4) and that the respective elastic cover in the event of transverse movements of the processing means (5) (24; 25) can be temporarily moved into another functional position by the moving processing means (5) from its respective functional position assumed in the initial state while the processing means (5) is moving past. 2. Device according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the cover (24) is fastened to a guide plate (27) as guide means and extends at an angle outside the guide plate (27) (24a), a cover (24) assigned to a pressure medium (6) holding the ink ribbon (28) outside the pressure field ( 29) covers. 3. Device according to claims 1 and 2,
characterized,
that above the recess (19) for the reading means (7) two opposite, angled covers (24, 25) are provided, which are opposite to each other in a reading position (30) in end positions (30) except for a gap (37) touch. 4. Device according to claims 1 to 3,
characterized,
that the cover (24) is provided with an additional bend (31) directed downwards into the feed shaft (8). 5. Device according to one or more of claims 1 to 4,
characterized,
that adjacent covers for adjacent processing means (5) are combined into a single cover (24).

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