Eastman-Kodak Company

Brian D Bradley

John M Brandon

Richard J Ratermann

Lawrence R Young

Gregory J Sexton

Randal L Mullins

A sheet or tractor media handling system for a compact printer having a housing, a cut-sheet supply station and a rotatable print platen constructed and located to feed top sheets from said supply station through a print path ingress past a print zone and out a print path egress. The system includes a mode control assembly for selectively controlling the movement of said supply station for sheet or tractor media; a pair of guide wheels constructed and mounted for engagement with tractor media along a tractor media inlet passage; bail rollers engaging the platen between the print path ingress and egress; and a variable spring system for urging the bail rollers against the print platen with higher or lower nip pressures for sheet or tractor media conditions.

Compact printer having sheet and tractor media selections

An improved sheet separator and guide construction for a printer having a supply station and a feeder/platen for feeding a top sheet from a supported sheet stack and transporting it through the printing region. The construction includes a force plate for urging a supported sheet stack so that its top sheet contacts the feeder-platen and is moved toward a supply station egress region. A pair of sheet corner deflectors located respectively at opposite edges of the supply station egress region are constructed to direct sheet corners fed there-against inwardly toward the sheet center, and a central deflector located along a central portion of the egress region in spaced relation between the corner deflectors is constructed to direct the center lead-edge of a sheet fed there-against upwardly toward the printer top.

Sheet feed construction for compact printers

The detection system includes a cartridge having a first detection port for detecting the pressure condition in the top portion of the cartridge and a second detection port and tube for detecting the pressure condition in a bottom portion of the cartridge. The cooperative printer structure couples these ports to a pressure differential sensor that signals a printer refill condition.

Growing community of inventors

Beavercreek, OH, United States of America

Brian D Bradley