Micropump, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Carrier Corporation

Stirling Technology Company

Carl D Beckett

Jeffrey G Bingham

Kevin D O'Hara

Eric L Gasvoda

Laurence B Penswick

Craig D Sunada

Daniel B Olsen

Brian D Hemmerlin

Jeffrey R Blackman

Steven E Soar

Christophe J Sevrain

Burnell P Wimer

Richard L Nelson

Darren C Ritter

Ron Neely

Victor C Lauhala

Glenn E Siemer

In a printer having an input tray, a media loader insert is provided, the media loader insert including an insert body which defines a reduced-size media receptacle, the insert body being sized to securely fit within the input tray; and a width adjuster adjacent the reduced-size media receptacle, the width adjuster being positioned centrally along a side edge of the reduced-size media receptacle to centrally engage a side edge of media within the reduced-size media receptacle, thereby reducing media skew.

Print media loader

A printer is provided with a media loader insert for removable insertion into an input tray of the printer. The media loader insert includes an insert body which defines a reduced-size media receptacle configured to receive small-size media for insertion into the printer input port. The insert body has a width corresponding to the width of letter-size paper, and thus is sized to fit securely within a conventional input tray. A width adjuster is provided adjacent the reduced-size media receptacle, the width adjuster being positioned centrally along a side edge of the reduced-size media receptacle to centrally engage a side edge of media within the reduced-size media receptacle, thereby reducing media skew.

A modular duplex media handling system used in conjunction with a simplex media handling print recording apparatus, includes a drive roller having a simple gear linkage. The simple gear linkage provides a fixed rotational relationship between the drive roller and a feed roller of the simplex handling apparatus. A media guide pivots about the drive roller's axle between a first position into which it is biased, and a second position into which it is deflected by a media sheet. From the first position, a media sheet retracting from a print zone can enter the duplex media handling system. From the second position, a media sheet can move from the input tray around the feed roller into the print zone, or move out of the duplex media handling system back into the input tray to await refeeding for second side printing.

Modular autoduplex mechanism with simple linkage

A print media alignment apparatus is disclosed. An embodiment includes a first member configured to apply a varying force to at least one print media sheet of a print media stack. This force varies from a minimum below a first print media stack height to a maximum at a second print media stack height. The alignment apparatus also includes a second member configured to apply a constant force to the print media stack irrespective of the stack height. Another embodiment includes a print media width adjuster configured to be moveable adjacent a print media stack having at least one sheet of print media, the print media stack defining a plane. The alignment apparatus also includes a wall on the width adjuster. The wall includes a wall first print media contact surface configured to slope at an angle with respect to the plane. The alignment apparatus further includes a member attached to the width adjuster, the member including a member print media contact surface configured to be perpendicular to the plane. A method of aligning print media for use in a printing device is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of applying a varying first force to at least one sheet of print media at and above a first print media stack height and applying a second constant force to the print media irrespective of the print media stack height. The varying first force and the constant second force facilitate uniform alignment of the print media.

Print media alignment apparatus and method

A reciprocating piston pump provides pulseless delivery of liquid. It is suitable for use in compact environments or for the delivery of small amounts of liquid, as in chromatographic analysis devices. The pump includes two pistons with pumping chambers that are alternately connected to inflow and outflow lines through a control valve. The control valve moves between a first position in which inflow is directed to the first piston chamber and outflow to the second piston chamber, and a second position in which outflow is directed to the first piston chamber and inflow is directed to the second piston chamber. Each outflow pulse from the piston is sustained longer than each inflow pulse, and the outflow pulses are staggered and partially superimposed to provide substantially pulseless delivery of liquid from the pump. A rotating cam moves the pistons of the pumps and the control valve between their operating positions described above. The cam rotates at a constant speed around an axis that is parallel to the axis of movement of the piston pumps. A control surface is carried by and rotated by the cam in one embodiment. Grooves inscribed in the control surface establish and break fluid connections as the cam rotates.

Axial cam driven valve arrangement for an axial cam driven parallel

A reciprocating piston pump provides pulsation free delivery of liquid. It is suitable for use in compact environments or for the delivery of small amounts of liquid, as in chromatographic analysis devices. The pump includes two pistons with pumping chambers that are alternately connected to inflow and outflow lines through a control valve. The control valve moves between a first position in which inflow is directed to the first piston chamber and outflow to the second piston chamber, and a second position in which outflow is directed to the first piston chamber and inflow is directed to the second piston chamber. Each outflow pulse from the piston is sustained longer than each inflow pulse, and the outflow pulses are staggered and partially superimposed to provide substantially pulsation free delivery of liquid from the pump. A rotating cam moves the pistons of the pumps and the control valve between their operating positions described above. The cam rotates at a constant speed around an axis that is parallel to the axis of movement of the piston pumps.

Rotary control valve for a piston pump

The use of flexures in the form of flat spiral springs cut from sheet metal materials provides support for coaxial nonrotating linear reciprocating members in power conversion machinery, such as Stirling cycle engines or heat pumps. They permit operation with little or no rubbing contact or other wear mechanisms. The relatively movable members include one member having a hollow interior structure within which the flexures are located. The flexures permit limited axial movement between the interconnected members, but prevent adverse rotational movement and radial displacement from their desired coaxial positions.

Flexure bearing support, with particular application to stirling machines

A clamp for occluding a flexible tube comprising a permanent magnet rotary actuator coupled to a rotatable cam. A spring-biasing mechanism is provided to counteract the rotation of the rotary actuator and to return the rotatable cam to a pre-determined position when power is withheld from the rotary actuator.

Line clamp

The seal bellows of a Stirling cycle device is connected between the bottom of a reciprocating piston and a cylinder wall to form a buffer space between the cycle working space and the lubricated crankcase. The piston and cylinder wall form a noncontact clearance seal between the buffer space and the working space in which an expander piston has a vented clearance seal to reduce the thermal loss due to cold gas leaking along the clearance seal.

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Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Carl D Beckett