Zebra Technologies Corporation

Zih Corporation

Steve Ting Kei Chow

Angel B Rosales

Raymond Eugene Maynard

Joseph D Moreira

Edward Anthony Hackett

Daniel V Carroll

Thomas R Helma

Morgan Hassan Malone

JaeHo Choi

Chad Chaumont

Myung S Jun

Frieda W Trovela

Michael F St Germain

Michael F StGermain

David G Guillouche

A media cartridge includes: a base including: a media chamber having a mouth, and a lower portion of a media outlet; first and second wings configured to support a media spool therebetween; and a cover connected between the first and second wings, and including: an upper portion of the media outlet, and a perimeter configured to engage the mouth of the media chamber, to suspend the first and second wings within the media chamber and place the upper portion of the media outlet adjacent to the lower portion of the media outlet.

Media cartridge

A media processing device includes: a hopper for supporting a stack of media units (e.g. cards), the hopper including (i) a gate wall configured to abut leading edges of the media units and (ii) an outlet defined at an end of the gate wall; a pick roller at the outlet for engaging an outer one of the media units in the stack and dispensing the outer media unit from the hopper to a media processing path; the gate wall including a flexible gate at the outlet, the flexible gate configured to deflect toward the media processing path responsive to the outer media unit being driven into the flexible gate by the pick roller, wherein the outer media unit deflects when passing by the flexible gate, permitting the outer media unit to be dispensed from the hopper.

Input handling for media processing devices

A printer configured to contain a media cartridge, wherein the media cartridge includes: a base defining a media chamber and including a lower wall and an opposing upper wall; an identification circuit disposed on the lower wall, the identification circuit configured to engage with an electronic interface of a printer; a ledge on the upper wall of the base, the ledge configured to receive downward pressure from an inner surface of a lid of the printer in a closed position; wherein the identification circuit is aligned with the ledge to receive at least a portion of the downward pressure.

Media cartridge and media processing device engagement mechanisms

A media cartridge includes: a base defining a media chamber and including a lower wall and an opposing upper wall; an identification circuit disposed on the lower wall, the identification circuit configured to engage with an electronic interface of a printer; a ledge on the upper wall of the base, the ledge configured to receive downward pressure from an inner surface of a lid of the printer in a closed position; wherein the identification circuit is aligned with the ledge to receive at least a portion of the downward pressure.

An example of the claim method includes, in response to detecting a rejected media unit, directing a media feed path towards a reject area. The method includes depositing the rejected media unit into the reject area. The reject area is defined by a cassette surface on a body of the ribbon cassette. The ribbon cassette is unable to be removed from the media processing device until the rejected media unit is removed from the cassette surface.

Rejected media unit storage for media processing devices

A media processing device includes: a housing having an opening providing access to a cassette removably supported within the housing; a media unit holder configured to receive a rejected media unit driven between the opening and a body of the cassette along a media reject path; the media unit holder including: a deck having a support surface between a body of the cassette and the opening, the support surface facing the opening; the deck configured to receive the rejected media unit on the support surface for removal of the rejected media unit via the opening.

Disclosed is an example of a registration assembly for a media processing device, including a registration surface. The registration assembly including a bias member coupled to the registration surface to bias the registration surface toward the media processing path to apply a force to a media unit. The registration assembly including an activator coupled to a roller, the roller to be driven via contact with the media unit. The activator configured to move the registration surface toward the media processing path into the active position to engage the media unit responsive to rotation of the roller in the first rotational direction. The activator configured to move the registration surface away from the media processing path into an inactive position responsive to rotation of the roller in the second rotational direction.

Media unit redirector assembly for media processing devices

A media processing device includes: a hopper supporting media units (e.g. cards), and a biasing assembly biasing the cards toward a hopper outlet; an input roller for accepting a single card at a hopper slot inlet; a pick roller at the outlet for dispensing a card from the hopper to a media processing path; a motor having an output shaft; a primary drivetrain segment connecting the output shaft with the pick roller; an auxiliary output selector connected to the primary drivetrain segment and switchable between first and second output configurations; first and second auxiliary drivetrain segments connecting the output selector, respectively, with the input roller and a release member for disengaging the biasing assembly; and a selector input movable to switch the output selector between the first output configuration, coupling the primary and first auxiliary drivetrain segments, and the second output configuration, coupling the primary and second auxiliary drivetrain segments.

A media processing device with a housing includes: a motorized media unit transporter to drive a media unit along a media processing path between an unprocessed media unit source and a processed media unit output; an auxiliary media unit transporter including a roller connected to a converter, and a bias member connected between the converter and the housing. In a first operating mode, the auxiliary transporter receives the media unit from the transporter to drive the roller and the converter; rotation of the converter deforms the bias member from a resting position to a primed position. In a second operating mode initiated upon rotation of the converter to a bias release position, the auxiliary transporter propels the media unit by releasing the bias member from the primed position to drive rotation of the converter and the roller as the bias member returns to the resting position.

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Monterey Park, CA, United States of America

Steve Ting Kei Chow