The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 07, 2021
Filed:
Jun. 18, 2019
Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US);
Chad Michael Piening, Lexington, KY (US);
Todd Allison Quinn, Carlisle, KY (US);
Curtis Duane Woodson, Georgetown, KY (US);
Clark Edwin Jarnagin, Richmond, KY (US);
Donald Eugene Proffitt, Richmond, KY (US);
Louann Behymer Samuels, Georgetown, KY (US);
Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US);
Abstract
In a copier, printer, or similar device, paper is loaded in large quantities. To separate a top sheet of a stack of sheets from the next adjacent sheet, a dam is used, which is an element having an inclined surface in the path of the top sheet. This invention addresses devices with variably compliant separation strips, preferably a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer such as Pellethane®, that are part of the dam, so that the leading edge of a media sheet will strike the inclined surface of the separation strip. By adjusting the compliance of the separation strip, different weights of media may be accommodated while minimizing the multi-feeds that may cause jamming of the device.