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:
Jul. 27, 1999
Filed:
May. 07, 1997
Friedbert R Becker, Lexington, KY (US);
Christopher G Chee, Lexington, KY (US);
William J Thornhill, Lexington, KY (US);
Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US);
Abstract
A stack of envelopes has its lowermost envelope advanced from the stack by two sets of longitudinally spaced kick rollers, which are driven through a gear train by a unidirectional motor. A separator, which includes a feed roll and a restraint roll driven by the unidirectional motor, allows only one envelope to pass therethrough. The gear train includes two sets of interrupted teeth on a gear for stopping advancement of each of the two sets of kick rollers so that another envelope is not advanced from the stack during a cycle of operation. The gear has a third set of interrupted teeth for stopping the feed and restraint rolls after the envelope has passed the separator. The envelope is advanced to a printer by drive rolls, which cooperate with spring biased back-up rolls to form a nip, driven by the unidirectional motor. When the envelope enters the drive rolls, a latch holds the gear having the interrupted teeth from rotating. When the envelope passes the drive rolls, the unidirectional motor is stopped, and the latch is released.