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:
Apr. 23, 2002
Filed:
Sep. 21, 1999
Steven M. Johnson, Eagle, ID (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A media input tray for an imaging device such as a laser printer is configured to heat media disposed in the tray in order to reduce potential curl of the media caused by image processing in the imaging device. In a preferred embodiment, the input tray is configured with a flexible printed circuit having conductive traces for dissipating heat in response to an electric current. The flexible circuit is coupled to a power supply in the imaging device to enable a continuous warming of media in the tray, independent of any imaging operations by the imaging device. A method of image processing includes providing a heating device in a media input tray of an image processing device, and heating the media disposed in the input tray with the heating device such that media curl, caused by image processing operations, is reduced.