Media drawer for a media processing device and media processing device

Abstract

Media drawer (20) for a media processing device (10) with a housing (20a) and an electrically movable lifting table (30) arranged in the housing (20a), wherein the media drawer (20) is movable between a first position in which it is arranged in the media processing device (10) such that media can be removed from it by the media processing device (10), and a second position in which media can be inserted into the media drawer (20), wherein the lifting table (30) can be supplied with power in the first position by the power supply of the media processing device (10), characterized in that the media drawer (20) has a power supply (40) independent of the power supply of the media processing device (10), via which the lifting table (30) can be supplied with power in the second position.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a media drawer for a media processing device and to a media processing device with a media drawer.

[0002] Media processing devices, such as printers, printing presses, or media feeders, are known in which the media to be processed is placed as a stack into a compartment, particularly a drawer compartment, so that it can be fed individually from this stack into the media processing device. To load media into the drawer, the drawer must generally be moved from its initial position within the media processing device to a second position. The media can then be loaded, and the drawer returned to its initial position. The media processing device is usually stationary during this process.

[0003] Known compartments for media processing devices feature an electrically movable lifting table. This table allows the decreasing stack of media to be moved along as individual items are removed from the storage pile, ensuring that the position from which the top item is removed remains constant. During the filling process, the media must be placed into the compartment as a stack, with the lifting table in a lowered position, which is often ergonomically inconvenient. In known media drawers, the electrically movable lifting table is powered by the media processing device's power supply when the drawer is inserted into the device.

[0004] The object of the invention is therefore to further develop a media drawer for a media processing device in such a way that it is designed to be more user-friendly.

[0005] The object of the invention is solved by a media drawer for a media processing device with the features of claim 1.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0007] The media drawer according to the invention for a media processing device with a housing and an electrically movable lifting table arranged in the housing, wherein the media drawer is movable between a first position in which it is arranged in the media processing device such that media can be removed from it by the media processing device, and a second position in which media can be inserted into the media drawer, wherein the lifting table can be supplied with power in the first position by the power supply of the media processing device, is characterized in that the media drawer has a power supply independent of the power supply of the media processing device, via which the lifting table can be supplied with power in the second position.

[0008] The invention is based on providing a power supply at the media drawer that is independent of the power supply to the media processing device, via which the lifting table can be supplied with power in the second position. This makes it possible, according to the invention, to move the lifting table electrically even in the second position, thereby simplifying the filling of media onto the lifting table. Advantageously, the media drawer has a changeover switch which, in the first position of the media drawer, connects the lifting table to the power supply of the media processing device, and in the second position, connects the lifting table to the power supply independent of the power supply of the media processing device, which can simplify operation.

[0009] Advantageously, the independent power supply has at least one accumulator, since accumulators can provide power in a particularly simple way, independent of a fixed power grid.

[0010] A preferred further development provides that the independent power supply can be switched on and off via operating means arranged on the media drawer in order to enable user-friendly operation.

[0011] Advantageously, the lifting table can be moved over a height of up to 500 mm in order to provide sufficient quantities of media.

[0012] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the media drawer has rollers to allow it to be easily pulled out of the media processing device and, if desired, completely removed from the device and, for example, replaced with a second media drawer. This significantly reduces refill time, as the second media drawer, filled with media, is already ready when the empty media drawer is pulled out of the media processing device.

[0013] A media processing device according to the invention has a media drawer according to the invention.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the media drawer has a contact element which, in the first position, contacts a contact element arranged on the media processing device, wherein an electrically conductive connection is established between the power supply of the media processing device and the lifting table via the two contact elements, so that operation can be simplified.

[0015] An advantageous further development of the media processing device provides that at least one guide rod and at least one guide roller are arranged between the media processing device and the media drawer. The guide roller interacts with the guide rod when the media drawer moves between the first and second positions. Such a guide device facilitates easy insertion of the media drawer into the media processing device and preferably also simplifies its alignment within the media processing device.

[0016] The media processing device is advantageously designed as a printer, printing press or media feeder or similar device or component thereof.

[0017] The invention is explained in detail with reference to the following figures. They show Fig. 1 a perspective view of a first embodiment of a media processing device with a media drawer, wherein the media drawer is inserted into the media processing device, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the media drawer according to Fig. 1, which was pulled out of the media processing device, with the lifting table lowered, Fig. 3 the media drawer according to Fig. 2 with raised lifting table, Fig. 4 a close-up from Fig. 2, Fig. 5. an excerpt from a view of the back of the media drawer according to Fig. 2 with regard to independent power supply, Fig. 6 a detailed view of a further embodiment of a media processing device with a media drawer and a guide device between the media processing device and the media drawer, wherein the media drawer is arranged in a first position, Fig. 7 the view according to Fig. 6, in which the media drawer is arranged in a second position, Fig. 8 A detailed view of the interaction of the guide arrangement between the media drawer and the media processing device when inserting the media drawer into the media processing device, Fig. 9 A detailed view of the interaction of the guide device between the media processing device and the media drawer with the media drawer in the first position, Fig. 10 a schematic sectional view of the media processing device according to Fig. 1, wherein the media drawer has been extended from the media processing device into a second position and Fig. 11 a schematic sectional view of the media processing device according to Fig. 1, wherein the media drawer is inserted into the media processing device in the first position.

[0018] The Fig. Figures 1 to 5, 10, and 11 show different views of a first embodiment of a media processing device 10 with a media drawer 20. The media processing device 10 can be configured as a printer, printing press, media feeder, or similar device, or as a component thereof, and can include a device for removing a single medium, in particular the topmost medium, from the media drawer. The media processing device 10 has a power supply. For example, the media processing device 10 can be connected to a fixed power supply via a cable 11 with a plug 12, thereby providing the power supply to the media processing device 10 (see Figure 10). The media processing device 10 can include a control unit 15.

[0019] In Fig. 1. The media drawer 20 is inserted into the media processing device 10 and is, in particular, in a first position. In the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 the media drawer 20 is pulled out of the media processing device 10, in particular completely removed from it, and is in a second position.

[0020] The media drawer 20 has a housing 20a with a front 21, a rear 22 opposite the front 21, two side surfaces 23, 24 connecting the front 21 to the rear 22, and a bottom surface 25. It is preferably open at the top, i.e., towards the side opposite the bottom surface 25. In one embodiment, several, for example four, rollers 26 are arranged on the underside of the bottom surface 25, which enable the media drawer 20 to be moved. A handle 27 can be arranged on the front 21, with which the media drawer 20 can be pulled out of the media processing device 10.

[0021] An electrically movable lifting table 30 is arranged in the media drawer 20, onto which at least one stack of media can be placed. The media can be flat, flexible objects made of different materials, for example, paper, plastic, wood, or metal, in particular sheets of paper, in different formats and thicknesses. To enable the media drawer 20 to accommodate different media formats, at least one, for example, two or four, support elements 28 are arranged, particularly on the base surface 25. The support elements 28 can be designed to be displaceable and can be positioned such that they bear against a stack of media laterally. In particular, the support elements 28 can extend through slots 31 in the lifting table 30 to allow contact with the stack of media arranged on the lifting table 30 even when the lifting table 30 is moving.

[0022] Fig. Figure 2 shows the lifting table 30 in a lower position, while Fig. Figure 3 shows the lifting table 30 in a raised position. The lifting table 30 is preferably movable over a height of up to 500 mm in order to store correspondingly large stacks of media and to adjust the height of the lifting table 30 when media are removed, so that the uppermost medium of the media stack is at a constant height, thus enabling media removal regardless of the height of the media stack. The lifting table 30 can be controlled by a control unit 29, which is arranged in the media drawer 20.

[0023] Is the media drawer 20 inserted into the media processing device 10 and is in the first position (see below)? Fig. 1) The lifting table can be supplied with power via the power supply of the media processing device. In particular, an electrical contact element 70 of the media drawer 20 in the first position comes into electrically conductive contact with a contact element 71 arranged on the media processing device 10, so that an electrically conductive connection is established between the media processing device 10 and the media drawer 20, and the lifting table, in particular a motor for moving the lifting table, is connected to the power supply of the media processing device 10 (see in particular Fig. 11).

[0024] The media drawer 20 has a power supply 40 independent of the power supply of the media processing device 10, via which the lifting table 30 can be supplied with power in the second position, in which the media drawer 20 is pulled out of the media processing device 10 and thus the electrically conductive contact between the media processing device 10 and the media drawer 20 is interrupted (see in particular Fig. 12). The power supply 40 of the media drawer 20 includes, in particular, one or more accumulators 42, which may, for example, be arranged on the rear 22 of the media drawer 20 (see Figure 12). Fig. 5) If the electrically conductive connection between the media processing device 10 and the media drawer 20 is interrupted, an electrically conductive connection is simultaneously established between the lifting table 30, in particular the motor of the lifting table 30, and the power supply 40, for example by means of a changeover switch 75. Thus, it is also possible to move the lifting table 30 in the second position. For this purpose, the control unit 29 of the media drawer is also connected to the power supply 40.

[0025] The media drawer 20 can be equipped with an actuating device 35, in particular for moving the lifting table 30, with which the lifting table 30 can be raised or lowered (see in particular Fig. 4). The actuating device 35 can, for example, have two push buttons, one for upward movement and one for downward movement, as shown in Fig. Figure 4 shows the following. Alternatively, the actuating element 35 can also be designed as a toggle switch, rocker switch, rotary switch, or similar. The independent power supply 40 on the lifting table 30 makes it possible to first raise the lifting table 30 to fill the media drawer 20, thus making the insertion of the media more ergonomic, and then to lower the lifting table 30. To further reduce the downtime of the media processing device 10, it is generally possible to have two or more media drawers 20 ready and to insert a pre-filled media drawer 20 directly into the media processing device 10 after the empty media drawer 20 has been removed from the media processing device 10.

[0026] The Fig. Figures 6 to 9 show excerpts from various views of a second embodiment of a media drawer 20 for a media processing device 10, which is basically the same as the one described in the Fig.The media processing device 10 and the media drawer 20 shown in Figures 1 to 5 correspond to each other and additionally include a guide device 50 between the media processing device 10 and the media drawer 20. The guide device 50 has at least one guide rod 51 and at least one guide roller 60, wherein the guide rod 51 is, for example, arranged on the media processing device 10 and the guide roller 60 is, for example, arranged on the media drawer 20. The guide rod 51 can have a tapered section 53 at a free end 52. The guide roller 60 is designed such that it can roll along the guide rod 51.Such a guide device 50 simplifies the insertion of the media drawer 20 into the media processing device 10, in particular if two guide rods 51 are arranged on the media processing device 10 and at least one, in particular two, guide rollers 60 are arranged on both side surfaces 23, 24 of the media drawer 20, since when the media drawer 20 is brought towards the media processing device 10, the media drawer 20 is aligned between the two guide rods 51 and guided by the guide rods 51 into the desired position aligned relative to the media processing device 10. Reference symbol list 10 Media processing device 11 cables 12 plugs 15 Control unit 20 Media drawer 20a Housing 21 Front page 22 Back 23 side surface 24 side surface 25 floor area 26 rolls 27 handle 28 Plant element 29 Control unit 30 Lifting table 31 slots 35 Actuators 40 Power supply 42 battery 50 guide device 51 Guide rod 52 Free End Section 53 58 Actuators 60 Leadership role 70 contact element 71 Contact element 75 changeover switches

Claims

[1] Media drawer (20) for a media processing device (10) comprising a housing (20a) and an electrically movable lifting table (30) arranged in the housing (20a), wherein the media drawer (20) is movable between a first position in which it is arranged in the media processing device (10) such that media can be removed from it by the media processing device (10) and a second position in which media can be inserted into the media drawer (20), wherein the lifting table (30) can be supplied with power in the first position by the power supply of the media processing device (10), characterized by , that the media drawer (20) has a power supply (40) independent of the power supply of the media processing device (10), via which the lifting table (30) can be supplied with power in the second position. [2] Media drawer according to claim 1, characterized by, that the media drawer (20) has a changeover switch (75) which in the first position of the media drawer (20) connects the lifting table (30) to the power supply of the media processing device (10) and in the second position connects the lifting table (30) to the power supply (40) which is independent of the power supply of the media processing device (10). [3] Media drawer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the independent power supply (40) has at least one accumulator (42). [4] Media drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the independent power supply (40) can be switched on and off via actuating means (35) arranged on the media drawer (20). [5] Media drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the lifting table (30) can be moved over a height of up to 500 mm. [6] Media drawer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the media drawer (20) has rollers (26). [7] Media processing device (10) with a media drawer (20) according to one of the preceding claims. [8] Media processing device according to claim 7, characterized by , that the media drawer (20) has a contact element (70) which in the first position contacts a contact element (71) arranged on the media processing device (10), wherein an electrically conductive connection is established between the power supply of the media processing device (10) and the lifting table (30) via the two contact elements (70, 71). [9] Media processing device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by, that at least one guide rod (51) and at least one guide roller (60) are provided between the media processing device (10) and the media drawer (20), which interacts with the guide rod (21) when the media drawer (20) is moved between the first position and the second position. [10] Media processing device according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized by , that the media processing device (10) is designed as a printer, printing press or media feeder.

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