Reverse Duplex Media Flushing in Printers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Printing apparatuses face issues with media jams and unintentional stopping due to firmware errors or power losses, leading to reduced automatic media flushing, which results in a poor user experience and increased risk of additional errors.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a media transport assembly with a simplex and duplex media path, along with a control module that selectively moves media in a reverse duplex direction to direct it to an output area during a flushing event, increasing the amount of media that can be automatically flushed without user intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If media is unintentionally stopped in the media transport assembly due to firmware errors, power losses, or media jams, then automatic media advancement may be limited, but this results in reduced media flushing capability and requires manual user intervention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic media flushingVSAvoidmanual user intervention

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies reverse direction movement in the duplex media path to flush media. Instead of only advancing media forward through the printing apparatus, the system selectively moves media in reverse along the duplex media path back to the input area, enabling automatic flushing without requiring manual user intervention to remove jammed or stopped media

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If the amount of media that can be flushed out of the media transport assembly is limited, then user intervention is required to remove jammed media, but this increases opportunities for additional errors and poor user experience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct reliabilityVSAvoidadditional errors

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting media stoppages and flushing media through reverse movement along the duplex path. The control module autonomously manages media transport and flushing operations without requiring user intervention, thereby preventing additional errors and maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If media is advanced automatically only when the media in front is able to be advanced, then media flushing is restricted, but this reduces the amount of media that can be cleared from jams

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia clearing efficiencyVSAvoidamount of media flushed

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables media flushing by moving media in reverse direction along the duplex media path. This inversion of the normal forward advancement allows the system to clear multiple sheets of media from jams simultaneously, significantly increasing both the productivity of media clearing and the quantity of media that can be flushed without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS10087043B2Moving media in reverse duplex direction along media duplex path

Publication Date: 2018.10.02 HEWLETT PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LP

AI summary

A method includes guiding the media n a forward simplex direction by a simplex media path of a media transport assembly of the printing apparatus to position a respective side of the media across from a toner applicator to receive toner thereon and a fuser to fuse the toner thereon. The method also includes guiding the media in a forward duplex direction to the simplex media path by the duplex media path of the media transport assembly so that another side of the media is positioned towards the toner applicator to receive the toner thereon. The method also includes selectively moving the media in a reverse duplex direction opposite from the forward duplex direction to direct the media along the duplex media path to an output area outside of the media transport assembly by the control module in response to a media flushing event.