Patent · US Expired

Method for cutting paper in a printer using a gear with a friction pad

US5971640A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
5References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 13, 1998
Grant dateOct 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 13, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T83/8807
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A gear drive system for a printer designed to print upon a continuous roll of paper and having a blade used to cut off printed portions of paper from the paper roll is implemented. The gear drive system has a drive gear which slips against a toothless portion of a driven gear while paper is being fed through the printer for printing by a print head. When printing stops, the drive gear reverses its rotation, causing the driven gear to engage the drive gear. A cutter blade is controlled by the driven gear, with the blade cutting off the paper as the drive gear is in reverse rotation. After the paper is cut, the drive gear resumes its forward rotation, rotating the blade away from the paper. After the blade has been rotated, the drive gear continues to turn, but slips on the toothless portion of the driven gear. Friction losses are minimized as the energy lost as friction is low and full torque is applied to both cutting and opening rotations of the cutter blade.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.