| US 7,540,372 B2 | ||
| Belt driven and roller assisted media transport | ||
| Todd Kepple, Litchfield, N.H. (US) | ||
| Assigned to ECRM, Inc., Tewksbury, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 05, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/325,909. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0151828 A1, Jul. 05, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. B65G 13/10 (2006.01); B65G 13/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 198—779 [198/781.03; 198/783; 198/780; 198/782; 198/349; 198/437; 198/457.02; 198/572] | 16 Claims |
| 1. A media transportation apparatus comprising: (a) a conveying section comprised of a motor and a first timing belt wit a
belt surface, wherein operation of said motor causes said first timing belt to travel in a first direction at a belt speed,
and (b) a supporting section comprised of rollers with a rolling surface configured to roll in said first direction, wherein
said supporting section is further comprised of a cover with a top side and a bottom side, said cover being comprised of a
plurality of orifices such that said rollers protrude through said orifices and said rolling surface of said rollers is raised
above said top side of said cover by a distance of at least about 1 millimeter, wherein said first timing belt passes over
said top side of said cover and said bottom side of said cover, wherein:
1. said belt surface and said rolling surface are substantially coplanar,
2. said supporting section is comprised of a first row of said rollers that arc a first distance away from said first timing
belt wherein said apparatus is comprised of a second timing belt and wherein said first timing belt and said second timing
belt passes over said top side of said cover and said bottom side of said cover, and
3. said supporting section is further comprised of a second row of said rollers that are a second distance away from said
first timing belt, wherein said second distance is greater than said first distance.
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