Preflipping sheets for a duplex operation

Abstract

A method for feeding sheets includes feeding a first sheet to a location for flipping sheets with respect to a target position before the first sheet is fed passed the target position. A second face of the first sheet is fed passed the target position. The first sheet is fed to a second location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position. The second location is different than the first location. A first face of the first sheet is fed passed the target position.

1 . A method for feeding sheets, comprising:
 feeding a first sheet to a location for flipping sheets with respect to a target position before the first sheet is fed passed the target position;   feeding a second face of the first sheet passed the target position;   feeding the first sheet to a second location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position, the second location being different than the first location; and   feeding a first face of the first sheet passed the target position.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the acts of feeding are performed following receipt of an instruction for a duplex operation, the method further comprising, following receipt of an instruction for a simplex operation, feeding the first face of the first sheet passed the target position without feeding the first sheet to the first location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising outputting the first sheet after feeding the first face of the first sheet passed the target position. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 feeding a second sheet to the first location for flipping sheets before first face of the first sheet has been fully fed passed the target position; and   after the first face of the first sheet has been fully fed passed the target position, feeding a second face of the second sheet passed the target position, feeding the second sheet to the second location for flipping media sheets, and feeding a first face of the second media sheet passed the target position.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: sequentially feeding each of a plurality of subsequent sheet to the first location for flipping sheets;
 for each subsequent sheet fed to the first position for flipping sheets, feeding a second face of that sheet passed the target position, feeding that sheet to the second location for flipping media sheets, and feeding a first face of that sheet passed the target position;   wherein each subsequent sheet is fed to the first location for flipping sheets before the first face an immediately prior has been fully fed passed the target position and wherein the first face of that subsequent sheet is fed passed the target position after the first face of the immediately prior sheet has been fully fed passed the target position.   
     
     
         6 . A method for feeding sheets, comprising:
 feeding a first sheet to a first location for flipping sheets with respect to a target position before the first sheet is fed passed the target position;   flipping the first sheet and feeding a second face of the first sheet passed the target position;   feeding the first sheet to a second location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position, the second location being different than the first location;   flipping the first sheet and feeding a first face of the first sheet passed the target position; and   feeding a second sheet to the first location for flipping sheets before the first face of the first sheet completes its pass passed the target position.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the acts of feeding and flipping are performed following receipt of instructions for a duplex operation, the method further comprising, following receipt of instructions for a simplex operation, feeding the first face of the first sheet passed the target position without flipping the first sheet. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising outputting the first sheet after the first face of the first sheet is fed passed the target position. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 after feeding the first face of the first sheet passed the target position, feeding the second face of the second sheet passed the target position;   feeding the second sheet to the second location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position; and   feeding a first face of the second sheet passed the target position.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , comprising:
 sequentially feeding each of a plurality of subsequent sheets to the first location for flipping sheets;   for each of the subsequent sheets, feeding a second face of that subsequent sheet passed the target position, feeding the subsequent sheet to a second location for flipping the first sheet with respect to the target position, and feeding a first face of the subsequent sheet passed the target position;   wherein each subsequent sheet:   is fed to the first location for flipping sheets before the first face of an immediately prior sheet is fully fed passed the target position; and   the second face of that subsequent sheet is fed passed the target position after the first face of the immediately prior sheet has been fully fed passed the target position.   
     
     
         11 . A system for feeding sheets, comprising a first feeder and a second feeder, wherein:
 the first feeder is operable to feed a sheet to a first location for flipping sheets with respect to a target position before the sheet is fed passed the target position and to feed the sheet to the second feeder; and the second feeder is operable to feed a second face of the sheet passed the target position, to feed the sheet to a second position for flipping sheets with respect to the target position, and to feed a first face of the media sheet passed the target position.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first feeder includes an input feeder and a pre-target feeder, the input feeder being operable to feed the sheet to the pre-target feeder along a first path segment and the pre-target feeder being operable to feed the sheet to the first location for flipping sheets and to feed the sheet. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the sheet has a first edge and a second edge, and wherein the input feeder is operable to feed the sheet with the first edge as a leading edge along the first path segment, and wherein the pre-target feeder is operable to feed the sheet with the second edge as the leading edge along a second path segment to the second feeder. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the second feeder includes a target feeder and a post-target feeder, the target feeder being operable to feed the sheet passed the target position on to the post-target feeder along a third path segment and wherein the post-target feeder is operable to feed the sheet back to the target feeder along a fourth path segment, the fourth path segment merging with the third path segment. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the sheet has a first edge and a second edge and wherein the target feeder is operable to feed the sheet with the second edge as a leading edge along the third path segment, wherein the post-target feeder is operable to feed the sheet into a second location for flipping sheets with respect to the target position and to feed the sheet with the first edge leading the sheet along the fourth path segment. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a first feeder driver, a second feeder, and a controller and wherein the first feeder includes an input feeder and a pre-target feeder, the second feeder includes a target feeder and a post-target feeder, and the sheet has a first edge and a second edge, wherein:
 the first feeder driver is operable to drive the input feeder and the pre-target feeder;   the second feeder driver is operable to drive the target feeder and the post-target feeder; and   the controller is operable to instruct:   the first feeder driver to cause the input feeder and the pre-target feeder to feed the sheet with the first edge leading along a first path segment to the first location for flipping sheets;   the first feeder driver to cause the pre-target feeder to feed the sheet to the target feeder with the second edge leading along a second path segment to the target feeder;   the second feeder driver to cause the target feeder and the post-target feeder to feed the sheet passed the target position with the second edge leading along a third path segment to a second location for flipping sheets;   the second feeder driver to cause the post-target feeder to feed the sheet with the first edge leading along a fourth path segment back to the target feeder, the fourth path segment merging with the third path segment; and   the second feeder driver to cause the target feeder to feed the sheet passed the target position with the first edge leading along the third path segment.   
     
     
         17 . A document feeder, comprising an input feeder, a pre-target feeder, a target feeder, a post target feeder, a first location for flipping sheets and a second location for flipping sheets, wherein:
 a first path segment extends from the input feeder to the target feeder and on to the post-target feeder and the second position for flipping media sheets;   a second path segment extends from the input feeder to the pre-target feeder and on to the first location for flipping media sheets;   a third path segment extends from the pre-target feeder merging with the first path segment; and   a fourth path segment extending from the post-target position and merging with the first path segment.   
     
     
         18 . The document feeder of  claims 17 , further comprising an input gate moveable between a first position and a second position, wherein:
 when the input gate is moved to the first position, the input feeder is operable to feed a media sheet along the first path segment; and   when the input gate is moved to the second position, the input feeder is operable to feed the sheet along the second path segment.   
     
     
         19 . The document feeder of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the pre-target feeder is operable to feed a sheet with a first edge leading along the second path segment to the first position for flipping sheets and to feed the sheet with a second edge leading along the third path segment; and   the post target feeder is operable to operable to feed the sheet with the second edge leading along the first path segment to the second position for flipping sheets and to feed the sheet with the first edge leading along the fourth path segment.   
     
     
         20 . The document feeder of  claim 17 , further comprising a controller and feeder drivers operable to drive the input feeder, the pre-target feeder, the target feeder and the post-target feeder, wherein the controller is operable to instruct the feeder drivers to cause:
 the input feeder and the pre-target feeder to feed a first sheet with the a edge leading along the second path segment to the first location for flipping sheets the pre-target feeder to feed the first sheet to the target feeder with a second edge leading along the third path segment and into the first path segment;   the target feeder and the post-target feeder to feed the first sheet with the second edge leading along the first path segment to the second location for flipping sheets the post-target feeder to feed the first sheet with the first edge leading along the fourth path segment back into the first path segment;   the target feeder to feed the first sheet passed with the first edge leading along the first path segment; and   the first feeder to cause the input feeder and the pre-target-feeder to feed a second sheet to the first position for flipping media sheets before the target feeder feeds the first sheet with its first edge leading along the first path segment.