Desktop card printer

1. A desktop card printer, comprising:

a housing having a first end and a second end, a first side surface and a second side surface, and a top surface;

a card hopper mounted to the housing at the first end thereof the card hopper includes a card input hopper portion that is configured to hold a plurality of cards to be processed by the desktop card printer;

the card hopper includes a card picking mechanism that is configured and arranged to pick and feed a single card from the plurality of cards within the card input hopper portion into the desktop card printer for processing;

the card picking mechanism includes an automatic gate mechanism that is disposed at a discharge side of the card input hopper portion adjacent first edges of the cards and is configured and arranged to control the discharge of cards from the card input hopper portion into the desktop card printer, and a card edge assist mechanism that is configured and arranged to engage a second edge of a card to be picked to help separate the card to be picked from the remainder of the cards in the card input hopper portion;

a card output;

a card processing mechanism within the housing;

a card transport mechanism within the housing that is configured and arranged to receive a picked card from the card input hopper portion and to transport the picked card within the housing to the card processing mechanism and to the card output;

the card edge assist mechanism includes a pick block that is detachably mounted to a mounting element, and the pick block and the mounting element are movable axially as well as up and down; and

the card edge assist mechanism further includes an idler roller mounted on the mounting element and that moves therewith, the idler roller being positioned to rotatably engage a bottom surface of the card to be picked.

2. The desktop card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card input hopper portion is configured to hold the plurality of cards in a vertically stacked arrangement one on top of the other.

3. The desktop card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card edge assist mechanism includes a pick block that is detachably mounted to a mounting element, and the pick block and the mounting element are movable back and forth as well as up and down.

4. The desktop card printer of claim 3 , wherein the pick block has a thickness that is equal to or less than a thickness of the cards so that the pick block only engages a single card at a time.

5. The desktop card printer of claim 3 , wherein the card hopper further includes a card exception slot.

6. The desktop card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card output comprises an output hopper portion, and the card hopper is an integrated, single unit that includes the card input hopper portion and the card output hopper portion; and the card hopper is removable as a single unit from the desktop card printer.

7. The desktop card printer of claim 6 , wherein an upper panel of the card hopper forms a portion of the top surface of the housing.

8. The desktop card printer of claim 1 , wherein the card processing mechanism comprises a thermal print mechanism.

9. A desktop card printer, comprising:

a housing having a first end and a second end, a first side surface and a second side surface, and a top surface;

a card hopper mounted to the housing at the first end thereof, the card hopper includes a card input hopper portion that is configured to hold a plurality of cards to be processed by the desktop card printer;

the card hopper includes a card picking mechanism that is configured and arranged to pick and feed a single card from the plurality of cards within the card input hopper portion into the desktop card printer for processing;

the card picking mechanism includes an automatic gate mechanism that is disposed at a discharge side of the card input hopper portion adjacent first edges of the cards and is configured and arranged to control the discharge of cards from the card input hopper portion into the desktop card printer, and a card edge assist mechanism that is configured and arranged to engage a second edge of a card to be picked to help separate the card to be picked from the remainder of the cards in the card input hopper portion;

a card output;

a card processing mechanism within the housing;

a card transport mechanism within the housing that is configured and arranged to receive a picked card from the card input hopper portion and to transport the picked card within the housing to the card processing mechanism and to the card output;

the card edge assist mechanism includes a pick block that is detachably mounted to a mounting element, and the pick block and the mounting element are movable axially as well as up and down;

the automatic gate mechanism includes a gate disposed in an exit slot, the gate is biased downward, and an idler roller is mounted to a bottom edge of the gate; and a driven pick roller disposed opposite the idler roller and defining a nip therebetween;

the pick block and the mounting element are driven by a shaft eccentrically mounted on a crank shaft, the crank shaft is driven by a first gear, and a slip-clutch is provided between the crank shaft and the first gear;

the pick roller is driven by a second gear, and a slip-clutch is provided between the pick roller and the second gear; and

the first gear and the second gear are driven by a third gear that is driven by a motor that is part of the card hopper, and the third gear is drivable in forward and reverse directions.