Typewriting machines – Including type-set-assemblage mounted on carrier and... – Imprint by movement of record-medium against type-face
Patent
1984-02-17
1985-10-01
Sewell, Paul T.
Typewriting machines
Including type-set-assemblage mounted on carrier and...
Imprint by movement of record-medium against type-face
101 9319, 400 25, 400163, B41J 128
Patent
active
045442894
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the general field of printing or typing equipment wherein a printing disk with characters thereon is caused to print by impacting a printing surface. Specifically, this invention is directed to the system for positioning the print disk at the appropriate location for printing each character.
CROSS REFERENCE
This application hereby incorporates by reference the disclosures of our co-pending applications filed on even date herewith with the following titles:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The concept of dry transfer impact printing with a print wheel is known in the art as in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,798 issued to Burger. Its application to the printing of characters on a tape is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,507 issued to Bradshaw. A system similar to Bradshaw, but automated, is shown in PCT Publication No. WO/8203600. The system shown in Burger is effective for characters having a relative small pitch and point, such as used in typewriters. When used to create letters of varying sizes, for example, up to 36 point, simple rotation and shifting of the print wheel is insufficient to move characters of such size into alignment with the print head. In the prior art such as Bradshaw and the PCT Publication, this problem has been circumvented by merely providing a single circumferential track having letters thereon for impact printing. This system, however, becomes extremely cumbersome as the number and size of letters increases, since the print disk must be of increasing diameter, and time required to print succeeding characters thereby increases substantially.
The present invention overcomes these problems in the prior art relating to speed and size limitations, while providing an economical and simple to manufacture system for positioning the appropriate character in place for impact printing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is generally directed to a print disk positioning system for use with an impact printer, which employs a print disk having characters thereon. The positioning system includes a planar rail member with first and second ends, a first stepping motor immovably mounted adjacent to the rail and having a first shaft extending from motor, a second stepping motor mounted on the rail and in slideable engagement therewith such that it may be moved a predetermined distance between the rail ends, the second motor having a second shaft extending therefrom and sized to engage the print disk, and means connected to the second motor and engaging the first shaft of the first motor for moving the second motor along the rail in response to the print disk can be rotated by the second shaft and moved laterally by the first shaft to position the selected characters on the print disk in alignment for impacting.
According to another aspect of the invention, the planar rail member has a slot extending longitudinally to a predetermined distance between the ends of the rail and a recess on parallel longitudinal edges of the rail, which receive bearings connected to the second motor which maintain the motor in a rigid but slideable engagement with the rail. According to further aspects of the invention, the connecting means includes a rack member extending between the motors and engaging a gear on the first shaft.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the print disk positioner includes a disk having multiple concentric tracks with characters thereon spaced around each track and located relative to each other in accordance with their statistical probability of occurrence in the language, with the most probable characters being located nearest to each other, so as to minimize the time required to access successive characters.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the print disk includes coded information, and the positioner includes means for reading such information so that the nature and type of the print wheel can be identified by circuitry used in the overall printing machine.
Although some specific embodiments of the present inventi
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McGourty Lawrence F.
McGourty Thomas K.
Sewell Paul T.
Varitronic Systems, Inc.
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