Abstract:
An endless ink ribbon is mounted in a cartridge for linear movement with respect to a print head also mounted within the cartridge and typically comprising a small belt printer used in a mobile teleprinter system. The cartridge is detachably mounted on a printer carriage, and an inking roller rotatably mounted in the cartridge is coupled to carriage movement when the carriage moves from a line-start position to a carriage-return position, for driving the ribbon. A clutch uncouples the inking roller during carriage-return to the line start position. The cartridge includes a cover disposed above the ribbon, a base disposed below the ribbon and having an aperture through which the roller is driven, and a plurality of ties for releaseably securing the cover to the base.
Abstract:
A protective one-piece cover, particularly adapted for use with housings for printer apparatus and the like, is preferably molded out of a plastic material, and incorporates a non-glaring transparent viewing window, specified and optional ''''frosted'''', translucent surface areas for both diffusing ambient light and concealing portions of the apparatus therebelow, and a feed-out passageway that not only facilitates the initial manual insertion of paper in roll stock form, for example, upwardly through the cover, but provides a cutting edge for tearing off end sections of the fed-out paper. The passageway is further constructed to reliably retain even short, free end edge portions of the paper therewithin, and to prevent accidental re-entry of the free end of the paper into any closely spaced feed-in slot. The protective cover is also adapted to incorporate either an adjustable or fixed print column (or any other) indicator scale as a functional part thereof.
Abstract:
A pair of differently encoded function mechanisms each for operating the line feed mechanism of a printer and a pair of strippers one of which resets one of the function mechanisms after a single line feed operation and the other of which resets the other of the function mechanisms after more than one line feed operation. Similarly, a second pair of differently encoded function mechanisms each for operating the reverse line feed mechanism of the printer which are individually reset by the strippers after single and multiple reverse line feed operations.
Abstract:
A selectively illuminated pushbutton switch incorporates a light source of extremely small size and low cost, and which is selfcontained with durable, parallel extending elongated leads. Such leads not only facilitate the in-line mounting of the light source within the pushbutton, relative to the switch mechanism (which conserves space), but allow reliable, force-fit electrical connections to be made between the lead ends and specially constructed movable conductors of the switch mechanism. Advantageously, such electrical connections may be made after the movable conductors have been mounted in accommodating recesses of a spring-biased slider, and the latter inserted within a closefitting passageway of a stationary housing. This greatly simplifies the assembly of the composite pushbutton switch, and significantly minimizes the construction costs thereof. An illuminating portion of the light source may be either partially exposed through an aperture formed in the upper wall of the pushbutton, or be mounted beneath an enclosing upper wall when the latter is made of a light transmitting (diaphanous) material.
Abstract:
A composite paper roll holder and line-feed tensioner comprises a specially configured wire bail, which provides both paper rollsupporting spindles and a paper tensioning guide rod, and a pair of spaced and pivotally mounted paper holder arms, each arm having a spindle receiving slot and a second slot adjacent thereto so as to form an integral tooth-like spring therebetween. The springs are dimensioned so as to periodically bias the bail and, thereby, provide controlled paper tensioning in response to and in a manner correlated with, each line-feed advancement of the paper.
Abstract:
A printing hammer includes a striker and a weight, both slidably mounted within a housing. To hammer a workpiece, the housing is moved to advance the striker toward the workpiece, and the motion of the housing is suddenly arrested. When motion of the housing is arrested, the momentum of the weight drives the striker, forward into engagement with a workpiece.