Imprinter having variable amount assembly and improved portable transaction-log recorder usable therewith

An imprinter comprising:

• a base having a bed;
• a portable recorder member removably disposed on said bed, said portable member having receiving means for holding a printing plate and indicating means for indicating whether there exists a predetermined condition within said portable recorder member;
• a head member pivotally mounted on said base to permit movement of said head member to a closed position over said portable recorder member and to an open position removed from said portable recorder member so that the portable recorder member can be placed on and removed from said bed;
• a roller platen assembly movably mounted on said head member, said roller platen assembly including a roller platen mounted therein for imprinting data from said printing plate onto a document positioned over the printing plate when said head is in its closed position in response to movement of said roller platen assembly over said document from a start position;
• first locking means for releaseably locking said head member in its open position;
• first interlock means for sensing whether said predetermined condition exists and for disengaging said first locking means if said predetermined condition does exist so that said head member can be lowered to commence an imprinting operation;
• a variable amount assembly having variable amount data means and means for setting the variable amount data means to preselected data, said variable amount assembly being so positioned with respect to said head member when it is closed that said variable amount data is imprinted on said document by said roller platen assembly during imprinting;
• second interlock means for sensing whether at least one item of said variable amount data has been set to a non-zero value and for disengaging said first locking means if said one item of data has been set to a non-zero value;
• said first locking means including at least one stud mounted on said head assembly;
• a shaft rotatably mounted within said imprinter;
• and a locking pin mounted on said shaft;
• said first interlock means including a first interface means mounted on said shaft and means for (a) contacting said first interface means to rotate said locking pin to a first position whenever said predetermined condition is not indicated by said indicating means and (b) disengaging said first interface means to enable said locking pin to rotate to a second position whenever said predetermined condition is indicated by said indicating means;
• said second interlock means including a second interface means mounted on said shaft and means for (a) contacting said second interface means to rotate said locking pin to said first position whenever said one data item is set to its zero value and (b ) disengaging said second interface means to enable said locking pin to rotate to said second position whenever said one data item is set to a non-zero value;
• and
• said head member being movable to its closed position only if both said first and second interface means are disengaged.

An imprinter comprising:

• a base including means for receiving a printing plate;
• a head member mounted on said base;
• a variable amount assembly having variable amount data means and means for setting the variable amount data means to preselected data having non-zero values and a zero value;
• a roller platen assembly movably mounted on said head member for imprinting data from said printing plate and said variable amount assembly onto a document positioned over said printing plate and variable amount assembly;
• resetting means for automatically resetting all of said variable amount data to the zero value after it has been imprinted on said document by the roller platen assembly;
• and
• said variable amount data means including;
• a plurality of data wheels having print elements disposed along the periphery thereof, said print elements indicating said non-zero values and said zero value;
• a plurality of selector racks respectively associated with said data wheels for setting said data wheels, each selector rack having a zero position corresponding to the zero value of its associated data wheel, said data wheels being set by movement of the selector racks from their respective zero positions, each of said selector racks including a longitudinal slot extending along at least a part of the length thereof;
• a reset shaft extending through all of said slots;
• a first pulley operatively connected to said reset shaft;
• a second pulley mounted on said head assembly;
• a cable connected to a fixed point within said imprinter, around said first and second pulleys and then to a fixed point within said roller platen assembly;
• a first spring connected between said reset shaft and a second fixed point within said imprinter;
• and
• said reset shaft being pulled by said cable to the end of the selector rack slots as said roller platen assembly is moved forward on the imprinting stroke, each selector rack being then returned to its zero position by the reset shaft when the roller platen assembly reaches the approximate end of its forward stroke, said first spring returning said reset shaft and said roller platen assembly to their respective start positions at said end of the forward stroke.