Magnetic printer and method of performing same

An improved magnetic printer of the type having:

• A. means for receiving data to be printed,
• B. a magnetic recording medium,
• C. means for driving the recording medium,
• D. writing means disposed in operative association with said recording medium, for magnetically writing the received data on the medium,
• E. a magnetic toner applicator for applying magnetic toner to the magnetically written portions of the recording medium,
• F. a data recording material for permanently recording the received data, and
• G. transfer means interacting with the data material and the toner applied portions of the recording medium for transferring the toner on the medium of the data recording material,
• wherein the improvement comprises an improved magnetic toner applicator having,
• 1. a toner reservoir,
• 2. at least one rotatable toner drum communicating with the toner reservoir and having a magnetized outer periphery emanating a non-uniform magnetic field at any point in close proximity to the drum periphery as the drum rotates, said periphery attracting a layer of magnetic toner about the periphery of the drum, and
• 3. at least one magnetizable wire positioned between the recording medium and the toner drum for magnetically interacting with the toner drum and the toner layer for generating a moving ridge of toner between the wire and the recording medium corresponding to an induced magnetic field in the wire by the non-uniform magnetic field emanating from the toner drum, so that the recording medium encounters at least one ridge of toner at each magnetically written portion on the medium and thereby attracts toner to said portion.

A magnetic printer comprising:

• A. means for receiving data to be printed;
• B. a magnetic recording medium;
• C. means for driving said recording medium;
• D. means, disposed in operative association with the recording medium, for magnetically writing the received data on said recording medium;
• E. means, disposed in operative association with the recording medium, for applying a magnetic toner to the magnetically written portions of the recording medium;
• F. a data recording material incorporating a plurality of labels sequentically spaced upon a backing strip;
• G. transfer means interacting with the data material and the toner applied portions of the recording medium for transferring the toner applied to the recording medium to a label of the recording material and for simultaneously removing the label from the backing strip;
• and
• H. means for fixing the toner to the label after removal of the label from the backing strip;
• whereby the fixing of the toner to the label may be asynchronously performed with respect to both the magnetic writing of data on the recording medium as well as the transfer of toner on the labels.

A magnetic printer comprising:

• A. means for receiving, encoding and processing data to be printed;
• B. a magnetic recording tape loop;
• C. means for driving said tape loop about a predetermined path;
• D. means, disposed in operative association with the tape loop, for generating a timing signal corresponding to the speed of the tape loop;
• E. writing means disposed in operative association with the tape loop and operating in response to the timing signal of the tape speed timing means, for magnetically writing the received, encoded, and processed data on said tape loop;
• F. means, in operative association with the tape loop, for applying a magnetic toner to the magnetically written portions of the tape loop, said toner application means comprising:
• 2. a toner reservoir,
• 2. at least one rotatable toner drum communicating with the toner reservoir and in proximity with the tape loop, having a magnetized outer periphery forming a circumferentially non-uniform magnetic field, said field attracting a layer of magnetic toner about the outer periphery of the drum;
• and
• 3. at least one magnetizable wire positioned between the tape loop and the toner drum for mechanically and magnetically interacting with the toner drum and toner layer for generating a moving ridge of toner between each wire and the tape loop corresponding to an induced magnetic field in the wire by the non-uniform magnetic field of the toner drum, so that the tape loop attracts toner at each magnetically written area along the tape loop;
• G. a data recording material for permanently recording said received data;
• H. transfer means interacting with the data material, and the toner applied portions of the tape loop, for transferring the toner applied to the tape loop to the data recording material;
• I. means for fixing the toner to the data recording material;
• and
• J. means, disposed in operative association with said recording tape for erasing data recorded thereon.

An improved method of magnetic printing of the type having the steps of:

• A. receiving, encoding, and processing data to be printed;
• B. magnetically writing the process data onto a magnetic recording tape;
• C. applying toner to the magnetically written portions of the tape;
• D. transferring the toner on the magnetically written portions of the tape to a data recording material;
• and
• E. fixing the toner to the data recording material,
• wherein the improvement comprises improved magnetic toner applicating, further incorporating the steps of,
• 1. generating an induced time variant magnetic field along the length of a magnetizable wire, and
• 2. maintaining the wire in close proximity to and juxtaposed between a moving layer of toner and the magnetically written portions of the tape loop;
• whereby a moving ridge of toner between the wire and the magnetically written portions of the tape corresponding to the induced magnetic field in the wire is generated so that the tape encounters at least one ridge of toner at each magnetically written portion of the toner and thereby attracts toner to the said portion.