Dot matrix printer with slanted print head and modular skewing of dot pattern information

An ink jet printing system comprising:

• an ink jet print head disposed for relative motion between the print head and a print medium, the print head including a plurality of print elements, each disposed to selectively print on the medium a mark at a given position relative to the print head, the given positions corresponding to the plurality of print elements lying along a line oriented at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the direction of relative motion;
• a source of information identifying characters to be printed by the print head;
• a character generator module storing dot pattern information defining characters to be printed, each printed character being defined by a dot pattern character matrix having a plurality of dot rows and a plurality of dot columns, the character generator module being operative to provide in response to the source of information a character pattern module defining a plurality of dot rows and a plurality of dot columns defining a portion less than the whole of a character matrix;
• and
• a skewing circuit coupled to receive character pattern modules and rearrange the information content thereof to provide to the print head, information for controlling the selective printing of marks for each print element to print character patterns indicated by the source.

An ink jet printing system for printing character defining dot patterns having dot rows and dot columns, the system comprising:

• a slant line ink jet print head containing a plurality of ink jet print elements arranged to print onto a print medium along a line that is slanted relative to a direction of relative motion between the print head and a print medium, each print element being controllable in response to character information for a dot row to print a dot row pattern for a character on a print medium, at least one plurality of print elements being disposed to simultaneously print in a different dot column of a character dot pattern;
• a source of data information identifying characters to be printed by the print head;
• a character generator module storing a character dot pattern for each of the characters to be printed, the character generator module being arranged to provide a sequence of dot pattern modules in response to information from the source, each dot pattern module including dot pattern information for a plurality of dot columns of a character with each dot column including information corresponding to each dot row that is printed by the one plurality of print elements, at least two dot pattern modules being required to define a complete dot pattern for each character to be printed;
• and
• a skewing circuit connected to receive the dot pattern modules in sequence and rearrange the information content thereof to provide to the print head the character dot pattern information in the order it is printed by the print elements thereof to control the printing of character dot patterns.

A matrix printer comprising:

• a print head disposed to move in a selected direction relative to a recording medium, the print head having a plurality of print elements arranged to selectively record information on the medium in response to print element control signals for each print element as the print head moves relative to the medium, the print elements being skewed relative to a line perpendicular to the direction of motion;
• a store of character information indicating a plurality of characters to be printed as the print head moves relative to the recording medium;
• an addressable character generator store containing information for defining a dot pattern on the medium for every character indicated by the character information store, the character generator store having a plurality of separately addressable locations for each character, each location containing information defining a dot pattern for a different portion of the dot pattern on the medium;
• address circuitry responsive to the character information store for sequentially addressing the character generating store to obtain in sequence the dot pattern defining information for the different portions of a character dot pattern on the medium;
• a skewing circuit connected to respond individually to the dot pattern defining information for each different portion of a character dot pattern on the medium to rearrange each separate portion to provide a plurality print element control signals arranged in time sequence to control a plurality of print elements to print a portion of a character dot pattern defined by a corresponding portion stored in the character generating store notwithstanding the skewed relationship of the print elements of the print head;
• and
• buffer circuitry connected to receive print element control signals from the skewing circuit and provide said signals to the print elements to control the recording of information on the medium.