Stacked blade matrix printer heads

A printhead for use in a matrix printer, comprising:

• a housing having a front wall and a side wall arranged substantially perpendicular thereto;
• a plurality of printing blades, each blade having a conductive annular hub member;
• a substantially planar coil wound about said hub member;
• an annular conductive rim member disposed about the exterior of said coil and in electrical contact with a second end of said coil;
• a conductive mounting portion positioned in the plane of and spaced from said coil;
• a pair of conductive elongated resilient arms having opposed first and second ends, the first end of each arm joined to each of a pair of spaced locations on the exterior of said rim member and the second end of each arm joined to said mounting portion, said arms electrically connecting said mounting portion to said second end of said coil and supporting said coil and hub and rim members for movement relative to said mounting portion;
• and a printing tip extending from the exterior of said rim member in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the elongated dimension of that one of said arms closest to said tip;
• said plurality of blades being stacked with the planes thereof parallel to one another and said mounting portions in parallel alignment;
• first means for rigidly fastening only the parallel stacked mounting portions of all said blades to said housing side wall with the plane of each said blade substantially perpendicular to both said front and side walls and with said printing tips aligned along a common line;
• and
• second means positioned only outside the stack of blades for forming a single permanent magnetic field directed to all of the coils of the entire stacked plurality of printing blades;
• a flow of current through a coil of one of said blades interacting with said single permanent magnetic field to move the printing tip of that blade in said first direction and outwardly from said front wall of said housing;
• said printer including means for applying ink to the printing tips of the blades;
• and
• each blade having means formed in its printing tip for preventing ink wicking between the printing tips of adjacent blades.

A matrix printhead comprising:

• a housing;
• a plurality of printing blades each comprising:
• a printing tip;
• an armature displaced from said printing tip;
• a blade member substantially rigidly connecting said armature and said printing tip;
• a fixed pivot portion displaced from said blade member, said printing tip and said armature;
• and
• a pair of resilient arms spaced from said blade member and each having a first end connected to said pivot portion and a second end, the second end of a first one of said arms connected to said blade member adjacent an end thereof bearing said printing tip and the second end of the remaining arms connected to said blade member adjacent the remaining end supporting said armature;
• said plurality of printing blades being stack-arranged with the plane of each printing blade being substantially parallel to the plane of all others of the printing blades, the printing tips of all of said plurality of printing blades being aligned along a common line and the pivot portions of all of said plurality of said printing blades being aligned parallel to one another and to said common line;
• means for rigidly fastening all of the aligned and parallel stacked pivot portions of said plurality of printing blades to said housing;
• means formed in the printing tips of said printing blades for preventing ink wicking between the printing tips of adjacent blades;
• and
• a like plurality of means for selectively generating a magnetic field, one of said plurality of generating means being attached to said housing and positioned adjacent to the armature of each of said printing blades to cause rotation of the printing tip thereof in a first direction away from said common line of printing tips responsive to selective energization of only the magnetic field generating means associated with that one printing blade;
• each printing tip being returned to said common line upon de-energization of the associated magnetic field generating means responsive to the energy stored in the resilient arms of the associated printing blade.