Dual pitch impact printing mechanism and method

A method of printing characters along a line of printing at one or another character pitch, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of type character carrying members, each having first or second character pitch sensing indicia thereon;
• selecting printing control of characters to be printed dependent upon sensing of the first or the second character pitch sensing indicia;
• inputting printing data in serial order;
• comparing said printing data with characters on one of said type character carrying members;
• and
• impacting hammer means against said type character carrying member for printing said characters in print column order in accordance with said character pitch sensing indicia sensed.

A method of printing characters in print columns at one or another character pitch dependent upon the type character carrying member on a printer, comprising the steps of:

• sensing an initial character of a plurality of characters on said type character carrying member;
• sensing each of said plurality of characters on said type character carrying member in successive manner;
• utilizing the sensed characters to provide a timing pattern and to generate therefrom a physically positioned relationship between the sensed initial character, the sensed successive characters, and the position of the type character carrying member relative to the print columns;
• receiving printing data;
• comparing said printing data with the characters on said type character carrying member;
• and
• enabling printing of characters with impact means at the one or another character pitch.

A printer for printing characters at one or another character pitch, comprising a

• plurality of removable type character carrying members for said printer, each of said type character carrying members defining standard or compressed pitch characters thereon;
• impact means;
• means for conditioning said impact means in accordance with the pitch of said characters;
• means inputting printing data in serial order;
• means comparing said printing data with the characters of one of said type character carrying members;
• and
• means for actuating said impact means for printing characters in accordance with said conditioning means.

Printing apparatus capable of printing characters along a line of printing on record media at one or another character pitch, said apparatus comprising a:

• type character carrying member being continuously moved past said line of printing;
• means for sensing an initial character on said type character carrying member;
• means for sensing each character on said type character carrying member in successive manner;
• means for detecting the pitch of characters to be printed;
• means providing a timing pattern for generating a physical relationship between the characters on the type character carrying member and print columns making up said line of printing in relation to the position of the type character carrying member, the sensed initial character, and the sensed successive characters;
• means for accepting print data and storing thereof;
• means for comparing said stored data with characters on said type carrying member;
• means for impacting against the characters on said type character carrying member in one or another of said print columns in accordance with the character pitch detected;
• means for determining an impacting means to print column relationship;
• and
• means for enabling said impacting means to be actuated for printing characters at the character pitch dependent upon the type character carrying member, the impacting means to print column relationship, and the physical relationship generated from the detected initial character and the detected successive characters on said type character carrying member.

In a printer, means for determining the character pitch for printing characters at one or another character pitch, a

• plurality of removable type character carrying members each having one or another character pitch thereon;
• means for impacting one of said type character carrying members;
• first character pitch indicia on said type character carrying member;
• second character pitch indicia on said type character carrying member;
• means for detecting said first and said second character pitch indicia and having an output indicative of the character pitch detected;
• and
• means responsive to the output of said detecting means for enabling said impacting means to print characters at the one or another character pitch.

A control system for controlling printing of characters in print columns along a line of printing at one or another character pitch, type characters carried on removable type character carrying members continuously moved past said line of printing, and impact means positioned adjacent said line of printing, said control system comprising:

• character pitch defining indicia of one or another pitch on each of said type character carrying members;
• means responsive to the character pitch defining indicia dependent upon detecting one or another character pitch;
• means for receiving printing data;
• means for comparing said printing data with the type characters on the detected type character carrying member and having an output;
• and
• means for transferring said comparing means output to said impact means for printing at the detected character pitch.

In a printer for printing characters in print columns defining a line of printing at one or another character pitch dependent upon the type character carrying member on the printer, a

• plurality of type character carrying members, each having a plurality of characters thereon and indicia defining one or another character pitch;
• impact means adjacent said type character carrying member for impacting thereagainst;
• means for sensing each of said characters on said type character carrying member in successive manner;
• means for sensing the one or another character pitch indicia;
• means responsive to the sensing means for providing timing for said impact means and for generating a positional relationship between the sensed characters in the first print column and between the successive sensed characters and the remaining print columns;
• means for inputting print data;
• means for comparing said input print data with the sensed characters;
• means for time sharing said impact means for printing at one or another print column;
• means for generating an impact means to print column relationship based on time sharing thereof;
• and
• means enabling said impact means to be impacted against said characters on said type character carrying member in accordance with the sensing of the one or another character pitch indicia.

In a printer, means for printing characters in print columns at one or another character pitch, a

• plurality of removable type character carrying members, each having characters of one or another character pitch thereon,
• means on each of said type character carrying members identifying the pitch of the characters thereon,
• means sensing said identifying means for conditioning the printer for printing characters at said one or another character pitch, and
• impact means responsive to said sensing means for printing characters of the pitch identified.

A printer for printing characters in print columns at one or another character pitch, comprising a

• plurality of removable type character carrying members for said printer, each of said type character carrying members defining characters of one or another pitch thereon,
• impact means comprising a plurality of elements each spanning more than one of said print columns,
• means for conditioning said impact means in accordance with the pitch of said characters, and
• means for actuating said impact means for printing characters in accordance with said conditioning means.

In a printer for printing characters in print columns along a line of printing at one or another character pitch dependent upon the type character carrying member on the printer, a

• plurality of type character carrying members, each having a plurality of characters thereon and having indicia defining one or another character pitch;
• impact means adjacent said type character carrying member for impacting thereagainst, said impact means comprising a plurality of elements each spanning more than one of said print columns;
• means for sensing each of said characters on said type character carrying member in successive manner;
• means for sensing said one or another character pitch indicia;
• means responsive to the sensing means for generating a relationship between the sensed characters and a first print column and between the sensed characters and all the print columns;
• means for generating an impact means to print column relationship;
• and
• means enabling said impact means to be impacted against said characters on said type character carrying member in accordance with the sensing of one or another character pitch indicia.