Back to results
US 4,192,619 AGranted
Electronically controlled printer system
AssigneeRedactron Corporation
InventorEdward H. Lau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeRedactron Corporation
InventorEdward H. Lau
Estimating the term…
A printer has a print shell on which are disposed type characters in a two dimensional array with the shell controllably movable in two degrees of freedom to selectively position each type character opposite a record-medium-carrying platen for printing. In addition, during printing the shell is driven against the platen with a force related to the particular character being printed, and associated with the printing is an indexing or transverse spacing of the print shell to expose new portions of the record medium for printing. As each character is to be printed, a coded combination of signals associated with such character is translated and converted to four further signals wherein two of which control the movement of the print shell in the two axes of freedom to select the desired type character for printing while a third signal controls the velocity at which the print shell is driven against the platen to insure uniform shading of the print regardless of the impact surface of the character and the fourth signal controls the amount of transverse spacing to provide proportional as well as monospacing of the printed characters.
A printer comprising a platen, a rocker means, a print shell having a plurality of type characters thereon, a support means on said rocker means to support said print shell to rotate about a first axis and to tilt about a second axis, a first motor having a shaft, said first motor and shaft being carried by said rocker means, means for connecting the shaft of said first motor to said print shell for rotating the latter whereby a unitary structure is obtained, means for pivoting about a third axis said rocker means carrying said print shell and said first motor to drive a type character on said print shell against said platen, a second motor supported remotely from said rocker means, an arm connected to said second motor, and a link having one end pivotably connected to said arm and a second end pivotably connected to said support means, a straight line joining the ends of said link passing through said third axis about which said rocker means pivots.
A printer comprising a platen, a rocker means, a print shell on said rocker means having a plurality of type characters, means on said rocker means for driving said print shell to rotate about a first axis, means for pivoting said rocker means about a pivot axis to drive a type character on said print shell against said platen, a support means on said rocker means to support said print shell to tilt about a second axis, a motor supported remotely from said rocker means, an arm connected to said motor, a link having one end pivotably connected at a first point to said arm and a second end pivotably connected at a second point to said support means, the line connecting said points passing through said pivot axis.
A printer comprising a platen, a print shell having a plurality of type characters and being in the form of a truncated sphere, said print shell having a plurality of rotate detents along a peripheral edge of the truncated sphere, support means for supporting said print shell to rotate about a first axis and tilt about a second axis, a plurality of tilt detents in said support means, a slotted sector arm pivotably connected to said support means and having a detent nose positioned opposite said rotate detents, a detent arm, means for moving said detent arm between first and second positions, said detent arm passing through the slot of said slotted sector arm and opposite said tilt detents to apply pressure to said sector arm to move it away from said rotate detents when said detent arm is in the first position and to remove such pressure whereby said detent nose can engage one of said rotate detents and also engage one of said tilt detents when said detent arm is in the second position, a plunger having a first shoulder resting against said sector arm, a spring for biasing said plunger to move in a given direction to urge said detent arm into engagement with one of said tilt detents and to urge said detent nose into engagement with one of said rotate detents, means for impelling said print shell against said platen, and means for driving said detent arm into said second position when said print shell is being impelled.
A printer comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.