Print wheel selection mechanism

A print wheel selection mechanism comprising:

• a plurality of print wheels and a like plurality of intermediate stop wheels interdigitally and rotatably mounted on a common shaft and means for urging each of said plurality of print wheels and said plurality of intermediate stop wheels to rotate in a predetermined direction, said print wheels and said intermediate stop wheels being provided with stop means for limiting the rotation of the next succeeding wheel,
• encoder means foe sequentially setting the angular positions of each of said plurality of print wheels, said encoder means including an encoder stop means adjacent a first one of said intermediate stop wheels for limiting the rotation of said first one of said intermediate stop wheels,
• first locking means for releasably engaging said plurality of intermediate stop wheels to prevent their rotation, said first locking means releasing said plurality of intermediate stop wheels after each sequential setting by said encoder means and re-engaging said plurality of intermediate stop wheels after said first one of said one intermediate stop wheels has rotated to engage said encoder stop means and each of the remainder of said plurality of intermediate stop wheels has rotated to engage the stop means of the next preceding print wheel, and
• second locking means for releasably engaging said plurality of print wheels to prevent their rotation, said second locking means releasing said plurality of print wheels after each re-engagement of said plurality of intermediate stop wheels by said first locking means and re-engaging said plurality of print wheels after each of said plurality of print wheels has rotated to engage the stop means of the next preceding intermediate stop wheel,
• whereby each angular position of said plurality of print wheels is sequentially set by said encoder means and shifted from print wheel to print wheel via said intermediate stop wheels until the angular positions of all of said print wheels have been set.