US 4,227,821 AGranted

Web drive mechanism for line/series printers

AssigneeDurango Systems, Inc.

InventorsMario G. Plaza, James E. Cushman

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A web drive mechanism to advance the print medium of a line or serial printer apparatus including a first stationary guide track for guiding the print medium along a defined path intermediate a medium supply position and a printing position, a platen about the printing position for receiving the medium, at least one rotor drive member having a rotor positioned adjacent to the guide track along the defined path intermediate the supply position and the platen with the outer peripheral surface of the rotor being adjacent to at least a portion of the arcuate path of the guide track to permit the print medium to travel intermediate the guide track and the rotor, the rotor drive member including a first medium gate for urging the print medium in engagement with the peripheral surface of the rotor as the medium advances intermediate the supply position and the platen, and a second medium gate for holding the print medium as it advances intermediate the platen and a medium take-up position, and a drive means engaging the rotor drive member for driving the rotor about its axis of rotation; whereby the rotor drive member drives the print medium from the medium supply position to feed it to the platen position and simultaneously drives the print medium from the platen position to feed it to the medium take-up position.

A web drive mechanism for the print medium of a printer comprising:

a first stationary guide track for guiding a web print medium along a defined path intermediate a web supply position and a printer position, the guide track having an arcuate portion;
a platen about the printing position for receiving the print medium;
at least one spur drive member positioned within the guide track along the defined path intermediate the supply position and the platen, the spur drive member having a spur wheel with a plurality of spurs about its outer peripheral rim and projecting radially from the peripheral surface of said rim, the spurs being axially positioned equally relative to one another, the wheel further having a main hub forming a spring receiving slot, and a spoke member projecting radially from the hub and interconnecting with the rim;
a coil spring within said spring receiving slot;
a flexible spline member within the hub for frictionally interengaging the hub and a drive shaft, the spline member having a shoulder about one end in abuttment with said coil spring;
a housing formed of a pair of saucers positioned in face-to-face abuttment, said saucers each having a first and a second slot about its edge with said first slot of each saucer in facing alignment to said first slot of said other saucer to form a first opening about the periphery of the housing and the second slots of each saucer in facing alignment with said second slot of the other saucer to form a second opening about the periphery of the housing;
and a first pivotable web gate pivotable between a first position over said first opening and a second position retracted from said first opening;
and
a drive means engaging said drive shaft in turn engaging the spur drive member for driving the spur wheel about its axis of rotation;
whereby the spur drive member drives the print medium from the supply position to feed the print medium to the platen position and simultaneously drives the print medium from the platen position to feed the print medium to the take-up position.

7 more elements

Abstract

Claims15