Miniature printer

A miniature printer, wherein character rings having characters on the outer peripheries thereof are rotatable from a standby position to bring a selected character to a printing position for printing said selected character in cooperation with a platen, and can be returned to said standby position, comprising for each character ring:

• a pawl member for selectively bringing said character ring to rest at a printing position;
• magnetic means including permanent magnet means and electromagnetic coil means for cooperatively establishing standby and selection positions in which said pawl member may be held in the absence of a current pulse through said coil means, and for transferring said pawl member from said standby to said selection position by passage of current through said coil means;
• character signal means for providing a character signal for indicating the position of said character ring during rotation and during rest and when in a standby position;
• detection means for receiving said character signal and for determining when said pawl member is to be activated and when printing is to be effected;
• pawl shaft means on which said pawl member is mounted for rotation therearound;
• and
• wherein said pawl member includes a core member and a reset arm, said core member including first and second core arms;
• said first core arm in part lying within said electromagnetic coil means and protruding therethough into the magnetic field of said permanent magnet means, said permanent magnet means being disposed relative to said first shaft means and said coil means so that said first core member is positioned proximate one or the other of the poles of said permanent magnet means when said pawl member is disposed in standby or said selection position, said second core arm lying outside said electromagnetic coil means;
• said reset arm being arranged and disposed for mechanical reset of said pawl member from said selection to said standby position.