US 4,363,269 AGranted

Index wheel for printing device

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Sato

InventorYo Sato

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Abstract

The disclosure concerns an index wheel for use in a printing device. The device includes a plurality of type wheels which are coaxially juxtaposed to one another in independently rotatable manner. The outer circumference of each type wheel carries a multiplicity of lands respectively bearing types. The outer circumference of the type wheel also has a multiplicity of engagement grooves, each formed between two adjacent lands. An index wheel of the invention is engageable with each type wheel to rotationally drive the type wheel when the index wheel is manually rotated through a selecting shaft by means of a selecting knob. The index wheel includes a ring-shaped body. A multiplicity of teeth are formed on the outer circumference of the ring-shaped body and are circumferentially spaced such that they engage with the engagement grooves of the respective type wheel. A multiplicity of index letters are respectively borne on the outer circumference of the ring-shaped body between any two adjacent teeth. According to the invention, the index letters are formed by a printing method, including a hot-stamping process.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An index wheel for a printing device, wherein the printing device comprises:

a type wheel;
means mounting the type wheel for rotation about the axis thereof;
the type wheel having a first outer circumference;
a plurality of type bearing first lands defined on the first outer circumference of the type wheel;
a plurality of grooves defined in the first outer circumference, with a groove being formed between adjacent ones of the first lands;
the printing device further comprising the index wheel;
means mounting the index wheel for rotation about its axis, and the index wheel axis being different than the type wheel axis;
the index wheel being engageable with the type wheel for rotationally driving the type wheel;
the index wheel comprising;
a toothed wheel member having a body with a second outer circumference;
a plurality of teeth being defined on a second outer circumference, and the teeth being circumferentially spaced apart such that each tooth is engageable with a groove of the type wheel;
each tooth extending out from a root at the second outer circumference;
a printed wheel member including a body and a plurality of second lands for defining a third outer circumference of the printed wheel member body;
the second lands being circumferentially spaced by the distance of the roots of adjacent teeth on the tooth wheel member;
index characters borne on the second lands, the index characters being printed on the second lands;
and
retaining means for retaining the toothed wheel member and the printed wheel member in side-by-side relationship for defining the entire index wheel, and such that the second lands are fitted into the spaces between the teeth of the toothed wheel member.

14 more elements

A printing device, comprising:

a plurality of type wheels and means juxtaposing the type wheels coaxially and mounting the type wheels for rotation around their axis;
each type wheel having a first outer circumference;
a plurality of type bearing first lands being defined on the first outer circumference of the type wheel;
a plurality of grooves being defined in the first outer circumference, with a groove being formed between adjacent ones of the first lands;
a corresponding number of index wheels and means juxtaposing the index wheels coaxially and mounting the index wheels for rotation around their axis;
each of the index wheels including a toothed wheel member having a body with a second outer circumference;
a plurality of teeth being defined on the second outer circumference, and the teeth being circumferentially spaced apart such that each tooth is engageable with a groove of the type wheel;
each tooth extending out from a root at the second outer circumference;
a printed wheel member including a body and a plurality of second lands for defining a third outer circumference of the printed wheel member body;
the second lands being circumferentially spaced by the distance of the roots of adjacent teeth on the toothed wheel member;
index characters borne on the second lands, the index characters being printed on the second lands;
and
retaining means for retaining the toothed wheel member and the printed wheel member in side-by-side relationship for defining the entire index wheel, and such that the second lands are fitted into the spaces between the teeth of the toothed wheel member.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.