US 4,406,552 AGranted

Printing device

AssigneeCUV "Progress"

InventorsPeter G. Chervendinev, Ventzislav G. Yankulov, Toma T. Ostromski

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Abstract

A printing device such as a typewriter and the like, comprising a printing unit with a positioning manipulator, an impacting unit, and a supporting surface. The printing unit is provided with a cassette in which a plurality of card-like printing elements are located. Each printing element has a plurality of vertical rows of printing characters and a plurality of horizontal rows of printing characters. A vertically mechanically reciprocated manipulator latches on to a selected printing element and raises it to bring the horizontal row containing a selected character to the height of the printing station. The selected printing body is moved laterally in its plane to bring the selected printing character into line with the printing station. Moving or positioning of the printing elements is achieved by means of linear-step electric motors.

A serial character printer, comprising in combination:

at least two substantially flat printing cards having different sets of characters and signs thereon arranged in rows and columns, means for storing said printing cards including at least one cartridge for holding cards in stacked flat parallel condition, the cartridge having an opening at the bottom thereof, the cartridge having an opening at the top thereof to permit the insertion of cards into the cartridge and the withdrawal of cards through the opening in the top of the cartridge, means for the step-wise driving and positioning of a selected card in a lateral direction parallel to a line being printed and means for the step-wise driving and positioning of said selected card vertically perpendicular to said lateral direction in a plane parallel to the planes of said printing cards in the cartridge, said last named means including a card positioning manipulator having card clamping and aligning means on the top thereof which interfits with the bottom of a selected printing card, means for driving the manipulator upon command to place the manipulator with its top beneath the selected card in the cartridge and in alignment with the opening in the bottom of the cartridge, means for thereafter raising the manipulator through the opening in the bottom of the cartridge and then through the cartridge and out through the opening in the top of the cartridge to carry with it said selected printing card during successive printing operations and the respective positioning of the card at the printing station, means for lowering the manipulator to return the selected printing card into said cartridge through the opening in the top of the cartridge when the selected printing card is to be replaced by another printing card which is present in said cartridge, or when the printing operation is stopped, the means for driving the positioning manipulator laterally being a step-wise driven carriage upon which the manipulator is mounted, and the means for positioning the manipulator vertically being a step-wise driven driving means on said carriage, and comprising means for controlling said storage means and said positioning manipulator in cooperation with the respective step-wise driving means during the printing operation.

Abstract

Claims6