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US 4,683,476 AGranted
Drawing machine having automatically replaced writing members and apparatus therefor
AssigneeBenson, Inc.
InventorsAlphonse Ferrari, Michel Roche, Jean-Claude Dard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The body of a writing member is movable in translation between a rest position and a work position, at least partly under the action of a magnetic force, and is permanently held against at least one guide element carried by the support, by means of a magnetic attraction force acting transversely relative to the direction of displacement in translation of the writing member.
Claims27
A marking head for a plotting machine, comprising:
- a support;
- a writing member having side walls and a marking tip at one end thereof,
- means for mounting said writing member for longitudinal movement on said support between a work position wherein the writing tip is operative for producing a mark on a writing medium placed opposite said support and a rest position further away from the writing medium, including;
- means on said support for engaging the side wall of said writing member when the same is urged toward said support, in a direction transverse to said longitudinal direction while allowing movement of said writing member relative to the support between said work and said rest positions;
- and
- holding means on said support and said writing member for producing a magnetic force for urging said side wall toward said support in said transverse direction and sufficient for holding said writing member at least in said rest position,
- said mounting means arranged to allow said writing member to be pulled away from said support in a direction generally opposite to said transverse direction in at least one position, and
- selectively controlled driving means for moving said writing member in the longitudinal direction from said rest to said work positions thereof.
5 more elements
A writing device for a drawing machine comprising:
- a write head comprising:
- a support having a laterally opened side portion;
- positioning means on the side portion of said support for laterally positioning a writing member having a longitudinal direction when said writing member engages said positioning means;
- first holding means on said support for applying a first magnetic attraction force to said writing member to laterally urge said writing member in engagement with said positioning means;
- a magazine for storing a plurality of writing members comprising a plurality of laterally opened housings each having abutting surfaces to be engaged by a respective writing member;
- second holding means on said magazine for applying a second magnetic attraction force to each of said plurality of writing members to hold said writing members in engagement with said abutting surfaces;
- and
- transfer means for temporarily varying at least one of said first and second magnetic attraction forces to change the resultant of said magnetic attraction forces between a positive value able to transfer a writing member from the write head to the magazine, and a negative value able to transfer a writing member from the magazine to the write head.
5 more elements
A drawing machine write head comprising:
- a support adapted to receive a writing member movably mounted on said support along a longitudinal direction;
- guiding means on said support for laterally positioning said writing member while permitting movement thereof in the longitudinal direction when said writing member engages said guiding means;
- holding means on said support for applying a magnetic attraction force to said writing member, said force acting on said writing member in a lateral direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction to urge said writing member in engagement with said guiding means;
- a side portion of said support being laterally opened opposite said lateral direction, said guiding means being located on said side portion of the support so that said writing member is separable from the support by pulling said writing member away from said support against said magnetic attraction force;
- selectively controlled driving means for moving said writing member in the longitudinal direction between a rest position and a work position engaging said print medium;
- and
- means interposed between the support and the writing member damping the displacements of said writing member in said longitudinal direction.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.