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US 4,790,467 AGranted
Web feed mechanism and door with static protrusions
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDonald K. Rex, James P. Ruse
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feed mechanism for moving a web is disclosed. It includes a means for engaging the web that has a plurality of uniformly spaced drive pins for extending through and engaging web perforations. It also includes a means for guiding the web onto the drive pins, such as a door, and it includes a guiding surface that extends below the upper end of the pins. The guiding surface includes a static protrusion that extends below the guiding surface and urges the web and its associated perforation down onto the drive pin in that portion of the tractor where the drive pins are inserted into the web perforations.
Claims12
A feed mechanism for moving a web having uniformly spaced perforations along a web path, the feed mechanism comprising:
- means for engaging the web at the uniformly spaced perforations, said means including a movable drive member having a plurality of uniformly spaced drive pins fixed in position relative to the movable drive member where the fixed drive pins extend through and engage the web perforations, each fixed drive pin having a base portion proximate the drive member and an upper end extending outwardly therefrom,
- means for guiding the web onto the fixed drive pins, said means for guiding having a guiding surface below an upper end of the fixed rive pins along the entire length of said guiding surface, and said guiding surface further being in a predetermined spaced relationship generally aligned with at least a predetermined segment of the means for engaging the web, the means for guiding having at least first and second ends and a mediate portion between the first and second ends,
- the first end defining a pin insertion zone between the means for guiding and the means for engaging the web where the fixed drive pins are inserted into the web perforations, and
- the middle portion defining a web transport zone between means for guiding and the movable drive member where the guide surface in the web transport zone remains below an upper end of the fixed drive pins and where the fixed rive pins remain inserted into the web perforations, and
- at least one of said ends including a static protrusion means for urging the web and its associated perforations toward the base portion of the fixed drive pins without contacting said fixed drive pins, the static protrusion means being disposed in the pin insertion zone without extending significantly into the web transport zone, being attached to said means for guiding, and extending below the guiding surface thereof and protruding generally perpendicularly towards the surface of the web and the base portion of the fixed drive pins, hereby narrowing the clearance between the means for guiding and the base portion of the fixed drive pins.
2 more elements
A feed mechanism for moving a web having uniformly spaced perforations along a web path, the feed mechanism comprising:
- means for engaging the web at the uniformly spaced perforations, said means including a movable drive member having a plurality of uniformly spaced drive pins fixed in position relative to the movable drive member where the fixed drive pins extend through and engage the web perforations, each fixed drive pin having a base portion proximate the drive member and an upper end extending outwardly therefrom,
- means for guiding the web onto the fixed drive pins, said means for guiding having a guiding surface below an upper end of the fixed drive pins along the entire length of said guiding surface, and said guiding surface further being in a predetermined spaced relationship generally aligned with at least a predetermined segment of the means for engaging the web, the means for guiding having at least first and second ends and a mediate portion between the first and second ends,
- the first end defining a pin insertion zone between the guiding surface of the means for guiding and the means for engaging the web where the fixed drive pins are inserted into the web perforations, and
- the middle portion defining a web transport zone between the guiding surface of the means for guiding and the movable drive member means for engaging the web where the guide surface in the web transport zone remains below an upper end of the fixed rive pins and where the fixed drive pins remains inserted into the web perforations, and
- the guide surface defining at least one static protrusion means at one or more of said ends for urging the web and its associated perforations toward the base portion of the fixed drive pins without contacting said fixed drive pins, the static protrusion means being an elongated ramp and protruding generally perpendicularly towards the surface of the web and the base portion of the drive pines in the pin insertion zone and sloping away from the surface of the web in the web transport zone, thereby narrowing the clearance between the means for guiding and the base portion of the fixed drive pins.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.