Printer having reversible driving mechanism
AssigneePolaroid Corporation
InventorPhilip R. Norris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed an electronic printing apparatus which prints images on successive individual film units held in a cassette. Included in the apparatus is a carriage assembly which mounts the cassette for reciprocating movement along a given path. There is provided a carriage driving mechanism which drives the carriage assembly at different directions and speeds.
Claims19
An electronic image printing apparatus for printing images on respective ones of a plurality of image recording units which are releasably retained in a cassette therefor, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing assembly;
- means disposed in said housing assembly for mounting the cassette for bidirectional movement in opposing printing and return directions between start and processing positions;
- means for providing at least a beam of light and for modulating the light beam in response to electronic signals corresponding to an image of a subject selected for printing;
- light scanning means operable for scanning the modulated light beam across a preselected scanning line on one of the image recording units;
- means for optically directing the modulated light beam to said light scanning means and from said light scanning means to an image plane of the one image recording unit;
- means for ejecting successive scanned recording units from the cassette and said housing assembly when the cassette is in the processing position;
- driving means operable for reciprocating said cassette mounting means in the opposing directions between the start and processing positions wherein as said light scanning means scans the modulated light beam across the scanning line, said driving means advances said cassette mounting means in the printing direction from the start position to the processing position so that a raster scan image of the subject selected for printing is scanned on the one image recording unit by the modulated light beam;
- said driving means returns said cassette mounting means in the return direction at a different speed than when travelling in the printing direction.
Apparatus for printing images on respective ones of a plurality of image recording units which are releasably retained in a cassette therefor, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing assembly;
- means disposed in said housing assembly for mounting the cassette for bidirectional movement in opposing first and second directions between first and second positions;
- driving means operable for reciprocating said cassette mounting means in the opposing directions between the first and second positions, said driving means advances said cassette mounting means in the first direction from the first position to the second position so that an image of a subject selected for printing is recorded on an image recording unit;
- said driving means returns said cassette mounting means in the second direction to the second position at a different speed than when travelling in the first direction;
- said driving means includes a driving motor;
- a pair of spaced apart and generally parallel threaded driving shafts mounted for rotation;
- a gear mechanism connected to said driving motor for driving one of said driving shafts at a different speed from the other of said driving shafts;
- and,
- coupling means connected to said cassette mounting means and being shiftable in response to actuation thereof to selectively engage said one or said other driving shaft for alternately linearly reciprocating said cassette mounting means between the first and second positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.