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US 4,806,036 AGranted
Printer mechanism carried by upper portion of hinged housing
AssigneeGenicom Corporation
InventorsDavid O. Ward, Theodore S. Zajac, Jr., Frederick B. Hadtke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A continuous form tractor drive is disposed out of the way and out of sight below the printing platen (which itself may be capable of feeding individual forms to a print station). The mechanical paper handling and printing mechanism is affixed to the upper portion of a hinged housing with the continuous form tractor drive mechanism depending therefrom such that, when rotated upwardly and rearwardly to an opened position, easy access is provided for loading paper into the continuous form paper drive.
Claims22
A printer comprising:
- an external lower housing member;
- and
- an external upper housing member disposed above and rotatably secured in a closed position to said lower housing member;
- said external upper housing member having affixed thereto a printing mechanism and a paper drive mechanism collectively including
- i. a platen;
- and
- ii. a tractor drive, said tractor drive being disposed below said platen and having an accessible portiond depending from said upper housing into said lower housing in said closed position, means to enable paper loading access when said upper housing member with said printing mechanism and said paper drive mechanism is rotated upwardly to an open position with respect to said lower housing member, the angular separation of said external upper and lower housing members defining an access region in said open position, said accessible portion of said tractor drive being disposed in said access region when the housing members are in the open position.
4 more elements
A printer cable of alternately driving individual or continous forms through a printing station, said printer comprising:
- an external lower housing member including at least a portion of an electronic printer controller;
- and
- an external upper housing member including the following elements fixedly attached thereto, said elements being attached to said external upper housing member such that rotation of said upper member results in the rotation of said elements:
- i. a driven cylindrical platen with paper input guide means for feeding individual sheet forms downwardly against a rear side of the platen and paper output guide means for feeding paper upwardly past a front side of the platen;
- ii. a print head assembly disposed opposite the from side of said platen for thereat printing inidica onto paper;
- and
- iii. a continuous form drive assembly disposed below said platen and depending from said external upper housing member for feeding continuous form upwardly into engagement with the from side of said platen;
- said printer controller being electrically connected to controllably drive said platen, said print head assembly and said continuous form drive.
5 more elements
A printer for printing on continuous-form paper or individual form paper comprising:
- an external upper housing and an external lower housing,
- each of said housings including a major area forward portion and a related substantial but small area rear portion,
- the related rear portions of each of said upper and lower housings being hinged with respect to one another and angularly separated with respect to one another when the major forward portions are rotated to a closed normally operative printer position and the location of angling enabling said forward portions to rotate away from one another to an open access position to load paper into said printer and to rotate towards one another to a closed position during printing,
- said upper forward portion having affixed thereto a platen, a carriage carrying printing continuous-form paper, means for engaging said continuous-form paper to a first side of said platen, means for admitting individual form paper and engaging it to a second side of said platen, and means for driving said carriage and printing elements.
1 more element
A printer with multiple record medium paths comprising:
- an external lower hosing,
- an external upper housing disposed above and rotatably cooperating with said lower housing,
- a platen,
- a print head disposed adjacent said platen,
- first record medium feed means and an associated record medium admittance opening supplying a continuous form record medium to said platen along a first path for movement past said print head,
- second record medium feed means and an associated record medium admittance opening for supplying individual form record media to said platen along a second path for movement past said print head,
- an exit opening for exiting said supplied record media,
- means for causing said print head to respond to applied input information for printing such applied information onto said supplied record media before causing said supplied paper to exit said exit opening.
- said platen, print head, first record medium feed means and second record medium feed means all being affixed to said external upper housing and said upper housing being rotatable to a downward position with respect to said lower housing, said platen, print head, first record medium feed means and said second record medium feed means being affixed to said external upper housing such that rotation of said upper housing results in the rotation of said platen, print head, first record feed means and said second record medium feed means,
- means for enabling paper loading access to said printer comprising said external upper housing and its affixations being rotatable to an upward position with respect to said external lower housing whereat said first record medium feed means is disposed below said platen and depending from said external housing.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.