Bidirectional feed mechanism of a fetal monitor printer
AssigneeAmerican Home Products Corporation
InventorsPhillipp J. Quedens, Peter A. Staniforth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feed mechanism and method for feeding zigzag paper from either side of a zigzag paper pack. Zigzag paper is inserted into a paper retention pocket in a door pivoted to a housing. The door is then closed, causing the paper pack to stand upright vertically and an end of the paper to become positioned between a drive roller and a print head and between a drag spring and guide element. The drag spring biases against the guide element and is arranged above a base of the paper retention pocket over the zigzag paper pack. The drive roller pulls the paper between the drag spring and guide element and out of the pocket.
Claims25
A feed apparatus for zigzag paper pack, comprising:
- a paper retention pocket having a base and having sidewalls extending into respective planes from said base so that the zigzagpaper pack may be accommodated to stand upright on said base and between said sidewalls, said planes being no wider than the base from which said planes extend;
- means for pulling the zigzag paper from the zigzag paper pack out of said paper retention pocket;
- and
- means for directing the zigzag paper from said paper retention pocket to said pulling means and for tensioning the zigzag paper, said directing and tensioning means being arranged between said planes and over said base and above predetermined height to which the zigzag paper is to extend to stand upright on said base.
A method of feeding zigzag paper, comprising the steps of:
- standing a zigzag paper pack upright vertically in a paper retention pocket having sidewalls extending in respective planes from a base of the pocket, the planes being no wider than the base from which the planes extend;
- pulling the zigzag paper out of the pocket from either side of the pack;
- and
- directing the zigzag paper to a guide element directly above a base of the pocket and tensioning the zigzag paper at the guide element, the guide element being between the respective planes.
A feed apparatus for a zigzag paper pack in combination with the zigzag paper pack, the feed apparatus comprising:
- a paper retention pocket having a base and sidewalls extending into respective planes from said base, the zigzag paper pack standing upright on said base and between said sidewalls the planes being no wider than the base from which the planes extend;
- means for pulling the zigzag paper from the zigzag paper pack out of said paper retention pocket;
- and
- means for directing the zigzag paper from said paper retention pocket to said pulling means and for tensioning the zigzag paper, said directing and tensioning means being arranged between said planes and over said base and above a predetermined height to which the zigzag paper is to extend to stand upright on said base, all of said zigzag paper thereby being pullable out of said pocket one sheet at a time by said pulling means regardless of a side of the zigzag paper pack from which the zigzag paper is being pulled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.