Printing device having printwheel coupling means
AssigneeSmith Corona Corporation
InventorsPhillip M. Martinez, Hans W. Mueller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing device having a detachable printwheel coupling means which includes a motor driven drive plate which is formed with a cantilevered spring finger and an aligning slot disposed on the side opposite the spring finger. The spring finger carries at its free end an alignment pin which automatically engages a radially offset cam surface located in a recess formed in the hub of a printwheel when the drive plate rotates relative to the printwheel. The printwheel hub also includes a drive pin which engages the aligning slot when the printwheel and drive plate abut under the urging of a pressure plate. The device inhibits angular and radial movement between the drive plate and the printwheel.
Claims6
A printing device having a platen, an image print medium supported by said platen, a carrier mounted for movement along said platen, a printwheel having a hub, a hub center and character pads, a printwheel rotary drive means mounted on said carrier for imparting selected printwheel rotary movement about said hub center, an impact printer mechanism for driving a selected character pad to print a character on said image print medium and printwheel coupling means comprising:
- offset rotary drive coupling means joining said printwheel and said printwheel rotary drive means for joint rotation thereof including
- said hub having a recess formed therein;
- a drive plate affixed to said printwheel rotary drive means;
- and
- a spring finger integrally formed from said drive plate for automatically entering said recess when said drive plate rotates relative to said printwheel for eliminating relative radial movement between said printwheel and said printwheel rotary drive means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.