Compact printer for portable computer
AssigneeTelxon Corporation
InventorsKim R. Lewis, Gary L. Elston, Jack P. Hall, Dennis Kerkhof
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printer for a portable computer receives the computer into a well and includes a connector plug that receives a connector socket of the computer. The printer restricts the orientation of the computer when the computer is inserted into the well so that the computer connector can be engaged with the printer's connector only after the computer has been placed in the well and moved along a predetermined axis.
Claims14
A printer system, for use with a portable computer having a connector, comprising:
- a housing;
- a printer, contained within the housing, for receiving data and for printing characters representing the data onto a readable medium;
- a printer connector, coupled to the printer, that can be engaged with the computer connector to send and receive data from the portable computer to the printer;
- and
- sliding means, adapted to slide relative to the housing, for moving the portable computer relative to the printer connector such that the orientation of the computer relative to the printer connector cannot be changed unless the computer connector is completely disengaged from the printer connector.
A printer system for use with a portable computer having a housing with a connector having a plurality of parallel, pin-receiving bores, the printer system comprising:
- a housing;
- a printer, contained within the housing, for receiving data and for printing characters representing the data onto a readable medium;
- control means for coupling to the communications connector of the portable computer and for providing data from the computer to the printer means;
- a printer connector, coupled to the control means, that can be engaged with the computer connector to send and receive data between the computer and the control means, the printer connector having a plurality of parallel pins, each of which is engageable with one of the bores of the computer connector;
- wherein the housing further includes sliding means for receiving the portable computer and restricting the movement of the computer to be in a direction parallel with the pins of the printer connector such that the pins can be inserted into the bores of the computer connector, and for releasing the computer and allowing it to be removed only when the bores are completely free of the pins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.