Thermal printing apparatus having variable speed printing

Abstract

A thermal printing postage meter comprising a base supporting a registration wall, a print deck. The registration wall supports a detachable mounted thermal ribbon cassette and a thermal print head. The thermal print head is mounted to the registration wall to extend over the deck to define a print station. A platen drive assembly is mounted to the base for biasing an envelope against the thermal print head and causing the envelope to traverse the thermal print head during a print cycle of the thermal meter under the influence of a drive motor responsive to a micro controller. The micro controller has a plurality of switches mounted to the registration wall of the postage meter. The cassette is comprised of a housing formed by a front and rear wall maintained in spaced apart relationship by a plurality of side walls. The rear wall of the housing includes a slot having an outwardly extending pin slidably mounted in the slot. The switches are mounted within an opening in the registration such that mounting of the cassette housing to the registration wall cause the pin to contact one of the switches depending on the position location of the pin in the slot. The micro controller is programmed to operate the print cycle speed at one of the speeds in response to which one of the switches actuated by the actuation means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.