Printer having a vibrating platen

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head which is displaceable along said one surface of said recording medium and records said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a flat spring having opposite surfaces one of which provides a platen surface which is opposed to said recording head;
• a frame member supporting said flat spring;
• vibration means for applying vibration to said flat spring and thereby vibrating said platen surface, said vibration means comprising a piezoelectric element which is at one of opposite ends thereof fixed to said frame member and at the other end thereof fixed to the other of said opposite surfaces of said flat spring;
• and
• actuating means for, when said recording head is displaced along said one surface of said recording medium, displacing said flat spring, said frame member and said piezoelectric element, as a unit, along the other of said opposite surfaces of said recording medium in a same direction as a direction of the displacement of said recording head and in synchronism with said displacement of said recording head so that said platen surface continues to be opposed to said recording head.

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head which records said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a platen member having a platen surface which is opposed to an operative surface of said recording head;
• a piezoelectric element which vibrates upon application thereto of an electric voltage, said piezoelectric element being connected to said platen member so that the vibration of said piezoelectric element upon application of said electric voltage is transmitted to said platen member so as to vibrate said platen surface in a vibration direction intersecting said operative surface of said recording head;
• preventing means for preventing said platen member from vibrating in a direction different from said vibration direction;
• and
• a frame member having a U-shaped configuration, said frame member including a pair of symmetrical arm portions and a connection portion connecting said symmetrical arm portions with each other, said preventing means connecting said platen member to said pair of arm portions of said frame member, such that the preventing means allows said platen member to vibrate only in said vibrator direction, said piezoelectric element being connected at one of opposite ends thereof to said platen member and at the other end thereof to said connection portion of said frame member.

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head displaceable along said one surface of said recording medium, said recording head including a plurality of dot recording wires and a plurality of actuators which press said dot recording wires for recording dots as said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a platen member having a platen surface which is opposed to said recording head;
• at least one protruding portion protruding from said platen surface toward said recording head, said at least one protruding portion being aligned with said dot recording wires of said recording head, such that each of said dot recording wires is pressed by a corresponding one of said actuators against a corresponding one of said at least one protruding portion;
• and
• actuating means for, when said recording head is displaced along said one surface of said recording medium, displacing said platen member along the other of said opposite surfaces of said recording medium in a same direction as a direction of the displacement of said recording head and in synchronism with the displacement of said recording head, so that said each dot recording wire of said recording head continues to be aligned with said corresponding one of said at least one protruding portion on said platen surface.

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head which is displaceable along said one surface of said recording medium and records said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a platen member having a platen surface which is opposed to said recording head;
• vibration means for applying vibration to said platen member and thereby vibrating said platen surface;
• and
• deciding means for deciding whether to operate said vibration means and thereby apply, while said recording head records said information an said recording medium, said vibration of the vibration means to said platen member.

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head displaceable along said one surface of said recording medium, said recording head including a plurality of dot recording wires and a plurality of actuators which press said dot recording wires for recording dots as said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a platen member having a platen surface which is opposed to said recording head;
• at least one protruding portion protruding from said platen surface toward said recording head, said at least one protruding portion being aligned with said dot recording wires of said recording head such that each of said dot recording wires is pressed against a corresponding one of said at least one protruding portion;
• vibration means for applying vibration to said platen member and thereby vibrating said platen surface, said vibration means comprising an ultrasonic vibrator which vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency upon application thereto of an ultrasonic-frequency alternating electric voltage;
• actuating means for, when said recording head is displaced along said one surface of said recording medium, displacing said platen member and said ultrasonic vibrator, as a unit, along the other of said opposite surfaces of said recording medium in a same direction as a direction of the displacement of said recording head, and in synchronism with said displacement of said recording head, so that said each dot recording wire of said recording head is aligned with said corresponding one of said at least one protruding portion on said platen surface;
• and
• deciding means for deciding whether to operate said vibration means and thereby apply, while said recording head records said information on said recording medium, said vibration of the vibration means to said platen member.

A printer for recording information on one of opposite surfaces of a recording medium, comprising:

• a recording head which records said information on said one surface of said recording medium;
• a platen member having a platen surface which is opposed to an operative surface of said recording head;
• a piezoelectric element which vibrates upon application thereto of an electric voltage, said piezoelectric element being connected to said platen member so that the vibration of said piezoelectric element upon application of said electric voltage is transmitted to said platen member so as to vibrate said plate surface in a vibration direction intersecting said operative surface of said recording head;
• preventing means for preventing said platen member from vibrating in a direction different from said vibration direction;
• displacing means for displacing said recording head along said one surface of said recording medium, for recording said information on said one surface;
• and
• actuating means for, when said recording head is displaced along said one surface of said recording medium, displacing said platen member along the other of said opposite surfaces of said recording medium in a same direction as a direction of the displacement of said recording head, and in synchronism with said displacement of the recording head, so that said platen surface continues to be opposed to said recording head.