Web guidance mechanism for automatically centering a web during movement of the web along a curved path
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorRobert J. Matoushek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A web guidance mechanism for automatically centering a web in a thermal printer has an elongated base member with first and second end portions each defining a slot. A crank is rotatably mounted on the base member and has slider arms attached thereto. Web guides are mounted on the distal end portions of the slider arms and are engageable with the slots for lateral movement. A coil spring biases the web guides towards one another to create two normally equal but opposite centering edge forces so that lateral movement of the web does not occur until twice the nominal edge force is applied to the web.
Claims19
A web guidance mechanism for automatically laterally centering a thin web traveling longitudinally in a direction, comprising:
- a cylindrical member having a curved outer surface for changing the direction of travel of said web, said curved outer surface having a laterally extending slot;
- an elongated base member having first and second slots and extending laterally inside said cylindrical member to a lateral position;
- a crank having first and second end portions and being rotatably mounted on said base member;
- a first slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said first end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a first web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said first slider arm and engageable with said first slot of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said cylindrical member;
- a second slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said second end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a second web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said second slider arm and engageable with said second slot of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said cylindrical member;
- and
- biasing means for biasing said first and second web guides towards one another to create two normally equal but opposite centering edge forces.
A web guidance mechanism for automatically laterally centering a thermal printing donor or receiver web traveling longitudinally in a direction, comprising:
- a hollow member having a curved outer surface for changing the direction of travel of said web, said curved outer surface having a laterally extending slot;
- an elongated base member having first and second slots and extending laterally inside said hollow member to a lateral position;
- a crank having first and second end portions and being rotatably mounted on said base member;
- a first slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said first end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a first web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said first slider arm and engageable with said first slot of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said hollow member;
- a second slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said second end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a second web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said second slider arm and engageable with said second slot of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said hollow member;
- and
- biasing means for biasing said first and second web guides towards one another to create two normally equal but opposite centering edge forces so that lateral movement of said web does not occur until about twice the nominal edge force is applied to said web.
A web guidance mechanism for automatically laterally centering a web traveling longitudinally in a direction in a thermal printer, comprising:
- a hollow member having a curved outer surface for changing the direction of travel of said web, said curved outer surface having a laterally extending slot;
- an elongated base member extending inside said hollow member and being connected to said thermal printer and having a first end portion defining a first slot and a second end portion defining a second slot;
- a crank having a first end portion and a second end portion and being rotatably mounted on said base member;
- a first slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said first end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a first web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said first slider arm and engageable with said first slot of said first end portion of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said hollow member;
- a second slider arm having one end portion pivotally connected to said second end portion of said crank and having a distal end portion;
- a second web guide mounted on said distal end portion of said second slider arm and engageable with said second slot of said second end portion of said base member and extending through said laterally extending slot of said curved outer surface of said hollow member;
- and
- a coil spring having one end attached to said crank and another end attached to said base member for biasing said first and second web guides towards one another to create two normally equal but opposite centering edge forces so that lateral movement of said web does not occur until about twice the nominal centering edge force is applied to said web.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.