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US 5,667,121 AGranted
Environmentally insensitive paper guide for strip chart recorders
AssigneePhysio-Control, Inc.
InventorDouglas J. Hill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An environmentally insensitive device is described. The device uses a passive paper guide to direct an output paper stream from a paper source contained within the unit to an output aperture. The passive paper guide uses two opposing surfaces to define a radius of curvature through which the paper strip is guided. Use of longitudinal ridges along one or both of the surfaces reduces friction along the guide. By providing a rotatable output cover over the aperture and using a unit cover, a printed output can be achieved while maintaining the shielding of the unit from environmental effects.
Claims13
In a portable electronic device having a body and a cover, a paper guide for guiding a continuous strip of strip-chart paper from an outlet of a printer in which the printer expels paper in a first direction, the guide directing the continuous strip of strip-chart paper to an output aperture that is spaced apart from the printer outlet in a second direction that is substantially different from the first direction, the paper guide comprising:
- an elongated upper guide that is longer in a direction that the paper is being guided than it is wide and having a downwardly facing guide surface that is adapted to reduce friction between the continuous strip of strip-chart paper and the guide surface, the upper guide being integrated into the cover of the portable electronic device;
- and
- an elongated lower guide that is longer in a direction that the paper is being guided than it is wide and having an upwardly facing guide surface that is adapted to reduce friction between the continuous strip of strip-chart paper and the guide surface, the lower guide being integrated into the body of the portable electronic device, the downwardly facing guide surface generally conforming to, but being spaced apart from, the upwardly facing guide surface to form a passage therebetween when the cover is affixed to the body of the portable electronic device, the passage having an outlet end positioned adjacent the output aperture and an inlet end positioned adjacent the printer outlet, the guide surfaces curving through an angle substantially conforming to the angle between the first and second directions so that the inlet end of the passage faces the printer outlet and an outlet end of the passage faces the output aperture, the strip-chart paper being conveyed from the printer outlet to the output aperture solely by the force of the printer pushing the continuous strip of strip-chart paper from the printer outlet.
A portable electronic device comprising:
- a device body and a cover incorporating a paper guide for guiding a strip of strip-chart paper from an outlet of a printer in which the printer expels paper in a first direction, the guide directing the strip of strip-chart paper to an output aperture that is spaced apart from the printer outlet in a second direction that is substantially different from the first direction, the paper guide comprising an elongated upper guide that is longer than it is wide having a downwardly facing guide surface, and an elongated lower guide that is longer than it is wide having an upwardly facing guide surface, the downwardly facing guide surface generally conforming to, but being spaced apart from, the upwardly facing guide surface to form a passage therebetween, the passage having an outlet end positioned adjacent the output aperture and an inlet end positioned adjacent the printer outlet, the guide surfaces curving through an angle substantially conforming to the angle between the first and second directions so that the inlet end of the passage faces the printer outlet and an outlet end of the passage faces the output aperture, the strip-chart paper being conveyed from the printer outlet to the output aperture solely by the force of the printer pushing the strip-chart paper from the printer outlet;
- and
- a latch mechanism rotatably mounted along one edge of the cover above the output aperture, the latch mechanism maintaining the cover in a closed position when the latch mechanism is rotated to a closed position, the latch mechanism including a cutting edge positioned above the output aperture for cutting the paper strip after it has been expelled from the output aperture.
An environmentally insensitive electronic unit, comprising:
- a device body;
- an openable cover mounted on top of the device body;
- a strip-chart paper source contained within the device body, the strip-chart paper source discharging the strip-chart paper at an initial angle facing upwardly toward the cover;
- an elongated passive paper guide that is longer than it is wide having a paper input aperture located at a first distance from the paper source and a paper output aperture located near an edge of the cover above the device body, the paper input aperture facing downwardly to receive the strip-chart paper from the strip-chart paper source, the passive paper guide directing the strip-chart paper through a radius of curvature toward the paper output aperture;
- and
- an output aperture cover, the output aperture cover comprising a cover latch mounted mechanically to the openable cover at the paper output aperture, the cover latch holding the openable cover in a closed position when the cover latch is engaged.
3 more elements
An environmentally insensitive electronic unit, comprising:
- a device body;
- an openable cover mounted on top of the device body;
- a strip-chart paper source contained within the device body, the strip-chart paper source discharging a continuous strip of strip-chart paper at an initial angle facing upwardly toward the cover;
- and
- an elongated passive paper guide that is longer in a direction that the paper is being guided than it is wide having a paper input aperture located at a first distance from the paper source and a paper output aperture located near an edge of the cover above the device body, the paper input aperture facing downwardly to receive the continuous strip of strip-chart paper from the strip-chart paper source, the passive paper guide directing the continuous strip of strip-chart paper through a radius of curvature toward the paper output aperture, the radius of curvature defined by a passage formed between an upper guide incorporated in the openable cover and having a downwardly facing guide surface and a lower guide incorporated in the device body and having an upwardly facing guide surface, each of the guide surfaces adapted to provide low friction interaction with the continuous strip of strip-chart paper.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.