US RE30,741 EGranted

Miniaturized printer control assembly

AssigneeShinshu Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsNorio Nakagaki, Shigeru Sawada

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Abstract

A miniaturized printer wherein the duration of each print cycle, the sequence of printing operations performed in each print cycle and the time between each print cycle is controlled by a detecting arrangement. The detecting arrangement is adapted to detect the rotary position of a plurality of print rings having print characters circumferentially disposed therearound and for generating a character selection timing pulse for each of the available rotational positions of each print ring during a print cycle. The rotational position of each print ring corresponds to a print character circumferentially disposed about the print ring and, to this end, a print selection mechanism associated with each of the print rings selectively positions each of the print rings at respective predetermined print positions during each print cycle in response to the character selection timing pulses produced by the detection arrangement so that printing can be performed thereby. The detecting arrangement is further constructed and arranged to produce a stand-by signal representative of each print ring being positioned at a stand-by position at the end of each print cycle. The detecting arrangement further includes a shutter mechanism for preventing the detecting arrangement from producing a stand-by signal until a predetermined interval of time after the last of the character selection timing pulses are generated during each print cycle.

Claims12

Dependent claims

In a printer including a plurality of print rings having print characters circumferentially disposed therearound, said print characters being selectively positioned in a print position by rotation of each of said print rings in a first rotational direction from a stand-by position to a print position during a print cycle and rotational drive means including motor means adapted, in response to being energized, to rotatably drive said print rings at least from said stand-by position to a print position during each print cycle, the improvement comprising a detection means for detecting the rotary position of said print rings and for generating a character selection timing pulse for each of the available rotational positions of each said print ring during each print cycle, said rotational positions of each of said print rings corresponding to a print character circumferentially disposed about said print rings, print selection means associated with each of said print rings for selectively positioning each of said print rings at respective predetermined print positions during each print cycle, in response to said character selection timing pulses produced by said detection means being applied thereto, said detection means being constructed and arranged to produce a stand-by signal representative of each print ring being returned to a stand-by position at the end of each print cycle, said detection means further including shutter means for preventing said detection means from producing said stand-by signal until a first predetermined interval of time after the last of said character selection timing pulses is generated in each print cycle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.