CA1102177A - Print band one edge guide - Google Patents
Print band one edge guideInfo
- Publication number
- CA1102177A CA1102177A CA301,464A CA301464A CA1102177A CA 1102177 A CA1102177 A CA 1102177A CA 301464 A CA301464 A CA 301464A CA 1102177 A CA1102177 A CA 1102177A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- band
- guide
- along
- print band
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J1/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the mounting, arrangement or disposition of the types or dies
- B41J1/20—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the mounting, arrangement or disposition of the types or dies with types or dies mounted on endless bands or the like
Landscapes
- Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
- Handling Of Continuous Sheets Of Paper (AREA)
- Printers Characterized By Their Purpose (AREA)
Abstract
Title of the Invention PRINT BAND ONE EDGE GUIDE
Abstract of the Disclosure A plurality of print hammers disposed along a print station are caused to be swung against a print band and there is provided a top edge guide to limit upward movement of the band and maintain the print band in a precise path in its travel past the print station. The print band is trained around pulleys which are biased upwardly by light springs to maintain the band in contact with the top edge guide.
Abstract of the Disclosure A plurality of print hammers disposed along a print station are caused to be swung against a print band and there is provided a top edge guide to limit upward movement of the band and maintain the print band in a precise path in its travel past the print station. The print band is trained around pulleys which are biased upwardly by light springs to maintain the band in contact with the top edge guide.
Description
Z~77 B _e Invellt i on ~.~
: In the field of high speed printers, the drum printer has proved to be very successful in providing a rotating surface a~ainst which prin~ ha~ers lmpact the characters carried on such surface. H(~ever, t.he need f~r a reduction in welght along with compactness in size and decrease in cost has brought about the endless print band or belt which carries . ~ lntegral type ch~racters in a llne along th~ print Rtatlon andpast the print ham~lers. Such prlnt hammer~ are con~truot2~ ln a bank whlch lncludes hammer drive solenoids for caus~ng the - hammers to ~e driven against ~h~ type characters on the band in a sequence dictated by the desired printing program.
The print band is trained around a drlve pulley and a driven or idlPr pulley normally in a hoxizontal manner, such pulleys being crGwned to prvvide a tracking surface for the band. Provi~ions may also be made in the supporting structure for the pulleys ~o permit rapid chan~;ing o~ print bands whil~
at the sam~ time maint~in~ng proper tension on the band during ope rat i on .
Various ways and mean~ have been utilized in the past for maintaLning a print belt, chain~ band~ or the like in a precise p~th pas~ the prin~ s~a~ion so a~ ~o prevent the type characters ~hereon xom moving ln vertlcal di~placemenk from - the llne o~ prin~ hammers.
- Represe~tative prior art relating to the ~ub~ect matter of the present invention is dlsclosed in United State~
: In the field of high speed printers, the drum printer has proved to be very successful in providing a rotating surface a~ainst which prin~ ha~ers lmpact the characters carried on such surface. H(~ever, t.he need f~r a reduction in welght along with compactness in size and decrease in cost has brought about the endless print band or belt which carries . ~ lntegral type ch~racters in a llne along th~ print Rtatlon andpast the print ham~lers. Such prlnt hammer~ are con~truot2~ ln a bank whlch lncludes hammer drive solenoids for caus~ng the - hammers to ~e driven against ~h~ type characters on the band in a sequence dictated by the desired printing program.
The print band is trained around a drlve pulley and a driven or idlPr pulley normally in a hoxizontal manner, such pulleys being crGwned to prvvide a tracking surface for the band. Provi~ions may also be made in the supporting structure for the pulleys ~o permit rapid chan~;ing o~ print bands whil~
at the sam~ time maint~in~ng proper tension on the band during ope rat i on .
Various ways and mean~ have been utilized in the past for maintaLning a print belt, chain~ band~ or the like in a precise p~th pas~ the prin~ s~a~ion so a~ ~o prevent the type characters ~hereon xom moving ln vertlcal di~placemenk from - the llne o~ prin~ hammers.
- Represe~tative prior art relating to the ~ub~ect matter of the present invention is dlsclosed in United State~
- 2 ;
:
~2~
.~..
-. Patent No. 3,012,49~99 as issued on December 12, 19~1 to S. Amada, wherein a high speed printing system has a type belt with print-ing type thereon and a guide is provided wlth upper and lower portion~ to fit over ~he edges of the belt for suppressing vibration and shifting of the type belt and a central portion i8 provided to receive the force oE the printing type.
United States Patent No. 3,216,348, issued on November 9, 1965 to K~ F. Oldenburg et ~1. 9 discloses ha~mer timing me~ns in a hi~h speed belt printer having a belt with hammer~ and a sprocket or drlving the belt. The bel~ 1B guided along a channel ~haped ~uideway and lncludes flanges which over-lap the edges of the belt so as to maintain ~uch belt in contact with the guid~way as it is advanced past the hammers.
United States Patent No. 3,224,366, issued on Decemb~r ~1, 1965 to JO M~ Cunninghan\, dlscloses a ~ype carrler device which includes a stationsry guide member taking the fonm of a monorail attached to a support p:late and havi.ng parallel spaced-apart straight portions connected at opposite ends by curved portlons to form a continuous closed guide path for the type el~ments.
; United States Pa~ent Noc 3,402,657, which l~sued on September ~4, 1968 to J. T. Potter et al.g dlscloses a hlgh speed belt printer wlth printing slug ~upporting means where~n a prlnt chain is establl~hed by a plurality of integrally casted prin~ing ~lugs clipped about the edges of an elastic timing beltO Tlle print chain is supported rela~ive to the print hQmmers by a fr~ne fe~turing a modular or sub-assembly ccnstructi~n in whlch the basic components are formed from a length of precision stoclc of the same cross-section.
United States Patent No. 3,745,~18, which issued on July 17, 1~73 to F. J. Perry et al., disclose~ U-shape~ type carrlers with legs of increasing width whlch overlap ~he legs of adjacent carriers to provide stability ~nd close spacln~
of the type characters, and provldes for upper and lo~er guide members having inturned llp portions whlch engage each type 10 carrier to maintain same in operating alignment along a prlnt-lng line.
United States Patent No. 3,805,697~ l~sued on April 23" 1974 ~o J. A. Mahe, discloses a cartriclge or a print charaeter band ~hlch includes a pair of magnetlc strips to n~aintain the print band agalnst a portlon of the lnner wall of the cartridge cover.
Unit:ed Stai:es Pa ten~ No . 3, 805 D 698 ~ lssued on April 23, 1974 to G. W. l~ers, Jr. et al., discloses ~ print carr~er and transport cartridge which haæ ~n endless pr~nt b~tnd or belt 20 with guide means formed by a V-shaped ridge araund th~3 belt.
The cartxidge includes a housin~ having a s~de wall whlch ~n-clude~ a recessed portion that cooperates wlth the ridge of the print b~lt as it pas~es the hammer assembly" ther~by restr~lning the print characters from moving in an upward or downward direction O
Urlited States P3t~nt No. 3~97292~2, i~5ued on Augu5t ~2~77 .' 39 lg76 to J. Konkel; discloses a type train a,~sembly having a : pair o.~ endless belts, ~ype carrlers with ~ype block~, and a guide mounted on a ~uppor~ with the gulde having a slot for the block~ A carrier guide bar i~ also mounted on the support to hold the type blncks in position and to provide rigid support for the type faces when struck by the han~ers.
And United States Patent No. 3~630yl44~ which lssued on December 28, 1971 to F. Hllpert et al., discloses a toothed belt with type carri~rs thereon malntained along a print line by means of a C-shapecl type carrler guide wi~hin ~he prlnter station and opposite the printer hammers provided.
The present invention relates to band printers and more particularly to guide means for ~n endle~s band which contains ~ype charaeterfi along the circumerential s-urf~ce thereo~. The print band 1~ ~rained around a drive pulley and an idler pulley, ~ueh pulleys ~e:Lng bia~ed in an u~wardly di-rection to maintain the prlnt band in a precise path along a line of print hammers. A platen member is dispo~ed between the drive pulley and the idler pulley and along whieh pla~en ~he prlnt band travels to a posi.tion where prln~lng ~3 performed in a line at a time by the print hammer~. The print hammer~ are dc~7nwardly disposed and swingable about a common axis and upon ~ actuatioll of the prlnt h~nmlers 9 the fa~e o~ the hammcr is eaused to be swung in aTI a~'c agalnst th~ character~ on ~he print band. Since the swinging of the print hammers ls in an upward -arc and thus resul~s in an upward force being directed against the print band, means must be provided to maintain the print band in a precise path and along a desired printing line with the platen. To this end a top edge : guide is secured to the platen to provide a surface against which the upper edge of the print band is biased continuously in contact to maintain the print band in such precise path and to prevent the print band from moving vertically away from the line of printing.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a print guide assembly for use with a print band and a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with the print band along a printing line, said assembly comprising platen means positioned along said printing line; guide means adjacent said platen means and extending along said printing line;
and means biasing said print band into engagement with said guide means for retaining said print band in a precise position along said printing line during impact by said print hammers.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print band assembly for operation with a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with record media along a print line adjacent the print band, said assembly including platen means positioned to provide back support for said print band upon impact of said print hammers there-against, the operation of said print hammers tending to produce a vertically directed force upon impact against said print band; guide means secured to one side of said platen means along said print line; and means continuously urging the print band in a direction for maintaining one edge thereof in engagement with said guide means to retain said print band in a precise position along said print line.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided ~na printer having platen means positioned along a line of printing, a type character carrying member moveable along said printing line, and hammer means moveable into impact with said type character carrying ' , .
~Zl'77 ; member, means for maintaining said type character carrying member in precise position along said printing line, comprising a guide member adjacent one side of said platen means along the major length thereof and engageable by one side of said type character carrying member, and spring means conti-nuously urging said type character carrying member into engagement with said guide member with sufficient pressure to prevent movement of said type character carrying member from said printing line during impact of said hammer means thereagainst.
In accordance with the above discussion, the principal object of the present invention is to provide means for maintaining the print band in the desired path of travel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stationary guide member continuously engaging and maintaining the print band along a precise path past associated print hammers.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide means for preventing vertical movement of the print band during impact of the print hammers therewith A further object of the present invention is to provide a top edge guide to prevent upward vertical motion of the print band along the line of printing which results from a lifting force being transmitted to the print band by ~he print hammers upon impact therewith.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent and fully understood from a reading of the following description taken together with the - 6a -`` 31 ~.. f32~77 .
annexed drawing in which:
Flg . 1 is a d~ agran~natic plan view of tl-le print band train~d around th~ support pulleys clnd along a line of printing.
Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the pulle~s and th~
.
supports thereor.
Fi~. 3 is an enlarged sectional vie~7 taken along the line 3-3 of Fig~ 2 a~d shG~ing the relationship of the print hammer and vflrious other prlntlng elements.
Fig. 4 is an operational shawlng o the prlnt hammer or Fig. 3 wl~h resultant forceq upo.rl irnpact of the prlnt hammer against th~ prlnt ~and~
As mentloned previously, a printer which utilizes ~nd incorporates the sub~ect matter of the present invention include~
a prlnt band which carries a plurality of type charac~ers thereon. Such band prlnter dist:Lnguishes from a drum printer in a number o areas and feature~, the mo~t signlic~nt area being the type ~haracter carrying structure. Qs illustrated ~n Fi~. 1, a print band 10 is tralned around a drive pull~y 12 an~
a dr~ve~ or idler pulley 14~ Suc~ drive pulley 12 is driven by ~u~table means whlch~ as lllustxated in Fig. 2, includes a drive ~shaft 16 ~ournaled in bearlng~ 17 and 19 supportcd frGm respect~
ive upper and l~wer printer framework 18 and 20. Alth~ugh not lllu~trated~ such drfve ~haft 16 is ~5ult~1y connected to a drive motor or contlnuous rotation durlng operat~on of the printer, A fl~wheel 22 ~F18~ 2) ls secured to the shaft 16 at a precise dlstanc above the l~er framework 20 and includes a _ 7 _ .
:' 2 ~ 7 ~
~ d~wnwardly extending dri~e pin 23 which slidingly engage~ a :~ connecting bu~h~ng 24 c~rried by the drive pulley 12 -- such pulley 12 itself being supported on ~he drive shaft 16 by a linear bearing 26 permi~ting sliding movement thereof along the shaft 16 between tlle prlnter lower frame.work 20 and the fl~wheel 22. A medlum to light weight coil spring 28 encireles the drive shaft 16 immediately above the ramework 20 and is of that length to continually urge the drlve pulley 12 upwardly toward engagement with the flywheel 22.
: 10 The driven or idler pulley 14 l~kewi~e include~ a linear bearlng (not shown) per~nltting rotation and slidlllg move-ment thereof along a support shaft 30 secured to the prlnter lower framework 20. ~n ~pper collar 32 is secured to such ~haft 30 in approximate horizontal allgnment with the flywheel 22 and an encircling coil sprlng 34 identical to spring 28 continually urges the idler puiley 14 upwardly toward enga~ment with th~
coll~r 32.
Fram the above construction it is seen that the pin 23 a~d bushlng 24 connection lmparts rotational ~ovement to the 20 drive pulley 12 whenever the drive shaft 16 is cau~ed to be operated, wkile at the same time p~rmitting a degree of axial movement of guch pulley 12 along the shaft lS under con~rol. of the spring 28. L.ike rotational movement is ~mparte~ to the : idler pulley 14 through the prlnt band 10, which latter p~lley has a li~ce degree of movement along its ~upport sh~ft 30 ~lnder control of the ~pring 34.
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:
A platen 40> shown ln elevation in Flg. 2 and in sectional view in Fig. 39 is provldPd between the pulleys 12 and 14 (see also Fig. 1)~ thereby enabling an impact surface for the printing operation~ The platen 40 ~Fig. 33 has a curved surface 44 agai~st which a bearing tape 46 is disposed to provlde a minlmum frlctioll surface or the prlnt band 10 while traveling thare~long (Fig~ 2)~ It is of ourse obvious tha~ any suitable anti~friction type materlal may be employed in or on the t~pe 46. A~ seen in Fig. 3, the print band 10 includes type charac~ers 11 thereon, the faces o which type char~cters extend frorn the print band 10 for impact by the print hammers provided. A plurality of print hammers 48 are sh~wn in Fig. 1 for providing a single line of prin~, each of the print hammexs 48 being carried on a c~mmon pivot 50 and adaptable to be SWUllg from a non-printing posi.tlon (Fig. 3) to a printlng or impact position (Fig. 4) by suitable actuating means, not shown. The face 52 of eac~ print hammer 48, as seen in Fig. 4~ impacts against the type characters 11 on the print band 10 with certain intervenin~ elements be~ween the face 52 of theprin~ hammer 48 and the prin~ band 10, such elements per Fig. 3 cammonly being a ribbon 54~ an apertured shield 56 and record media or paper 58.
As illu~trated ln Flg. 4, when each of the print hamners 48 is caused to ~e swung into con~act with the paper 58 and against the ribbon 54 and the type characters 11 of the print band 10 thPre are ~70 resultlng forces, one being the .
_ g _ .
:~ `
~:
print foxce shown by the line and arr~w 60 and the o~her being a hammer force shown by thc line and arr~ 62. With the parti-cular print hammer coniguration and moun~ing as lllus~rated for the preferred embodiment of the invcntion, it is seen that th~
print force 60 is directed in a horizontal direction while the hammer ~orce 62 is directed in an upwardly direction~ which iorces combine to make up a base and a hypotenuse of a triangle and define resultant force shown by ~he ver~1.cally up~Jard directed line 64 which in efect transmits a liftlng force to ; 10 the print band 10.
In order to stop all vertical motion o~ the print band 10 while traveling past thc printlng s~ation, especially that upward motion resulting fr~m the llfting orce transmitted by the print hammers 48, a top edge gulde 66 made up of a flat metal top piece 68 and a lawer bearing strip 70 extends along and ls secure~ to the upper ~urface of the platen member 40 to provlde a straight surface along which the upper ed~e of the print band 10 rides to maintain the band in a precise pa~h along the printin~ line. As seen in Fig. 3, the bearing strip 70 is suitably affixed by epoxy or ~he llke to ~he rn~tal piece 6~ and i~ lik~wise of anti-friction material to provide minimn~m drag on the prlnt band 10 while travellng th~real.ong. As further se~n in Fig. 3, the pre~erred embodlmellt of the present inven-: tion makes use o an extremely thin (approxlmately .005 o.~ an : inch) print band 10 increasing ~pproximately three fold ~.016 of an inch) in thickness at each type character 11 location. This requires the top ~dge guide 66 to be preclse ln its overhang of : the platen 40 and have its front edge 72 preferably mach~ned or otherwise squared to provide a lower sharR corner for engaging with th~ prin~ band upper edg,e when, to pre~ent crea~ing or other unwanted happenlng to the record media 58, normal positlon-ing o the prlnt band 10 is such that the face sur~aees of the type characters 11 thereon are aligned with or slightly ahead of the front edge 72 of such top edge guide 66. With such - alignment, upon impact o the hammer 48 against the paper 58 such paper i9 permitted to be malntained in a straigh~ position as it is moved past the printing station.
In operation, with the print band 10 removed from the printer, springs 28 and 34 yieldingly urge their respective pulleys 12 and 14 upwardly against the associ~ted flywheel 22 and collar 32. During application of a print band 10 to the printery such pulleys 12 and 14 are caused to be moved downward-ly ~ufficiently whereby the band upper edge is presen~ed under the lower front edge of the top guide 66. Thereater, wlth th~
print band 10 properly positioned on the crowne~ p~rtions of ?0 such pulleys 12 and 14, whlch takes place automatically upon lnitial operation of the printer; the force of the sevaral springs 28 and 34 is such to insure between 50 and l 00 grams of load betw~en the band 10 and the upper guide 56. This load is ~ufficient to malntain the band upper edge ln sliding contact with the guide 66 under all operating conditions of the printer -- whether ~he tendency for prln~ b~nd lO shiting ls v~rtically upwardly as hereln defined or vertically downwardly through employment of a different print hammer arrangement.
It is thus seen that herein sh~n and described i8 a print band top edge guide assembly which provides structure and function for rnalntainlng the pri~t band in a precise path along the line o~ printing. The print band is thereby restrained or caused to be driven in such path and ~he effect of the force of the print hammer thereagainst is constrailled by the engage-ment of the print band wlth the top edge guide at all times during printer operation. The apparatus en bles the accomplish-ment of the objects and advantages mentioned above and while only one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein~
variations thereo may occur to those skilled in the art, especially in the areas of pulley mounting, spring biasing and print hammer arrangements. It i~ thus contemplated that all such variations not departing frcm the spirit and ~cope of the invention hereof9 are to be con~trued in accordance with the following claims.
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-. Patent No. 3,012,49~99 as issued on December 12, 19~1 to S. Amada, wherein a high speed printing system has a type belt with print-ing type thereon and a guide is provided wlth upper and lower portion~ to fit over ~he edges of the belt for suppressing vibration and shifting of the type belt and a central portion i8 provided to receive the force oE the printing type.
United States Patent No. 3,216,348, issued on November 9, 1965 to K~ F. Oldenburg et ~1. 9 discloses ha~mer timing me~ns in a hi~h speed belt printer having a belt with hammer~ and a sprocket or drlving the belt. The bel~ 1B guided along a channel ~haped ~uideway and lncludes flanges which over-lap the edges of the belt so as to maintain ~uch belt in contact with the guid~way as it is advanced past the hammers.
United States Patent No. 3,224,366, issued on Decemb~r ~1, 1965 to JO M~ Cunninghan\, dlscloses a ~ype carrler device which includes a stationsry guide member taking the fonm of a monorail attached to a support p:late and havi.ng parallel spaced-apart straight portions connected at opposite ends by curved portlons to form a continuous closed guide path for the type el~ments.
; United States Pa~ent Noc 3,402,657, which l~sued on September ~4, 1968 to J. T. Potter et al.g dlscloses a hlgh speed belt printer wlth printing slug ~upporting means where~n a prlnt chain is establl~hed by a plurality of integrally casted prin~ing ~lugs clipped about the edges of an elastic timing beltO Tlle print chain is supported rela~ive to the print hQmmers by a fr~ne fe~turing a modular or sub-assembly ccnstructi~n in whlch the basic components are formed from a length of precision stoclc of the same cross-section.
United States Patent No. 3,745,~18, which issued on July 17, 1~73 to F. J. Perry et al., disclose~ U-shape~ type carrlers with legs of increasing width whlch overlap ~he legs of adjacent carriers to provide stability ~nd close spacln~
of the type characters, and provldes for upper and lo~er guide members having inturned llp portions whlch engage each type 10 carrier to maintain same in operating alignment along a prlnt-lng line.
United States Patent No. 3,805,697~ l~sued on April 23" 1974 ~o J. A. Mahe, discloses a cartriclge or a print charaeter band ~hlch includes a pair of magnetlc strips to n~aintain the print band agalnst a portlon of the lnner wall of the cartridge cover.
Unit:ed Stai:es Pa ten~ No . 3, 805 D 698 ~ lssued on April 23, 1974 to G. W. l~ers, Jr. et al., discloses ~ print carr~er and transport cartridge which haæ ~n endless pr~nt b~tnd or belt 20 with guide means formed by a V-shaped ridge araund th~3 belt.
The cartxidge includes a housin~ having a s~de wall whlch ~n-clude~ a recessed portion that cooperates wlth the ridge of the print b~lt as it pas~es the hammer assembly" ther~by restr~lning the print characters from moving in an upward or downward direction O
Urlited States P3t~nt No. 3~97292~2, i~5ued on Augu5t ~2~77 .' 39 lg76 to J. Konkel; discloses a type train a,~sembly having a : pair o.~ endless belts, ~ype carrlers with ~ype block~, and a guide mounted on a ~uppor~ with the gulde having a slot for the block~ A carrier guide bar i~ also mounted on the support to hold the type blncks in position and to provide rigid support for the type faces when struck by the han~ers.
And United States Patent No. 3~630yl44~ which lssued on December 28, 1971 to F. Hllpert et al., discloses a toothed belt with type carri~rs thereon malntained along a print line by means of a C-shapecl type carrler guide wi~hin ~he prlnter station and opposite the printer hammers provided.
The present invention relates to band printers and more particularly to guide means for ~n endle~s band which contains ~ype charaeterfi along the circumerential s-urf~ce thereo~. The print band 1~ ~rained around a drive pulley and an idler pulley, ~ueh pulleys ~e:Lng bia~ed in an u~wardly di-rection to maintain the prlnt band in a precise path along a line of print hammers. A platen member is dispo~ed between the drive pulley and the idler pulley and along whieh pla~en ~he prlnt band travels to a posi.tion where prln~lng ~3 performed in a line at a time by the print hammer~. The print hammer~ are dc~7nwardly disposed and swingable about a common axis and upon ~ actuatioll of the prlnt h~nmlers 9 the fa~e o~ the hammcr is eaused to be swung in aTI a~'c agalnst th~ character~ on ~he print band. Since the swinging of the print hammers ls in an upward -arc and thus resul~s in an upward force being directed against the print band, means must be provided to maintain the print band in a precise path and along a desired printing line with the platen. To this end a top edge : guide is secured to the platen to provide a surface against which the upper edge of the print band is biased continuously in contact to maintain the print band in such precise path and to prevent the print band from moving vertically away from the line of printing.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a print guide assembly for use with a print band and a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with the print band along a printing line, said assembly comprising platen means positioned along said printing line; guide means adjacent said platen means and extending along said printing line;
and means biasing said print band into engagement with said guide means for retaining said print band in a precise position along said printing line during impact by said print hammers.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print band assembly for operation with a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with record media along a print line adjacent the print band, said assembly including platen means positioned to provide back support for said print band upon impact of said print hammers there-against, the operation of said print hammers tending to produce a vertically directed force upon impact against said print band; guide means secured to one side of said platen means along said print line; and means continuously urging the print band in a direction for maintaining one edge thereof in engagement with said guide means to retain said print band in a precise position along said print line.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided ~na printer having platen means positioned along a line of printing, a type character carrying member moveable along said printing line, and hammer means moveable into impact with said type character carrying ' , .
~Zl'77 ; member, means for maintaining said type character carrying member in precise position along said printing line, comprising a guide member adjacent one side of said platen means along the major length thereof and engageable by one side of said type character carrying member, and spring means conti-nuously urging said type character carrying member into engagement with said guide member with sufficient pressure to prevent movement of said type character carrying member from said printing line during impact of said hammer means thereagainst.
In accordance with the above discussion, the principal object of the present invention is to provide means for maintaining the print band in the desired path of travel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stationary guide member continuously engaging and maintaining the print band along a precise path past associated print hammers.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide means for preventing vertical movement of the print band during impact of the print hammers therewith A further object of the present invention is to provide a top edge guide to prevent upward vertical motion of the print band along the line of printing which results from a lifting force being transmitted to the print band by ~he print hammers upon impact therewith.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent and fully understood from a reading of the following description taken together with the - 6a -`` 31 ~.. f32~77 .
annexed drawing in which:
Flg . 1 is a d~ agran~natic plan view of tl-le print band train~d around th~ support pulleys clnd along a line of printing.
Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the pulle~s and th~
.
supports thereor.
Fi~. 3 is an enlarged sectional vie~7 taken along the line 3-3 of Fig~ 2 a~d shG~ing the relationship of the print hammer and vflrious other prlntlng elements.
Fig. 4 is an operational shawlng o the prlnt hammer or Fig. 3 wl~h resultant forceq upo.rl irnpact of the prlnt hammer against th~ prlnt ~and~
As mentloned previously, a printer which utilizes ~nd incorporates the sub~ect matter of the present invention include~
a prlnt band which carries a plurality of type charac~ers thereon. Such band prlnter dist:Lnguishes from a drum printer in a number o areas and feature~, the mo~t signlic~nt area being the type ~haracter carrying structure. Qs illustrated ~n Fi~. 1, a print band 10 is tralned around a drive pull~y 12 an~
a dr~ve~ or idler pulley 14~ Suc~ drive pulley 12 is driven by ~u~table means whlch~ as lllustxated in Fig. 2, includes a drive ~shaft 16 ~ournaled in bearlng~ 17 and 19 supportcd frGm respect~
ive upper and l~wer printer framework 18 and 20. Alth~ugh not lllu~trated~ such drfve ~haft 16 is ~5ult~1y connected to a drive motor or contlnuous rotation durlng operat~on of the printer, A fl~wheel 22 ~F18~ 2) ls secured to the shaft 16 at a precise dlstanc above the l~er framework 20 and includes a _ 7 _ .
:' 2 ~ 7 ~
~ d~wnwardly extending dri~e pin 23 which slidingly engage~ a :~ connecting bu~h~ng 24 c~rried by the drive pulley 12 -- such pulley 12 itself being supported on ~he drive shaft 16 by a linear bearing 26 permi~ting sliding movement thereof along the shaft 16 between tlle prlnter lower frame.work 20 and the fl~wheel 22. A medlum to light weight coil spring 28 encireles the drive shaft 16 immediately above the ramework 20 and is of that length to continually urge the drlve pulley 12 upwardly toward engagement with the flywheel 22.
: 10 The driven or idler pulley 14 l~kewi~e include~ a linear bearlng (not shown) per~nltting rotation and slidlllg move-ment thereof along a support shaft 30 secured to the prlnter lower framework 20. ~n ~pper collar 32 is secured to such ~haft 30 in approximate horizontal allgnment with the flywheel 22 and an encircling coil sprlng 34 identical to spring 28 continually urges the idler puiley 14 upwardly toward enga~ment with th~
coll~r 32.
Fram the above construction it is seen that the pin 23 a~d bushlng 24 connection lmparts rotational ~ovement to the 20 drive pulley 12 whenever the drive shaft 16 is cau~ed to be operated, wkile at the same time p~rmitting a degree of axial movement of guch pulley 12 along the shaft lS under con~rol. of the spring 28. L.ike rotational movement is ~mparte~ to the : idler pulley 14 through the prlnt band 10, which latter p~lley has a li~ce degree of movement along its ~upport sh~ft 30 ~lnder control of the ~pring 34.
,~,..' .
:
A platen 40> shown ln elevation in Flg. 2 and in sectional view in Fig. 39 is provldPd between the pulleys 12 and 14 (see also Fig. 1)~ thereby enabling an impact surface for the printing operation~ The platen 40 ~Fig. 33 has a curved surface 44 agai~st which a bearing tape 46 is disposed to provlde a minlmum frlctioll surface or the prlnt band 10 while traveling thare~long (Fig~ 2)~ It is of ourse obvious tha~ any suitable anti~friction type materlal may be employed in or on the t~pe 46. A~ seen in Fig. 3, the print band 10 includes type charac~ers 11 thereon, the faces o which type char~cters extend frorn the print band 10 for impact by the print hammers provided. A plurality of print hammers 48 are sh~wn in Fig. 1 for providing a single line of prin~, each of the print hammexs 48 being carried on a c~mmon pivot 50 and adaptable to be SWUllg from a non-printing posi.tlon (Fig. 3) to a printlng or impact position (Fig. 4) by suitable actuating means, not shown. The face 52 of eac~ print hammer 48, as seen in Fig. 4~ impacts against the type characters 11 on the print band 10 with certain intervenin~ elements be~ween the face 52 of theprin~ hammer 48 and the prin~ band 10, such elements per Fig. 3 cammonly being a ribbon 54~ an apertured shield 56 and record media or paper 58.
As illu~trated ln Flg. 4, when each of the print hamners 48 is caused to ~e swung into con~act with the paper 58 and against the ribbon 54 and the type characters 11 of the print band 10 thPre are ~70 resultlng forces, one being the .
_ g _ .
:~ `
~:
print foxce shown by the line and arr~w 60 and the o~her being a hammer force shown by thc line and arr~ 62. With the parti-cular print hammer coniguration and moun~ing as lllus~rated for the preferred embodiment of the invcntion, it is seen that th~
print force 60 is directed in a horizontal direction while the hammer ~orce 62 is directed in an upwardly direction~ which iorces combine to make up a base and a hypotenuse of a triangle and define resultant force shown by ~he ver~1.cally up~Jard directed line 64 which in efect transmits a liftlng force to ; 10 the print band 10.
In order to stop all vertical motion o~ the print band 10 while traveling past thc printlng s~ation, especially that upward motion resulting fr~m the llfting orce transmitted by the print hammers 48, a top edge gulde 66 made up of a flat metal top piece 68 and a lawer bearing strip 70 extends along and ls secure~ to the upper ~urface of the platen member 40 to provlde a straight surface along which the upper ed~e of the print band 10 rides to maintain the band in a precise pa~h along the printin~ line. As seen in Fig. 3, the bearing strip 70 is suitably affixed by epoxy or ~he llke to ~he rn~tal piece 6~ and i~ lik~wise of anti-friction material to provide minimn~m drag on the prlnt band 10 while travellng th~real.ong. As further se~n in Fig. 3, the pre~erred embodlmellt of the present inven-: tion makes use o an extremely thin (approxlmately .005 o.~ an : inch) print band 10 increasing ~pproximately three fold ~.016 of an inch) in thickness at each type character 11 location. This requires the top ~dge guide 66 to be preclse ln its overhang of : the platen 40 and have its front edge 72 preferably mach~ned or otherwise squared to provide a lower sharR corner for engaging with th~ prin~ band upper edg,e when, to pre~ent crea~ing or other unwanted happenlng to the record media 58, normal positlon-ing o the prlnt band 10 is such that the face sur~aees of the type characters 11 thereon are aligned with or slightly ahead of the front edge 72 of such top edge guide 66. With such - alignment, upon impact o the hammer 48 against the paper 58 such paper i9 permitted to be malntained in a straigh~ position as it is moved past the printing station.
In operation, with the print band 10 removed from the printer, springs 28 and 34 yieldingly urge their respective pulleys 12 and 14 upwardly against the associ~ted flywheel 22 and collar 32. During application of a print band 10 to the printery such pulleys 12 and 14 are caused to be moved downward-ly ~ufficiently whereby the band upper edge is presen~ed under the lower front edge of the top guide 66. Thereater, wlth th~
print band 10 properly positioned on the crowne~ p~rtions of ?0 such pulleys 12 and 14, whlch takes place automatically upon lnitial operation of the printer; the force of the sevaral springs 28 and 34 is such to insure between 50 and l 00 grams of load betw~en the band 10 and the upper guide 56. This load is ~ufficient to malntain the band upper edge ln sliding contact with the guide 66 under all operating conditions of the printer -- whether ~he tendency for prln~ b~nd lO shiting ls v~rtically upwardly as hereln defined or vertically downwardly through employment of a different print hammer arrangement.
It is thus seen that herein sh~n and described i8 a print band top edge guide assembly which provides structure and function for rnalntainlng the pri~t band in a precise path along the line o~ printing. The print band is thereby restrained or caused to be driven in such path and ~he effect of the force of the print hammer thereagainst is constrailled by the engage-ment of the print band wlth the top edge guide at all times during printer operation. The apparatus en bles the accomplish-ment of the objects and advantages mentioned above and while only one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein~
variations thereo may occur to those skilled in the art, especially in the areas of pulley mounting, spring biasing and print hammer arrangements. It i~ thus contemplated that all such variations not departing frcm the spirit and ~cope of the invention hereof9 are to be con~trued in accordance with the following claims.
,~
~ ~2 -.
Claims (20)
1. A print guide assembly for use with a print band and a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with the print band along a printing line, said assembly comprising:
platen means positioned along said printing line;
guide means adjacent said platen means and extending along said printing line; and means biasing said print band into engagement with said guide means for retaining said print band in a precise position along said printing line during impact by said print hammers.
platen means positioned along said printing line;
guide means adjacent said platen means and extending along said printing line; and means biasing said print band into engagement with said guide means for retaining said print band in a precise position along said printing line during impact by said print hammers.
2. The guide assembly of claim 1 wherein said guide means extends along one side of said platen means, and said biasing means urges said print band in a direction to maintain one edge thereof in engagement with said guide means.
3. The guide assembly of claim 1 including a drive pulley and an idler pulley around which said print band is trained to be driven in a path along said printing line, said guide means extends along one side of said platen means, and said biasing means continually urges each of said drive and idler pulleys in a direction to maintain one edge of the print band thereon in engagement with said guide means.
4. The guide assembly of claim 1 wherein said print hammers tend to produce lateral movement to said print band when impacting thereagainst, said guide means extends along one side of said platen means, and said biasing means urges said print band in a direction to maintain one edge thereof in continuous engagement with said guide means so as to prevent any lateral movement being imparted to the print band by said print hammers.
5. The guide assembly of claim 2 wherein said guide means includes a friction-reducing surface therealong for engagement by said band one edge.
6. The guide assembly of claim 3 wherein said guide means extends along the top side of said platen means, and said biasing means comprises a pair of like spring members, one each urging said drive and idler pulleys upwardly to maintain the top edge of the print band thereon in engage-ment with said guide means.
7. The guide assembly of claim 4 wherein said print hammers tend to produce a vertically directed force to the print band upon print hammer impact therewith, said guide means extends along the top side of said platen means, and said biasing means urges said print band upwardly so as to maintain the upper edge thereof in engagement with said guide means.
8. The guide assembly of claim 4 wherein said print hammers tend to produce a vertically directed force to the print band upon print hammer impact therewith, and said biasing means urges said print band in that direction of force as imparted thereto by said print hammers.
9. The guide assembly of claim 6 wherein said guide means includes a bearing surface therealong for engaging said band top edge and reducing friction therebetween during driving of the print band along said printing line.
10. The guide assembly of claim 7 wherein the mounting of said print hammers is such that the force directed to the print band upon hammer impact therewith is in a direc-tion towards said guide means.
11. A print band assembly for operation with a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with record media along a print line adjacent the print band, said assembly including:
platen means positioned to provide back support for said print band upon impact of said print hammers there-against, the operation of said print hammers tending to pro-duce a vertically directed force upon impact against said print band;
guide means secured to one side of said platen means along said print line; and 11 (concluded) means continuously urging the print band in a direc-tion for maintaining one edge thereof in engagement with said guide means to retain said print band in a precise position along said print line.
platen means positioned to provide back support for said print band upon impact of said print hammers there-against, the operation of said print hammers tending to pro-duce a vertically directed force upon impact against said print band;
guide means secured to one side of said platen means along said print line; and 11 (concluded) means continuously urging the print band in a direc-tion for maintaining one edge thereof in engagement with said guide means to retain said print band in a precise position along said print line.
12. The assembly of claim 11 including friction-reducing bearing means secured to said guide means for engage-ment by said print band one edge.
13. The assembly of claim 11 including a drive pulley and a driven pulley about which said print band is trained to be driven in a path along said print line, said urging means comprises a pair of spring members one associated with each of said drive and driven pulleys and arranged to urge same axially in that direction whereby the print band edge adjacent said guide means is caused to be maintained in engagement therewith.
14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein said spring members combine to produce between fifty and one hundred grams of load between the band one edge and said guide means.
15. The assembly of claim 13 wherein said print hammers produce an upwardly directed force to said print band upon impact therewith, said guide means is secured to the upper side of said platen means, and said spring members urge 15 (concluded) said drive and driven pulleys upwardly to present the top edge of the print band thereon in engagement with said guide means.
16. In a printer having platen means positioned along a line of printing, a type character carrying member moveable along said printing line, and hammer means moveable into impact with said type character carrying member, means for maintaining said type character carrying member in precise position along said printing line,comprising:
a guide member adjacent one side of said platen means along the major length thereof and engageable by one side of said type character carrying member, and spring means continuously urging said type character carrying member into engagement with said guide member with sufficient pressure to prevent movement of said type character carrying member from said printing line during impact of said hammer means thereagainst.
a guide member adjacent one side of said platen means along the major length thereof and engageable by one side of said type character carrying member, and spring means continuously urging said type character carrying member into engagement with said guide member with sufficient pressure to prevent movement of said type character carrying member from said printing line during impact of said hammer means thereagainst.
17. In the printer of claim 16 wherein said type character carrying member is a band moveable along said print-ing line and having the upper edge thereof maintained in con-tinuous engagement with said guide member.
18. In the printer of claim 16 including a drive pulley and a driven pulley, said type character carrying member comprises a band trained about said pulleys for following a 18 (concluded) a path along said printing line, and said spring means urges each of said pulleys to a position defined by one edge of said band engaging with said guide member.
19. In the printer of claim 16 including friction-reducing bearing means secured to said guide member for engage-ment with said one side of said type character carrying member.
20. In the printer of claim 16 wherein said guide member includes a front edge aligned with or slightly behind the face surfaces of the type characters as provided on said type character carrying member.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US79984377A | 1977-05-23 | 1977-05-23 | |
| US799,843 | 1985-11-18 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1102177A true CA1102177A (en) | 1981-06-02 |
Family
ID=25176907
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA301,464A Expired CA1102177A (en) | 1977-05-23 | 1978-04-19 | Print band one edge guide |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS53145729A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1102177A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2821173C3 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2391851A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1575288A (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE3116137A1 (en) * | 1981-04-23 | 1982-11-11 | Ibm Deutschland Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart | TYPE RIBBON PRINTER |
| JPH03200617A (en) * | 1989-12-28 | 1991-09-02 | Kuroki Kogyosho:Kk | Muffling roller |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3012499A (en) * | 1957-09-26 | 1961-12-12 | Amada Sanae | High speed printing system |
| NL7008102A (en) * | 1970-06-04 | 1971-12-07 | ||
| US3752069A (en) * | 1971-07-01 | 1973-08-14 | Ibm | Back printer print line visibility control |
| JPS5254411Y2 (en) * | 1971-11-08 | 1977-12-09 | ||
| JPS51146914A (en) * | 1975-06-11 | 1976-12-16 | Nippon Electric Co | Type belt for belt printer |
| CA1104874A (en) * | 1977-01-24 | 1981-07-14 | James R. Moss | Print band support mechanism |
-
1978
- 1978-04-19 CA CA301,464A patent/CA1102177A/en not_active Expired
- 1978-05-09 GB GB1848278A patent/GB1575288A/en not_active Expired
- 1978-05-13 DE DE19782821173 patent/DE2821173C3/en not_active Expired
- 1978-05-15 JP JP5669978A patent/JPS53145729A/en active Granted
- 1978-05-23 FR FR7815187A patent/FR2391851A1/en active Granted
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE2821173C3 (en) | 1981-11-19 |
| DE2821173A1 (en) | 1978-11-30 |
| JPS6226316B2 (en) | 1987-06-08 |
| JPS53145729A (en) | 1978-12-19 |
| GB1575288A (en) | 1980-09-17 |
| FR2391851B1 (en) | 1984-03-09 |
| DE2821173B2 (en) | 1981-03-12 |
| FR2391851A1 (en) | 1978-12-22 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |