GB1176778A - Character Generation System. - Google Patents

Abstract

1,176,778. Generating characters for printing. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. 8 Aug., 1968, No. 37940/68. Heading G4H. The invention relates to a character generating system of the kind, e.g. as described in Specification 1,142,084, in which characters are generated by a co-ordinate array of storage cores (9 columns, 15 rows) through certain ones of which a wire is threaded for each character, to set cores in a corresponding pattern, a complete line of (20) characters being printed together by setting the matrix for the first character, reading out the top row to energise appropriate dot printing heads of a wire printer, resetting the matrix for the second character, reading out and printing the top row of the second character and so on, and then repeating for subsequent rows until all the rows of all the characters are recorded. The present invention provides means for varying the spacing between characters including means for resetting all the cores of the matrix so as to obtain outputs from every column having a core set. These signals are combined with the signals from the top row to obtain an indication of the full character width which is entered in a width recorder, and applied to a counter unit. This controls the printing position of the,following character to obtain the desired inter-character spacing. Line justification may be achieved by including with the character code representing an interword space details of its required width. The width recorder detects the presence of a space code and translates it into a signal which is a function of its width. A similar space-varying arrangement may be associated with the system described in Specification 1,157,237, which uses a waffle iron store for the character shapes.