US3893715A - Matrix fraction font - Google Patents

Matrix fraction font Download PDF

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Publication number
US3893715A
US3893715A US429338A US42933873A US3893715A US 3893715 A US3893715 A US 3893715A US 429338 A US429338 A US 429338A US 42933873 A US42933873 A US 42933873A US 3893715 A US3893715 A US 3893715A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
matrix
major
printing
minor
character
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 - Lifetime
Application number
US429338A
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English (en)
Inventor
Gary R Haak
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
AT&T Teletype Corp
Original Assignee
Teletype Corp
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Teletype Corp filed Critical Teletype Corp
Priority to US429338A priority Critical patent/US3893715A/en
Priority to CA208,060A priority patent/CA1041832A/en
Priority to GB53239/74A priority patent/GB1489613A/en
Priority to JP49145799A priority patent/JPS5099439A/ja
Priority to IT30875/74A priority patent/IT1027928B/it
Priority to DE19742460531 priority patent/DE2460531A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3893715A publication Critical patent/US3893715A/en
Assigned to AT&T TELETYPE CORPORATION A CORP OF DE reassignment AT&T TELETYPE CORPORATION A CORP OF DE CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). EFFECTIVE AUG., 17, 1984 Assignors: TELETYPE CORPORATION
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/485—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by the process of building-up characters or image elements applicable to two or more kinds of printing or marking processes
    • B41J2/505—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by the process of building-up characters or image elements applicable to two or more kinds of printing or marking processes from an assembly of identical printing elements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to type fonts and more particularly to a font of numeric-fraction-like characters for a character-element printing system.
  • Matrix printing of alphanumeric characters is a compromise. If the matrix is small, for example, a 5 X 7 array of dots, the character shape is coarse and distoned. If the matrix size is increased, for example, a 7 X 9 array of dots, the character shape is more refined yet still limited, but the coding complexity is greatly increased. In order to obtain still greater refinement of the type font and in order to print small fractions, a matrix of as much as 8 X l2 has been used. However, a larger matrix size results in undesirable levels of character-font generation complexity and very high cost. Alternatively, fonts are possible having irregular shapes better to accommodate curves, etc. with less than the highest costs of font-generating memory. However, scanning logic then increases in cost and complexity. There was thought to be no convenient way to produce elaborate fonts including fractions, without the high cost of a 8 X l2 matrix or an irregular font.
  • Fraction fonts have, to be sure, been produced in a 7 X 9 or smaller matrix but only using two or more character spaces to constitute a single numeric fraction or with unacceptably close proximity between the digits of the fraction and the fraction line, slash, or bar.
  • a font of numeric-fraction-like figures comprises a small matrix of character elements in one corner of a larger matrix, another small matrix of character elements in the opposite corner of the larger matrix, and a discontinuous line extending generally between the remaining two corners of the larger matrix.
  • FIG. 1 shows a straightforward fraction font according to the prior art, using a large (8 X 12) dot matrix
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of a fraction using a smaller (5 X 7) dot matrix
  • FIG. 3 shows a fraction font on a 7 X 9 dot matrix, according to the present invention.
  • FIG. I a fraction font is shown using a 8 X l2 rectangular matrix of dots in order to generate a more conventional fraction. It is seen that considerable effort has been made to separate the digits l3 and the diagonal lines or bars 14 by means of spaces 16 so that the dots 18 of a digit 13 and the dots 20 of a diagonal line 14 do not intersect or in any way touch one another. This is most essential since any contact between a digit and the diagonal line or bar of a frac tion would tend to make the fraction less readable.
  • fraction font shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated in a greatly enlarged size but it will be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art that in normal practice.
  • a printed or displayed character is approximately 0. I00 0.I67 inches high.
  • each dot l8 and 20 would be on the order of .01 inches in diameter.
  • each digit was made 5 units or less wide and 5 units high in order to make it large enough for visibility in a normal paper print out or CRT display. This problem can be appreciated more particularly by viewing the fraction (indicated by the reference 22) at a great distance.
  • a 5 X 7 matrix serves the purpose of printing legible alphanumeric characters. Fractions can, after a fashion, be printed on a 5 X 7 matrix, as illustrated in FIG. 2. However, many of the character shapes of a 5 X 7 matrix admittedly look crude. Additionally, using three character spaces to produce a single fraction is most objectionable in transmission and displays in which fractions constitute a large proportion of the printed or displayed material. This is most critical in the transmission, display, and printing of stock quotations, etc. Also, the crudeness ofa 5 X 7 alphanumeric font is often objectionable with some characters being often mistaken for others especially at slightly greater-than-normal viewing distances.
  • each digit such as 40 is formed on an adequate 3 X 5 minor matrix at the two, customary, opposite corners 42 and 44 of the font.
  • the two opposite digits of each fraction do not touch one another are separated by a space 46.
  • a fragmentary or hiatal line or bar 48 is formed substantially diagonally from each of the other two corners 50 and 52 but stop ping short of the center of the major matrix at the space 46 and also stopping short of contact with either digit 40.
  • the hiatus is formed in the center of the fraction bar or line in order to preclude the smearing or distortion of the fraction resulting from contact of either digit with the bar. Therefore, as opposed to the continuous but merely foreshortened bar 14 of HO. 1, the bar 48 is formed of two line segments that together form a line that is not smoothly continuous but is discontinuous and even has a gap between the two segments.
  • a percent sign 54 is shown in FIG. 3 to illustrate that fraction-like figures can also be formed in the same manner and to illustrate the formation of the digit in a 3 X minor matrix.
  • a discontinuous line extending generally between a third corner of the major matrix and a fourth corner of the major matrix.
  • a font of numerical-fraction-like figures according to claim 1 wherein the discontinuous line comprises:
  • a major printing array of generally parallelogram shape in which indicia are formed wherein the improvement comprises: defining two minor printing arrays of generally parallelogram shape located within the major printing array and at diagonally opposite corners of the major printing array;
  • a method according to claim 5 including positioning the minor printing arrays so as to assure that no character element of one minor printing array will be immediately adjacent to a character element of the other minor printing array.
  • discontinuous line is placed in a generally diagonal position separating the two minor printing arrays.
  • discontinuous diagonal line is formed so as to be discontinous in the portion of the major printing array where any element of the diagonal line, if continuous, would lie immediately adjacent to a character element in either of the minor printing arrays.
  • a method according to claim 5 including forming the discontinuous line in the major printing array in a generally diagonal position separating the two minor printing arrays.
  • discontinuous diagonal line is formed so as to be discontinuous in the portion of the major printing array where any element of the diagonal line, if continuous, would lie immediately adjacent to a character element in either of the minor printing arrays.

Landscapes

  • Controls And Circuits For Display Device (AREA)
  • Dot-Matrix Printers And Others (AREA)
  • Digital Computer Display Output (AREA)
  • Calculators And Similar Devices (AREA)
US429338A 1973-12-28 1973-12-28 Matrix fraction font Expired - Lifetime US3893715A (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US429338A US3893715A (en) 1973-12-28 1973-12-28 Matrix fraction font
CA208,060A CA1041832A (en) 1973-12-28 1974-08-29 Dot matrix fraction font
GB53239/74A GB1489613A (en) 1973-12-28 1974-12-09 Display apparatus for fraction-like figures
JP49145799A JPS5099439A (it) 1973-12-28 1974-12-20
IT30875/74A IT1027928B (it) 1973-12-28 1974-12-20 Dispositivo di visualizzazione per figure del tipo a fraziioni numeriche
DE19742460531 DE2460531A1 (de) 1973-12-28 1974-12-20 Schriftsystem zur darstellung von bruechen durch aus einzelelementen zusammengesetzre schriftzeichen

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US429338A US3893715A (en) 1973-12-28 1973-12-28 Matrix fraction font

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3893715A true US3893715A (en) 1975-07-08

Family

ID=23702816

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US429338A Expired - Lifetime US3893715A (en) 1973-12-28 1973-12-28 Matrix fraction font

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3893715A (it)
JP (1) JPS5099439A (it)
CA (1) CA1041832A (it)
DE (1) DE2460531A1 (it)
GB (1) GB1489613A (it)
IT (1) IT1027928B (it)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4033444A (en) * 1976-01-20 1977-07-05 Burroughs Corporation System for extending the life of a pin printer using pin shifting
US4591279A (en) * 1984-08-17 1986-05-27 M. E. Cunningham Company Marking machine for forming variable sized characters
US4810867A (en) * 1987-02-04 1989-03-07 M. E. Cunningham Company Bar code marking the surface of an object

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5876277U (ja) * 1981-11-19 1983-05-23 沖電気工業株式会社 ビデオ信号発生回路

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2730040A (en) * 1951-11-08 1956-01-10 Ibm High speed multiple character wire printer
US3163949A (en) * 1962-11-30 1965-01-05 Dependable Printed Circuit Cor Digital illuminated display device

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2730040A (en) * 1951-11-08 1956-01-10 Ibm High speed multiple character wire printer
US3163949A (en) * 1962-11-30 1965-01-05 Dependable Printed Circuit Cor Digital illuminated display device

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4033444A (en) * 1976-01-20 1977-07-05 Burroughs Corporation System for extending the life of a pin printer using pin shifting
US4591279A (en) * 1984-08-17 1986-05-27 M. E. Cunningham Company Marking machine for forming variable sized characters
US4810867A (en) * 1987-02-04 1989-03-07 M. E. Cunningham Company Bar code marking the surface of an object

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2460531A1 (de) 1975-07-10
JPS5099439A (it) 1975-08-07
CA1041832A (en) 1978-11-07
GB1489613A (en) 1977-10-26
IT1027928B (it) 1978-12-20

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Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: AT&T TELETYPE CORPORATION A CORP OF DE

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:TELETYPE CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:004372/0404

Effective date: 19840817