Abstract: A special-purpose clutch incorporated in a drive mechanism of hot stamping apparatus wherein heated type on a rotary type carrier is periodically pressed against a printing ribbon in superposition on a continuous strip of plastics or other material being fed at constant speed over a platen, thereby imprinting characters on the strip at constant spacings. The clutch comprises a drive disk mounted on a motor output shaft, a driven disk mounted on a type carrier shaft, and a spring through which rotation is normally imparted from the drive to driven disk. The spring is yieldable to permit the driven disk to be rotated, while the heated type is being pressed each time against the printing ribbon, by the strip of material at lower speed than the drive disk. The angular speed of the type being pressed against the ribbon can thus be precisely synchronized with the linear speed of the strip traveling over the platen.

Abstract: For imprinting characters on a continuous strip of plastics or other material by pressing heated type against a printing ribbon thereon, the strip is fed at constant speed over a platen in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the printing ribbon from payoff reel to takeup reel. The type is mounted on a rotary type carrier over the platen, for revolution in a direction in conformity with the traveling direction of the strip. While the heated type is being pressed against the superposed ribbon and strip over the platen, the ribbon is thereby transported a predetermined distance toward the payoff reel with the strip relative to the platen and, when subsequently released by the type, is pulled back the same distance toward the takeup reel by a spring-energized pullback lever. The ribbon is then wound up onto the takeup reel via a pair of drawoff rollers just by a length corresponding to the width of the character or characters on the typeface.