Abstract: This invention relates to a curl correction apparatus comprising holder means for holding a rolled sheet material; transport means for transporting the sheet material housed in said holder means; a curl correction member positioned between said holder means and said transport means and adapted to guide said sheet material in a curved state for correction of the curl thereof; a guide member contacting a face of said sheet material opposite to the face guided by said curl correction member and serving to guide said sheet material to said curl correction member; and moving means for moving at least one of said curl correction member and said guide member according to the amount of said sheet material remaining in said holder means.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a feeding mechanism comprises feeding members to contact with a recording medium and exert a feeding force to the recording medium, holding portions for holding the feeding members in predetermined positions, and a shaft rotatively supported axially at both ends thereof. At least one portion of the shaft is in a tapering configuration to make its end side portion thinner, hence facilitating the mounting of the feeding member while maintaining the strength of the shaft member. The present invention is also directed to a recording apparatus including such a feeding mechanism.

Abstract: A thermal recording device suitable for use in an electronic typewriter for printing characters on a printing paper by means of an ink sheet. The device has a thermal recording head adapted to be pressed onto the printing paper through the ink sheet so as to print the characters on the printing paper. The ink sheet is adapted to be fed by a reversible winding device. The recording device further has a first detector for detecting the length of the ink sheet fed by the feeding device in a period between a moment at which the feeding is commenced and a moment at which the thermal recording head reaches the first image recording position, and a second detector for detecting the length of the ink sheet fed by the feeding device in a period between a moment at which the thermal recording head leaves the final image recording position and a moment at which the thermal recording head is stopped.

Abstract: A paper feed device for a recording apparatus includes means for containing a plurality of sheets therein, supply means for feeding the sheets from the containing means, conveyor means for feeding the sheets fed by the supply means in the paper feeding direction and in the opposite direction so as to pass through a recording station, a reversible motor for commonly driving the supply means and the conveyor means, means for driving the conveyor means in the paper feeding direction by forward rotation of the motor, driving the conveyor means in the opposite direction by reverse rotation of the motor and driving the supply means, and means for selectively inhibiting the operation of the supply means during the reverse rotation of the motor.

Abstract: A connecting element for a printer housing has housing parts which are connected to one another by at least one connecting element, into which connecting element is integrated a locator device in the form of a T-slot for anchoring peripheral devices to the housing of the printer. Peripheral devices can be detachably connected to the locator device either directly or indirectly by means of an anchor plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling tension on a sheet material in a reel-to-reel transport system. The sheet material is feed along a defined path from a supply reel to a take-up reel. A motor is operatively connected to the take-up reel for applying a torque to the take-up reel while a sensor is positioned to detect rotation of the supply reel. A microcontroller enables the motor with an initial PWM pwm.sub.o to create torque on the take-up reel and then incrementally increases the PWM. When the sensor indicates that the supply reel has moved, the current PWM is stored in memory as pwm.sub.i. This pwm.sub.i is subsequently used by the apparatus to determine a desired tension on the thermal ribbon.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording and correction method, in which a thermal transfer ink layer is placed in contact with a transfer-receiving medium and is heated by heat generating elements of a thermal head in a pattern corresponding to a recording signal, is improved by preheating the ink layer. The ink layer, which is characterized by a transfer initiation temperature, is preheated by the thermal head which is heated by a preheating means. When a region of the ink layer is then further heated by the heat generating elements, the temperature of that region has a maximum and a minimum both within a range extending from the transfer initiation temperature to about 40.degree. C. higher than the transfer initiation temperature. Since the maximum and minimum temperatures are within a suppressed temperature range, an erroneous image can be more easily peeled off the transfer-receiving medium.

Abstract: An improved wire dot print head for increased integrated density is provided. The wire dot print head includes a frame. A plurality of drive coils are mounted within the frame. A lever for driving print wires has a print wire mounted at one end and its other end formed as a hook to act as a rotation support member. When an excitement current flows through the coil, the lever is caused to move so that the print wires rotate about the rotation support member causing the print wires to strike a platen. The wires guided by guide holes which form a circular array at one armature end, and a row or rows at the printing end.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printing solenoid specifically adapted and improved for the printing of Braille dots and in particular interpoint Braille. A plunger and printing shaft are fixably mounted together and the combination mounted for slidable movement in a rear end cap and in a molded insert bearing between energized and deenergized positions. The plunger/printing shaft combination are located within a bobbin having an electric coil wound thereon. A tubular case encloses the coil and mounts a front bushing which in turn mounts the molded insert bearing. A rear flux washer is held in place between the bobbin by the rear end cap which is retained within the rear portion of the tubular case. During energization, the plunger and printing shaft combination move such that the shaft strikes a piece of paper to be imprinted with a Braille dot. Depending upon whether the dot is to extend away from the solenoid or towards the solenoid, an embossing ball or an embossing recess is used on the end of the printing shaft.

Abstract: A thermal image recording apparatus has a thermal print head removably supported on a supporting wall and held in place by a releasable latch arrangement which can take the form of at least one movable detent engageable with a rib provided for that purpose on the print head, e.g. on a cooling fin on the rear side of the print head. The detent can be a lever arm having at one end a hook for engaging the rib, the arm being pivotable to dis-engage the hook from the rib and release the print head for removal. The arm is preferably spring-biased to normally engage the rib and both rib and hook can have inclined surfaces allowing for snap-engagement thereof when the print head is mounted on the supporting wall. Preferably, a rib and associated detent is provided at opposite ends of the print head. Alternatively, the latch can be rotated in a plane parallel to the supporting wall to and from a latching position engaging the rib to release position disengaged therefrom.

Abstract: A high resolution thermal printer capable of printing both directly on a thermally responsive media and indirectly through a thermally responsive donor media is disclosed. The printer has a printing media guide mounted as an intermediate clamshell structure to accurately position the printing media immediately adjacent the print head and platen. The printing media guide includes a nip roller and guide bar independently suspended on a spring biased, pivot plate arrangement. The printing media is centered on the supply spool, and the printer includes a read/write circuit to communicate with a profiler chip centrally mounted in the printing media roll. The printer may also include a read/write circuit to communicate with a donor profiler chip centrally mounted in the donor media roll. A constant pressure brake with a friction belt is used directly against the printing media. A spring arm latch/channel block arrangement is used to secure the printing media supply spool.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that makes it more difficult to print fraudulent indicia. Security is achieved by varying the dot size of pixels in the printed image according to a predetermined arrangement.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a print control method capable of increasing a printing speed by preventing the drop of the printing speed in line feed without increasing an economical burden.Disclosed is a print control method of carrying out printing by detecting a reference position signal SP for detecting an initial position of an endless ring-shaped type belt 13 having a multiplicity of types 15 and a type position signal CP of each of the types 15 as well as carrying out a type position count CC corresponding to each of the types 15, the method comprising the step of detecting the reference position signal SP each time the type belt 13 rotates once as well as detecting the reference position signal SP after the completion of printing of one line only if it is a final line to be printed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a multi-color printed nonwoven laminate and a process for producing the laminate. The laminate includes a fibrous nonwoven web facing layer and a substrate layer bonded to the facing layer by a plurality of colored adhesive inks applied in a discrete bond pattern between the facing and substrate layers. The inks must provide a cohesion strength between the layers of at least about 38,000 N/m.sup.2 and the inks must be visible through the surface or the facing layer. The laminate so produced has good delamination characteristics, is aesthetically pleasing and the printed patterns are resistant to abrasion due to the position and nature of the inks. Suitable uses include an outercover for personal care absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, sanitary napkins, bandages and the like as well as a material for use as all or a portion of an article of clothing or a surgical drape.

Abstract: A tape printing apparatus has a main body, a print device mounted on the main body, and a tape wound body being rotatably supported on the main body. The tape wound body has an annular core member, and a print tape wound on the annular core member. The print tape includes a tape base material including a print surface, and an adhesive layer being exposed to a surface opposite to the print surface of said tape base material. The print device prints data on the print surface of the print tape wound on the tape wound body. The print device contacts an outermost print surface of the print tape. The main body includes a bias device for urging the tape wound body toward the print device, a tape feeder for rotating the tape wound body in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the tape wound body, and a tape separator for separating the print tape by peeling off the print tape in a wound state.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus comprises a driver unit and a control unit and has a normal operation mode and a low power consumption mode in which the entire or a portion of the driver unit is in a rest condition. When the mode is changed from the low power consumption mode to the normal operation mode by the control unit, the driver unit is initialized to prevent malfunction which would otherwise be caused when the mode is changed to the normal operation mode.

Abstract: A ribbon cassette of which the type of ink ribbon accommodated in the ribbon cassette may be identified by diagonally-arranged detection switches arranged on the carriage of a thermal transfer printer, without using a plurality of types of ribbon cassette case which are different in shape.

Abstract: A method for driving an ink jet print head is here disclosed which is characterized by comprising the steps of carrying out printing, while a print head (1) is moved one dot at a time by 4 dots of each nozzle (2) in the print head (1) in one print scanning direction in one print line on a print paper; further repeating the printing operation 4 times in the one direction in this print line; carrying out printing, while the print head (1) is moved one dot at a time by 4 dots in another print scanning direction; further repeating the printing operation 4 times in the other direction in this print line; and then terminating one reciprocating motion of the print head (1) in the print scanning direction at a point when the print head (1) has returned to a print motion starting point.

Abstract: The invention provides a ticket issuing device including ticket roll stock support means, a path for ticket stock to move from the roll past a guillotine station, a magnetic ticket encoder station, a ticket printer station, and computer-controlled ticket processing electronic circuitry, is characterised in that the guillotine, encoder and printer stations comprise separate modules composed of construction elements mounted on base plate members.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is capable of recording an image on a recording medium and of erasing an image recorded on the recording medium. The apparatus has a recording device such as a print hammer and a drive motor therefor; an erasure tape for erasing the image recorded on the recording medium by the recording device; a shift mechanism for shifting the erasure tape upwardly or downwardly; a circuit for causing the erasure tape to execute a plurality of image erasing operations; a recognition device for recognizing an erasure condition such as the kind of erasure ribbon, the kind of character and the size of a character; and a control circuit for controlling the shift mechanism so that the amount of shift of the erasure tape varies in accordance with the erasure conditions recognized by the recognition device. It is accordingly possible to improve the image erasure function of the apparatus.