Abstract: A method of printing on a print face of a linerless media with the printing face of a printhead without a platen member opposite the printing face. The method comprises the steps of, guiding the print face of the media to a point close adjacent and slightly above the printing face; routing the print face across the printing face; pulling the media across the printing face from a point slightly above the printing face; and, creating a drag force on the media to hold the print face against the printing face during printing. A guide member guides the media to a point close adjacent the printing face. The drag can be created by putting a drag clutch on the supply roll, routing the media between drag rollers, or having a high friction surface on the guide member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recording system including a recording head for performing recording on a sheet, a first rotary member disposed at a downstream side of the recording head and contacting an unrecorded surface of the sheet on which the recording is performed by the recording head and adapted to apply a feeding force to the sheet, and a second rotary member being provided at its peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth and contacting a recorded surface of the sheet with the tips of the teeth thereof, and cooperating with the first rotary member to feed the sheet. The plural teeth of the second rotary member are staggered with other teeth in a direction transverse to a sheet feeding direction. A member is provided to clean the first and second rotary members.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer for printing images and patterns on a card with thermally transferable color inks while moving the card back and forth in such a state that the card is held and urged against a thermal print head through an ink ribbon by capstan and platen rollers. In printing, the card is first forwarded over a print-starting point, end then, reversed until the leading end thereof arrives at an overrun stop point prescribed before the print starting point, and thereupon, moved forward until the leading end of the card is positioned at the print-starting point to start printing. Thus, mechanical clearance giving rise to backlash essentially possessed of mechanical elements can be completely eliminated, thereby enabling remarkably high-quality color images to be produced.

Abstract: An electric device which removes supragingival and subgingival plaque and undesirable debris from the interproximal surfaces between teeth is described. This device utilizes a combination of sonic energy and dental floss which is secured between two tines, the tines being part of a flexible fork which is removable from a powered handle which contains batteries and an electric motor. The electric motor, which is coupled to an eccentrically mounted disc on an output shaft, revolves at sonic frequencies which in turn generates sonic energy that is transmitted to the flexible fork which holds the floss. The sonic energy is synchronized and in tune with the natural resonance frequencies of the fork thereby stimulating the resonance action of oscillating vertical and/or elliptical movement of the fork which in turn imparts cleaning energy to and enhances the cleaning properties of the floss.

Abstract: For thermal transfer printing, a coloring material image is thermally migrated from a thermal transfer printing sheet having a coloring material layer thereon onto an image forming area of an image-receiving layer of an intermediate transfer recording medium. The image on the recording medium is then thermally transfer-printed under pressure on a printing sheet in an image transfer section. A detection mark is provided on the intermediate transfer recording medium. This detection mark is detected for positioning an image forming area of the recording medium relative to a thermal head of the printer. In a case where the image forming section and the image transfer section are arranged in a line, a buffer unit is provided in which the recording medium being fed continuously between the two sections is caused to take a detouring path whereby mutual influence of the two sections is prevented. A line heater can be used as heating means in the image transfer section.

Abstract: An ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head for actuating wires with ink attached to tip ends thereof into contact with a sheet of print paper to transfer ink to the sheet, thereby forming ink dots thereon. The ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head includes a wire guide member having a wire guide hole for guiding the tip end of the wire, and an ink tank containing an ink absorbing body therein and having an ink supply port in which a portion of the wire guide member is inserted. The wire guide member has a capillary ink path communicating with a side of the wire and supplied with ink from the ink absorbing body.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high capacity paper tray cabinet and transport apparatus for transporting sheets of paper or other print media from the high volume tray to a printer which sits on top of the cabinet. A pivotally mounted convex paper guide and a pivotally mounted concave paper guide housing at the rear of the cabinet define a paper path therebetween which extends generally vertically and then curves to a generally horizontal direction for feeding paper to the single sheet paper path in the printer through an access aperture in the rear wall of the printer. Paper drive rollers and an electrical resistance paper pre-heater are mounted in the apparatus proximate the discharge end of the paper path such that pre-heated paper can be immediately fed at the appropriate location of the paper path in the printer, preferably an inkjet printer.

Abstract: An ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head for actuating wires with ink attached to tip ends thereof into contact with a sheet of print paper to transfer ink to the sheet, thereby forming ink dots thereon. The ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head includes a wire guide member having a wire guide hole for guiding the tip end of the wire, and an ink tank containing an ink absorbing body therein and having an ink supply port in which a portion of the wire guide member is inserted. The wire guide member has a capillary ink path communicating with a side of the wire and supplied with ink from the ink absorbing body.

Abstract: A material conveying apparatus. A pair of winding and guiding rollers are spaced apart from a rotating drum. The winding and guiding rollers are adapted to guide a material according to the curvature of the rotating drum and wind it around a part of the outer circumference thereof. At least one nipping roller is in contact with the outer circumference of tile rotating drum. The at least one nipping roller has an elastic member which deforms according to the curvature of the outer circumference of the rotating drum. In addition, the at least one nipping roller has a plurality of roller portions disposed along the axial line of the rotating drum. Each of the roller portions is independently rotatable.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printer having a thermal print head and a cooperable platen roll. The platen roll is driven to advance a web of record medium and an ink ribbon into cooperation with the print head. The printer can use an ink ribbon cartridge. The printer has a compact arrangement for the record medium supply roll, the ink ribbon cartridge, the printing mechanism, the drive mechanism, the keyboard, and the cutting mechanism for cutting tags from the web.

Abstract: An ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head for actuating wires with ink attached to tip ends thereof into contact with a sheet of print paper to transfer ink to the sheet, thereby forming ink dots thereon. The ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head includes a wire guide member having a wire guide hole for guiding the tip end of the wire, and an ink tank containing an ink absorbing body therein and having an ink supply port in which a portion of the wire guide member is inserted. The wire guide member has a capillary ink path communicating with a side of the wire and supplied with ink from the ink absorbing body.

Abstract: An airline ticket printer includes a magnetic reading and writing station that has a read/write head for recording information on, or reproducing information from, a magnetic stripe carried on a ticket. The printer also includes a printing station located after the magnetic read/write head. A plurality of separate storage bins are provided for storing different ticket blanks; each bin has its own feed device. The ticket blanks are prefed from the storage bins along separate guide paths to separate staging areas prior to these paths joining to form a common path. The magnetic read/write head and the printer are located along this common path.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printer with a reciprocating printing head for printing in both directions, capable of achieving satisfactory print precision without complicated positioning device. In case of printing certain particular information, if the printing head is moved to the corresponding print position in a particular direction, the printing head is moved further in the particular direction and is then returned to the corresponding print position.

Abstract: Mandibular distraction osteogenesis can take place by performing corticotomy surgery at two points on opposite sides of the mandible and at the same time attaching an expansible distraction device to the teeth of the mandible on opposite sides of the two points of the corticotomy surgery. The device is then periodically expanded until a desired mandibular length is obtained. The device includes a plurality of bands that are fitted onto the teeth of the mandible and a number of universal expansion screws that are connected to the bands for purposes of distracting the mandible. This device can be assembled with an appropriate appliance assembly tool that precisely positions and aligns the universal expansion screws relative to the bands during assembly thereof.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printer that prints onto thermal adhesive binding tape includes a tape feeding adapter that enables the feeding of tape into and out of the printer. The adapter includes a base support member for supporting a plurality of tapes in a substantially horizontal position for feeding into the printer and two tape guide members positioned orthogonally and centrally of the base support member for guiding the tapes into and out of the printer. Two support and guide members are connected to and extends orthogonally with respect to the two tape guides members for receiving and supporting the tapes between the two tape guides members and above the base support member after the tapes have exited the printer.

Abstract: A printer is disclosed of the dot matrix type having a series of hammers with pins that print upon an underlying media, and which are released from magnetic retention by reversing the polarity of a permanent magnet and having electro-mechanical drive circuits and logic circuits. A power supply supplies an output of a voltage level for driving the electro-mechanical circuits connected to a ribbon drive, platen drive, paper feed, shuttle motor, and fans at a given voltage and the hammers at a different voltage. A thermal sensor is connected to a heat sink of the power supply, and to the printer controller to change the rate of printing when pre-established temperatures are sensed.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in a thermal printer for printing bar code symbols onto a paper substrate material is provided which utilizes a ribbon having a multi-transfer ink layer. The thermal printer enables the ink ribbon to be transported at a rate that is selectively lower than the transporting rate of the paper substrate. The thermal printer comprises a platen and a thermal head disposed adjacent to the platen having a region defined therebetween through which the paper substrate material is transported at a first rate. Images or symbols are imprinted onto the paper substrate material by operation of the thermal head in cooperation with ink from the multi-transfer ink ribbon advanced to the region. A supply hub carries a supply of the ribbon, and a first motor is mechanically linked to the supply hub. The first motor rotates the hub in a direction opposite to a direction of advancement of the ribbon.

Abstract: A magnetically encoded plastic card production system is provided which includes a supply mechanism for supplying a series of blank plastic cards. An encoder is operatively coupled to the supply mechanism which encodes a magnetic strip on each card. A separating mechanism is operatively coupled following the encoder which has a roller surface for adhesively attracting loose particles from a surface of each card. A design placing mechanism is operatively coupled immediately following the separating mechanism which places a graphic design on each card. In this arrangement, the loose particles are separated from each card subsequent to encoding the magnetic strip on each card and prior to placing the graphic design on each card. A collecting mechanism is operatively coupled to the design placing mechanism which collects each card after each card has passed through the encoder, separating mechanism, and design placing mechanism. A method for producing magnetically encoded plastic cards is also provided.

Abstract: The printer such that when characters are printed, a carriage is moved in a printing direction. Corresponding to the direction of the movement of the carriage, a printing hammer driving mechanism is selected through a pivotal lever, a pendulum member, and a selecting member. In this state a solenoid is energized to make the printing hammer driving mechanism operate. When misprinted characters are to be corrected, the carriage is first moved in a character correcting direction and, corresponding to the direction of the movement of the carriage, a ribbon lift mechanism is selected through the pivotal lever, the pendulum member, and the selecting member. In this state the solenoid is energized to make the ribbon lift mechanism operate.

Abstract: In a dot line printer that prints, for example, eight lines of dots with each single scan of a hammer bank, wherein the pins of hammers for printing the first dot line and the eighth dot line or for printing the second dot line and the seventh dot line are shifted from their respective home positions to compensate for an error causing impressions of dots to be made at an unequal pitch in a sheet feed direction as a result of consecutive forward and backward movements of the hammer bank.