Abstract: A self watering bean sprout growing method and kit are provided. The kit includes a water impervious growth chamber in the configuration of a large open cooking vessel. A support surface is placed in the growth chamber and covered with a premoistened absorbent membrane over which bean seeds are spread in a layer. Provision is made for stacking alternate layers of membranes and bean or other seeds one on the other above the support surface to selectively vary the quantity of each batch of bean or other edible sprouts to be propagated. The growth chamber is capped with a water pervious primary reservoir whereby moisture is admitted to the growth chamber through the bottom of the reservoir. Venting of air to the growth chamber is provided between the auxiliary reservoir and the top of the growth chamber. The support surface comprises the bottom of an inverted vessel placed in the bottom of the growth chamber.

Abstract: A print wire solenoid device including a disc type plunger-restoring spring which consists of a continuous annular peripheral portion and spoke portions extending radially inwardly therefrom jointly to define a central opening for fitting engagement with the plunger. The plunger and the stationary core or stem members defining a solenoid gap, therebetween are both conically formed to minimize leakage of magnetic flux, thereby substantially increasing the effective flux density and hence the force of attraction. The disc spring, which is neither fixedly secured at any point to the plunger nor to the other adjacent components, is free from any stress concentration in operation and thus not only enables high speed printing operation with an increased length of stroke but facilitates fabrication of the device in combination with the conical formation of the plunger and stem members, which facilitates reduction in size and weight of the devices as well as in power consumption.

Abstract: A setting mechanism for a postage meter for use in a continuous mail sorting and postage imprinting system which automatically weighs and meters each piece of mail. The system is designed to rapidly handle a large quantity of mixed mail. Mixed mail is continuously and synchronously fed in seriatim along a continuous feed path. Unsealed envelopes have their flaps wetted and sealed. All the envelopes are stopped at a weighing station where they are weighed, and the postage corresponding to their particular weight is computed. The determined postage value is used to continuously reset a postage meter which imprints the required postage upon each envelope as it arrives at a metering station. The actuator banks of the meter are controlled by stepper motors. The metering and weighing functions of the system are synchronized such that the postage meter will imprint the proper postage upon each piece of mail, despite the fact that several envelopes may be simultaneously in transit along the feed path.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing a grey-tone image having areas of different average density values which are given by an n-digit binary number, all the bits of the binary number being interrogated in parallel by clock patterns. For the area to be printed an elemental area containing 2.sup.n pulses is selected which is printed in a total cycle of 2.sup.n .sup.- 1 clock pulses of the clock pattern. In this total cycle, at each clock pulse the drive of each pair of dots is determined in a manner such that the most-significant bit of the binary number is always used for driving while the remaining bits are used a number of times which depends upon their positional values. For this purpose, for each position of the binary number the clock pattern has a number of clock pulses which corresponds to the value of this position. The clock pulses for the individual positions are non-uniformly distributed in time, however, no clock pulses for the second and any further positions of the binary number coincide in time.

Abstract: This invention relates to an electronic embossing machine of the type which has a keyboard controlled die head bearing embossing dies. The die head is rotatably displaceable for placement into the embossing position in accordance with which character is to be embossed. Control means is provided so that the rotational displacement represents the shortest distance between the die last actuated and the die selected to be actuated next. The die head is lockable at the selected die position by means of a brake device and a pawl. Detection means are associated with the die head to determine its angular position, under whose effect one of two circuits is closed depending upon the direction of rotation the die head is to take for the shortest distance, in the case where the die which is selected through the keyboard control does not correspond to the die to be located next in the embossing position.

Abstract: A printing device, for example of the needle impact type, is equipped with lectrical means controlling the operation of the needles to produce alternative forms of printed data, for example letters of different degrees of inclination.

Abstract: A rotatable print disk is mounted on a carrier which traverses along the print line. The disk is moved from each character position to the next by the shortest distance and it is stopped at the time of printing. The carrier is moved from one print position to the next at a speed which is selected depending on the time required for the disk to rotate to the next character. Printing takes place with the carrier moving at one of a number of speeds. Hammer firing is timed dependent on printing speed.

Abstract: A computer terminal including a printer including a heat sensitive sheet across which a thermal head having a vertical column of resistors can move with appropriate electrical energization controlled by a keyboard to effect character printing on the sheet, and also to generate a coded output for transmission to and from a computer at a central station.

Abstract: High speed printing apparatus used as output units of computers or the like is disclosed. The apparatus includes a print head, a driving means for moving the head and feeding a record medium and means for applying a driving control signal to the driving means. Only one driving means is advantageously available for accomplishing all operations of the apparatus so that simple construction thereof may be obtained.

Abstract: A digital electrical circuit for selectively activating a clutch mechanism for controlling the return speed of a business machine carriage. A carriage speed pulse transducer provides a series of sync pulses with intervals between each sync pulse being a function of the return speed of the carriage. These sync pulses and a carriage return command pulse are gated into control circuitry. The control circuitry provides a continuous pulse when the interval of the sync pulses signals that the carriage has exceeded a desired speed. The continuous pulse is used to activate the clutch mechanism for reducing the return speed of the carriage.

Abstract: A matrix printer impact energy control is disclosed wherein the impact energy supplied to the drive solenoids of matrix print heads is maintained substantially constant notwithstanding variations in the printer power supply output. The hammer power supply voltage is monitored and coupled, together with a derived reference voltage to a summing amplifier which is then pulse width modulated to produce a pulsed hammer drive output having constant print energy. The print energy may be increased to provide multiple copy printing capability. A single impact energy control circuit controls all of the print hammer of each print head. Synchronization of the pulse width modulator is provided by a variable frequency clock from which the pulse width modulator trigger frequency is derived.

Abstract: Each wire of a wire printer is driven by a separate pneumatic motor. Each motor is actuated by compressed air which is selectively passed through an electrically operated valve for each motor. Each valve is actuated by an electric signal indicating whether the associated printing wire should be driven to print a desired character. Coupled between a compressed air source and all of the individual valves is an electrically operated pressure control valve which is normally closed to block transmission of compressed air from the source to the individual valves. After the individual valves are opened by electric signals to permit the printing of a desired character, the control valve is then opened to permit transmission of the compressed air through the opened individual valves to actuate the individual pneumatic motors to drive the print wires necessary to print the desired character.

Abstract: A plurality of printing stations are spaced across a machine wherein a feed or drive assembly for paper or like record media is associated with each station, each of the feed or drive assemblies being self-contained and of modular construction to enable positioning of an assembly in any desired location along a drive shaft. One drive mechanism includes a clutch member and associated drive gears and rollers to incrementally advance receipt paper in one direction, a second drive mechanism includes the clutch member and additional drive gears and rollers to advance journal paper in said one direction for rewinding and storage thereof in the machine, and a third drive mechanism includes the clutch member and further drive gears and rollers to advance slip or form paper in the opposite direction.

Abstract: An incremental impact printer of the dot matrix type. Binary words representative of data to be printed along a line of print may be accepted from either the printer keyboard or the output of a computer or other source. The printer electronics provides for either a single character or a burst of characters to be substantially instantaneously printed upon receipt. The print head is always moved to the right of the last character printed to facilitate observation of that character. The next character is printed by first moving the print head to the left of the last character printed and then abruptly reversing the print head to print one or a burst of characters "on the fly". A novel registration system serves the dual function of accurately locating the proper position for a character to be printed and determining the direction of movement of the print head at any given instant.

Abstract: In printing data on paper sheets which are connected along lines of perforation, the paper advance relative to the printer is controlled to assure that the proper kind of data is printed in the appropriate area or areas of the sheet or sheets to which such kind of data has been assigned. Different levels of the sheet corresponding to these areas are identified by the number of spaces between such levels and the upper edge of the sheet and a control system is employed which monitors the position of the printing line with respect to the upper edge of the sheet and which controls the paper advance in accord with the levels of the areas.

Abstract: A step motor is employed as a source of power for transverse feed of the printing head assembly with a combination of a slitted rotary disc secured to the motor output shaft and a stationary detector unit provided to control the motor operation and the dot-printing head operation in precisely timed relation to each other. The rotary disc is also slotted to serve the purpose of defining for the printing head assembly a print starting position spaced a definite distance to the right from its rest position. The printer structure, including a minimum of movable component parts, is capable of forming characters without any lack of "dot" and is minimized in power consumption and noise particularly in idling operation.

Abstract: A typewriter comprising a shiftable carrier supporting a rotatable type drum having a plurality of circumferentially extending rows of type characters thereon. Typing keys, when depressed, condition actuators and cause engagement of a power driven cyclic action clutch which drives a power bail to operate a conditioned actuator to rotate the type drum from any position it may be in to a new position to align a type character corresponding to the key depressed with the printing point. Certain of the keys, when depressed, position stops to limit axial movement of the type drum by the action clutch to align an appropriate one of the rows of type characters with the printing point. The action clutch also actuates a centralizer to accurately align the type drum prior to printing and, in addition, causes printing. A cyclic carrier shift clutch is engageable by the action clutch and by certain carrier shift control keys.

Abstract: A matrix printer comprising a fanned arrangement of printing wires. Near their bearing points the printing wires are guided through openings in tag portions bent out of the plane of a strip-shaped porous member containing a lubricant. Lubricant is thus applied to the printing wires by contact between the printing wires and the edges of the openings adjacent their bearing points. The described method of lubrication results in a substantial prolongation of the service life of the printing wires as well as of the bearings.

Abstract: An actuator, which in a preferred embodiment, is shown in a wire matrix printer, and includes a magnetic structure having a support member associated therewith. When used in a wire matrix printer, the actuator includes a plurality of output members (in disc form) mounted on said support member for movement between operative and inoperative positions. Each output member has a coil structure thereon, and when the coil structure is energized, the associated output member is moved to the operative position where a printing element on the output member is brought into printing relationship with a platen of the printer.

Abstract: A matrix printer hammer repetition rate control is disclosed for varying the print hammer repetition rate in accordance with printing speed, thereby maintaining constant width of printed characters without dot column sensing. A master clock is counted over each character period to generate a digital code which, after conversion to an analog signal, serves as the control voltage for a voltage controlled oscillator. The VCO output is a variable clock from which the timing for various print heads is derived. Printing data is gated to the hammer drive circuits at a variable rate proportional to the speed of the printing heads across a printing medium.