Abstract: A particulate, resilient, electrically conductive member having a low thermal mass extends across the width of a conductive-backed recording paper and conducts electrical energy to the conductive backing to heat the paper and develop an image.The member comprises a plurality of closely spaced resilient fingers which extend across the width of the web. A curved crown on each of the fingers protrudes through a slot in a plate over which the paper passes. The ends of the fingers are restrained by the slot so that they are not readily susceptible to damage.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a modular cutter assembly. The cutter assembly includes a rotary cutter blade which is spring biased into uniform engagement with a fixed complementary blade. An actuating lever for the cutter blade also includes the additional feature of serving as a guide platen between the cutter and the subsequent drive means for a record member. Further as the actuating lever is operated to actuate the cutter blade, a soft loop is formed in the record member to accommodate the brief halt in the record member feed at the cutter position and a continuous feed of the record member by the subsequent drive means. The modular cutter assembly is so positioned in the drive system as to allow the system to be self threading and further so positioned as to be conveniently accessible to an operator of the apparatus.

Abstract: A recording apparatus has accommodations for receiving and retaining a spindle for a roll or spool of recording media. The spindle is characterized in that it has a shoulder at one end constituting a stop guide for a roll of recording medium of a first width. The spindle is also provided with a retractable stop member which, when extended, comprises a stop guide for a roll of recording medium of a predetermined narrower width. The spindle is contoured to firmly engage the core of a roll of recording medium at about the mid point of the width dimension. The selected stop guides provide means for effectively centering either of the two widths of recording medium with respect to the spindle and, hence, the recording apparatus.