Abstract: A cartridge reduces a movement amount of a center of gravity of a cartridge accompanied by the progress of the winding of an ink ribbon. The cartridge to be installed in a tape printing device includes a platen roller, a paying-out core on which an ink ribbon is wound, and a winding core that winds up the ink ribbon paid out from the paying-out core. When seen from a rotational axis direction parallel to a rotational axis of the paying-out core and a rotational axis of the winding core, the paying-out core and the winding core are arranged to at least partially overlap an imaginary line that passes through a center of the platen roller and extends in a longitudinal direction of the cartridge.

Abstract: In the separation of a cover tape 15e from a carrier tape 15 performed by a cover tape separating mechanism 50, a cover tape 15e, which is separated from a base tape 15a by a separating blade edge 51f, comes into contact with a concave conical surface 52c, so that one side portion of a cover tape 15e is bent toward the other side portion; and the bent cover tape 15e is pressed against a guide surface 32s from below while the carrier tape 15 is guided to a pick-up position. Accordingly, the cover tape 15e is folded on the base tape 15a in a flat shape.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; a confirmation opening part disposed in the upper member for visually confirming that the carrier tape arrives at a pin engagement range; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; a confirmation opening part disposed in the upper member for visually confirming that the carrier tape arrives at a pin engagement range; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: An automatic circle forming apparatus adapted for automatically forming OPP (O-phenylphenol) plastic circles includes a lower equipment cabinet, a first base plate, a transmitting module, an automatic separating module, an automatic tearing film module, a sucking waste mechanism, a displacement module, an automatic forming module and an upper equipment cabinet. The upper equipment cabinet is positioned on the first base plate for installing the transmitting module, the automatic separating module, the automatic tearing film module, the sucking waste mechanism, the displacement module and the automatic forming module therein.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding a lower surface side of the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above to guide an upper surface thereof; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding a lower surface side of the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above to guide an upper surface thereof; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; a confirmation opening part disposed in the upper member for visually confirming that the carrier tape arrives at a pin engagement range; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A micro device feeder is provided which is adjustable to accommodate micro devices supplied on tapes with different widths. A mounting plate has a movable drive plate slidably mounted thereto. An input mechanism on the movable drive plate receives micro devices contained in a tape and advances the tape under motor drive. A feeder width adjustment mechanism is interposed between the mounting plate and the movable drive plate for positioning of the movable drive plate relative to the mounting plate for accommodating tapes with different widths.

Abstract: A micro device feeder is provided which is adjustable to accommodate micro devices supplied on tapes with different widths. A mounting plate has a movable drive plate slidably mounted thereto. An input mechanism on the movable drive plate receives micro devices contained in a tape and advances the tape under motor drive. A feeder width adjustment mechanism is interposed between the mounting plate and the movable drive plate for positioning of the movable drive plate relative to the mounting plate for accommodating tapes with different widths.

Abstract: A feeding device for taped electric components includes advancing wheels for the tapes. The advancing wheels are driven via tangentially disposed drive spindles of a worm drive. Drive motors for the drive spindles are off-set from one another in two directions of the coordinate system in such a manner that their distance in the axial direction of the advancing wheels is smaller than the distance of the advancing wheels. This thereby allows an increase of the thickness of the drive motors and a corresponding increase of their drive power.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing friction, tearing, or wrinkling of the surface of a single-ply or multiple-ply continuous medium being fed to a processing station by either sprocket engagement of an edge-perforated medium or pinch roller pressure engagement of the medium as the medium moves in a vertically-oriented path, said reduction being effectuated through selectively altering the contact path length of guides supporting the medium in a direction reducing any friction forces.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparing graphic products utilizes a printer to print on sheet material and a cutter to cut the sheet material with the printed material within the periphery of the cut edges. Both the printer and the cutter are controlled by machine readable data having a common data base so that the printed material and the cut material correspond positionally in the final graphic product. The printer is a thermal printer that places the printed material on a strip of sheet material generally before the sheet material is cut. The thermal printer utilizes a donor web bearing a transfer ink to create enhanced printed images on the sheet material with half tones, color and other attractive features. The printer is controlled to regulate a number of printing parameters through coding on a cassette in which the donor web is supported.

Abstract: A feeder of continuous documents for a copy machine comprising an upper frame having a pair of support walls, a cover formed at one end of said upper frame and provided at its upper end with an extension, and a lower frame adapted to define a path for travelling the documents and provided at both sides thereof with a pair of extensions extending beyond the other end of the upper frame. A tractor is fixedly mounted to a drive shaft mounted to the lower frame to be driven by the drive force of a motor and formed of a circular shape to increase the concentration of forces of drawing the documents. The motor drives according to the control of a motor driving unit. In order to supply a control signal to the motor driving unit, at least two sensors are provided. The feeder provides drawing the documents more powerfully and thus feeding them precisely. By virtue of the provision of several sensors, the feeder can be used for the case of narrow documents.

Abstract: A document feed tractor in which pins which drive the paper upon entry into perforations in margins of the paper along the edges thereof are connected to a belt on beams cantilever mounted thereto. A guide and support bar holds the beams and the pins down so that they travel along a linear path entering and leaving the perforations at opposite ends of the path. In order to drive the paper precisely, especially at high speeds where the belt and pins start and stop, without denting or ticking the paper and to maintain alignment of multi-part documents (without shingling), an adjustable shelf is located on the inside of the tractor so that the paper overlies the shelf. The elevation of the shelf with respect to the pins is selectively set in accordance with the thickness of the paper. The tractor can then be set so that the web is maintained at the center line or pitch line of the belt, thereby insuring precision feeding of the form even at high speeds with rapid accelerations and decelerations.

Abstract: A device for the feeding or advancement of an edgeperforated paper web (1) in a dot-matrix printer or the like includes a pair of drive belts (3) transversely spaced apart proximate opposite transverse edges of the web, each belt carrying on its upper surface (6) a series of pins (7) for releasable engagement with the edge-disposed web perforations (11). To provide an increase in friction between the paper web (1) and the drive belts (3) during transport of the web, and thereby assure enhanced accuracy and precision in operatively advancing the web, a plurality of upstanding or outwardly-protruding projections (17, 17a, 17b, 17c) are defined on the upper belt surface (6). These projections are located at least in the flat sections (16) of the belt between adjacently or successively-disposed ones of the pins (7) and, in another form of the invention, additionally at and coincident with the locations of the pins (7) which interrupt the transversely-oriented projections.

Abstract: A printer for printing characters through a printing ribbon on printing paper placed on a platen by moving a carriage along the platen and driving a printing head on the carriage. The platen is placed in the rear end portion of the printer frame. An opening for insertion of printing paper is formed in the rear end surface of the frame to which the platen is approximated. A continuous paper feeder having a pair of sprocket wheel feed guide blocks and at least one web guide block is installed at this opening. All blocks include a paper guide surface which overlies a paper guide adjacent the platen.

Abstract: A web feed tractor which comprises a frame, a drive gear rotatably mounted in the frame, a cylindrical shaft fastening member mounted on the frame with a portion thereof protruding from the frame, an endless toothed timing belt trained about the frame and drive gear, a cover plate assembly peripherally surrounding the endless belt in peripherally spaced relationship to the belt to define a track of a web to be fed, a web support or guide member positioned adjacent to the endless belt in side by side relationship, a lock ring rotatably mounted on the protruding portion of the shaft fastening member and a switch mechanism positioned in the track of the web so as to be operated by the web as the web passes through the track.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for severing packaging blanks, including a drive roller, a register roller at a location downstream of the drive roller and high-speed driving rollers downstream of the register roller for removing severed web portions. The drive roller is provided with a circumferential web-engaging surface and a knife located in a circumferential gap in the web-engaging surface. The drive roller cooperates with a counter roller, and a pendulum roller is located upstream of drive roller.

Abstract: A web feed tractor for a printer which comprises a timing belt having outer web engaging pins and inner teeth, a sprocket wheel drivingly connected to the belt and having belt engaging cogs and a guide portion, a frame rotatably receiving the sprocket and having a guide portion, a web holding plate assembly pivoted to the frame, and a web support plate connected to the frame and having a lock and a lock ring fitted on the lock.

Abstract: A feeder for a printer serves for guiding and/or advancing the record carrier. Tractors (1a and 1b) placed in a pair are provided. The tractors (1a and 1b) have hinged parts which can be adjusted in different hinged positions by pivoting bearings (11). To provide hinged part on printers, particularly dot matrix printers, with simple pivoting bearings that can be produced economically and to eliminate a special fastener for the pivoted positions, a spring steel wire piece (18) cut to length serves as a pivot pin (17) and for fixing of the closed and open end positions of the hinged part (10). The spring steel wire piece (18) is put under tension by bending.

Abstract: A paper feed mechanism for use in a recording apparatus includes a rotatable platen, a printing unit disposed in confronting relation to the platen and movable axially of the platen for printing the recording paper against the platen, a plurality of teeth disposed at an end of the platen and arranged circumferentially of the platen, a resilient member disposed adjacent to the teeth and having a diameter greater than that of the platen, and a paper presser roller disposed in confronting relation to the platen and movable retractably toward the platen for pressing recording paper against the platen with the teeth in biting engagement with the recording paper, the paper presser roller having a portion for pressing the recording paper against the resilient member.

Abstract: A printing belt extends around a rotatable cylinder having independently rotatable belt drive sprockets at the opposite ends thereof. A torque-assist drive connected with the cylinder is selectively operable for imparting supplemental traction to the belt for preventing relative slippage between the belt and drive sprockets.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the tension of a web during transport, such as a label-carrying web in a heat transfer labelling machine. The web travels from a supply reel, around a dancer roll and metering roll, through various other web handling devices to another dancer roll, and is collected at a rewind reel. Each dancer roll is linked to a clutch for the corresponding supply or takeup reel, so that each clutch exerts a braking torque determined by the web tension at its dancer roll. Each dancer roll is further linked to an air cylinder to provide a user-determined tension level. The carrier web includes pin holes which are engaged by a pin wheel rotatably mounted to the metering roll, so that the pin wheel swivels when subjected to web tension differentials. Swivelling of the pin wheel opens and closes a valve within the metering roll, thereby providing a variable vent for high pressure air supplied to the supply air cylinder.

Abstract: A printing head assembly is disclosed for use in a contact film printer for exposing raw stock film with a preprint film or negative. The printing head assembly includes an aperture jaw through which light is projected onto the film strips to transfer the images from the preprint film onto the raw stock. The printing head is adapted to be mounted with the aperture jaw adjacent a drive sprocket for driving the film webs past the aperture in a contact relationship and at a predetermined rate. The edge of the preprint film strip opposite the drive sprocket is supported by a shoulder or idler ring rotatably mounted within the printing head by a stationary support shaft. The support shaft is mounted with its axis extending at a small angle with respect to the horizontal. The rotating shoulder thus rotates in a plane offset from the vertical to permit sufficient clearance for the printing light beam to be projected through the printing aperture.

Abstract: Apparatus for handling a multi-layer tape in a postage meter printing machine wherein a portion of the tape is printed with indicia and advanced to the operator and a protective backing portion is wound up on a motor-driven reel after being separated from the printed portion. Advancement of the backing portion of the tape by the reel advances the separated printed portion to the operator. Prior to being wound on the reel, the backing portion of the tape is guided around two sets of rollers defining three points of tangency with a star wheel having radial projections in registration with slots formed in the edge of the backing portion of the tape. Advancement of the backing portion of the tape rotates the star wheel, which includes a plurality of pins which cooperate with a switch to deactuate the motor of the wind-up reel after the star wheel has rotated through a predetermined arc.