Abstract: A device for inking the type-carrier element of a calculating machine or similar office machine. The type-carrier element includes a wheel from the edge of which protrudes corresponding characters. These are selected by a recording support for the rotation of the wheel and define the various writing positions for the movement of the wheel along a line of writing. The device includes a container with an ink-deposit element inside it and which has a long window substantially the same length as the line of writing and covered with a permeable, wear-resistant layer which is in contact with the deposit element in order to permit the outflow of the ink. A spring element keeps the said permeable layer tight against the type-carrier element during the rotation and movement of the wheel.

Abstract: A method of printing on thermographic paper according to which the heat for causing the imaging color change in the thermographic coating is generated by means of current in a portion of the coating dampened by a thin film of a conductive salt solution which is dispensed on the thermographic coating. The current is generated by a printing head having spaced electrodes in contact with the dampened portion of the coating. The conductive salt solution may be deposited on the thermographic coating in liquid film form, combined with a thermographic material to form a conductive coating for printing in the dry state, or mixed with the thermographic material in liquid form and dispensed on plain paper in a thin film in the path of the writing head.

Abstract: A cartridge for endless magnetic tape loops including a cover containing a pair of supports substantially coplanar with the other and between which is wound a magnetic tape in lengthening coils. A third support guides a connecting coil which connects the innermost coil with the outermost coil of the loop. The third support is substantially coplanar with the pair of supports in such a way that the connecting coil is substantially coplanar with the other coils of the tape recording and/or reading device for a magnetic tape contained in a cartridge which includes at least one window through which the tape contained therein may be reached. The device includes a capstan, a pressure roller and a magnetic recording and/or reading head mounted on an activation lever. A spring element normally holds this lever against the action of a pressure spring.

Abstract: A fixing unit for fixing the developing powder on a copy sheet produced in a copy machine which comprises a first roller having its outer surface covered by a layer adapted to resist adhesion of the powder thereto, a second roller cooperating with the first and defining with said first roller a nip through which the copy sheet is passed by rotation of the rollers, with the face bearing the powder in contact with the surface of the first roller, and a third roller rotated in contact with the first roller carrying in its interior a plurality of selectively actuable heating units for selectively heating portions of the surface of the first roller, in accordance with the length of a copy sheet.

Abstract: An arrangement for transferring a ribbon from a feed spool to a take-up spool comprises a pair of electric motors each one connected to a corresponding spool for the rotation thereof. The motor connected to the take-up spool is supplied by a constant current generator so as to wind-up said ribbon with a minimum and substantially constant torque. The motor connected to the feed spool is supplied by a constant voltage generator so as to keep said ribbon constantly taut during the transferring thereof. A changeover device alternates the function of the two spools when the ribbon is fully wound on the take-up spool.

Abstract: An electrothermic printing unit for writing dot matrix characters on a printing line of a recording medium by means of an electrothermal printing head which is continuously movable along the printing line during the printing operation and having a column of resistive printing elements therein disposed transverse to the printing line and selectively electrically heatable in timed relation with the movement of the head characterized in that a thermosensitive inking element having a support of heat permeable material covered by a coating of material transferable for the combined action of head and pressure is interposed between the head and the recording medium, pressure means being provided for pressing said printing elements against said support and said coating against said recording medium during the movement of the head.

Abstract: An improved device for fixing in position and covering original documents on the exposure plane of a reprographic machine which comprises a cover for fixing and covering the documents and an actuating arm for the cover, both movable between open and closed positions. The actuating arm is pivoted on the frame of the machine and is coupled by elastic means to the cover. The elastic means urges the cover towards its closed position and produces pressure by the cover on the original document when the arm is in its closed position. A latch mechanism is provided for holding the arm in its closed position and is releasable for allowing the arm and the cover to move from their closed to their open positions.

Abstract: A thermosensitive record medium comprising a base sheet coated with a thermosensitive mixture resulting by mixing together a crystal violet lactone and a phenolic compound in a binding and dispersing agent comprising at least 5% of nonionic cellulose ether. The use of this binder improves the stability of the mixture avoiding any unusual color reaction.

Abstract: Numerical control apparatus for a lathe which reads from an input medium data specifying the transverse and axial position of the cutting edge of a lathe tool with respect to the axis of the workpiece being machined, the cutting rate for the tool, and the rate of advance of the tool. The apparatus includes processing means responsive to the data for generating a continuous transverse position datum for the tool and computing means controlled by the cutting rate datum and the continuous transverse position datum for controlling the rotational speed of the mandrel of the lathe.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling jumps in microprograms in a microprogrammable electronic computer. The apparatus comprises a plurality of bistable circuits. Selected words are transferrable into the bistable circuits in response to the execution of microprograms by the computer and at least one bistable circuit can be set to a state determined by whether a logical condition specified by a microinstruction is or is not met. In response to the state of a selected one of the bistable circuits, a jump in a microprogram may alternatively be or not be effected. The jump is dependent upon the state of the selected bistable circuit and independent of whether this state has been established by a transferred selected word or as a result of a logical condition.

Abstract: A keyboard and circuitry for recording the key on the keyboard that is depressed. The recorded information is then supplied to a computer which acts in accordance with the information associated with the depressed key. The keyboard is arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. The recording circuitry comprises a shift register having two groups of cells, the first group receptive of an information bit from the column of the depressed key and the record group receptive of an information bit from the row of the depressed key. The shift register are then shifted and the information stored therein is utilized by the computer. The encoding and the storage of the information entered on the keyboard are effected by the central unit carrying out the commands in a control store under the control of a microprogram.

Abstract: A loading device for reels of paper tape wound on a central spool is provided with an automatic device for ejecting the empty spools, by introducing a new full reel.

Abstract: In an electronic computer, a magnetic card is recorded along two tracks for storing information. The relative delay between the sequential records on the tracks is controlled by two reference bits simultaneously written on the tracks of the card. During the reading, the first sensed reference bit starts a count which is stopped upon sensing the second reference bit. All data bits following the anticipated bits are transferred to the internal memory only after a delay proportional to the count.

Abstract: An automatic sheet changing system for a reprographic machine comprising a cyclically movable, sheet transporting member having gripping elements for retaining a sheet thereon, a support band wound from a feed reel to a take-up reel and carrying thereon sheets spaced along and interwound with the band, recovery means operative in a sheet changing cycle to remove a used sheet from the sheet-transporting member, feed means operable in the sheet changing cycle to wind a length of the band off the feed reel on to the take-up reel, means operative to separate a fresh sheet from the band advancing between the reels and to guide the sheet to the gripping elements, and means for actuating the gripping elements to grip the fresh sheet.

Abstract: An inked ribbon of a high-speed printer for office machines is wound on two spools connected each one with a corresponding electric motor. The ribbon is transferred stroke by stroke from the feed spool to the take-up spool with a substantially constant tensioning force. To this end an oscillating lever is disposed between the two spools and, cooperating with the ribbon, forms a loop thereof under the action of a tensioning spring. The oscillating lever in correspondence of a minimum and of a maximum of the ribbon loop cooperates with a pair of microswitches which alternately stop and actuate the electric motors in manner that the ribbon is transferred alternately from the feed spool to the loop and from the loop to the take-up spool under the action of the tensioning spring. A changeover device alternates the function of the two spools when the ribbon is fully wound on the take-up spool.

Abstract: A removably mountable electrothermal print head for writing dots-matrix characters while moving along a thermosensitive recording medium and a mounting for the hand or a movable carriage of a printer, the head comprises a plurality of electrically energizable resistive printing elements coated on a support; the outer surface of said elements is partly cylindrical with the generatrices in parallel relation with a common direction which is transversal with respect to the printing line of the recording medium. The print head is positioned with respect to the recording medium with the part-cylindrical outer surface of the resistive printing elements in tangential relation with the recording medium. The printing head is positioned on and removably fixed to the carriage by a manually actuatable latch.

Abstract: An improved mounting mechanism for a non-impact dot matrix printing head comprising a guide for positioning the support carrying the head on a base member, a resiliently actuated mechanism for removably fixing said head to said base member, and a manually operable device for activating the mechanism to remove the support from the base member.

Abstract: In a digital electronic computer which comprises a memory including a first and a second register, the first register is receptive of a number to be converted from fixed to floating point notation and the second register is receptive of a significant zero digit with an associated decimal point. Shifting means including a register is operable to shift the contents of either register and aligning means is operable to cause shifting of the second register until the decimal point stored therein is aligned with the decimal point in the first register. Indicating means indicates whether the number stored in the first register is greater or less than one and the shifting means next begins shifting the contents of one or the other of the registers when the number is indicated greater or less than one respectively.

Abstract: A cartridge for an ink or carbon ribbon of an office machine comprises a container of parallelepipedal form in which a pair of spools are rotatable for the ink or carbon ribbon. A part of the ink or carbon ribbon extends through one aperture to the exterior of the container and returns to the interior through another aperture. Two arms are associated with the two apertures and project from the exterior of the container. The arms support the portion of the ink or carbon ribbon exterior of the container, away from the container, when the container is removed from the machine and makes the insertion of the ink or carbon ribbon arms in a lift ribbon guide upon mounting of the container on the same machine. The container is further provided with a window disposed over the periphery of one of the two spools for manually rewinding the ink or carbon ribbon on the spool after the container is mounted on the machine.

Abstract: An electrothermal printing unit for writing dots matrix characters on a thermosensitive paper comprises a print head carrying a plurality of thermo-activable printing elements aligned along a printing line of the recording medium.The head is reciprocated in a direction parallel to the printing line of the recording medium. The recording medium is moved incrementally perpendicular to the direction of a line of printing in synchronization with the movement of the head and control means are provided for selectively activating the printing elements at a succession of positions of the head in each of a succession of strokes thereof in an arrangement such that each element print all the points of at least one character of the line of characters during the succession of strokes.