Abstract: A postage meter printing apparatus for applying postage indicia to a mailpiece having a cyclically operating drum for feeding the mailpiece through the postage meter. The periphery of the drum has an aperture therein. Structure is provided for maintaining the mailpiece against the drum as the mailpiece is fed by the drum and for cycling the drum at a low rotational speed during a part of the cycle when a low-speed printing process is taking place and high rotational speeds during a higher speed printing process and of the remainder of the cycle thereby providing means for obtaining maximum overall cycle speeds while accommodating the low-speed requirements of the slower printing process. A matrix print head for the low-speed process is located internal to the drum having a printing position and a non-printing position, the print head is automatically placed adjacent the mailpiece through the aperture in the drum to its printing position when the aperture is between the print head and mailpiece.

Abstract: An interface apparatus and method are described with which an electronic scale system is connected to a storage medium such as a disk or memory of a data processor and whereby scale transaction data related to the mailing of an article with an electronic scale can be automatically preserved as a unified record along with subsequently appended test information such as an invoice number or customer number. The interface has a programmable memory with which a normal operating mode is provided to enable an operator to conveniently and rapidly store scale transaction data and in response to displayed prompts enter data such as the number of an invoice accompanying the article being mailed. The test data is appended to the scale transaction data so that all of this data can be transmitted as a unified record to a storage medium.

Abstract: This invention relates to a drive system for the moving optics of the cable and drum type scanner that may be used in an electrostatic copier. A one piece cable is driven alternately by a pair of drums which are coupled to electromagnetic clutches so that linear document scanning and retracing by an optical carriage is achieved.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in an ink jet recording device or printer for cleaning or protecting the nozzles in a writing head is disclosed. The apparatus comprises rotatably mounted supply and take-up reels; a movable absorbent cleaning belt extending from the supply reel to the take-up reel, the belt including a plurality of embossed elements and a plurality of openings positioned in sequence along the belt for being brought into contact with the nozzles; and a sensor for sensing the positioning of openings in said belt over said nozzles and thereby controlling movement of the belt to permit the embossed elements to be drawn across the nozzles to clean ink and impurities therefrom until the next openings are positioned over the nozzles whereby the sensors cause the belt to cease movement and permit the ink jet writing heads to print through the openings.

Abstract: A heated fuser roll for use in a fuser apparatus for fixing toner images to a support surface is disclosed. The fuser roll includes a sleeve member having two heating units positioned within the member. Each heating unit includes a plurality of heating elements formed of a semiconducting ceramic material having a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity and exhibiting a Curie temperature transition point at which the resistance of the material increases with increasing temperature. The heating units are separated from each other by an insulating member. The fuser includes a thermally sensitive switch for controlling power to the heating elements when starting the fuser from a cold state. The switch is adapted to electrically connect the heating units in series when power is first applied to the fuser and then electrically connect the heating units in parallel when the heating elements are heated to the Curie temperature.

Abstract: The invention relates to an address printing machine having a flat printing pad, a printing anvil, and two driving systems. The printing anvil serves as a support for a data carrier with raised characters and for a printing assembly having at least one sheet of paper and an interspaced ink transferring ribbon (carbon paper). One of the driving systems serves to move the printing pad or printing anvil into the operating position, with a minimum of power and the other driving system subsequently causes an electromagnetic impulse printing device to exert a very short impression impulse to achieve the ink transfer with a minimum of movement.

Abstract: A development powder dispensing apparatus that is in the form of a carousel. The apparatus has a generally cylindrical configuration that is divided into a number of chambers such that the development powder toner within each chamber may be supplied individually to a magnetic brush unit. Because of the separation of the toner into chambers, no toner compression is experienced even though large amounts of toner may be stored.

Abstract: A method of representing decimal numbers in a quasi binary coded decimal (BCD) form is disclosed along with apparatus for using the same. The value assigned to a combination of binary bits is dependent on the location of the combination on the medium which is encoded. Use is made of the direction of motion of the medium to determine the position and hence the decimal value of specific combinations of binary bits. By interpreting certain combinations of bits in two different ways, an additional binary bit of information can be obtained from a given number of bits increasing the obtainable information from conventional BCD codes.