Abstract: Card feeding apparatus for feeding the lowermost card from a stack of cards to an off-set station from which the card is fed to a processing station. A feed roller driven by a drive roller is rotated about the periphery of the drive roller and into engagement with the lowermost card by operation of an actuating member, the feed roller feeding the card to a stationary position in the off-set station. Upon release of the actuating member, the drive roller, acting against the stationary card, rotates the feed roller to a disengaged position, the feed roller holding the card in the stationary position during such return movement.

Abstract: A motor switching and control circuit is disclosed in which the direction of transport of web material transferred between two reels is reversed by detecting a condition requiring reversal, generating a reversing signal in response to the detected condition, and switching the direction of rotation of an AC motor in response to the reversing signal. Both motor direction switching and reversing condition detection switching are accomplished at substantially zero motor current flowing through and zero motor voltage across the contacts of any circuit switches, thereby eliminating radio frequency interference and logical noise generation during switching. The circuit is particularly useful in connection with the ribbon control drive in an impact printer such as a matrix printer.

Abstract: A ribbon drive and motor control system in which the instantaneous speed and torque output of a pair of motors are controlled interdependently to bidirectionally transfer ribbon or other web material between a pair of storage reels mechanically coupled to the motors at a uniform ribbon velocity and tension. The motors are electrically excited in series to rotate in the same direction with the back electromotive force of one motor being used to vary the instantaneous excitation voltage applied to the other motor, while drag from said other motor is imparted to the ribbon to control the speed of the first motor. Compensation for variation of the radii of ribbon on the reels during operation is accomplished automatically by variation of motor torque and velocity to minimize variation in ribbon tension and ribbon velocity. A bridge switch actuated by signals initiated by electrical contacts near the ends of the ribbon causes the motors to reverse direction.

Abstract: The impact tip of the print hammer is provided with a curved face in one direction and shaped in a cylindrically-arcuate configuration. The impact tip is formed with the surface curvature in a direction perpendicular to the direction of character height and in a convexly curved or rounded manner as viewed from the type character. This structure of the impact tip together with an optimum chamfer angle of the type character permits closer spacing of the characters.

Abstract: There is disclosed a cassette/cartridge type tape transport assembly for use in digital memory systems which includes a flexure member which supports a transducer head for movement into and out of operative engagement with a magnetic tape. The flexure member is in the form of a one-piece pantograph composed of plastic material which is secured at one end, the free end of the flexure member supporting the transducer head and being deflected by an actuating member to move the transducer head into engagement with the magnetic tape. The free end of the flexure member will flex during this engaging movement to orientate the transducer head in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic tape throughout the movement. A self-aligning pinch roller is also mounted on the flexure member in addition to a tape guide and an end of tape sensor member.

Abstract: A data writing and recording system and method and circuitry therefor is disclosed in which peak shift due to pulse crowding of data recorded on a magnetic medium is substantially reduced. The recorded data time pattern is preemphasized to compensate for peak shift such that an optimum magnetic pattern is recorded on the magnetic medium. The preemphasis of recorded peak shift errors is accomplished either by delaying or advancing the time when a particular peak shifted data transition caused by a known encoding data pattern will occur. NRZI type encoded data is coupled to a first serial to parallel shift register and clocked through to a ROM at a frequency corresponding to the data bit cell width. The ROM examines the incoming data, which is also clocked from an intermediate stage in the first shift register to a second serial-to-parallel shift register having a data clock frequency substantially greater than the data clock frequency of the first shift register.

Abstract: A magnetic tape transport system having a linear reel control in which the difference between tape velocity into and out of a pair of buffer columns is digitally integrated to provide a continuous signal indicative of the tape loop position in the buffer column, which signal, when combined with the tape velocity data, provides a precise reel servo control. Minimum length buffer columns with no loop position sensors are disclosed in a first embodiment and the use of minimum numbers of loop position sensors are disclosed in further embodiments.Three digital tachometers sense the tape speed at the capstan and at the reel side of each buffer column. The capstan tachometer data is separately summed with the data from each of the reel tachometer and digitally integrated to provide position feedback data indicative of the tape position in the buffer columns which, together with the velocity feedback, controls the reel servos such that loop acceleration is linear and independent of the tape pack radii of the reels.

Abstract: A prime mover is connected to a drive train in a printer to provide incremental or intermittent motion to the paper and to the hammer bank in a time sharing manner wherein the output of a closed loop control mode having a switching amplifier and a feedback circuit utilizing pulse width modulated signals operate the system under static conditions. The drive train includes the use of a planetary gear head and electro-magnetic friction brakes for transducing the output from the prime mover to the two loads. Alternate transducing means include the use of two clutches, or a planetary gear head and band brakes.