Abstract: A printer including a printing head adapted for reciprocal displacement across a printing tape for effecting printing on the tape in at least one direction of reciprocation is provided. The printer includes a lever pivoted on a frame and adapted to reciprocate the printing head and a rotating disc engaged with a motor for driving the rotary disc which pivots the lever. The rotating disc is adapted to actuate a paper advance assembly, an ink-ribbon winding assembly and an ink-ribbon reversing assembly. The printing head may be of the type including a plurality of needles for recording dots by electromagnetic actuation of the needles.

Abstract: In a line printer character belt in which characters are mounted on flexible fingers which are struck by printing hammers toward a platen in the printing operation, the fingers are flexed toward the platen by a projection on the fingers or on a character block on which the fingers are mounted. Vibration subsequent to the printing operation is eliminated, thereby providing excellent printing quality free of dirt and ghosts.

Abstract: A flexural mode tuning fork quartz crystal vibrator having two vibrator tines including first and second opposed substantially planar surfaces, the thickness of the plate between said opposed surfaces being no greater than 0.2 mm is provided. Both surfaces of each tine have three electrodes on at least the lengthwise peripheral sides of the respective surfaces of the tines and a third electrode intermediate and not in contact with the two peripherally disposed electrodes with each intermediate electrode being short-circuited to the peripheral electrode on the other tine. A fourth electrode is disposed on at least one lengthwise side edge of both of the respective tines, the fourth electrode electrically coupling the peripherally disposed electrode on the lengthwise peripheral sides of the respective surfaces of the tine.

Abstract: An improved interfacing circuit that is readily adapted to be integrated into the same circuit chip as the remaining circuitry in an electronic instrument having a digital display formed of passive display elements, and is adapted to deliver a plurality of discrete voltage levels to the digital display drive circuitry is provided. Specifically, a two-terminal voltage supply is provided for producing a first voltage level at a first terminal and a second voltage level at a second terminal. The interfacing circuit includes a voltage divider circuit having at least two series-coupled resistance circuits coupled intermediate the respective first and second terminals of the voltage supply so that the junction defined by the coupling of each pair of series-coupled resistance circuits and the first and second terminals of the voltage supply are respectively coupled to the digital display drive circuitry for delivering a plurality of discrete voltage levels thereto.

Abstract: A small-sized printing apparatus which operates at a low noise level and provides good printing quality includes a plurality of printing rings, each having type characters on the peripheral surface thereof. The printing rings are mounted on a shaft which reciprocates for the purpose of bringing a selected character on each of the rings to a printing position. The shaft reciprocates through forward and reverse directions of rotation. An inking roll transfers ink intermittently to the type characters.

Abstract: A circuit structure for an electronic watch including a metallic lead plate which is overlapped on a circuit base plate and circuit case is provided. The metallic lead plate and circuit base plate are formed with receiving openings in regions of the circuit base plate requiring electrical connections and electronic elements for receiving projections formed on the circuit case for securing the lead plate and circuit base plate to the circuit case. The circuit base plate and circuit case are formed with cutting openings corresponding to portions of the lead plate to be cut through the cutting openings whereby the unsecured portion of the lead plate may be removed.

Abstract: An improved printer comprising a plurality of character rings provided with a plurality of characters on the respective peripheries thereof and corresponding pluralities of ratchet wheels and pawls. Each ratchet wheel is radially mounted on a character ring and a corresponding pawl is oscillatably mounted for engaging its corresponding ratchet at a preselected interval for stopping its associated character ring when a selected character is located at a predetermined position. Guides are provided for determining the constancy of oscillation of the pawls. Each pawl is spring driven into engagement with a corresponding ratchet wheel and a normal bias toward a corresponding ratchet wheel is provided. A releasable restraint acts oppositely to the bias on the pawl for normally preventing the pawl from engaging with its corresponding ratchet wheel.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece including a phase circuit for advancing and/or delaying the phase of the frequency signals to thereby regulate the frequency thereof is provided. The electronic timepiece includes an oscillator for producing a high frequency time standard signal and a divider circuit having a series-connected chain of frequency divider stages, at least one of the divider stages in response to the application of the high frequency time standard signal to the divider circuit producing a timekeeping signal. A display is adapted to display time in response to said timekeeping signal applied thereto. The phase changing circuit is series-connected in the series-connected divider chain to thereby apply an intermediate frequency signal from the divider stage just prior thereto to the next divider stage.

Abstract: A semiconductor device for use as a non-volatile semiconductor memory is provided with a floating gate formed by ion implantation.

Abstract: A miniature printer especially suitable for use in a small calculator or the like, utilizes the energy released from a spring storage means to power the printing, paper feeding, and inking operations. The energy is stored by the spring from either manual operation or motor power.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece having a main oscillator circuit and also having a secondary oscillator circuit for reducing the effect therefore of temperature on the accuracy of the timepiece is provided. The main oscillator circuit includes a first time standard and produces a high frequency time standard signal having a first frequency rate that is determined at least in part by the temperature characteristic of the first time standard. The secondary oscillator circuit includes a second time standard and produces second high frequency time standard signals having a second predetermined frequency determined at least in part by the temperature characteristic of the second time standard. Phase detection circuitry is provided for producing a phase detection signal in response to detecting a predetermined frequency difference in phase between the first and second high frequency time standard signals.

Abstract: A miniature printer especially for use in a small calculator or the like, of the type in which a plurality of character wheels are carried on a rotating drive shaft. The speed of rotation of the drive shaft can be varied so that its speed during character selection is different from that during the resetting of the character wheels.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece having a main oscillator circuit including a first quartz crystal vibrator as a time standard and also having a secondary oscillator circuit including a further quartz crystal vibrator as a time standard for reducing the affect of temperature on the accuracy of the timepiece by utilizing the different temperature characteristics of the respective time standards is provided. The main oscillator circuit produces a high frequency time standard signal having a first frequency rate that is determined, at least in part, by the temperature characteristic of the first time standard, which characteristic includes an inflection peak at a specific temperature. The second oscillator circuit produces a second high frequency time standard signal having a second predetermined frequency, determined, at least in part, by the temperature characteristic of the second time standard being distinct from that of the first time standard.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece circuit for automatically changing the day of the week by utilizing the timekeeping signals produced by the day counter, month counter and year counter is provided. Remainder circuitry is coupled to the respective day, minute and year counters and is adapted to sum bit signals representative of the binary count of the respective day, month and year counters and divide the summed bit signals by a count of seven and thereby produce a remainder signal. The remainder signal is applied to appropriate decoding and display circuitry to effect a display of the day of the week in response to the remainder signal applied thereto.

Abstract: An electronic table calculator is provided having a liquid crystal display and an integrated circuit element defining one or more of the display-driving circuitry or the calculating circuitry thereof. The liquid crystal display is defined by a pair of spaced plates having liquid crystal material therebetween contained by a spacer. At least one of the plates projects beyond the spacer and has formed on the same inner surface thereof, electrode portions within the spacer forming a part of the liquid crystal display and electrode portions outside of the spacer to which the integrated circuit element is coupled by face-down bonding.

Abstract: A monolithic solar battery including a plurality of P-N junction unit solar cells mounted on a substrate is provided. Each unit solar cell is isolated electrically from an adjacent cell by a buffer region of a material having a different conductivity than the substrate. An active photovoltaic layer formed on the light receiving surface of each solar cell between two buffer regions overlaps one of the two buffers defining each cell. Wiring for electrically connecting the unit solar cells in series fashion and electrodes are provided on the upper or lower surfaces of the substrate.

Abstract: Control circuitry for an electronic timepiece that is capable of producing a signal representative of the timing rate of the electronic timepiece's time standard and the amount that the timing rate of the electronic timepiece is varied, is provided. Control circuitry is positioned intermediate divider circuitry capable of producing an adjusted low frequency time signal and a time display that displays time in response to the adjusted low frequency signal being applied thereto. The control circuitry is adapted to apply the adjusted low frequency time signal produced by the divider circuit to the display. The control circuit is further coupled to timing rate adjustment circuitry for adjusting the timing rate of low frequency time signal produced by the divider circuitry, in order to produce a signal representative of the timing rate of the time standard and of the amount of adjustment of the timing rate of the low frequency time signal affected by the timing rate adjustment circuitry.

Abstract: A print character selection mechanism for use with printers of the type wein print characters are circumferentially disposed about the character ring and are selectively positioned in a print position by deenergizing an electromagnetic coil is provided. Each of the character rings includes a ratchet gear having a plurality of circumferentially disposed teeth, which teeth correspond to print characters circumferentially disposed about the print character ring. The instant invention is particularly characterized by a comb-shaped yoke member having a plurality of selection yokes, associated with each of the character rings, and a common yoke supporting each of the selection yokes. An electromagnetic coil is disposed about each selection yoke and is normally energized to induce a flux field in the selection yoke. A plurality of selection members are normally disposed in a rest position in abutting engagement with a selection yoke when the electromagnetic coil is energized.

Abstract: A booster circuit for use in a miniaturized battery operated electronic instrument such as an electronic wristwatch is provided. The booster circuit includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor. A switching circuit is adapted to be disposed in a first operative mode and thereby apply a supply voltage produced by a battery to a first capacitor and thereby charge same to a first voltage. The switching circuit is further adapted to be disposed in a second operative mode to apply the supply voltage and the first voltage stored in the first capacitor in the second capacitor to produce a predetermined output voltage for driving a load substantially equal to the sum of the supply voltage and the first voltage stored in the first capacitor. The booster circuit is characterized by a load detector for producing a load detection signal in response to a change in the load driven by the output voltage.

Abstract: An improved digital display driving circuit for driving digital display cells forming a ditigal display is provided. The driving circuit includes an interfacing circuit that in response to being energized receives a first data signal for selectively energizing certain of the display cells and a second drive signal for effecting AC driving of the display cells selectively energized by the data signal. The improved driving circuit is characterized by a DC supply coupled to the interfacing circuit, the AC supply being adapted to energize the interfacing circuit, and a detecting circuit coupled intermediate the DC supply and the interfacing circuit for selectively controlling the energizing of the interfacing circuit by the DC supply in response to the presence or absence of the drive signal being applied to the interfacing circuit to thereby prevent DC driving of the display cells.