Abstract: An apparatus for guiding a carbon ribbon from a supply reel to a take-up reel includes an adjusting member which is used for securing a guide rod around which the carbon ribbon passes to a fixed plate. A bolt passes through an off-center hole in the adjusting member and upon tightening of the bolt, one end of the rod is secured to the fixed plate. The other end of the rod is pivotably secured in a base plate. Therefore, by turning the adjustment member, the location of the off-center hole is changed and the inclination of the rod is adjusted. By suitable setting of the adjustment member, the orientation of the rod is adjusted so that a uniform tension is applied across the ribbon tape to thereby prevent wrinkling or misalignment thereof.

Abstract: A device to relieve traction from a patient, the traction imposed by a weight connected to a harness on the patient through a flexible element strung over a pulley wheel, the device including a reversible motor which turns a pulley wheel mounted on a shaft through a one-way clutch, the motor being freely mounted on the shaft and raising the weight when it turns in one direction to produce slack in the flexible element, and lowering the weight to impose traction force on the patient when it turns in the reverse direction.

Abstract: A safety guard rail (7) can be moved between a position adjacent a nip between two rotating cylinders (3, 4) and a remote position. The safety guard rail has flanges (8, 9) attached thereto, projecting essentially parallel to cover plates (5, 6) already present in the printing machine. The cover plates are formed with guide slits (12, 13) extending downwardly at an inclination, in which guide elements (10, 11) engage, secured to the projecting flanges which hold the safety guard rail (7). Limit switches are coupled to be engaged by the flanges and/or the guide elements to provide ON and OFF signals, in dependence on the position of the safety guard rail with respect to the nip, to inhibit printing machine operation when the guard rail is in a remote position, for example for changing of rubber blankets on the cylinders, and permitting printing machine operation only when the safety guard rail (7) is adjacent the nip to be able to carry out its safety guarding function.

Abstract: A printer comprises printing means; a carriage on which this printing means is mounted; an endless, loop-like timing belt, fixed to the carriage, for moving the carriage, the surfaces of this endless belt which face with each other having serrated toothed portions; and a member for sandwiching the endless belt to stop the movement of the carriage. This printer may be also provided with an intermediate engaging member which is interposed between the upper and lower belts of the endless belt. This engaging member has serrated toothed portions having the same pitch as that of the serrated toothed portions of the endless belt. With this simple constitution, the carriage can be easily locked and unlocked without using special tools such as a screw and a screwdriver.

Abstract: This invention is an infeed mechanism for a sheet fed printing machine comprising a chute for guiding a sheet from a staging position into an array of moving grippers. To improve the reliability and accuracy of placement of the sheet leading edge into the gripper throat, a plurality of flexible strips, each longer than the one above, is attached to the chute bottom edge facing the grippers, the strips coming into sequential resilient contact with the open gripper fingers. The strips therefore become a flexible extension of the lower edge of the chute and serve to constrain the sheet lead edge movement into the moving gripper fingers regardless of instantaneous mechanical misalignments and sheet imperfections.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for moving perforated continuous paper (10) through a dual axis printer (12), with both axes (14, 30) driven, while regulating the feed with the perforations and maintaining a controlled tension (38a) in the paper between the two driven axes. The novel approach in this invention is the addition of a set of spring-loaded friction surfaces (56a-62a), incorporated into a gear transmission (50), which limit the amount of torque which can be transmitted to the unregulated drive axis, with the direct effect of controlling the tension in the paper between the two axes.In order to create this tension, the unregulated axis is driven at a slightly greater speed than the regulated axis (with speed measured in terms of inches of paper per revolution of the driven gear (20)).

Abstract: A synthetic resinous bearing having hydrophobic properties which continuously expel collected waste ink from an ink transfer roller of a printing press. The bearing consists of a molded sleeve of synthetic resinous material such as sintered Teflon or molded nylon which has been impregnated with a compatiable lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide or the like. The bearing includes longitudinally oriented grooves on an inner surface thereof which are not wetted by the flow of waste ink and contaminants, and which provide for continuous discharge of the same during operation of the associated printing press.

Abstract: A dog clutch is disclosed for interconnecting the drive mechanism of a cartridge holder and the ribbon drive in a cartridge, which clutch permits a coupling in any position of the coupling parts. One coupling component is a hollow pin in the opening of which the spindle with knife-like entrainment componets can be inserted for rotary entrainment under elastic deformation of the wall of the hollow pin.

Abstract: The disclosure describes in detail one of the most serious problems in connection with maintaining the operating life of print hammers at the high speeds of todays printers. Also described in detail is a structural arrangement to solve this problem without involving a major redesign of a print hammer module. A significant aspect of this solution is that a high speed print hammer is kept out of contact with structure that serves as a reservoir for the pivot pin lubricant.

Abstract: A system for embossing a plurality of lines and recording encoded tracks of digitally encoded characters for credit cards is disclosed. The system has an improved recording station for recording digitally encoded characters, indent embossing unit, card transporting unit, process for verifying the accuracy of recording the tracks; and stacker.

Abstract: A knee brace (10) is provided with a thigh collar (12) and a tibia collar (40) for securing the brace to the user's leg. A hinge (20) is connected to the thigh collar (12) and the tibia collar (40) in order to allow extension and flexion of the leg. The tibia collar (40) is connected to the hinge (20) via a connecting rod (26) upon which the tibia collar (40) may rotate and piston vertically. The desired range within which tibia collar (40) may rotate and piston may be adjusted by cams (34 and 36). An elastic wrap (56) is attached to the thigh collar (12) and the tibia collar (40) in order to facilitate proper rotation of the leg.

Abstract: A compliant head loading mechanism for a thermal printer which in a loaded condition compliantly loads a thermal head against a dye-carrier and a receiver to form a printing nip. The mechanism includes two brackets each of which is pivotably mounted on a fixed pivot shaft. A head loading spring connects the two brackets. The lower bracket has two arms which have holes that receive the pivot shaft. One hole permits only rotational motion of the lower bracket while the other hole is a slot that permits rotational and translation motion of the lower bracket. The slot is tilted to prevent the drag force exerted by the rotating roller against the media (dye-carrier and receiver) from the inducing a twisting moment into the lower bracket.

Abstract: In a washing device for an impression cylinder of a printing machine, there is provided a washing roller capable of being brought into contact with and liftable away from a cylindrical jacket surface of the impression cylinder in vicinity of a gripper bridge of the impression cylinder, and being sprayable with cleaning solution, the washing roller comprising a washing brush extending over substantially the entire length of the impression cylinder and being separately driven, the washing roller being rotatable in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of the impression cylinder and being rotatable at a higher speed than the rotating speed of the impression cylinder, the washing roller being movable automatically into its contact with the impression cylinder.

Abstract: A method and system (20) for embossing characters on a card (44). A programmed host computer system (24) which interfaces with an embosser (22) includes logic (50) for computing character movement time and card movement time for each character to be embossed on the card (44), selecting the longest of the two values for each character as a character movement time, embossing the character having the shortest character movement time, and then iteratively performing the same process for the remaining characters such that the characters are embossed in a very time efficient manner.

Abstract: The selector device for a character-carrying element of a printing machine comprises a d.c. electric motor whose rotor is capable of selectively rotating in both rotational directions a coupling arrangement comprising a pinion on the motor shaft and a gear on the shaft which carries the hub for mounting a daisywheel printing element and a strobe disc which provides the position signals used to control character selection. A device for taking up clearances minimizes the radial clearances between the pinion and the gear. Thus the motor is mounted on trunnions and urged by a spring to tilt in the sense urging the pinion into the gear.

Abstract: An automatic cut-sheet feeder incorporated in a printer includes an upper sheet guide having an ink ribbon replacement recess defining a clearance between the upper sheet guide and a print head of the printer for thereby allowing an ink ribbon cassette to be replaced with ease. When a cut sheet is fed to the front side of a platen, the print head mounted on a carriage is controlled to move to a position corresponding to the ink ribbon replacement recess in the upper sheet guide. The printed cut sheet can smoothly be discharged by the upper sheet guide into a stacker. The ink ribbon cassette on the print head can easily be replaced with a new one.

Abstract: A printer in which a daisy wheel on a carriage is caused, by a hammer actuating mechanism, to impact against a printing sheet fed by a sheet feed mechanism, so that the sheet is printed with use of a ribbon interposed between the sheet and the wheel. The hammer actuating mechanism, a printing ribbon feed mechanism, a correction ribbon feed mechanism, and a correction ribbon lift mechanism constituting a first driven section, and the sheet feed mechanism constituting a second driven section, are connected to a single DC motor by means of clutch means. In driving the first driven section, the motor is supplied with a predetermined supply voltage from an external power source. In driving the second driven section, the motor is supplied with a supply voltage chopped by chopping means so that the second driven section is driven with a smaller driving force and at a lower rotating speed than the first driven section is.

Abstract: A scalp massager has a main body provided on the rear end thereof with a grip portion, a base portion, a pair of supporting arms projecting laterally from the base portion and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the base portion, a roller member rotatably mounted between the arms for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base portion, the roller member being provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a multiplicity of scalp stimulating projections, and compression springs for resiliently biasing the roller member away from the grip portion. The user grips the grip portion and lightly presses the roller member onto his head, and moves the massager back and forth so that the roller member rolls on the scalp with the result that the projections stimulate blood vessels under the scalp so as to enhance the blood stream.

Abstract: Apparatus for mounting a flexible printing plate comprises a printing cylinder having a surface upon which the printing plate is mountable, and a connection for applying subatmospheric pressure inside the cylinder. A plurality of valves selectively apply the subatmospheric pressure to the surface from inside the cylinder. These valves have depressable actuating members protrudable above the cylinder surface. Those actuating members contacted by the printing plate when applied to the cylinder surface are depressed thereby to effect application of subatmospheric pressure to beneath the printing plate to draw the plate against the cylinder. Preferably, grooves are provided in the cylinder surface for distribution of the subatmospheric pressure beneath the plate. Advantageously, the printing plate may have a thin, highly flexible and deformable fringe along its trailing edge to seal the surface grooves, at that location.

Abstract: A weight unbalance shuttle drive for flexure mounted carriages (11) is disclosed. The weight unbalance shuttle drive comprises a pair of motors (49) attached to the flexure mounted carriage (11). Mounted on the shaft of each motor is an unbalancing weight (51). When the motors (49) are energized the unbalancing weights (51) produce carriage drive forces in alternating directions resulting in the carriage (11) being shuttled back and forth. The mass and shape of the unbalancing weights (51) is chosen to produce the desired carriage displacement at the desired system operating frequency. The rotary positions of the unbalance weights (51) is chosen to produce the desired force/displacement amplitude.