Abstract: A construction of dot matrix print head is disclosed in which a plurality of body elements, each carrying print wire actuators, are arranged in stacked formation. The body elements and the arrangement of actuators is identical so that by offsetting the body elements relative to adjacent body elements, print wires actuated by actuators of one body member are inter-digitated with print wires actuated by actuators of a body member adjacent said one body member. This construction permits the actuators to be accommodated in a print head of relatively small transverse dimensions.

Abstract: A process motor (82) provides bidirectional motive force to a printer (50) drive train (80) that selectively engages with multiple self-homing printing functions. A print head (52) is tiltable to a maintenance position and a transfer roller (64) is loadable against a transfer drum (54) by respective missing tooth gear (96, 160) latching mechanisms. A print media pick roller (122) and transfer drum maintaining devices (70, 72) are actuated by spring-wrap clutches (114, 236) that are protected from reverse rotation by a one-way clutch (106). Print media transport rollers (140, 142) are selectively engaged with the one-way clutch by an electro-mechanical clutch (128). A picked and transported print medium (56) receives an ink image from the transfer drum and is stripped therefrom by stripper fingers (66) and directed into media exit rollers (212, 220) for delivery to a media output tray (68).

Abstract: An insert for preventing a gummed flap from adhering to an envelope while being printed upon in a laser printer is substantially nonadherent to moister-activated and/or heat-activated gums and adhesives. The nonadherent insert is made from sheet material which is configured to correspond to flaps of commonly used envelopes. The insert is positioned between the gummed flap and a body portion of an envelope to be printed upon prior to feeding the envelope into a laser printer. The insert prevents the gum of the flap, which may be activated by the heat inside a laser printer, from adhering to the body of the envelope. The insert is removed from the envelope after printing and may be repeatedly used.

Abstract: A multiple-function printing device provides for picking pages from a stack of sheets in an input feeder for roller-driven movement along a first path through a printing station to an output, and for picking pages from a stack of documents in an input feeder for roller-driven movement along a second path through a scanning station to an output, with at least a portion of the first and second paths being commonly shared, with a document deflector which, in a document scanning mode of operation, is pivoted into a lowered position generally parallel to a print station platen to constrain the top and bottom of curled documents exiting from the scan station so as to prevent an incipient paper jam. The deflector is actuated by a drive mechanism including a ball link and cranks connected to a common motor in a service station for capping and wiping print cartridges in the printing station.

Abstract: A printer in which print densities of print heads can be adjusted simply and rapidly and set to have an optimum impact force, and a method of adjusting a print density are provided. Concretely, print density patterns which can be set at regular steps toward the high and low density sides of a predetermined density are generated. On the basis of the print density patterns, printing is conducted on a recording medium. A pattern in which a desired print density appears is selected and the print densities of the print heads are absolutely or relatively adjusted.

Abstract: A thermal printing apparatus has a housing divided into two sections, a main shell and a cover which are joined at one end to each other for opening and closing, for ease of the mounting, dismounting, and positioning of a thermal head with a pair of connectors without the use of any conventional tool. A platen is pivotably mounted to the cover. The thermal head includes a head side connector and a heating element mounted on one side of a rectangular base thereof for printing on labels. A head frame is provided having positioning members for determining the position of the thermal head to the platen when the housing is closed and positioning projections for coming into direct contact with four sides of the base to hold the thermal head in its position, and mounted to a base frame in the main shell. A circuit side connector is movably mounted to the head frame for fine positional adjustment to the head side connector.

Abstract: An automatic sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet supporting device for supporting a sheet; an auxiliary roller for feeding a sheet supported on the sheet supporting device; a separating device, having a separation roller and a friction separation device, for feeding one-by-one the sheet; a feeder for feeding the sheet separated by the separating means; auxiliary roller moving device for moving the auxiliary roller between an operative position where the auxiliary roller is in contact with the sheet and an inoperative position where it is away therefrom; a separation roller moving device for moving the separation roller between an operative position where the separation roller is in contact with the friction separating device and an inoperative position where the separation roller is away therefrom; wherein the auxiliary roller moving device and the separation roller moving device move the auxiliary roller and the separation roller from their operative positions to inoperative positions after the feeder s

Abstract: A mandibular distraction device for use in distracting the mandible subsequent to corticotomy thereof includes first and second sets of crowns adapted to be attached to the bicuspid and molar teeth of respective opposite lateral sides of the mandible. A first pair of expander assemblies are removably or fixedly attachable to the opposite sides of the first set of crowns, and a second pair of expander assemblies are removably or fixedly attachable to the opposite sides of the second set of crowns. Each pair of expander assemblies includes one expandable device and one sliding tube assembly. Receptors are provided to be attached to the bicuspid crowns and the molar crowns, and corresponding connectors are provided to be attached to the screw devices and sliding tube assemblies for connection thereof to the crowns.

Abstract: In the pull-out direction of continuous color thermosensitive recording paper, a cutter, a transport roller pair, a thermal head, and a fixing unit are disposed in this order. The transport roller pair alternately performs pull-out and pull-back of the continuous color thermosensitive recording paper a plurality of times. During the three pull-back operations of the continuous color thermosensitive recording paper, a yellow image, a magenta image, and a cyan image are sequentially recorded with the thermal head. Shortly before the magenta and cyan images are recorded, the yellow and magenta images are fixed with the fixing unit, when the recording area moves past the fixing unit. After the full-color image is recorded, the continuous color thermosensitive recording paper is again pulled out and when the preset cut position reaches a cutter, the cutter cuts the paper into a print sheet.

Abstract: A printer is provided with a platen having a sloping plane platen surface, a medium guide path for smoothly guiding paper along the plane including the platen surface, a transparent open/close paper guide positioned above the medium guide path, and two pairs of drive rollers and driven rollers arranged along the platen, with one pair of drive roller and driven roller being disposed in an upstream direction and the other pair of drive roller and driven roller being disposed in a downstream direction with respect to the platen and the paper print movement. The printer is further provided with a ribbon cassette which makes it possible to position a linear portion of an ink ribbon in parallel to the platen surface, a mechanism for switching the linear portion of the ink ribbon between a printable position and a nonprintable position, and a mechanism for attaching a ribbon cassette to a carriage while moving it in a downwardly forward direction.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium comprises a loading section for loading rockably an ink sheet cartridge having an ink sheet containing ink, a first winding member for winding said ink sheet, a second winding member for winding said ink sheet, and a frame body for holding the first winding member and the second winding member rockably, with the loading section loading the ink sheet cartridge detachably, a positioning device for positioning the first winding member and the second winding member, and a recording head for recording onto the recording medium by acting on the ink sheet.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus includes a sheet supply roller provided at its periphery with a cylindrical portion for supplying a sheet and a cut-out portion having a radial distance smaller than a radius of the cylindrical portion, a friction separator moving toward and away from the sheet supply roller to separate sheets one by one when it is contacted by the cylindrical portion of the sheet supply roller, and a biasing mechanism for biasing the friction separator toward the sheet supply roller. In addition, a rotation controller stops the sheet supply roller so that the cut-out portion is opposed to the friction separator when the feeding of the sheet effected by the sheet supply roller is finished, and a guide is arranged for pinching the sheet, which is fed out by a force smaller than a pinching force for pinching the sheet between the cylindrical portion and the friction separator, between the friction separator and the guide when the sheet supply roller is stopped by the rotation controller.

Abstract: A method of printing on a printing medium is provided, including providing a printing head for printing on a recording medium and conveying the recording medium in a first direction with a conveyer. A detector is positioned on the upstream side of the print head, the detector then detecting a trailing edge of the recording medium. The amount of recording medium conveyance by the conveyer upon the detection of said trailing edge is computed and it is determined whether the recording medium is of a standard size. Thereafter, a printing region on the recording medium is defined in accordance with the size of the recording medium if the recording medium is a standard size. A printer for printing on a printing medium which employs the above method is also provided wherein a detector is positioned upstream of the print head for detecting a trailing edge of the recording medium which is being conveyed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet supplying apparatus for selecting and supplying a sheet from a plurality of sheet supply portions. Each of the sheet supply portion comprises a sheet supporting means for supporting the sheets, a rotatable sheet supply means for feeding out the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means, a drive source for driving the rotatable sheet supply means, a drive transmitting means for transmitting or not transmitting a driving force of the drive source to the rotatable sheet supply means, and a control means for controlling the transmission and non-transmission of the drive transmitting means.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a platen for conveying and supporting the recording medium and an ink sheet, recording means for pressing the recording medium and ink sheet to the platen and heating the ink sheet to record images the recording medium. This ink sheet has a first guiding member and a second guiding member which are bonded, respectively, to both ends of the ink sheet. The first and second guiding member bonded to both ends of the ink sheet substitute for a winding reel and supply reel. Therefore, these reels are no longer needed to make it possible to reduce the parts numbers, and implement the use of inexpensive materials.

Abstract: This invention relates to printers for printing on and cutting linerless, adhesive-backed, strip media. Described and claimed are methods and apparatus related to--(1) bridges for bridging a platen roller to minimize its exposed surface to the adhesive, (2) a printing station wherein the printhead moves over stationary media, (3) media having non-activated adhesive and a printer which activates the adhesive only after printing on and cutting the media, and (4) media having the adhesive in strips with non-adhesive gaps between and a cutting or tearing station for separating finished labels at the gaps.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus comprising a sheet supporting means for supporting a sheet, a rotatable sheet supply means for feeding out the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means and a skew-feed correction means for correcting a skew-feed of the sheet by rotating the sheet in a plane including a surface of the sheet while the sheet is being fed by the rotatable sheet supply means.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer for printing images and patterns on a card with thermally transferable color inks while moving the card back and forth in such a state that the card is held and urged against a thermal print head through an ink ribbon by capstan and platen rollers. In printing, the card is first forwarded over a print-starting point, and then, reversed until the leading end thereof arrives at an overrun stop point prescribed behind the print starting point, and thereupon, moved forward until the leading end of the card is positioned at the print-starting point to start printing. Thus, mechanical clearance giving rise to backlash essentially possessed of mechanical elements can be completely eliminated, thereby enabling remarkably high-quality color images to be produced.

Abstract: A compact ink ribbon cartridge includes a casing divided into lower and upper halves and rotatably mounts ink ribbon supply and take-up reels in a parallel spaced apart relationship. A length of ink ribbon is wound between the reels so as to be stretched over a head insertion opening provided through the cartridge casing. A guide portion is provided at a central portion of the cartridge casing such that ink ribbon guide shafts are disposed at both sides of the head insertion opening along the path of winding of the ink ribbon. A plurality of guide shafts are provided at each side of the head insertion opening as necessary for prevention of wrinkling and/or slackening of the ink ribbon. Furthermore, the print head of a printer is provided with guide shafts to guide the ink ribbon and to minimize the vertical distance that the print head must travel.

Abstract: A postage meter has the print rotor and platen within a single secure housing, with a letter detection lever along the paper path downstream from the rotor. The letter detection lever is in a spring-loaded coupling relationship with the trigger that triggers franking. If a letter remains in the meter due to a paper jam, the detection lever continues to be actuated and the spring-loaded coupling keeps the trigger in the triggered position. The meter further comprises a platen carrier moving the platen toward and away from the rotor; when the rotor is in its home position a radial cam on the rotor and cam follower keep the carrier away from the rotor. When franking of a letter begins and the rotor begins to rotate, the rotor cam releases the cam follower, permitting the carrier to move up in spring-loaded relation toward the rotor. A letter stopper is in the paper path downstream from the rotor and helps to align the letter so that the postage imprint is optimally oriented on the letter.