Abstract: An orthodontic assembly including an orthodontic appliance and a region composed of a matrix material having a plurality of reinforcement structures distributed throughout, with some of the reinforcement structures being exposed on an exterior surface of the assembly, as well as an associated method of fabrication. In one embodiment, the entire orthodontic appliance is composed of the noted reinforcement structures and matrix material. In another embodiment, the noted region is actually a layer which is attached to a separately formed appliance, such as a bracket. Nonetheless, the reinforcement structures may be exposed in a variety of locations, such as on the base and/or arch slot. Moreover, this region may be formed by forming the appliance from the reinforcement structures and matrix material in a manner which produces skin on its exterior surface, and removing the skin from the desired areas to expose reinforcement structures partially contained within the matrix material.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a conveyor for applying a conveying force to a sheet, a first guide for guiding the sheet to which the conveying force is applied from the conveyor, a second guide for guiding the sheet guided by the first guide along a curved path, a driver for driving the conveyor, and a controller for controlling the driver to increase the conveying force of the conveyor when the sheet being conveyed by the conveyor is guided with being abutted against the second guide.

Abstract: In a serial printer a pinion and a rack for lateral movement of a carriage, a dislodging member with edges proximate to the rack is provided to remove any chads or other foreign matters that may be attached to the rack, as they approach the pinion with the lateral movement of the carriage. The chads or other foreign matters are prevented from being caught between the pinion and the rack, and noises and increase in the torque due to the rolling in is prevented.

Abstract: A paper discharge section for a printer having a printer body includes first and second support portions mounted on the printer body. At least one of the support portions is slidable towards and away from the other support portion. The first support portion can rotate between at least a first position at which the first support portion supports a first bottom side portion of the sheet of paper and at least a second position in which the first support portion does not support the first bottom side portion of a sheet of paper. A slidable edge guide for guiding a first side edge of a sheet of paper is provided and slidable towards the other edge guide. A linkage mechanism links the slidable edge guide to the first support portion to cause the edge guide and first support portion to slide together.

Abstract: A decentering collar to hold and rotate a carriage by a fixed decentering amount. The position the carriage is moved relatively by rotation of the decentering collar to one of two positions having the same height with respect to the center of rotation of the decentering collar in the direction of the print paper feed. From these two positions, a position can be selected by operation of the adjustment lever that is appropriate for the thickness of the print paper.

Abstract: A line printer comprises a frame having a pair of spaced-apart side walls, a platen having a shaft mounted to the side walls for pivotal movement, a print head interposed between the side walls and positioned in pressure contact with the platen, and a head-up lever mounted on one of the side walls for releasing the print head from pressure contact with the platen. The head-up lever is mounted on the shaft of the platen for pivotal movement relative thereto.

Abstract: In a thermal printer for feeding a direct thermal paper or a thermal transfer ribbon and a printing paper between a thermal head and a platen roller while such paper is pressed and held by pressing force of a pressure application means, and printing on such paper by heating a heating portion of the thermal head, the positioning of the thermal head relative to the platen roller in the paper feeding direction can be easily performed by a simple mechanism without using an exclusive assembling instrument.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printing apparatus has an improved ink sheet interchanging device. A fusion type or sublimation type thermal transfer printing using a combination of many kinds of ink sheets can be carried out by a single printing apparatus. A desired ink sheet cassette is selected from a plurality of ink sheet cassettes each having an ink sheet, and moved to a printing portion. A plurality of ink sheet cassettes are stacked in a stock portion arranged in the up-stream side or the down-stream side of the cassette transferring direction. A plurality of ink sheet cassettes are mounted on a rotary plate, and a desired ink sheet cassette is transferred to the printing portion by rotating the rotary plate.

Abstract: The printed products, overlapping one another in an imbricated manner, are moved, by means of the conveying device, past the first printing station in a conveying direction, where the first outer side of the printed products is provided with typographical labeling in the exposed border region. Before the printed products are guided past the second printing station, the border region of the second outer side of the printed products is exposed; for example by turning over the printed products. Printed products are then provided with typographical labeling in the border region by means of the second printing station.

Abstract: A printer has dual opposing printheads which can print in tandem on two sides of paper fed along a printing plane. The dual opposing printheads can print the same information on each side of two paper sheets fed in back-to-back (two-ply) fashion, thereby providing a document and copy simultaneously. The printer can also print different information on two sides of the same paper sheet or on each side of two paper sheets, thereby doubling the printing speed as compared to a single printhead. In a preferred embodiment, the dual opposing printheads are mounted in carriages driven reciprocatingly in tandem by one drive belt. Tandem paper feed mechanisms are arranged at one side of the printer and have respective clutch spring devices which are actuated alternately by cam surfaces on the printhead carriages so as to drive a pair of paper feed rollers with the paper fed in between them.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer with an erasing function for recording data by use of heating energy. Included are a signal generator to generate a signal to instruct the erasure; a heating energy generator; a memory in which generation patterns of heating energy to be generated from the heating energy generator are stored; and a controller to control the heating energy generator in a manner such that a plurality of different generation patterns are read out of the memory on the basis of the erasing instruction from the signal generator and different heating energy is generated from the heating energy generator a plurality of times on the basis of the generation patterns, thereby erasing recorded patterns. The heating energy generator gives the heating energy to the recorded patterns through a correctable ribbon which can print and erase. With this printer, the data recorded by variable lengths in the proportional spacing mode can be certainly erased.

Abstract: Plural guide holes are arranged in a matrix form in a wire guide. Plural print drivers are circularly arranged in plural layers for first print drivers belonging to a layer near to the wire guide and for second print drivers belonging to a layer far from the wire guide. A print wire is provided at each print driver so as to project end thereof from the guide hole of the wire guide when driven. The print wires formed at the first print drivers are inserted in the guide holes of lines located at the edge formed in the wire guide. On the other hand, the print wires formed at the second print drivers are inserted in the guide holes of lines located at the center of the wire guide.

Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus comprises sheet supporting means for supporting a sheet, rotary supply means for feeding out the sheet, rotary convey means for conveying the sheet by a predetermined amount and then for effecting the registration of the sheet by a reverse rotation, drive means for driving the rotary convey means in a normal direction and a reverse direction, a switching output gear connected to the drive means so that a driving force from the drive means is transmitted to the switching output gear, and switching means for engaging the switching output gear with an input gear connected to the rotary supply means to transmit a rotational driving force of the rotary convey means to the rotary supply means, and for disengaging the switching output gear from the input gear.

Abstract: A high resolution thermal printer capable of printing both directly on a thermally responsive media and indirectly through a thermally responsive donor media is disclosed. The printer has a printing media guide mounted as an intermediate clamshell structure to accurately position the printing media immediately adjacent the print head and platen. The printing media guide includes a nip roller and guide bar independently suspended on a spring biased, pivot plate arrangement. The printing media is centered on the supply spool, and the printer includes a read/write circuit to communicate with a profiler chip centrally mounted in the printing media roll. The printer may also include a read/write circuit to communicate with a donor profiler chip centrally mounted in the donor media roll. A constant pressure brake with a friction belt is used directly against the printing media. A spring arm latch/channel block arrangement is used to secure the printing media supply spool.

Abstract: A print position indicator is coupleable to and uncoupleable from a print head so that the print position indicator can continuously indicate the next print position even when the print head is not adjacent that position. The print position indicator is slidably mounted on the same guide rail that carries the print head for left-and-right movement and includes a coupling mechanism so that the print position indicator can be detached from the print head when the print head returns to a home position, leaving the print position indicator correctly pointing to the next print position. In addition, the print position indicator can include plural laterally extending indicators, such as a row of light-emitting diodes (LED's) which are sequentially activated so as to indicate the next print position when plural characters are input before any of them are printed.

Abstract: A cassette which can be molted in a recording apparatus includes a first winding member for winding one side of a strip member, a second winding member for winding the other side of the strip member, and a frame for rotatively housing the first and second winding members. A first regulating member regulates the rotation of the first winding member when the cassette is removed from the recording apparatus, and a second regulating member regulates the rotation of the second winding member when the cassette is removed from the recording apparatus. With the simple structure enabling the cassette to be easily assembled, it is possible to prevent the idle run of the winding members as well as the slacking of the strip member.

Abstract: Resiliency of a flat spring 7 corresponding to an end print wire 12 is set to be greater than that corresponding to a central print wire 12 by varying width of an effective spring portion 7b of a flat spring piece 7A to which an armature 13 is attached depending on positions of corresponding tips of the print wires 12. Distance between a magnet yoke 5 and a core 15 provided between the flat spring 7 and a permanent magnet 4 at a position corresponding to a central print wire 12 side is set to be smaller than that at a position corresponding to an end print wire 12 side by varying it depending on positions of corresponding tips of the print wires 12.

Abstract: "Smart" enclosure units which not only isolate electronic printers from the surrounding atmosphere but prevent explosion hazardous conditions from arising when retrieving output from the printers are described. The units comprise a first pressurizable chamber for housing an electronic printer which transforms received input electronic signals into printout copy which emerges from the printer; and a second pressurizable chamber contiguous with the first chamber for receiving, through a portal located between the chambers, printout copy from the printer as the printout copy emerges from the printer. The second chamber has a door enabling an operator to periodically remove printout copy from the second chamber. A closure for the portal when open permits printout copy to pass from the printer into the second chamber. When closed, this closure seals off the first chamber from the second chamber.

Abstract: A printer for printing characters and images on recording paper comprising: a paper cassette for storing the recording paper; a platen roller around which the recording paper is wound at the time of the transfer of images for printing; a clamping mechanism for clamping the recorrding paper between the clamping mechanism and the platen roller; a motor for driving the platen roller through a gear unit; a thermal printing head for transfferring images onto the recording paper; a paper feeding rollers for feeding the recording paper from the paper cassette to the clamper; a paper discharging rollers for discharging the recording paper upon the completion of the transfer of images thereto; and an ink cassette storing an ink sheet inside thereof; in which the clamping mechanism comprises a clamper which is mounted on the platen roller in such a manner as to permit the free movement of the clamper, holds the recording paper by pushing the recording paper onto the platen roller in a first position and also releases t

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium by discharging ink includes a recorder for recording on the recording medium by discharging the ink through discharge ports, a setting device for setting a line recording mode in which recording is performed for every line or a page recording mode in which the recording is performed over a plurality of lines, with the recorder, and a controller, which, when the line recording mode is set, moves the discharging port face of the recorder outside of a conveyance passage for the recording medium for every termination of recording of one line, and which, when the page recording mode is set, reciprocates the recorder in the conveyance passage to record over a predetermined area, and after termination of recording of the predetermined area, moves the discharging port face of the recorder outside of the conveyance passage, and then conveys the recording medium for discharge from the apparatus.