Abstract: A rotationally advanced dental floss holder and applicator assembly that includes a source spool and a take-up spool member to be held in each hand of the user. Dental floss is easily advanced from the source spool member to the take-up spool member by means of rotating the members with the fingers and thereby lessening the time necessary for flossing as well as reducing the amount of dental floss waste. Also disclosed is a dental floss dispenser having a locking mechanism to lock a freely rotating internal spool of dental floss relative to the dental floss dispenser. The locking mechanism is actuated by squeezing the dental floss dispenser and the dental floss dispenser has a finger grip so that the dispenser can be held by the fingers only.

Abstract: A color printer comprises a recording sheet tray 3 capable of storing numerous recording sheets 2, a sheet feed/discharge roller 293 feeding an uppermost recording sheet 2 from the recording sheet tray 3 to a platen roller 7, and a clamp mechanism section 13 clamping a front end of a recording sheet 2 loaded on the platen roller 7 at a predetermined fixed position. A driving device rotates the platen roller 7 to reciprocate the loaded recording sheet 2 in forward and backward directions every time when each of plurality of color images, such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), is printed on the loaded recording sheet 2. A sheet transportation path is defined between the sheet feed/discharge roller 293 and the clamp mechanism section 13 for transporting the loaded recording sheet 2 forward and backward. This sheet transportation path is shorter in length than the recording sheets 2.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a roll of recording paper, a roll conveying roller for feeding a roll of recording paper, and a sheet conveying roller for feeding sheets of recording paper. Power from a DC motor is transmitted to both rollers through a switching mechanism. The switching mechanism includes a system gear, a planetary gear, and a planetary gear arm, and a locking member for fixing the planetary gear arm at a prescribed position. A head release cam, a head release pulley, and a timing belt cooperate with the switching mechanism to remove pressure from a print recording head to prevent damage to the head during switching. Accordingly, a roll of recording paper and sheets of recording paper can be selected and used as needed without increasing the manufacturing cost and size of the apparatus.

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 recording 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 transferring 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 the

Abstract: A shuttle mechanism of a printer apparatus wherein a balance shuttle unit is arranged on the opposite side of the print head in a print shuttle unit, for instance, on the under side of said print shuttle unit, so that the center of the gravity of the print shuttle unit is made to become close to that of the balance shuttle unit. Common components such as the magnet, yoke, guide member may be employed in both the shuttle units.

Abstract: An ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head for actuating wires with ink attached to tip ends thereof into contact with a sheet of print paper to transfer ink to the sheet, thereby forming ink dots thereon. The ink-supplied wire dot matrix printer head includes a wire guide member having a wire guide hole for guiding the tip end of the wire, and an ink tank containing an ink absorbing body therein and having an ink supply port in which a portion of the wire guide member is inserted. The wire guide member has a capillary ink path communicating with a side of the wire and supplied with ink from the ink absorbing body.

Abstract: A shuttle printer has a flexible arm made of a resilient member, to which tip guides are fixed. Print wires driven by a plurality of piezoelectric actuators are supported by the flexible arm. Midway guides are provided to support and guide the intermediate portions of the print wires. The tip guides guide and support the tip ends of the print wires. The tip guides and the midway guides are rotatably supported by the flexible arm. When the tip guides are reciprocated in the lateral direction thereof by a reciprocating mechanism, the resilient arm is also driven to swing. Therefore, printing is carried out while a pair of resilient members of the flexible arm are elastically deformed in the lateral direction.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head for performing recording on a sheet, a first rotating member, disposed at a side downstream from the recording head so as to contact a non-recorded surface of the sheet on which recording has been performed by the recording head, for supplying the sheet with a conveying force, and a second rotating member, including pointed teeth at its outer circumference, for conveying the sheet in cooperation with the first rotating member while distal ends of the teeth contact a recorded surface of the sheet. The radius of curvature of the tips of the teeth are equal to or less than 0.05 mm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet feeding apparatus, comprising a conveying rotary member for conveying a sheet by rotating while contacting the sheet, an urging member for urging the sheet against the conveying rotary member, and a supporting means for supporting the urging member for movement in a sheet conveying direction.

Abstract: An orthodontic appliance for use in the mouth which includes an annealing process to provide a marking area. A laser is used to surface anneal an orthodontic appliance, such as an orthodontic bracket, for identification purposes and to withstand a number of recycling processes for sterilization purposes. The surface annealing process does not remelt the marking area and is an advantage over the prior art in that the marking area is not rough or weakened by remelting the structure.

Abstract: A thermal printer includes a web transport for positioning a dye donor web along a path; a sensor along the path and spaced from the print line for detecting the arrival of a leading edge of a dye frame, and a control for the web transport. The control is adapted to reposition the dye donor web along the path so that the leading edge of the dye frame is in substantial alignment with the print line before printing the dye frame begins. The web transport moves the dye donor web in both forward and reverse directions past the print line, and the sensor detects the leading edge of a frame while the donor web moves in a forward direction. The control stops the web and reverses it to thereby rewind the dye donor web until the edge of the dye frame is in substantial alignment with the print line. The control adjusts the amount of repositioning of the dye donor web that is effected as a function of the detected leading edge's location along dye donor web.

Abstract: A follower roller 100 adapted to be rotated while coming in contact with a recording medium 120 is rotatably mounted on a driving roller shaft 114 of a driving roller 113, i.e., one of an opposing pair of driving rollers 111 and 113, and a rotation detector 115 for detecting the rotation of the follower roller 100 is disposed in the vicinity of the driving roller 113. A controller detects a malfunction of paper clogging by comparing the detection signal outputted from the rotation detector 115 with the driving signal outputted from the controller for rotationally driving a paper feeding motor. The follower roller 100 includes a ring-shaped magnet 121 including a plurality of magnet segments which are alternately magnetized in such a manner that adjacent magnet segments exhibit different magnetic poles with a radially extending boundary line as a boundary therebetween.

Abstract: A carriage driving motor is driven with acceleration during a time period substantially equal to the half period of periodic vibration generated in a carriage in its moving direction when the carriage shifts from a stopped state to a moving state. Subsequently, the carriage driving motor is driven at a constant speed. Thus, the vibration of the carriage is minimized and movement of the carriage at the constant speed is stabilized.

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 recorrding paper is wound at the time of the transfer of images for printing; a clamping mechanism for clamping the recording 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: A method and apparatus for controlling a serial printer of the invention selects a first digit character by counting a predetermined number of timing pulses that starts to be generated during carriage return and sets the predetermined number so as to correspond to the character to be printed and the number of digits printed in a last line. The apparatus may include a time measuring device, and selects a first digit character to be printed in succession to a last line by measuring a predetermined carriage return time and sets the predetermined carriage return time so as to correspond to the character to be printed and the number of digits printed in the last line. The apparatus also may include a timing pulse interval detector, and a first digit character is selected after the selection of a character group by counting a predetermined number of timing pulses and the predetermined number is set so as to correspond to the character to be printed and the number of digits printed in the last line.

Abstract: A multifunctional microprocessor device includes a mainframe, a lower slide plate made to slide on the mainframe in the transverse direction and having a forked contact metal spring inserted through a first through hole on the mainframe and series of longitudinally aligned windows to show character codes around the keys on the mainframe, an upper slide plate made to slide on the mainframe in the longitudinal direction and having a forked contact metal spring inserted through a second through hole on the mainframe and series of transversely aligned windows to show character codes around the keys on the mainframe, wherein moving the upper and/or lower slide plates longitudinally or transversely causes the forked contact metal spring of either slide plate to contact either contact on the electronic circuit of the mainframe, and therefore the microprocessor unit is switched to the function modes corresponding to the character codes shown through the windows on the upper and lower slide plates.

Abstract: A printing device has a simple mechanism for ensuring that a cassette having tape of a proper width is inserted into it for printing and for advising a microprocessor of the width of the tape. This is achieved by providing a switch with an actuating part which can be accommodated by a cassette of one type but not by a cassette of a different type.

Abstract: An impact dot printer designed to reduce noise, including a first cover, a second cover, and an overlap portion therebetween. The first cover is located above a print section, and may include sound wave reflecting plates, sheet guide plates, and a sound absorbing member, each reflecting plate, each sheet guide plate, and the sound absorbing member being arranged close to the print section. The second cover is rotatable relative to the first cover and forms a printed sheet discharge path together with the first cover. The second cover also has sound wave reflecting plates and sheet guide plates. Each sheet guide plate is designed to be projected farther from the associated cover than the corresponding reflecting plate on said cover. The distance between adjacent sheet guide plates is made smaller than the width of the smallest sheet to be used in the printer.

Abstract: A print unit provided with one or a multi-serial heads having a plurality of print pins widely arranged in a direction of the feeding of paper and is provided laterally movably on a guide shaft. A cassette holder having a plurality of monochromatic ribbon cassettes that are juxtaposed and received therein is arranged in parallel with and close to the moving path of the print unit. A suitable one of the monochromatic ribbon cassettes is transferred, in response to a control signal, from the cassette holder to the print unit, and from the print unit to the cassette holder.

Abstract: An ink sheet cartridge mountable onto a recording apparatus comprises a supply reel around which an ink sheet is wound, a take-up reel for winding the ink sheet supplied from the supply reel, and a frame body for holding the supply reel and the take-up reel, wherein the strength of the take-up reel is made greater than that of the supply reel.