Abstract: A clamp for gripping an edge of a plate that is mounted on the surface of a rotatable drum. The clamp includes a hinge, attached to the drum and including a pivot axis, and a gripper, formed to have a tip, operative to press the edge of the plate against the drum. The gripper is attached to the hinge so that the center of mass of the gripper is in a direction from the pivot axis that is generally opposite the direction of the tip from the pivot axis.

Abstract: A system and method is provided that displays different symbols on an input device corresponding to different input device layouts. On a keyboard type input device, each key on the keyboard has an individually controllable display device which displays one or more symbols in a given symbol set. Software detects which keyboard layout should be used, downloads the keyboard layout over a network, such as the Internet, and causes the display device in each key to display the appropriate symbol or symbols. A virtual machine embedded in the keyboard provides a platform independent execution enviromnent and simplifies the development of different types of input device layouts. This unique arrangement obviates the need for purchasing different keyboards and software to accommodate the different character sets used by different languages or different specialized software applications.

Abstract: A printer including, from an upstream side to a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction, a sheet feed mechanism, a carriage, a curl straightening device, and a sheet discharge mechanism. A curl straightening head of the curl straightening device is resilient. The carriage and the curl straightening device are driven by a same drive source. The printer is a cheap printer which can allow reliable straightening of curled recorded sheet, even when sheets of different thicknesses are used, and which can reliably discharge the sheet out the printer.

Abstract: A device for accurately controlling the positions of a driving motor and a print head and enhancing print quality by sensing the position of the driving motor by occurring pulses from a timer at shorter intervals than predetermined step units and synchronously driving the print head with control of the driving motor, includes a synchronizing pulse generator for generating high speed synchronizing pulses for controlling the position of the driving motor and the print head, a position controller for synchronously controlling the position of the driving motor with divided generated pulses, a print head controller for synchronously controlling the position of the print head with the divided generated pulse, an interrupt controller for receiving interrupt signals generated in the position controller during the acceleration and deceleration of the driving motor and for generating interrupt in the priority order, and a CPU (central processing unit) for generating interrupts according to interrupt request signals, se

Abstract: A printer and receiver supply tray adapted to sense amount of receiver therein, and method thereof. The printer comprises a print head for printing an image on the receiver and a supply tray associated with the print head for holding a plurality of cut sheets of the receiver, the cut sheets defining a stack of sheets having a predetermined height. A sheet feeder engages the stack of sheets for sequentially feeding sheets from the tray and to the print head, such that height of the stack of sheets decreases as the sheets are fed therefrom. A platen is movably connected to the tray for continuously supporting the stack of sheets in the tray as height of the stack of sheets decreases. An indicator is connected to the platen and movable therewith for indicating height of the stack of sheets as the height of the stack of sheets decreases. The indicator has a surface area thereon of a predetermined light reflectance associated with the amount of sheets in the tray.

Abstract: The position of a guide rail is changed by eccentrically rotating the guide rail by turning a control lever, thereby adjusting an amount of a head gap. A supporting frame for supporting a capping mechanism is connected to the guide rail. When the position of the guide rail is changed for the head gap adjustment, the position of the capping mechanism is also changed. Consequently, even when the position of the guide rail is changed for the head gap adjustment, the positional relation between the capping mechanism and the print head can be almost fixedly maintained.

Abstract: A printing plate cylinder having a hollow cylindrical bore is mounted to a tapered rotatable drive shalt by an adapter having a tapered bore for engaging the drive shalt and a cylindirical outer surface with a flange having guide pins for mating with linear bearings mounted on the printing plate cylinder.

Abstract: An intelligent, portable printer having a microprocessor controller, a printing mechanism, and a web feed mechanism integrated into an assembly which, together with a battery pack, may weigh about 1.5 pounds and be about 60 cubic inches in volume. The web may have removable labels adhesively attached to a liner, or it may be linerless label stock with exposed adhesive, or it may be non-adhesive plain paper stock. The web may be printed with bar codes, graphics, text, or lines. Because the printer is so small and light in weight, it may be used at any site where labels are required. By labels is meant any tickets, stickers, or other patches (so-called "label-stock"). The controller includes a microprocessor which communicates interactively with a terminal, which may be remote from the printer and may include or be a host computer, via cable, radio, or optical interfaces. The terminal supplies application programs and data representing the information to be printed.

Abstract: A point-of-sale printer including a facility for encoding MICR indicia at a precise location called the amount field. A single stepper motor in combination with a unique bi-direction clutch mechanism is used to engage the print head with a platen, and to engage a read head with the check, so that indicia can be sequentially imprinted and read within the transaction printer.

Abstract: The cylinder cleaning device according to the present invention is structured by independent components of a cleaning fabric supply element, a cleaning fabric take-up section, a cleaning fabric pressing section, and a brake section. The cleaning fabric supply element is formed by a flat box-form container. A shape-retaining member is provided on or in the vicinity of an inner surface of said container facing to a crease portion and/or a lateral portion of the cleaning fabric folded in multiplicity so as to act on the crease portion and/or the lateral portion of the cleaning fabric for retaining a folded shape of the cleaning fabric. The cleaning fabric supply element, the cleaning fabric take-up section, the brake section can desirably be arranged in a vacant space around the cylinder. Therefore, even in an existing machine the design for device structure is easy to design in a manner adapted for a vacant space without carrying out especial working.

Abstract: A tube-shaped stub (5) of an end piece (2) is inserted into ribbon tube core (1). The stub (5) has, adjacent to its free end, hook-like projections (11). This achieves secure anchoring of the end piece (2) in the core (1), even under changing climatic conditions.

Abstract: A device for holding and tautening cylinder packings on printing machine cylinders, with at least one tension element whereon a cylinder packing is held, the tension element being pivotable coaxially with the cylinder axis, includes a rotatable lever, a locking device for locking the lever, and a spring member for transmitting a tensioning force to the tension element during a rotational movement of the lever so as to tauten the cylinder packing; and a printing machine including the foregoing device.

Abstract: An offset printing machine having a plate cylinder which carries a printing form and which is operatively connected to an inking unit and a dampening unit is provided. The dampening unit includes a dampening applicator roller which is mounted in contacting relation with the dampening applicator roller. The dampening applicator roller also includes at least one auxiliary roller which is mounted in contacting relation with the dampening applicator roller downstream or after the contact point between the dampening applicator roller and the plate cylinder. The auxiliary roller has a surface with a coating of non-stick material which blocks the transfer of ink and dampening medium to the surface of the auxiliary roller and is axially movable relative to the dampening applicator roller and selectively rotatable at circumferential speeds substantially equal to or different from the circumferential speed of the dampening applicator roller.

Abstract: A method for automatically detecting at least one printing plate edge in at least one clamping device of a plate cylinder of a printing press includes detecting at least one of a position of a printing plate edge and a respective presence and absence of a printing plate edge in the at least one clamping device by at least one sensor, the printing plate edge being detected being the printing plate trailing edge, and the clamping device by which it is detected being the trailing edge clamping device, and a device for performing the detecting method, including at least one sensor disposed in a trailing edge clamping device of the plate cylinder for detecting at least one of a position of the printing plate trailing edge and a respective presence and absence of the printing plate trailing edge in the trailing edge clamping device, and at least one transmitter for transmitting the signals from the plate cylinder to stationary parts of the printing press.

Abstract: The invention provides a tool which can be used with a punch press. On such tool includes a marking punch which has a recess; a marking punch magazine having a channel in which the marking punch is received and an external surface having a transverse groove therein which is in communication with the channel; a striker which strikes the marking punch to move the marking punch from its rest position to its marking position; and a resiliently compressible body received in the transverse groove of the magazine and in the recess in the marking punch. This compressible body desirably is compressed between the magazine and the marking punch when the marking punch is in its marking position, but resiliently biases the marking punch towards its rest position. The invention also provides a method of marking a workpiece, which method can employ such a tool.

Abstract: A seal includes a transparent decoration, a hollow body having a bottom formed with an upwardly extending neck, a seat having a raised top fitted in a bottom of the transparent decoration and a lower portion fitted in the cylindrical body, a circuit board fitted in a lower portion of the seat and having a top on which are mounted an music integrated circuit, a light emitting means and a buzzer and a bottom on which are mounted at least a battery mounting and a switch, the light emitting means, the buzzer and the switch being electrically connected to the integrated circuit, a spring arranged within the body and having a lower end bearing against the neck and an upper end bearing against the circuit board, a rubber pad fixedly fitted in a bottom of the body, and a bottom cover engageable with the bottom of the body to cover the rubber pad, whereby the seal will give light and send out music when in use.

Abstract: The invention provide a method for optimal use of print resource during the preparation a print job for printing. During the creation of a spool file, or similar intermediate file, the invention logs data on print resource usage in a print job in an accounting file. Upon review of this data, it modifies the print resource usage data in the accounting file as necessary to optimize print resource usage. The spool file and the accounting file are then sent to a printer driver. The printer driver knows how to use the print resource data in the accounting file to optimize the print resource usage.

Abstract: A method of forming a high-quality image on an elongated recording medium, such as a roll of paper sheet. When an image includes a character which stretches between two print regions, a blank line portion of the image is detected. When image forming operation is performed for forming a portion of the image up to the blank line, sheet feed operations are performed. Then, image forming operation for a remaining portion of the image is performed. Because the sheet feed operation will not be performed in the middle of printing of such image, undesirable broken line or gap will not be formed on the printed image.

Abstract: A light radiating device of a heatsensitive perforating device includes a casing having an opened lower surface arranged at a perforating plane of a heatsensitive stencil sheet; a light emitting device arranged within the casing, the light emitting means having a bulb portion, a base portion and a contact; an electrode connected to a power supply for energizing the light emitting device, said electrode contacting with the contact of the light emitting device; lower side reflection mirrors contacting with the perforating plane of the heatsensitive stencil sheet; upper side reflection mirrors continuous with the lower side reflection mirrors in a predetermined angle; an upper reflection mirror arranged continuous with the upper side reflection mirrors and in parallel with the perforating plane of the heatsensitive stencil sheet; a holding device for holding the light emitting device in such a manner that a line passing straight through the contact, the center of the base portion and the center of the lower surf

Abstract: A computer system includes a touchpad with one or more overlays providing the computer system with various input control functions. The overlay preferably includes tactile response elements to provide tactile feedback to the operator as an indication that a portion of the overlay has been pressed. The touchpad includes a capacitive sensor. Electronics coupled to the touchpad determine which portion of the touchpad sensor surface area has been touched or pressed. The amount of tactile feedback to the computer operator can be varied through the design and construction of the overlay and the overlay may be provided with no tactile feedback, if desired. As such, numerous overlays can be placed on the touchpad of the computer system, thereby providing the computer system with multiple different input control functions. The computer operator may manually input the type of overlay being used into the computer.