Abstract: A flat cable connecting structure including a flat cable having a film, a connecting portion, and securing portions; and an external connecting part having a body, a connecting terminal, and engaging portions. The connecting terminal is connected to the connecting portion at a conductor portion, and the engaging portions are made to engage the securing portions, in order to connect the external connecting part to the flat cable 10. The flat cable further includes a bent portion formed so as to be disposed between the connecting portion and the engaging portions. The flat cable connecting structure further includes a strain relief portion disposed between the connecting portion and the engaging portions. The flat cable connecting structure of the invention overcomes a problem in conventional flat cable connecting structures.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for securing a printed circuit board to a chassis and electrically coupling the printed circuit board to a reference voltage, such as ground. This is accomplished without using screws, and without requiring contacts to be soldered to the printed circuit board. This embodiment includes a chassis, including conductive material at the reference voltage. A mount extends from the chassis and includes a fastener for fastening to the printed circuit board. This embodiment also includes a contact surface on the printed circuit board, for electrically coupling the printed circuit board to the chassis. Additionally, this embodiment includes a contacting element, including an electrically conductive material, which exerts a restoring force when deformed. This contacting element can be located so that it is compressed between the contact surface and the chassis when the printed circuit board is fastened to the mount.

Abstract: A method of operating a keyboard assembly for a personal computer. In one embodiment, the keyboard assembly has a housing and an actuator coupled to the housing. The housing may have an elongated front edge, an elongated rear edge, a lower surface, and an upper surface. A plurality of keys may project from the upper surface of the housing. The actuator is coupled to the housing to rotate the housing about a rotational axis for changing the inclination of the housing and the keys during operation. For example, the actuator may continuously rotate the housing about a rotational axis during operation in a manner that causes a computer operator to continuously flex his/her wrists. In another embodiment, the housing may be attached to a separate base that has a bottom surface for resting on a support surface. The base may also have a top surface with a channel extending along the rotational axis that is defined by a curved surface with a circular cross-section.

Abstract: An ink dabber printing press including a printing device, an ink dabber mounted to the printing device, and structure for changing the printing position so that different size objects to be printed can be accommodated.

Abstract: A printing-material conveyor between two printing units of a printing machine. The conveyor has a displaceable section displaceable to one position for enabling access to the first printing unit or displaceable to another position for receiving printing material from the first printing unit. A transport device includes the displaceable section which is followed by a stationary section. An endless conveyor with push members extends over both sections. The displaceable section being swingable. A cover plate swingable along with the displaceable section moves to block access to the displaceable section when the latter is displaced to enable access to the first printing unit.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a thermal head in which a FET is connected in series to an individual heater element of each of heater element groups which are connected in parallel with each other, and to which one capacitor for smoothing a power and eliminating a noise is connected in parallel relative to the heater element group. The thermal head performs printing on a thermal paper. The thermal printer includes a printing power source circuit, a failure detection power source circuit, a failure detection circuit for detecting a presence and absence of the failure of the heater element by comparing a voltage generated at opposite ends of the detecting resistor with a threshold value.

Abstract: There is disclosed a self-inking stamp having a pivotable character unit including fixed stamp characters arranged on a supporting plate and settable stamp characters arranged on at least one loop-shaped character band, the loop-shaped character band being guided over an adjustment wheel, rotatably mounted on a central body of the character unit and associated to the character band, and over a supporting ledge supporting that stamp character of the character band which is intended for printing.

Abstract: An apparatus for preventing marking of a web which locally cools the web and thereby raises the viscosity of the ink imprinted thereon downstream of an initial cooling of the web. The cooling device may include liquid cooling of rolls in the press, air cooling of a contained environment of the press, or forcing a cooling gas onto a surface of the printed web.

Abstract: A squeegee blade comprising a base metal core coated with titanium nitride. Preferably, the blade also comprises a nickel coating between the base metal and the titanium nitride. The core blade is provided with an edge with a desired radius of curvature by chemical milling, and then the whole blade is chemically polished or electropolished and optionally nickel plated to produce a very smooth finish. The blade is then coated with titanium nitride to produce a blade with an extremely hard, low-friction surface. A squeegee incorporating the blade can be used, for example, for screen printing solder paste, conductive epoxy, or the like onto printed circuit boards.

Abstract: A printing system having a mechanism for fixing a large scale recording medium in a vertical orientation on an electrostatically adsorption plate provided on a base. The fixing mechanism includes a main holding unit provided on the base, a supplementary holding unit detachably fixed on the main holding unit, and a fixing unit for fixing the supplementary holding unit to the main fixing unit. The supplementary holding unit is first detached from the main fixing unit, and is placed on a tabletop. With this posture, a recording medium is fixed to the supplementary holding unit. Then, the supplementary holding unit holding the recording unit is fixed to the main holding unit. In the fixing operation, the fixing unit automatically changes a held fashion of the recording medium from by the supplementary holding unit to by the main holding unit.

Abstract: A tape dispenser is capable of printing patterns and words on the tape dispensed thereby and is composed of a main body, a tape roll holding portion mounted on the main body, a printing wheel fastened pivotally with the main body, an ink supplying device fastened with the main body such that the ink supplying device is capable of inking a printing plate of the printing wheel, and a tape cutter for severing the tape.

Abstract: A retrofitting, folding, portable keyboard for a notebook computer consists of two, pivotally-hinged halves. The two halves are hinged so that may be assume a perfectly flat, horizontal position, or, alternatively, a laterally raised and sloping configuration that provides an enhanced, ergonometric configuration to the user. Each half has its own set of keys and space bar. The keyboard of the invention has its own pointing device that takes over the pointing function of the pointing device of the dedicated keyboard provided with the notebook computer. The portable, folding keyboard of the invention also has a joystick-adapter by which a conventional joystick may be operatively coupled to the notebook computer by which games may be played. Four, bottom, pivotal feet support the keyboard on and/or above the existing keyboard provided with the notebook computer. A carrying case is provided in which the folded-up keyboard may be stored and transported.

Abstract: An improved key structure for computer keyboards includes two crossed support frames that, after pivotal connection, have center limiting rods projecting respectively from outer sides of the connecting position. Left and right slide rods respectively project from both sides of a horizontal rod at a bottom end of the two crossed support frames, with an inverted U-shaped groove disposed at a middle section and straddling on the limiting plates of the corresponding key base so that when the crossed support frames are compressed and lie down in a closed state, they will not deviate. Two opposite slide bars that orient inwardly are provided on upper ends of the crossed support frames. Four slide holes are respectively provided on a bottom face of a key unit corresponding to the slide bars so that the slide bars can be positioned in the four slide holes and cause the two crossed frames to lie flat.

Abstract: The holding of metal printing plates on a rotating drum using vacuum is greatly improved by bending at least one edge of the plate with a curvature approximately matching the drum curvature. Plate can be bent back to flat shape after unloading.

Abstract: A micro-contact printing apparatus includes a pressure chamber with a micro-contact printing stamp, a vacuum chuck, elastomeric membrane and mechanical stops attached to the vacuum chuck and positioned within the chamber. An extractor pin is attached to the chamber and accessible externally. The micro-contact printing stamp includes a flexible layer made from an elastomer with a stamping surface and attached to a support structure. A method for micro-contact printing a substrate surface includes advancing the substrate surface toward the stamping surface and contacting mechanical stops with support structure before the substrate surface physically contacts the stamping surface. Springs of members adjust the position of the substrate surface to be parallel with the stamping surface. The membrane is inflated to physically contact the substrate surface with the stamping surface, in such a manner that complete adhesion of the stamping surface to the substrate surface is achieved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device to prevent damage to printing groups of web-fed rotary presses that print webs fed by a cylinder which is placed on a reel changer. A fault detector is provided that has a deflection device next to both web edges. It can create a deflective force transverse to the web plane transport, which can be overcome by the tension of the web during normal operation. A monitor is also provided that detects changes. With the aid of this device, damage to printing groups can be prevented (especially arising from defects occurring during reel exchange) by locating the fault detection device in front of the first printing group of the web-fed rotary press, and each of the two monitors of the fault detector is designed as an optical sensor that emits a signal which depends on shading by the web, and its optical axis is tilted in the lengthwise direction of the web in relation to the direction of the deflection force that is essentially perpendicular to the transport plane of the web.

Abstract: A background pattern print image-forming method and device are provided. A plurality of kinds of unit background pattern image data formed of a dot matrix which defines a group of image-forming dots representative of a unit printing portion of a background pattern to be printed on a printing object are stored in a memory device. One kind of unit background pattern image data from the plurality of kinds of unit background pattern image data stored in the memory device is selected as a unit background pattern tile. The selected unit background pattern tile is read from the memory device, and modified to thereby form a different kind of unit background pattern image data from the selected one kind of unit background pattern image data. The different kind of unit background pattern image data is arranged in a manner such that the background pattern is formed, to thereby form background pattern print image data.

Abstract: A plug in daughtercard with an edge connector having pins configured to maintain a low impedance power supply path and accurately control the impedance of lines carrying signals. A low impedance power supply path is provided with pins of the daughtercard organized in rows and columns with some rows providing all power supply voltage and ground return contact pins extending across the entire daughtercard edge. Rows providing power supply voltage and ground return are further interleaved between rows providing signal path connection pins to maximize the number of power supply voltage and return pins to assure a low impedance power supply path is provided to components throughout a daughtercard. Signal line impedance matching is provided using the rows of pins providing the power supply voltage and ground return connections. Ground return pins in such rows are coupled through metal plates which simulate a larger metal ground plane.

Abstract: A sheet sensor device for a sheet-fed printing press having a sheet-reversing arrangement, said sheet-reversing arrangement being comprised essentially of a storage drum, a reversing drum and gripper systems mounted on these drums, so that a sheet sensor device comprising a transmitter and a receiver is arranged in the sheet-reversing area formed between the storage drum and the reversing drum, and that the transmitter is arranged on the one side of the printing machine, and the receiver is arranged on the other side of the printing machine, outside of the sheet-travel area.

Abstract: An apparatus that dispenses disposable sanitary keyboard covers of a flexible transparent plastic film that is drawn across a key array and provides a sanitary cover that allows full use of the keyboard. When a subsequent user uses the keyboard, a new length of plastic film is drawn, and the old length of film is discarded. The apparatus includes a frame having a first tray holding a dispensing reel of plastic film at one end, and at the other end a second tray holding a take-up reel in a first embodiment, or rollers that direct the film to a slot in the outer wall of the tray with a cutting blade adjacent to the slot in a second embodiment.