Abstract: A drive assembly for printer carriages and the like comprised of a closed looped metallic tape entrained about a drive and a driven pulley and being moved at a substantially constant rate. The carriage assembly reciprocally slides along guide rods for linear movement in a forward and reverse direction and is provided with guideways for enabling substantially unimpeded movement of the upper and lower runs respectively of said closed looped tape. Solenoid operated jam cleat assemblies are respectively engageable with the upper and lower runs of said closed looped tape in a mutually exclusive fashion. Connecting rod means is provided to assure engagement of only one of the jam cleats with the associated run of the closed loop tape to prevent stopping or jamming of the tape and to assist in the release of the deactivated jam cleat. By selective energization of the pair of solenoid assemblies, the carriage assembly may be moved in either the forward or reverse direction at any given instant of time.

Abstract: A clutch assembly which provides selective output drive especially adapted for use in incrementally driving a platen and tape reader mechanism for use in printers. An output gear is freewheelingly mounted upon the clutch assembly driven shaft and is mechanically linked to a free wheeling cam through a helical spring wound tightly about the driven shaft. The free wheeling cam is provided with at least one notch for selective engagement by a pivotally mounted solenoid actuated latch. When the latch is disengaged from the free wheeling cam, the spring is rotated by the driven shaft and imparts its rotation to both the output gear and the cam. Upon actuation of the solenoid, the latch member engages the free wheeling cam member to restrain it from rotation, causing the helical spring to unwrap itself (i.e., loosen) about the shaft and stop the output gear from rotating.