Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding thin sheets is adapted to the feeding of thick sheets by a thick sheet feeding attachment having a pair of slits separated by a distance smaller than the distance between pawls used for separating thin sheets, thereby disabling the separating function of the pawls.

Abstract: A cut sheet feeding mechanism for feeding a cut sheet from a sheet hopper to a platen roller which is rotated in a forward direction to further feed the cut sheet to a printer. The mechanism includes a pick-up roller for picking up a cut sheet from a sheet hopper by rotating in a forward rotary direction and a transmission for transmitting the rotary force of the platen roller to a pick-up roller in a manner such that the pick-up roller also rotates in the forward direction. The transmission includes a disabling device for disabling the transmission after the pick-up roller has fed the cut sheet from the hopper by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A serial printer of the print thimble type is provided with a character selecting mechanism tied in with the ribbon advance mechanism. A drive gear is rotationally rigid with the print thimble and is driven to rotate by a gear of greater thickness than the vertical shift experienced by the drive gear when switching between characters located on vertically spaced circumferences of the print thimble. A locking pawl mechanism rotationally locks the drive gear during printing to stabilize the print thimble to improve printing quality. The locking pawl is actuated by a cam mechanism driven by the ribbon advance.

Abstract: A serial printer of the type employing a petal like print thimble is improved by employing a first motor for character selection in a circumferential direction of the thimble, and a second motor for selection of the vertical position of the print thimble, which has plural circumferentially arrayed sets of characters spaced vertically, by shifting the shaft of the first motor along its axis. When the second motor rotates in a second direction, it serves to advance the ink ribbon of the printer.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device is provided with kick-out rollers of generally cylindrical shape having chordal flats. The kick-out rollers are operable to rotate in one direction to deliver a sheet from a sheet stack for forward transport to a printer or the like. The sheet may be reversely transported back to the sheet stack by means of intermediate rollers which direct the sheet between the sheet stack and the chordal flat of the kick-out roller.

Abstract: A serial impact printer has two printing modes, one being a formed-character mode and the other a dot matrix mode. A plurality of dot matrix wires are disposed behind a character carrying member having characters on fingers. One of the wires impacts a selected finger in the formed-character mode. In the dot matrix mode, however, printing is performed by directly contacting a paper with selected ones of said dot matrix wires.