Abstract: A ticket issuing system for facilitating processing and printing of citations. The ticket issuing system includes a housing being designed for being held in a hand of a user. An information assembly is positioned in the housing. The information assembly is designed for gathering information about a vehicle and the violation. A printing assembly designed for printing the citation to be issued to the motorist. The printing assembly is operationally coupled to the information assembly whereby the printing assembly gathers information from the information assembly to print the citation.

Abstract: Apparatus for randomly marking a game card comprises an array of marking means (46, 48) independently moveable within respective apertures (40) from a stowed position to a deployed position to mark a game card, a plurality of balls (62), the number of which is less than the number of marking means, each ball being capable of entering wholly a randomly selected one of the apertures, and means (64) for engaging each ball when located in its respective aperture to move its related marking means from the stowed position to the deployed position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing traffic citations or the like. An impact printer is supplied which prints with a print head onto an approximately 3.25" wide paper strips and senses the movement of the paper through the printer. A plate is provided to guide paper over the print head. The sensors are removed from the printer. The plate is widened with by attaching material along the plates side to accommodate 4.5" paper. The material is shaped to prevent the paper from squirreling.

Abstract: In a thermal printer for performing printing on the printing surface of a tag which is drawn out from a tag roll and then held and conveyed by a platen and a line thermal head, the thermal printer comprises a thread sweeping means for sweeping away the threads which get on the printing surface of the tag and a tag guide means disposed downstream the conveying direction of the tag for bringing into contact with the side edge of the tag which is opposite to the other side edge thereof to which the threads are attached so that the threads which get on the printing surface of the tag are swept away by the thread sweeping means and the tag is conveyed in the manner that the threads do not contact the tag guide, which eventually prevents the threads from being caught by parts on the conveying route or prevents the tag from being printed on the printing surface thereof while the threads remain getting on the printing surface.

Abstract: A roll-to-roll counter for stamp strips formed in rolls which includes a head assembly with a vacuum/pressure drum drive, a perforation sensor and a cutting device for separating the strip at the sensed perforation, and further includes an automatic self-loader on a take-up reel, an automatic wind-up device and an automatic release after take-up.

Abstract: The invention provides a ticket issuing system suitable for issuing tickets with or without a stub for use in payment for parking. The ticket issuing system includes a roll (4) of paper having messages pre-printed thereon, a thermal print head (13), a motor (12) for driving the strip of paper, and means (14, 16) for cutting the paper. A control assembly (34) controls these various means to ensure that a driver is provided with a ticket and a stub or with a ticket on its own depending on whether or not the driver has pressed a button (42).

Abstract: A multi-format document printer and processor has a plurality of data writing and reading means for data in different formats, disposed along a transport path. Forms are separated from a continuous perforated form supply and advanced along the transport path. Bidirectional drive rollers disposed along the path advance the documents and reverse them for reprocessing as necessary. At the end of the transport path, the documents are routed to an exit hopper or a reject hopper and a sensor at the exit detects already-issued forms manually loaded by an operator, which already-issued forms can be likewise bidirectionally processed for reading, verification, modification and the like. The processor is preferably embodied for transportation tickets and boarding passes, having: optical character recognition (OCR) write and read devices, magnetic strip write and read devices and a dot matrix printer having an array of print heads operable to print a document in one pass.

Abstract: A portable device for storing information as well as printing and dispensing multiple part tickets, such as traffic or parking violations tickets, includes a manually operable arrangement, for selecting and feeding a ticket from a stacked source of ticket stock, thus significantly reducing the energy requirements for operability and permitting portable usage of the device.

Abstract: The invention has particular utility when utilized in a stand-alone electronic mailing machine of the reciprocating platen type. The entire drive mechanism, setting mechanism, and control devices as well as the postage metering mechanisms are all contained in one housing so that there is no need for a separate base. A single central processing unit is utilized along with memory for the purpose of accounting for the postage value that has been charged into the mailing machine as well as the amount that has been used. A pair of stepper motors is used for the purpose of adjusting the print dies with the amounts that are to be imprinted. One of the stepper motors is also used to trip a single revolution clutch which is utilized to affect the printing operation.

Abstract: There is disclosed printing apparatus composed essentially of molded plastics material which has relatively few parts, is easy to manufacture and maintain, and is lightweight and portable. The apparatus is illustrated as being of the table top type which can print both standard type tags and labels, string tags and pin tickets. The apparatus has a print head operable in conjunction with an impression control device, a feed finger assembly with a registration adjustment, a simple drive arrangement operated by a cam with a single cam path, and a reel positionable at different attitudes, and the construction of the apparatus is readily adaptable to both manually operated and motorized versions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a stand-alone electronic mailing machine that includes a postage metering device. The invention has particular utility when utilized in a mailing machine of the reciprocating platen type. The entire drive mechanism, setting mechanism, and control devices as well as the postage metering mechanisms are all contained in one housing so that there is no need for a separate base. In the mailing machine of this invention, a single central processing unit is utilized along with memory for the purpose of accounting for the postage value that has been charged into the mailing machine as well as the amount that has been used. An envelope ejection mechanism is provided to remove an envelope from the mailing machine after postage has been printed thereon. Included in the envelope ejection mechanism is a provision for applying pressure to an envelope being ejected so that the contents thereof will move in unison with the envelope.

Abstract: Printing control apparatus includes structure for selectively preventing the operation of a thermal head comprising part of a label printer for thermosensitive labels. The thermal head can be moved away from and into contact with a label to limit its operational printing period. Alternately, thermal elements comprising a portion of the thermal head can be deactivated when a label detector fails to detect the presence of a label at a predetermined position, when the contact between the thermal head and a label is inadequate, or when the transportation or feeding of the label over a predetermined path within the printer is abnormal.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding magnetic data and printing on a plurality of closely spaced labels releasably mounted on a supply roll of carrier strip, includes a magnetic head for encoding the labels and a printer for printing on the labels. The carrier strip extends from the supply roll past the magnetic head and to the printer, and forms a variably sized loop between the head and the printer. The variably sized loop has a gap, across which an encoded label may be transferred so that movement of a label past the printer is independent of movement of the supply roll. The magnetic head is movable parallel to the carrier strip so that the plurality of labels may be encoded and printed without reversing the supply roll, thus increasing the speed at which labels may be encoded and printed. The speed of the movable head may be precisely controlled to ensure accurate encoded. The encoded data is verified when the magnetic head moves over the label back to its original position.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for imprinting tickets and pinning them onto articles. The printing-pinning machine includes seven functional assemblies driven from a single shaft in a compact arrangement. A strip feed drive handles ticket stock with minimal drag and "pull back", and includes the features of a jogger, and profiled feed pawls. A feed/inking drive system includes mechanical amplification, a ball detent safety feature, and a floating guide rod assembly. Print and sever apparatus are lowered and raised in coordination, to act in sequence on the ticket strip.

Abstract: A ticket handling system for use in a ticket preparation system that includes a signal processor for providing print signals to indicate information to be printed on the tickets and write signals to indicate information to be encoded on the tickets; a printer for printing information on ticket stock in response to the print signals; and a transducer for encoding information on the ticket stock in response to the write signals. The ticket handling system includes a feeder module including a feed system for feeding a strip of ticket stock; a cutter module; a cutting device for cutting ticket blanks of a given length from the fed end of the strip; a printer module including the printer means for printing ticket information on the ticket blanks in response to the print signals; and a transport module including the transducer for encoding ticket information on the ticket blanks in response to the write signals.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns a drum type line printer for printing bar codes in a line. The drum type line printer includes information bars which are arranged in a preset numnber of files or bar code characters in a line. Two files or bar code characters of control bars, serving as start and end code bars, are arranged in line with the respective line of information bars. The same number of printing hammers are provided as the number of files or characters of the information bars. Each information bar is struck by a respective hammer so that the bar codes thereof may be printed. The control bars are simultaneously hit by those printing hammers which hit the information bars in the adjacent files.

Abstract: The invention provides a device for printing and advancing tickets from a roll with various advance distances achieved with the aid of a single cam and cam follower together with an electronically operated stop which limits the movements of the follower at required moments.

Abstract: A matrix printer which is specifically adaptable for printing and the like is characterized by having a stationary print head containing a plurality of print wires which are arranged in a single row extending transversely of the direction of travel of a relatively heavy paper stock. The paper is advanced at a substantially constant rate of speed along the guide path and signals are generated in response to that advancement to activate selected ones of the print wires in the row so as to form dot-like impressions in the paper, line-by-line, as it is advanced past the print head. The density or spacing of the wires coupled with the printing speed is such that designs, alphanumeric characters, together with coded information, may be impressed upon the paper as it is continuously advanced past the print head, the code providing a means of verification of the information printed as well as to signal the end of the printing operation for each ticket.

Abstract: Combinations of signs in a series of a predetermined number of combinations are printed in an irregular sequence by means of printing plates supplied one at a time to a printing station. The sequence of the plates is changed from one print of the series to the other.

Abstract: A combined printer and cutter for simultaneously cutting and printing on a record media such as a paper tape for a customer receipt, including a stationary knife blade and a rotary knife blade which, upon rotation, severs the tape therebetween. Rocker arms are provided for rotating the rotary knife through its cutting operation and to drive the print head from a position against an ink source to a position against the record media simultaneously performing the cutting operation so as to print a trademark or other indicia on the record media concurrently therewith. The stationary knife is itself the printing platen and the rocker arms are mounted on the rotary knife so that all forces involved in oscillating the rotary knife and rotating the print head are taken by this relatively large shaft.

Abstract: There is disclosed printing apparatus having a pivotally mounted print head which cooperates with a platen, a cam shaft to which a cam is secured for actuating the print head and to which another cam is secured for driving an operating lever. The operating lever is coupled to a slide which drives a feed finger and cam means for actuating an inker. The travel of the feed finger is selectively variable by changing the position of the pivot on which the lever is mounted. The cam means is part of a lost-motion connection which couples the slide to the inker. As the operating lever is cammed in one direction to move the feed finger forward, the inker is moved into and out of inking cooperation with the print head assembly. Because of the lost-motion connection adjustment of the pivot does not affect the length of travel of the inker.