Abstract: In the separation of a cover tape 15e from a carrier tape 15 performed by a cover tape separating mechanism 50, a cover tape 15e, which is separated from a base tape 15a by a separating blade edge 51f, comes into contact with a concave conical surface 52c, so that one side portion of a cover tape 15e is bent toward the other side portion; and the bent cover tape 15e is pressed against a guide surface 32s from below while the carrier tape 15 is guided to a pick-up position. Accordingly, the cover tape 15e is folded on the base tape 15a in a flat shape.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; a confirmation opening part disposed in the upper member for visually confirming that the carrier tape arrives at a pin engagement range; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A tape feeder includes a guide part that guides a carrier tape and is detachably attached to a main body. The guide part includes: a lower member guiding the carrier tape and attached to and detached from the main body; an upper member pressing down the carrier tape from above; a tape introduction part guiding the carrier tape into the upper member at an upstream side thereof in a tape feed direction; a confirmation opening part disposed in the upper member for visually confirming that the carrier tape arrives at a pin engagement range; an open/close mechanism opening and closing the upper member with respect to the lower member; and a positioning mechanism fitting a positioning pin into a feed hole of the carrier tape in the guide part, thereby positioning the carrier tape relative to the guide part in the tape feed direction.

Abstract: A continuous paper treating apparatus is provided which includes a tractor for feeding continuous paper and a paper treating unit for treating the paper. The tractor includes a driving belt provided with tractor pins, a tractor lid for covering the driving belt, a support base having a paper support surface for supporting the continuous paper. The tractor also includes a presser member supported by the tractor lid. The presser member is variable in position and posture relative to the tractor lid, and has a pressing surface for pressing the paper. In the tractor, use is made of springs for urging the presser member toward the paper supporting surface, so that the pressing surface presses the continuous paper onto the paper supporting surface.

Abstract: The invention provides a bus driver failure detection system which facilitates detection of a failure of a bus driver from which data are sent out to a bus. The bus driver failure detection system includes a plurality of bus drivers for sending out signals to a single bus, at least one receiver connected to the bus, and an impedance control circuit for controlling the bus so that, upon testing, the bus does not exhibit a high impedance state. The impedance control circuit may be constructed as a circuit which holds a value of the bus in response to a test signal.

Abstract: A means is described with the aid of which a label strip can be introduced into a label printing and/or label dispensing apparatus (10). The label printing and/or label dispensing apparatus (10) includes a transport wheel (38) which is surrounded by a cover (35). The label strip (25) must be introduced into the gap between the periphery of the transport wheel (38) and the cover (35). The distance between the inner surface of the cover (35) and the transport wheel (38) is dimensioned in a first region so that only a frictional force is exerted on the strip when the transport wheel (38) moves so that frictional entrainment of the label strip (25) results.

Abstract: Strip feed mechanism comprises an intermittently rotated sprocket wheel which engages the strip material. A guide plate extends tangentially past the sprocket wheel and serves to hold the strip material against the wheel and in engagement with the sprocket teeth. At the end of a feeding interval, the guide plate is moved away from the sprocket wheel by a bell crank mechanism. The bell crank mechanism comprises a bell crank having a movable axis which, in combination with other features of the mechanism, permits the guide plate to be moved away abruptly from the sprocket so that the feeding interval is brought to an abrupt halt without "chattering" or other slight uncontrolled movement of the strip.

Abstract: A feed device for a long and narrow strip of continuous package wherein the continuous package includes a plurality of wrapped articles connected together by a connecting part and the rigidity of the wrapped articles is different than the rigidity of the connecting part. The feed device is further characterized by a rotatable member in contact with the continuous package and a plurality of ridge parts provided in parallel to each other on the rotatable member and a tension device for applying sufficient tension to draw the connecting part over the ridged parts but insufficient to draw the wrapped articles over the ridged parts.

Abstract: A document feed device provided with a pin tractor assembly which includes a pin tractor member supporting a number of feed pins and rotated by a feed shaft, and a body member nonrotatably mounted on the tractor member. Elastically deformable projecting bar with a slit protrudes from the body member. A stationary frame member is formed with a slot extending in the axial direction of the feed shaft. An eyelet portion is formed at each end of the slot. The projecting bar elastically engages the slot, thereby preventing the body member from rotating. As the rotating bar slides within the slot, the pin tractor assembly can move along the feed shaft so that its position is adjusted according to the width of a perforated sheet of material. The assembly may be located in either of two positions, depending on the width of the sheet, as the projecting bar alternatively engages the eyelet portions of the slot. The position of the assembly is shifted by manually operating a knob formed on the body member.

Abstract: A paper tractor for feeding paper of different widths in printers and the like comprises a rotationally driven shaft having mounted thereon a sprocket wheel which engages in perforations in a length of paper to effect lengthwise feeding of the paper in response to rotation of the sprocket wheel. The sprocket wheel is mounted on the drive shaft to undergo rotational movement therewith and is mounted on the drive shaft to undergo axial sliding movement therealong to enable axial positioning of the sprocket wheel to accommodate paper of different widths. The drive shaft has a polygonal cross-section, and the sprocket wheel has a center tubular sleeve formed of plastic and configured to be slideably inserted over the drive shaft so that rotational movement of the drive shaft is transmitted to the sprocket wheel.

Abstract: A camera film advancing apparatus is disclosed which is improved in respect of reliability of engagement between the pawl of the film advancing sprocket and the perforation of the film to simplify the operation necessary for film charging.

Abstract: A stamp dispensing mechanism has a cylindrical feed wheel, with axially-parallel rows of projections, rotatably mounted on a front portion of a vertical support plate that is constructed to rotatably support a roll of stamps on its rear portion. A Geneva star wheel, rotatably mounted on the plate, is operatively connected to the feed wheel for its step movement with the star wheel. A Geneva driver assembly, rotatably mounted on the plate, has a driver pin on an arm rotated by a motor also mounted on the plate. During one rotation of the arm, the pin moves into and out of a slot of the star wheel for its step movement. An arcuate part of the arm is in a recess in the periphery of a tooth of the star wheel, when the pin is not in the slot, to lock that wheel.

Abstract: A guiding and threading device for automatic pitch-adapted threading of data carriers such as punched tape. The device includes a base member having a tape support surface thereon, a feed wheel carried by the base member with a portion projecting above the support surface, a first pivotable member carried by the base member having a guiding surface positioned above the support surface and a second pivotable member opposed to the first pivotable member and having a guiding surface positioned above the support surface, the guide surfaces forming a tape receiving channel between the pivotable members and the support surface when the pivotable members are at an open position. The guide surface of the first pivotable member urges the tape into contact with the feed wheel when in a closed position.

Abstract: A device for holding down sheet material on a conveyor belt, the device having a spring-loaded flap which can be locked in the holding down position and which when the lock is released, is moved into an open position by the spring pull and is thus swivelled about a shaft which is arranged parallel to the direction in which the conveyor belt moves.

Abstract: A chart recorder has a drawer containing a supply of chart paper fed to the chart marking area, and an accumulation of marked chart paper received from the chart marking area. A flexible curved guide is connected to the drawer and to a permanent fixed guide and assumes different configurations when the drawer is moved from the chart accumulating position during a recording mode of operation, to a chart loading position when the drawer is moved to position for removing an accumulation of marked chart paper and installing and threading a new supply of chart paper during the chart threading mode. The configuration of the flexible guide aids in threading paper onto a drive roll during the threading mode, and aids in guiding the paper around obstructions and onto the roll during the recording mode.

Abstract: An improved chart carrier for a recorder permitting use with a take-up spool for relatively long periods of time, and without the take-up spool for shorter periods of time, a cylindrical enclosure being employed for rolling and enclosedly retaining the used portion of the chart in a predetermined portion of the chart carrier.