Abstract: In a miniature printer including a carriage for motion along a path in linear reciprocating directions having at least one cam surface, a frame including a projection adjacent to the path and a print wheel having at least two levels of print type, a mechanism for shifting the position of the print wheel between the different print type levels. The mechanism is coupled to the print wheel and responsive to contact with the projection as the mechanism travels by the projection in shifting the print wheel position through engagement with the cam surface.

Abstract: A type wheel stack, a typewheel mounting shaft and a motor are arranged on a movable carriage. The type wheel arrangement is rotatable with and axially movable along the shaft. The motor is coupled to the type wheel stack through a clutch and cam mechanism to both rotate and axially shift the type wheels in order to select a desired character to be printed.

Abstract: A printer having a daisy type-wheel or the like comprises a carrier longitudinally movable along a platen and a carriage detachably and pivotally mounted on the carrier. Mounted on the carriage are a ribbon cartridge, the type-wheel, a hammer assembly and a magnet assembly for actuating the hammer assembly. The design of the printer permits easy and accurate positioning and adjustment of constituents of the carriage, easy and accurate attachment of the carriage to the carrier, and easy tilting of the carriage for replacement of the type-wheel. Shifting of the type-wheel is achieved rapidly and with the low vibration. The ribbon cartridge may be moved from a non-printing to a printing position easily, with low vibration and with little generation of noise. The U-shaped ribbon cartridge includes an engaging member extending from a front leg of the cartridge toward the inside of the U-shape.

Abstract: In a printer adapted to receive any of a plurality of petal-type printing thimbles, each of the printing thimbles is provided with a recognition code-forming portion containing a plurality of protuberance-forming positions, the arrangement of protuberances at the protuberance-forming positions defining a thimble recognition code which identifies specific character position, hammer impression, and character spacing tables. These tables identify the character positions, hammer impression forces and character spacings required to print characters designated by character codes when the recognition code identified printing thimble is mounted on the printer. A mechanical means, mounted on the printing hammer cover of the printer carrier unit, detects the presence or absence of protuberances at the protuberance-forming positions of the code forming portion on the printing thimble, to generate a binary recognition code received by the printer processor.

Abstract: A printing apparatus having a simple construction is constituted by a print element with a plurality of resilient spokes which have type elements disposed vertically thereon and in two rows around the element and extend upwardly from a disc base in a cylinder, and a gear on the disc base integral therewith and coaxial with the disc base and cylinder. The print element is easy to mount and remove. A hammer for pressing each type element on the print element against a printing member and a shaft mechanism for carrying out a shifting operation of the print element are provided. A rotary means includes a motor for rotatably driving the print element and a drive gear connected to the motor. A holder is provided for holding the print element, hammer, and shift mechanism. The print element is preferable mountable and removable with respect to the holder and when mounted, engages the drive gear and is rotatable and vertically movable.

Abstract: A ribbon cartridge engageable with an upper stopper member of a cartridge receiving apparatus which includes a cartridge body of substantially U-shaped form having at least one front leg member and an engaging member extending from the at least one front leg member of the cartridge body for engagement with the upper stopper member so as to secure the cartridge body in a predetermined position with respect to the cartridge receiving apparatus. The engaging member extends from a bottom portion of the cartridge body and further includes a reinforcement portion cooperably connected to the engaging member. The cartridge body is engageable with at least one holding member of the cartridge receiving apparatus and the cartridge body includes at least one retaining lug engageable with the at least one holding member for positioning the cartridge with respect to the cartridge receiving apparatus.

Abstract: An improved daisy-wheel printer of the type in which a hammer contacts a daisy-wheel to print characters is designed so as to facilitate the position setting of the hammer and other movable parts for actuating the type head. According to the design, it is possible to shift the type head with a reduced force and to eliminate the necessity for the adjustment of same during assembly. The stability and tilting operation of the carriage is enhanced. The carriage is stably secured, eliminating lateral oscillation of the same without the necessity of manufacturing the carriage using highly precise machining. The ribbon cartridge is held in such a manner as to be able to move rapidly, with reduced generation of vibration and with high durability. The design facilitates the determination of relative positions of constituents of the magnet device which drives the hammer, and facilitates fine adjustment of the same. The magnet assembly includes a substrate and an arm extending from the substrate.

Abstract: An improved print element shifting apparatus having a shifting cam movable in an arc for moving a rotatable print element between two positions by means of a shifting solenoid, and for reducing the mid-stroke peak load on the solenoid. A load modifying linkage arrangement is provided between the shifting solenoid and the shifting cam for imparting movement to the shifting cam alternatively from the one of two drive elements having the greatest mechanical advantage.

Abstract: The impact velocity with which a single element printer prints is determined by the velocity with which the printing element is propelled toward the record sheet. The mechanism disclosed herein is capable of adjusting the velocity with which a print element is projected toward the page such that the impact velocity and, thus the impact forces which are related to the velocity, are controlled and varied to provide a minimum of compromise with respect to printing forces and, thus, print quality. The control of the velocity with which the print element is propelled against the record sheet is accomplished by a cam which rotates with the print element during character selection and has thereon a plurality of rises corresponding to a displacement of a cam follower engaged with a print cam. The print cam is formed to present, in a plurality of different planes perpendicular to its axis, a like plurality of cam profiles and rises.

Abstract: A single print element of a typewriter has the characters thereon impact a record sheet at one of two velocities depending on the area of coverage of the character. Each character on the print element is selected for printing by movement of one of a plurality of interposers with each interposer selecting two characters. One of the two characters is selected by movement of the interposer when a pair of operatively connected shift levers is not depressed while the other of the characters is selected by the same interposer when the shift levers are depressed. A vane, which extends between the shift levers and is pivotally connected thereto, is disposed in the path of movement of all of the interposers. The vane has an opening for each interposer when the print element is to impact the record sheet at the higher velocity so that the vane is not engaged by the interposer during movement of the interposer.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for shifting a bifurcated rack from one position to a second position, thereby engaging alternate sides of a bifurcated rack member with a pinion in a spacially fixed position. The rack shift mechanism is controlled by a direct link to the keyboard of the typewriter which responds to movement of a shift key lever. The mechanism performs a force multiplication and, at the same time, a displacement division function to reduce a relatively large key lever and link displacement to a relatively small rack displacement with a correspondingly higher force factor. The force multiplication linkage translates the rack of the rack/pinion pair to engage the alternate portion of the rack, thereby reversing the rotation of the pinion and allowing the selection from the opposite hemisphere of the type element in response to a selection output.

Abstract: There is disclosed a selection mechanism for a single element printer comprising an operating link connected with the print element for the driving rotation thereof and having a first and a second input portion, and a modifying member having the link mounted thereon for pivotal motion about the first input portion. A cam follower is provided on the modifying member for engagement by a case shift cam, which is operable independent of the print shaft, to shift between a pair of locations in either of which a first character selection means cooperates with the modifying member to position the latter in either of two distinctive positions so that the first input portion of the operating link is positionable to any of four positions. The second input portion of the link is associated with a second character selection means for positioning the link to any of a plurality of pivotal positions relative to the first input portion thereof.