Including Sheet Guide (e.g., For Sheet Insertion, Etc.) Patents (Class 400/642)
  • Patent number: 5576741
    Abstract: A modular-design recorder consists of a "print engine," a drive assembly for moving a print medium, e.g., paper, through the print engine, and a chassis for supporting the engine and the assembly. The chassis includes two identical sets of mounting studs, one on either side, for the mounting of the drive assembly. The drive assembly consists of a motor, a gear train through which the motor rotates the roller, and a bracket for mounting the motor on the either side of the chassis in a number of different angular orientations. The motor attaches to one end of the bracket, such that it mounts facing either toward or away from the chassis. The opposite end of the bracket mates with the mounting studs on the selected side of the chassis. The print engine consists of a print head, a roller for advancing the paper past the print head and a deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: General Scanning Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Johnson, Alfred C. Mecklenburg, Daniel E. Morgan, William S. Oakland, Edward H. Yonkers
  • Patent number: 5567068
    Abstract: A multifunction printer having scanning and printing functions includes: a first cover located at one side surface of the deice body of the printer; a second cover located in the device body, inside of the first cover; a first paper transfer path connected to an image reading unit having the scanning function, the first paper transfer path being defined between the first and second covers; a second paper transfer path connected to a printing unit, the second paper transfer path defined in the device body inside of the second cover; and diverging means for selectively diverging the paper into one of the first and second paper transfer paths. Whereby, if jamming occurs in the first paper transfer path, jamming paper can be easily removed by opening the first cover, whereas if jamming occurs in the second paper transfer path, jamming paper can be easily removed by opening the second cover after opening the first cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Egashira, Isao Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 5564847
    Abstract: Described herein is a printer having a printhead which traverses laterally across a sheetlike print medium and which thereby defines a laterally-extending print zone across the print medium. A paper transport mechanism in the printer has drive rollers and associated pinch wheels to drive the print medium through the printer's print zone. The paper transport mechanism further includes an upper print media guide and a lower print medium guide. The two print medium guides are shaped at their transverse ends to bow the transverse edges of the print medium downwardly to reduce its tendency to buckle upwardly into the printhead. In order to fit the upper print medium guide into the limited available space above the drive rollers, it is made of a lower molded portion for paper contact and an upper backing portion for rigidity. A pinch finger extends toward the printer's print zone beyond the pinch wheels to establish a pinch point against the drive roller in near proximity to the print zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey G. Patrick, Larry A. Jackson
  • Patent number: 5540511
    Abstract: An impact dot printer designed to reduce noise, including a first cover, a second cover, and an overlap portion therebetween. The first cover is located above a print section, and may include sound wave reflecting plates, sheet guide plates, and a sound absorbing member, each reflecting plate, each sheet guide plate, and the sound absorbing member being arranged close to the print section. The second cover is rotatable relative to the first cover and forms a printed sheet discharge path together with the first cover. The second cover also has sound wave reflecting plates and sheet guide plates. Each sheet guide plate is designed to be projected farther from the associated cover than the corresponding reflecting plate on said cover. The distance between adjacent sheet guide plates is made smaller than the width of the smallest sheet to be used in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Koshiishi, Shigeki Mizuno, Keiichi Kubota, Katsuhiko Nishizawa, Motoyuki Niimura, Hiroshi Shirotori, Kyoui Ko
  • Patent number: 5527123
    Abstract: Described herein is a printer having a printhead which traverses laterally across a sheetlike print medium and which thereby defines a laterally-extending print zone across the print medium. A paper transport mechanism in the printer has drive rollers and associated pinch wheels to drive the print medium through the printer's print zone. The paper transport mechanism further includes an upper print media guide and a lower print medium guide. The two print medium guides are shaped at their transverse ends to bow the transverse edges of the print medium downwardly to reduce its tendency to buckle upwardly into the printhead. In order to fit the upper print medium guide into the limited available space above the drive rollers, it is made of a lower molded portion for paper contact and an upper backing portion for rigidity. A pinch finger extends toward the printer's print zone beyond the pinch wheels to establish a pinch point against the drive roller in near proximity to the print zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Larry A. Jackson, Bruce A. McFadden, Steve O. Rasmussen, Larry G. Neubauer
  • Patent number: 5516217
    Abstract: An improved print ribbon cartridge, having a plurality of paper guide means therein capable of preventing the fouling of paper at the time of printing, for use with a typewriter or printer having a platen, a carrier movable along the platen which supports the cartridge, a print head supported on the carrier for operating in conjunction with the print ribbon in the cartridge to cause printing on a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas E. Alexander, Richard H. Harris, Jeff D. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5515094
    Abstract: A leaf plate is disposed in abutment, through a guide path of printing paper, with a feed roller whose peripheral surface is in contact with the guide path. The printing paper is transported by the feed roller rotationally driven while the printing paper is pressed against the feed roller by the leaf plate. In the course of transportation of the printing paper, the printing paper fed by the feed roller is guided along a flat paper guide surface, and printing is performed by having ink jetted from a nose portion of an ink jet head to the printing paper being guided as described above. Immediately before the printing position in the guide path, there are disposed a plurality of projections in contact with the guide path and at predetermined intervals in the direction transverse to the printing paper. By bringing the transported printing paper into contact with the projections, the amplitude of undulations continuously produced in the printing paper in the direction transverse to the paper is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TEC
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Tanaka, Takahiro Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 5499880
    Abstract: A thermal printer, which is adapted to transfer an image from a donor web to a sheet of receiver medium, includes a thermal print head and a platen that together define a print nip. There are respective paths for the donor web and the sheet, and the paths converge in a forward direction, to a position at which they abut, before proceeding past the nip defined by the thermal head and the platen. A transport system moves the donor web and the sheet in the forward direction along their respective paths to the nip, whereat heat from the thermal head causes an image to be transferred from the donor web to the sheet between leading and trailing edges of the sheet. The transport system also moves the sheet in a reverse direction along its respective path. A loading guide surface directs the leading edge of the sheet between the loading guide surface and the platen, toward the nip during an initial loading stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1996
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James E. Pickering, Werner Fassler
  • Patent number: 5489160
    Abstract: Described herein is a print medium support mechanism for supporting a print medium such as paper in a print zone adjacent a printer's printhead. The print medium support mechanism includes at least one drive roller positioned upstream from the print zone of the printer to feed paper into the print zone. An upper print media guide is positioned adjacent the drive roller between the drive roller and the print zone to contact and support the paper from above. A lower print media guide is mounted downstream from the upper print media guide to pivot between retracted and non-retracted positions relative to the print zone. When in its non-retracted position, the lower print media guide contacts and supports the paper from below. The support of the upper and lower print media guides against opposite sides of the paper is primarily responsible for establishing the shape and angle of the paper as it passes through the print zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1996
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey G. Patrick, Steve O. Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 5478163
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for guiding a document in a document-processing unit, in particular a printer with a document-transporting channel. For dependable guiding of the leading edge of even arched or creased documents into the transporting channel, the document is moved to such an extent in the direction of the transporting channel that a flat document protrudes by a small amount into the transporting channel. A creased or arched document can be supported by its leading edge against the channel edge. By subsequent brushing-over movements of document-directing devices attached to the printing slide, the document is forced behind the channel edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ruprecht Flugge, Wolfgang Neef, Bruno Wendland
  • Patent number: 5456540
    Abstract: An interior drum type printer includes a paper feed mechanism permitting quick and simple paper advance to a printing position. This is attained in that a print head is connected to a paper feed means which is mounted for controlled rotation together with the print head about a shaft arranged within the printing drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1995
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Andreas Jeutter
  • Patent number: 5456544
    Abstract: A sheet guide for a small printer whose record sheet inserting inlet opens when a record sheet is being inserted to the printer and closes to a minimal extent after the record sheet is being inserted so as to prevent foreign matter or the like from entering. In the event of trouble, such as jamming of sheets or entering of foreign matter, the sheet guide is easily removable to allow the cause of trouble to be eliminated. A sheet guide (inner) 67 is rotatably and releasably mounted on a shaft 12a of a sheet forward roller unit through elastically deforming engaging sections 67c, 67d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1995
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Aoki, Naoki Asai
  • Patent number: 5447384
    Abstract: Serial printer having a printing support conveying lid formed by a rigid plate hinged to the printer and extending for the whole lenght of the print line the plate being provided with a resilient lip having a free edge located immediately dowstream of the print line, spaced apart from a platen for a rest position of the lid and in contact with the platen for an active position of the lid, the lid being held in rest position by resilient bias means and driven in working position by the interference with the lid of pressure pads steady with the printing head slidable along the print line, when the printing head is located along the print line in a position other than a travel end position, in which interference does not occurr.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1995
    Assignee: Bull HN Information Systems Italia S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Urso, Emilio Pellicano
  • Patent number: 5431503
    Abstract: A printer for printing characters and images on recording paper comprising: a paper cassette for storing the recording paper; a platen roller around which the recording paper is wound at the time of the transfer of images for printing; a clamping mechanism for clamping the recording paper between the clamping mechanism and the platen roller; a motor for driving the platen roller through a gear unit; a thermal printing head for transferring images onto the recording paper; a paper feeding roller for feeding the recording paper from the paper cassette to the clamper; paper discharging rollers for discharging the recording paper upon the completion of the transfer of images thereto; and an ink cassette storing an ink sheet inside thereof; in which the clamping mechanism comprises a clamper which is mounted on the platen roller in such a manner as to permit the free movement of the clamper, holds the recording paper by pushing the recording paper onto the platen roller in a first position and also releases the re
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jyun-ichi Aizawa, Kunihiko Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nakao, Hitoshi Ezaki, Kouhei Sunaga
  • Patent number: 5419644
    Abstract: A printer mechanism to control pen-to-print medium spacing during printing is described. The preferred embodiment of the mechanism includes a printhead and an adjacent platen. The platen includes differentially yieldable structure adapted to resiliently support the print medium thereby to inhibit uncontrolled bending of the print medium during printing. The yieldable structure preferably extend along a line generally perpendicular to a direction of feed of the print medium. The platen may further include a transition region located adjacent the yieldable structure, the transition region adapted to facilitate smooth transition of the leading edge of the print medium onto the yieldable structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Paul W. Martin, Cathy A. Rotering, Sandra Y. Okazaki, Mark S. Hickman, Christopher M. Lesniak
  • Patent number: 5393151
    Abstract: A printer mechanism to control pen-to-print medium spacing during printing is described. The preferred embodiment of the mechanism includes a printhead and an adjacent platen, the printhead and the platen defining a print zone therebetween. The platen includes ribs adapted for contacting a lower surface of the print medium such that the print medium bends downwardly between the ribs, thereby reducing uncontrolled bending of the print medium in the print zone. The ribs preferably extend parallel to a direction of travel of the print medium and may be positioned adjacent a transition zone, the transition zone facilitating a smooth transition of a leading edge of the print medium onto the ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1995
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Paul W. Martin, Cathy A. Rotering, Mark S. Hickman, Chris Lesniak
  • Patent number: 5356229
    Abstract: Printer mechanism to control pen-to-print medium spacing during printing is described. The preferred embodiment of the mechanism includes a printhead, a platen positioned adjacent the printhead to define a print zone therebetween, and the print zone having an entrance region and an exit region. The print mechanism further includes a feed mechanism positioned generally adjacent the print zone entrance area and a height limiter positioned downstream of the print zone exit area. In the preferred embodiment, the platen includes a generally flat region and a generally inclined region. The generally inclined region includes a relatively downstream edge which contacts a sheet of print medium along a line of contact. In operation, the edge and the feed mechanism suspend the sheet material such that the sheet is generally concavely curved relative to the printhead between the edge and the feed mechanism, thereby ensuring proper pen-to-print medium spacing during printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1994
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Mark S. Hickman, Chris Lesniak
  • Patent number: 5332323
    Abstract: The invention is for a paper insert device for a printer having a tractor cover for openably covering an opening before a tractor, a cut paper guide located above the tractor and behind an opening for manual insertion of a cut paper, and a manual insert cover for openably covering the opening. The manual insert cover is substantially flush with the cut paper guide when open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunji Murai, Satoshi Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 5320437
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flat printer which is divided in a print carrier plane into a lower housing part and a housing cover which can be placed on or lifted off the latter. The housing cover is pivotably connected to the lower housing part. In a basic version, the housing cover contains only inactive functional components, namely a printing abutment as well as upper transport rollers. All the active functional components, namely the printing head, the driven lower transport rollers with their drives, as well as the drive for the ink ribbon cassette are arranged in the lower housing part. The electronic drive and control device is designed as a circuit board, onto which the functional components to be connected to it are preferably plugged directly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wolfgang Malke, Gunter Baitz, Siegfried Wieschemann
  • Patent number: 5296874
    Abstract: A thermal printer in which a sheet of recording paper is held by and between a thermal print head includes a plurality of heat generating elements and a platen drum, the amounts of heat of the heat generating elements are selectively changed, and an image is printed onto the recording paper. In the thermal printer, a printing position is set just behind a clamp position at which a clamp clamps the leading end of the recording paper onto the platen drum. Therefore, the image printing can be started immediately after the clamp position passes through the thermal head, with the recording paper being in part wound around the platen drum by the thermal printer. As a result, the time taken from paper feeding to printing starting can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1994
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nagata, Masaaki Orimoto, Yoshiyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5295752
    Abstract: A printer using double sheets of pressure sensitive paper includes a casing having an opening at its upper portion, a paper guide disposed in the opening of the casing, and a paper support disposed under the opening of the casing. The paper guide separates the printed double sheets of pressure sensitive paper into a receipt sheet and a journal sheet. The paper guide also operates to introduce the receipt sheet out of the casing through the opening and to guide the journal sheet in a predetermined direction within the casing with a front surface of the journal sheet exposed toward the opening. The paper support upwardly supports a rear surface of the journal sheet. Since the front surface of the journal sheet is exposed through the opening of the casing, a confirmation signature and/or correction signature can be handwritten on the front surface of the journal sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1994
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinsuke Kawamoto, Osamu Miyajima, Tetsuya Ueda
  • Patent number: 5255989
    Abstract: Printer device with a thermal print head (70), the print line (71) of which is resiliently pressed against a transport roller (45), which, driven by a motor, transports material to be imprinted (50, 51). Profiled guides (42, 46) form a first feed track for the paper-like material to be imprinted (50) and a second feed track suitable for inserting cardboard-like material (51) to be imprinted. It is possible to use two transport rollers (45A, 45B) with individual drives side-by-side. A tear-off edge (36B) or a motor driven roller cutting assembly is disposed behind the print line (71).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: Data Techno GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Gerd Berthold, Heinrich-Friedrich Baumann
  • Patent number: 5240336
    Abstract: A dot matrix printer of a dispersion printing type in which a printing noise is suppressed and dots arranged in longitudinal rows are driven while shifting the timing for every print wire dot. The present dot matrix printer is characterized by a construction in which respective print wires are driven at different timings within one pitch, and a space around a print head is surrounded by a housing and a platen, and a sound generated in the space is transmitted outside through walls. Further, the present dot matrix printer is characterized in that there is provided a memory storing printing intervals among the whole dots and print head conduction time, and the print head is driven in accordance with information read out of said memory in order to correct deviation of dot rows arranged in a longitudinal direction of the print head from perpendicularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Shiraishi, Yutaka Miyazono, Seiji Kimura, Syogo Horinouchi, Yuuji Terashima, Takashi Haruguchi, Kazumi Ootubo
  • Patent number: 5235353
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for effecting recording on a recording medium has a recording head for effecting recording on the recording medium, conveying rollers for conveying the recording medium, a first and a second case for covering the recording head and the conveying means, and a mechanism for effecting relative movement of the first case and the second case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirofumi Hirano, Makoto Kashimura, Katsuyuki Yokoi, Takashi Akiya, Jun Katayanagi, Tetsuo Kimura
  • Patent number: 5209591
    Abstract: A sheet guide mechanism, for use with a printer having a printing head on a carriage that is mounted on a carriage shaft for movement in a printing direction which is transverse to a feeding direction of a printing sheet supported by a platen, includes a sheet guide movably mounted on the carriage shaft. The sheet guide moves in the printing direction along with the printing head. The sheet guide can move in unison with the printing head without interfering with the printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Mizutani, Shyoichi Watanabe, Takeshi Asaba
  • Patent number: 5192141
    Abstract: A printer 20 for imprinting data on a variety of multi-dimensional media 62 has media based registration and can accomplish free edge printing for printing data adjacent edges. The printer 20 includes a transport mechanism 52 for accurately transporting and positioning the media 62 before a print head 102. Further, the printer 20 includes a carriage mounted sensor 144 for media edge detection, registration and media size determination. A media presentation mechanism 96 ensures that the media 62 is appropriately presented and maintained at the optimal distance from and orientation with respect to the print head 102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Tidemark Corporation
    Inventors: T. Mark Chung, Anthony G. Orchard, William H. Baker, Charles L. Bradford
  • Patent number: 5186556
    Abstract: A printer includes an outer case housing a printing head and a platen and being provided with a paper sheet introducing opening. A paper sheet introducing guide is mounted on the outer case to guide a paper sheet introduced into the introducing opening to a position adjacent to the platen. A paper sheet intermediate guide is mounted within the outer case to guide the paper sheet from the distal end of the introducing guide to a gap between the platen and the printing head. A paper sheet auxiliary guide extends from the intermediate guide to the upper surface of the distal end portion of the introducing guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayoshi Koyanagi
  • Patent number: 5183526
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for facilitating manual feeding of business forms into business forms handling equipment to bypass the automatic feeder, primarily in the production of mailers from forms having pressure sensitive adhesive strips. Mounted at the interface between the conveyor and folder of the handling equipment is a transparent plastic plate having a slot with forms guides, and a forms centering scale adjacent the slot. A finger opening in, and an upstanding finger tab on, the quadrate plate may be provided to allow it to be lifted out of place covering the interface area between the conveyor and folder. An interlock engaging projection is provided on the plate for stopping operation of the equipment when it is removed. One may bypass the automatic feeding of the conveyor by manually inserting forms into the slot guided by the forms guides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1993
    Assignee: Moore Business Forms, Inc.
    Inventor: George E. Walter
  • Patent number: 5161905
    Abstract: A head (9 or 10) records information on or reads information from a document (29) transportable along a transport path (3). A guide slide (17) guides the document (29) along the transport path (3). The guide slide is displaceable into and above the interaction region (28) for the head and the document to essentially bridge over this region during the feeding in and/or feeding out of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1992
    Inventors: Bjorn S. H. Eriksson, Lars G. Wiberg
  • Patent number: 5158378
    Abstract: In an impact type printing apparatus, leak of impact noise to outside can be reduced by (1) arranging the print head, platen and sheet exhaust port almost in a line and (2) setting the shape of guide ribs provided at the internal surface of cover having the aperture so that the envelope of guide ribs which has come closest to the platen at the center and periphery thereof of the sheet and is gradually separated from the platen at both ends of the sheet. Moreover, the optimum exhaust port can be selected depending on the type and thickness of sheet by rotation of cover or providing the slide mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Katsumi Takada, Kazuhiro Kakuguchi, Hirozi Uchimura
  • Patent number: 5152622
    Abstract: The invented printer includes a paper drive and mechanisms which hold paper in proper alignment in the drive. Specifically, it includes a pressure plate capable of bringing a sheet of paper into contact with a drive roller so that the paper is properly aligned, a wrapper which keeps paper in proper contact with the drive roller, a media edge contactor that presses against paper, a carriage guide support which helps to insure proper alignment of the paper during printing, and a back-out restraint to prevent paper from backing out of the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Steve O. Rasmussen, Allan G. Olson, Vance M. Stephens, William R. Huseby
  • Patent number: 5152623
    Abstract: A printer which can accommodate both continuous sheets and cut sheets includes both a continuous sheet path and a cut sheet path. A printing section is provided in common for the continuous and cut sheets. A manually slidable continuous sheet guide plate is provided in the upper portion of the printing section. A detector detects operation of the continuous sheet guide plate. When the guide plate is slid so that the cut sheet path is closed and the continuous sheet path is selected, in response to the output of the detector the continuous sheet is fed to the exit of the continuous sheet path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Yamada, Yoshikazu Ito, Naoki Asai
  • Patent number: 5136307
    Abstract: Image recording apparatus characterized by being equipped with the carriers to carry the recording sheet on which recording is made, recording heads, container to accommodate the recording heads, carrier guides which are so arranged as to place the carriers in between such carrier guides and the recording heads wherein rollers are provided to the carrier guides at the point where the carrier enters and leaves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Uchida, Tomohiro Aoki, Yasushi Murayama, Tatsuo Mitomi, Masaharu Nemura
  • Patent number: 5118208
    Abstract: A printer includes a print head and a platen roller facing the head. The platen roller is supported by supporting frames. The frames are rotatably supported by a stationary shaft. A second set lever is mounted on the supporting frame to be movable integrally with the frames, and includes a pressing portion facing a paper guide. The paper guide is pressed against a feed roller for feeding a paper sheet passing between the head and the platen roller. When the supporting frames are rotated in a direction to leave the platen roller from the head by a first set lever, the pressing portion pushes the paper guide so as to leave it from the feed roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1992
    Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitahara, Osamu Koizumi
  • Patent number: 5102247
    Abstract: This specification discloses a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet which is applied to an image recording apparatus. More particularly, the specification discloses a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet by the cooperation between a rotational member rotatable in the direction of sheet conveyance and a contact member which is in contact with the rotational member. According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet conveying device which can convey a sheet without causing oblique movement and irregularity of feeding of the sheet, for example, even under high temperature and high humidity conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeyasu Nagoshi, Shigeru Okamura
  • Patent number: 5098211
    Abstract: A sheet feeding mechanism for a serial printing apparatus capable of achieving accurate sheet feed performance free from slanted sheet feeding, dislocation between pages in printing on copy sheets, out-of-pitch, and the like. The sheet feeding mechanism includes a platen for receiving a bias force from a print head, first and second guide plates of the platen, first and second pairs of sheet feed rollers disposed outside the guide plates, a sheet guide member secured to move together with the print head, and a mechanism for elastically biasing a portion of the sheet guide member which confronts the platen onto the platen at all times. The first and second guide plates are positioned so as to be substantially coplanar with a print region of the platen, wherein one of the guide plates is positioned before the platen in the path of a sheet and the other guide plate is positioned after the platen in the path of a sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenjiro Murakami, Keiichi Ohshima
  • Patent number: 5092690
    Abstract: A portable printer including paper feed apparatus for utilizing sheet, roll or continuous form paper. The paper feed apparatus having pin feed drive members and friction rollers for feeding all three forms of paper. The printer also includes apparatus for selecting printing different character pitches to reduce the memory capacity required. A method is provided for operating the printer to obtain alignment of the paper feed drive motor prior to printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Thomas R. Grimm, Erik A. Treszoks, Luther L. Oliver, Sam Vinson, Jose I. Rodriguez, Donald J. Arndt, Mark A. Rendon, Dan Dodson
  • Patent number: 5078525
    Abstract: An entrance structure for introducing a continuous form paper from a paper feeder into a printer, and comprises an entrance forming member disposed above a front end of the paper feeder and having a sloped guide surface defining an entrance opening for the paper. The sloped guide surface is constituted such that although a leading edge portion of the paper set in the paper feeder is pushed upward, the raised leading edge portion thereof can pass smoothly through the entrance opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Kakuguchi
  • Patent number: 5066151
    Abstract: A printing mechanism is preceded by a single feeding region for separate papers and endless papers. The feeding region comprises an inlet duct for manually feeding separate papers, a tractor for the transport of endless papers arranged fixedly under the inlet duct and at least one cassette for automatically feeding separate papers. The cassette is detachably arranged above the inlet duct and is inclined obliquely forwards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1991
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Heinrich Durr, Manfred Rosenthal, Manfred Adamek
  • Patent number: 5061100
    Abstract: Front and rear printers for use with a document transport mechanism. The printers are identical in construction with each having a compact housing in which the associated print head is mounted. The housing has first and second side walls, a front wall which also functions as a guide for guiding documents to be printed upon therepast, and a rear wall which functions as a circuit board which houses the driver electronics assocated with the printer. The print head (ink jet) is mounted on a carriage which is moved within the housing in a first direction which is perpendicular to the direction in which the documents are moved in a document track past the printers. The front and rear printers are detachably mounted on opposed sides of the document track to enable the printing of alphanumerics or graphics on the front or the rear of a document moving thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick W. Brouwer, Graham Luckhurst, Fredrik L. N. Kallin
  • Patent number: 5018889
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus for printer, comprises an apparatus body with first and second sheet exhaust ports, a printing unit provided in the apparatus body, a paid of feeding rollers for feeding a sheet to the printing unit, and a pair of exhaust rollers for exhausting the sheet from the printing unit. The apparatus body has a support frame for rotatably carrying one of the feeding rollers and one of the exhaust rollers. The contact force of the feeding rollers and the contact force of the exhaust rollers are simultaneously adjusted by an eccentric roller. Further, the apparatus body has a sheet exhaust direction changing mechanism for selecting one of the sheet exhaust ports in accordance with the type of sheet, in cooperation with the movement of the support frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Oyaide, Masayoshi Kawahira, Toshio Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 5019839
    Abstract: A recording apparatus comprises a sheet feed roller, a sheet guide member, movably arranged on an outer surface of the feed roller, for guiding a sheet to be printed around the outer surface of the feed roller and drive means for reciprocating the sheet guide means between a first portion for guiding the sheet to a print position and a second position for guiding the sheet during a printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1991
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Watanabe, Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi, Hiroyuki Hiraga
  • Patent number: 5015109
    Abstract: An improved sheet separator and guide construction for a printer having a supply station and a feeder/platen for feeding a top sheet from a supported sheet stack and transporting it through the printing region. The construction includes a force plate for urging a supported sheet stack so that its top sheet contacts the feeder-platen and is moved toward a supply station egress region. A pair of sheet corner deflectors located respectively at opposite edges of the supply station egress region are constructed to direct sheet corners fed there-against inwardly toward the sheet center, and a central deflector located along a central portion of the egress region in spaced relation between the corner deflectors is constructed to direct the center lead-edge of a sheet fed there-against upwardly toward the printer top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1991
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John M. Brandon, Brian D. Bradley, Richard J. Ratermann
  • Patent number: 5011314
    Abstract: A paper feeding device comprises a tractor including a paper transport member having a circumferential speed set substantially equal to or a little lower than the circumferential speed of a platen, a fulcrum shaft supporting the tractor thereon for pivotal motion between a pushing in position in which the tractor is directed toward a lower portion of an outer periphery of the platen and a pulling position in which the tractor is directed to an upper portion of the outer periphery of the platen, and a thin piece extending along the lower portion of the outer periphery of the platen from an extension line of a paper feeding route of the tractor in the pushing in position between the platen and the tractor and resiliently contacting with an inner face of a paper pan. When the tractor is fixed to the pushing in position, paper supplied from the tractor is guided by the thin piece and will not hang down to the paper pan side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1991
    Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichiro Fujii
  • Patent number: 5000597
    Abstract: A flat substrate (3) for surface structure is insertable, in each case, in positions where the processing means (5) are moved into positions outside of the path of the substrate, in particular for print and/or read means (6, 7) in a device for the transport of flat substrates (3) in office machines, in particular for records in record-processing apparatus (1). A pull-in shaft (8) or feed throat includes guide means which form, in transport direction (4), one or several successive, cross-running openings (19) for the processing means (5) movable cross to the transport direction (4). The openings (19) are closable, at least in part, by way of elastic coverings (24, 25) for achieving an interference-free pull-in of damaged and/or irregular substrates (3) or, respectively, records.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hermann Kilb, Egon Durler
  • Patent number: 5000598
    Abstract: A guide mechanism for a slip paper path and for a receipt paper path. A spring plate is provided at the confluence of the paper paths to prevent the slip from entering the receipt paper path. The spring plate is engaged by the receipt to allow the receipt to be fed from the receipt paper path into the slip paper path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Jingu, Katsuyoshi Yokota, Ryuji Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 4995745
    Abstract: A printer includes improved paper feeding mechanism. A manual paper guide plate below an automatic paper feeding device can guide a thick piece of paper into a printing position on the platen without bending it hard around the platen. A pin tractor below the manual paper guide plate can feed a continuous web substantially straight into the printing position. A print head below the platen prints out on the lower surface of printing paper, whereby the printed individual cut sheets of paper being piled up one after another with the printed surface facing downward in a proper page order. A paper tray for holding the printed paper can alternatively change its position to reverse the discharge direction of the printed continuous web. The printed and reversed paper can be stacked on the upper surface of the manual paper guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Yokoi, Shigeo Nakamura, Hiroshi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 4992805
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium comprises a platen, a recording head arranged to oppose said platen for recording the image on the recording medium, first conveying member arranged upstream of the platen along a conveying direction of the recording medium for conveying the recording medium, second conveying member arranged downstream of the platen along the conveying direction of the recording medium for conveying the recording medium; guide member for guiding the recording medium when the recording medium is fed from the first conveying member to the second conveying member, and driving motor for causing the guide member to set at an operative position where the member guides the recording medium and a retracted position where the guiding member is retracted from the operative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsutomo Yoshizawa, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Nobuyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4991983
    Abstract: An electronic, programmable check encoder (10) having a check guide (14) capable of receiving a check to be encoded. A plurality of sensors (40,42,44,46) locate the position of the check in the check guide (14). Following determination of the position of the check, the check is clamped and moved by a drive assembly to an encoder (80) and then moved out of the apparatus by an eject assembly. the structure and interrelationship of the check gudie (14), the sensors (40,42,44,46) the check drive assembly and the check eject assembly are such that the check processing speed is significantly increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Global Technology International, Inc.
    Inventor: James M. Graverholt
  • Patent number: RE35319
    Abstract: A printer which can accommodate both continuous sheets and cut sheets includes both a continuous sheet path and a cut sheet path. A printing section is provided in common for the continuous and cut sheets. A manually .[.slidable.]. .Iadd.movable .Iaddend.continuous sheet guide plate is provided in the upper portion of the printing section. A detector detects .[.operatin.]. .Iadd.operation .Iaddend.of the continuous sheet guide plate. When the guide plate is .[.slid.]. .Iadd.moved .Iaddend.so that the cut sheet path is closed and the continuous sheet path is selected, in response to the output of the detector the continuous sheet is fed to the exit of the continuous sheet path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Yamada, Yoshikazu Ito, Naoki Asai