Type-setting mechanism for high speed printers

Claim 1

A TYPE-SETTING MECHANISM FOR A HIGH-SPEED PRINTER OF THE TYPE WHICH INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLY MOUNTED PRINT WHEELS EACH BEARING A PERIPHERY FONT OF CHARACTERS, SAID TYPE-SETTING MECHANISM COMPRISING: DRIVING MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF GEARS MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT IN RELATIVELY ROTATABLE RELATION, EACH FOR DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID PRINT WHEELS, AND A PLURALITY OF TORQUELIMITING OVER-RUNNING CLUTCH MEANS EACH DRIVINGLY CONNECTING ONE OF SAID GEARS WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT; SELECTIVELY-OPERABLE INDEXING MEANS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED FOR INTERFENERCE WITH SAID GEARS TO HALT THE ROTATION OF ALL OF SAID GEARS AT A COMMON INDEX PO SITION, AND FOR SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASING SAID GEARS FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT BY SAID CLUTCH MEANS IN COMMONLY-PHASED RELATION; MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID GEAR INDIVIDUALLY AT SELECTED ANGULAR POSITIONS, SAID POSITIONING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INTERPOSING PAWLS, PAWL-DISPLACING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SOLENOIDS EACH SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO PRODUCE INTERFERENCE OF ONE OF SAID PAWLS WITH A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID GEARS, CIRCUIT MEANS FOR COMPARING THE ANGULAR POSITIONS OF SAID GEARS WITH STORED POSITIONING DATA FOR EACH PRINT WHEEL CORRESPONDING TO A PRE-SELECTED ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT THEREOF, AND A ROTARY SELECTOR SWITCH HAVING STATIONARY AND ROTATABLE CONTACT ELEMENTS, ONE OF SAID CONTACT ELEMENTS HAVING A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY-SPACED CONTACTS EACH INDIVIDUALLY CONNECTED WITH SAID CIRCUIT MEANS FOR DELIVERING A DIFFERENT POSITION SIGNAL THERETO UPON CONTACT WITH THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS; TORQUE-LIMITING OVER-RUNNING CLUTCH MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID ROTATABLE CONTACT ELEMENT WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID ROTATABLE CONTACT ELEMENT HAVING AN INDEX STOP, SAID INDEXING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A STOP ARM SELECTIVBELY MOVABLE FOR INTERFERENCE WITH SAID INDEX STOP TO HALT THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENT AT AN INDEX POSITION CORRESPONDING TO SAID COMMON INDEX POSITION OF SAID GEARS; SAID CIRCUIT MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH EACH OF SAID SOLENOIDS TO PRODUCE INTERFERENCE OF ONE OF SAID PAWLS UPON THE ARRIVAL OF THE CORRESPONDING GEAR AT ITS PRESELECTED POSITION.