High speed printing device for printing characters of different physical sizes

Claim 1

IN A HIGH SPEED PRINTING APPARATUS, FOR PRINTING IN A PLURALITY OF CHARACTER SPACES ACROSS THE WIDTH OF A RECORD, A PRINTING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING: A MOVABLE PRINTING TYPE CARRIER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CHARACTER PRINTING TYPE THEREON ARRANGED IN LINES IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID TYPE CARRIER, SAID PRINTING TYPE COMPRISING: A FIRST GROUP OF PRINTING TYPE OF A FIRST SIZE EQUIVALENT TO A SINGLE CHARACTER SPACE WIDTH AND ARRANGED IN FIRST PREASSIGNED LINES AND A SECOND GROUP OF PRINTING TYPE OF A SECOND SIZE, EQUIVALENT TO MORE THAN A SINGLE CHARACTER SPACE WIDTH AND ARRANGED IN SECOND PREASSIGNED LINES; A PLURALITY OF PRINTING HAMMERS SUPPORTED IN POSITIONS TO STRIKE SAID PRINTING TYPE, ONE OF SAID PRINTING HAMMERS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH EACH LINE OF SAID PRINTING TYPE OF SAID FIRST GROUP AND A PLURALITY OF PRINTING HAMMERS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH EACH LINE OF SAID PRINTING TYPE OF SAID SECOND GROUP, EACH OF SAID PRINTING HAMMERS BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO STRIKE THE ENTIRE HEIGHT OF ITS ASSOCIATED PRINTING TYPE; A PLURALITY OF PRINTING HAMMER ACTUATORS, ONE FOR EACH PRINTING HAMMER; COUPLING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH LINE OF SAID SECOND PRINTING TYPE GROUP, EACH COUPLING MEANS COUPLED TO ALL OF THE PRINTING HAMMER ACTUATORS ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID LINES IN SAID SECOND PRINTING TYPE GROUP; AND CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COUPLING MEANS AND SAID PRINTING HAMMER ACTUATORS OF SAID FIRST PRINTING TYPE GROUP TO ACTUATE THE PRINTING HAMMERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LOCATION AND SIZE OF THE CHARACTER TO BE PRINTED.