Character selection for single element printing mechanism employing cam pairs

Claim 1

IN A PRINTER HAVING A CHARACTER MATRIX THAT IS POSITIONABLE ALONG AT LEAST ONE COORDINATE AXIS FOR CHARACTER SELECTION, THE SELECTOR MECHANISM COMPRISING: A SUPPORT SHAFT, A MATRIX POSITIONING MECHANISM MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE CHARACTER MATRIX FOR POSITIONING THE MATRIX ALONG ITS COORDINATE AXIS, SAID MATRIX POSITIONING MECHANISM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FIRST FACE CAMS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATABLE MOVEMENT, A PLURALITY OF SECOND FACE CAMS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID PLURALITY OF FIRST FACE CAMS AND MOUNTED SECURELY AGAINST ROTATION ON SAID SHAFT ADJACENT RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID FIRST CAMS TO FORM A PLURALITY OF FACE CAM PAIRS, ONE OF SAID FACE CAMS BEING HELD SUBSTANTIALLY STATIONARY AXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SHAFT AND THE REMAINING FACE CAMS BEING MOUNTED FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT ON SAID SHAFT, SAID PAIRS OF CAMS BEING MUTUALLY INTERCONNECTED FOR THE TRANSFER OF AXIAL MOTION THEREBETWEEN, ONE CAM OF EACH PAIR HAVING A CAMMING FACE THAT INCLUDES ANGULARLY SPACED HIGH AND LOW DWELL PORTIONS FACING ASSOCIATED ONES OF THE OTHER CAM OF EACH PAIR, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID HIGH AND LOW DWELL PORTIONS BEING DIMENSIONALLY RELATED TO INCREMENTS BETWEEN CHARACTER LOCATIONS ON THE CHARACTER MATRIX, EACH OF SAID OTHER CAMS OF EACH PAIR HAVING A FOLLOWER PORTION THAT ENGAGES THE CAMMING FACE OF ASSOCIATED ONES SAID ONE CAM OF EACH PAIR, A CONTINUOUSLY ACTIVE SOURCE OF ROTATIONL ENERGY, ROTATIVE MOTION TRANSMISSION MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ENERGY SOURCE AND INDIVIDUALLY TO EACH OF SAID FIRST CAMS FOR EFFECTING ROTATIVE MOTION THEREOF, WHEN OPERATED, FOR A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR INCREMENT SUFFICIENT AT LEAST TO BRING SAID HIGH AND LOW DWELL PORTIONS INTO ALTERNATE COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWER PORTION OF SAID PAIRS, CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY INDIVIDUALLY OPERATING ONE OR MORE OF SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING ALL OF SAID CAMS TO THE CHARACTER MATRIX FOR DELIVERING THE AGGREGATE AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TO POSITION THE CHARACTER MATRIX ALONG ITS COORDINATE AXIS.