Variable speed printer apparatus and type carrier device therefor

Claim 1

IN A PRINTER APPARATUS, A PRINT MECHANISM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PRINT POSITIONS HAVING IMPACT TYPE PRINT ELEMENTS AND A MOVABLE TYPE CARRIER DEVICE HAVING A FIRST AND SECOND GROUP OF TYPE CHARACTERS FORMED IN AND ARRAY FOR PRESENTATION AT A PRINT POSITION, SAID FIRST GROUP OF TYPE CHARACTERS COMPRISING A SERIES OF NUMERIC CHARACTERS, SAID SECOND GROUP OF TYPE CHARACTERS COMPRISING A SERIES OF ALPHABETIC AND SPECIAL SYMBOL CHARACTERS, SAID SECOND GROUP COMPRISING PLURAL DISTINCTIVE SUBGROUPS OF CHARACTERS, SAID FIRST GROUP AND SAID SUBGROUPS BEING COMBINED IN SAID ARRAY IN A PREDETERMINED ORDER TO FORM A SEQUENCE OF TYPE CHARACTERS, SAID FIRST GROUP HAVING A REPETITION RATE AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID NUMBER OF SAID SUBGROUPS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TYPE CARRIER FOR CYCLICALLY PRESENTING SAID SEQUENCE OF TYPE TO SAID PRINT POSITION WHEREBY SAID FIRST GROUP OF TYPE CHARACTERS IS PRESENTED EACH CYCLE TO SAID PRINT POSITION AT A RATE EQUIVALENT TO SAID NUMBER OF SUBGROUPS OF CHARACTERS, CARRIAGE MEANS FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF A PRINT MEDIUM TO PRESENT DIFFERENT PORTIONS THEREOF AT SAID PRINT POSITIONS, PRINT CONTROL MEANS FOR SCANNING THE PRINT POSITIONS TO PROVIDE FOR OPERATION OF THE ASSOCIATED PRINT ELEMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH DATA FROM A PROCESSOR, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE CARRIAGE MEANS INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO OPERATION OF SAID PRINT CONTROL MEANS FOR EFFECTING OPERATION OF THE CARRIAGE MEANS TO MOVE THE PRINT MEDIUM.