High speed printer

Claim 1

IN A HIGH SPEED PRINTER, A ROTATABLY MOUNTED PRINTING DRUM HAVING A PLURALITY OF CHARACTERS ON THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF ARRANGED IN CIRCUMFERENTIAL COLUMNS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM, A HAMMER MOUNTING FRAME, A PLURALITY OF HAMMERS MOUNTED IN SAID MOUNTING FRAME, SAID HAMMERS CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF COLUMNS ON THE DRUM, EACH OF SAID HAMMERS COMPRISING A HAMMER HEAD AND A ROD DEPENDING FROM SAID HEAD, SAID HAMMER HEADS ARRANGED IN A ROW IN CLOSE SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND HAMMER RODS FOR ALTERNATE HAMMERS ARRANGED IN A FIRST ROW AND THE HAMMER RODS FOR INTERMEDIATE HAMMERS BETWEEN THE ALTERNATE HAMMERS ALSO ARRANGED IN A SECOND ROW SPACED FROM SAID FIRST ROW, HAMMER ROD ACTUATING MEANS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID ROD REMOTE FROM THE HEAD FOR SELECTIVELY ACTUATING THE HAMMERS WHEREBY THE HEADS ENGAGE CHARACTER RECEIVING MEANS AGAINST SELECTED ONES OF THE CHARACTERS WHEREBY CHARACTERS ARE PRINTED IN A ROW ON THE CHARACTER RECEIVING MEANS, RESILIENT BIASING MEANS FOR EACH OF THE HAMMERS, MEANS ON SAID ROD AND SAID MOUNTING FRAME COOPERATING WITH SAID RESILIENT BIASING MEANS TO NORMALLY URGE THE HAMMERS AWAY FROM THE CHARACTERS AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS, SAID RESILIENT BIASING MEANS FOR ALTERNATE HAMMERS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE ONE END OF SAID ROD AND SAID RESILIENT BIASING MEANS FOR THE HAMMERS BETWEEN THE ALTERNATE ONES DISPOSED ADJACENT THE END OF SAID ROD OPPOSITE SAID ONE END WHEREBY THE BIASING MEANS ARE SO POSITIONED ON ADJACENT RODS SO AS TO BE FREE AND CLEAR OF ONE ANOTHER THEREBY TO PROVIDE FOR FREE INDEPENDENT ACTUATION OF THE HAMMERS AND MEANS FOR GUIDING THE HAMMERS DURING ACTUATION TO INSURE FREE INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT.