Mechanical type-printing apparatus

Abstract

Abstract The use of Computer Assisted Instructional Systems and other electronic data processing systems is enhanced by a simple, lowcost, key-responding mechanical type-printing apparatus for printing human and machine readable characters of a family of type of which each character has no more than 12 segments. The generic type family format is a medianly quartered parallelogram (MQP) embracing both slanted and upright printing, the latter being more specifically in the format of an orthogonally quartered rectangle (OQR). The printing apparatus comprises a multiple of printing blade elements arranged as a subassembly for printing short straight line segments by impressing the ends of the blade elements on the record medium against a platen. Liquid ink is fed to the blade elements made up of several leaves between which the ink flows by way of capillary action. The proper blades are selected for printing the corresponding segments making up a desired character by means of a stack of selector plates. There is one selector plate individual to each blade element and a 13th, spacing, plate. Each of the selector plates are of integral construction having a selecting section, the front edge of which is to be moved in a direction forcing the associated printing blade element forward for printing the corresponding line segment, and two guiding sections for insuring parallel movement of the selecting section. Each of the selecting sections of the selector plates has a multiple of substantially square apertures in registry with corresponding apertures in all of the other plates. Keys are extended through the apertures in all of the selector plates in registry. The keys in the plates have surfaces cooperating with edges of the apertures of the plates defining the forward direction of the plates of two different characteristics distributed in predetermined permutation for all of the keys. Depressing a key shifts the selector plates relative to one another in accordance with the distribution of the two different characteristics. The guiding sections of the plates are pivoted at central points so that the selecting sections move directly forward regardless of the location of the particular key which is actuating the plates. The leading edge of the selector plates for the particular character desired may bear directly against the ends of the blade elements remote from the printing ends, but preferably linking elements are interposed between the printing blade elements and the selector plates. These linking elements are particularly desirable when the direction of travel of the printing blade element is at an angle with respect to the direction of travel of the selector plates. Specifically, the square apertures of the plates which are to remain at rest for the selection of a given character are enlarged so that depressing the associated key will not move them forward. A camming element is arraNged in the apertures between the actuating surface of the keys and the actuating surfaces of the selector plates to provide more uniform motion. The subassembly of printing blade elements and the subassembly of linking elements are arranged in a carrier which is stepped across the leading edge of the selector plates in response to actuation of the 13th or spacing selector plates. When the carrier has arrived at the end of the line, it is manually returned to the beginning of the travel and the record medium is advanced automatically one line in readiness for the next line of printing. Preferably, the printing blade element assembly, the escapement mechanism, and record-medium-advancing mechanism are designed so that different sized characters may be printed and spaced accordingly.

Inventors

• 👤 Paul Anthony Gilovich
• 👤 Reynold Benjamin Johnson
• 👤 Edward Everett Long
• 👤 David Harwood Mcmurtry
• 👤 Ernie George Nassimbene
• 👤 Thomas Frank O'rourke
• 👤 George Edmund Price

Bibliographic Details