Document encoding apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for printing on record members of at least two different lengths each having a series of areas displaced lengthwise of the record member and representing different encoding fields or the like, the combination of which comprises: a printing station and means for serially feeding such record members field-by-field through the printing station, said printing station including printing mechanism for printing on said field areas as they pass thereby, first detection means on the downstream side of the printing mechanism for sensinG the presence of the record member and so positioned with respect to the printing mechanism as to signify the passage of the leading edge of such record members thereby in advance of the passage of the first field area past the printing mechanism, second detection means positioned on the upstream side of the printing mechanism for sensing the presence of the trailing portion of only the longer of such record members, control circuit means coupled to said first and second detection means and including means responsive to the sensing of such a record member by only the first detection means for providing a first signal signifying the passage of a shorter one of such record members and responsive to the coincident sensing of such a record member by the first and second detection means for providing a second signal signifying the passage of a longer one of such record members, and said control circuit means further including means responding to said first and said second signals and being operable to commence the printing of said first field area at one distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said first signal only is received and to commence the printing of said first field area at another distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said second signal is received.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said last mentioned means is effective to commence the printing of the first field area at a shorter distance from the leading edge of such record member when the said first signal is received and at a greater distance from the leading edge of such a record member when the said second signal is received.

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said feeding means advances the record members at a constant rate past the printing mechanism, and further characterized in that means is provided for operating the printing mechanism in timed relation to said constant rate of advance.

Claim 5

In combination with a printing station including means for serially feeding record members of varying lengths therethrough having lengthwise extending series of encoding fields each divided into a plurality of character positions for the entry of printed characters, and further including a printing couple composed of a rotatable print wheel and cooperating print impact member for entering characters into the character positions of the encoding fields of each such record member as it passes thereby, first detection means on the downstream side of the printing wheel for sensing the presence of such a record member and so positioned with respect to the printing wheel as to signify the passage of the leading edge of such record member thereby in advance of the passage of the first of said series of encoding fields past said printing couple, second detection means positioned on the upstream side of the printing couple for sensing the presence of the trailing portion of such a record member passing through the printing station, means coupled to said first and second detection means and responsive to the sensing of such a record member by only the first detection means for providing a first signal signifying the passage of a shorter one of such record members and responsive to the concurrent sensing of such a record member by both the first and second detection means for providing a second signal signifying the passage of a longer one of such record members, and a control circuit responding to the receipt of said first and second signals for causing the printing couple to print characters in the first of said series of encoding fields at one distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said first signal only is received and for causing the print couple to print characters in the first of said series of encoding fields at another distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said second signal is received.

Claim 6

In combination with a printing station including means for serially feeding record members of varying lengths therethrough having lengthwise extending series of encoding fields each divided into a plurality of character positions for the entry of printed characters, and further including a printing couple composed of a rotatable print wheel and cooperating print impact member for entering characters into the character positions of the encoding fields of each such record member as it passes thereby, first detection means on the downstream side of the printing wheel for sensing the presence of such a record member and so positioned with respect to the printing wheel as to signify the passage of the leading edge of such record member thereby in advance of the passage of the first of said series of encoding fields past said printing couple, second detection means positioned on the upstream side of the printing couple for sensing the presence of the trailing portion of such a record member passing through the printing station, means coupled to said first and second detection means and responsive to the sensing of such a record member by only the first detection means for providing a first signal signifying the passage of a shorter one of such record members and responsive to the concurrent sensing of such a record member by both the first and second detection means for providing a second signal signifying the passage of a longer one of such record members, and a control circuit responding to the receipt of said first and second signals for causing the printing couple to print characters in the first of said series of encoding fields at one distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said first signal only is received and for causing the print couple to print characters in the first of said series of encoding fields at another distance from the leading edge of such a record member when said second signal is received.

Claim 7

The printing station as defined in claim 4 characterized in that thE control circuit includes means for delaying the printing action of the print couple upon such a record member being fed therethrough for a certain number of character positions when said second signal is received.

Claim 8

The printing station as defined in claim 4 characterized in that means is included in the control circuit for inhibiting the printing action of the printing couple upon such a record member being fed through the printing station for a fractional portion of a character position of the record member.

Claim 9

In apparatus for printing data along a line of adjoining equal-sized character positions extending lengthwise of a document; a printing couple including a movable print member carrying type characters and a cooperating hammer member operable to impact a selected type character after the print member has been moved to present the type character for printing, said members of the printing couple being disposed on opposite sides of a transport path; means for serially advancing documents at a constant rate along that portion of the transport path extending between the two members of the printing couple; means for coordinating the operation of the printing couple in timed relation to the advance of a document therebetween and producing a plurality of clock signals during the time interval required to prepare and print each character for governing the action of the operating elements of the printing couple; detection means positioned in downstream relation of the printing couple for sensing the passage of the leading edge of a document thereby and producing a signal when such occurs; circuit means coupled to said detection means and responsive to its signal for causing the printing couple to commence the printing of said line on the document at a given distance from the leading edge thereof, and a control circuit coupled to said operation coordinating means to receive said clock signals and including means for varying the starting point of the printing operation performed by the printing couple on said line of a document by changing the number of said clock pulses utilized for printing the first character of said line.

Claim 10

In apparatus for printing data along a line of adjoining equal-sized character positions extending lengthwise of a document; a printing couple including a movable print member carrying type characters and a cooperating hammer member operable to impact a selected type character after the print member has been moved to present the type character for printing, said members of the printing couple being disposed on opposite sides of a transport path; means for serially advancing documents at a constant rate along that portion of the transport path extending between the two members of the printing couple; means for coordinating the operation of the printing couple in timed relation to the advance of a document therebetween and producing a plurality of clock signals during the time interval required to prepare and print each character for governing the action of the operating elements of the printing couple; detection means positioned in downstream relation of the printing couple for sensing the passage of the leading edge of a document thereby and producing a signal when such occurs; circuit means coupled to said detection means and responsive to its signal for causing the printing couple to commence the printing of said line on the document at a given distance from the leading edge thereof, and a control circuit coupled to said operation coordinating means to receive said clock signals and including means for varying the starting point of the printing operation performed by the printing couple on said line of a document by changing the number of said clock pulses utilized for printing the first character of said line.

Claim 11

Apparatus as defined in claim 7 characterized in that the control circuit utilizes the clock signals for inhibiting the printing action of the printing couple for a fractional portion of one character position so that the printing couple is caused to commence the printing of said line at an equivalent greater distance from the leading edge of the document.

Claim 12

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 characterized in that said control circuit includes a control member selectively movable to any one of a plurality of positions each representative of a different number of the clock signals and further includes a comparator for matching the selected number of clock signals against those received by the control circuit.

Claim 13

In printing apparatus having cooperative elements disposed on opposite sides of a document transport path to form a printing couple effective to print a single character at a time on a document disposed therebetween, and including means for uninterruptedly advancing documents serially along the transport path between the elements of the printing couple and including further means for actuating the elements of the printing couple while each such document is advanced uninterruptedly therebetween to print a row of characters on the moving document, means for producing electrical pulses in substantially timed relation to the uninterrupted movement of each document through the printing couple, the frequency of the pulses produced by said producing means being so related to each character being printed by said printing couple as to produce a plurality of pulses during the time interval needed to prepare a selected character for printing and to print such selected character, means for receiving the pulses produced by said pulse producing means and operable to assign a group of such pulses to each characteR selected to print on the document and to utilize such an assigned group of pulses for controlling the operation of the cooperative elements of the printing couple to print the character on the moving document, and means for introducing one or more pulses into the pulse group assigned to a character selected for printing to shift the print position of such character in the row being printed on the document.

Claim 14

In printing apparatus having cooperative elements disposed on opposite sides of a document transport path to form a printing couple effective to print a single character at a time on a document disposed therebetween, and including means for uninterruptedly advancing documents serially along the transport path between the elements of the printing couple and including further means for actuating the elements of the printing couple while each such document is advanced uninterruptedly therebetween to print a row of characters on the moving document, means for producing electrical pulses in substantially timed relation to the uninterrupted movement of each document through the printing couple, the frequency of the pulses produced by said producing means being so related to each character being printed by said printing couple as to produce a plurality of pulses during the time interval needed to prepare a selected character for printing and to print such selected character, means for receiving the pulses produced by said pulse producing means and operable to assign a group of such pulses to each characteR selected to print on the document and to utilize such an assigned group of pulses for controlling the operation of the cooperative elements of the printing couple to print the character on the moving document, and means for introducing one or more pulses into the pulse group assigned to a character selected for printing to shift the print position of such character in the row being printed on the document.

Claim 15

Printing apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein detection means is provided for determining a dimensional characteristic of each document fed through the printing couple and wherein further means is provided for selecting the location of the character to be printed on the document in accordance with this determination.

Claim 16

Printing apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said detection means includes a detector for sensing the leading edge of a document introduced to the printing couple and further includes a second detector for concurrently sensing the presence or absence of the trailing edge portion of the same document.

Claim 17

Printing apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein the pulse introducing means acts to delay the printing of the character associated with the pulse group into which one or more pulses have been introduced, the extent of the delay being determined by the number of pulses introduced into the group.

Claim 18

Printing apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein means is provided which is operatively coupled to said pulse introducing means for controlling the same and which includes a control member selectively movable to any one of a plurality of positions each representative of a different number of the clock signals and further includes a comparator for matching the selected number of clock signals against those received by said pulse receiving means for assignment as a pulse character to a character selected for printing.