Type carrier setting device

Claim 1

For use in printers having a shaft driven in a selected direction and a platen, a type setting device comprising, in combination: a. a type carrier mounted on said shaft for rotation relative thereto and carrying a plurality of characters; b. arresting means comprising a plurality of elements and operatively associated with said carrier for arresting said carrier in an angular position which corresponds to the selected character to be printed, means mounting a first element of said arresting means to normally rotate with said shaft, said mounting means permitting rotary movement of said first element through a small angle relative to said carrier, a second element for halting said first element from rotation with said shaft in any one of a plurality of angular positions each corresponding to the location of a respective character on said carrier; and c. a loop spring arranged about said shaft to normally frictionally engage, and rotate with, said shaft, said sPring having one end fixed relative to said type carrier and its other end fixed relative to said first element for causing said carrier and said first element to normally rotate with said spring, said spring being oriented to be expanded away from said shaft as the result of relative movement between said ends when said element is halted and said carrier undergoes such rotary movement relative to said first element in the direction of rotation of said shaft; whereby such expansion of said spring interrupts the driving relation between said shaft and said spring.