Automatic media thickness compensator for a printer

Claim 1

In a forms compensator for sensing the thicknesses of various media mounted on a platen of a serial-type line printer having: a carriage means having a print head means thereon; traversing means for traversing said carriage means along said platen to enable said print head means to print along a line of printing on said platen; mounting means for mounting said print head means on said carriage means for simultaneous movement therewith along said print line and for independent reciprocal movement of said print head means along a second line which is transverse to said line of printing; and biasing means for resiliently urging said print head means along said second line towards said platen; the improvement comprising; sensing means secured to said print head means to contact the media on said platen and to move said print head means away from said media as a thicker medium is encountered along said line of printing and to enable said biasing means to move said print head means towards said platen as a thinner medium is encountered, thereby enabling said print head means to be spaced a predetermined distance from said media along said line of printing regardless of the thickness of a particular medium being printed upon on said platen; said sensing means comprising: a support means extending along the length of said platen; a thin, self-supportable, flexible tape means mounted on said support means and extending along the length of said platen to overlie the media thereon; and a finger means fixed to said print head means for contacting said tape means as said print head means is traversed along said platen.