Wire type tape printing apparatus

Claim 2

A portable strip printer comprising a pair of spaced rotatable tape storage reels adapted for transferring a strip of tape stored on one of the reels to the other reel with the tape extending between the reels so that any printing on the tape is visible to the operator, one of the reels functioning as a tape supply reel for clean tape to be printed with the other reel functioning as a tape take-up reel for receiving the tape from the supply reel including storing the printed tape thereon, each of the tape storage reels being pivoted with a friction drive disc, drive means including a single electrical motor having a drive shaft pivotably mounted to be swingable into driving engagement with each of the drive discs for controlling the rotation of said reels for transferring tape from one reel to the other reel in both directions, said means including means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of clean tape from the supply reel in a forward direction to allow the advancing tape to be printed; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a rewind direction opposite to the forward direction to allow any printing on the tape to be examined by the operatoR as it is transferred from the take-up reel back onto the supply reel; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a fast forward direction to allow the tape to be rapidly advanced in the printing direction from the supply reel to the take-up reel until an unprinted section of the tape is observed by the operator to allow printing to continue, said control means including means for electrically energizing the motor in accordance with the selected forward, rewind, or fast forward directions, means for withdrawing the tape from the supply reel to continuously advance it to the take-up reel to allow printing thereon, the tape supply reel storing a strip of impact sensitive paper that will be visibly marked upon becoming impacted by a printing element, a printing head mounted intermediate the reels for impacting the paper and serially marking it as it advances by the head, said printing head comprising an anvil and a plurality of independently actuated impacting elements spaced from the anvil and receiving the paper therebetween for marking, the impacting elements being lightweight, elongated, needle-like elements arranged in a plane in an arcuate configuration for impacting a preselected area of the paper strip as the paper strip advances thereby and each including an individual solenoid having a plunger mounting the impacting element and energizable for moving the impacting element against the anvil upon energization thereof for impacting the paper at a preselected area as it continuously advances thereby, the individual solenoids being selectively and successively energized for defining characters by printing successive serial marks on the paper, and circuit means for selectively energizing the individual solenoids for selectively and successively marking the paper for printing out alphanumeric characters defined by the combination of marks on the paper.

Claim 3

A portable strip printer as defined in claim 1, including means for continuously engaging the take-up reel drive disc to prevent backlash of the paper on tape rewind.

Claim 4

A portable strip printer as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for advancing the strip of tape includes a rotatable capstan arranged on one side of the tape intermediate the tape storage reels and a drive roller arranged on the opposite side of the strip of tape for frictionally engaging the tape at the capstan to cause the tape to be advanced in response to the rotation of the capstan, and means for intermittently actuating and de-actuating the capstan at a rate related to the printing rate of the characters on the tape.

Claim 5

A portable strip printer as defined in claim 3 wherein said impacting elements have a total stroke of approximately 0.040 inch.

Claim 6

A portable strip printer as defined in claim 1 including means coupled to the individual solenoids for limiting the travel of the solenoid plungers, and individual means for guiding the marking ends of the impacting elements for striking the anvil.

Claim 7

A portable strip printer comprising a pair of spaced rotatable tape storage reels adapted for transferring a strip of tape stored on one of the reels to the other reel with the tape extending between the reels so that any printing on the tape is visible to the operator, one of the reels functioning as a tape supply reel for clean tape to be printed with the other reel functioning as a tape take-up reel for receiving the tape from the supply reel including storing the printed tape thereon, each of the tape storage reels being provided with a friction drive disc, single, swingable means simultaneously engageable with each of the storage reels for holding the reels and any paper stored on the reels from slipping off of the spindles and to guide the paper in winding and unwinding of the paper onto a spool when swung to one position overlying the reels, said single means being swingable to another position out of engagement with the reels and releaSably held in said other position for allowing the placement and removal of the reels onto and from their respective spindles, drive means including a single electrical motor having a drive shaft pivotably mounted to be swingable into driving engagement with each of the drive disc for controlling the rotation of said reels for transferring tape from one reel to the other reel in both directions, said drive means including means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of clean tape from the supply reel in a forward direction to allow the advancing tape to be printed; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a rewind direction opposite to the forward direction to allow any printing on the tape to be examined by the operator as it is transferred from the take-up reel back onto the supply reel; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a fast forward direction to allow the tape to be rapidly advanced in the printing direction from the supply reel to the take-up reel until an unprinted section of the tape is observed by the operator to allow printing to continue, said control means including means for electrically energizing the motor in accordance with the selected forward, rewind, or fast forward directions, means for withdrawing the tape from the supply reel to continuously advance it to the take-up reel to allow printing thereon, said withdrawing means including a rotatable capstan arranged on one side of the tape intermediate the tape storage reels and a drive roller arranged on the opposite side of the strip for frictionally engaging the tape at the capstan to cause the tape to be advanced in response to the rotation of the capstan, means for actuating and de-actuating the capstan at a rate related to the rate of printing of the individual characters on the tape, the tape supply reel storing a strip of impact sensitive paper that will be visibly marked upon being impacted by a printing element, a printing head mounted intermediate the reels for impacting the paper and serially marking it as it advances by the head, said printing head comprising an anvil and a plurality of independently actuated impacting elements spaced from the anvil for receiving the paper between the anvil and impacting elements for marking, the impacting elements being lightweight, elongated, needle like elements arranged in a plane in an arcuate configuration for impacting a preselected area of the paper strip as the paper strip advances thereby and each including an individual solenoid having a plunger mounting the impacting element and energizable for moving the impacting element against the anvil upon energization thereof for impacting the paper at a preselected area as it continuously advances thereby, the individual solenoids being selectively and successively energized for defining characters by printing successive serial marks on the paper, means coupled to the individual solenoids for limiting the travel of the solenoid plungers and individual means for guiding the marking ends of the impacting elements for striking the anvil, and circuit means for selectively energizing the individual solenoids for selectively and successively marking the paper for printing out alphanumeric characters defined by the combination of marks on the paper.

Claim 8

A portable strip printer comprising a pair of spaced rotatable tape storage reels adapted for transferring a strip of tape stored on one of the reels to the other reel with the tape extending between the reels so that any printing on the tape is visible to the operator, one of the reels functioning as a tape supply reel for clean tape to be printed with the other reel functioning as a tape take-up reel for receiving the tape from the supply reel including storing the printed tape thereon, each of the tape storage reels being provided with a friction drive disc, single, swingable means simultaneously engageable with each of the storage reels for holding the reels and any paper stored on the reels from slipping off of the spindles and to guide the paper in winding and unwinding of the paper onto a spool when swung to one position overlying the reels, said single means being swingable to another position out of engagement with the reels and releaSably held in said other position for allowing the placement and removal of the reels onto and from their respective spindles, drive means including a single electrical motor having a drive shaft pivotably mounted to be swingable into driving engagement with each of the drive disc for controlling the rotation of said reels for transferring tape from one reel to the other reel in both directions, said drive means including means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of clean tape from the supply reel in a forward direction to allow the advancing tape to be printed; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a rewind direction opposite to the forward direction to allow any printing on the tape to be examined by the operator as it is transferred from the take-up reel back onto the supply reel; means for controlling the coupling position of the drive means for controlling the transfer of tape in a fast forward direction to allow the tape to be rapidly advanced in the printing direction from the supply reel to the take-up reel until an unprinted section of the tape is observed by the operator to allow printing to continue, said control means including means for electrically energizing the motor in accordance with the selected forward, rewind, or fast forward directions, means for withdrawing the tape from the supply reel to continuously advance it to the take-up reel to allow printing thereon, said withdrawing means including a rotatable capstan arranged on one side of the tape intermediate the tape storage reels and a drive roller arranged on the opposite side of the strip for frictionally engaging the tape at the capstan to cause the tape to be advanced in response to the rotation of the capstan, means for actuating and de-actuating the capstan at a rate related to the rate of printing of the individual characters on the tape, the tape supply reel storing a strip of impact sensitive paper that will be visibly marked upon being impacted by a printing element, a printing head mounted intermediate the reels for impacting the paper and serially marking it as it advances by the head, said printing head comprising an anvil and a plurality of independently actuated impacting elements spaced from the anvil for receiving the paper between the anvil and impacting elements for marking, the impacting elements being lightweight, elongated, needle like elements arranged in a plane in an arcuate configuration for impacting a preselected area of the paper strip as the paper strip advances thereby and each including an individual solenoid having a plunger mounting the impacting element and energizable for moving the impacting element against the anvil upon energization thereof for impacting the paper at a preselected area as it continuously advances thereby, the individual solenoids being selectively and successively energized for defining characters by printing successive serial marks on the paper, means coupled to the individual solenoids for limiting the travel of the solenoid plungers and individual means for guiding the marking ends of the impacting elements for striking the anvil, and circuit means for selectively energizing the individual solenoids for selectively and successively marking the paper for printing out alphanumeric characters defined by the combination of marks on the paper.