Wire matrix print head particularly for high speed printers

Claim 2

A high speed printing system for printing graphic symbols on a recording stratum, said system comprising: a. wire matrix print head means including body means generally disposed in a horizontal plane, said body means having a narrowed neck forward position and an arcuate rearward portion, a nose mounted to said body means at said neck portion, said body means formed with a plurality of guideway means; b. a plurality of wire printing element means, one of each said wire printing element means slidably reCeived in one of each said guideway means and disposed along a path on each guideway means oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means; c. each said guideway means disposed in said printing head means in a curved path corresponding to the free bending curve of said wire printing element means; d. a plurality of actuator means mounted to said arcuate rearward portion of said body means along a path oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means, one of each said actuator means operatively connected to a first end of one of each said wire printing element means for reciprocating each said wire printing element means within each said guideway means each guideway means having a successively more oblique path with respect to the horizontal plane from the rear of the body means to its forward position, said nose formed with a vertical guideway for receiving and retaining said wire printing element means in a columnar configuration in registration with a longitudinal axis of said body means, each said actuator means having first and second states, a second end of selected ones of said wire printing element means projecting out of said nose in engagement with said recording stratum when its corresponding actuator means is in said first state, said second end of each said wire printing element means and recording stratum disengaged when said actuator means are in said second state; and e. means operatively connected to said actuator means for controlling said first and second states of each said actuator means.

Claim 3

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 1 including: a. drive means operatively connected to said wire matrix print head means; and b. control means for generating command signals, said drive means operatively connected to said control means; c. said drive means responsive to said command signals, said drive means operating to move said wire matrix print head means relative to said recording stratum.

Claim 4

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said curved path described by each said guideway means is such that a marginal area of each said wire printing element means at said first end is coaxial with a longitudinal axis of said actuator means associated therewith and a marginal area of each said wire printing element means at said second end is in registration with the longitudinal axis of said body means.

Claim 5

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator means is a solenoid in cylindrical form having first and second force gaps, said solenoid includes a frame, a coil, and an armature, said frame having a substantially L shaped profile in cross section, said frame formed with first and second inwardly extending arms, said first arm disposed in a plane substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said solenoid and said second arm disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid, said armature having a substantially T shaped profile, said armature formed with a body portion and a head portion, said body portion disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid in juxtaposition to said first arm, said head portion disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid in juxtaposition to said second arm, said first force gap formed between said first arm and said body portion, said second force gap formed between said second arm and said head portion, said first and second arms and said body portion defining an enclosure, said coil disposed within said enclosure.

Claim 6

A high speed printing system for printing graphic symbols on a recording stratum comprising: a. housing means; b. first means operatively connected to said housing means for generating command signals; c. control means operatively connected to said first means for generating coded data signals in response to said command signals; d. wire matrix print head means slidably mounted to said housing means, said wire matrix print head means slidably mounted to said housing means, said wire matrix print head means including body means having a narrowed neck forward portion and an arcuate rearward portion, a nose mounted to said body means at said neck portion, said body means formed with a plurality of guideway means; e. a plurality of wire printing element means, one of each said wire printing element means slidably received within one of each said guideway means and disposed along a path of each guideway means oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means; f. each said guideway means disposed in a curved path corresponding to the free binding curve of each said wire printing element means; g. a plurality of actuator means mounted to said arcuate rearward portion of said body means along a path oblique to a horizontal plane of said body means, each said actuator means operatively connected to one of each said wire printing element means for reciprocating each said wire printing element means within each said guideway means each guideway means having a successively more oblique path with respect to the horizontal plane from the rear of the body means to its forward position, said nose formed with a vertical guideway for receiving and retaining said wire printing element means in a columnar configuration in registration with a longitudinal axis of said body means, selected ones of said wire printing element means projecting out of said print head means in engagement with said recording stratum when its corresponding actuator means is in said first state, said wire printing element means and recording stratum disengaged when said actuator means are in said second state; h. character generator means operatively connected to said control means and actuator means for generating actuating signals for controlling said first and second states of each said actuator means; and i. driving means operatively connected to said control and print head means for moving said print head means relative to said recording stratum, said driving means responsive to said command signals.

Claim 7

A high speed printing system for printing graphic symbols on a recording stratum comprising: a. housing means; b. first means operatively connected to said housing means for generating command signals; c. control means operatively connected to said first means for generating coded data signals in response to said command signals; d. wire matrix print head means slidably mounted to said housing means, said wire matrix print head means slidably mounted to said housing means, said wire matrix print head means including body means having a narrowed neck forward portion and an arcuate rearward portion, a nose mounted to said body means at said neck portion, said body means formed with a plurality of guideway means; e. a plurality of wire printing element means, one of each said wire printing element means slidably received within one of each said guideway means and disposed along a path of each guideway means oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means; f. each said guideway means disposed in a curved path corresponding to the free binding curve of each said wire printing element means; g. a plurality of actuator means mounted to said arcuate rearward portion of said body means along a path oblique to a horizontal plane of said body means, each said actuator means operatively connected to one of each said wire printing element means for reciprocating each said wire printing element means within each said guideway means each guideway means having a successively more oblique path with respect to the horizontal plane from the rear of the body means to its forward position, said nose formed with a vertical guideway for receiving and retaining said wire printing element means in a columnar configuration in registration with a longitudinal axis of said body means, selected ones of said wire printing element means projecting out of said print head means in engagement with said recording stratum when its corresponding actuator means is in said first state, said wire printing element means and recording stratum disengaged when said actuator means are in said second state; h. character generator means operatively connected to said control means and actuator means for generating actuating signals for controlling said first and second states of each said actuator means; and i. driving means operatively connected to said control and print head means for moving said print head means relative to said recording stratum, said driving means responsive to said command signals.

Claim 8

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 5 including sequence means operatively connected to said character generator means for generating signals for controlling the time interval of said actuating signals.

Claim 9

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 5 including line feed means operatively connected to said recording stratum and control means, said line feed means responsive to said control means, said line feed means operating to move said recording stratum relative to said print head means.

Claim 10

The high speed printing system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said first means is keyboard means.

Claim 11

A wire matrix print head comprising: a. a body having rearward arcuate portion and narrowed forward neck portions, a nose formed with a vertical slit mounted to said neck portion at the most forward portion thereof, said body formed with a plurality of guideway; b. a plurality of wire printing element means, one of each said wire printing element means received within one of each said guideways and disposed along a path on each guideway means oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means, each said wire printing element means having first and second ends; c. each said guideway disposed in a curved path corresponding to the free bending line of said wire printing element means received therein; d. a plurality of driver means, each said driver means having first and second states, said driver means mounted to said body at said rearward arcuate portion, said driver means disposed in a path oblique to a horizontal plane of said body means, one of each said driver means operatively connected to said first end of one of each said wire printing element means, said driver means operating to reciprocate its associated wire printing element means within its corresponding guideway, each guideway means having a sucCessively more oblique path with respect to the horizontal plane from the rear of the body means to its forward position, said second ends of wire printing elements means received in said nose slit and retained in a columnar configuration in registration with a longitudinal axis of said body means, said second end of said wire printing element means being substantially flush with said forward most portion of said nose when said driver means is in said first state and said second end of selected ones of said wire printing element means projecting out of said forward most portion of said nose when said driver means associated therewith is in said second state.

Claim 12

A wire matrix print head comprising: a. a body having rearward arcuate portion and narrowed forward neck portions, a nose formed with a vertical slit mounted to said neck portion at the most forward portion thereof, said body formed with a plurality of guideway; b. a plurality of wire printing element means, one of each said wire printing element means received within one of each said guideways and disposed along a path on each guideway means oblique to the horizontal plane of said body means, each said wire printing element means having first and second ends; c. each said guideway disposed in a curved path corresponding to the free bending line of said wire printing element means received therein; d. a plurality of driver means, each said driver means having first and second states, said driver means mounted to said body at said rearward arcuate portion, said driver means disposed in a path oblique to a horizontal plane of said body means, one of each said driver means operatively connected to said first end of one of each said wire printing element means, said driver means operating to reciprocate its associated wire printing element means within its corresponding guideway, each guideway means having a sucCessively more oblique path with respect to the horizontal plane from the rear of the body means to its forward position, said second ends of wire printing elements means received in said nose slit and retained in a columnar configuration in registration with a longitudinal axis of said body means, said second end of said wire printing element means being substantially flush with said forward most portion of said nose when said driver means is in said first state and said second end of selected ones of said wire printing element means projecting out of said forward most portion of said nose when said driver means associated therewith is in said second state.

Claim 13

The wire matrix print head as claimed in claim 9 wherein said curved path described by each said guideway is such that a marginal area of each said wire printing element means at said first end is coaxial with a longitudinal axis of its associated driver means and a marginal area of each said printing element means at said second end is in registration with the longitudinal axis of said body.

Claim 14

The wire matrix print head as claimed in claim 10 wherein said driver means is a solenoid in cylindrical form having first and second force gaps, said solenoid includes a frame, a coil, and an armature, said frame having a substantially L shaped profile in cross section, said frame formed with first and second inwardly extending arms, said first arm disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid, said armature having a substantially T shaped profile, said armature formed with a body portion and a head portion, said body portion disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid in juxtaposition to said first arm, said head portion disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said solenoid in juxtaposition to said second arm, said first force gap formed between said first arm and said body portion, said second force gap formed between said second arm and said head portion, said first and second arms and said body portion defining an enclosure, said coil disposed within said enclosure.

Claim 15

The wire matrix print head as claimed in claim 10 wherein each said wire printing element means is composed of tungsten.

Claim 16

The wire matrix print head as claimed in claim 10 wherein said body is filled with a curable plastic material, each said guideway formed in said plastic material.

Claim 17

The wire matrix print head as claimed in claim 13 wherein said plastic material is composed of a tetrafluorene polymer and a molybdinum disulfate activator.