Printing apparatus in data issuing instrumentalities

Claim 2

A printing machine, comprising: a type wheel having an axis of rotation and a type character on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, a drive shaft rotatable about its axis for rotatably driving said type wheel and imparting rotational kinetic energy to said type wheel, support means for resiliently supporting said type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and urging the axis of rotation of said type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, said type wheel having a stop abutment thereon in angular spaced relation relative to the type character, a stop member located adjacent said type wheel and movable into engagement with the stop abutment to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel about the axis of said drive shaft and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said type wheel to pivot said type wheel about the stop member and displace the axis of rotation of said type wheel from the axis of said drive shaft against the urging of said support means resiliently supporting said type wheel on said drive shaft, and stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character of said type wheel on the recording medium at the printing position for moving said stop member into engagement with the stop abutment of said type wheel.

Claim 3

A printing machine according to claim 1, and further comprising: another type wheel in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein and having an axis of rotation and a type character on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at another printing position, said drive shaft being received through the interior opening of said other ring-shaped type wheel, another support means resiliently supporting said other type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and urging the axis of rotation of said other type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, said other type wheel having a stop abutment thereon in angular spaced relation relative to the type character, another stop member located adjacent said other type wheel and movable into engagement with the stop abutment of said other type wheel to stop the rotational movement of said other type wheel about the axis of said drive shaft and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said other type wheel to pivot said other type wheel about said other stop member against the uRging of said other support means resiliently supporting said other type wheel on said drive shaft, and another stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character of said other type wheel on the recording medium at the printing position for moving said other stop member into engagement with the stop abutment of said other type wheel.

Claim 4

In a printing machine according to claim 1: said type wheel being in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein, said drive shaft being received through the interior opening of said ring-shaped type wheel, and said support means resiliently supporting said type wheel on said drive shaft being located between the interior portion of said ring-shaped type wheel and said drive shaft for urging the axis of rotation of said type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft.

Claim 5

A printing machine according to claim 3, and further comprising locating means for axially locating said type wheel on said drive shaft.

Claim 6

In a printing machine according to claim 3, said support means being in the form of leaf springs located between the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel and said drive shaft.

Claim 7

In a printing machine according to claim 5: said leaf springs being bent into a generally U-shaped configuration with one end of said leaf springs being secured to the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel, said drive shaft having recesses formed therein, and said springs having a projection formed on the other end thereof and received into the recesses in said drive shaft for securing said leaf springs to said drive shaft.

Claim 8

In a printing machine according to claim 3: said drive shaft having ribs formed thereon, and said support means being in the form of springs located between the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel and the ribs formed on said drive shaft.

Claim 9

A printing machine according to claim 7, and further comprising: interior abutments formed on the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel for engaging the ribs of said drive shaft, and said support means resiliently urging the interior abutments of said type wheel into engagement with the ribs of said drive shaft.

Claim 10

In a printing machine according to claim 8, said resilient biasing means being in the form of leaf springs bent into a generally U-shaped configuration with one end of each spring lying against a rib of said drive shaft and with the other end of each spring lying against the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel.

Claim 11

In a printing machine according to claim 9: said leaf spring having an opening formed in the end thereof lying against the interior surface of said type wheel for receiving a portion of an interior abutment formed on the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel, and said leaf spring having an opening formed in the bent portion thereof for receiving a portion of another interior abutment formed on the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel.

Claim 12

In a printing machine according to claim 10: said ribs having recesses formed therein, and said interior abutments formed on the interior surface of said ring-shaped type wheel being received into the recesses in the ribs for axially positioning said type wheel on said drive shaft.

Claim 13

A printing machine, comprising: a type wheel having an axis of rotation and a plurality of type characters on the periphery thereof for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, support means for resiliently supporting said type wheel for rotation about an axis at an operating position in spaced relation from the printing position, drive means for rotatably driving said type wheel about said normal operating axis and imparting rotational kinetic energy to said type wheel, said type wheel having a plurality of stop abutments formed on the periphery thereof with each stop abutment bEing located between two adjacent type characters, a stop member located adjacent to the periphery of said type wheel and supported for movement into engagement with a selected stop abutment to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel about the axis at the operating position, said stop member being located generally perpendicular to the path of printing movement from the axis at the operating position and the printing position, said stop abutments each being operably associated with a different one of the plurality of type characters on said type wheel, and stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print a selected type character on the recording medium for moving said stop member into engagement with the stop abutment associated with the selected type character to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said type wheel to pivotally move said type wheel about said stop member with the axis of rotation of said type wheel being displaced from the axis at the operating position so as to impact the selected type character against the recording medium at the printing position.

Claim 14

A printing machine, comprising: a type wheel having an axis of rotation and a plurality of type characters on the periphery thereof for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, support means for resiliently supporting said type wheel for rotation about an axis at an operating position in spaced relation from the printing position, drive means for rotatably driving said type wheel about said normal operating axis and imparting rotational kinetic energy to said type wheel, said type wheel having a plurality of stop abutments formed on the periphery thereof with each stop abutment bEing located between two adjacent type characters, a stop member located adjacent to the periphery of said type wheel and supported for movement into engagement with a selected stop abutment to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel about the axis at the operating position, said stop member being located generally perpendicular to the path of printing movement from the axis at the operating position and the printing position, said stop abutments each being operably associated with a different one of the plurality of type characters on said type wheel, and stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print a selected type character on the recording medium for moving said stop member into engagement with the stop abutment associated with the selected type character to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said type wheel to pivotally move said type wheel about said stop member with the axis of rotation of said type wheel being displaced from the axis at the operating position so as to impact the selected type character against the recording medium at the printing position.

Claim 15

A printing machine, comprising: a first type wheel in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein and having an axis of rotation and a type character formed on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, a second type wheel in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein and having an axis of rotation and a type character formed on the peripheral surface for impacting against the recording medium at the printing position, a drive shaft rotatable about its axis for rotatably driving said first type wheel and said second type wheel and imparting rotational kinetic energy thereto, a first support means for resiliently supporting said first type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and for urging the axis of rotation of said first type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, a second support means for resiliently supporting said second type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and for urging the axis of rotation of said second type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, said first type wheel having a stop abutment thereon, said second type wheel having a stop abutment thereon, a first stop member located adjacent the periphery of said first type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment of said first type wheel, a second stop member located adjacent the periphery of said second type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment of said second type wheel, a first stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on said first type wheel onto the recording medium for moving said first stop member into engagement with the stop abutment on said first type wheel to stop the rotational movement of said first type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said first type wheel to pivotally move said first type wheel about said first stop member to displace the axis of rotation of said first type wheel from the axis of said drive shaft and impact the type character against the recording medium at the printing position, and a second stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on said second type wheel onto the recording medium for moving said second stop member into engagement with the stop abutment on said second type wheel to stop the rotational movement of said second type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said second type wheel to pivotally move said second type wheel about said second stop member to displace the axis of rotation of said second type wheel from the axis of said drive shaft and impact the type character against the recording medium At the printing position.

Claim 16

A printing machine, comprising: a first type wheel in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein and having an axis of rotation and a type character formed on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, a second type wheel in the form of a ring with an interior opening formed therein and having an axis of rotation and a type character formed on the peripheral surface for impacting against the recording medium at the printing position, a drive shaft rotatable about its axis for rotatably driving said first type wheel and said second type wheel and imparting rotational kinetic energy thereto, a first support means for resiliently supporting said first type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and for urging the axis of rotation of said first type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, a second support means for resiliently supporting said second type wheel on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and for urging the axis of rotation of said second type wheel into concentric relation with the axis of said drive shaft, said first type wheel having a stop abutment thereon, said second type wheel having a stop abutment thereon, a first stop member located adjacent the periphery of said first type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment of said first type wheel, a second stop member located adjacent the periphery of said second type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment of said second type wheel, a first stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on said first type wheel onto the recording medium for moving said first stop member into engagement with the stop abutment on said first type wheel to stop the rotational movement of said first type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said first type wheel to pivotally move said first type wheel about said first stop member to displace the axis of rotation of said first type wheel from the axis of said drive shaft and impact the type character against the recording medium at the printing position, and a second stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on said second type wheel onto the recording medium for moving said second stop member into engagement with the stop abutment on said second type wheel to stop the rotational movement of said second type wheel and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said second type wheel to pivotally move said second type wheel about said second stop member to displace the axis of rotation of said second type wheel from the axis of said drive shaft and impact the type character against the recording medium At the printing position.

Claim 17

A printing apparatus, comprising: a type wheel having a type character on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, support means for resiliently supporting said type wheel for rotation about an axis at an operating position located in spaced relation from the printing position, drive means for rotatably driving said type wheel about said axis at the operating position to impart rotational kinetic energy to said type wheel, said type wheel having a stop abutment thereon in angular spaced relation relative to the type character, a stop member located adjacent said type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel about the axis at the operating position and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said type wheel to pivot said type wheel about said stop member and displace the axis of rotation of said type wheel from the axis at the operating position against the urging of said support means resiliently supporting said type wheel about the axis at the operating position, and stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on the recording medium at the printing position for moving said stop member into engagement with the stop abutment of said type wheel,

Claim 18

A printing apparatus, comprising: a type wheel having a type character on the peripheral surface for impacting against a recording medium at a printing position, support means for resiliently supporting said type wheel for rotation about an axis at an operating position located in spaced relation from the printing position, drive means for rotatably driving said type wheel about said axis at the operating position to impart rotational kinetic energy to said type wheel, said type wheel having a stop abutment thereon in angular spaced relation relative to the type character, a stop member located adjacent said type wheel at the operating position and movable into engagement with the stop abutment to stop the rotational movement of said type wheel about the axis at the operating position and enable the rotational kinetic energy of said type wheel to pivot said type wheel about said stop member and displace the axis of rotation of said type wheel from the axis at the operating position against the urging of said support means resiliently supporting said type wheel about the axis at the operating position, and stop actuating means operable in response to a signal to print the type character on the recording medium at the printing position for moving said stop member into engagement with the stop abutment of said type wheel,

Claim 19

A printing apparatus according to claim 14: said stop abutment being located on the periphery of said type wheel, said stop member being in the form of a pawl located adjacent the periphery of said type wheel at the operating position and being supported for pivotal movement into the path of said stop abutment on the periphery of said stop wheel, and said stop actuating means being in the form of a solenoid having a plunger operably connected to said pawl and being energizable to move said pawl into the path of said stop abutment upon receipt of an electrical signal to print the type character of said type wheel.

Claim 20

In a printing machine according to claim 8: said type wheel having means adjacent the interior surface for securing a spring thereto, said drive shaft having means for securing a spring to the ribs thereof, and said support means being in the form of tension springs stretched between the spring-securing means of said type wheel and the spring-securing means of said drive shaft for urging the interior abutments of said type wheel into engagement with the ribs of said drive shaft.