Printing device with moveable characters

Claim 2

Printing device comprising a type carrier and a write medium, means supporting the type carrier for passing motion relative to the writing medium, a strike assembly for applying striking pulses to the writing medium by means of hammers, means mounting the write medium to be placed in contact with the type carrier when the striking pulses are applied thereto by said srike assembly, characterized in that the type carrier comprises a base having thereon a material coating which includes at least partially a substance with a weak energy-restoration power, said material coating holding a set of shoes of which each bears at least one type character, and each shoe being in a groove in said substance and being partially enclosed in said substance in a manner so as to be capable of tilting within the substance relative to said base when a striking pulse is applied by a hammer to the character which it carries, each groove and respective shoe having opposing contacting surfaces for limiting tilting of said shoe within its respective groove and the relationship between contacting surfaces of each groove and a respective shoe is one wherein each type face is tilted at a preselected small angle to said base.

Claim 3

The printing device according to claim 1, characterized by said substance being visco-elastic.

Claim 4

The printing device according to claim 1, characterized by the base being an endless metallic belt mounted on two pulleys.

Claim 5

The printing device according to claim 1, characterized by the base being a rigid cylindrical drum.

Claim 6

The printing device according to claim 1, characterized by the shoes being singularly enclosable in said substance.

Claim 7

The printing device according to claim 2, characterized by said substance being an elastomer.

Claim 8

A printer apparatus for impact printing characters onto a print medium wherein a movable carrier of type characters moves its type characters past a print medium in a predetermined direction and an impacting apparatus selectively impacts said print medium with the moving characters, said movable carrier of type characters comprising: a base; a layer of material disposed on said base, said layer of material containing a plurality of grooves therein, said grooves extending substantially normal to said direction of carrier movement, each groove having a throat and an open mouth and comprising a pair of rounded shoulders at the mouth of said groove, said rounded shoulders terminating at the throat of said groove which defines the narrowest width of said groove, said groove furthermore comprising a cavity upwardly of said throat, said cavity having a width substantially larger than said throat; and a plurality of shoes, each shoe containing at least one type character thereon, each of said shoes having an end releaseably received in said cavity and which end is substantially wider than the throat of the groove, a type face containing at least one character projecting out of said groove; and a stem connecting said type face to said insertable end, said stem having thickness approximately equal to the width of the throat with each shoe being releaseably retained in a respective groove within said layer of matErial by the interlocking of the shoe end in its respective cavity for limited rocking movement transversely of said groove relative to said base in response to engagement of the type carrier with print medium during movement of said carrier, and said stem and said groove defining contactable surfaces for effecting said limiting of rocking of the respective shoe, and the bottom of each cavity comprises at least a portion of said base and said end of each shoe has a rounded bottom which contacts the portion of said base so as to define a pivotal point for said shoe.

Claim 9

A printer apparatus for impact printing characters onto a print medium wherein a movable carrier of type characters moves its type characters past a print medium in a predetermined direction and an impacting apparatus selectively impacts said print medium with the moving characters, said movable carrier of type characters comprising: a base; a layer of material disposed on said base, said layer of material containing a plurality of grooves therein, said grooves extending substantially normal to said direction of carrier movement, each groove having a throat and an open mouth and comprising a pair of rounded shoulders at the mouth of said groove, said rounded shoulders terminating at the throat of said groove which defines the narrowest width of said groove, said groove furthermore comprising a cavity upwardly of said throat, said cavity having a width substantially larger than said throat; and a plurality of shoes, each shoe containing at least one type character thereon, each of said shoes having an end releaseably received in said cavity and which end is substantially wider than the throat of the groove, a type face containing at least one character projecting out of said groove; and a stem connecting said type face to said insertable end, said stem having thickness approximately equal to the width of the throat with each shoe being releaseably retained in a respective groove within said layer of matErial by the interlocking of the shoe end in its respective cavity for limited rocking movement transversely of said groove relative to said base in response to engagement of the type carrier with print medium during movement of said carrier, and said stem and said groove defining contactable surfaces for effecting said limiting of rocking of the respective shoe, and the bottom of each cavity comprises at least a portion of said base and said end of each shoe has a rounded bottom which contacts the portion of said base so as to define a pivotal point for said shoe.

Claim 10

The printer apparatus of claim 7 wherein each groove is spaced apart from adjacent grooves so that the rounded shoulders of adjacent grooves form a rounded surface of substantially the same curvature, said rounded shoulders acting independent of each other with respect to absorbing movement of their respective shoes.

Claim 11

The printer apparatus of claim 8 wherein said layer of material consists of a visco-elastic substance.

Claim 12

The printing device according to claim 7 characterized by the base being an endless metallic belt mounted on two pulleys.

Claim 13

The printing device according to claim 7 characterized by the base being a rigid cylindrical drum.

Claim 14

A printer apparatus for impact printing characters onto a print medium wherein a movable carrier of type characters moves its type characters past a print medium in a predetermined direction and an impacting apparatus selectively impacts said print medium with the moving characters, said movable carrier of type characters comprising: a base; a layer of material disposed on said base, said layer of material containing a plurality of grooves therein, said grooves extending substantially normal to said direction of carrier movement, each groove having a throat and an open mouth and comprising a pair of rounded shoulders at the mouth of said groove, said rounded shoulders terminating at the throat of said groove which defines the narrowest width of said groove, said groove furthermore comprising a cavity upwardly of said throat, said cavity having a width substantially larger than said throat; and a plurality of shoes, each shoe containing at least one type character thereon, each of said shoes having an end releaseably received in said cavity and which end is substantially wider than the throat of the groove, a type face containing at least one character projecting out of said groove; and a stem connecting said type face to said insertable end, said stem having thickness approximately equal to the width of the throat with each shoe being releaseably retained in a respective groove within said layer of material by the interlocking of the shoe end in its respective cavity for limited rocking movement transversely of said groove relative to said base in response to engagement of the type carrier with print medium during movement of said carrier, and said stem and said groove defining contactable surfaces for effecting said limiting of rocking of the respective shoe, and the relationship between contacting surf-ces of each groove and a respective shoe is one wherein each type face is tilted at a preselected small angle to said base.

Claim 15

A printer apparatus for impact printing characters onto a print medium wherein a movable carrier of type characters moves its type characters past a print medium in a predetermined direction and an impacting apparatus selectively impacts said print medium with the moving characters, said movable carrier of type characters comprising: a base; a layer of material disposed on said base, said layer of material containing a plurality of grooves therein, said grooves extending substantially normal to said direction of carrier movement, each groove having a throat and an open mouth and comprising a pair of rounded shoulders at the mouth of said groove, said rounded shoulders terminating at the throat of said groove which defines the narrowest width of said groove, said groove furthermore comprising a cavity upwardly of said throat, said cavity having a width substantially larger than said throat; and a plurality of shoes, each shoe containing at least one type character thereon, each of said shoes having an end releaseably received in said cavity and which end is substantially wider than the throat of the groove, a type face containing at least one character projecting out of said groove; and a stem connecting said type face to said insertable end, said stem having thickness approximately equal to the width of the throat with each shoe being releaseably retained in a respective groove within said layer of material by the interlocking of the shoe end in its respective cavity for limited rocking movement transversely of said groove relative to said base in response to engagement of the type carrier with print medium during movement of said carrier, and said stem and said groove defining contactable surfaces for effecting said limiting of rocking of the respective shoe, and the relationship between contacting surf-ces of each groove and a respective shoe is one wherein each type face is tilted at a preselected small angle to said base.

Claim 16

The printing apparatus of claim 12 wherein the tilt of each type face is towards said base in said predetermined direction.

Claim 17

The printer apparatus of claim 13 wherein each groove is spaced apart from adjacent grooves so that the rounded shoulders of adjacent grooves form a rounded surface of substantially the same curvature, said rounded shoulders acting independently of each other with respect to absorbing movement of their respective shoes.

Claim 18

The printer apparatus of claim 12 wherein the bottom of each cavity comprises at least a portion of said base and said end of each shoe has a rounded bottom which contacts the portion of said base so as to define a pivotal point for said shoe.