High-speed printer with drift compensated cable for carriage

Claim 2

A high-speed printer for printing on a record medium comprising; a movable carriage for carrying a printing unit along a predetermined line of printing with respect to said record medium said carriage including first pulley means mounted for rotation on an axle mounted for rotation on said carriage; means for intermittently transporting said carriage and said printing unit to stationary printing positions along said line of printing, said carriage being movable from a center position to extreme left and right positions, such transporting means including a motor, second pulley means driven by said motor; a frame for accommodating said carriage and motor; cable means coupling said second pulley means to said carriage, said cable means being divided into two segments of equal length each of said segments having an end affixed to said second pulley means, said second pulley means having peripheral wrapping surfaces for wrapping equal lengths of said two segments on said surfaces when said carriage is in said center position, and for respectively accommodating a substantially greater length of one segment than the other when said carriage is in one of said extreme positions said two segments being respectively wrapped around such pulley means in opposite directions, the other ends of said two segments being affixed to said frame, at least one of said ends being affixed to said frame by resilient means biased to provide a continuous tension in said cable segments.

Claim 3

An arrangement for positioning a printing unit at predetermined lateral printing positions relative to a recording medium in a high speed printer comprising, a frame arrangement associated with said high speed printer, a carriage member for supporting said printing unit in operative relationship to said recording medium, means operatively associated with said carriage member and said frame arrangement for defining a path of travel of said printing unit in a substantially lateral direction reative to said recording medium, a motor supported in fixed relationship relative to said frame arrangement, a first pulley member rotatably supported on said carriage member and adapted for movement with said carriage member in said lateral direction relative to said recording medium, a second pulley member drivingly connected to the output shaft of said motor, a first length of cable fixed at one end thereof to said second pulley member and at the other end thereof to said frame arrangement, said first length of cable being operatively entrained about said first pulley member for transporting said carriage member and said printing unit to one lateral extreme of said recording medium when said motor is driven in a first direction of rotation, a second length of cable substantially equal in length to said first length fixed at one end thereof to said second pulley member and at the other end thereof to said frame arrangement said second length of cable being operatively entrained about said first pulley member for transporting said carriage member and said printing unit to the other lateral extreme of said recording medium when said motor is driven in a second direction of rotation, and means for energizing said motor in predetermined directions of intermittent rotation for reducing the effective length in one of said lengths of cable between said second pulley member and said frame arrangement and for correspondingly increasing the effective length in the other end of said lengths of cable between said second pulley member and said frame arrangement for producing a proportional movement of said carriage member and said print member in said lateral direction.

Claim 4

An arrangement for positioning a printing unit at predetermined lateral printing positions relative to a recording medium in a high speed printer comprising, a frame arrangement associated with said high speed printer, a carriage member for supporting said printing unit in operative relationship to said recording medium, means operatively associated with said carriage member and said frame arrangement for defining a path of travel of said printing unit in a substantially lateral direction reative to said recording medium, a motor supported in fixed relationship relative to said frame arrangement, a first pulley member rotatably supported on said carriage member and adapted for movement with said carriage member in said lateral direction relative to said recording medium, a second pulley member drivingly connected to the output shaft of said motor, a first length of cable fixed at one end thereof to said second pulley member and at the other end thereof to said frame arrangement, said first length of cable being operatively entrained about said first pulley member for transporting said carriage member and said printing unit to one lateral extreme of said recording medium when said motor is driven in a first direction of rotation, a second length of cable substantially equal in length to said first length fixed at one end thereof to said second pulley member and at the other end thereof to said frame arrangement said second length of cable being operatively entrained about said first pulley member for transporting said carriage member and said printing unit to the other lateral extreme of said recording medium when said motor is driven in a second direction of rotation, and means for energizing said motor in predetermined directions of intermittent rotation for reducing the effective length in one of said lengths of cable between said second pulley member and said frame arrangement and for correspondingly increasing the effective length in the other end of said lengths of cable between said second pulley member and said frame arrangement for producing a proportional movement of said carriage member and said print member in said lateral direction.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, said second pulley member includes surfaces for peripherally wrapping said equAl lengths of said first and said second lengths of cable when said print member is in a substantially central lateral position and for respectively accommodating a substantially greater length of one segment than the other when said print member is in one of said extreme positions.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 2 further including, spring means for resiliently connecting at least one of the ends of said lengths of said cable to said frame arrangement for maintaining a continuous tension in each of said lengths of said cable.