Jewel bearings for printer heads and the like

Claim 2

A movable unitary printer head assembly for use in impact printers of the dot matrix type comprising: a housing having front and rear walls joined by a pair of side walls and a floor defining a hollow interior; a plurality of print wire driving means secured to said rear walls; each of said driving means including a print wire extending through said housing rear wall with their forward free ends extending through said hollow interior and terminating adjacent said front wall; spacing means secured within said front wall for maintaining the free ends of said print wires in a predetermined alignment; first and second print wire positioning and guiding assemblies mounted in a statiOnary fashion at spaced intervals within said housing and adjacent said front and rear walls respectively; jewel bearing means secured to said guiding assemblies and having openings each adapted to receive an associated print wire therethrough for substantially restraining transverse movement of the print wires and maintaining a plurality of said print wires in a predetermined pattern to retain the gradual curvature assumed by the print wires between said front and rear walls while significantly reducing wear of said wires even after long and repeated high speed operation and use, each of said guiding assemblies being further comprised of hollow curved guide tubes having a toroidal shaped jewel member secured to one end of each guide tube; said guide tubes being secured to each of said spacing means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hollow guide tubes have an additional toroidal shaped jewel member secured to the opposite ends of each guide tube.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one end of each guide tube is provided with a circular recess having a diameter larger than the hollow interior of said guide tube; said jewel member being press-fitted within said recess; the free end of said tube adjacent said recess being bent inwardly around said jewel member to maintain said jewel member within said recess.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one end of each guide tube is provided with a recess having a diameter larger than the hollow interior of said guide tube; said jewel member being press-fitted into said recess; an end cap being telescoped and press-fitted over the free end of said guide tube adjacent said recess; said end cap having an opening whose diameter is larger than the opening of said jewel member and smaller than the outer diameter of the jewel member to retain said jewel member in said recess.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising means for securing said end cap to said guide tube.

Claim 7

A movable unitary printer head assembly for use in impact printers of the dot matrix type comprising: a housing having front and rear walls joined by a pair of side walls and a floor defining a hollow interior; a plurality of print wire driving means secured to said rear walls; each of said driving means including a print wire extending through said housing rear wall with their forward free ends extending through said hollow interior and terminating adjacent said front wall; spacing means secured within said front wall for maintaining the free ends of said print wires in a predetermined alignment; first and second print wire positioning and guiding assemblies mounted in a stationary fashion at spaced intervals within said housing and adjacent said front and rear walls respectively; jewel bearing means secured to said guiding assemblies and having openings each adapted to receive an associated print wire therethrough for substantially restraining transverse movement of the print wires and maintaining a plurality of said print wires in a predetermined pattern to retain the gradual curvature assumed by the print wires between said front and rear walls while significantly reducing wear of said wires even after long and repeated high speed operation and use; said spacing means being comprised of an intermediate plate having a plurality of openings and a pair of retainer plates each having openings aligned with one another and with the opening in said intermediate plate; said jewel bearing means being comprised of toroidal shaped jewel members each positioned within an associated opening in said intermediate plate; said retainer plates being secured to opposite sides of said intermediate plate and having openings whose diameters are slightly smaller than the outer diameters of said jewel bearings to retain said jewel bearing in said intermediate plate.

Claim 8

A movable unitary printer head assembly for use in impact printers of the dot matrix type comprising: a housing having front and rear walls joined by a pair of side walls and a floor defining a hollow interior; a plurality of print wire driving means secured to said rear walls; each of said driving means including a print wire extending through said housing rear wall with their forward free ends extending through said hollow interior and terminating adjacent said front wall; spacing means secured within said front wall for maintaining the free ends of said print wires in a predetermined alignment; first and second print wire positioning and guiding assemblies mounted in a stationary fashion at spaced intervals within said housing and adjacent said front and rear walls respectively; jewel bearing means secured to said guiding assemblies and having openings each adapted to receive an associated print wire therethrough for substantially restraining transverse movement of the print wires and maintaining a plurality of said print wires in a predetermined pattern to retain the gradual curvature assumed by the print wires between said front and rear walls while significantly reducing wear of said wires even after long and repeated high speed operation and use; said spacing means being comprised of an intermediate plate having a plurality of openings and a pair of retainer plates each having openings aligned with one another and with the opening in said intermediate plate; said jewel bearing means being comprised of toroidal shaped jewel members each positioned within an associated opening in said intermediate plate; said retainer plates being secured to opposite sides of said intermediate plate and having openings whose diameters are slightly smaller than the outer diameters of said jewel bearings to retain said jewel bearing in said intermediate plate.

Claim 9

A movable unitary printer head assembly for use in impact printers of the dot matrix type comprisinG: a housing having front and rear walls joined by a pair of side walls and a floor defining a hollow interior; a plurality of print wire driving means secured to said rear walls; each of said driving means including a print wire extending through said housing rear wall with their forward free ends extending through said hollow interior and terminating adjacent said front wall; spacing means secured within said front wall for maintaining the free ends of said print wires in a predetermined alignment; first and second print wire positioning and guiding assemblies mounted in a stationary fashion at spaced intervals within said housing and adjacent said front and rear walls respectively; jewel bearing means secured to said guiding assemblies and having openings each adapted to receive an associated print wire therethrough for substantially restraining transverse movement of the print wires and maintaining a plurality of said print wires in a predetermined pattern to retain the gradual curvature assumed by the print wires between said front and rear walls while significantly reducing wear of said wires even after long and repeated high speed operation and use; said spacing means being comprised of an intermediate plate having a central opening and a pair of retainer plates each having openings aligned with one another and with the opening in said intermediate plate; said jewel bearing means being comprised of a jewel sheet having a plurality of openings, said sheet positioned within the opening in said intermediate plate; said retainer plates being secured to opposite sides of said intermediate plate and having openings whose diameters are slightly larger than the diameters of the openings in said jewel sheet to retain said jewel sheet in said intermediate plate.

Claim 10

A movable unitary printer head assembly for use in impact printers of the dot matrix type comprisinG: a housing having front and rear walls joined by a pair of side walls and a floor defining a hollow interior; a plurality of print wire driving means secured to said rear walls; each of said driving means including a print wire extending through said housing rear wall with their forward free ends extending through said hollow interior and terminating adjacent said front wall; spacing means secured within said front wall for maintaining the free ends of said print wires in a predetermined alignment; first and second print wire positioning and guiding assemblies mounted in a stationary fashion at spaced intervals within said housing and adjacent said front and rear walls respectively; jewel bearing means secured to said guiding assemblies and having openings each adapted to receive an associated print wire therethrough for substantially restraining transverse movement of the print wires and maintaining a plurality of said print wires in a predetermined pattern to retain the gradual curvature assumed by the print wires between said front and rear walls while significantly reducing wear of said wires even after long and repeated high speed operation and use; said spacing means being comprised of an intermediate plate having a central opening and a pair of retainer plates each having openings aligned with one another and with the opening in said intermediate plate; said jewel bearing means being comprised of a jewel sheet having a plurality of openings, said sheet positioned within the opening in said intermediate plate; said retainer plates being secured to opposite sides of said intermediate plate and having openings whose diameters are slightly larger than the diameters of the openings in said jewel sheet to retain said jewel sheet in said intermediate plate.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a channel shaped member positioned adjacent one of said spacing means for securing one end of each of said guide tubes adjacent said jewel bearing means.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one end of each guide tube is provided with an end cap; said end cap being telescoped and press-fitted over the free end of said guide tube adjacent said recess; said jewel member being positioned between the interior of said end cap and one end of said guide tube; said end cap having an opening whose diameter is larger than the opening of said jewel member and smaller than the outer diameter of the jewel member to retain said jewel member in said end cap.