US3913722A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Drum printer
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1972-08-28
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Granted: 1975-10-21
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Expires: 1992-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A high speed printer has a drum with a cylindrical wall of resilient material. On the cylindrical wall, a series of type formations are arranged in a helical path about the external periphery. A feeding mechanism is provided for operating a printing medium past the periphery of the drum, in contiguity with the type formations. Driving means is provided for rotating the drum about the axis of the helical path and at the same time translating the drum longitudinally along the axis so that each type formation passes in substantially continuous succession past each of a plurality of spaced printing positions on the medium. A hammer element is located substantially inside of the drum. This hammer element is movable by the driving means together with the drum when the latter is translated longitudinally along its axis. When the hammer element is selectively actuated against the inside of the cylindrical wall of the drum behind a selected type element, resilient flexing of the cylindrical wall selectively imprints characters on the medium.
Inventors
- 👤 Raymond Ralph Bowdle
- 👤 Robert Junior Laybourn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 17:46
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J9/00; B41J9/02; B41J9/04; B41J1/00; B41J1/22; B41J1/32; B41J1/44; B41J1/46; B41J1/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
341 words
A high speed printer for recording characters on a medium comprising: a rotatable drum having a cylindrical wall of resilient material, a series of type formations disposed in a helical path on the periphery of said cylindrical wall, means for feeding the medium past the periphery of said cylindrical wall, driving means for rotating said drum about the axis of said helical path and at the same time translating said drum longitudinally along said axis so that each type formation will pass in substantially continuous succession past each of a plurality of spaced printing positions on the medium, a striking member located at least partially inside of said drum and movable by said driving means together with said drum in a longitudinal direction when said drum is translating longitudinally along said axis, and means for selectively actuating said striking member against the inside surface of said cylindrical wall behind a selected type formation whenever a selected type formation passes one of said printing positions, thereby causing resilient flection of said drum wall to selectively imprint characters on said medium; said driving means comprising: a motor, an elongated drive shaft rotatably driven by said motor, said shaft having a series of threads formed on its periphery and a longitudinal slot formed on the periphery of said shaft in parallel relationship with the axis of rotation of said shaft, a slidable carriage having at least one bore formed therein for receiving said drive shaft, a pivoted and threaded element supported by said carriage and selectively cooperable with the threads on the periphery of the drive shaft for translating said carriage along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft when said shaft is rotatably driven by said motor and the pivoted element is in threaded engagement with said drive shaft, said drum including in addition to its cylindrical wall a hub, and said hub having a key formed thereon for cooperation with the longitudinal slot of said shaft, so that the drum is rotatably driven by the shaft upon rotation thereof by the motor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
341 words
A high speed printer for recording characters on a medium comprising: a rotatable drum having a cylindrical wall of resilient material, a series of type formations disposed in a helical path on the periphery of said cylindrical wall, means for feeding the medium past the periphery of said cylindrical wall, driving means for rotating said drum about the axis of said helical path and at the same time translating said drum longitudinally along said axis so that each type formation will pass in substantially continuous succession past each of a plurality of spaced printing positions on the medium, a striking member located at least partially inside of said drum and movable by said driving means together with said drum in a longitudinal direction when said drum is translating longitudinally along said axis, and means for selectively actuating said striking member against the inside surface of said cylindrical wall behind a selected type formation whenever a selected type formation passes one of said printing positions, thereby causing resilient flection of said drum wall to selectively imprint characters on said medium; said driving means comprising: a motor, an elongated drive shaft rotatably driven by said motor, said shaft having a series of threads formed on its periphery and a longitudinal slot formed on the periphery of said shaft in parallel relationship with the axis of rotation of said shaft, a slidable carriage having at least one bore formed therein for receiving said drive shaft, a pivoted and threaded element supported by said carriage and selectively cooperable with the threads on the periphery of the drive shaft for translating said carriage along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft when said shaft is rotatably driven by said motor and the pivoted element is in threaded engagement with said drive shaft, said drum including in addition to its cylindrical wall a hub, and said hub having a key formed thereon for cooperation with the longitudinal slot of said shaft, so that the drum is rotatably driven by the shaft upon rotation thereof by the motor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The high speed printer of claim 1 wherein said carriage further supports a pivoted latch for couplinG said drum to said carriage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The high speed printer of claim 2 wherein the carriage further includes two guiding channels, each of said guiding channels receiving a relatively fixed associated guiding shaft for guiding and stabilizing the carriage during driven movement thereof in response to energization of said motor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The high speed printer of claim 3 wherein a spring biased cord is operable between one side of said carriage and a fixed support to return the printing carriage to its starting position after a page has been printed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
96 words
The high speed printer of claim 4 wherein the selective actuating mechanism for the striking member includes a pivoted arm supported by the carriage, said arm having a slot therein for supporting said striking member, said striking member having an L shaped and relatively flat configuration, one end of said striking member having a surface formed thereon for impinging upon the inside cylindrical wall of the drum thereby to perform a printing function, the other end of said striking member being positioned on the carriage for selective actuation by a magnetizable member supported by said carriage.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-20 | 1979-04-21 | 1979-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-20 | 1983-04-21 | 1983-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-20 | 1987-04-21 | 1987-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |