US3918567A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process printing
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-03-28
•
Granted: 1975-11-11
•
Expires: 1993-03-28
Abstract
Abstract Representational characters and other images are printed on paper as a matrix of dots or lines produced by pressure between one or more bladed hammers and an inked anvil spanning the paper. Members of an array of parallel elongated blades are selectively activated to hammer at the anvil across a short hammer stroke space. The elongated anvil is arranged orthogonally to the blades and scans along the blade edges parallel to the direction of blade elongation. The blades are preferably transducers of low mass and low thickness and are operable through a short edge-on hammer stroke by the selective application of electrical driving signals thereto. The blade hammering is controlled by electrooptically scanning a selected character of a font of alphanumeric or other representational characters or codes or other image information stored in a read-only memory of the apparatus for local processing or transmission or conventional scanning of subject matter or by signals delivered from electronic processors.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward D Kittredge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 10:22
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J29/00; B41J29/377; B41J2/00; B41J2/22; B41J2/31
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
Process printing apparatus comprising plural transducing blade means, each blade means having a longitudinally elongated in a direction parallel to a scanning direction continuous leading edge surface portion for hammering movement in a direction perpendicular to said scanning direction toward a recording substrate back face and being activatable by passage of magnetic field and electric current through the blade means to induce said hammering movement, said leading edge surface portions being in stacked relationship, reaction anvil means having an elongated forward surface angled with respect to and confronting said leading edge surface portions to receive pressing of a front face of said recording substrate, means for relatively displacing said anvil means and said stacked leading edges along a longitudinal path generally parallel to said scanning direction while preventing movement of the anvil means in a predetermined direction perpendicular to said scanning direction, means for passing a common magnetic field through the blade means, and means for selectively applying pluralities of electrical signals as current through selected ones of said blade means to selectively displace any combination of a plurality of said leading edge surface portions toward said anvil means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
Process printing apparatus comprising plural transducing blade means, each blade means having a longitudinally elongated in a direction parallel to a scanning direction continuous leading edge surface portion for hammering movement in a direction perpendicular to said scanning direction toward a recording substrate back face and being activatable by passage of magnetic field and electric current through the blade means to induce said hammering movement, said leading edge surface portions being in stacked relationship, reaction anvil means having an elongated forward surface angled with respect to and confronting said leading edge surface portions to receive pressing of a front face of said recording substrate, means for relatively displacing said anvil means and said stacked leading edges along a longitudinal path generally parallel to said scanning direction while preventing movement of the anvil means in a predetermined direction perpendicular to said scanning direction, means for passing a common magnetic field through the blade means, and means for selectively applying pluralities of electrical signals as current through selected ones of said blade means to selectively displace any combination of a plurality of said leading edge surface portions toward said anvil means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said blade means have their leading edge surface portions in a substantially common plane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for selectively displacing leading edges comprise means for selectively displacing said blades by selective passage of electric current therethrough in a direction parallel to the leading edge thereof, and means for applying a magnetic field to the pack at an angle to said leading edges.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
80 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said blade means comprise a pack of primary blades having said leading edges, and said means for selectively displacing leading edges comprise, a seconday pack of blades with individual blades of said secondary pack drivingly interconnected to corresponding individual blades of the aforesaid pack of primary blades, and means for selectively applying electric current to blades of said secondary pack and means for passing a magnetic field through said secondary pack.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said blade means comprises essentially frictionless blade mounting means which allow said hammering movement.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said mounting means comprise plural fixed structure elements spaced along the blade length and spring means interconnecting each of said blades individually to a plurality of said fixed structure elements.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said fixed structure means comprise a first array of pins distributed through said pack and skewed with respect to said leading edges and stacks of collars on each pin, each blade having portions mounted on said collars and spring strip extensions between said portions and the balance of the blade body.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 7 and further comprising a second set of pins distributed through said pack and extending parallel to the aforesaid first array of pins, means defining pairs of blade stops straddling pins of aid second array to sEt limits of hammering forward movement and return for said blades.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 2 and further comprising, means defining spring strips with each blade adjacent to the leading edge surface portions thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising, means forming springs within the body of each blade means, and means forming hammering motion stop limits for each of said leading edge surface portions.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising means forming a flexible curtain between said leading edges and the path of movement of a recording substrate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising multiple arrays of said leading edges, the arrays being stacked in the direction of feed of the recording substrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 12 and further comprising multiple reaction anvils stacked in the direction of feed of the recording substrate and confronting said multiple arrays of leading edges.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 13 and further comprising means forming multiple reaction anvils at each of said stacked anvil locations interchangeable at any given anvil location during operation of the apparatus.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process printing apparatus inn accordance with claim 1 and further comprising means for feeding ink to said reaction anvil means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
63 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein said ink feeding means comprise means defining a passage terminating in an array of exit ports, said reaction anvil means comprise an anvil roller arranged between aid array of exiit ports and a path of movement of a recording substrate and means for rotating said roller during said relative displeacement of said anvil means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 16 and further comprising means forming absorbent and expansible packing between said exit ports and said roller.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 17 and further comprising means for feeding a recording substrate between said stacked leading edges and said reaction anvil means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising means for feeding a recording substrate between said stacked leading edges and said reaction anvil means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
90 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising plural reading means each of which comprises a radiant energy source and a detector, font means, means for relatively displacing said reading means and font means coactively with said carriage movement, means for deriving electrical signals from said detectors as a function of radiant energy detected thereby, and means for activating individual ones of said transducers electrically to drive their respective hammer edges in response to generation of electrical signals by correspondinng individual detectors of said plural reading means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 20 wherein said font comprises overlapping plural arrays of related characters and said reading means comprises shift means for selecting which of said arrays is to be read.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 20 wherein said reading means comprises means defining a stack of separate optical paths, means defining common light source means for said paths, means defining separate photoelectric detectors for said paths.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said optical paths are defined by a stack of spaced opaque baffles separated by plural concentric transparent rings, the detectors being radially within the innermost ones of said concentric rings and said common light source being outside the outermost ones of said concentric rings, said font means being radially between said lIght source and outermost rings.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 23 wherein plural common light sources are distributed around the periphery of aid outermost ring and said relative displacement means move the light sources around said periphery.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
124 words
Blade pack apparatus for use in process printers or the like comprising means defining a set of longitudinal elongated thin blades with faces and elongated lateral leading edges, the blades being arranged in a pack with close spacing between adjacent blades with their leading edges essentially parallel to each other and in a common plane, means for tying the blades together in said pack arrangement, and means for effecting selective movement of individual blades in a variety of sequences and in a variety of numbers of simultaneously moved blades and comprising means for passing a magnetic field through the pack in a direction substantially perpendicular to the blade faces and means for selectively passing electrical current through selected blades to induce lateral blade movement.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
124 words
Blade pack apparatus for use in process printers or the like comprising means defining a set of longitudinal elongated thin blades with faces and elongated lateral leading edges, the blades being arranged in a pack with close spacing between adjacent blades with their leading edges essentially parallel to each other and in a common plane, means for tying the blades together in said pack arrangement, and means for effecting selective movement of individual blades in a variety of sequences and in a variety of numbers of simultaneously moved blades and comprising means for passing a magnetic field through the pack in a direction substantially perpendicular to the blade faces and means for selectively passing electrical current through selected blades to induce lateral blade movement.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
17 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 25 and further comprising means for limiting blade lateral movement.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
72 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 26 wherein said means for limiting blade lateral movement comprise a plurality of stop means passing through the blades, said stop means being spaced form each other and distributed through the plane of each blade, each of said blades having portions thereof formed to engage said stop means at preselected limits of blade movement and to clear said stop means between limits of blade movement.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
23 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 26 and further comprising spring defining means interconnecting said elongated leading edges with their respective blades.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
70 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim wherein said tying means comprise plural pins secured to fixed structure of the apparatus passing through said blades at distributed locations therein and plural collars mounted on each of said pins, said collars supporting said blades in said tied arrangement, said blades having portions engaging said collars and spring strip portions interconnecting the collar engaging portions of the blades with the blade bodies.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
47 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 25 wherein said means for effecting selective movement comprise plural sets of electric terminals with a pair flexibly connected to ends of each blade to pass electrical current through said blades in a direction parallel to said blade leading edges.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 30 wherein said blades are sandwiched between magnetic pole defining means and said stop means and pins are anchored in said magnetic pole defining means.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
19 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 31 and further comprising magnetic yoke means interconnecting said pole defining means.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
28 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 42 wherein said magnetic yoke means comprise a wall spanning rear edges of said blades and having gas passage means therein.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
22 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 25 and further comprising means defining a flexible curtain passing along said blade leaading edges.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
19 words
Blade pack apparatus in accordance with claim 25 and further comprising energy absorbing means for cushioning backward blade movement.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
Process printing apparatus comprising the blade pack apparatus of claim 25 in combination with anvil defining means arranged to confront said leading edges and means for feeding print medium between said blade pack and anvil.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
25 words
Process printing apparatus in accordance with claim 36 wherein said anvil defining means comprise an elongated rod arranged orthogonally to the direction of blade elongation.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 37 and further comprising flexible curtain means between said edgEs and said rod, means for feeding paper between said curtain and anvil, and means in said curtain clear of the paper feed path defining at least one recess for rod storage.
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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) | 1978-11-10 | 1979-05-12 | 1979-11-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-11-10 | 1983-05-12 | 1983-11-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-11-10 | 1987-05-12 | 1987-11-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |