Printer device using time shared hammers

Claim 1

A printer device having a single moving character band and a plurality of print hammers which are separated from each other across a line of print by a distance wherein each respective hammer is time shared with a plurality of print locations along said print line, the improvement comprising: a. a barrel cam which is continuously rotated in a single direction on a shaft by a motor means; b. follower means coupled to said barrel cam and the respective hammers; c. a cam rotation of 180 degrees causing said follower means and each said print hammer to be linearly translated over said plurality of print locations for time sharing each respective hammer to record a line of print in a first direction; d. the cam rotation of an additional 180° causing said follower means and each said hammer to be linearly translated in a reverse direction over said plurality of print locations for time sharing each respective hammer to record a line of print in a second direction; e. each moving print hammer having a width dimension such that each time-shared hammer is in a position to print any character from said single moving band at a print location center before being translated to an adjacent print location center, and the width dimension of said moving hammers are approximately twice the separation of adjacent print location centers; f. a disc means positioned on said shaft having a first and second group of indicia, one group of indicia indicating the particular column position of each time-shared print hammer in said first direction and, one group of indicia indicating the particular column position of each time-shared print hammer in said second direction.