US4216478A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thermal strip chart recorder
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1978-11-06
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Granted: 1980-08-05
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Expires: 1998-11-06
Abstract
Abstract A thermal strip chart recorder which allows plotting of one or more analog graphs and simultaneous printing of a plurality of lines of related alphanumeric information. Thermally sensitive chart paper is transported around an edge structure and across a viewing platen. The edge structure has an elongate flat surface having two longitudinal edges which are parallel to each other and transverse to the strip of paper. One of these edges acts as a knife edge for plotting one or more analog graphs using a corresponding number of heated galvanometric stylii. The flat surface is used to simultaneously print a plurality of lines of alphanumeric data using an opposing thermographic print head having an elongate array of selectively heatable elements oriented transverse to the paper strip. The flat surface is resilient over at least the portion thereof opposing the print head thermal elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Gary R. Giedd
- 👤 Arthur F. Karsch
- 👤 Sydney L. Lindauer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 08:50
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01D; G01D15/00; G01D15/28; G01D15/10; G01D9/00; G01D9/02; G01D9/04; G01D9/06; G01D9/08; G01D9/28; G01D9/285
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
204 words
A strip chart recorder for plotting and printing, comprising: a viewing platen having a viewing surface; an edge structure forming a peripheral edge of said viewing surface, said edge structure comprising first and second closely spaced parallel edges and a flat surface between and connecting said first and and second edges; means for controlling a strip of thermally sensitive chart paper to move at a constant speed around and in contact with said first edge, across said flat surface, around and in contact with said second edge, and then across said viewing surface; a galvanometric stylus for recording analog signals on said paper, said stylus having an elongate heated tip portion urged toward one of said first or second edges for contact with the paper in a line of contact along said one edge; and a thermal print head for printing a plurality of lines of characters on said paper, said print head having an elongate array of selectively heatable elements being positioned and urged toward said flat surface between said first and second edges so as to bring said array into contact with said paper along said flat surface, the longitudinal dimension of said array being parallel with said first and second edges.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
204 words
A strip chart recorder for plotting and printing, comprising: a viewing platen having a viewing surface; an edge structure forming a peripheral edge of said viewing surface, said edge structure comprising first and second closely spaced parallel edges and a flat surface between and connecting said first and and second edges; means for controlling a strip of thermally sensitive chart paper to move at a constant speed around and in contact with said first edge, across said flat surface, around and in contact with said second edge, and then across said viewing surface; a galvanometric stylus for recording analog signals on said paper, said stylus having an elongate heated tip portion urged toward one of said first or second edges for contact with the paper in a line of contact along said one edge; and a thermal print head for printing a plurality of lines of characters on said paper, said print head having an elongate array of selectively heatable elements being positioned and urged toward said flat surface between said first and second edges so as to bring said array into contact with said paper along said flat surface, the longitudinal dimension of said array being parallel with said first and second edges.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein said flat surface is resilient over at least the region opposing said heatable elements so as to bring said elongate array of heatable elements into more uniform contact with said paper.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 2 wherein said resilient region of said flat surface has a durometer rating of between 10 and 60.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 3 wherein said resilient region has a durometer rating of between 30 and 40.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 4 wherein said resilient region comprises a surface layer of tetrafluoroethylene having a thickness of about 0.2 millimeter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein the transverse dimension of said flat surface is less than the longitudinal dimension of said array.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 6 wherein the longitudinal dimension of said array is about 50 millimeters and the transverse dimension of said array is about 0.4 millimeter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 6 wherein the transverse dimension of said flat surface is within the range of about 1 to 10 millimeters.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 8 wherein the transverse dimension of said flat surface is about 4 millimeters.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein the radius of curvature of said one edge toward which said heated tip portion is urged is within the range of about 0.1 millimeter to about 1 millimeter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 10 wherein the radius of curvature of said one edge is about 0.2 millimeter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein said flat surface slopes away from said viewing surface at an angle therewith in the range of about 30 degrees to about 90 degrees.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 12 wherein said flat surface slopes away from said viewing surface at an angle therewith in the range of about 45 degrees to about 60 degrees.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 13 wherein said flat surface slopes away from said viewing surface at an angle therewith of about 52.5 degrees.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein said one edge toward which said heated tip portion is urged is said first edge.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein said heated tip portion is cylindrical.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 16 wherein the longitudinal direction of said cylindrical tip portion is approximately perpendicular to said viewing surface.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 16 wherein said cylindrical tip portion has a diameter within the range of about 1 millimeter to about 2 millimeters.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 1 wherein said one edge toward which said heated tip portion is urged changes the direction in which the paper travels by at least 90 degrees.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 19 wherein said one edge toward which said heated tip portion is urged provides a change of surface slope within the range of about 90 degrees to about 150 degrees.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 20 wherein said one edge provides a change of surface slope within the range of about 120 degrees to about 135 degrees.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
A strip chart recorder as defined in claim 21 wherein said one edge provides a change of surface slope of about 127.5 degrees.
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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) | 1983-08-05 | 1984-02-04 | 1984-08-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-08-05 | 1988-02-04 | 1988-08-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-08-05 | 1992-02-04 | 1992-08-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |