Printer with a document guide device

Claim 1

A printer comprising: a platen; a character-bearing print wheel having a central hub portion, a plurality of substantially straight spokes radially extending from said central hub portion in the same vertical plane respectively, and a plurality of character pads fixed to the respective free ends of said spokes and defining the outer diameter of the print wheel; a horizontally extending drive shaft attached to said central hub portion of said print wheel for rotating said print wheel, said drive shaft having a free end portion; carrier means rotatably supporting said drive shaft; a mounting head for fixing said print wheel to said free end portion of said drive shaft, said mounting head extending from said print wheel toward said platen; and a document guide device defining a document path in association with the platen, said document guide device allowing a document to pass downward through the document path; said document guide device including an upper plate section disposed between said platen and said character pads of said print wheel and curved along the circumference of said platen for insertion of the document, a slanted plate section connected to said upper plate section at the upper end thereof and extending downward and slanted relative to said upper plate section and towards said platen, a lower base plate section fixed to said carrier means, and an intermediate plate section disposed substantially vertically and connected to the lower end of said slanted plate section at the upper end thereof and to said lower base plate section at the lower end thereof; and said slanted plate section and intermediate plate section defining in association with said print wheel a space within which said mounting head is accommodated, whereby said mounting head is completely separated from said document path.