Band line printer with grooved platen

Claim 1

A printer apparatus comprising in combination a print band trained around a drive pulley and an idler pulley and along a print line, said print band being movable when driven in the direction leading along said print line from said idler pulley to said drive pulley, a plurality of print hammers mounted for impact with the print band along said print line, a platen having an impact surface positioned along said print line behind said print line, and a plastic wear prevention strip fixed on said platen impact surface for preventing direct frictional contact between said band and said impact surface, said strip having a wear surface in sliding engagement with said band with a leading edge of said strip being proximate said idler pulley, said sliding engagement producing a polished surface area on said wear surface at said leading of said strip as a result of said sliding engagement whereby a tight adherence of said band to said polished surface is produced, and groove means forming breaks in said leading edge and said polished surface area of said wear strip for reducing said tight adherence of said band to said polished surface of said wear strip and thereby reducing the frictional drag on said band, said leading edge being a straight edge extending across the path of and slanted relative to the direction of motion of said band, and said groove means being perpendicular to said straight edge.