US2843243A - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

July 15,1958 -IE.E.MAS1Y'ER"SON 1 ,84

- PRINTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 9. 1955.

To Paper Feed Device 38 r'\ 'FIG. 2.

mm/m.

EARL E. MASTERSON m ag 43 I "AGENT;

fifi ili nid Patented July 115, 1958 PRHNTENG Davies Earl E. Masterson, Eryn l'vlawr, Pa., assignor to Sperry Rand (Importation, New York, N. Y, a corporation of Delaware Application August 9, 19555, Serial No. 527,26@

1] Claims. (Cl. 197-49) Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic typing machine which may be readily controlled by a tape reading mechanism.

An additional object of the invention is to make an automatic typing machine that is low in cost.

it is another object of the invention to provide a 7;;

typing machine which is very reliable in operation.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, a typing head is provided having raised type elements thereon located in a helical path. As this typing head rotates, each type element passes each of a plurality of discrete spots on the paper, and printing may occur at any one of these spots by appropriately energizing a printing bar at the time the desired letter passes the spot. Further details will appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side View of the machine.

Figure 2 is a top View of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a developed View of the typing head 10.

In Figure 1, the typing head moves relative to the ribbon 11 which is fed by a spool 12 past a guide 13, then past the typing head 10, then past another guide 14 and onto the receiving spool 15 in the usual Way. The paper 16 is fed past the typing head ll), again in the usual way. A striking member 19 is held against stops 20 by the return spring 23. Coil 21, in cooperation with armature 22, may overcome the tension of the spring 23 and drive the member 19 solidly against the paper 16 causing it to press the ribbon 11 firmly against one of the type elements on the typing head 10 and thus cause printing to take place at the location of said type element.

The typing head it) is rigidly connected to and rotates with the rod 26. Rod 26 has threads 27 which mesh with the threads of a half-nut 28. When the half-nut 5152 2a is in its normal position (the position shown on the drawing), it causes the rod 26 to move laterally while it is being rotated by gear wheel 24. The latter is keyed to the shaft or rod 26 so it will rotate the shaft but the shaft is free to slide through the gear wheel 24, as shown in Figure 2. The pitch of the threads 27 is such that in response to each complete revolution of head 1%, the head 10 will move laterally a distance equal to the distance between two parallel planes that are perpendicular to rod 26, and respectively pass through the opposite ends of the helical series of characters, for example, through the letter A and the letter Z (in this particular case). As a result, if the typing head 10 starts its operation at the left end of the apparatus and moves continuously toward the right end thereof, each character of the helical head 10 will pass each of a plurality of discrete spots on paper 16. The paper remains stationary during the typing of each line. Typing may take place at any one of these spots by appropriately energizing the coil 21 as the proper character passes the desired spot.

At the right-hand end of shaft 26 there is a bearing 25 which is carried to the right and/ or left with the shaft 26 but which does not rotate with the shaft 26. Bearing has a carriage 36 carried with it, which in turn carries the electromagnet 37 of which coil 21 is a part. It follows that striking member 19 is always facing the helical head 10.

The paper 16 is advanced upwardly by the space of one line at the end of the printing of the line. Means for doing this is conventional, forms no part of the present invention, and is therefore not shown in detail. A device 33, which has a sprocket wheel, is shown for performing the upward stepping of the paper at the end of each line.

If it be assumed that typing takes place from left to right, the head 10 would be at the left edge of the paper 16 (Figure 2) at the start of a line. As the shaft 26 is rotated, the threads 27 in conjunction with half-nut 28 will cause the shaft 26 to move toward the: right, carrying head 10 and carriage 36 with it. The helical head will start at one end 39 thereof, say with the letter A and make a first complete revolution. During this revolution each character on head 10 will pass the same spot on the paper 16. This is true since the pitch of the helix is so related to the pitch of threads 27 that this result inheres. During this first complete revolution an impulse is picked up from tape 30 by pick-up means 32 at the time instant that the letter on head ltl which is to be printed is approaching the printing position.

After the head 10 has made its first complete revolution, the forward end 39 of helical head 10 will move in front of a new spot on paper 16 which is spaced to the right of the first spot by the distance between said two parallel planes which respectively pass through opposite ends of the helical series of characters. Each letter of the helical head It) now passes this second spot and the desired letter is typed on the second spot when an impulse from pick-up head 32 again energizes coil 21 during this second revolution.

The tape 34?, which may be any known form of recording, such as magnetic tape, motion picture film, punched paper tape, etc., has two tracks of information thereon. Pick-up heads and 32 respectively sense the signals stored on the two tracks. Pick-up head 31 furnishes sig nals to the synchronous or servo-motor 33, whereby the latter drives the head it) (through gear Wheels 29 and 24) at a speed determined by the frequency of the signals of the upper track of tape 30. Pick-up head Sll may include an amplifier, or a separate amplifier may be in the motor circuit. The lower track of tape 3t carries the information to be printed, and pick-up head 32 energizes the coil 21 at the correct instant to print the desired letter in each particular spot where printing is to take place. For example, if the letter A is to be printed in the fifth spot from the left end of the paper 16, when the type element A the pick-up head 32 will send an impulse to coil 21, energize the latter and attract armature 22 and thus drive the striking member 19 against the paper in. The paper will thus be printed in view of the fact that it will be pressed against the ribbon which is in turn pressed against the type element A of head it The two tracks of signals on tape at are synchronized and in this regard it is noted that the upper track must be relied upon to place the typing head it? in a given position when a particular impulse appears on the lower track.

on the head lltl passes that fifth spot The impulses which represent particular letters may be single pulses that are picked up by pick-up head 32 and fed through filter at which will pass these impulses to coil 21. An amplifier 41 may be used if not already included in pick-up head 32. At the end of each complete line the tape may have a high frequency pulse which is rejected by filter 40 but which is passed by filter 4-2 (which is designed to reject the pulses which are passed by filter 40), and amplified (if necessary) in amplifier 43. These pulses now flow to coil 44 of electromagnet 45 and attract armature 46 to withdraw half-nut 23 from contact with threads 27. This allows spring 4'7 to abruptly pull carriage 36 and shaft 26 to the left and make them ready to start a new line. The output of amplifier 43 may also actuate paper feed mechanism 38 to advance the paper 16 to a new line. As soon as the high frequency pulse on tape 30 terminates, spring of; returns half-nut 28 into engagement with threads 27 and the apparatus is now ready to start typing a new line. It is noted that the end of the high frequency pulse should be properly timed with respect to the signals on the upper track of tape 30.

I claim to have invented:

l. A printer comprising means carrying a series of type elements for printing various characters, said type elements being located along a helical path, means for feeding the medium on which printing is to be placed past said meansymeans for substantially continuously rotating the first-named means about the axis of the said helical path and at the same time moving the first-named means along said axis so that each type element will pass in substantially continuous succession past each of a plurality of spaced spots on the printing medium, and means operative at selected instants during said sub stantially continuous rotation for causing selected ones of said type elements to print on said spaced spots.

2. A printer comprising a paper feeding mechanism for feeding paper along a given path, a printing device having a periphery that rotates adjacent said paper, said device having a series of type elements located thereon according to a helical path, means for rotating said device and for moving it along its axis so that each type element passes in succession past each of a plurality of spaced spots comprising a printing line on said paper, and means for selectively effecting printing whenever a selected type element passes one of said spaced spots.

3. A printer comprising a paper feeding mechanism for feeding paper along a given path; a printing device having a periphery adjacent said paper; said device having a series of type elements located thereon along a helical path; means for rotating said device and for moving it along its axis a distance which, during each complete revolution, is equal to the space between two planes which are perpendicular to said axis and which respectively intersect the two ends of the helical path; and means for selectively bringing the type elements into printing relation with the paper.

4. A printer as defined in claim 3 including means adapted to detect signals on a record and to jointly control the rotation of the printing device and the means for selectively bringing the type elements in printing relation with the paper whereby the recorded information may be printed.

5. A printer comprising means carrying a series of type elements for printing various characters, said type elements being located along a helical path, means for feeding the medium on which printing is to be placed past said means, means for rotating the first-named means about the axis of the helical path, a threaded element for simultaneously moving the first-named means along said axis, the thread pitch of said threaded element being substantially the same as the pitch of said helical path whereby each type element passes in succession past each of a plurality of spaced spots comprising a printing line on the printing medium, and means for selectively moving the medium toward the type elements to effect printing.

6. A printer comprising a rotatable device having type elements located thereon according to a helical path, means for substantially continuously rotating said device about its axis while substantially continuously moving it along its axis, and striker means mounted for movement parallel to said axis in synchronism with the axial movement of said rotatable device for selectively bringing the type elements into printing relation with the object to be printed at selected instants during the rotation of said device.

7. A printer comprising a rotatable device having type elements located thereon according to a helical path, means for rotating said device about its axis while moving it along its axis, the last-named means including means which for each complete rotation of said device moves the device along the axis a distance equal to that between two planes that are perpendicular to said axis and respectively pass through opposite ends of the helically disposed series of type elements, and means for selectively bringing the type elements into printing relation with the object to be printed.

8. A printer as defined in claim 1 including pick-up means for reading a recording and accurately controlling the angular position of the first-named means as well as the exact instant at which the printing takes place.

9. A printer comprising rotatable means having a series of type elements mounted thereon along a helical path, means for substantially continuously rotating the first-named means about the axis of said helical path and at the same time moving the first-named means, during each rotation thereof, along said axis by an axial distance corresponding to the pitch of said helical path whereby each type element passes in succession past each of a plurality of spaced spots comprising a printing line on the printing medium, the second-named means including a threaded element and threaded stationary means which engages the threaded element and causes the latter to move along said axis, and means whereby thetype elements are brought into printing relation with the medium to be printed at the desired angular positions of rotation to thus print desired characters.

10. A printer as defined in claim 9 in which the lastnamed means includes a striking member mounted adjacent said rotatablemeans and movable in a direction parallel to said axis in synchronism with the axial movement of said first-named means, whereby said striking member follows the motion of said rotatable means along said axis.

11. A printer as defined in claim 10 wherein said striking member is carried by said threaded element in spaced relation to said rotatable means, and means for removing the said stationary means from contact with said threaded element whereby said rotatable means as well as said striking member may he returned to a starting position at the beginning of a line.

12. A printer as defined in claim 11 including means for automatically returning the said rotatable means as well as said striking member to a starting position when the said stationary means is removed from contact with said threaded element.

13. A printer as defined in claim 12 including means for reading recorded information and for controlling the angular position of the said rotatable means, the time of operation of the said striking member, and the removal of the said stationary means from said threaded element, according to the recorded information.

14. A printer as defined in claim 9 including means for removing the stationary means from contact with said threaded element and automatically returning the rotatable means to the beginning of said printing line.

15. A printer as defined in claim 14 having in addition means for picking up recorded information and utilizing such information to control all of the following: the second-named means to determine the angular position as Well as the transverse position of the rotatable means, the third-named means to determine when printing will occur, and the stationary means to determine when the rotatable means will be returned to the beginning of said printing line.

16. A printer comprising means carrying a series of type elements for printing various characters, said type elements being located along a helical path, means forfeeding a medium upon which printing is to be placed past said first-named means, means for rotating the firstnamed means about the axis of the said helical path and at the same time moving the first-named means along said axis so that each type element will pass each of a plurality of spaced spots on the printing medium, and means for selectively moving the said printing medium toward the type elements to effect printing, said lastnamed means being movable toward a type element to effect said printing and also being movable in a direction parallel to said axis in synchronism with the motion of said first-named means.

17. A printer comprising rotatable means having a series of character printing elements disposed along a 25 substantially helical path, a printing medium adjacent said rotatable means, means for substantially continuously rotating said rotatable means in a single direction While at the same time substantially continuously moving said helically disposed elements along the axis of said helical path thereby to move said elements along a printing line on said medium, whereby said combined rotational and axial movement of said helically disposed elements causes each of said series of elements to be moved in succession past each possible character printiag location on said printing line, and means for effecting printing of selected ones of said characters at selected ones of said printing locations on said printing line during said substantially continuous rotational and axial movement of said elements past said medium.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 567,365 Spivey Sept. 8, 1896 1,405,722 Siepmann et al. Feb. 7, 1922 2,067,821 Bell Jan. 12, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 187,386 Germany July 19, 1907

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