GB1038895A - Improvements in or relating to selective printers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,038,895. Selective printing. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA. March 6, 1964 [March 20, 1963], No. 9666/64. Heading B6F. A line-by-line printer comprises a plurality of print bars 36, Fig. 1, selectively operated to produce a character in the form of dots, a print head 32 forming a fixed support means 42 therefor and a plurality of lateral extensions 40 integral with each print bar to support said bars from said print head. In operation a document 10 is advanced in the direction of the arrow, continuously or intermittently, by a pin-wheel 14, and the line of characters is formed by selective operation of the bars 36 by application of coded electric signals to actuators 52 having solenoids 54, Fig. 5, whose armatures displace the bars longitudinally and deform the extensions 40 bringing about concomitant lateral displacement of the bars to effect engagement of the document with a travelling anvil head 30 and impression of a column of dots thereon. As the anvil head continues to move in the letter spacing direction successive columns of dots define the said character. A plurality of anvil heads may be mounted on a belt 24. In another embodiment (Fig. 4, not shown) the extensions 40 where they join the print bar 36 may be necked inwardly to impart greater flexibility to these extensions. In a further embodiment the extensions 40 may be replaced by arms 84, Fig. 8, pivotally attached to print bars 80. In still a further embodiment the actuators 52 may be replaced by a pair of counter-rotating drums 68 and 70, Fig. 6, disposed adjacent opposite ends of a print bar 66, with the ends of the bar wrapped around the drums. Blocks 72 of magnetic material are secured to the ends of the bar 66 and are attracted for impression and resetting by armatures 78 of electromagnets 74, 76. In the last embodiment, in Fig. 8, the actuators 52 for each bar are replaced by actuators 90 including electromagnets 92 and permanent magnets 94, the electromagnets 92 attracting extensions 96 on one of the pivoted arms 84, to effect impression, whereas the permanent magnets 94 hold the print bars 80 in initial positions out of contact with the document 10.