Intermec, Inc.

Tally Printer Corporation

Tallygenicom LP

Mettler-toledo Autochem, Inc.

M+ind (model & Instrument Development Corporation

Craig Jack Cornelius

Kevork G Arackellian

Christopher J Bakken

Daniel A Durland

Gary A Gesellchen

Kenneth R Hallock

Scott D Phillips

Oliver Hamann

Richard Philip Becker

Robert E LaVigueur

John Wayne Whiting

Joel C Brown

Michael B O'Leary

Evandro Mendonca

Charles Gordon Whitaker

Richard Becker

Rogert E Lavigueur

A scraper for an optical surface of a device is disclosed. The scraper includes a blade having an edge that is rigid and non-deforming to withstand high shear stresses. The blade is configured to rotate about a first axis parallel to the optical surface and also configured to move in a line with respect to a second axis perpendicular to the optical surface. This allows the rigid, non-deforming blade to maintain contact with the optical surface. Furthermore, the edge is configured to move across the optical surface to remove any materials adhered to the surface. The scraper can be used to clean the optical surface of an instrument, for example.

Window scraper for an optical instrument

Methods for setting the print gap in a printer are disclosed. The printer has an eccentric platen wherein rotation of the platen changes the print gap distance. A driver controls the eccentric platen rotation, and a sensor may be used to determine the position of the motor and platen. The configuration of an eccentric platen and a driver having a position sensor enables measuring the thickness of a form at one or more locations to create a representative thickness profile of the form, which may be saved to the printer's computer memory and repeated when printing similar forms in the future, thus obviating the need to measure the thickness of every individual form.

Line printer having a motorized platen that automatically adjusts to accommodate print forms of varying thickness

A printer () for printing upon a continuous web of print receivable media () is provided. The printer includes a print head () having a media drive assembly side and a media drive assembly for moving the media across the print head. The media drive assembly is disposed only on the media drive assembly side of the print head. The printer further includes a platen () disposed adjacent the print head and a controller () coupled to the print head, the media drive assembly, and the platen. The controller controls the printer during continuous printing and single sheet printing. During continuous printing, the media is moved in a downstream direction past the print head. During single sheet printing, the media is moved past the print head in an upstream direction one sheet at a time. Further, the printer may perform single sheet pull printing or single sheet push printing.

Printing method and apparatus

A low rotational inertia shuttle system ( ) for a dot matrix line printer ( ) is disclosed. The low rotational inertia shuttle system ( ) includes an elongate support structure ( ), a carriage ( ) and a counterbalance ( ). The carriage and the counterbalance are reciprocally mounted on the support structure. The low rotational inertia shuttle system also includes a reciprocating assembly ( ) disposed on the support structure for reciprocating the carriage and the counterbalance. The reciprocating assembly has an inertia that is purposely minimized with respect to the mass of the carriage and the counterbalance, such that the printer operates at a substantially constant level of kinetic energy to produce a substantially linear velocity profile for the carriage. The low rotational inertia shuttle system further includes a rotational mechanism ( ) that is coupled to the reciprocating assembly for controlling energy applied to the reciprocating assembly in a way that maximizes the linearity of the carriage velocity profile.

Low rotational inertia shuttle system with a flattened sinusoidal carriage velocity

A preloaded stabilizer mechanism in a dot matrix line printer having a reciprocating carriage is provided to: (1) establish a rigid reference point that prevents the print line of the dot matrix line printer from drifting; (2) eliminate backlash; and, (3) create a carriage resonance frequency that is greater than the carriage operating frequency to enhance printer system stability and the reduction of vibration. The stabilizer mechanism is mounted on a support frame of the dot matrix line printer and includes a modified c-shaped bracket member and a spring plate. The spring plate is attached to one end of the bracket member to form a slot. The slot of the stabilizer mechanism receives an offset shaft that is coupled to a shuttle mechanism that provides the carriage with reciprocating motion. The spring plate of the stabilizer mechanism, being slightly deflected, imposes a force against the offset shaft. As the carriage is reciprocated back and forth along its line of movement, the offset shaft moves back and forth along a line that lies parallel to the carriage movement line. When the shuttle mechanism is out of balance with the carriage, the offset shaft imposes a force, corresponding to the amount of the imbalance, against the preloaded spring plate and bracket opening. In this state, the stabilizer mechanism, due to the offset shaft/slot arrangement, works in conjunction with the shuttle mechanism to translate the shuttle. The stabilizer mechanism inhibits the movement of the offset shaft with respect to the printer support frame when the force created by the imbalance is equal to or less than the force of the preload generated by the spring plate.

Preloaded stabilizer mechanism in a dot matrix printer

A shutter for use in an electro-optical scanning device having an aperture and a CCD imager is provided. The shutter comprises a light barrier movable between a first position blocking light from passing through the aperture and a second position enabling light to pass through the aperture. The light barrier has a magnetic portion. An inductive coil is disposed relative to the magnetic portion of the light barrier to cause movement of the light barrier between the first and second positions by application of an electric current to the inductive coil. The inductive coil is disposed concentrically around the aperture, and the light barrier comprises a magnet that is coupled to a torsional wire disposed within the inductive coil. The torsional wire has a bias that returns the light barrier from the second position to the first position. Alternatively, the light barrier is moveable either pivotally, rotationally, or axially relative to the aperture, and further comprises a corresponding iris. The corresponding iris aligns with the aperture upon the light barrier being pivoted, rotated or axially moved to the second position.

Adjustable light shutter for hand held electro-optical scanners

A prosthetic ankle joint includes a first joint structure having a foot attachment plate connecting a pair of spaced apart parallel fins lying in a sagital plane. A second joint structure having a pylon attachment plate is connected to a support block positioned between the fins of the first joint structure. The first and second joint structures are connected to each other by a spherical bearing that allows the joint structures to pivot with respect to each other about three orthogonal axes. The spherical bearing is connected to the first joint structure through an axle that extends through an aperture in the bearing. A rod extending from the bearing is threaded into a bore formed in the support block of the second joint structure. Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion cushions are positioned between the support block and respective surfaces of the first joint structure to resist pivotal dorsiflexal and plantar flexal pivotal movement of the ankle joint. Lateral cushions are positioned on opposite surfaces of the support block between the support block and respective fins to resist coronal and transverse pivotal movements of the ankle joint.

Prosthetic ankle joint for pivotally connecting a residual limb to a

An apparatus and method is presented wherein the lens system or assembly is fixed in its location along an optical axis between an object and its image. The focusing of the object, which may vary its position along the optical axis, occurs through adjusting a detection medium or an imager to the position in image space where the image space is focused on its image plane. The invention is structured to facilitate this focusing in an automatic and very rapid manner to accommodate rapid changes in the location of the object along the optical axis.

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Craig Jack Cornelius