Other

Centronics Data Computer Corporation

Intermec, Inc.

David Allen Estabrooks

Robert A McIntosh

Richard G Bernier

A lifting-sail rig and method comprising airfoils, or efficient aerodynamically shaped leading edge soft sails, supported by an improved non-interfering fixed mast rig positioned away from the lifting-sail for increased aerodynamic efficiency and ease of sail or airfoil control. Stable sailboat performance is achieved at a higher speed for multihulls and widened beam monohulls for supporting the lifting-sail rig. The improved lifting-sail rig balances the large wind driven forces that have resulted in the capsizing of conventional monohull sailboats, and the pitch poling of multihulls.

Lifting-sail boat apparatus and method

The present invention is an improved compact media web electrophotographic printer including photographic full-color, and an automatic web feeding and cutting registration apparatus and method for media web and closely spaced short printouts. This apparatus comprises an improved media web-handling unit for feeding from a recording roll, and an improved sensing system for sensing a buckle and for precisely cutting the short printout at a desired controlled length, and includes an automatic setup prior to each print cycle. In addition a color serial printer having equiangularly arranged process cartridge units movable along guide rails and which is parallel to a common transfer roll which is also seperately movable along guide rails is disclosed.

On demand media web electrophotographic printing apparatus

An on-demand narrow web electrophotographic printer and method of printing forms a latent image and a narrow web paper feeding mechanism feeds paper from a roll for closely spaced printouts of tickets or labels, such as adhesive-backed labels, for bar codes, receipts of arbitrary length, or lottery tickets. An endless rotary latent image carrier mechanism and cutter blade are synchronized with a paper infeed mechanism, a fixing unit, and an outfeed to feed, print and cut the paper printout at a controlled length and with no paper wastage. In different embodiments, a length of paper is either accumulated in advance or drawn back to a position ahead of the drum to allow on-demand operation without sacrificing printing efficiency. Preferably, one or more web transport assemblies are separately-driven, and phase differences between image forming and sheet transport steps are accommodated by separating the sheet for printing, accumulating a feed loop in the imaging path, or actuating a drive to pull back the web during operation. This synchronization allows low-cost laser printer technology to efficiently produce short narrow-web prints on-demand.

On-demand narrow web electrophotographic printer

Printing apparatus of the dot matrix type comprising a plurality of print wire actuators employing moving coils. The wire printing tip of each actuator is activated by the coil magnetic field interacting with an efficiently applied magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the direction of current flow in the coil. The actuator comprises a thin planar lamination having low inertia and high heat dissipation for balanced pivotal motion to provide high speed letter quality printing and high resolution graphics.

Dot matrix printhead employing moving coils

Apparatus for attenuating noise necessarily emitted from output slots of a printer mechanism enclosure and utilizing a minimal amount of enclosure components of significantly reduced size. Input and output housings or compartments for noise attenuation are provided, each of which form elongated narrow guideways. One end of each of the guideways of each of said compartments is aligned with the paper input and output slots, respectively, of the printer mechanism housing and is sealed to prevent noise at the juncture. The guideways have narrow passageways extending therethrough, but are sufficiently wide to permit the paper passing therethrough to move without experiencing any drag resistance due to the presence of the guideways. At least one surface of the guideways confronting and substantially parallel to the moving paper web is lined with a suitable noise attenuating foam. Each guideway is of a length sufficient to provide a significant reduction in noise level at the outlet ends of the guideways as compared with the noise levels at the inlet and outlet slots of the printer mechanism housing in the absence of the noise attenuators. The attenuators are adapted to be easily removable in order to service and maintain both the attenuators and the printer as well as to facilitate insertion of fresh paper.

Acoustic attenuator system for quietizing printers and the like

Fanfold paper emerges from an outfeed slot in a printer along a paper guide extender and falls by gravity into a paper basket to resume its original fanfold configuration. The paper slides between the extender and an upper paper forming guide which is slightly curled at its lower end to force the paper against the lower end of the paper guide extender to cause the paper to neatly fan fold within the basket. A wedge-shaped member is preferably provided upon the floor of the paper basket to urge the stacked paper into an inverted, slighty V-shaped configuration to further assure neat stacking and prevent corners of the paper from catching a perforation in the paper which would otherwise prevent neat stacking.

Growing community of inventors

Newburyport, MA, United States of America

David Allen Estabrooks