Texas Instruments Corporation

Erik A Treszoks

Thomas R Grimm

Mark A Rendon

Luther L Oliver

Jose I Rodriguez

Sam Vinson

James E Altic

Paily T Varghese

Jose I Rodriquez

Donald J Arndt

Dan Dodson

A chassis for a portable printer wherein the structural members of the chassis not only makes the chassis more rigid, but each serves a functional role.

Printer chassis

A portable printer including paper feed apparatus for utilizing sheet, roll or continuous form paper. The paper feed apparatus having pin feed drive members and friction rollers for feeding all three forms of paper. The printer also includes apparatus for selecting printing different character pitches to reduce the memory capacity required. A method is provided for operating the printer to obtain alignment of the paper feed drive motor prior to printing.

Portable printer

A printer has a detection mechanism for detecting the absence of paper and the end position of the printhead upon start-up and reset. The detection mechanism includes a detection lever arm that is spring loaded and operationally positioned in a normal state. An optical sensor made up of an LED and a photo transistor that receives light from the LED, has the lower end of the detection lever arm operationally positioned in the normal state, between the LED and the photo transistor. The upper end of the detection lever arm is urged against the paper, by the spring. The platen supporting the paper has a groove formed therein which, in the absence of paper, receives the upper end of the detection lever arm, causing the lower end to move from its normal position between the LED and the photo transistor, the optical sensor then indicating a paper-out condition. The carriage for supporting and moving the printhead has an activation arm that moves against the detection lever arm when the carriage moves to the leftmost position, thereby moving the lower end of the lever arm away from the normal state, the optical sensor then indicating a column one position.

Printer having paper-out and column zero detection mechanism

A non-impact printer has a movable printhead carriage for traversing a print medium and has a bracket, also serving as a heat sink, pivotally connected to the printhead carriage. A non-impact printhead is secured to the bracket and positioned to contact the print medium. A spring is positioned between the bracket and the printhead carriage to move the bracket and consequently the attached printhead into contact with the print medium. A printhead adjusting eccentric, causing relative motion between the printhead carriage and the bracket, enables vertical positioning of the printhead with respect to the print medium.

Non-impact printer

Growing community of inventors

Temple, TX, United States of America

Erik A Treszoks