Dbs, Inc.

Dymo Industries, Inc.

Heinz F Strohschneider

Morton W Thomson

A portable cassette recorder for use in an imprinter or the like, the recorder including a supply cartridge, a take-up spool and a brake for the take-up spool and a document holder. The take-up spool has incorporated thereon a leader to which the transaction log sheets may be easily attached in alignment with the take-up spool. The brake for the take-up spool includes a first gear rotatable with the spool, a second gear in engagement with the first gear and a pivotally mounted third gear in normal engagement with both said first and second gears to engage the brake for the take-up spool, the brake being disengaged by pivoting the third gear out of contact with the first gear. The document holder includes a support surface of preferably ferromagnetic material disposed in the upper surface of the recorder upon which a document such as an invoice is positioned. Pivotally mounted on the upper surface of the recorder is a lid containing magnetic material whereby, once the document is positioned on the support surface, the lid may be rotated down over the document to hold it securely in place.

Portable transaction log recorder

A bidirectional imprinter having a print roll carriage with sidewalls and two pairs of inclined slots disposed in the sidewalls where the first pair is oppositely inclined with respect to the second pair. First and second print rolls are respectively associated with the first and second pairs of slots so that movement of the carriage over the print bed causes the first print roll to move down its associated slot pair to effect imprinting while the second print roll is moved up its associated slot pair in a non-imprinting relation with respect to the print bed. The functions of the print rolls are interchanged during the reverse stroke. The imprinter may comprise a unitary, extruded base with an elongated receptacle extending along the upper length thereof and a molded plastic print bed inserted within the receptacle. An elongated recess in the print bed may also be provided so that a portion of a credit card or the like overlying the recess can be depressed therein to raise the remainder of the card and permit easy removal thereof.

Bidirectional imprinter

An improved portable cassette recorder for use in an imprinter or the like, the recorder being adapted to process fanfolded transaction log sheets or the like. The recorder includes a sensing pin mechanism which senses registration holes in the log sheets to ensure that data entry blocks in the log sheet are in registry with the recorder imprinting station. In order to advance the log sheet from one entry block to the next, the sensing pin is first lowered beneath the log sheet and awaits the next registration hole, the pin being so shaped as to ensure positioning thereof beneath the log sheet. When the next registration hole arrives, the pin is urged upwardly through the hole. At the same time, a brake engaging mechanism is actuated to brake the take-up spool through a bell crank and push rod mechanism and thus maintain the data entry blocks in registry with the imprinting station. An anti-back up device is also provided which prevents back up of the take-up spool as long as a pivotable lid for the recorder is closed. When the lid is opened, the anti-back up device is disabled to permit removal of the processed log sheets from the take-up spool. A tensioning member is also provided for holding the log sheet in place within the recorder even though the trailing edge of the log sheet has left the log sheet supply cartridge.

Growing community of inventors

Plymouth, MA, United States of America

Heinz F Strohschneider