International Business Machines Corporation

Lexmark International, Inc.

John O Schaefer

Edwin J Lenney

Thomas R Field

Robert F McDaniel

Larry J Rice

Stephen Alexander Oleksa

Peter F Jagodzinski

James F King

An electrophotographic printer (11) including a fuser (16, 17) for fusing a toned image onto an envelope (13) passing through a fuser nip (14). Wrinkling and treeing of the envelope (13) is substantially eliminated by removing the pressure on the envelope (13) in the fuser nip (14) for one or more brief intervals during the fusing process. To do this, a solenoid (21) is intermittently driven to remove the force of a spring (18) urging the fuser rolls (16, 17) together.

Electrophotographic reproduction apparatus having improved fuser to

A device for automated manufacture of wiring harness is described. The device feeds the wires through a number of channels in a die to position the wires at the proper termination points and then terminates the wires in connectors. The wiring harness assembly device permits the automated assembly of wiring harnesses which have wires which interconnect the connectors at positions which do not positionally correspond.

Automatic wiring network fabricator

A ribbon of the single use film substrate, completely transferrable ink layer type, is disclosed wherein the leader and trailer are formed by adhering over the inked side of the ribbon a thin adhesive faced tape or foil and where the tape or foil is adhesively engaged with the substrate in a region having had all or part of the ink removed therefrom to provide an adherent surface. The tape or foil is further provided with a region of adhesive engagement for attachment to supply and takeup spools.

Spliceless ribbon structure having leader and trailer and method of

A ribbon and tape feed mechanism for a single element typewriter is disclosed. The ribbon feed mechanism and correction tape mechanism are mounted and configured to oscillate with the ribbon and correction tape cartridges when the cartridges and support therefore are tilted to present a portion of the ribbon or the correction tape to the print point of the typewriter for impact. The ribbon feeding and the tilt control of the cartridge is accomplished from a single cam having a plurality of sets of rises. The correction tape feed is driven from a second cam which is only engaged during those machine cycles when the machine is in a correction mode. The control of the correction mode is through the depression of the rear of the cartridge thus effecting the raising of the front portion of the cartridge and the correction tape to its operative position.

Ribbon feed mechanism and correction tape feed mechanism for a typewriter

A typewriter correction tape cartridge for holding and feeding correction tape for a correcting typewriter is improved by the addition of a beam spring cantilever supported such that one end of the beam spring wipes the correction tape onto the takeup spool. This will act to eliminate bubbles, wrinkles and crimps in the tape as it is placed in a new convolution on the spool and will thus reduce the outside diameter of the ultimate disc of used tape. The advantage of this spring is that a reduced size cartridge may be used while utilizing the entire volume of tape supplied on the supply side of the cartridge and, secondly, a more reliable takeup is accomplished due to the elimination of irregularities in the takeup disc. Where space considerations dictate that the spring be bent back sufficiently to accommodate a full spool without contacting the disc of ribbon accumulated on the takeup spool, the cross section of the spring, at a point near the anchor point, may be reduced by notching to provide a stress concentrated flex point and allow the spring member to still perform its function without premature engagement with the disc at a point other than at the wiper end.

Cartridge for correction media or tacky tape with a wrap spring

Disclosed is a cartridge and a cartridge assembly for a typewriter, the assembly comprising a pair of case members, each case having a separate chamber and including means for releasably connecting the two cases in superimposed overlapping relation. First and second pairs of spaced apart ribbon guide means are associated with each of the cases and dimensioned to be aligned, first pair to second pair. Each of the case members includes a separate supply and take-up spool, the supply spool having a fixed axis of rotation and the take-up spool having a shiftable axis of rotation along a translatory path. An opening is provided along one edge of each of the cases, the openings being aligned in the paths while the take-up spools are biased in their respective paths towards the opening. Also disclosed is a drive mechanism for the cartridge in which the type of ribbon (for example, carbon or cloth) is indicated on the cartridge by a cam arrangement and, upon insertion into the machine, automatically selects the correct feed and ribbon lift mechanism to minimize ribbon wastage.

Typewriter cartridge and feed mechanism therefor

Disclosed is a cartridge and a cartridge assembly for a typewriter, the assembly comprising a pair of case members, each case member having a separate chamber and including means for releasably connecting the two case members in superimposed overlapping relation. First and second pairs of spaced apart ribbon guide means are associated with each of the case members and dimensioned to be aligned, first pair to second pair. Each of the case members includes a separate supply and take-up spool, the supply spool having a fixed axis of rotation and the take-up spool having a shiftable axis of rotation along a translatory path. An opening is provided along one edge of each of the case members, the openings being aligned in the paths while the take-up spools are biased in their respective paths towards the opening. Also disclosed is a drive mechanism for the cartridge in which the type of ribbon (for example, carbon or cloth) is indicated on the cartridge by a cam arrangement and, upon insertion into the machine, automatically selects the correct feed and ribbon lift mechanism to minimize ribbon wastage.

A variable cam profile selection system is disclosed having cams controlling both the tilt and the rotate motion of the single element typewriter. The tilt cam and rotate cam are mounted so that they may be moved with respect to their support to vary the cam rise. The rise of the cam is controlled by interposers under the influence of the keyboard to select or define the amount of movement of the cam member, thereby defining the cam rise. The single cam member for each movement may be positioned in any one of a plurality of positions and, by so doing, correspondingly effect the movement of the cam follower as the cam is rotated about an axis.

Variable cam profile selection system for single element typewriter

A ribbon exit control, for a random stuffing ribbon cartridge is disclosed which prevents the accidental jamming of the ribbon at the exit port of the storage chamber. The exit port is formed by two mating members whose surfaces are configured, when mated, to form a slot of curvelinear shape such as the form of an arc of a circle or an angled relatively flat lazy V shape. An alternate form is a slot punched in a one piece member to define the slot. The deformation of the slot from that of a straight line causes the ribbon to buckle as it is pulled from the storage chamber and to assume a cross-section other than that of a straight line. This acts to separate the ribbon strand being removed from the chamber, from any other adjacent folds of the ribbon. Since the ribbon strand and the adjacent folds are separated by the deforming of the ribbon it is more difficult for an adjacent fold to be pulled into the exit gate thereby causing a jam. The width of the slot is controlled by width control fingers extending across the end of the slot to an abutment surface. The uniform slot width improves reliability and the width control fingers further act as top and bottom constraints preventing the ribbon from pulling out of the slot and circumventing the exit port. The fingers also regulate not only the slot width but also the uniformity of the slot width top to bottom.

Random stuffer ribbon cartridge with improved ribbon exit control

Cartridge for a typewriter

Cartridge assembly for a typewriter

A tab rack bar and tab stops are disclosed which provide for the ability to set a first set of tab stops on one side of the tab rack by displacing the tab stops into the path of the tabulator mechanism and then by rotating the tab rack set a second set of tab stops completely independent of the first set of tab stops by likewise displacing the tab stop into the path of the tabulator mechanism. The double tab rack and tab stops provides the capability of presetting and then selecting a first set of tab stops such as may be used for letter type correspondence and a second set of tab stops which may be used for columnar layout or statistical report typing, without having to clear and then reset the desired tab stops each time you care to switch.

Double tab rack for a typewriter

Disclosed is a mechanism for shifting the rack of a selection mechanism for a single element printer from one portion to another in timed relationship to the translation of a barrel cam which provides the necessary mechanical input to control the amount of rotation of the typehead. The control of the rack shift mechanism is a cam arrangement operated in timed relationship with the translating barrel cam to provide for the shifting of the rack at the beginning of each print cycle, if necessary, and the retaining of the rack in its shifted position at the completion of the cycle, thereby eliminating the necessity to provide for the time required to shift the rack back to its home position at the end of the cycle. The elimination of the restore operation of the rack provides more time during the cycle to operate the selection mechanism and accomplish printing or conversely provides for a smaller amount of time being required for the necessary functions thereby providing the capability of operating the remainder of the mechanism at a faster rate.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

John O Schaefer