Calcomp Inc.

Richard Freudenberger

An improved service station for a printer having a print head comprising a service station for preventing clogging of the nozzles of said print head and a bracket coupled to the service station and rotatably supporting the service station along an extended pivot for restricting movement of the service station to a first selected direction, whereby proper alignment and positioning of the service station with the print head is maintained. The print head moves along a second selected direction toward the service means and the bracket is coupled to the service station along the second selected direction to provide uniform support along the second selected direction. In a particular embodiment, the bracket is an extended hinge-type bracket and is coupled to the service station and a side wall of the printer along the length of the bracket along the second selected direction.

Service station support bracket for printers

A pen force gage for a pen plotter for determining whether the force of a pen positioned by a pen support onto the surface of a drawing media in the pen plotter falls within an acceptable range. The pen force gage includes structure for aligning or positioning the gage within the pen plotter so as to enable the gage to measure the force of the pen; a pivotable arm configured at one end to interact with the pen support as the pen moves toward the surface of the media and at the other end to support a movable weight to determine the force to be applied by the pen on the surface of the media; and an indicator and a reference mark for determining whether the force falls within the acceptable range.

Pen force gage for a pen plotter

A lead positioner for a pencil plotter in which a lead stocker contains a plurality of leads for use in a pencil plotter, a lead actuator mechanism is coupled to the lead stocker and is adapted to release the leads into a lead holder, and a shaker is provided coupled to the lead stocker and adapted to enable the leads to be released individually into the lead holder. In a particular embodiment, the shaker imparts a vibrational motion to the lead stocker prior to the lead actuator mechanism releasing the leads to enable the leads to be released individually. The shaker is further adapted to provide a translational motion to the lead stocker to align the leads and the lead holder and, in addition, to enable the lead actuator mechanism to release the leads into the lead holder.

Growing community of inventors

Fountain Valley, CA, United States of America

Richard Freudenberger