Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Satoshi Shibata

Hideo Ueno

Keiko Yamada

Hiroshi Hattori

Mutsuo Fukuoka

Michio Ueda

A communication apparatus includes: a communication unit that communicates with other communication apparatus via a communication network; a detector that detects a communication status of the communication unit during a period of time at least from a time when a call is issued to the other communication apparatus by the communication apparatus until a time when a response from the other communication apparatus to the call is received by the communication apparatus; a light emitting device configured to emit light in a plurality of light emitting states that are visually discernible; and a controller that controls the light emitting state of the light emitting device in accordance with the communication status detected by the detector.

Communication apparatus and facsimile machine

A facsimile machine includes a detachable ribbon cassette accommodating an ink ribbon and having an EEPROM that stores the amount of the ink ribbon consumed. In the facsimile machine, printing is performed while the ink ribbon is taken up by a take-up motor and the memory contents in the EEPROM are renewed according to the progress of printing. The facsimile machine further includes a ribbon-empty detector that detects that the facsimile machine runs out of the ink ribbon, and a CPU that resets the memory contents in the EEPROM of the ribbon cassette.

Printing device

A data searching device has a data inputting keyboard, a primary data memory, a secondary data memory and a display. A controller compares data input by the data inputting keyboard with primary data stored in the primary data memory. If the primary data matches the input data, the controller outputs the secondary data related to the primary data to the display. The display has a plurality of display areas, with a first display area displaying a portion of each of the secondary data related to the primary data. A secondary data selector selects one of the secondary data displayed in the first display area, and displays all of the data associated with the selected secondary data in a second display area.

Data searching device

A printer wherein a print head is movable by a head release mechanism, between a printing position and a release position, and a print ribbon is fed only when the print head is in the printing position. The printer has a space commanding member such as a space key adapted to feed the print head to provide a single space, when the space commanding member is momentarily operated, and feed the print head continuously to provide successive spaces while the space commanding member is held operated. The printer has a head-release control device which inhibits the head release mechanism from operating to move the print head to the release position if the space commanding member is momentarily operated, and activates the head release mechanism to move the print head to the release position if the space commanding member is operated continuously.

Printer having head release mechanism responsive to space commanding

A data input device having key switches which are temporarily in an operated position, and position-hold switches each having selectable stable positions. The device includes a first matrix, a second matrix, and a matrix scanning arrangement. The first matrix comprises first and second signal lines which cross each other, and the second matrix comprises third and fourth signal lines which cross each other. Each key switch is connected between the first and second lines at a corresponding one of the intersections. Similarly, each position-hold switch is connected between the third and fourth lines at a corresponding one of the intersections. Some of the first or second lines are used as the third or fourth lines. The matrix scanning arrangement scans the first matrix to determine whether each key switch as been operated, and scans the second matrix to determine the selected stable positions of each position-hold switch, only when a scanning of the first matrix indicates that the number of the key switches which have been operated is not greater than a reference value.

Data input device having switch matrix scanning means

A control device is provided for a stepping motor which connects with a drive system comprising a somewhat resilient member exerting a rebound force, such as a gear for the platen or a wire for the carriage in an electronic typewriter. When the stepping motor stops rotating in a determined direction, the control device rotates the stepping motor in the opposite direction for a minimum step to compensate for the unnecessary reverse rotation of the stepping motor caused by the resiliency in the drive system. Therefore, a transmission shaft of the stepping motor is freed from such an undesired external force as the resiliency of other parts and the stepping motor is always stopped in a position appropriate for a subsequent rotation.

Control device for a stepping motor

A printing apparatus is disclosed which moves a print head of a printing mechanism to a relocation position on receiving a relocation command signal. On receiving a relocation command signal, a searching means retrieves a code data of a character or the like other than a space code in sequence from an end address toward a head address of a correction memory. Then, when the searching means detects code data of the character or the like, a controlling means relocates the print head at the print position which is shifted by one digit in the printing direction from the position corresponding to the address of the code data detected by the searching means.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Satoshi Shibata