Rimage Corporation

Terence J Schmidt

Robert L Skubic

John S Lee

David J Rother

Donald Hollerich

Eric Laveen

A printer for printing graphic and alphanumeric information on plastic disks utilizing a printhead having a line array of print pixels. The printhead is pivotally mounted and has an adjustable force mechanism to urge the line array of print pixels into contact with a plastic disk; the plastic disk is mounted on a movable carriage which linearly passes beneath the printhead and the adjustable force mechanism exerts a variable force which is a function of the position of the disk beneath the printhead.

Apparatus for printing on plastic disk

A linkage system for printers that raises and lowers the print head between the printing of individual labels and that further engages and disengages a ribbon take-up spool. The linkage operates off of the same motor which is utilized to drive the web forward and rearward. A camshaft is coupled to the drive motor through an electrically-operated clutch. A cam follower link engaging the cam is attached to the pivoting connection joint of two cooperating levers. The cooperating levers are pivotally connected between the frame and the pivoting print head. Rearwardly movement of the cam follower link extends the cooperating levers through and just beyond an over-center position locking the cooperating levers and consequently the print head in the raised position. The print head is lowered to the platen when the cam follower link is moved forwardly, unlocking and retracting the levers. Two additional cooperating levers are attached between the print head and the frame with an idler gear at the connecting joint of the two levers, whereby the raising of the print head from the platen disengages the idler gear which drives the ribbon take-up spool. A slip clutch between the idler gear and the ribbon take-up spool limits the ribbon take-up rate.

Printer linkage

A system for transporting diskettes in serial order from a vertical stack of diskettes, including a slidable gate positioned beneath the stack, and a reciprocable carriage connected to the gate and a drive motor for reciprocable motion. The carriage has a flag tab which interrupts electro-optical sensors positioned at spaced intervals along the carriage path of travel, and electro-optical sensors are connected to a control circuit for controllably regulating drive motors. The carriage moves from a home position to a pick position for receiving a diskette from the stack, and then moves to a load position for transferring the diskette into a magnetic drive unit, and subsequently moves to an eject position for ejecting the diskette from the magnetic drive unit, and finally moves to the home position to complete the cycle.

Disk loading system

A computer disk transfer apparatus for automatically transferring computer diskettes in a stable and precise fashion from one diskette duplicating machine to a subsequent diskette duplicating machine. The apparatus includes a swing arm which is bridgeable at least partially across a bin connecting the machines to close off the bin and which is swingable from the bridging position to open the bin. The swing arm is positioned such that each of the diskettes is continuously engaged and stabilized from entry into the bin to exit from the bin.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Terence J Schmidt