Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tomoyuki Moriya

Takami Suzuki

Takashi Kimura

Hideto Miyazaki

Masayuki Suzaki

Takeshi Motohashi

Shunichi Ogawa

Mamoru Takezawa

Yoshikuni Tatara

Shingo Kato

Shoji Yanagida

Osamu Kuramochi

Makoto Yumoto

Eiji Hashimoto

A hybrid printer includes at least one impact type print head and at least one non-impact type print head, which are selectively used to print not only graphic information but also character information. For example, the impact type print head may be a type wheel print head and the non-impact type print head may be a pen print head. The print heads are selectively magnetically coupled to the carriage drive belt.

Selective magnetic attachment of a print head to a drive belt

A printing device such as a printer of the type using a type wheel in which a carriage is loaded with a printing mechanism and movable along a carrier to allow the printing mechanism to print out data on a paper, which is wrapped around a platen. The carrier and/or the carriage is produced by press-forming a single sheet metal to cut down the production cost and the number of structural elements of the printer.

Printing device with carriage and carrier therefor each integrally

A driving mechanism for the carriage of a printer, having a motor with a driving pulley thereon, which has attached to it the ends of left and right cables, each of which is folded at its respective center. The folded portions of the cables are wrapped on a pair of pulleys mounted on the carriage.

Carriage driving mechanism for printer

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Tomoyuki Moriya