Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Toshiki Morita

Masashi Suzuki

Hiroyuki Kato

Takeshi Yokoi

Mitsumasa Kako

Takeshi Niikawa

Teruo Deshimaru

Toshiro Sugiura

Kiroyuki Kato

Koichi Takenaka

Motoji Wakita

A printer which includes a position controller for moving a printing head to a predetermined initial position by driving a stepping motor during initial processing operation, and a current controller for supplying a second current to the stepping motor to spontaneously start the stepping motor. Since the stepping motor is driven by the second current which is smaller than a first current to be supplied during printing, the noise to be produced during the initial homing operation can be minimized.

Printer carriage homing mechanism

A paper feeder for printers having front and back pin tractor assemblies disposed on opposite sides of a platen roller with respect to the paper feed route. Each tractor has a plurality of pins which are rotatable so as to convey the continuous paper. A reversible drive source is coupled to both the pin tractors. A clutch selectively decouples the drive source from the front pin tractors in accordance with the rotational direction of the drive source. A switch mechanism independent of the clutch also selectively decouples the front pin tractor from the drive source. The described structure allows paper stack to be automatically removed from between the tractors.

Paper feeder for printers

A printing system prints characters or figures on a label removably adhered to a backing web on a platen roller. Separating rollers are disposed on the downstream side of the platen roller. A backing web with labels fed out from the platen roller after printing is bent by the separating rollers. The backing web bent by the separating rollers is drawn out from the separating rollers by a backing web feeding mechanism. When the backing web is bent by the separating rollers and drawn out from the separating rollers by the backing web feeding mechanism, a label is peeled off from the backing web to which it has been adhered. The separating rollers and the backing web feeding mechanism are coupled in an integral relation to constitute a label separating device. The label separating device is removably supported on a body of the print system. A driving mechanism provided on the printing system body is coupled to the backing web feeding mechanism on the label separating device, an the backing web feeding mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism.

Printing system

Disclosed is a sheet feeding device for printers and the like, which comprises a detachable holder for thick cut sheets. In this device, thin ordinary cut sheets, supported in a pile by paper supporting means, are delivered one by one in a sheet feeding direction by feed rollers, which are in contact with the uppermost one of the sheets. In feeding relatively thick cut sheets, such as postal cards and other cards, the holder carrying the sheets thereon is detachably mounted on the supporting structure. The holder includes a supporting member for supporting the leading ends of the thick cut sheets, with respect to the sheet feeding direction. The supporting member has a slanting or curved guide surface. As the feed rollers rotate in contact with the uppermost one of the thick cut sheets, the sheets are delivered, sliding on the guide surface.

Sheet feeding device with detachable holder means for thick cut sheets

A document feed device provided with a pin tractor assembly which includes a pin tractor member supporting a number of feed pins and rotated by a feed shaft, and a body member nonrotatably mounted on the tractor member. Elastically deformable projecting bar with a slit protrudes from the body member. A stationary frame member is formed with a slot extending in the axial direction of the feed shaft. An eyelet portion is formed at each end of the slot. The projecting bar elastically engages the slot, thereby preventing the body member from rotating. As the rotating bar slides within the slot, the pin tractor assembly can move along the feed shaft so that its position is adjusted according to the width of a perforated sheet of material. The assembly may be located in either of two positions, depending on the width of the sheet, as the projecting bar alternatively engages the eyelet portions of the slot. The position of the assembly is shifted by manually operating a knob formed on the body member.

Document feed device with pin tractor assembly

A document feed device provided with a pin tractor assembly which includes a pin tractor member supporting a number of feed pins and rotated by a feed shaft, and a body member nonrotatably mounted on the tractor member. Elastically deformable projecting bar with a slit protrudes from the body member. A stationary frame member is formed with a slot extending in the axial direction of the feed shaft. An eyelet portion is formed at each end of the slot. The projecting bar elastically engages the slot, thereby preventing the body member from rotating. As the projecting bar slides within the slot, the pin tractor assembly can move along the feed shaft so that its position is adjusted according to the width of a perforated sheet of material. The assembly may be located in either of two positions, depending on the width of the sheet, as the projecting bar alternatively engages the eyelet portions of the slot. The position of the assembly is shifted by manually operating a knob formed on the body member.

In a ribbon guide device used in a printing machine, a second ribbon guide arm member out of first and second ribbon guide arm members provided individually at a pair of ribbon aperture portions of a ribbon cassette can be attached to and removed from the ribbon cassette. An effective printing ribbon portion is stretched between the first and second ribbon guide arm members. When the second ribbon guide arm member is attached to the ribbon cassette, the stretched ribbon portion covers a part of the traveling stroke of the printing head. The second ribbon guide arm member can also be attached to and removed from a mounting section of the frame of the printing machine. When the second ribbon guide arm member is attached to the mounting section, the stretched ribbon portion covers the whole traveling stroke of the printing head.

Ribbon guide device

A printer having a print head with a mounting portion, and a carriage with a supporting structure engaging the mounting portion of the print head to hold it in place on the carriage. The supporting structure includes a lateral positioning portion for positioning the print head laterally in a direction of movement of the carriage, a downward positioning portion for positioning the print head downwardly of the carriage, and a rear wall for receiving a force of reaction of the print head upon printing action on a platen. The printer comprises a biasing device for biasing the mounting portion of the print head downwardly and rearwardly against the downward positioning portion and rear wall of the supporting structure of the carriage, respectively. The carriage may include a serrated portion fixedly engaging a toothed belt for driving the carriage along the platen. In this instance, the printer includes a retainer member supported by the carriage to hold a linear section of the belt in engagement with the serrated portion, and hold a flexible cable connected to the print head in pressed contact with the linear section of the toothed belt.

Growing community of inventors

Toyoake, Japan

Toshiki Morita