International Business Machines Corporation

Willie Goff, Jr

James M Rakes

Rowland V Firth, Iii

John D Bemis

Errol R Williams

William M Jenkins

Ta C Ku

Gerald W Baumann

Edwin L Libby

Lowell M Simson

Richard T Stone, Jr

Robert L Burdick

By use of an electroerosion technique a plurality of conductive lines (5) are isolated out of an electrically conductive sheet material supported on an isolating substrate of a sheet having holes in a distinct pattern. Several sheets are superimposed in different planes and are alternately mixed with interplane spacer-connector layers between a terminal block (32) and a pressing guide block. The interplane spacer-connector layer (24) contains contact areas interconnected with each other and make contact with isolated zones in different superimposed planes of sheets. The terminal block is provided with sockets for holding the terminals of circuit components of the to-be-developed electrical circuit.

System for generating circuit boards using electroeroded sheet layers

The print wires 4 of an electroerosion printhead 1 are retained in grooves 3 of a substrate 2. These wires 4 are fixed to the substrate and covered by a copper layer 6. The copper layer is machined to provide a smooth surface on the copper and between the copper in the grooves and the surface of the substrate. Contact pads 7 are formed on or applied to the strip-like copper layers 6 to fan out the contact areas for suitable accessibility for attaching control cables 17.

Electroerosion printhead with tungsten electrodes, and a method for

A plurality of arrays of heating elements, forming printing zones, are arranged separated from each other a predetermined distance (SL) on a substrate along a line (X) transverse the media transport direction (Y). The heating elements in each zone are arranged parallel to the transport direction (Y). Mover elements sweep the head back and forth relative to print line, a distance of SL. Releasable backing element is formed by rollers and each printing zone, the length of which is SL, is associated with a roller. The backing-rollers are moved together with the head for urging the print media against the thermal transfer ribbon and the latter against the multi-zone thermal print head.

Multi-zone thermal print head

Apparatus for feeding ribbon in an impact printer or typewriter is provided in which the ribbon metering means are very simple and minimize the potential for damage to the ribbon. Ribbon is fed from a supply reel to a take-up reel each of which is adapted to support a portion of an inventory of ribbon running from the supply reel to the take-up reel. The apparatus includes a drive mechanism which drives the take-up reel at a selected one of a plurality of different rotational velocities, apparatus for sensing the portion of the inventory of ribbon on one of the reels and for producing an electrical signal representative of the radius of said portion, and apparatus for selecting one of said rotational velocities in response to said signal. The sensing apparatus used to sense the portion of the ribbon inventory which remains on the supply reel is capacitive sensing apparatus.

Capacitive metering means for uniform ribbon feed and take-up mechanism

In a thermal printer the transfer ribbon such as one having sets of transverse color stripes is guided over of a ribbon support which carries the heat applying print head. The ribbon support is movable relative to the paper by an eccentric to move the ribbon into and out of contact with the paper. A support beam and a guiding roller are provided immediately behind print area to guide the ribbon away from the paper path in an angle of more than 45 degrees. This assures a separation of the ribbon from the paper essentially normal to its surface, thus avoiding shear upon relative movement between paper and ribbon and negates the need for a relatively bulky ribbon carrier material. Color printing is performed by clamping paper and ribbon, applying heat, transferring color material, retracting the ribbon from the paper, advancing the ribbon to the next color area, printing again on the very same paper area as often as desired, repeating this as often as necessary and advancing the paper after finishing the present print line.

Thermal print apparatus using a thermal transfer ribbon such as a

A thermal print head includes a pair of parallel bars of resistive material. A first set of lines is connected to one bar at equal spacings, a second set is similarly connected to the other bar. Each line of a third set of lines is connected to both bars between the connections of the lines of the other sets. From each line of the third set there are four resistance paths along the bars to adjacent lines of the first and second sets. Each of these paths can be selected to heat the bars along the selected paths to create marks on a paper sheet or web.

Thermal print head

There is disclosed a ribbon supply replacing technique for a printer or the like comprising a two ree coaxial ribbon cartridge (2) held stationary in the printer and having positioned adjacent thereto severing stations (40 and 42) for separating the cartridge with its exhausted ribbon supply from that ribbon remaining in the ribbon guide structure (6).

Replaceable ribbon cartridge

A method of making a plurality of multi-wire nonimpact printheads provides precise inter-wire spacing accuracy and repeatability of manufacturing steps to enable mass production. A plurality of slats are molded, one alongside another on a cylindrical support shell, parallel to the shell axis. A helical thread is engraved on the slats along the axial length of the support shell. A continuous wire is wrapped in the thread and the portions of the wire on the slats are encapsulated. The support shell and wrapped wire is cut between adjacent slats to obtain a plurality of printhead blanks. Each blank is machined to smooth the exposed print wires. The resultant printheads may be used in page- width nonimpact printers.

Method of manufacture of a multi-wire nonimpact printhead

In a high speed printer, apparatus is provided for rotatably driving a ribbon take-up reel and a ribbon supply reel, each reel being adapted to support a portion of an inventory of ribbon running from the supply reel to the take-up reel at a constant speed differential between reels. This apparatus comprises a first inelastic drive belt for peripherally non-slip driving the ribbon portion on the take-up reel and a second inelastic drive belt unattached to the first drive belt for peripherally non-slip driving the ribbon portion on the supply reel. Means are provided for driving the first belt at a constant selected speed and drive coupling means provided which are non-slip driven by the first belt and are for non-slip driving the second belt at a constant speed which is slower than the first belt. In this manner, the web or ribbon between the supply reel and the take-up reel is maintained under a constant uniform strain level.

Ribbon drive mechanism for high speed printer

In a high speed impact printer having means for receiving a ribbon cartridge and for driving the ribbon in said cartridge, the improved apparatus comprising a ribbon cartridge to be inserted in said receiving means and adapted to be reversed one time only which comprises a cartridge housing with first and second reels rotatably mounted in said housing; each of the reels is adapted to support a portion of inventory of a ribbon web which is being driven from one reel to the other reel by the impact printer means for driving said ribbon. A keyed tenon projects from said housing and has an initial position and a second position; the keyed tenon is switchable from the initial position to the second position but irreversible from said second position. The receiving means in the printer includes means for exclusively receiving the tenon keyed in its initial position wherein the ribbon is driven from the first reel to the second reel and means for exclusively receiving the keyed tenon in its second position wherein ribbon is driven from the second reel to the first reel.

Reversible ribbon cartridge for a high speed impact printer

In a conventional ribbon supply spool structure which comprises a supply of ribbon wound on a hub rotatable about and axially movable with respect to a hub receiving member on which the hub is seated and which is coaxial with respect to the hub, an improved end of ribbon detection device is provided by the combination of deflectable spring means within the spool hub which exert a force when deflected having a first force component acting against but restrained by wound ribbon on the hub and a second component acting along the hub axis. A spring tensioned member exerts a force along the hub axis which opposes the component of force of the deflectable spring along the hub axis. In this manner, the deflectable spring and the spring tensioned member are maintained in static equilibrium at a selected point along said axis so long as the deflectable spring is restrained by a predetermined minimum of ribbon remaining wound on the hub. This predetermimned minimum of ribbon remaining wound is indicative of the end of ribbon. In the preferred embodiment this is in effect the point where the ribbon becomes substantially unwound.

Printer ribbon supply mechanism with end of ribbon detect expedient

In an impact printer with a conventional combination of platen and cardholder wherein the cardholder has an inner surface with a curvature matching that of the platen and is mounted adjacent to but spaced from the platen so that a sheet of printing medium may be moved between the cardholder and platen and wherein conventional impact printing is carried out by impact means acting upon the sheet through an opening in the cardholder, an improved cardholder structure is provided wherein the cardholder comprises integral ribbon guide means for guiding the printer ribbon in a path along the outer surface of the cardholder across the opening whereby the impact means may selectively drive the ribbon through the opening to print upon the sheet. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cardholder further comprises integral end of ribbon sensing means mounted in a fixed position along said ribbon path.

Impact printer cardholder with integral ribbon guide and end of ribbon

An electrophotographic machine of the transfer type wherein a modular construction is provided including a main slide-out drawer upon which the entire paper path is mounted as well as the transfer corona. Included in the main drawer are the paper supply bins, paper feeding mechanisms, transport guides and conveyors, the transfer corona, detach means, and the fuser. The paper supply bins are mounted in individual mini-drawers separate from but located within the main drawer.

Electrophotographic document copier machine with modular paper path

Mechanism for separating the uppermost pliant sheet of a stack of such sheets from the stack including a rotatable friction drive wheel effective on the longitudinal center line of the uppermost sheet for initially moving the sheet rearwardly, and a pair of downwardly tapered posts at the rear face of the stack and on opposite sides of the center line which cause the uppermost sheet to bow upwardly away from the stack particularly on its side edges for thereby effectively separating the sheet from the stack and allowing it to be driven subsequently in the forward direction to free it completely from the stack.

Paper guide means for reverse feed sheet paper separation device

A buckling type paper sheet feeding mechanism wherein the top sheet of a stack is separated from the underlying sheet by first driving the front sheet edge in a rearward direction against a rear restraint, causing the top sheet to buckle, and then reversing the direction of sheet drive, causing the top sheet to be fed in a forward direction over a front stack edge restraining or hold-down means. The top sheet is moved rearward by a variable force means which provides a progressively increasing buckling force, to thereby ensure reliable feed of paper of varying types, weights and humidity content, while at the same time minimizing the possibility of double sheet feed. A variable position rear restraint moves rearward, in synchronism with operation of the variable force means, to increase the column length of the top sheet as the buckling force increases.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Willie Goff, Jr