The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 05, 1994
Filed:
Sep. 24, 1992
Robert B Schulte, Springboro, OH (US);
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
An improved thermal printing postage meter includes a base supporting a registration wall and a deck. A thermal print head is fixably mounted to the registration wall above a portion of the deck to define a print station. A thermal ribbon cassette is detachably mounted to the registration wall, the thermal ribbon cassette having a thermal transfer ribbon supply mounted around a supply roller and threaded past the print head in the printing station to a take-up roller. A platen roller assembly supports a platen roller for positioning the platen roller to assume a second position biasing the media against the thermal ribbon and the thermal print head. A first motor drive is provided for rotatively driving the platen roller, wherein rotation of the platen roller simultaneously drives the media and thermal ribbon past the print head. A second motor drive is provided for driving the take-up roller during a print cycle. A microcontroller communicates with the first drive motor and the second drive motor for driving the first and second motor drives at complementary speeds such that the take-up side web tension of the thermal ribbon within the thermal cassette remains constant.