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:
Oct. 06, 1998
Filed:
Sep. 22, 1997
Tsutomu Fujiwara, Shizuoka, JP;
Tsuyoshi Sanada, Susono, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha TEC, Shizuoka, JP;
Abstract
A printer allowing attachment and detachment of an external device for improving a paper feed system. The printer allows either an automatic sheet feeder for successively feeding a plurality of cut sheets of paper or a tractor device for feeding a continuous sheet of paper as the external device to be selectively mounted, and the printer itself includes a permanent tractor, in which the permanent tractor and the external device can be driven by a common driving source. More specifically, the printer includes a printing mechanism, a paper feed path communicating with the printing mechanism, a driving source for the paper feed system, and an output gear connected to an output shaft of the driving source. The permanent tractor is located so as to communicate with the paper feed path, and includes an input gear connected to the output shaft of the driving source. The selective transmission of a drive force from the driving source to either the input gear of the permanent tractor or the output gear is effected by a drive force selecting mechanism operated by an operating member in the printer.