Type bearing band assembly

• US 4,121,517 A
• Filed: 11/24/1976
• Issued: 10/24/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DataProducts
• Original Assignee: DataProducts
• Inventors: Dobson, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pieprz, William
• Application Number:
  US05/744,599
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 101/111, 101/93.13, 101/93.14, 197/36
• US Class Current: 101/93.14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 1/20 with types or dies mounted on endless bands or the like

Abstract

A type bearing band assembly for use in a high speed impact printer comprising a flexible band having a plurality of cylindrical slugs secured to the band outer surface and extending across the width thereof. Each slug has end faces which open into bores or cavities extending axially into the slug. A plurality of type modules are provided, each including a head having front and rear faces. One or more raised type characters are formed on each module front face. A shank extends from each module rear face through a slug end face and is secured in the slug cavity.

Claims

1. An assembly suitable for use in a printing apparatus for successively presenting type characters to a print station, said assembly comprising:

an endless band formed of plastic material having first and second edges spaced by a width dimension and inner and outer peripheral surfaces extending between said edges, said band being relatively flexible about an axis in the plane of said band parallel to said width dimension and relatively rigid about an axis in the plane of said band perpendicular to said width dimension;

low friction bearing means engaging said band inner surface and supporting said band thereon;

a plurality of elongated metal slugs, each having an end face opening into an axially directed cavity;

adhesive means fixing said metal slugs to the outer surface of said plastic band with the length of said slugs extending across the width of said band;

a plurality of metal type modules, each comprised of a head having front and rear faces;

a shank extending from the rear face of each of said type module heads, said shanks extending fully into said slug cavities to abut said slug end faces against said type module head rear faces;

at least one raised type character formed on the front face of each of said type module heads;

a heat soluble adhesive securing each type module shank within the cavity of one of said elongated metal slugs whereby heat can be applied to a selected module to dissolve said adhesive to enable the type module shank to be withdrawn from said slug cavity; and

means for driving said endless band around said low friction bearing means.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said slugs has two end faces, each opening into an axially directed cavity.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said cavities and said shanks define cylindrical cross sections.

4. A printer apparatus comprising:

a hammer assembly including a plurality of hammers mounted with the impact faces thereof defining a common elongated plane and means for individually actuating each hammer to propel the impact face thereof in a first direction substantially perpendicular to said plane;

means for transporting a web material to be printed upon along a path past said common plane of impact faces; and

type assembly means for successively presenting type characters to each of said hammer impact faces, said type assembly means including;

an endless band formed of plastic material having first and second edges spaced by a width dimension and inner and outer peripheral surfaces extending between said edges, said band being relatively flexible about an axis in the plane of said band parallel to said width dimension and relatively rigid about an axis in the plane of said band perpendicular to said width dimension;

a plurality of elongated metal slugs each having an end face opening into an axially directed cavity;

a plurality of metal type modules, each comprised of a head having front and rear faces;

a shank extending from the rear face of each of said type module heads, said shanks extending fully into said slug cavities to abut said slug end faces against said type module head rear faces;

at least one raised type character formed on the front face of each of said type module heads;

a heat soluble adhesive securing each type module shank within the cavity of one of said elongated metal slugs, whereby heat can be applied to a selected module to dissolve said adhesive to enable the type module shank to be withdrawn from said slug cavity;

adhesive means fixing said metal slugs to the outer surface of said plastic band with the length of said slugs extending across the width of said band and with said type module front faces lying in a substantially common plane;

low friction bearing means engaging said band inner surface and supporting said band with said plane of type module front faces oriented substantially parallel to said plane of impact faces with said web material path disposed therebetween; and

means for driving said endless band around said low friction bearing means.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each slug and type module has a mass on the order of at least five times the mass of one of said hammers.