Manually operable sweeping-type printing apparatus

• US 5,024,541 A
• Filed: 01/30/1990
• Issued: 06/18/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Mochinaga, Nobuyuki, Tsukada, Shuya, Kanoe, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hilten, John S.
• Application Number:
  US07/474,626
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 400/88, 400/120, 400/233, 400/693, 346/76 PH, 346/143, 358/296, 358/294, 358/285, 358/293, 382/59
• US Class Current: 400/88
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence

Abstract

A manually operable sweeping-type compact printer apparatus has an input section, a display section, an electric circuit section, and a printer unit. All these components are incorporated in a housing. The printer unit includes a print head, rollers, an encoder, and a ribbon take-up device--all attached to a chassis which is fixed within the housing. When an operator holds the printer apparatus and moves it across a recording medium, while keeping the rollers and the print head in contact with the medium, the print head prints data on the recording medium.

Claims

1. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus, comprising:

housing means for containing components of the apparatus and for enabling the appartaus to be manually swept across a recording medium, said housing means including at least two cases arranged to be joined to one another;

a chassis including a single rigid base mounted in a mounting section of one of said cases of said housing means;

roller means fixed directly to said single rigid base for rotational movement and being adapted to protrude from said housing means to contact said recording medium, said roller means rotating when said housing means is swept across said recording medium;

an ink-ribbon detachably mounted directly to said single rigid base and being arrange to contract said recording medium;

ink-ribbon winding means fixed directly to said single rigid base for winding said ink-ribbon;

encoder means including an encoder disk fixed directly to said single rigid base, for generating a signal every time said housing means is swept over a predetermined distance with respect to said recording medium;

rotation-transmitting means fixed directly to said single rigid base, for transmitting rotation of said roller means to said ink-ribbon winding means and to said encoder disk; and

printing means provided in said housing means and for contacting said ink-ribbon, for transmitting ink of said ink-ribbon onto said recording medium;

wherein critical rotating components of the apparatus are fixed directly to said single rigid base for incorporation together within the housing means data storage means;

key input means mounted on said housing means for inputting data to said data storage means; and

,

display means mounted on said housing means for displaying said data stored in said data storage means.

2. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said printing means is mounted on said chassis.

3. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rotation-transmitting means includes means for transmitting the rotation of said roller means to said ink-ribbon winding means when said housing means is swept in a forward direction, and for preventing the reverse direction winding of said ink-ribbon winding means.

4. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said rotation-transmitting means includes:

gear means for transmitting the rotation of said roller means to said ink-ribbon winding means; and

stopper means for allowing said gear means to rotate when said housing means is swept in the forward direction, and for preventing said gear means from rotating when said housing means is swept in the reverse direction.

5. A hand-held electronic printing appartaus of claim 4, wherein:

said gear means includes a plurality of gears meshing with one another; and

said stopper means includes a movable gear in mesh with one of said gears of said gear means and which is meshable with both said one gear and other gears of said gear means, and which meshes with said one gear of said gear means when said housing means is swept in the reverse direction.

6. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising electronic circuit means mounted on at least one of said housing means and said chassis, for operating said printing means in response to a single output from said encoder means.

7. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said electronic circuit means includes;

said data storage means mounted to said housing means for storing said data to be printed; and

data processing means mounted on said housing means, for supplying said data from said data storage means to said printing means in accordance with said data supplied from said data storage means.

8. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said electronic circuit means includes:

data storing means mounted on said housing means for storing data to be printed;

printing control means mounted on said chassis and coupled to said data storing means, for controlling said printing means, so as to print said data stored in said data storing means; and

data processing means mounted on said housing means, for supplying said data to be printed, from said data storing means to said printing control means.

9. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

power supplying means mounted on said housing means, for supplying electric power to said electronic circuit means.

10. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus, comprising:

housing means for containing components of the apparatus and for enabling the apparatus to be manually swept across a recoding medium, said housing means including at least two cases arranged to be joined to one another;

a single rigid chassis block mounted to a mounting section of one of said cases of said housing means, said single rigid chassis block including;

roller means fixed directly to said single rigid chassis block for rotational movement and being adapted to protrude from said housing means to contact said recording medium, said roller means rotating when said housing means is swept across said recording medium;

ink-ribbon means including a take-up shaft mounted directly to said single rigid chassis block, and an ink-ribbon detachably provided on said take-up shaft, for contacting said recording medium and for supplying ink to be printed;

encoder means including an encoder disk mounted directly to said single rigid chassis block for generating a signal every time said housing means is swept over a predetermined distance with respect to said recording medium; and

rotation-transmitting means mounted directly to said single rigid chassis block for transmitting rotation of said roller means to said take-up shaft and to said encoder disk; and

printing means provided in said housing means and contacting said ink-ribbon, for transmitting ink of said ink-ribbon onto said recording medium;

wherein critical rotating components of the apparatus are fixed directly to said single rigid chassis block for incorporation together within the housing means data storage means;

key input means mounted on said housing means for inputting data to said data storage means; and

,

display means mounted on said housing means for displaying said data stored in said data storage means.

11. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said printing means is mounted on said chassis block.

12. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said rotation-transmitting means includes means for transmitting the rotation of said roller means to said take-up shaft when said housing means is swept in a forward direction, and for preventing the rotation of said roller means from being transmitted to said take-up shaft when said housing means is swept in a reverse direction.

13. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 12, wherein said rotation-transmitting means includes:

gear means for transmitting the rotation of said roller means to said take-up shaft; and

stopper means for allowing said gear means to rotate when said housing means is swept in the forward direction, and for preventing said gear means from rotating when said housing means is swept in the reverse direction.

14. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

said gear means includes a plurality of gears meshing with one another; and

said stopper means includes a movable gear in mesh with one of said gears of said gear means and which is meshable with both said one gear and other gears, which meshes with said one gear of said gear means when said housing means is swept in the reverse direction.

15. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 10, further comprising electronic circuit means mounted on at least one of said housing means and said chassis block, for operating said printing means in response to a signal output from said encoder means.

16. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 15, wherein said electronic circuit means includes:

said data storage means mounted on said housing means, for supplying said data from said data storage means to said printing means; and

driver means mounted on said chassis block, for driving said printing means in accordance with said data supplied from said data storage means.

17. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 15 wherein said electronic circuit means includes;

data storing mean mounted on said housing means for storing data to be printed;

printing control means mounted on said chassis block and coupled to said data storing means, for controlling said printing means so as to print said data stored in said data storing means; and

data processing means mounted on said housing means, for supplying said data to be printed, from said data storing means to said printing control means.

18. A hand-held electronic printing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

power supplying means mounted on said housing means, for supplying electric power to said electronic circuit means.