Sequential hammer imprinter

Claim 2

An impact printer comprising: a. housing means defining a region into which an imprintable form can be inserted for printing; b. a plurality of slides movably carried by said housing means for movement along one side of said region in parallel directions, each of said slides carrying a plurality of raised characters along a surface facing said region and being adapted to selectively position said characters in side-by-side printing stations; c. said slides being provided with indicia viewable through apertures in said housing means to indicate which of said characters are positioned in said printing stations; d. said slides additionally being provided with recesses adapted to be engaged by a pointed instrument inserted through slots in said housing means to facilitate movement of said slides to selectively position said characters in said printing stations; e. a plurality of hammers each having supporting portions secured to said housing means and having anvil portions at locations spaced from said supporting portions, each of said anvil portions extending to a position generally adjacent a separate one of said printing stations on the opposite side of said region from said one side; and f. rotary cam means journaled by said housing means and having cam portions configured to deflect said hammers to sequentially move each of said anvil portions away from its associated printing station and to sequentially release said deflected anvil portions; g. whereby the deflection of said hammers will bias said anvil portions toward their respective printing stations with sufficient force to assure the rapid movement of said released anvil portions toward their respective printing stations thereby serving to sequentially impact an imprintable form positioned between said slides and said anvil portions against said characters positioned in said printing stations.

Claim 3

An impact printer comprising: a. housing means including a body structure and a cover defining therebetween a region into which an imprintable form can be inserted for printing; b. a plurality of parallel extending ways being provided in said cover structure; c. a plurality of substantially identical slides slidably mounted in said ways movably for movement along one side of said region in parallel directions, each of said slides carrying a plurality of raised characters along a surface facing said region and being adapted to selectively position said characters in side-by-side printing stations; d. said body structure defining a chamber therein and having an opening communicating said chamber and said region. e. a plurality of substantially identical hammers mounted in said chamber, each of said hammers having supporting portions secured to said body structure and having anvil portions at locations spaced from said supporting portions, each of said anvil portions extending to a position generally adjacent a separate one of said printing stations on the opposite side of said region from said one side and being extensible through said opening to engage an imprintable positioned within said region; f. said hammers each additionally having cam follower portions formed integrally therewith; g. rotary cam means journalled by said housing means and having cam lobe portions adapted to engage each of said cam follower portions during different portions of each cycle of rotation of said cam means to sequentially deflect each of said anvil portions away from its associated printing station and to sequentially release said deflected anvil portions; h. said cam lobe portions being disposed generally helically about the axis of rotation of said cam means; i. whereby the deflection of said hammers will bias said anvil portions toward their respective printing stations with sufficient force to assure the rapid movement of said released anvil portions toward their respective printing stations thereby serving to sequentially impact an imprintable form positioned between said slides and said anvil portions against said characters positioned in said printing stations.

Claim 4

An impact printer comprising: a. housing means including a body structure and a cover defining therebetween a region into which an imprintable form can be inserted for printing; b. a plurality of parallel extending ways being provided in said cover structure; c. a plurality of substantially identical slides slidably mounted in said ways movably for movement along one side of said region in parallel directions, each of said slides carrying a plurality of raised characters along a surface facing said region and being adapted to selectively position said characters in side-by-side printing stations; d. said body structure defining a chamber therein and having an opening communicating said chamber and said region. e. a plurality of substantially identical hammers mounted in said chamber, each of said hammers having supporting portions secured to said body structure and having anvil portions at locations spaced from said supporting portions, each of said anvil portions extending to a position generally adjacent a separate one of said printing stations on the opposite side of said region from said one side and being extensible through said opening to engage an imprintable positioned within said region; f. said hammers each additionally having cam follower portions formed integrally therewith; g. rotary cam means journalled by said housing means and having cam lobe portions adapted to engage each of said cam follower portions during different portions of each cycle of rotation of said cam means to sequentially deflect each of said anvil portions away from its associated printing station and to sequentially release said deflected anvil portions; h. said cam lobe portions being disposed generally helically about the axis of rotation of said cam means; i. whereby the deflection of said hammers will bias said anvil portions toward their respective printing stations with sufficient force to assure the rapid movement of said released anvil portions toward their respective printing stations thereby serving to sequentially impact an imprintable form positioned between said slides and said anvil portions against said characters positioned in said printing stations.

Claim 5

Portable data imprinting apparatus for mechanically imprinting characters and like variable data on a print receiving sheet, comprising: a case having a printing station including a laterally extending line of character printing positions transversely spanning a portion of the case; a plurality of elongated imprinting bars within said case slidably supported for axial movement along parallel adjustment axes along the case through said printing station; each of said type bars having a columnarily disposed series of character type faces, means accessible from the exterior of said case manually engagable for shifting any selected one of said character type faces on the type bars in registry with said character printing positions; means for visibly indicating the character type faces disposed in registry with said character printing; a plurality of hammers, each being a cantilevered beam arm with one end secured to said case and a second end projecting into a drive array, each hammer having an anvil spaced from said one end, one hammer and one anvil for each said character printing position, each anvil having a normal condition positioned adjacent to the printing area; and a composite drive member composed of a rotary cam portion for each hammer, each portion mounted to contact the end of a hammer in the drive array and to lift said hammer against its inherent resiliency to a flexed distance from said normal condition, and to release the hammer for a rebound flight toward said normal condition, each cam section being in a rotary relationship to each other section and the whole defining a rotary helical cam; Whereby, rotation of said cam will lift the several hammers in said drive array sequentially and allow the hammers to rebound sequentially.

Claim 6

Portable data imprinting apparatus for mechanically imprinting characters and like variable data on a print receiving sheet, comprising: a case having a printing station including a laterally extending line of character printing positions transversely spanning a portion of the case; a plurality of elongated imprinting bars within said case slidably supported for axial movement along parallel adjustment axes along the case through said printing station; each of said type bars having a columnarily disposed series of character type faces, means accessible from the exterior of said case manually engagable for shifting any selected one of said character type faces on the type bars in registry with said character printing positions; means for visibly indicating the character type faces disposed in registry with said character printing; a plurality of hammers, each being a cantilevered beam arm with one end secured to said case and a second end projecting into a drive array, each hammer having an anvil spaced from said one end, one hammer and one anvil for each said character printing position, each anvil having a normal condition positioned adjacent to the printing area; and a composite drive member composed of a rotary cam portion for each hammer, each portion mounted to contact the end of a hammer in the drive array and to lift said hammer against its inherent resiliency to a flexed distance from said normal condition, and to release the hammer for a rebound flight toward said normal condition, each cam section being in a rotary relationship to each other section and the whole defining a rotary helical cam; Whereby, rotation of said cam will lift the several hammers in said drive array sequentially and allow the hammers to rebound sequentially.

Claim 7

The impact printer of claim 3 wherein said cam portions serve both to sequentially deflect said portions of said hammer means and to sequentially release said deflected anvil portions whereby no two of said anvil portions are in exactly the same stage of deflection at the same time nor are any two of said deflected anvil portions released to effect a printing impaction at the same time, thereby minimizing the force required to turn said rotary cam means and likewise minimizing stress on the various printer components as well as the resulting jarring action to which the printer is subjected.