Claims
- 1. In a hand operated imprinter for imprinting characters from a card-like character source member such as a credit card or the like onto a sheet material document, comprising an elongated generally rectangular base member having a flat upwardly facing panel forming a document supporting surface, a reciprocative carrier member transversely spanning the base member supporting imprinter roller means and movable longitudinally over the document supporting panel from a start position adjacent one end of the panel to a reversing return position adjacent the other end of the panel, the carrier member having opposite side portions flanking opposite sides of the base member, said imprinting roller means comprising at least one imprint roller for engaging a document when positioned on said panel overlying said character source member during movement of said carrier member between said start and return positions, the base member and carrier member having coactive means for moving the imprint roller from a raised inactive position to an imprint position engaging the document to cause imprinting of characters on said source member onto the document during such last-mentioned movement of the carrier member; the improvement comprising said base member having track means at said opposite sides of the base member longitudinally spanning the length of the base member for movably supporting and guiding the carrier member during its movement, said track means at each of the opposite sides comprising an upwardly facing first track surface disposed in substantially a horizontal plane paralleling said panel and an inclined downwardly and outwardly facing second track surface formed by an upper side face of an outwardly opening track channel at each opposite side of the base member having outwardly diverging upper and lower side faces, the portion of said base member at each side thereof lying between said first and second track surfaces defining a truncated triangular rib formation, and said carrier member having a pair of pinched action bearing roller assemblies at the respective opposite side portions thereof each comprising an upper roller having a cylindrical periphery concentric with a horizontal axis of rotation thereof disposed in confronting downwardly bearing rolling relation to said upwardly facing first track surface adjacent thereto and a tapered inwardly convergent substantially conical companion lower roller spaced directly below the upper roller and bearing upwardly in confronting rolling relation against said upper side face of the adjacent track channel, said upper roller and companion lower roller at each side of the carrier member being spaced so as to exert a vertically directed converging pinch action on and embracing said truncated triangular rib formation at the adjacent side of the base member.
- 2. An imprinter as defined in claim 1, wherein said track means are a pair of elongated track members positioned respectively at said opposite sides of the base member and having opposite outwardly directed track faces shaped to define outwardly opening and outwardly diverging truncated v shaped track channels, the lower side face of each track channel defining a lower side face confronting said upper side face and inclined relative to said horizontal plane to subtend a larger angle therewith than the angle subtended by said upper side face.
- 3. An imprinter as defined in claim I, wherein the portions of said base member forming said document supporting panel and said track members are an integral plastic body having the track means formed therein.
- 4. An imprinter as defined in claim 2, wherein the portions of said base member forming said document supporting panel and said track members are an integral plastic body having the track means formed therein.
- 5. An imprinter as defined in claim 1, wherein said imprint roller is mounted on a stepped diameter shaft coactive with shaped cavity surfaces in shaft support members of the carrier member in which the shaft is slidable axially to raise and lower said imprint roller between print and non-print positions for causing the imprint roller to print in one direction of travel only of the carrier member.
- 6. An imprinter as defined in claim 2, wherein said imprint roller is mounted on a stepped diameter shaft coactive with shaped cavity surfaces in shaft support members of the carrier member in which the shaft is slidable axially to raise and lower said imprint roller between print and non-print positions for causing the imprint roller to print in one direction of travel only of the carrier member. 22
- 7. An imprinter as defined in claim 1, wherein said roller means comprises two imprint rollers for selectively engaging the document, one of the rollers engaging the document during movement of the carrier in one direction and the other roller engaging the document during movement of the carrier member in the other direction, said imprint rollers being mounted respectively on a pair of stepped diameter shafts coactive with shaped cavity surfaces in shaft support members of the carrier member in which the shafts are slidable axially to raise and lower said imprint rollers between print and non-print positions causing one of the rollers to print in one direction of travel and the other roller to print, in the other direction of travel.
- 8. An imprinter as defined in claim 2, wherein said roller means comprises two imprint rollers for selectively engaging the document, one of the rollers engaging the document during movement of the carrier in one direction and the other roller engaging the document during movement of the carrier member in the other direction, said imprint rollers being mounted respectively on a pair of stepped diameter shafts coactive with shaped cavity surfaces in shaft support members of the carrier member in which the shafts are slidable axially to raise and lower said imprint rollers between print and non-print positions causing one of the rollers to print in one direction of travel and the other roller to print in the other direction of travel.
Priority Claims (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
| 2885/85 |
Nov 1985 |
IEX |
|
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 833,607, filed 2-22-86 and now abandoned.
The invention relates to a hand operated imprinter for imprinting characters from a character source member such as a credit card onto a document of the type, and more particularly to a imprinter having a base member having means for receiving a character source member and means for receiving a document, and a carrier supporting imprinting means to press the document against the character source member, the carrier being slidably movable over the base member on a track means provided on the base member.
The invention is characterized in that the carrier includes a pair of spaced-apart bearing means which engage opposing faces of the track means with a pinch action. One advantage of the invention is that by virtue of the fact that the bearing means engages the track with a pinch action a particularly smooth movement of the carrier over the base member is achieved. In one embodiment of the invention the track means comprises a pair of elongated track members on opposite sides of the base member, each track member having outwardly directed track faces. This arrangement provides smooth movement over the length of travel of the carrier.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the bearing means comprises bearing rollers engaging opposite track faces of the track means with a pinch action embracing the track faces therebetween. The rollers assist in providing a smooth movement of the carrier across the base. Preferably the track faces comprise an upper track face and a lower track face, the lower track face being inclined at an angle to the upper track face, and one of the bearing rollers is a tapered roller to engage the inclined track face. This arrangement provides a particularly smooth action and by virtue of the fact that the lower track face and roller are tapered facilitates adjustment of the pinch action.
In one embodiment of the invention the bearing means comprises at least one pair of pinch rollers, namely an upper pinch roller and a lower pinch roller, at opposite sides of the carrier member located outwardly of and bearing inwardly against the track means. Preferably two pairs of pinch rollers are provided to engage the track means. This assists in balancing the carrier member and in providing a smooth operation. Typically the lower pinch rollers are of tapered inwardly convergent conical configuration. The advantage of this type of roller is that it provides a particularly good pinch action and smooth operation while allowing adjustment for maintaining pinch action as the rollers and/or track faces become worn.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the means for receiving a document comprises a flat upwardly facing panel forming a document supporting surface. In this embodiment, the document supporting panel and the track means are an integral plastic body having the track means formed therein. The integral plastic construction facilitates ease and cheapness of manufacture and assembly and provides an imprinter of robust construction.
Preferably the carrier member is a reciprocative carrier member transversely spanning the base member and movable longitudinally over the document supporting panel from a start position adjacent one end of the panel to a reversing return position adjacent the other end of the panel, the imprinter roller means comprising at least one imprinter roller for engaging a document when positioned on the panel overlying a character source member during movement of the carrier member between the start and return positions. The base member and carrier member include co-operating means for moving the imprinter roller from a raised inactive position to a lowered imprinting position engaging the document to imprint characters from a character source member onto a document during movement of the carrier member between the start and return position. The imprinter roller may be mounted on a stepped diameter shaft, the shaft being mounted in shaft support members of the carrier member in which the shaft is slidable axially to raise and lower the imprinter roller between print and non-print positions so that the imprinter roller prints in only one direction of travel of the carrier member.
Preferably the co-operating means described in the preceding paragraph comprise cam follower members on the carrier member for axially shifting the shaft and cam abutment formations positioned on the base member to engage the cam follower members at the return and start positions of the carrier member to activate the cam follower members to move the shaft. The roller means may comprise two imprinter rollers for selectively engaging a document, one of the rollers engaging the document during movement of the carrier in one direction and the other of the rollers engaging the document during movement of the carrier in the other direction. The particular advantage of this arrangement is that good quality printing is achieved of the characters from both a credit card and merchants plate. Often the characters on these two sources are worn to varying degrees so that a single pass with a roller gives weak print from one or other source.
In one embodiment of the invention a single cam abutment is provided and link means are provided between the cam followers for movement of both shafts when one of the cam followers engages the cam abutment. The advantage of providing a single cam abutment instead of two abutments is that this reduces the height that the abutment surfaces project from the base and hence the overall height is decreased. In another embodiment of the invention a pair of cam abutments are provided, one to engage each follower of each shaft.
Preferably stop means are provided at each end of the track means to retain the carrier on the track, each of the stop means being formed by a handle and one of the handles being releasably mounted on the base. The advantage in having one of the handles removable is that the carrier may then be easily removed for maintenance. The base member may include an inclined skirt portion for receiving an advertising indica, logo or decals.
Also adjustment means may be provided for varying the gripping pressure with which the bearing grip the track means. This arrangement allow the pinch pressure to be adjusted to accommodate wear of the rollers and/or track faces.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 866834 |
May 1961 |
GBX |
| 1063438 |
Mar 1967 |
GBX |
| 1081530 |
Aug 1967 |
GBX |
| 1509585 |
May 1978 |
GBX |
| 2141795 |
Jan 1985 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
833601 |
Feb 1986 |
|
Patent Grant
4938132
