Claims
- 1. In a printer assembly having a printer housing, a platen mounted in the printer housing, and a printhead mounted on the printer housing, and when in a working position the printhead having a print line urged against the platen, the improvement comprising a pivot frame pivotally mounted on the printer housing and movable between an open and a working position, the printhead being pivotally mounted to the pivot frame to permit pivotal movement of the printhead relative to the pivot frame as the pivot frame moves to the open position, and a cooperating guide between the printer housing and the printhead to guide the printhead with the print line facing in substantially the same direction as the direction the print line faces when in a working position as the pivot frame is moved between the open and working positions.
- 2. The printer improvement of claim 1, wherein the printer housing comprises spaced printer housing side plates, said pivot frame being mounted between said printer housing side plates, said pivot frame having a pair of side members extending from a pivot axis, said printhead being pivotally mounted between the side members of the pivot frame.
- 3. The printer improvement of claim 2, and a cam follower mounted on the printhead, and said printer housing side plates having a cam track to guide the cam follower and to control pivoting of the printhead relative to the pivot frame as the pivot frame moves between the working position and the open position.
- 4. The printer improvement of claim 3 and manual latch members for holding the pivot frame in the working position.
- 5. The printer improvement of claim 3, wherein there is at least one guide block mounted on one of the printer housing side plates, the at least one guide block having a guide slot with a tapered entry portion therein, and a guide pin mounted on said printhead, said guide pin entering said guide slot as the pivot frame moves from the open position to the working position.
- 6. The printer improvement of claim 5, wherein said cam track and said cam follower permit limited relative movement there between, and said guide slot of the guide block controlling the positioning of the printhead about its pivot to the pivot frame as the pivot frame moves to the working position.
- 7. The printer improvement of claim 3, wherein the cam track is formed along a center line comprising a radius from the pivot axis of the pivot frame.
- 8. The printer improvement of claim 1, wherein said printhead is mounted in a swing frame, the swing frame having swing frame side members and a top cross member, the swing frame side members have upwardly opening slots, the cooperating guide including guide pins on the printhead received in the slots and extending outwardly from the swing frame side members for guiding relative to the printer housing, and springs acting between the top cross member of the swing frame and the printhead to urge the guide pins into the slots and spring load the printhead away from the swing frame top cross member.
- 9. In combination with a main frame, a support for a working component that requires alignment of a reference line and which support moves to move the working component between a working position and an open position, the support comprising a pivot frame mounted on the main frame for moving the working component between the working position and the open position, the working component being pivotally mounted on the pivot frame about a pivot axis generally parallel to a reference line of the working component, and a guide on the main frame for guiding the working component about its pivot to the pivot frame such that the working component orientation relative to the pivot frame changes as the pivot frame moves the working component to the open position from the working position.
- 10. The support of claim 9, wherein said pivot frame is mounted adjacent a first cam member on the main frame, and a second cam member carried with the working component to control the pivoting of the working component relative to the pivot frame as the pivot frame moves the working component between the working position and the open position, the first and second cam members comprising the guide.
- 11. The support of claim 9, wherein said main frame is a printer frame comprising side plates, said pivot frame being positioned between and pivoted to the side plates, and the working component comprising a printhead having a print line comprising the reference line.
- 12. The support of claim 11, wherein at least one of said side plates has a cam track defined therein formed along a radius centered on the pivot of the pivot frame to the side plates, and said printhead has a cam follower riding in the cam track to control the orientation of the printhead as the pivot frame is moved to move the printhead to the open position, the cam follower and cam track continuously controlling the orientation of the printhead until the printhead reaches its working position when moved from the open position, the cam track and cam follower comprising the guide.
- 13. The support of claim 11, and guide blocks mounted on the side plates, the guide blocks each having a slot, guide pins mounted on said printhead on sides thereof, said guide pins entering said guide slots for positioning the printhead about the pivot axis of the printhead to the pivot frame as the printhead moves from the open position to its working position.
- 14. The support of claim 11, wherein said printhead is a thermal printhead having a plurality of resistive elements along the print line, said resistive elements being in a position facing downwardly when the printhead is in its working position, and said resistive elements remaining oriented facing substantially in the same direction as the pivot frame moves the printhead to the open position.
- 15. The support of claim 9, wherein said working component is pivoted to the pivot frame through an intermediate swing frame, a pair of side supports, one attached on each side of the working component, the side supports having pivot pins forming the pivotal mounting of the working component to the pivot frame.
- 16. The support of claim 9, wherein the working component has a working component frame, the main frame having a pair of side supports mounting said working component frame on sides of the main frame, a pivot connection between each of the side supports and the working component frame, and a separate sliding support on each of the sides of the working component frame received in a groove on the respective side support to permit alignment of the side supports relative to the working component frame, and fasteners to secure the sliding support on the working component frame relative to the respective side support of the main frame.
- 17. The support of claim 16, wherein said side supports have fork members at a bottom end, said fork members forming a slot receptacle for supporting the working component relative to a shaft mounting a mating member associated with the working component.
- 18. A mounting for a working component supported on a main frame, wherein the working component has an edge line that requires alignment with a cooperating member on the frame and wherein the working component is movable between an open position and a working position, comprising a main frame, a pivot frame pivotally mounted on the main frame and movable to move the working component between an open position and a working position, the working component being pivotally mounted to the pivot frame to permit pivotal movement of the working component relative to the pivot frame as the pivot frame moves to move the working component to the open position, the main frame comprising spaced side members, said pivot frame being mounted between said main frame side members, said pivot frame having a pair of pivot frame side members extending from a pivot axis, said working component being pivotally mounted between the pivot frame side members, a cam follower on the working component, and at least one of said main frame side members having a cam track to guide the cam follower and to control pivoting of the working component relative to the pivot frame side member as the pivot frame moves the working component between the working position and the open position to hold the working component with the working component edge facing in substantially the same direction as the direction the edge faces when in the working position, as the pivot frame is moved.
- 19. The mounting of claim 18, wherein there is at least one guide block mounted on one of the main frame side members, the at least one guide block having a guide slot therein, and a guide pin mounted on said working component, said guide pin entering said guide slot as the pivot frame moves to the working position.
- 20. The mounting of claim 18, wherein the working component comprises a printhead, with the edge line comprising a print line, and the cooperating member comprising a platen rotatably mounted on the frame, said platen having a mounting shaft, and a guide fork mounted on the printhead and having a slot in the lower end thereof to engage and closely fit over the shaft to position the printhead when the printhead moves to its working position.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Reference is made to application Ser. No. 09/430,714, filed on even date herewith for PRINTHEAD ALIGNMENT DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,783B1), owned by the same assignee as this application and incorporated by reference.
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