Patent ID: 6318258
Filing Date: 2001-11-20
Classification: B41L

Abstract:
An imprinter, comprising:a base having a flatbed for receiving at least one character bearing element having characters to be imprinted on a print receiving element;a carriage having a top surface, downwardly extending sides, a plurality of wheels rotatably disposed on each of the downwardly extending sides to support the carriage for motion in first and second opposed directions along the flatbed and to limit movement of the carriage orthogonal to the flatbed during movement in the first and second directions, and platen holder supports extending downwardly from the top surface;first and second rolling platen units attached to the platen holder supports of the carriage, each of the first and second rolling platen units comprising a platen holder having opposed sidewalls, the sidewalls having opposed openings therein, and a rolling platen having an axle supported in the opposed openings of the sidewalls, wherein the openings have at least two lobe shaped portions, each having a closed end and an open end, joined together at their open ends to form a substantially L-shaped opening, wherein the first rolling platen unit has opposed openings having closed ends of the respective, opposed first lobes facing the first direction and the closed ends of the respective, opposed second lobes facing the flatbed, and wherein the second rolling platen unit has opposed openings having closed ends of the respective, opposed first lobes facing the second direction and the closed ends of the respective, opposed second lobes facing the flatbed;whereby, forces applied during movement of the carriage in the first direction cause the axle of the rolling platen of the first rolling platen unit to move into the first lobes so that a periphery of the rolling platen is forced towards the flatbed to imprint characters from the at least one character bearing element on the print receiving element, and cause the axle of the rolling platen of the second rolling platen unit to move into the second lobes so that a periphery of the rolling platen is allowed to move away from the flatbed, and forces applied during movement of the carriage in the second direction cause the axle of the rolling platen of the second rolling platen unit to move into the first lobes so that a periphery of the rolling platen is forced towards the flatbed to imprint characters from the at least one character bearing element on the print receiving element, and cause the axle of the rolling platen of the first rolling platen unit to move into the second lobes so that a periphery of the rolling platen is allowed to move away from the flatbed, wherein a distance between the axle of the first rolling platen and the flatbed during movement of the carriage in the first direction and a distance between the axle of the second rolling platen and the flatbed during movement of the carriage in the second direction are determined solely by the distance between the respective first lobes and the flatbed.