Patent ID: 6398434
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A shaft assembly for a thermal printer system for adjustably applying loads along the length of a thermal print head of the thermal printer system, the shaft assembly including:(a) a shaft; and (b) a plurality of cam mechanisms rotatably mounted on the shaft and adapted to apply respective loads to the thermal print head at respective locations along the length of the thermal print head, each cam mechanism being rotationally coupled with an adjacent cam mechanism, each cam mechanism rotatable from a non-load-applying position to a load-applying position and from the load-applying position to subsequent load-applying positions, each cam mechanism adapted to apply a respective load to structure associated with the thermal print head at a respective location of the structure when the cam mechanism is in its load-applying position and when the cam mechanism is in any of its subsequent load-applying positions, each cam mechanism rotationally engaging the adjacent cam mechanism to cause the adjacent cam mechanism to rotate from the non-load-applying position of the adjacent cam mechanism to the load-applying position of the adjacent cam mechanism as the cam mechanism rotates from the load-applying position to a first subsequent load-applying position.