PRINTING APPARATUS

Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising a printing head unit (6) reciprocatively movable along a platen (3) within a frame (1), including a memory unit (7) for storing printing data, and means for supporting the memory unit (7) in such a manner that the memory unit is selectively positionable out of the frame (1) or within a spacing formed inside the frame (1) for reciprocative movement of the printing head (6).

Description: This invention relates to a printing apparatus such as a typewriter or an independent printer, and more particularly to a printing apparatus which is operated based upon printing data stored in a recording medium such as a floppy disc. Conventionally, in order to store the printing data prepared by operating the keys on, for instance, the typewriter in a recording medium such as a floppy disc and to carry out the printing in accordance with the data stored in the recording medium, it has been necessary to dispose an external memory unit such as a disc drive unit side by side with the printing apparatus and connected together with a cable and so on. Under the above conditions, however, since the memory unit has been constructed as a separate unit from the printing apparatus, there have been such problems that the system as a whole becomes bulky and accordingly relatively large space is required to dispose them during use thereof and it becomes difficult to handle during transportation thereof, and that the connection and disconnection of the cable are troublesome. In this connection, there has been proposed such type of office typewriters that the memory unit is incorporated in the main body at the rear side thereof so that the memory unit may not interfere various operations of the printing mechanisms of the typewriter. In the case of such types of apparatus, however, problems have then arised that the typewriter becomes voluminous due to increase in the volume corresponding to the incorporated memory unit, and that, because the memory unit is located at the rear side of the main body, loading and unloading of the recording medium into and out of the memory unit are difficult. In accordance with the invention, there is provided a printing apparatus comprising a printing head unit reciprocable within a frame and a memory unit for storing printing data, characterised in that the memory unit is selectively movable between a storage position and a position of use in which the memory unit is disposed outside of the frame and does not interfere with the reciprocation of said printing head. With the invention it is possible to provide an improved printing apparatus capable of eliminating such deficiencies as above described. Preferably the memory unit is disposed substantially within the frame when in its storage position and more preferably completely within so that the apparatus is easier to store or transport and the memory unit is protected from damage. In one embodiment of the invention, said apparatus further comprises a pair of guide bars arranged in parallel with a platen inside said frame for guiding the movement of said printing head unit, and said memory unit supporting means comprises a supporting member secured to said memory unit and slidably mounted on said pair of bars. In a modified embodiment of the invention, said memory unit supporting means comprises a pair of posts formed inside said frame for swingably supporting one side of said memory unit. With the above constructed printing apparatus, the memory unit can, during non-use of the printing apparatus, be kept at its storage position i.e., in the vacant space defined inside the frame for allowing the reciprocative movements of the printing head unit, whereby the printing apparatus as a whole is prevented from becoming large in size facilitating transportation and storage of the printing apparatus while incorporating the memory unit therein. During use of the printing apparatus, the memory unit is stuck into its position for use outside the frame of the printing apparatus, whereby the loading and unloading of a storage medium into and out of the memory unit is enabled to be easily performed from the front thereof. The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typewriter embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the memory unit and the related parts of the typewriter shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the memory unit and the related parts of the modified typewriter embodying the invention; and Fig. 4 is a partially sectional view of the memory unit and the related parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 1 shows an electric typewriter embodying the invention, wherein a keyboard portion 2 with a large number of keys arranged thereon is provided at the front side thereof. At the rear side thereof, inside an openable cover plate 1, a rotatable platen 3 is arranged for supporting and guiding a printing paper P. In parallel with the platen 3, as illustrated in Fig. 2, a pair of guide bars 4 and 5 are extended with a predetermined interval for guiding reciprocative movements of a printing head unit 6 in the axial direction of the platen 3. The printing head unit 6 is the conventional one which comprises a carriage, a daisy wheel, a hammer, a ribbon cassete and other parts. Arranged under the bars 4 and 5 is a timing belt 20 for moving the printing head unit 6 based upon the signals fed to a driving motor, not shown, connected to a driving gear 21. At one end of the guide bars 4 and 5, as illustrated in Fig. 2, an inverted L-shaped supporting plate 8, which supports a floppy disc drive unit 7 at the upper leg 8a thereof, is slidably mounted by bridging the bars 4 and 5 at the vertical leg 8b thereof. When the plate 8 is positioned at the right-hand end of the apparatus as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper leg 8a of the plate 8 overlaps the body frame 1a and the floppy disc drive unit 7 is positioned completely out of the body frame 1a of the typewriter. In this connection, the body frame 1a is partly cut off to enable the floppy disc drive unit 7 to pass through. The bar receiving portions 12 and 13 formed at the lower end of the vertical leg 8b of the plate 8 are made of rubber to generate a sufficient frictional force to prevent the unintentional sliding movement of the floppy disc drive unit 7 unless a manual force is applied thereto by an operator. The floppy disk drive unit 7 supported by the plate 8 serves as an external memory unit capable of storing the printing data prepared by operating the keys on the keyboard portion 2 of the typewriter. At the front surface of the unit 7, an opening 7a is provided for inserting and taking out a floppy disk 9 which serves as a recording medium. When manual force is applied to the floppy disc drive unit 7 to move it in the leftward direction in Figs. 1 and 2, the plate 8 starts to move along the bars 4 and 5 against the frictional force existing between the bars 4/5 and the bar receiving portions 12/13 and the floppy disc drive unit 7 can be completely accomodated inside the body frame 1a of the typewriter as illustrated in Fig. 1 by double-dotted lines. Although the printing head unit 6 moves in almost full range of the vacant space under the cover frame 1 during carrying out the printing operation, by defining a home position of the printing head unit 6 at or leftwards of the position illustrated in Fig. 1, there remains the scope sufficient to accomodate the floppy disc drive unit 7 inside the body frame 1a of the typewriter. On the other hand, during the printing operation, the floppy disc drive unit 7 is extended out of the typewriter so that it may be used, and in its extended position it does not bar the free movement of the printing head unit 6. In order to assure this condition, a mechanical switch 11 is arranged in such a manner that the bar receiving portion 13 of the plate 8 contacts the switch 11 to turn on it when the plate 8 reaches the right hand side of the apparatus, i.e., when the floppy disc drive unit 7 is disposed completely out of the body frame 1a. This mechanical switch 11 is electrically connected between a power supply source, not shown, and a main driving circuit, also not shown, for driving various mechanisms in the typewriter so that, even if the power is supplied to the typewriter, the printing operation can not be carried out and therefore the printing head unit 6 can not move along the bars 4 and 5 until the floppy disc unit is extended. With the above constructed electric typewriter, during preparation of printing data, the floppy disk drive unit 7 is positioned out of the main body 1a of the typewriter and the opening 7a for the floppy disc 9 is positioned just adjacent the keyboard portion 2 of the typewriter so that the use of the floppy disc 9 becomes considerably easy. Further, the operations of various mechanisms equipped to the typewriter including the movements of the printing head unit 6 are, of course, not disturbed at all by the existence of the floppy disc drive unit 7. On the contrary, the floppy disc drive unit 7 can be completely accomodated inside the body frame 1a and under the openable cover frame 1a during nonuse of the typewriter, which makes it easy to transport or store. Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the floppy disk drive unit 7 is pivotally supported at one side thereof on a pair of posts 14a and 14b formed inside the body frame 1a. More particularly, a connecting member 80 provided on one side of the floppy disc drive unit 7 is secured to a pivot shaft 15 which is supported by the pair of posts 14a and 14b. With this modification, the floppy disc drive unit 7 is swingable between its operating position and its storage position about the pivot shaft 15. When it is turned to its operating position, i.e. the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the connecting member 80 seats the upper edge 10 of the body frame 1a to hold the floppy disc drive unit 7 at that position. On the contrary, when it is turned to its storage position, i.e., the position illustrated in Fig. 4 by double-dotted lines, a supporting leg 7b retractably arranged on the upper side of the floppy disc drive unit 7 is manually extended so as to support the unit 7. Further, another leg 1b retractably arranged on the inner surface of the cover frame 1 is extended to prevent the unintentional swinging of the unit 7. Additionally, at the side of the floppy disk drive unit 7 opposite to the side where the connecting member 80 is provided, a channel-­ shaped hook member 17 may be formed to engage with a hook receiving member correspondingly formed at one side of the printing head unit 6 when the floppy disk drive unit 7 is placed at its storage position, as illustrated in Fig. 4. When adopting this hook mechanism, the home position of the printing head unit 6 must of course be so determined as to be adjacent the accomodated unit 7. With these arrangements of the supporting mechanism, the floppy disc drive unit 7 can be stably accomodated inside the main body 1a and under the cover frame 1 during non-use of the typewriter. In the above modified embodiment, when turning the floppy disc drive unit 7 between its operating and storage positions, the cover frame 1 is maintained to be open. Further, a mechanical switch 110 functions in an analogous fashion to the mechanical switch 11 of the first embodiment so that it is turned on when the connecting member 80 seats the upper edge 10 of the body frame 1a. Thus, also with the above modified embodiments, during preparation of printing data, the floppy disk drive unit 7 is positioned out of the main body 1a of the typewriter and the opening 7a for the floppy disc 9 is positioned just adjacent the keyboard portion 2 of the typewriter so that the use of the floppy disc 9 is facilitated. Further, the operations of various mechanisms equipped to the typewriter including the movements of the printing head unit 6 are, of course, not disturbed at all by the existence of the floppy disc drive unit 7. On the contrary, the floppy disc drive unit 7 can be completely accomodated inside the body frame 1a and under the openable cover frame 1a during nonuse of the typewriter, which makes it easy to transport it or to store and reduces the risk of damaging the floppy disk unit. Although the foregoing embodiments are all for the electronic typewriters, the present invention may be applied to other printing apparatuses which can be operated in accordance with the printing data stored in the external recording media such as magnetic disks, magnetic tapes, optical disks and so on.

Claims: 1. A printing apparatus comprising a printing head unit (6) reciprocable within a frame (1) and a memory unit (7) for storing printing data, characterised in that the memory unit (7) is selectively movable between a storage position and a position of use in which the memory unit (7) is disposed outside of the frame (1) and does not interfere with the reciprocation of said printing head (6). 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1 characterised in that when the memory unit (7) is in the storage position it is disposed substantially within the frame (1). 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that it further comprises a pair of guide bars (4, 5) arranged parallel with a platen (3) inside said frame (1) for guiding the movement of said printing head (6) unit, and said memory unit (7) is supported by a supporting member (8) secured to said memory unit (7) and slidably mounted on said pair of guide bars (4, 5). 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 characterised in that said supporting member (8) comprises an inverted L shaped plate, an upper leg (8a) of said plate (8) being secured to said memory unit (7) and a vertical leg (8b) of said plate (8) being slidably mounted on said guide bars (4, 5). 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 characterised in that said vertical leg (8b) of the supporting member (3) is provided with a pair of portions (12, 13) to contact said guide bars (4, 5) respectively, and at least one of said portions (12, 13) is formed of a rubber-like material so as to generate a frictional force between said one of portions (12, 13) and one of said bars (4, 5) to prevent unintentional sliding of said supporting member (8) relative to said bars (4, 5). 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that said memory unit (7) is supported by a pair of posts (14a, 14b) formed inside said frame (1) and in that one edge of said memory unit (7) is pivotably mounted on the posts (14a, 14b) so that it may be pivoted between its position of use and storage position. 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 characterised in that said memory unit (7) is provided with a retractable member (7b) on the upper side thereof to be extended for supporting said memory unit (7) when said memory unit (7) is turned to its storage position within said frame (1). 8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 characterised in that said frame (1) is provided with a retractable member (1b) on the inner surface thereof to be extended to hold said memory unit (7) when said memory unit (7) is turned to its storage position within said frame (1). 9. Apparatus according to claim 6, 7 or 8 characterised in that said memory unit (7) is provided with a hook member (17) and said printing head unit (6) is provided with a hook receiving member (18), said hook member (17) being engaged in said hook receiving member (18) when said memory unit (7) is turned to its storage position within said frame (1). 10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that it further comprises means (110) for confirming that said memory unit (7) is positioned in its position for use out of said frame (1). 11. Apparatus according to claim 10 characterised in that said confirming means (110) comprises a mechanical switch operated by movement of said memory unit (7) to and from its position of use out of said frame (1).

Inventors: ISHIGAMI, MICHIFUMI
Applicants: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B41J29
IPC codes: B41J5, B41J29