Patent ID: 7070347

Claim:
A printer having a dual direction drive mechanism for driving an ink ribbon in a forward feed direction and a reverse feed direction, said drive mechanism being mounted in a printer body and comprising: a ribbon rewind gear rotatably mounted in the body for rotatably driving an ink ribbon take up spool to wind the ink ribbon thereon when the ink ribbon is driven in the forward feed direction; a ribbon unwind gear rotatably mounted in the body and spaced from said ribbon rewind gear for rotatably driving an ink ribbon supply spool to wind the ink ribbon thereon when the ink ribbon is driven in the reverse feed direction; a rotatably driven drive gear rotatably mounted in the body and spaced from said ribbon unwind gear and said ribbon rewind gear, said drive gear being selectively rotatably driven in a first direction of rotation and a second direction of rotation; a drive gear assembly pivotally mounted in the body and being pivotable between a first feed position and a second feed position, said drive gear assembly including a pivoting gear and at least one transition gear, said pivoting gear being rotatably mounted in the body about a pivot gear axis and engaging said drive gear and said at least one transition gear, said pivot gear including a stub coaxial with said pivot gear axis, wherein upon rotation of said drive gear in said first direction of rotation, said drive gear assembly pivots about said pivot gear axis from said first feed position to said second feed position to engage said at least one transition gear with said ribbon rewind gear, and upon rotation of said drive gear in said second direction of rotation of said drive gear, said drive gear assembly pivots about said pivot gear axis from said second feed position to said first feed position to disengage said at least one transition gear from said ribbon rewind gear and engage at least one of said at least one transition gear with said ribbon unwind gear; and a spring frictionally engaging an outer circumference of said stub to pivot said gear drive assembly upon rotation of said pivoting gear.