WO1992016375A1

WO1992016375A1 - Hand-held ink jet printer

Info

Publication number: WO1992016375A1
Application number: PCT/IT1991/000039
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adriano Ballabene
Original assignee: Adriano Ballabene
Priority date: 1991-03-14
Filing date: 1991-05-13
Publication date: 1992-10-01
Also published as: IT1245192B; ITMI910678A1; ITMI910678A0; AU7855491A

Abstract

Ink-jet type printer (10) for printing electronically stored texts having a compact and easily handled supporting and enclosing structure, open at the face of the printing head (30) to be placed upon the object (48) on which printing is to be effected, having a handgrip on the side opposite to said printing head (30), that can be manually moved to any free part of the object (48) to be printed on, comprising means (32) which proceed with printing when such superimposition has been made.

Description

HAND-HELD INK JET PRINTER

The invention concerns a printer for electronically stored written material hereinafter called texts. Printers at present in use are machines able to print out texts memorized electronically, especially by computers. Their structure is similar to that of a typewriter. Paper is the main base on which data is printed for docu¬ menting programs and for presenting the results. A continuous strip of paper advances in a cyclic fashion drawn by a roller. At each pause a printing head,moved by a carriage ransversally in relation to the movement of the paper, produces a line of writing. Al ernatively the strip of paper can be replaced by sheets inserted into the printer by an automatic loader.

Since the position of the printing is scrupulously ordered by the computer and rigidly predetermined, if printing needs to be done in any particular area of the sheet of paper said sheet must be moved in the various directions - it being clearly impossible to move the machine in relation to the paper - and considerable difficulties overcome while doing so. This is particularly arduous when printing must be re¬ peated in an area where it has already been done. Neither is it possible to print on .a base of considerable thickness and size, such as an exercise book, a ledger, an envelope, or on a very large sheet.

For example, such printing cannot be used for the many forms of accounting where big ledgers are in use.

In-out stock booking, paper work connected with arrivals and departures at hotels or with second-hand car transfers are all operations done by hand even though computers are available . If an ordinary printer is used, the print-outs obtained are not suitable for rapid consultation and are not always ap¬ proved by the competent authorities. Innumerable examples such as these can be quoted. The above invention altogether avoids or mitigates these drawbacks as will be explained below.

Subject of the invention is a printer, for printing elec¬ tronically stored written material, possessing a compact and easily handled structure above and below, open at the face of the printing head which coincides with the surface of the object on which printing is to be done. Said struc¬ ture has a handgrip on the side opposite said printing head, it can be manually superimposed as required over any free part of the object to be printed on, and comprises means for effecting printing after said superimposition. This printer is preferably of the ink-jet type but can also be of other known types.

In one execution the printer is connected to a computer ha¬ ving a keyboard for typing the texts to be printed, storage circuits and a display. The printer has one or more rollers by means of which it slides over the object on which printing is done. There is a device for preventing one or more of said rol¬ lers from rotating anti-clockwise.

The printing means consists of a device, connected to one or more of said rollers, that closes an electric circuit to obtain consecutive printing of each of the characters, or symbols generally , forming part of the stored text con- cerned .

Electronic circuits are provided to sound a warning when a certain number of characters, adjustable by a special controlling means, have been printed, and to indicate that the operator must move onto the line below. In another execution the printer comprises a keyboard, each key of which can be made to correspond to one of the stored texts . When printing is to be done, therefore, one or other text can be selected by pressing one or other of said keys. The selected text and the printing in progress can be seen on a display. In another execution the printer is connected to the com- puter by means of an intermediate unit comprising storage circuits, a display and a keyboard for selecting one of the stored texts .

In another execution the printing head is connected to an electronic unit, fed independen ly or from the mains, com- prising storage circuits, a display, a keyboard for typing the texts and another with keys for selecting one of the stored texts and an operative key for printing. In another type of execution the printer comprises elec¬ tronic circuits for storing written material consisting of words, characters, symbols generally and comprising elec¬ tronic circuits for transmitting codes to the printing unit. This printer comprises a keyboard with keys for selecting texts and for printing.

Alternatively there is a pair of button switches (< -— ) which are pressed to bring the texts onto the display. Using another pair of button switches (< —>) the printed material can be increased or reduced in size. Another button switch is used to start printing of the selected text .

Electricity can be from the mains or by batteries. The above printer can be supported by a guiding apparatus to mount on a table, comprising a graded rod, fixed to the table by clamps or other means, and a transversal arm con¬ nected perpendicularly to said rod by a slider to be fixed in the desired position. During printing, the head is free to slide longitudinally on said arm by means of a second sliding means. Printing is thus guided and aligned by said arm into one or other of the various zones where it is required simply by making the arm slide along the graded rod. The structural form of the printer here described is pref¬ erably box-like, substantially flat and rhomboid in shape to allow the hand to grip it conveniently, best done by placing the thumb on one side and the middle, fourth and little fingers on the other side. The index finger resting on the top of the structure can then exert adequate pressure on the object being printed. At the same time this structure allows maximum visibility at the printing aperture and over the zone where printing is going on. In one type of execution all the component parts are fixed to a printing unit sliding within an oblong structure driven by an electric motor.

The operative surface of the printing head is kept outside said struc¬ ture.

A special device executes the actual printing due to the sliding movement of said printing unit and in accordance with it. The above oblong structure is preferably a hollow bar the lower side of which is open at the operative face of the printing head.

The electric motor is placed at one of its ends and is con- nected to the printing unit by a chain mechanism. The advantages of the invention are evident. Printing can be done irrespective of the thickness, bulk or rigidity of the object to be printed on, so that said object may be a book, an exercise book, an envelope, a large sheet or any other of such possible objects that cannot be fitted into the printers at present in use. The invented printer can be used by anyone possessing a computer, or even separately. In view of its versatility it is specially useful in admin- istrative and graphic work and for hobbies of many kinds. Ledgers and similar accounting books can be simply and quickly compiled in the traditional manner.

In libraries the printer can be used to print the shelf po¬ sition assigned to a book directly onto the book itself or onto an adhesive label.

Addresses can be printed straight onto envelopes avoiding loss of time spent on detaching and applying adhesive labels. The printer can be used as an office stamp, for numbering, for correspondence, for dating, to use instead of transfer- able characters on packages, on objects that are bulky of cannot be moved and for many other purposes. Characteristics and purposes of the invention will be made even clearer by the following examples of its execution illustrated by diagrammatical drawings. Examples of execution Fig. 1 Perspective view of the invented printer connected up to a computer, guided by hand on a ledger page. Fig. 2 Perspective view of a detail of the printer. Fig. 3 Perspective view of the printer connected to a com¬ puter and to a printer through an intermediate elec- tronic unit.

Fig. 4 Perspective view of the printer connected to an in¬ dependent electronic unit. Fig. 5 Perspective view of the printer fitted to a table device to guide it. Fig. 6 Perspective view of the printer of an oblong struc¬ ture and motor driven printing unit. The ink-jet printer 10 has a box-shaped substantially rhom- boidal structure 11.

The back 15 16 is held in the palm of the hand 25 and is respectively connected to the front face 13 and to the lower operative side 12 by the inclined and parallel sides, an upper one 14 and a lower one 17.

The printing unit 29 is connected to the printing head 30 with its projecting operative face 31, near to the front face 13 and to the side 20, by the opening 18 in the lower side 12.

Close to said printing head 30, a knurled roller 32 pro¬ jects from a lateral slit 19 also on said lower side 12, said roller being supported by the transversal shaft 33 connected to the shaft 34 by a pair of cogwheels 35 and 36. The circular switch 37 is fixed to said shaft 34, said - 1 - switch acting on the electronic circuit 38 to control prin ing.

The ink well 28 and storage circuits 39 are placed above the printing unit 29. During use the thumb 26 rests on the side 20 while the middle, fourth and little fingers rest on the other side 21. The index finger 27 lies on the back 15 and inclined front side 14 to facilitate application of pressure by the op¬ erator on the structure and therefore on the ledger 48 when printing is in progress.

The invented printer 10 is connected by a wire 50 to the computer 51, with monitor 52 and keyboard 53 used to type out the text to be printed. The keyboard 40 with its selective keys 41 is placed on the side 20 of the printer.

Each of the composed and stored texts corresponds to one or other of said keys.

During printing the chosen text passes across the display 42. Push button 43 is used to cancel the stored and selected text To print one of the stored texts, it is sufficient to pres the corresponding key and then make the roller 32 slide over the object 48 on which printing is to be done, obviou ly so that the operative face 31 of the printing head 30 passes across the zone to be printed on. As the roller slides along the rotating switch 37 controls the printing unit 29 so that the characters of the stored text are progressively printed.

During printing the text can be viewed on the display and therefore checked while the operation is proceeding. Figure 3 shows a variant comprising a printer 60 connected by a wire 67 to the computer 61 by an intermediate elec- tronic unit 64. The computer is connected to a printer 63 of the kind at present in use.

The printer 60 is very similar to the printer 10 except that the keyboard 65 with selection keys 68 and cancel- ling button 69 and the display 66 are placed on the in¬ termediate unit 64 which also comprises storage circuits. Figure 4 shows another variant comprising a printer 60 substantially the same as the printer in Figure 3, al¬ ready described, connected by a wire 75 to a unit 70 com- prising a keyboard 71 for composing texts, a keyboard 72 with keys 73 for selection and 76 for cancellation, a display 74 and all the electronic circuits needed for operation. By sliding the printer over the object 48 on which printing is to be done, with the roller 32 pas- sing over the surface of said object, one or another of the prepared texts will be automatically printed. Figure 5 illustrates a device 80 comprising -a graded rod 81 to be mounted onto a table 88 and held by clamps 89. The transversal bar 82 can slide, maintaining a perpen- dicular position in relation to said rod, by means of the slide 83 after pressing the push button 84 that frees a locking arrangement between said slide 83 and rod 81. Said lock is automatically reinstated by releasing the button when the bar reaches the desired position. The printer 79 and structure 85 is the same as those pre¬ viously described but it also has the slider 86 which slides freely in relation to the bar 82.

Said bar guides the manually moved printer achieving per¬ fect alignment of the printed words on the ledger 87. The structure 91 of the printer 90 is oblong and its form is substantially that of a square hollow bar. The printing unit 92 can slide longitudinally, guided by channels 93 94 made in the sides 95 96 of the structure. Said printing unit is drawn along by the toothed belt 100 supported by cog wheels 101 and 102. The latter wheel is mounted on the shaft of the step-by- step electric motor 103.

The lower side 105 of the structure is open practically along its whole length allowing the printing head 106 to project outwards. By means of the lateral feet 107, the structure can be rested on the object to be printed, such as the book 108. At the top of the structure there are push buttons (*•-->) 109 and 110 for bringing a continuous flow of stored texts onto the display 111.

When the required text arrives, printing is started by pressing button 112.

Claims

1. Printer (10) (60) (79) (90) for. printing electronically stored written material or texts, characterized in that it has a compact and easily handled supporting and enclosing structure open at the operative face ( 3 1 ) of the print ing head ( 30 ) ( 106 ) to be placed on the object (48)(87)( 108)where printing is needed , hav ing a handgr ip on the side opposite to said head (30) (106) which can be manually superimposed, as needed, onto any free area of said object (48) (87) (108) and comprises a storage circuit for storing texts to be printed and means (32) (37) for carry¬ ing out printing, the purpose of this being to enable print¬ ing to be done irrespective of the thickness, bulk or rigidity of the object (48) (87) (108) which may therefore be a book, an exercise book, an envelope, a very large sheet of paper or any other object, even those that cannot be put into the printers at present in use, so that printing can be done on any free space on such objects.

2. Printer (10) (60) (79) (90) as in claim 1, characterized that it is of the ink-jet type.

3. Stampante (10) (60) (79) as in claim 1, characterized in that the means for causing printing to be done consist of a device (37) connected to one or more rollers (32) to slide over the object (48) (87) (108) on printing is to be done, said device (37) procuring closure of an electric circuit (38) which consecutively activates printing of each of the characters making up the stored text.

4. Printer (10) (60) (79) as in claim 3 characterized in that an electronic circuit causes a warn¬ ing to be sounded when a line of printing is completed or in any case when a certain number of characters have been printed to warn the operator that printing has been fi¬ nished or of the need to move down to another line.

5. Printer ( 10) as in claim 1, characterized in that it is connected to a computer (51) having a keyboard (53) on which texts to be printed are typed .

6. Printer ( 10) as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a keyboard (40) with selecting keys (41) each of which is made to correspond to one of the stored texts which are then selected for retrieval when the time comes to print it.

7. Printer (60) as in claim 1, charac erized in that it is connected to a computer (61), having a keyboard (68) on which texts to be printed are typed, through an intermediate unit (64) comprising cir¬ cuits for storage and a keyboard (65) with selection keys (68) each of which is made to correspond to one of the stored texts which can then be selected for retrieval when the time comes to print it.

8. Printer (60) as in claim 1, characterized in that it is connected to an electronic unit (70) independently fed or plugged into the mains, comprising storage circuits, a keyboard (71) for typing out the texts to be printed, and a keyboard (72) with selection keys (73) each of which is made to correspond to one of the stored texts which can then be selected for retrieval to be printed in due course.

9. Printer

( 10) (60) (79) as in claim 1, characterized in that its structure

( 11) is box-like, substantially flat and rhomboidal to allow the fingers of the hand (25) to grip it, especially the thumb (26) on one side and the middle, fourth .and little fingers on the other and suitable pressure to be applied to the ob¬ ject on which to print by the sliding means (32) placed on the lower side (12) especially by the index finger (27) laid along the summit of the structure and simultaneously to permit maximum visibility of the printing aperture (31) and of the area over which printing is proceeding. 10. Printer (79) as in claim I, characterized in that it is supported by a guiding appara- tus, for fitting onto a table, comprising a graded rod (81) that can be fixed to a table (88) by clamps (89) or in some other way, and a transversal arm(82) connected perpendicu¬ larly to said rod (81) by means of a slide (83) to fix in the desired position, said printer being free to slide longi- tudinally along said arm by means of a slider (86) to carry out printing which is thus guided and aligned in one or other of the various chosen areas. 1. Printer as in claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises electronic circuits for storing on electronic supporting material certain texts consisting of words, characters, symbols generally for transmitting codes to the printing unit, the means used for causing these texts to be printed consisting of a keyboard with selection keys,each of which corresponds to one of the stored texts, and another key to press for actual printing.

12. Printer as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises electronic circuits for storing on electronic supporting material certain texts consisting of words, characters, symbols generally and for transmitting codes to the printing unit, and a display, the means for executing printing consisting of a pair of push buttons (<-->)by means of which the various texts are brought onto the display, of another pair of push but¬ tons (<■-->) used to make the text to be printed larger or smaller, and of a key for actual printing, electricity being supplied from a battery or from the mains.

13. Printer (90) as in claim 1, characterized in..that >the printing unit (92) slides within the structure (96), oblong in shape, driven by an electric mo- tor ( 113), the operative face of the printing head ( 106) being kept outside said structure (96), printing being secured by a special device due to movement of said print¬ ing unit (92) and in accordance with it, it being possible in this way by resting said printer (90) on the object( 108) to be printed, to obtain printing due to the sliding ef¬ fect of the printing unit (92).