Printer having head gap adjusting device

Patent 4990004 Issued on February 5, 1991. Estimated Expiration Date:

October 10, 2009. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Arrangement for adjusting the spacing between a print head and a platen
Patent #: 4023662
Issued on: 05/17/1977
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Patent #: 4676675
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Adjusting the distance of a print head from a platen
Patent #: 4720200
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Platen gap adjusting mechanism of printer
Patent #: 4738552
Issued on: 04/19/1988
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Printer equipped with a mechanism for locking the carriage of a printing head
Patent #: 4773773
Issued on: 09/27/1988
Inventor: Itoh

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Inventors

Assignee

Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Application

No. 419592 filed on 10/10/1989

US Classes:

400/56, Responsive to thickness of record-medium400/59, By adjustment of carriage (e.g, carriage-guide rollers)400/703Indicator means

Examiners

Primary: Eickholt, Eugene H.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Oliff & Berridge

Foreign Patent References

0053465 JP 03/13/1983
0124872 JP 07/13/1984
0259477 JP 12/13/1985
61-262161 JP. 01/13/1986
0187064 JP 08/13/1987

International Class

B41J 011/20

Foreign Application Priority Data

1988-10-12 JP

Abstract

A printer having a device for advancing and retracting a print head toward and away from a paper supporting platen, an automatic head gap adjusting device for controlling the head advancing and retracting device, to advance the print head until the print head comes into contact with a recording paper, and then retracting the print head by a predetermined distance, to thereby adjust a head gap between the paper and the print head, and an operator-controlled head gap adjusting device for manually operating said head advancing and retracting device, to thereby adjust the head gap. A mode selector is provided for selecting one of an automatic adjusting mode in which the head gap is adjusted by the automatic head gap adjusting device, and a manual adjusting mode in which the head gap is adjusted by the operator-controlled head gap adjusting device.