parnass@ihuxf.UUCP (06/22/83)
The following note appeared recently in 'net.periphs': ******************************************** I have been having trouble with the ribbon advance mechanism on a TTY, Model 43 KSR. Sometimes the ribbon fails to advance when the print-head is on its return movement. TTY serviceman came out, cleaned the machine and replaced the ribbon, claim- ing that the problem was due to our *not* using a proper ribbon with a Teletype part no, that the ribbon was probably "stretched", etc.,etc. The ribbons we have been using have the following legend on the case: "Mfd. under license from Western Electric Co. U.S. Pat. # 4.046.247. Made in USA 240". Am I wrong to assume that Western would be able to sup- ply the specifications for ribbons for use on TTY43s and that the license implies that the ribbons so pack- aged meet these specs? I assume that Western and Tele- type and Bell Labs are [still] talking to each other. Neverthless, a call to Skokie simply confirms that the NIH syndrome is endemic in Teletype Corp. Can anyone comment on this? **************************************** I think that you are confusing a license to use a patent with a rigid set of quality standards that a competitor's product must meet. It looks like you bought a "generic" brand cartridge ribbon assembly for use in a Teletype Corporation product. Your ribbon assembly is constructed in such a way that it makes use of a patented cartridge design to hold the ribbon. Since this cartridge was invented at Teletype Corporation (subsidiary of Western Electric Company), the manufacturers of your assembly had to obtain a license from WECo. This does not mean that your assembly will work well in a 43KSR! Your cartridge might be out of tolerance or your ribbon may indeed be stretched. Patent abstracts are printed in the "Official Gazette", pub- lished by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office. The September 6, 1977 issue (Volume 1, Number 1) of the "Official Gazette" contains patent 4,046,247 for a "Printer Ribbon Cartridge" by Richard E. LaSpesa and Alfred Z. Purzycki, assignors to Teletype Corporation. This patent contains 10 claims and is for "An improved car- tridge for a printer ribbon of the type in which an endless band of of the ribbon is storable prior to use of the ribbon in a printer, the cartridge being mountable in the printer..." Notice that this patent is for the cartridge, NOT the rib- bon. Robert S. Parnass Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL 60566 (312)979-5760 ihnp4!ihuxf!parnass P. S. -I worked at Teletype Corp. from June 1978 until Janu- ary 1983. I am not a patent attorney.