parnass@ihuxf.UUCP (06/22/83)
The following note appeared recently in 'net.periphs':
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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?
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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.