Ribbon feed mechanism

Claim 1

A MECHANISM FOR FEEDING AN INKED RIBBON BOTH LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY RELATIVE TO A POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN A PRINTING ELEMENT AND A PLATEN COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF SPINDLES ON WHICH SPOOLS CONTAINTING SAID RIBBON MAY BE MOUNTED; A FIRST PAWL MOVABLE SELECTIVELY TO POSITIONS FOR DRIVING ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID SPINDLES; MEANS OPERATING ON EACH PRINTING OPERATION FOR ACTUATING SAID FIRST PAWL; MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND PAWL MOVABLE BETWEEN AN INEFFECTIVE POSITION AND A POSITION IN WHICH IT IS EFFECTIVE TO DRIVE A FIRST OF SAID SPINDLES; MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING SAID SECOND PAWL IN ITS EFFECTIVE POSITION AND HOLDING SAID FIRST PAWL IN A POSITION TO DRIVE A SECOND OF SAID SPINDLES; GUIDING MEANS FOR SAID RIBBON; MEANS ACTING ON SAID GUIDING MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID RIBBON TRANSVERSELY TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS ON EACH PRINTING OPERATION, SAID MEANS ACTING ON SAID GUIDING MEANS OPERATING TO INCREASE PROGRESSIVELY THE AMOUNT OF RIBBON LIFT FROM A MINIMUM TO A MAXIMUM DURING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PRINTING OPERATIONS AND THEN TO REPEAT; AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND PAWL TO SAID MEANS ACTING ON SAID GUIDING MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID SECOND PAWL ONCE DURING SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PRINTING OPERATIONS.