Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Tension control or brake – Supply controlled
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-11
2003-10-21
Matecki, Kathy (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Tension control or brake
Supply controlled
C242S423200, C242S538100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634589
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink film holding device and an ink film reel that can be suitably implemented in a line printer-type thermal transfer printing apparatus mounted to a communications apparatus and an information processing apparatus having an image printing function, such as a facsimile, a printer or a copier.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8
is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional art ink film holding device
1
. This holding device
1
includes a supply reel
3
around which an ink film
2
is wound, a first supporting member
4
fitted to one axial end of the supply reel
3
, a second supporting member
5
fitted to the other axial end of the supply reel
3
, a winding reel
6
that is arranged parallel to the supply reel
3
and around which the ink film
2
is wound that is unwound from the supply reel
3
, a third supporting member
7
fitted to one axial end of the winding reel
6
, a fourth supporting member
8
fitted to the other axial end of the winding reel
6
, and a rotation driving source
9
that rotates the third supporting member
7
around its axis in a pre-determined winding direction A.
The first supporting member
4
includes a right cylindrical portion
11
, a ring-shaped flange
12
that is fastened to an intermediate portion between the two ends of the right cylindrical portion
11
, and a gear wheel
13
fastened to one axial end of the cylindrical portion
11
. The second supporting member includes a right cylindrical portion
15
, and a ring-shaped flange
16
that is fastened to an intermediate portion between the two ends of the right cylindrical portion
15
. The third supporting member
7
includes a right cylindrical portion
18
, and a ring-shaped flange
19
that is fastened to an intermediate portion between the two ends of the right cylindrical portion
18
. The fourth supporting member
8
includes a right cylindrical portion
21
, a ring-shaped flange
22
that is fastened to an intermediate portion between the two ends of the right cylindrical portion
21
, and a gear wheel
23
fastened to one axial end of the cylindrical portion
21
.
The gear wheel
23
of the fourth supporting member
8
meshes with a gear wheel (not shown in the drawing) of the rotation driving source
9
, which is configured so as to rotate the winding reel
6
in a winding direction A in synchronization with the printing speed, winding the ink film
2
that has been drawn out and transferred from the supply reel
3
. The gear wheel
13
of the first supporting member
4
meshes with a gear wheel
35
of a back tension mechanism (not shown in the drawings), which applies a certain tension on the ink film
2
during the printing, and prevents slack or wrinkles in the ink film
2
.
The supply reel
3
and the winding reel
6
are arranged in parallel at a certain spacing to one another, and side plates
25
and
26
are arranged at right angles to their axes on both sides in axial direction of the supply reel
3
and the winding reel
6
. Substantially U-shaped cutouts
27
to
30
that are open to the top (upward direction in
FIG. 8
) are formed in the side plates
25
and
26
. The cylindrical portions
11
,
15
,
18
and
21
of the first to fourth supporting members
4
,
5
,
7
and
8
are fitted detachably into these cutouts
27
to
30
.
The portions of the cylindrical portions
11
,
15
,
18
and
21
protruding inward from opposing inner walls of the side plates
25
and
26
are fitted into the axial ends of the supply reel
3
and the winding reel
6
. In this situation, the flanges
12
,
16
,
19
and
22
of the first to fourth supporting members
4
,
5
,
7
and
8
are supported by outward-facing outer walls of the side plates
25
and
26
. The first and second supporting members
4
and
5
are arranged on a common axis with the supply reel
3
and rotatably support the supply reel
3
around which the ink film
2
is wound. The third and fourth supporting members
7
and
8
are arranged on a common axis with the winding reel
6
and rotatably support the winding reel
6
around which the ink film
2
is wound.
Such a holding device
1
can be installed in a line printer-type thermal transfer printing apparatus mounted to a communications apparatus, such as a facsimile, or an information processing apparatus, such as a printer or a copier, which have an image printing function.
Another example of conventional technology is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-208049 (1999). In this conventional technology, the holding device includes two side plates, a supply reel around which an ink film is wound, a winding reel winding the ink film guided to it from the supply reel, four supporting members mounted to the respective two axial ends of the supply reel and the winding reel, and two side plates holding the supporting members mounted to the respective two axial ends of the supply reel and the winding reel. The supporting members are arranged on the opposing inner sides of the two side plates, and the holding device has an integrated structure, in which the supporting members do not protrude from the outer side walls of the side plates, thereby making it possible to make the holding device smaller and facilitating the task of exchanging the ink film.
Yet another example of conventional technology is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-208050 (1999). In this conventional technology, the holding device includes two side plates, a supply reel around which an ink film is wound, a winding reel winding the ink film guided to it from the supply reel, four supporting members mounted to the respective two axial ends of the supply reel and the winding reel, and two side plates holding the supporting members mounted to the respective two axial ends of the supply reel and the winding reel. Two of the four supporting members that are provided with gear wheels and are arranged on one side are tiltably attached to one side plate, sandwiching this side plate with the gear wheels and with flanges. Thus, only the supporting members mounted to the other side plate have to be removed when exchanging the ink film, so that the task of detaching and attaching the supply reel and the winding reel can be facilitated.
In the conventional technology shown in
FIG. 8
, the task of detaching and the task of attaching the first to fourth supporting members
4
,
5
,
7
and
8
when exchanging the ink film has to be carried out at a total of four locations, namely the two axial ends of the supply reel
3
and the two axial ends of the winding reel
6
, so that there is the problem that these tasks take considerable time, and the workability of the ink film exchange is poor. Furthermore, according to this conventional technology, the body of an apparatus on which the ink film holding device is mounted is provided with a rotation driving source
9
as a mechanism for applying back tension to the first supporting member on the supply reel side, so that there is the problem that the number of components is large, and the apparatus becomes larger because the space taken up by these components in the apparatus body is large.
Furthermore, in the conventional technology disclosed in JP-A 11-208049, the holding device has an integrated structure in which the supporting members are provided on the side plates, so that when changing the ink film, the supporting members mounted to the side of the one axial end of the supply reel and the winding reel and the supporting members mounted to the side of the other axial end of the supply reel and the winding reel are mounted to the respective side plates, so that it is necessary to carry out the tasks of detaching them from the supply reel and the winding reel and then attaching them again. During these tasks, the side plates and the supporting members have to be held simultaneously with one hand, so that there is the problem that the operability is poor, and the exchanging of the ink film takes consider
Hiraoka Jun
Suda Takashi
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Kim Sang
Matecki Kathy
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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