Incremental printing of symbolic information – Thermal marking apparatus or processes – Ink cassette or cartridge
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-13
2003-09-23
Tran, Huan (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Thermal marking apparatus or processes
Ink cassette or cartridge
C400S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06624836
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink cassette for holding an ink ribbon for use in a thermal transfer printer, a supply container for the ink ribbon, and a method of attaching the ink ribbon to the ink cassette. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for attaching an ink ribbon to an ink cassette easily and reliably, and a technique for reducing the running costs of a printer.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIGS. 14 and 15
are an external view and an exploded perspective view, respectively, of a conventional ink ribbon cartridge (also referred to simply as a “cartridge”)
59
P for use in a thermal transfer printer. The cartridge
59
P is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-74378 (1990).
An ink ribbon
3
P stored in the cartridge
59
P is wound around a supply bobbin
1
P for a predetermined length from a first end thereof, and is fixed at its second end to a take-up bobbin
2
P with a double-faced tape or the like. The ends of the bobbins
1
P and
2
P are placed on bobbin supports
55
P,
56
P,
57
P and
58
P, respectively, of a cartridge body
51
P. A cartridge cover
52
P is placed to cover the bobbins
1
P and
2
P. The cartridge body
51
P and the cartridge cover
52
P are bonded at their outer peripheral parts by ultrasonic welding or the like and fixed to each other. In the cartridge
59
P, the ink ribbon
3
P is exposed or uncovered from a window of the cartridge
59
P formed by an opening
53
P of the cartridge body
51
P and an opening
54
P of the cartridge cover
52
P. The ink ribbon
3
P, while being stored in the cartridge
59
P, is mounted in a printer.
FIG. 16
is a schematic view for illustrating a method of printing using an ink ribbon in a thermal transfer printer. In the printer, a printing medium
62
P in sheet form and the ink ribbon
3
P exposed from the window are overlaid on a platen
61
P, as shown in
FIG. 16. A
thermal head
60
P having a plurality of small heat generators (not shown) applies pressure and heat to transfer a dye from the ink ribbon
3
P to the printing medium
62
P in sheet form. This produces an image on the printing medium
62
P in sheet form.
A direct touch of a user's hand on the ink ribbon
3
P causes sebum on the user's hand to adhere to the ink ribbon
3
P, giving rise to transfer imperfection. A wrinkle in the ink ribbon
3
P also results in transfer imperfection. However, the cartridge
59
P allows the mounting of the ink ribbon
3
P in the printer without the direct touch of foreign matter on the ink ribbon
3
P.
More specifically, the position of the supply bobbin
1
P supported by the bobbin supports
55
P and
56
P is designed so that the ink ribbon
3
P prior to use which is wound around the supply bobbin
1
P is floating in the air inside the cartridge
59
P. Likewise, the ink ribbon
3
P after use is also held floating inside the cartridge
59
P.
The conventional ink ribbon cartridge
59
P in which the cartridge body
51
P and the cartridge cover
52
P are bonded and fixed to each other as described above is difficult to disassemble. For replacement and discard of the ink ribbon
3
P after use, the whole cartridge
59
P with the ink ribbon
3
P stored therein is required to be replaced and is discarded. Further, because of the difficulty in disassembling, it is impossible to reuse the cartridge body
51
P and the cartridge cover
52
P. The result of these disadvantages is the increased price of the conventional cartridge
59
P.
Furthermore, the conventional ink ribbon
3
P is not only enclosed by the cartridge body
51
P and the cartridge cover
52
P but also is contained in a plastic case or a corrugated cardboard carton during distribution. Thus, the materials enclosing the ink ribbon
3
P accordingly increase the cost and price of the cartridge
59
P.
The use of the conventional cartridge
59
P thus presents the problem of increased running costs of the printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention is intended for an ink cassette for holding an ink ribbon set, the ink ribbon set having a pair of bobbins each including a rod-shaped body, and an ink ribbon having a first end fixed to one of the bobbins and a second end, the ink ribbon, including the second end, being wound around the other of the bobbins. According to the present invention, the ink cassette comprises: a first part and a second part arranged in parallel with each other, each of the first and second parts including an elongate portion having bobbin holders for holding a corresponding one of the bobbins at respective longitudinal end portions in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein each of the bobbin holders includes a pair of arms, the pair of arms defining a linear groove (or notch) extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, and wherein all of the grooves are placed in the same orientation, whereby each of the bobbins is received in a corresponding pair of the grooves and held around its axis.
Preferably, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink cassette of the first aspect, each of the arms is flexible, and each of the grooves includes a portion having a width less than a diameter of a shaft of each of the bobbins.
Preferably, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink cassette of the first or second aspect, there is a difference in width between at least one pair of the grooves included among two pairs of the grooves arranged in a direction in which the first and second parts are arranged, and there is a difference in width between a pair of the grooves possessed by each of the first and second parts.
Preferably, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink cassette of any one of the first to third aspects, the first part has an alignment mark affixed to an opposite side from an opening of the grooves.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is intended for an ink ribbon supply container for storing an ink ribbon set therein, the ink ribbon set having a pair of bobbins each including a rod-shaped body, and an ink ribbon having a first end fixed to one of the bobbins and a second end, the ink ribbon, including the second end, being wound around the other of the bobbins. According to the present invention, the ink ribbon supply container comprises: a container body recessed in shape and sized to allow the ink cassette as recited in any one of the first to fourth aspects to enter the recessed container body, with the ink cassette assuming a position such that a plane defined to include the elongate portions of the first and second parts is in face-to-face relationship with a bottom part of the recessed container body; and a first bobbin support and a second bobbin support both provided in the recessed container body for supporting the bobbins laid down in the recessed container body respectively and for supporting the bobbins in parallel with each other in a position of an approximately equal depth in the recessed container body.
Preferably, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink ribbon supply container of the fifth aspect, a side portion of the recessed container body functions to guide the ink cassette so that the groove of each of the bobbin holders is in face-to-face relationship with a corresponding one of the bobbins supported by the first and second bobbin supports when the ink cassette assuming the position enters the container body.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is intended for a method of attaching an ink ribbon to an ink cassette. According to the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: (a) preparing the ink cassette as recited in any one of the first to fourth aspects; (b) preparing the ink ribbon set stored in the ink ribbon supply container as recited in the fifth or sixth aspect; (c) overlaying the ink cassette on the ink ribbon set, with the groove of each of the bobbin holders in face-to-face relationship with a corresponding on
Kaneko Hiroyuki
Sakuta Akira
Toyofuku Toshiyuki
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Tran Huan
LandOfFree
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