Incremental printing of symbolic information – Thermal marking apparatus or processes – Ink cassette or cartridge
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-19
2001-10-23
Tran, Huan (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Thermal marking apparatus or processes
Ink cassette or cartridge
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307582
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette and, in particular, to an ink ribbon cassette which can be suitably used in a line type thermal transfer printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional ink ribbon cassette
20
used in a line type thermal transfer printer will be described with reference to
FIGS. 10 and 11
. On the right-hand side as seen in the drawing, there is formed a main body portion
24
which rotatably supports a supply core
22
around which an ink ribbon
21
is wound and a take-up core
23
.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 11
, in the vicinity of the supply core
22
of the main body portion
24
, there is formed a ribbon outlet
24
a
through which the ink ribbon
21
wound around the supply core
22
can be drawn out in the direction of the arrow B.
Further, a ribbon guide portion
25
extends to the left from the main body portion
24
. This ribbon guide portion
25
has a ribbon turn-up portion
25
a
in the lower portion of the forward end portion thereof and, further, there are provided a flat first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b
extending upwardly substantially at right angles from the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a,
an inclined second ribbon slide contact surface
25
c
connected to the first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b,
and a horizontal third ribbon slide contact surface
25
d
connected to the second ribbon slide contact surface
25
c,
the ink ribbon
21
being capable of being drawn around the outer peripheral surfaces of the first, second and third slide contact surfaces
25
b,
25
c
and
25
d.
The ink ribbon
21
, drawn out from the ribbon outlet
24
a
in the direction of the arrow B, is turned up upwardly substantially at right angles (in the direction of the arrow C) at the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a,
and can be drawn around along the first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b.
Further, between the ink ribbon
21
drawn out from the ribbon outlet
24
a
in the direction of the arrow B and the upper ribbon guide portion
25
, there is formed a head insertion portion
26
into which a line thermal head (not shown) on the printer side can be inserted.
In the ink ribbon cassette
20
described above, by rotating the take-up core
23
in the direction of the arrow A, the ink ribbon
21
wound around the supply core
22
is drawn out from the ribbon outlet
24
a
in the direction of the arrow B.
And, the ink ribbon
21
is turned up by substantially 90 degrees at the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a
to the first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b,
and, from the first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b,
drawn around the outer peripheral surfaces of the second and third slide contact surfaces
25
c
and
25
d
in the direction of the arrow D to be taken up by the take-up core
23
.
The operation of printing by a thermal transfer printer (not shown) by using this conventional ink ribbon cassette
20
will be described. When the ink ribbon cassette
20
is attached to a cassette attachment portion (not shown) on the printer side, a line thermal head (not shown) having a plurality of heat generating elements is positioned in the head insertion portion
26
, and the rotation shaft of the take-up core
23
is engaged with a rotation shaft which is rotated by a motor (not shown) serving as a drive source.
Further, recording paper (not shown) is fed and positioned below the ink ribbon
21
drawn to a position below the head insertion portion
26
.
Next, a platen roller (not shown) positioned below the line thermal head positioned in the head insertion portion
26
and the line thermal head are moved relative to each other to bring the platen roller and the line thermal head into press contact with each other through the intermediation of the ink ribbon
21
and the recording paper.
And, the recording paper is fed while selectively causing the heat generating elements of the line thermal head to generate heat, the take-up core
23
is rotated in the direction of the arrow A through the rotation of the motor serving as the drive source to take up the ink ribbon
21
on the take-up core
23
, whereby ink of the ink ribbon
21
is transferred to the recording paper, making it possible to print a desired image on the recording paper.
In the conventional ink ribbon cassette
20
described above, the ink ribbon
21
positioned in the main body portion
24
and the ribbon guide portion
25
is exposed, so that when the operator handles the ink ribbon cassette
20
, he or she may touch the ink ribbon
21
to cause it to wrinkle. When the ink ribbon
21
wrinkles, the printing quality deteriorates.
Further, at the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a,
the ink ribbon
21
is drawn to the first slide contact portion
25
b,
which is perpendicular to the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a,
so that the frictional resistance is maximum at the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a
and the first slide contact portion
25
b,
and the ribbon guide portion
25
is deflected to suffer deformation when the ribbon is taken up on the take-up core
23
, with the result that biasing or the like occurs when running the ribbon.
Further, since the ink ribbon
21
offers large frictional resistance at the ribbon turn-up portion
25
a
and the first ribbon slide contact surface
25
b,
the take-up torque when taking up the ink ribbon
21
on the take-up core
23
is large, and a large capacity is needed for the motor serving as the drive source, resulting in an increase in the power consumption of the printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink ribbon cassette comprising a main body portion accommodating an ink ribbon, a supply core and a take-up core which are accommodated in the main body portion so as to be adjacent to each other and around which the end portions of the ink ribbon are wound, a ribbon guide portion extending to one side from the main body portion and having on one side a ribbon slide contact surface, and a ribbon turn-up portion formed at the forward end of the ribbon guide portion, wherein the ink ribbon is temporarily drawn out to the exterior from a ribbon outlet formed in the main body portion, and turned up at the ribbon turn-up portion before it runs on the ribbon slide contact surface of the ribbon guide portion until it is drawn into the interior of the main body portion through an ink ribbon inlet formed in the main body portion and taken up on the take-up core, whereby there is no fear of the ink ribbon being inadvertently touched while the ribbon cassette is being handled, and wrinkles or the like are not easily generated in the ink ribbon during handling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette wherein the ribbon turn-up portion is formed by a rotatable roller member, whereby the frictional resistance generated in the ink ribbon turned up at the ribbon turn-up portion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette wherein the roller member has a hand-drum-like configuration whose size is smaller near its central portion than its end portions, whereby an outward tension in the width direction is applied to the ink ribbon turned up at the roller member, whereby wrinkles or the like are prevented from being generated in the ink ribbon.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette wherein the turn-up angle of the ink ribbon turned up at the ribbon turn-up portion is set at 10 to 80 degrees and the frictional resistance at the ribbon turn-up portion when taking up the ink ribbon is reduced through distribution, whereby the ribbon guide portion is not deflected when taking up the ink ribbon, thereby preventing troubles such as biasing of the ink ribbon.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette wherein the turn-up angle of the ink ribbon is 60 degrees, whereby the frictional resistance of the ink ribbon turned up at the ribbon tur
Chiba Yuji
Kawato Junichi
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Tran Huan
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