JP3085488B2 - Ink ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Table of Contents] The present invention will be described in the following order. Industrial application Conventional technology (FIGS. 7 to 9) Problems to be solved by the invention (FIGS. 7 to 11) Means for solving the problem (FIGS. 1 to 5) Action (FIGS. 1 to 5) Example (1) Configuration of Example (FIGS. 1 to 6) (2) Effects of Example (3) Other Examples Effects of the Invention

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette and can be applied to a printing apparatus such as a video printer.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus such as a video printer, a thermal transfer system is applied to transfer ink from an ink ribbon to printing paper. In this ink ribbon, the ink ribbon is stored in an ink ribbon cassette and is transferred to an ink ribbon cassette. , Etc., can be simplified.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in the ink ribbon cassette 1, the ink ribbon 2 is wound around the supply side spool 4, and the beginning of the winding is fixed to the winding side spool 6. The ink ribbon cassette 1 accommodates the spools 4 and 6 in a cassette housing 8, and the cassette housing 8 holds the spools 4 and 6 substantially parallel to the spool holding members 8A and 8A.
It is held rotatably at B.

Further, in the cassette housing 8, the spool holding members 8A and 8B are connected by a connecting member 8C, and a window 8D for printing is formed in the connecting member 8C. Thus, in the video printer, the ink ribbon is supported between the printing paper and the printing head by using the window 8D. Further, in this state, the video printer drives the head based on the image data, winds up the ink ribbon 2 with the winding side spool 6, and moves the printing paper, thereby printing a desired image. I have.

Further, the cassette housing 8 is formed with wall surfaces 8E and 8F so as to surround the circumferential side surfaces of the respective spools 4 and 6, and the wall surfaces 8E and 8F protect the ink ribbon 2. Furthermore, the wall surfaces 8E and 8F
Cassette guide rails 10 and 12 protruding toward the periphery are formed on both sides of an imaginary plane connecting the rotation center axes of the spools 4 and 6, and in a video printer,
The ink ribbon cassette 1 is exchangeably held by being guided by the cassette guide rails 10 and 12, so that the exchange operation can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cassette housing 8,
In contrast to the arrangement of the spools 4 and 6, in the ink ribbon cassette 1, the ink ribbons 2 are spooled so that the ink adhering surface of the ink ribbon 2 faces the window 8D.
When the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is removed by this, the ink attachment surface of the ink ribbon 2 is arranged to face the outside with respect to the virtual surface M connecting the rotation centers of the spools 4 and 6.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this type of video printer, the head 14 is inserted into the space formed by the wall surfaces 8E and 8F, and the ink ribbon 2 is placed on the platen 16 with the printing paper 18 interposed therebetween. By pressing
The ink of the ink ribbon 2 can be transferred to the printing paper 18.

[0009]

However, in the ink ribbon cassette 1, during printing, the ink ribbon 2 is pressed by the head 14 to bend in a V shape.
It is necessary to increase the opening area of the window 8D.

However, when the opening area is increased as described above, the risk of damaging the ink ribbon 2 is increased. In particular, when the ink ribbon 2 is slackened, the ink ribbon 2 projects below the outer shape of the cassette housing 8 and, for example, the ink ribbon cassette 1 There was a problem that the printer was hooked when inserting the printer.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, on the contrary, an ink ribbon cassette in which the ink ribbon 2 is wound around spools 4 and 6 such that the ink adhering surface of the ink ribbon 2 faces the side opposite to the window 8D. 20, the opening area of the window 8 can be reduced in the ink ribbon cassette 20. That is, in the ink ribbon cassette 20, by pressing the head 14 from the window portion 8 side, the ink ribbon 2 can be bent and printed on the opposite side to the window portion 8 so that the window portion 8 has an area enough to allow the head 14 to be inserted. Can be reduced.

However, in this type of printer apparatus, the ink ribbon cassette 20 must be arranged at a distance from the platen 16, and the ink ribbon 2 must be drawn out to the opposite side of the window 8D for printing. . For this reason, in the ink ribbon cassette 20 of this type, the wall surface 8
It is necessary to greatly open the insides of the ink ribbon cassettes 1 and 8F.
Similarly, the ink ribbon 2 may be damaged.

In the ink ribbon cassette 20, when the ink ribbon 2 is slackened on the side opposite to the window 8D side,
There is also a problem that, like the ink ribbon cassette 1, it protrudes from the outer shape of the cassette housing 8 and is caught on the printer main body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is intended to propose an ink ribbon cassette capable of reducing damage to an ink ribbon.

[0015]

According to the present invention, a pair of spools 4 and 6 for winding an ink ribbon 2 coated with a predetermined ink are rotatable with a predetermined distance therebetween. And a cassette housing 28 provided with a window 37 for printing. The cassette housing 28 is inserted into the cassette insertion slot 24 of the predetermined printer 21 in the direction of the rotation center axis of the pair of spools 4 and 6. In the loaded ink ribbon cassette 22, the cassette housing 28 is formed to have a substantially symmetric outer shape with respect to a virtual plane M connecting the rotation center axes of the pair of spools 4 and 6, and the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is removed. At this time, the ink ribbon 2 passing between the pair of spools 4 and 6
Is positioned substantially on the virtual plane M and held, and the central portion along the virtual plane M of the front side wall 28B, which is the front side when the printer 21 is loaded, is formed thin.

Further, in the present invention, the cassette housing 28 is provided.
A plurality of grooves 38 substantially parallel to the running direction of the ink ribbon 2 passing between the pair of spools 4 and 6 are formed on one surface and / or the other surface substantially parallel to the virtual plane M of the central portion of the front side wall 28B. I made it.

Further, in the present invention, the cassette housing 2 is provided.
In 8, the central portion of the front side wall 28B is formed wider than the central portion along the virtual plane M of the rear side wall 28A, which is the rear side when the printer 21 is loaded.

[0018]

[0019]

When the cassette housing is formed to have a substantially symmetrical outer shape with respect to a virtual plane M connecting the rotation center axes of the pair of spools 4 and 6, and when the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is removed, the pair of the cassette housings is formed. The ink ribbon 2 passing between the spools 4 and 6 is positioned and held substantially on the virtual plane M, and the center portion along the virtual plane M of the front side wall 28B which is the front side when the printer 1 is loaded into the printer 21 is formed thin. By doing so,
The ink ribbon cassette 22 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer 21 by sandwiching the central portion of the front side wall 28B with a finger.

A plurality of grooves 38 are provided on one surface and / or the other surface of the central portion of the front side wall 28B of the cassette housing 28.
When the ink ribbon cassette 22 is attached to and detached from the printer 21, the groove 38 prevents the finger sandwiching the central portion of the front side wall 28B from slipping, and the ink ribbon cassette 22 can be easily and reliably attached. The ink ribbon cassette 22 can be easily used.

Furthermore, in the cassette housing 28, the central portion of the front side wall 28B is formed wider than the central portion of the rear side wall 28A. It is possible to prevent the ink ribbon cassette 22 from being erroneously inserted between the near side and the back side, and thus the ink ribbon cassette 22 can be prevented from being inserted.
Can be reliably attached and detached.

[0022]

[0023]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.

(1) Configuration of Embodiment In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a video printer as a whole. After a ribbon cassette 22 is inserted into a cassette insertion slot 24, a door 26 is closed, and the ribbon cassette 22 is closed.
Can be loaded.

Here, the ribbon cassette 22 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the supply side spool 4 and the take-up side spool 6
Is housed in the cassette housing 28 so that the external shape is vertically symmetrical. That is, the cassette housing 28
Is provided so that the supply side spool 4 and the take-up side spool 6 are rotatably held by spool holding members 28A and 28B, and the spool holding members 28A and 28B are fixed to the wall surfaces 28C and 28B.
Connect with D.

Here, in the spool holding member 28A inserted into the back side of the video printer 21, a circular plate for holding the supply side spool 4 and the take-up side spool 6 is provided.
It is formed by being connected by a plate-like member along a center line connecting the supply side spool 4 and the winding side spool 6. On the other hand, in the spool holding member 28B inserted into the front side of the video printer 21, the central connecting portion is formed larger on the supply spool 4 and the take-up spool 6 side than the spool holding member 28A. Thus, the ribbon cassette 22 is prevented from being erroneously inserted between the near side and the far side.

Further, in the spool holding member 28B inserted into the near side, predetermined through holes 30 and 32 are formed, and when the ribbon cassette 22 is inserted into the video printer 21, a cylinder formed on the video printer 21 side. When the projections 34 and 36 having a shape are engaged with the through holes 30 and 32, the positioning can be easily performed. On the other hand, as shown in cross sections in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wall surfaces 28C and 28D are formed so as to cover the circumferential side surfaces of the supply spool 4 and the take-up spool 6, respectively. The ink ribbon 2 wound around the side spool 4 and the take-up spool 6 is protected.

One end of each of the wall surfaces 28C and 28D is formed so as to extend in the vicinity of an imaginary plane M connecting the centers of the supply spool 4 and the take-up spool 6, so that the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is removed. In addition, the ink ribbon 2 is positioned substantially on the virtual plane M. Thus, in the ribbon cassette 22, the wall 2
By forming the extension 8C and 28D on the virtual plane M side, the ink ribbon 2 can be largely covered and protected as compared with the related art, and the damage to the ink ribbon 2 can be reduced correspondingly.

Further, in the ribbon cassette 22, the ink ribbon 2 is held on an imaginary plane M connecting the centers of the supply spool 4 and the take-up spool 6 with the outer shape formed symmetrically in the vertical direction. Even if the ink ribbon 2 becomes loose, the ink ribbon 2 can be held so as not to protrude from the cassette housing 28 as compared with the related art, and the damage to the ink ribbon 2 at the time of loading into the video printer 21 can be reduced accordingly.

Further, in the ribbon cassette 22, the shape of the video printer 21 can be reduced by holding the ink ribbon 2 on the virtual plane M as described above. That is, by forming the spool holding member 28A inserted into the back side by connecting the circular plates with the plate members along the center line and holding the ink ribbon 2 on the virtual plane M, In the video printer 21, the head 14 and the temple 16 can be disposed so as to enter the space inside the cassette housing 28 sandwiched between the wall surfaces 28C and 28D.

That is, in the video printer 21,
The head 14 and the template 16 can be arranged inside the maximum outer shape of the ribbon cassette 22 indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 5, and the head 14 and the template 16 are arranged close to each other to reduce the size of the video printer 21. can do. Further, as described above, the head 14 and the tempura 1
6 can be arranged close to each other, the movable distance of the head 14 can be reduced, and the configuration of the video printer 21 can be simplified accordingly, and the overall shape can be further reduced in size.

Furthermore, if the head 14 and the template 16 can be arranged close to each other in this manner, the amount of deflection of the ink ribbon 2 when the head 14 is pressed against the template 16 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. By extending the other ends of the wall surfaces 28C and 28D, the ink ribbon 2 can be effectively protected.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink ribbon cassette 22 extends the ends 40 and 41 of the wall surfaces 28C and 28D holding the ink ribbon 2 on the virtual plane M inward in parallel with the virtual plane M. When the ink ribbon 2 is wound, the ink ribbon 2 is not damaged. Further, the ink ribbon cassette 22 holds the ink ribbon 2 such that the opposite sides of the ink adhering surface are in contact with the ends 40 and 41, and in the video printer 21, the head 14 and the temple 16 are arranged correspondingly. It has been made like that.

Thus, the ink ribbon cassette 22 is
The ink attachment surface can be effectively prevented from being damaged by the end portions 40 and 41, and the ink ribbon 2 is further effectively protected. Thus, in this embodiment, the wall surfaces 28C and 28D form a connecting member for the spool holding members 28A and 28B, and the ends 40 and 41 of the wall surfaces 28C and 28D and the spool holding member 28A.
And 28B together with the opening 37, so that the area of the opening 37 of the ribbon cassette 22 can be remarkably reduced as compared with the conventional case.

Further, in the cassette housing 28, the upper and lower ends of the central portion of the spool holding member 28A rise in an L shape toward the spool holding member 28B, and a plurality of grooves 38 for preventing slipping are formed in the rising portion. (FIGS. 1 and 3) are formed.

That is, if the ink ribbon cassette 22 is formed vertically and the center portion of the spool holding member 28B is formed thin, the ink ribbon cassette 22 can be attached to and detached from the video printer 21 by sandwiching this portion with a finger. .

On the other hand, the conventional shape of the ink ribbon cassette 1 has such a feature that it is difficult to attach and detach the ink ribbon cassette 1 by sandwiching it with a finger as described above. To form
The ink ribbon cassette is attached and detached using these ribs. On the other hand, in this embodiment,
Since the ink ribbon cassette 22 can be attached to and detached from the video printer 21 by being sandwiched between fingers as described above, the overall shape can be reduced in size correspondingly.

Further, at this time, by forming a plurality of grooves 38 for preventing slipping, slipping when this portion is pinched by a finger can be prevented, whereby the ink ribbon cassette 22 can be prevented from slipping.
Can be easily and reliably attached and detached, and overall usability can be improved.

If the ink ribbon cassette 22 is formed symmetrically in this manner, the ink ribbon cassette may be erroneously mounted upside down. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cassette guide rails 42 and 44 formed on the wall surfaces 28C and 28D are formed in irregular shapes, thereby preventing the ink ribbon cassette 22 from being erroneously mounted.

That is, in the cassette housing 28, the cassette guide rails 42 and 44 extending in the rotation axis direction of the spools 4 and 6 are formed on the wall surfaces 28C and 28D. The cassette guide rail 42 has a width of 4 [m
m], and the tip of the cassette guide rail 44 has a width of 2 [mm].
The tip is formed so as to protrude 1.5 [mm] from the wall surface 28D.

Correspondingly, cassette guide rail grooves 46 and 48 are formed in the cassette insertion slot 24, and the cassette guide rail groove 46 has a width of 5 [m].
m] and a depth of 3.5 [mm], and the cassette guide rail groove 48 is formed to have a width of 2 [mm] and a depth of 3 [mm].

Thus, when the ink ribbon cassette 22 is loaded in the video printer 21 in a correct orientation, the cassette guide rails 42 and 44 can be easily loaded by sliding the cassette guide rails 42 and 44 along the cassette guide rail grooves 46 and 48. When the video printer 21 is loaded upside down in the wrong orientation, the cassette guide rails 42 and 44 cannot be inserted into the cassette guide rail grooves 48 and 46.
Erroneous mounting can be prevented beforehand.

(2) Effects of the Embodiment According to the above configuration, the ink ribbon cassette is formed symmetrically with respect to the virtual plane M connecting the rotation axes of the spools 4 and 6, and the ink ribbon 2 is formed on this virtual plane. By holding the ink ribbon 2 in the position, the ink ribbon 2 can be largely covered, and the damage of the ink ribbon 2 can be reduced by that much. Further, when the ink ribbon is slackened, when the ink ribbon cassette is loaded into the video printer, Also in such cases, damage to the ink ribbon 2 can be reduced.

(3) Other Embodiment In the above embodiment, the cassette guide rail 4
Although the case where the discriminating mechanism for preventing erroneous mounting of the ink ribbon cassette is formed by forming the ink ribbon cassettes 2 and 44 into irregular shapes has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of the cassette guide rails 42 or 44 is used. The present invention can be widely applied to a case where a discriminating mechanism is formed by forming the discrimination mechanism, and a case where a discriminating mechanism is formed by separately forming a convex portion or the like.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the ribbon cassette of a video printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the ribbon cassette of a video printer, but is widely applied to the ribbon cassette of various printers. be able to.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a cassette housing which pivotally supports a pair of spools around which an ink ribbon is wound so as to be spaced apart therefrom, and the cassette housing is provided with a pair of spools. In the ink ribbon cassette loaded in the cassette insertion slot of a predetermined printer along the rotation center axis direction, the cassette housing is formed to have a substantially symmetric outer shape with respect to an imaginary plane connecting the rotation center axes of the pair of spools, In addition, when the slack of the ink ribbon is removed, the ink ribbon passing between the pair of spools is positioned and held substantially in the virtual plane, and the center along the virtual plane of the front side wall which is the front side when the printer is loaded into the printer. The ink ribbon cassette can be easily attached to and detached from the printer by sandwiching the central portion of the front side wall with a finger by making the portion thinner. As compared with the case of providing by the ribs that sandwich a finger is projected on the front side wall as a ribbon cassette, it is possible to realize the ink ribbon excisional capable of downsizing the overall shape.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a video printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing standby state.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state at the time of printing.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing standby state.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the state at the time of printing.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink ribbon cassette in which ink ribbons are arranged in a reverse direction.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the state at the time of printing.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 20, 22 ... ink ribbon cassette, 2 ... ink ribbon, 4, 6 ... spool, 8, 28 ... cassette housing, 8E, 8F, 28C, 28D ... wall surface, 10, 1
2, 42, 44 ... cassette guide rail, 14 ... head, 16 ... tempura, 21 ... video printer.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] (1)Remove the ink ribbon coated with the specified ink
The pair of spools to be wound are separated by a predetermined distance and
A cassette housing that is pivotally supported and has a window for printing
The cassette is inserted into the cassette slot of the specified printer.
The housing is mounted in the rotation center axis direction of the pair of spools.
In the ink ribbon cassette, The cassette housing is configured to rotate the pair of spools during the rotation.
The outer shape is almost the target shape with respect to the virtual plane connecting the axes
When the ink ribbon is formed and the slack of the ink ribbon is removed,
The ink ribbon that passes between a pair of spools is almost
While holding it in the virtual plane,
Along the imaginary plane of the front side wall, which is the front side when loading
Center part is formed thin Ink characterized by the following
Ribbon cassette. 2. The cassette housing is mounted on the front side wall.
A plane substantially parallel to the virtual plane of the central part and / or
Surface of the ink ribbon passing between the pair of spools.
2. The ink ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of grooves substantially parallel to the running direction are formed . 3. The cassette housing is mounted on the printer.
The center of the back side wall, which is the back side when filling, along the virtual plane
The central part of the front side wall is wider than the part
Ink ribbon excisional according to claim 2, characterized in that made the.