US2949994A - Ribbon spools - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1960 A. A. ZIMMERMAN RIBBON SFOOLS Original Fild March 4, 1957 A ORNEY5 10 Claims. (Cl. 197-175) This invention relates to a novel two piece construction for ribbon spools such as are used in typewriters or the like.

This is a divisional application of copending case Serial Number 643,582, filed March 4, 1957 and entitled Method of Manufacturing Ribbon Spools.

Conventional typewriter ribbon spools are usually comprised of several stamped metal parts which are shaped and fastened together by many piercing, bending, blanking and staking operations. Some of these spools have two circular side portions which are fastened together by means of a hollow rivet or the like. These side portions normally have a plurality of bent over lugs at least one of which provides a means for attaching the typewriter ribbon to the spool; the other lugs serving to maintain said side portions spaced a minimum distance apart. In other conventionally designed ribbon spools the said bent over lugs defined the means for fastening said side portions together. In either case not only does the assembly operation of the various component parts of the spool involve an excessive amount of individual handling and positioning of said parts but the actual fastening operation requires a staking or swaging operation at several points on the ribbon spool. It is apparent that such operations can be time consuming and expensive. Such conventional type spool constructions do not lend themselves to fully automatic manufacturing processes and hence the production cost savings obtainable by use of such processes are lost. In addition the greater the number of component parts which make up a ribbon spool, the greater will be the amount of material forming, handling and working equipment required.

One object of the instant invention is toprovide a novel construction for a ribbon spool whereby said-spool is comprised of a minimum number of component parts.

Another object of the invention isto provide an improved construction for the component parts of a ribbon spool whereby said part may be more efiiciently formed, assembled and fastened together.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for securing together the component parts of a ribbon spool.

Other objects will become apparent as the disclosure progresses.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a first flanged component part of the ribbon spool.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the diametral section line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a second component part of the ribbon spool.

Fig. 4 is a diametral sectional view of the part shown in Fig. 3, and is taken in a plane which includes the two ribbon anchor lugs.

Fig. 5 is a diametral sectional view showing the first and second component parts in their assembled and mutually secured positions.

The first or upper flanged component part 1 of the Patented Aug. 23, 11960 ribbon spool shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a ribbon hub 2 defined by a pair of similar diametrically opposed cylindrical side portions 3 and a pair of diametrically opposed flat side portions 4 intermediate and interconnecting said side portions 3. Integrally connected to the upper end of said hub 2 is a coaxially disposed circular flange 5 having a radially extending notch 6 formed therein. integrally connected to the lower end of said hub 2 is a radially inwardly extending portion 10 the plane of which is substantially parallel to the plane of said circular flange 5. Formed in said portion 10 is a plurality of holes 11 whose respective centers are equidistant from the axis 12 of said ribbon hub 22. integrally formed on said radial portion 10 of the part 1 is an inwardly extending tubular fastening hub 15 which is coaxially disposed inside said ribbon hub 2. It will be noted that the ribbon hub 2 extends away from flange 5 while the tubular fastening hub 15 extends toward said flange.

The second or lower flanged component part 18 shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, comprises a tubular bearing hub 20 having a radially disposed circular flange 21 integrally connected to the lower end thereof. Flange 21 has two upwardly extending ribbon anchor lugs 22 and 23 disposed in planes which are substantially parallel to the axis of said tubular hub 20. Lug 23 is provided with a pair of laterally extending wedge shaped ears 24 and 25. A plurality of holes 27 are formed in the flange 21 adjacent the tubular hub 20 and have their respective centers located equidistant from the axis of said hub 20.

Fig- 5 shows the two component parts 1 and 18 assembled and fastened together to form the ribbon spool 30. The bearing hub 20 of the lower component part 18 is press fitted into coaxial nesting relation with respect to the tubular hub 15 of the upper component part 1; said parts being relatively rotatably oriented so that said sets of holes 11 and 27 are in registry with each other. In the assembled condition, as shown in Fig. 5, the fastening and bearing hubs15 and 20 extend in the same axial direction. The inner end of the bearing hub 20 extends slightly beyond the inner end of hub 15 and is expanded and/ or staked as shown at 31 to thereby mutually secure said parts. In the assembled position the ribbon anchor lugs 22 and 23 are juxtaposed and substantially parallelto said flat side portions 4 of ribbon hub 2. Here the end of lug 22 will be accessibly located adjacent the radially inner limits of said notch 6. If desired either or both of said flanges may be provided with a peripherally disposed stifiening rib.

The tubular hub 20 is adapted to receive the conventional typewriter ribbon spool supporting shaft and the aligned holes 11 and 27 will selectively receive the usual driving pin of the typewriter ribbon feed mechanism.

The advantages of the above described construction for the component parts 1 and 18 of Figs. 1 and 3 will now be apparent. By having the hubs 2, 15 and 2t coaxially and integrally connected to the respective flanges 5 and 21 said hubs may beformed by a series of drawing operations which are performed in combination with the usual piercing, sizing and bending operations. Likewise by having only two component parts to each ribbon spool 30 fewer different tools and less material handling and storage equipment are required in the forming and assembling operations. Furthermore the mating parts 1 and 18 of each spool 30 may be quickly and accurately assembled and require staking or swaging at only one point in order to be securely fastened together. These features allow the ribbon spools, such as shown at 30, to be efficiently manufactured by fully automatic processes and thereby make possible substantial savings in per unit production costs.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration only and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A ribbon spool, comprising, a first flanged component part having integrally formed thereon a centrally disposed ribbon hub and a tubular fastening hub, said ribbon and fastening hubs respectively extending away from and towards the flanged portion of said first component part, and a second flanged component part axially fixedly fastened to said fastening hub so as to positively prevent an axial separation of said first and second flanged component parts.

2. A ribbon spool, comprising, a first flanged component part having a ribbon hub and an inside fastening hub formed thereon, said ribbon and fastening hubs respectively extending away from and towards the flanged portion of said first part, and a second flanged component part having a tubular bearing hub centrally disposed and integrally formed thereon, said parts being fixedly secured together with said bearing and fastening hubs in nesting relation so as to prevent relative axial movement between said component parts.

3. A ribbon spool, comprising, a first flanged component part having a ribbon hub and an inner fastening hub each concentrically disposed thereon, said ribbon hub being formed with at least one substantially flat side portion, and a second flanged component part having a tubular bearing hub centrally disposed thereon, said parts being secured together with said hubs in coaxial nesting relation.

4. A ribbon spool as defined by claim 3, additionally comprising, at least one ribbon abutment lug mounted on one of said parts and disposed adjacent and substantially parallel to said side portion formed on said ribbon hub.

5. A ribbon spool, comprising, a first flanged component part having two hubs integrally formed thereon the first being a centrally disposed ribbon hub and the second being a fastening hub which is disposed inside said ribbon hub, said ribbon and fastening hubs respectively extending away from and towards the flanged portion of said first part, a second flanged component part having an axially extending centrally disposed tubular bearing hub integrally formed thereon, said parts being assembled in coaxial nesting relation, and means for fixedly securing said parts together so as to prevent relative axial movement of said component parts.

6. A ribbon spool as defined by claim 5, additionally comprising, at least one ribbon lug mounted on said second flanged component part.

7. A typewriter ribbon spool, comprising, a first flanged component part having coaxially and centrally disposed ribbon and fastening hubs integrally formed thereon, said ribbon and fastening hubs respectively extending away from and towards the flanged portion of said first part, a second flanged component part having a centrally disposed tubular bearing hub integrally formed thereon, said parts having a plurality of aligned holes formed therein, a pair of ribbon abutment lugs integrally formed on one of said parts, and means for securing said parts together with said bearing and fastening hubs in coaxial nesting relation.

8. A typewriter ribbon spool, comprising a first component part having a flanged portion, a tubular ribbon hub integrally formed on said flanged portion, a tubular fastening hub integrally formed and extending axially inwardly with respect to said ribbon hub, said fastening hub extending from the outer end of said ribbon hub towards the flanged portion of said-first component part, a second component part having a flanged portion, and a tubular bearing hub integrally formed on the flanged portion of said second part, said parts being fixedly secured together so that said tubular bearing hub is disposed in coaxial nesting relation with respect to said fastening hub and so as to positively prevent relative axial movement between said component parts when the spool is in use.

9. Apparatus as defined by claim 8 wherein a radially extending portion of said first component part interconnects said ribbon and fastening hubs.

10. A typewriter ribbon spool, comprising a first component part having a flanged portion, a tubular ribbon hub integrally formed on said flanged portion, a tubular fastening hub disposed inside of said ribbon h ub, said fastening hub being integrally secured to the outer end of the ribbon hub by means of a radially extending portion of said first component part and extending towards said flanged portion, a second component part having a flanged portion, and a tubular bearing hub integrally formed on the flanged portion of said second part, said component parts being secured together so that said tubular bearing hub is disposed in coaxial nesting relation with respect to said fastening hub, and a ribbon lug formed on said second component part and extending substantially parallel to a flat side portion formed on said ribbon hub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 837,031 Brown Nov. 27, 1906 2,106,726 Draeger Feb. 1, 1938 2,667,257 Hurtado Jan. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,022,222 France Dec. 10, 1952

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