AU680040B2

AU680040B2 - Inking ribbon holder for printer using thermal-transfer printing

Info

Publication number: AU680040B2
Application number: AU75705/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Pascal Boishardy; Eric Cavarero; Patrick Vegeais
Original assignee: Sagem SA
Current assignee: Sagemcom Broadband SAS
Priority date: 1994-10-05
Filing date: 1994-10-05
Publication date: 1997-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-05
Also published as: AU7570594A

Description

.1 77 Our Ref: 527021 P/00/0O11 Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

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FRANCE

DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street The SDE foloin sttmn2safuldsrpin 0fti0neton0 nldn hebs ehdo Inking ribbon holder for printer using thermal-transfer printing Invention Title: performing it known to me-- 5020 r i -1- Inking ribbon holder for printer uisdg tku=l-transfer printing The field of the invention is that of printers, peripheral printers of central processing units and printers integrated with printing apparatuses such as facsimile machines.

Two main types of printer are known: printers using laser printing and printers using thermal printing. The field of the invention is that of the latter printers. Printers using thermal printing, provided with a head of resistive heating elements use either thermal paper in roll form or ordinary paper in sheets as the printing medium.

The field of the invention is, even more particularly, that of printers using thermal printing employing sheets of ordinary paper that is to say printers using thermal-transfer printing.

The printing is carried out under the action of the printing head, by transfer of a thermally meltable ink, prelsusly laid on a support film, the whole forming a printing ribbon. The S invention relates to these printing inking ribbons which consequently have a width at least equal to that of the rmjhets intended to be printed.

Fitting these ribbons in a printer involves a handling operation requirin j many precautions if it is desired not to waste length while ensuring correct tension of the ribbons.

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I C t P:\WPDOCS\MAP\SPECI\527021.DH -9/5/97 -2- The present invention aims to dispense with such a handling operation.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cassette for thermal-transfer printing ribbon, designed to be fitted in a printer comprising a printing held in front of which sheets of paper are intended to pass and comprising a housing for accommodating a ribbon delivery spool, a housing for accommodating a ribbon take-up spool, means designed to be driven in rotation and drive the take-up spool, a window being made between the two housings and designed to allow interaction of the printing head and the ribbon extending between the two housings, wherein means for deviating the path of the ribbon between the two housings are associated with the housing of the take-up spool in order, after printing, to facilitate separation of the ribbon and the sheets of paper.

It is therefore sufficient to introduce into the printer, in the manner in which other cassettes are introduced into other apparatuses in different fields, the ribbon holder 15 constituted by the cassette of the invention, previously loaded with two spools, one for delivering and one for taking up an inking ribbon, in order for this ribbon to be ready for use.

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CC O Advantageously, the cassette is formed as a unitary piece.

SCc Off C OCC C o CC Also advantageously, the window made between the two housings is designed to allow interaction of the ribbon and a support head.

P:WPDOCS\MAP\SPECI\52702 .DH -9/5/97 -3- In the preferred embodiment of the cassette of the invention, means for guiding sheets of paper are associated with each of the two housings.

Preferably, means for guiding sheets of paper and means for deviating the path of the ribbon forming a chicane are associated with the housing of the take-up spool.

The cassette of the invention may be symmetrical with respect to a mid-plane passing through the window and across the path of the ribbon between the two housings.

In this case, it may be advantageous to provide means designed to drive the spools of the St two housings in rotation. This is the case of a reversible cassette in which it is naturally possible for only one of the two spools to be actually driven by the printer at a given Ct time, after the cassette has been reversed on itself, the inking ribbon of this cassette being suitable for two printing runs.

S Still in this case, and advantageously, the rotational drive means of the two spools are respectively arranged on two C 7- V(.V 1 R y %ro^ i R- -4opposite sides of the cassette.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of the preferred embodiment of the cassette of the invention, with reference to the attached drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a view in lateral section of the cassette of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cassette along the section AA in Figure 1 and t r Figure 3 is a plan view in section of a symmetrical and ccc 1 reversible cassette.

The cassette represented in Figures 1 and 2 includes a casing 1 containing a thermal-transfer printing ribbon 2. The cassette is designed to be fitted in a printer, not fully shown, which in this case belongs to a facsimile machine and comprises a line printing head 21 in front of which the sheets of paper 30 to be printed are intended to pass. The cassette comprises a housing 3 for accommodating a spool 4 for delivering the ribbon 2, a housing 5 for accommodating a takeup spool 6 and, in the take-up housing 5, a driveshaft 7 which includes grooves for rotational coupling with the take-up spool 6 and ending in a gear 8 projecting from the casing 1 containing the above elements. A geared 22 motor of the printer meshes on the gear 8 in order to drive it in rotation and thereby drive the take-up spool 6. A window 9 is made between the two housings 3 and 5 and is here designed to allow interaction of the printing head 21 and the ribbon 2 extending between the two housings 3 and The support roller 23 of the printer is opposite the printing head 21 and presses the paper 30 and the ribbon 2 against the printing head 21, while driving the paper 30 by friction.

A shaft 17 is here provided for supporting the delivery spool 4, as well as a brake 10 opposing the rotation of the shaft 17.

S t Se, t The ribbon 2 upstream of the printing head 21 leaves the Shousing 3 while. being guided or deviated by an extension 3R of c the housing 3, extending toward the printing head 21, while the CC<c ribbon 2 downstream of the printing head 21 is guided or e cc ctt deviated, by an extension 5R of the housing 5. In this example, the extensions 3R and 5R are designed so that the ribbon 2 upstream is approximately straight, while the ribbon

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2 downstream is guided approximately to an edge of the housing opposite the extension 5R, as far as a rounded edge causing it to follow a chicane path from which it re-emerges toward a neighboring edge of the extension 5R while forming, 4 'i -6very approximately, a right angle. Because of this, as shown by Figure 1, the ribbon 2 and the sheet 30 of printed paper remain attached between the printing head 21 and the edge where they are separated through a relatively large angle. The ribbon 2 is pulled by the action of the motor 22 and remains tensioned by the effect of the brake 10 while the paper 30 is pushed by the roller 23. Drive wheels may also be provided for extracting the paper The housings 3 and 5 respectively have two other extensions 3P and 5P which guide the paper 30, on entry, toward the head 21 and, upon exit, from the head 21.. Two guides 24 and 25 are respectively associated with the extensions 3P and 5P, which extensions belong to one and the same part of the printer and respectively are arranged facing the extensions 3P and 5P in order to constitute with them two channels for guiding the t paper 30 on entry and on exit.

tt t The cassette is here monobloc and the window 9 allows the printing head 21 and the support roller 23 to occupy a position interposed between the two housings 3 and 5 for which position they interact.

Although this scarcely seems to be economical, it would have F been possible to provide for the cassette to be fitted with a support roller, j.

-7- The cassette represented in Figure 3 has a general shape, and elements, similar to those represented in Figures 1 and 2, with the exception that it has symmetry with respect to a mid-plane 140 passing through Lhe window 109. Because of this, elements similar to those in Figures 1 and 2 bear identical references, preceded by the hundred digit 1 and, where appropriate, the ten digit 1, and they are not described a second time.

The cassette in Figure 3 carries two layers of ink, allowing two printing runs. The cassette includes a second gear 118 integral with the shaft 117, for driving the spool 104 in rotation when, the cassette having been reversed in the printer, the spool 104 occupies therein the preceding position, eta.

tr represented, of the take-up spool 105 and is driven by the tct r, motor 122. The second gear 118 is arranged on a side of the casing 101 opposite that from which the gear 108 projects, in order to take the place of the latter after reversal of the cassette.

CC C 2~ It would also have been possible to provide, by replacing the gears 108 and 118, shafts 107 and 117 which are hollow and splined and optionally symmetrical with respect to the mid- Scc plane 140 and which are accommodated on two pins of the printer, one of which would have been the drive pin.

The reference numerals in the following claims do not in any way limited the scope of the repective cliams.

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Claims

1. A cassette for thermal-transfer printing ribbon, designed to be fitted in a printer comprising a printing held in front of which sheets of paper are intended to pass and comprising a housing for accommodating a ribbon delivery spool, a housing for accommodating a ribbon take-up spool, means designed to be driven in rotation and drive the take-up spool, a window being made between the two housings and designed to allow interaction of the printing head and the ribbon extending between the two housings, wherein means for deviating the path. of the ribbon between the two housings are associated with the housing of the take-up spool in order, after printing, to facilitate ,C separation of the ribbon and the sheets of paper. C t€€

2. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the cassette is formed as a unitary t t piece.

3. The cassette according to one of claims 1 and 2; wherein the window made between the two housings is designed to allow interaction of the ribbon and a support roller. 20 4. The cassette according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein means for guiding sheets C| rC 0 of paper are associated with each of the two housings. 00C 6 The cassette according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein means for guiding sheets of paper aad means for deviating the path of the ribbon forming a chicane are associated S t 25 with the housing of the take-up spool. The cassette according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised by the fact that it has symmetry with respect to a mid-plane, passing through the window and across the path of the ribbon between the two housings. R The cassette according to claim 6, wherein means are provided which are I| i r J designed to drive the spools of the two housings n rotation. i K$An-o P:\VPDOCS\MAP\SPECI\527021 .DII 9/5/97 -9-

8. The cassette according to claim 7, wherein the rotational drive means of the two spools are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the cassette.

9. A cassette for a thermal transfer printing ribbon substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 9th day of May 1997 t '4 C C C SOCIETE D'APPLICATIONS GENERALES D'ELECTRICITE ET DE MECANIQUE SAGEM By Its Patent Attorney DAVIES COLLISON CAVE I I CC 4 CC CA ABSTRACT Inking ribbon holder for printer using thermal-transfer printing A cassette for thermal-transfer printing ribbon designed to be fitted in a printer comprising a printing head (21) in front of which sheets of paper (30) are intended to pass and comprising a housing 103) for accommodating a delivery spool 104), a housing 105) for accommodating a take-up i spool 106), means 108) designed to be driven in tcc rotation and drive the take-up spool 106), a window (9; 109) being made between the two housings 5; 103, 105) and Sdesigned to allow interaction of the printing head (21) and the ribbon extending between the two housings 5; 103, 105). Application to facsimile machines cc tFige Figure 1 II: r