EP0526119A2

EP0526119A2 - Ribbon cassette for use in printer

Info

Publication number: EP0526119A2
Application number: EP92306780A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yiu-Wah Chow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-30
Filing date: 1992-07-24
Publication date: 1993-02-03
Also published as: ZA925626B; KR930002127A; BR9202920A; CN1071118A; AU2045292A; CA2074871A1; EP0526119A3; JPH05193239A

Abstract

An ink ribbon cassette (1a,1b) includes a re-inking mechanism and includes a replaceable ink reservoir (4) which can be readily attached to or detached from the remainder of the cassette through a socket in the housing without opening the housing. This arrangement allows the cassette and ribbon (4) to be used many times. A cleansing solvent ribbon cassette for cleansing a printer head includes a replaceable cleansing solvent reservoir and a ribbon (2) which is not inked and is of similar construction and allows the cassette and ribbon (2) to be used many times.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ribbon cassettes for use in printers, including ink ribbon cassettes for use in printing and cleansing solvent ribbon cassettes for use in cleansing printing heads.

PRIOR ART

The most commonly available ink ribbon cassette comprises a cassette housing incorporating a ribbon which is inked at the time of manufacture. When the charge of ink on the ribbon becomes exhausted through use, the entire cassette including housing and ribbon is discarded. This practice is extremely wasteful as generally speaking the cassette housing and the ribbon are in perfect order at the time they are discarded.
Also on the market are replacement ink ribbons. When the charge of ink on the original ribbon becomes exhausted through use, the ribbon is removed and discarded, and a replacement ribbon is inserted in the cassette housing. This practice is also wasteful, because the ribbon is discarded when it is still in good condition. Furthermore, the task of removing one ribbon and replacing it with another ribbon is time consuming and messy.
Also on the market are ink ribbons cassettes including in-built ink reservoirs and re-inking mechanisms for re-inking the ribbon. The ink ribbon cassette may be used until the charge of ink in the reservoir becomes exhausted. When the charge of ink in the reservoir is exhausted the entire cassette including cassette housing, ribbon, reservoir and re-inking mechanism are discarded. The ink reservoir may be positioned alternatively within the ink ribbon cassette housing or outside the ink ribbon cassette housing. If positioned within the housing the reservoir reduces the storage space available for the inked ribbon. If positioned outside the housing, then the housing no longer has an overall compact generally oblong shape which is easy to transport, store and use, but instead has a projecting reservoir. Examples of projecting reservoirs are illustrated in US Patent No 5,054, 943 to Cheng and Published European Patent Application No 0 167 892 filed in the name Oki Electric Industry Company Limited.
Also on the market is apparatus for re-inking ribbon. When the charge of ink on a ribbon becomes exhausted through use, the ribbon may be removed from the cassette housing, inserted into the re-inking apparatus and re-inked, and then replaced in the cassette housing. As a result there is no need to discard either the cassette housing or the ribbon until they reach the end of their life. However, the re-inking apparatus is expensive, and using the apparatus and subsequently replacing the re-inked ribbon in the cassette housing is time consuming, difficult and messy, and requires considerable practice.
US Patent No 4,988,225 to Huang et al teaches an ink ribbon cassette including an ink reservoir and a re-inking mechanism for re-inking the ribbon, the ink reservoir being in the form of a removable insert. When the charge of ink in the reservoir is exhausted, the reservoir is removed and discarded, and a new reservoir is inserted. In order to insert the ink reservoir in the Huang et al device, it is necessary to separate the cassette lid from the remainder of the cassette housing, and thereafter remove a tension spring, remove the old or worn ink reservoir, insert the new ink reservoir, replace the tension spring back into position, thread the cassette ribbon between the tension spring and the cassette wall, and then finally attach the cassette lid to the cassette housing. In carrying out this process, the ribbon feeding gears (rollers) could jump out of position, thus the insertion of the ink reservoir must be done with great care. As may be seen from the drawings, the Huang et al device is similar to most conventional ink ribbon cassettes now available in that it is of the "pin fix type, ie, pins are molded on the underneath side of the cassette lid which mate into sockets molded on the top part of the cassette bottom. These pins frequently break during the procedure of removing a cassette lid and then replacing it in position.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette with a reservoir which is easily replaceable.
The invention provides an ink ribbon cassette comprising:
a cassette housing;
a replaceable reservoir containing ink;
a ribbon disposed within said housing;
guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven;
drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and
transferring means interposed between said reservoir and said path for transferring ink from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path;
characterized in that the cassette housing is provided with a port for receiving the replaceable reservoir and in that coupling means are provided for detachably coupling the reservoir to the socket.
This construction is very easy to use. The ink reservoir simply snap fits within an aperture or socket in the exterior wall of the cassette. Thus, the cassette may be readily and easily utilized without damaging the inner mechanisms of the cassette. Because the reservoir is easily replaceable, it may be quite small so that it does not occupy much space within the housing and therefore does not substantially reduce the ribbon storage space.
The invention also provides an ink ribbon cassette housing for use with a replaceable ink reservoir, comprising:
a housing body internally configured and adapted to contain:

(a) a ribbon disposed within said housing;
(b) guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven;
(c) means for driving said ribbon along said path; and
(d) means for transferring ink from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path;

The invention also provides a replaceable ink reservoir for use in an ink ribbon cassette, said reservoir comprising:
a container adapted to contain a supply of ink;
a discharge opening in said container;
flow control means in said container for controlling the flow of ink exiting said container through said discharge opening; and
transferring means for transferring said ink from said reservoir to a ribbon within the cassette as said ribbon is moved past said reservoir;
characterized in that the reservoir includes means for removably coupling said container with a port associated with said cassette, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette.
The invention also provides a cleansing solvent ribbon cassette for cleansing the head of a printer comprising:
a cassette housing having a port accessible from the exterior thereof;
a replaceable reservoir containing cleansing solvent and removably coupled to said port;
a ribbon disposed within said housing;
guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven past said port;
drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and transferring means interposed between said port and said path for transferring cleansing solvent from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path.
From time to time the ink ribbon cassette may be removed from the printer and replaced by the cleansing solvent ribbon cassette, and the printer operated to clean the printer head.
The invention also provides a cleansing solvent ribbon cassette housing for use with a renewable cleansing solvent supply, comprising:
a housing body defining a port to which said cleansing solvent supply may be removably coupled, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette housing;
said housing body being internally configured and adapted to contain:

(a) a ribbon disposed within said housing;
(b) guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven past said port;
(c) drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and
(d) transferring means interposed between said port and said path for transferring cleansing solvent from said reservoir to said ribbon is driven along said path.

The invention also provides a replaceable cleansing solvent reservoir for use in a cleansing solvent ribbon cassette, said reservoir comprising:
a container adapted to contain a supply of cleansing solvent;
coupling means for removably coupling said container with a port associated with said cassette, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette;
a discharge opening in said container;
flow control means in said container for controlling the flow of cleansing solvent exiting said container through said discharge opening; and
transferring means for transferring said cleansing solvent from said reservoir to a ribbon within the cassette as said ribbon is moved past said reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, a number of different constructions of ink ribbon cassette and reservoir in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the cover of an ink ribbon cassette in accordance with a first construction, and shows a socket for receiving an ink reservoir;
Figure 2 is a similar view of the ink ribbon cassette of Figure 1, with cassette cover and bottom assembled, while the ink reservoir is still not yet in position in the socket;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with the cover removed to illustrate the internal details of the ink ribbon cassette; while the ink reservoir is still not yet in position;
Figure 4 is a plan view partly in section and on a larger scale, showing a detail of the ink ribbon cassette and the ink reservoir with the ink reservoir positioned in the socket;
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are perspective, plan, underneath plan, front (or rear) and side views respectively of the ink reservoir;
Figure 10 is a plan view of a detail of the cover of a second construction of ink ribbon cassette;
Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, showing the cassette bottom with parts assembled to show details of the ink ribbon cassette;
Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 10 but on a larger scale, and showing an ink reservoir in accordance with a second construction about to be inserted into the ink ribbon cassette;
Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12, but partly in section, and showing the ink reservoir in position;
Figures 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are perspective, plan, front, rear and side views respectively of the reservoir;
Figure 19 is a plan view of a detail of the cover of an ink ribbon cassette in accordance with a third construction with a slot for an ink wick and Figure 19A is a section in A-A of Figure 19;
Figure 20 is a view similar to Figure 19 showing the cassette bottom with parts assembled to show the interior of the ink ribbon cassette;
Figure 21 is a view similar to Figures 19 and 20 showing the ink wick about to be placed in position and also showing the ink wick in position;
Figure 22 is a perspective view of a reservoir for external attachment to the cassette of Figures 19 to 21;
Figure 23 is a side view of the reservoir of Figure 22;
Figure 24 is an underneath plan view partly in section showing the reservoir about to be attached to the cover;
Figure 25 is a sectional elevation showing the reservoir attached to the cover;
Figure 26 is a plan view plurality in section showing a detail of a fourth construction comprising a reservoir including a wick.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The first construction will now be described in more detail. Figure 2 shows an ink ribbon cassette comprising a housing 1a and 1b and ribbon 2. The housing 1a, 1b is provided with a socket 3. Figure 2 also shows the ink ribbon cassette assembled while the ink reservoir 4 is still not yet in position in the socket.
Figure 3 shows the drive mechanism for the ribbon 2, comprising a drive gear 5, drive gear holder 6, idler gear 7, idler gear holder 8 and tension spring 9. The arrows indicate the direction of rotation and the direction of travel of the ribbon 2. Figure 3 also shows the re-inking mechanism comprising an idler roller 10 which is driven in rotation by the ribbon 2 so as to pick up ink from the reservoir 4 (not shown in this Figure) and transfer the ink to the ribbon 2, and a leaf spring 11 for keeping the idler roller 10 in contact with the reservoir 4.
Figure 4 shows the reservoir 4 in position and the re-inking mechanism 10, 11 in operation. The reservoir 4 comprises a generally cylindrical housing 4a located in the socket 3, and a cylindrical body 4b of permeable material mounted in the housing 4a so as to freely rotate. The housing 4a is provided with an aperture 4c in the side wall through which the body of cylindrical material 4b engages the idler roller 10.
Figures 5 to 9 illustrate various views of the ink reservoir 4, and in particular show the snap-in fasten means 15 which may be released by pressing the free ends of the arms towards one another.
A printer head may be cleaned from time to time by removing from the printer the ink ribbon cassette and replacing it with a cleansing solvent ribbon cassette which is of similar construction to the ink ribbon cassette and has therefore not been illustrated. The only differences are that the reservoir contains cleansing solvent and the ribbon is not inked. The printer is then operated in the normal manner thereby cleaning the printing head. When the supply of cleansing solvent is exhausted, the cleansing solvent reservoir can be removed and replaced by a new cleansing solvent reservoir.
The second construction of ink ribbon cassette shown in Figures 10 to 18 is very similar to the first and will not be described in detail.
The third construction of ink ribbon cassette shown in Figures 19 to 25 is different from the first and second in that the reservoir comprises a stationary (non-rotating) body of permeable material 30, and ink from the body is transferred to the ribbon by means of an arrangement comprising a wick 31 and two rollers 32 and 33 all fixed in the ink ribbon cassettes, and the reservoir is mounted externally on the ink ribbon cassette.
The fourth construction of ink ribbon cassette shown in Figure 26 is similar to the second construction except that the ink reservoir 41 is in pad form with a wick 42 to transfer ink to re-inking mechanism 43.

Claims

An ink ribbon cassette comprising:
a cassette housing;
a replaceable reservoir containing ink;
a ribbon disposed within said housing;
guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven;
drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and
transferring means interposed between said reservoir and said path for transferring ink from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path characterized in that the cassette housing is provided with a port for receiving the replaceable reservoir and in that coupling means are provided for detachably coupling the reservoir to the socket.
The ink ribbon cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said port is a socket.
The ink ribbon cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said port includes means for externally mounting said ink reservoir.
The ink ribbon cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transferring means includes an idler roller around which said ribbon is passed and onto which said ink is applied, and a spring biasing said ribbon against said roller.
The ink ribbon cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transferring means includes two rollers between which said ribbon is passed and on to which said ink is applied.
An ink ribbon cassette housing for use with a replaceable ink reservoir, comprising:
a housing body internally configured and adapted to contain:
(a) a ribbon disposed within said housing;

(b) guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven;

(c) drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and

(d) transferring means for transferring ink from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path;
characterized in that said housing defines a port for receiving the replaceable ink reservoir.
A replaceable ink reservoir for use in an ink ribbon cassette, said reservoir comprising:
a container adapted to contain a supply of ink;
a discharge opening in said container;
means in said container for controlling the flow of ink exiting said container through said discharge opening; and
transferring means for transferring said ink from said reservoir to a ribbon within the cassette as said ribbon is moved past said reservoir;
characterized in that the reservoir includes coupling means for removably coupling said container with a port associated with said cassette, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette.
A replaceable ink reservoir as claim in claim 7, wherein said ink supply comprises a cylindrical body of permeable material.
A replaceable ink reservoir as claimed in claim 8, wherein said cylindrical body of permeable material rotates.
A replaceable ink reservoir as claimed in claim 7, wherein said ink supply comprises a pad and a wick.
A cleansing solvent ribbon cassette for cleansing the head of a printer comprising:
a cassette housing having a port accessible from the exterior thereof;
a replaceable reservoir containing cleansing solvent and removably coupled to said port;
a ribbon disposed within said housing;
guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven past said port;
drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and transferring means interposed between said port and said path for transferring cleansing solvent from said reservoir to said ribbon as said ribbon is driven along said path.
A cleansing solvent ribbon cassette housing for use with a renewable cleansing solvent supply, comprising:
a housing body defining a port to which said cleansing solvent supply may be removably coupled, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette housing;
said housing body being internally configured and adapted to contain:
(a) a ribbon disposed within said housing;

(b) guide means defining a path along which said ribbon may be driven past said port;

(c) drive means for driving said ribbon along said path; and

(d) transferring means interposed between said port and said path for transferring cleansing solvent from said reservoir to said ribbon is driven along said path.
A replaceable cleansing solvent reservoir for use in a cleansing solvent ribbon cassette, said reservoir comprising:
a container adapted to contain a supply of cleansing solvent;
coupling means for removably coupling said container with a port associated with said cassette, said port being accessible from the exterior of said cassette; a discharge opening in said container;
flow control means in said container for controlling the flow of cleansing solvent exiting said container through said discharge opening; and
transferring means for transferring said cleansing solvent from said reservoir to a ribbon within the cassette as said ribbon is moved past said reservoir.