FR2571307A1 - Two-part printing cartridge of the type with a printed tape and with a printing ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a two-part printing cartridge of the type with a printed tape and with a printing ribbon. Said cartridge 10 comprises two separate housings 12, 14, of which one contains a reel 27 of plastic tape 28 and the other accommodates a reel 74 of carbon-coated ribbon. A system 88, 90 is provided for coupling the two housings 12, 14 removably, so that, when the tape and the ribbon are unwound from their respective reels, they enter the printing station of a printer, being juxtaposed so as to confront one another. The invention is used in the printing systems of printing machines.

Description

 The present invention relates generally to printing apparatuses of the type of printed tape and printing ribbon and, more specifically, to the design of a cartridge intended for use in an apparatus of this kind, in which the spool of printed tape and the spool of printing ribbon are enclosed in separate boxes which can be removably connected to each other, which makes it possible to easily replace one ink ribbon by another while continuing to use the same strip constituting the substrate on which the print is to be carried.

 U.S. Patent 4,243,333 (Eradshaw et al) relates to and describes a printing apparatus or composition system of the type including the use of a pressure process to transfer dry carbon prints to a web or the like. medium image support. This apparatus comprises a printing station in which a predetermined force can be applied to a cast iron element which can be positioned in line with the printing station, and in which a strip and a ribbon coated with carbon coming from a single and single cartridge can progress through said printing station. In the system according to the aforementioned patent, the carbon ribbon and the strip substrate on which the printing is to be carried out are delivered simultaneously from a single cartridge and pass through the printing station. The cartridge consists of a enclosure type casing, in which a tape reel and a tape reel are rotatably mounted. The spool and the tape exit from the housing and pass through an elongated guide portion which can form a single piece with said housing. Further information concerning the design and production of the print cartridge according to the prior art can be obtained by consulting US Pat. No. 4,226,547 (Bradshaw et al).

 The print cartridge according to the present invention is considered to be a significant improvement made in the prior art, embodied in particular by the print cartridge described in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 4,226,547. While the print cartridge according to this patent encloses both the strip substrate and the carbon ribbon in a single housing, the present invention proposes to individually house the strip and ribbon supply coils in housings. separated, by providing a removable locking means for securing these two boxes when they are inserted in the printing machine proper. In this way, the same uninterrupted strip substrate can be used when a wide variety of choices is offered to the operator to change the carbon ribbons, which gives the operator the freedom to vary the colors of letters, numbers or other printed graphic symbols.

 In addition to the greater flexibility of use offered by the present invention and mentioned above, the design and construction characteristics of the cartridge allow it to be manufactured at relatively low costs and; therefore, at a competitive price compared to other tape and tape type cartridges which do not exhibit the characteristics of greater diversity according to the present invention. More specifically, the tape supply reel housing can be considered as a part in two parts comprising a front half and a rear half which, preferably, have each come from molding in a suitable plastic material and are provided with means for securing these two halves to each other in view to form a shell or envelope surrounding a supply coil in a rotatably mounted strip. Each of the "half-shells" has a single-piece guide means which serves to convey the strip from the spool to the printing station in a desired orientation. A flexible and deformable member is located in the guide means and it "cuts" the path of conveyance of the strip in order to impart a preferential direction (towards the outside) to the movement of said strip inside the cartridge. the housing housing the strip may also include means for preventing the free rotation of the reel of the strip itself, so as to prevent said strip from unwinding from its supply reel inside the housing.

 Likewise, the ribbon housing can consist of a molded plastic part comprising two parts, these two parts being provided with means making it possible to join them together to delimit a relatively closed compartment. A support, on which a reel of carbon ribbon can be rotatably mounted, is arranged inside this compartment and extends perpendicularly in the direction of its width. The carbon ribbon housing also has a guide means which projects outwards and forms a path connecting the spool to the work station of the printing apparatus.

 A flexible and deformable element of the spring leaf type, provided with a spout at one of its ends, is produced on one of the lateral edges of the housing of the carbon ribbon and it is intended to cooperate with a complementary integral latch tape housing. This arrangement allows a removable coupling of the housings respectively housing the ribbon and the strip. When this coupling is carried out, the means for guiding the casing of the strip is maintained in cooperative relationship with the corresponding guiding means for the casing of the tape, so that, when they come out of the cartridge, said strip and said strip are arranged flat and facing each other when they enter the printing station.

 The present invention not only offers the end user greater flexibility in the choice of colors and in the choice of the types of tapes to be printed, but it also simplifies the requirements for storage both for the manufacturer and the seller. Many types of tape can be stored separately from many types of tape. Under these conditions, a customer wishing a particular combination of tape and ribbon can be satisfied by an appropriate choice of the two separate boxes, which are then secured by interlocking.

 Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide an improved cartridge for supplying tape and ribbon to a dry printing system.

 Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cartridge of the tape and ribbon type which consists of individual detachable housings, one for feeding the tape and the other for feeding the carbon tape.

 The invention further aims to provide a cartridge of the aforementioned type, intended to be used in a dry printing system and making it possible to easily choose types of carbon ribbons complementary to types of bands.

 Another object of the invention is to provide a cartridge that can be easily assembled and made up of inexpensive parts, while continuing to offer excellent performance and high reliability.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will appear to those skilled in the art on reading the description below of the preferred embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the corresponding elements are assigned the same reference numerals ,
On these drawings
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective with cutaway of the tape and tape type cartridge according to the present invention
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a half shell of the print ribbon housing; and
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a half shell of the housing housing the strip.

 Figure 1 shows that the composite cartridge of the tape and ribbon type, generally identified by the reference 10, comprises a first housing element 12 and a second housing element 14, these elements being intended to be removably fixed one to the other. the other in a manner described in detail below. The element 12 of the housing consists of a pair of symmetrical parts situated on either side and preferably coming from molding in high impact polystyrene or in another suitable plastic material. Each of these parts or half-shells 16 and 18 comprises a side wall 20 and a marginal wall 22, which is integral with said side wall and protrudes perpendicularly therefrom along substantially its entire periphery. A small orifice 24 is formed in the wall marginal 22 near the rear edge of the housing. The half-shells 16 and 18 are designed to fit into each other as described below, so that their marginal walls form a snap-in joint 25 along a median junction line , in order to define a substantially closed container.

 A cylindrical pin 26, on which a spool 27 of a strip 28 of plastic material can be rotatably mounted, projects perpendicularly beyond the internal face of the side wall of the half-shell 18 molded in plastic material. This strip is intended to receive a printed image when it reaches the printing station of the machine, in which the composite cartridge of FIG. 1 is used. Because the reel of strip is generally circular, it has been found to be convenient to give the lateral walls and the marginal walls of the half-shells 16 and 18 a profile in a substantially concentric arc of an arc (marked by 30) - over a predetermined area of their periphery, which makes it possible to accommodate a greater quantity of strip on the reel 27.

 The first housing element 12 has a guide means 32 consisting of an elongated element which forms a single piece with each of the two half-shells 16 and 18 molded in plastic. These elongated elements project outwards beyond the marginal wall 22 and, as described below, they delimit a path traveled by the strip, from the reel of strip 28 enclosed by the element 12 to the station. the machine in which the cartridge is used. A notch 34, formed in the underside of the guide means 32, is intended to coincide with an edge of the cartridge holder of the printer in which the cartridge according to the present invention is used.

 An observation of FIG. 3 makes it possible first of all to note the internal production of the first element 12 of the housing, considering the half-shell 18. Because the two half-shells 16 and 18 of the housing are practically identical, there is no was not deemed necessary to represent the internal embodiment of the half-shell 16. A curvilinear surface 36 projects inwards from the internal face of the side wall 20 and it connects at 38 to the marginal wall 22 , thus constituting an extension of the circular part 30 of the marginal walls. Several cylindrical members 40, extending approximately over half the width of the housing, are molded in one piece with mutual spacing along the upper edge of the guide means due to the half-shell 18.Concentric pins 42, protruding at their around the free ends of the cylindrical members 40, are of a length such that they can be housed telescopically, with friction, in complementary cylindrical holes drilled in members 44 molded in one piece on the other half-shell 16 of the housing. In this way, the two half-shells of said housing snap into each other to delimit a closed chamber receiving the reel of tape 28. Other click-fit interlocking members, referenced by 46, can be provided. to ensure a rigid coupling of the two complementary half-shells of the housing.

 Continuing to observe FIG. 3, it can be seen that the guide means 32 has a wedge-shaped protuberance 48 which is integral with the molding, in which a groove 50 is made at an angle in order to receive a soft, flexible and elastic insert 52. This part 52 can be made of soft rubber, a plastic material or even a fabric and, as explained in more detail below, its object is to eliminate the friction of the strip leaving the first housing. Inwardly projecting surfaces 54, 56 and 58 are also molded in one piece on the half-shells 16 and 18 of the housing. These projections act as spacers to increase the rigidity of the guide means 32 when the two half-shells of the housing are assembled by interlocking.

 A line 60 in dashed lines indicates the path traveled by the plastic band when it leaves the rotary spool 27. It first passes over the extreme edge of the curvilinear surface 36, then over the rounded leading edge of the molded wedge-shaped protuberance 48 and between the upper end of the flexible part 52 and the associated surface of the molded projection 54, to then pass below the molded projections 56 and 58 and exit by an open end 62 of the guide means . It may also be desirable to associate with the tape reel 28 a means increasing the friction, in order to prevent this tape from freely tangling inside the case and forming a loose loop therein. This friction-reinforcing means can consist of a flexible tongue 39 made of metal, plastic or rubber, which is connected to the inside of the housing by being, for example, fitted in a slot 41 formed in the curvilinear surface 36, and is intended to cooperate by pressure with the periphery of the tape reel. Alternatively, this means may consist of a curved washer or a compression spring mounted on the pin 26 in order to cooperate with a side face of the tape reel.

 As also shown in FIG. 3, a locking means or notch 64, having an inclined face which ends in a shoulder area or surface 66, is located just at the mouth of the orifice 24. This locking notch can be molded in one piece on the half-shells of the cartridge and, when the latter are assembled, the shouldered surface 66 extends transversely for the most part over the entire width of said cartridge, below the orifice 24.

 If we now observe Figures 1 and 2, we see that the second element 14 of the housing, although having a different shape, is manufactured using production techniques similar to those relating to the first element 12. In d '' other words, this element consists of a pair of parts 70 and 72 of plastic material molded, which are secured by interlocking in juxtaposition so as to define an envelope for a spool 74 of printing ribbon, rotatably mounted on a support or tube 76 which is integral with one of the side walls of the part 70 or 72 of molded plastic, and which projects inwards beyond this wall. Like the first element 12 of the housing, this second element 14 has a guide means 78 in the form of an elongate element which is integral with each of the molded parts 70 and 72 and constitutes an extension of the marginal walls 80 and 82 of said parts, projecting inwards. The two halves of the tape housing 14 are coupled in the same way as the two halves of the tape housing 12. This means that these parts are molded so as to form a socket joint (identified by 84) along their edges and complementary studs, said studs being molded so that they protrude from the end surface of cylindrical spacers. 86, and that they cooperate with corresponding holes (not shown) drilled in cylindrical projections molded in one piece on half of the housing.

 The bolt bowl 14 of the ribbon further comprises a means which makes it possible to connect it removably to the casing 12 of the band.

More specifically, the marginal walls 80 and 82 have, near their lower extremity, nozzles 88 and 90 which are integral with the molding and delimiting shouldered surfaces 92 intended to cooperate with the shouldered surface 66 on the housing 12 of the strip. Said marginal walls 80 and 82 have a notch marked by 94 and extending over a predetermined distance in order to separate these marginal walls from the complementary side walls of the cartridge case. In this way, the marginal surfaces perform the functions of leaf springs, because the plastic material from which the parts are made gives a certain resilience.

 FIG. 2 further shows that spacers 96 and 98 made of plastic are integrally molded on the underside of the guide means 78. The spacing member 96 has an inclined front edge 100, while that a notch 102 in L is formed in the front edge of the spacer member 98. The relative distance of the spacer members 96 and 98 and the positioning of the spacer members 86 are such that these members coincide with the spacing surfaces 54, 56 and 58 of the housing element 12, and that the interlocking couplings of this housing 12 engage between those of the housing 14 when this housing 14 is superimposed on said housing 12.

More specifically, it appears that the notch 102 configured in L can be adjusted below the corresponding notch formed on the spacing surface 58 and that, having done this, the inclined front edge 100 of the spacing member 96 abuts against the corresponding inclined rear edge of the spacing surface 56. Then, when the housing 14 of the tape is pressed against the housing 12 of the strip, the noses 88 and 90 slide up and down along the surface inclined locking notch 64, until these nozzles snap onto said notch.

 In FIG. 2, a line 104 in dashed lines indicates the path traveled by the carbon ribbon 74. When the casing of this ribbon is locked on the casing of the strip, said strip and said strip come out of the composite cartridge with alignment facing each other.

In other words, a first flat face of the strip is juxtaposed to a first flat face of the ribbon when the latter move from the cartridge to the printing station of the machine in which said cartridge is used.

 Although not shown in the drawings, it may also be desirable to provide a device for braking the spool 74 of printing ribbon. This braking device must be designed to cooperate with the spool so that a certain tension is imposed on the printing ribbon to extract it from its spool. Thus, the coil is prevented from rotating freely and causing a loose loop inside the housing 14.

 Although the arrangement with nipples and complementary holes can be used in most cases to rigidly join the parts or half-shells of the molded plastic housings, it is also possible to reinforce this rigid connection by thermal welding processes, chemical or ultrasonic which are all well known in the prior art.

 The fact of providing means for releasably connecting the casing 12 of the strip to the casing 14 of the ribbon makes it possible to easily substitute different ribbons, by facilitating for example the use of printing techniques in several colors without it being necessary to cut repeatedly and fix with adhesive the plastic strip printed on the graphic work in progress.

In other words, printing in several colors can be carried out on an uninterrupted length of unwound tape from the spool 27.

 In addition, it is possible to mix and combine types of tape with types of tape in a manner that decreases the overall storage requirements of the manufacturer and / or retailer. Assuming that there are ten possible choices of ribbon colors and four types of tape, it is not necessary to maintain a stock of forty different cartridges as is the case when using cartridges according to the prior art. On the other hand, a stock of only fourteen boxes is enough to satisfy all customers.

 It goes without saying that numerous modifications can be made to the cartridge described and shown, without going beyond the ambit of the invention.

Claims (9)

 1. A print cartridge intended to be used in a printer provided with a printing station, this cartridge containing a tape feed device and a ribbon feed device, said printer performing printing on said tape at means of said ribbon, cartridge characterized in that it comprises a first housing element (12); a reel (27) of tape (28), rotatably mounted inside said first housing element by which it is substantially trapped a second housing element (14); a spool (74) of printing ribbon, rotatably mounted inside said second housing member by which it is substantially trapped; guide means (32, 78) projecting outwardly from said first (12) and second (14) housing members; as well as a means for replacing said delivered ribbon with a ribbon of a different color, this means consisting of a system for removably fixing said first housing element (12) to said second housing element (14) so that said second element may be replaced by a second element of a new type containing a ribbon of a different color, the guide means (32, 78) associated with said first and second elements ensuring the orientation of said strip and of said ribbon emerging from these first and second elements by placing them facing each other, so that, when penetrating the printing station of said printer, said ribbon can be used to cause printing on said strip.  2. Cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the first element (12) of the housing comprises a pair of symmetrical half-shells (16, 18) made of plastic, molded, generally located on either side and each comprising a side wall (20) and a marginal wall (22) which extends perpendicularly from said side wall over at least part of the periphery of this side wall; as well as means for securing the marginal walls of said pair of half-shells (16, 18) along a center line, so as to form a mainly closed container.  3. Cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that it has a cylindrical journal (26) extending perpendicularly beyond one of the side walls (20), and on which the reel (27) of tape is rotatably mounted.  4. Cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that the side walls (20) and the marginal walls (22) of the pair of half-shells (16, 18) have a substantially circular configuration on a predetermined part (30) from their periphery, the center of this circular part forming the point at which the cylindrical pin (26) projects beyond one of said side walls (20).  5. Cartridge according to claim 4, characterized in that it has a curvilinear surface (36), connected to at least one of the side walls (20) of the pair of half-shells (16, 18) molded in plastic material and normally extending beyond said side wall in the same direction as the marginal walls (22), said curvilinear surface forming an extension of the circular part (30) of said marginal walls (22).  6. Cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide means (32) associated with the first element (12) of the housing consists of an elongated element forming a single piece with each of the two half-shells (16, 18) of molded plastic material, and projecting outwards beyond the marginal wall (22) in order to delimit a path (60) traversed by the strip of said first element (12) of the casing up to the printing station of the printer.  7. Cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the second housing element (14) comprises a pair of parts (70, 72) molded in plastic material, which each have a side wall and a marginal wall (80; 82 ) normally extending from said side wall along a predetermined part of the periphery of this side wall; as well as a means for securing along a center line the marginal walls of said parts (70, 72) of molded plastic, in order to delimit a substantially closed container housing the spool (74) of printing ribbon.  8. Cartridge according to claim 7, characterized in that the guide means (78) associated with the second housing element (14) consists of an elongated element forming a body with each of the parts (70, 72) of molded plastic, and constituting an extension of the marginal walls (80, 82) of said second housing element in order to determine a path (104) traversed by the printing ribbon from said second housing element to the printing station of the printer.  9. Cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that the removable fixing system of the first element (12) of the housing to the second element (14) of the housing comprises a locking means or notch (64) produced in one piece on at least one of the marginal walls (22) of said first element (12), on which it occupies a predetermined location, as well as elastic spouts (88, 90) forming a body with said second element (14) in order to come into taken with said locking notch (64).