JP2000108440A - Ink ribbon cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink ribbon cartridge enhanced in traceability by making it possible to visually confirming the kind or capacity of an indivisual ink ribbon cartridge by applying the data of an ink ribbon in a visually observable state in the ink ribbon cartridge having the ink ribbon being a printing medium. SOLUTION: In an ink ribbon cartridge wherein the ink ribbon 12 wound around spools on supply and taking-up sides is housed so as to be capable of being run by the rotation of the spools, the ink ribbon 12 is marked with the data of the ink ribbon by laser beam and the data of the ink ribbon 12 is applied to a position capable of visually confirming the ink ribbon from the outside of the ink ribbon cartridge, that is, to the start and completion positions where the in ribbon 12 is taken up by the taking-up spool.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge in which information of the ink ribbon is applied to an ink ribbon, which is a print medium, in a visible state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are two types of ink ribbon cartridges in the prior art, one in which an ink ribbon is housed in a housing formed of upper and lower shells, and the other in which an ink ribbon is arranged in a housing having a half-opened surface. is there.

As shown in FIG. 6, an ink ribbon cartridge formed of upper and lower shells has upper shells 10 and 11.
And the supply-side and take-up-side spools 13 and 14 around which the ink ribbon 12 is wound.

The upper shell 10 has a structure having a rectangular opening 15 at a substantially central position thereof.

[0005] The lower shell 11 is formed in substantially the same shape as the upper shell 10, and has spool storage portions 16, 17 in which supply-side and take-up-side spools 13, 14 are rotatably stored on both sides along the longitudinal direction. Is provided.

[0006] At one end of the spool storage sections 16 and 17, the ends of the spools 13 and 14 are connected to springs 18 and 19, respectively.
, And driven-side bearing portions 22 and 23, which are notched in semicircular shapes and rotatably receive the shafts of the spools 13 and 14 at the other end. I have.

The supply-side and take-up-side spools 13 and 14 are
A spool body 24 formed in a cylindrical shape, and a flange 25 is provided at one end of the spool body 24, and the driven side shaft portion 2 protrudes outward at an end center position.
6 is provided. The other end is provided with a flange 27 and a drive-side shaft portion 28 that engages with and drives a drive unit (not shown) outside the flange 27.
Further, the driven side shaft portion 26 of the supply side spool 13 has a structure in which a code ring 29 formed in a disk shape is provided. The code ring 29 has a structure provided with an information code 30a and a gear portion 30b on the surface of which information such as the type, sensitivity, and number of ink ribbons 12 is hot-stamped.

In the ink ribbon cartridge having such a configuration, first, the supply side and take-up side spools 13 and 14 around which the ink ribbon 12 is wound are placed on the lower shell 11, and the upper shell 10 is covered from above. As a result, the assembly is completed, and the ink ribbon 12 faces the opening 15 of the upper shell 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, an ink ribbon cartridge having an opening on one side is provided with an ink ribbon 1 on a shell 35.
In this configuration, the supply-side and take-up-side spools 36 and 37 around which the reel 2 is wound are placed.

The shell 35 corresponds to the lower shell, and has a structure in which a rectangular opening 38 is provided at the center position, and spool housing portions 39 and 40 are provided on the opening 38 side along the longitudinal direction. ing.

A spring 4 for urging the spools 36, 37 in one direction is provided on one side of the spool storage portions 39, 40.
On the other side, a double-sided drive-side bearing 43 cut out into a semicircular shape for receiving the shafts of the spools 36 and 37 is provided. .

The supply and take-up spools 36, 37 are
A spool body 44 formed in a cylindrical shape, and a flange 45 provided on one end side of the spool body 44, and a driven-side shaft portion 46 formed at the center of the end portion so as to protrude outward. And a flange 47 is provided on the other end side, and a driving side shaft portion 48 that is engaged with and driven by a driving unit (not shown) is provided outside the flange 47. A code ring 49 is attached to the driven side shaft portion 46 of the take-up side spool 37.
Is provided. This cord ring 49
It is formed in a disk shape, and has a structure in which an information code 50a and a gear portion 50b are provided on the surface of which information such as the type, sensitivity, and number of ink ribbons 12 is hot-stamped. At the start position of the ink ribbon 12, a start label 52 indicating the start of the ink ribbon is attached.

In the ink ribbon cartridge having such a configuration, the supply side and the take-up side spools 36 and 37 around which the ink ribbon 12 is wound are placed on the shell 35 to complete the assembly. The shell 35 faces the opening 38.

In these two types of ink ribbon cartridges, printing is performed with the ink ribbon application surface and the receiving layer application surface of the image receiving paper (printing paper) in close contact with each other. Here, the ink ribbon cartridge used in the printer of the sublimation type thermal transfer system applies electric energy to be printed on the thermal head, whereas the transferred density is non-linear, so γ correction is indispensable. . For this reason, the characteristics of the ink ribbon and the printing paper (image receiving paper) are strictly controlled. It is designed in consideration of stability against sebum and the like.

[0015]

However, in the two types of ink ribbon cartridges of the prior art described above, the ink ribbon is generally distinguished by the color of the spool in order to distinguish the type and use. There is a problem that the management in manufacturing becomes complicated, which causes a cost increase and a quality trouble.

Further, the current traceability of the ink ribbon is grasped in groups of production lots, but there is a problem that the traceability of each cartridge is not managed. On the other hand, lots of photographic paper (image receiving paper) are managed in packs, and traceability is in a managed state.

Furthermore, since there are various types of ink ribbons and photographic papers, there is a problem that the proper image quality and color tone cannot be secured if proper use or combination is neglected.

Further, there is a problem that there is a concern that the quality may be deteriorated with respect to the stability to the environment such as temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet rays and the stability to sebum such as fingers.

Therefore, even on the user side, there is a demand that the combination of an appropriate ink ribbon and photographic paper (image receiving paper) can be easily confirmed, and from the production site, standardization of product specifications,
There is a problem to be solved in that the management cost can be reduced.

[0020]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention enables an ink ribbon wound around a supply side spool and a take-up side spool to run by rotation of the spool. In the stored ink ribbon cartridge, the information of the ink ribbon is applied to the ink ribbon in a visible state, and the information of the ink ribbon is marked by a laser beam.

Further, the information of the ink ribbon is provided at a position visible from the outside of the ink ribbon cartridge and at a start position and an end position where the ink ribbon is wound on the winding spool. .

As described above, the information of the ink ribbons contained in the ink ribbon cartridge is applied in a visible state, so that the individual management can be performed from the lot group management, and the printing paper (image receiving paper) and the ink ribbon cartridge can be managed. Can be easily confirmed on the user side.

Further, by visually observing the information applied to the ink ribbon in the manufacturing process, it is possible to easily perform the process management after the winding process and to perform the traceability based on the applied information. .

[0024]

Next, an embodiment of an ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components as the two types of ink ribbon cartridges described in the related art, and the description will be made.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention comprises a shell 35 having a half-opened surface, supply-side and take-up side spools 36 and 37 around which the ink ribbon 12 is wound. It is composed of

The shell 35 corresponds to the lower shell, and has a structure in which a rectangular opening 38 is provided at the center position, and spool housing portions 39 and 40 are provided on both sides thereof along the longitudinal direction.

On one side of the spool accommodating portions 39 and 40, a driven-side bearing portion 42 mounted with a spring 41 interposed therebetween for urging the spools 36 and 37 in one direction, and on the other side, the spool 36 and And a drive-side bearing 43 having a double shape cut out in a semicircular shape for receiving 37 shaft portions.

The supply and take-up spools 36, 37
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical spool body 4 is provided.
4, a flange 45 is provided at one end of the spool body 44, a driven shaft 46 formed at the center of the end and protruding outward, and a spool 45 at the other end. A flange 47 having a scale is provided, and a driving side shaft portion 48 which is driven by engaging with a driving portion (not shown) is provided outside the flange 47. Also, the driven side shaft portion 46 of the winding side spool 37
Has a disc-shaped cord ring 49 (see FIG. 4). This cord ring 49
Is an information code 5 formed by hot stamping information such as the type, sensitivity, and number of ink ribbons 12 on the surface thereof.
0a and a gear portion 50b.

A start label 52 is attached to the start position of the ink ribbon 12 so that the start position of the ink ribbon 12 can be visually recognized. In the vicinity of the start label 52 and in the unused area 55 of the ink ribbon, information on the ink ribbon 12, that is, the production secret number 5
6 is provided in a visible state. The manufacturing density number 56 of the ink ribbon 12 is given not only at the start position (also referred to as a top portion) of the ink ribbon 12 but also at the end position (also referred to as an end portion) where the ink ribbon 12 has been wound. The production density number 56, which is information on the ink ribbon 12, is made up of ink ribbon type, characteristic information, and the like.

The marking of the ink ribbon 12 with the production density number 56 is performed in the step of winding the ink ribbon from the ink ribbon pancake 31, as shown in FIG. A double-sided tape is attached to the body 44 to fix the tip of the ink ribbon 12. Then, it is applied in a visible state to a wide area of the unused area 55 at the winding start position, and is processed by a laser beam 61 synchronized with the rotation of the spool 36.

The laser marking device includes a synchronization detector 60 for detecting the synchronization of the rotation of the supply spool 36,
It comprises a character information generating section (character information generating means) 62 for generating information such as an ink ribbon with a laser beam 61 and a laser oscillator 63 for generating a laser beam 61. The printing state of the marking by the laser beam 61 is for processing the surface of the ink ribbon 12 so that the marking can be clearly provided. Thus, the marking by the laser beam 61 is a non-contact type,
As in the case of the JP (Ink Jet Print) method, it is possible to perform a preferable marking without impairing the printing quality due to scattering of ink, an abnormal nozzle, or the like. Further, by controlling the output of the laser beam 61, it is possible to control the marking within the winding time, and the control of the marking state becomes easier than before. The marking by the laser beam 61 has advantages in many aspects, such as improvement in sorting by spool color for each destination and each model, and reduction in unit cost of parts.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink ribbon cartridge comprising the ink ribbon 12 marked by the laser beam 61 has a shell 35 as shown in FIG.
The supply side and take-up side spools 36 and 37 around which the ink ribbon 12 is wound are placed on the assembling and the assembly is completed, and the ink ribbon 12 faces the opening 38 of the shell 35 (see FIG. 1). The rotation of 36 and 37 enables the ink ribbon 12 to run. On the other hand, from the outside of the cartridge, the manufacturing label 56, which is information on the start label 52 and the ink ribbon 12, can be visually recognized. Even when the use of an ink ribbon (not shown) has been completed, the ribbon manufacturing serial number can be visually recognized from the outside of the cartridge.

As described above, since the manufacturing dense number 56 of the ink ribbon 12 is applied to the unused area 55 of the ink ribbon 12, a marking space is wide, marking can be performed in a large size, and the number of digits of a character and the like can be reduced. Even if the number increases, it can be easily dealt with. Also, ink ribbon 1
By directly printing the information on the characteristic 2 in the ink ribbon directly on the ink ribbon, information that can be obtained only in a group of lots until now can be obtained for each ink ribbon cartridge. Therefore, these effects are combined, and the type, use, combination with the printing paper (image receiving paper) of the ink ribbon 12 can be easily visually confirmed. As a result, the use of a poor ink ribbon is rejected in order to maintain a device such as a printer in an appropriate state, and the original image quality and color tone can be secured. Also, on the manufacturing side, in the production process, in the process of winding the slitted ink ribbon, by marking the rolled product with the kind characteristic information of the ink ribbon, the process management after the winding process can be easily performed. The reliability of traceability, such as ink ribbon tracking, is significantly improved.

[0034]

As described above, in the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention, since the information of the ink ribbon is applied in a visible state, the individual cartridges can be individually managed from the lot group management. In addition, the matching between the printing paper (image receiving paper) and the ink ribbon cartridge can be easily visually recognized on the user side, and the image quality and the color tone can be ensured.

In the step of winding the ink ribbon, the information of the ink ribbon is provided in a visible state, so that the process management after the winding step and the traceability can be easily performed. Therefore, there is an effect that the reliability of the ink ribbon cartridge itself can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the ink ribbon cartridge as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which information of the ink ribbon is applied to an ink ribbon wound around the spool.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which information of the ink ribbon is applied to the ink ribbon wound around the spool, as viewed from the back.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a laser marking device for marking information on an ink ribbon with a laser beam.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge accommodating a ribbon in a housing according to the related art.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge having a half-side opening according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

10; upper shell, 11; lower shell, 12; ink ribbon, 13; supply side spool, 14; take-up side spool, 1
5; Opening, 16; Spool storage, 17; Spool storage, 18; Spring, 19; Spring, 20; Driving bearing, 21; Driving bearing, 22; Driving bearing, 23; Driving Bearing part, 24; spool body, 25;
Flange, 26; driven shaft, 27; flange, 28;
Drive side shaft part, 29; code ring, 30a; information code, 30b; gear part, 31; ink ribbon pancake,
35; shell, 36 supply side spool, 37; take-up side spool, 38; opening, 39; spool storage section, 40; spool storage section, 41; spring, 42; driven side bearing section, 43; drive side bearing section. 44, spool body, 45;
Flange, 46; driven shaft, 47; flange, 48;
Drive side shaft part, 49; Code ring, 50a; Information code, 50b; Gear part, 52; Start label, 55; Unused area, 56; Manufacturing secret number, 60; Synchronous detector, 6
1: laser beam, 62: character information generator, 63: laser oscillator

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink ribbon cartridge in which an ink ribbon wound around a supply-side spool and a take-up side spool is housed so as to be able to run by rotation of the spool, wherein the ink ribbon has information on the ink ribbon. An ink ribbon cartridge characterized in that the ink ribbon cartridge is visually recognized. 2. The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the information on the ink ribbon is marked by a laser beam. 3. The information of the ink ribbon is a position visible from the outside of the ink ribbon cartridge,
The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink ribbon is provided at a start position and an end position where the ink ribbon is wound around the winding spool.