JP2000335065A - Ink ribbon package - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce generation amount of waste materials by a constitution wherein supplying side and winding side rolls are positioned in parallel, a distance holding member which can be taken out by moving in a direction roughly perpendicular to a plane obtained by a line passing through rotation centers of the rolls is interposed with the rolls and the surrounding thereof is banded by a banding tape. SOLUTION: An ink ribbon package 20 comprises a supplying side roll 22 having an ink ribbon 21 wound therearound and a winding side roll 23 and a distance holding member 24 made of paper is provided between the rolls 22, 23. The distance holding member 24 is taken off in a direction roughly perpendicular to a plane including a line passing through rotation centers L1, L2 of the rolls 22, 23. The rolls 22, 23 in a condition that the distance holding member 24 is provided therebetween is banded by a banding tape and is sealed by a seal 29. The ink ribbon package 20 can be readily loaded or detached to or from an ink ribbon cassette. The materials to be thrown away are the distance holding member 24 and the tape film 28 so that an amount of the waste materials can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon package which wraps an ink ribbon used for a printing device such as a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Regarding an ink ribbon package, an "ink film mounting auxiliary package" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-24074 is disclosed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the "ink film mounting auxiliary package". The ink film mounting auxiliary package includes an ink film 1 coated with transfer ink, and a first roll shaft 2 on which the ink film 1 is wound.
And the second roll shaft 3 to which the other end of the ink film 1 is fixed, and the shaft ends of the first and second roll shafts 2 and 3 are exposed,
And a support 4 for maintaining the center distance between the first and second roll shafts 2 and 3 at a predetermined center distance.

The support 4 has a box shape with the bottom removed, and side walls 5 and 6 parallel to the first and second roll shafts 2 and 3 are formed on the sides of the roll shafts 2 and 3. Is covered.
The shaft end sides of the roll shafts 2 and 3 are held by side wall portions 7 and 8, and the holding holes 9 and
10 is open. The top plate 11 of the support 4 has a pair of slits 12, 12 for breaking when the support is removed. Slits 12 and 12 are side walls 7 and 8
The holding holes 9 and 10 extend to the vicinity of the upper edge.

This "ink film mounting auxiliary package" comprises an ink film 1 and first and second roll shafts 2,
When the support 3 is mounted on a printer or an ink ribbon cassette, the support 4 is deformed or broken and removed.

[0006]

However, in the case of such a package, there is a problem that the amount of waste is large because the support 4 itself is large.

Further, bearings for holding the first and second roll shafts 2 and 3 must be provided on the printer side, but a partition wall or the like for supporting the bearings is formed on the printer side. Is usually the case.

Therefore, it is necessary to remove the support 4 when setting the support 4 in a printer or an ink ribbon cassette. When the support 4 is destroyed in this way, the transfer ink layer may be touched or the ink ribbon package may be damaged. May be dropped.

The ink ribbon package of the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and when replacing the ink ribbon, the number of unnecessary parts is minimized to minimize the amount of waste. It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink ribbon package which is easy to handle without touching or dropping a transfer ink layer when refilling an ink ribbon into an ink ribbon cassette.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ink ribbon package according to the present invention comprises a first roll on an unwinding side around which an ink ribbon is wound, and a winding roll to which a leading end of the ink ribbon is attached. The second roll on the side is disposed in parallel with a spacing member interposed between the first and second rolls, which can be moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane obtained by the rotation center line of the two and can be taken out. The first and second rolls and the periphery of the spacing member are bound by a binding tape extending in the winding direction of the ink ribbon.

[0011]

1 and 2 show an ink ribbon package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The ink ribbon package 20 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the side view, the first roll 22 on the unwinding side around which the ink ribbon 21 is wound, and the ink ribbon 21
And a second roll 23 on the winding side to which the leading end of the first roll 22 is attached. The first roll 22 and the second roll 23 are arranged in parallel. Base film 21 of ink ribbon 21
A transfer ink layer 21B is formed on one side of A.

A spacing member 24 made of paper is arranged between the first roll 22 and the second roll 23. The first roll 2 is provided on the left and right side wall portions 25, 25 of the spacing member 24.
An arc-shaped concave portion 26 corresponding to the circular peripheral surface of the second ink ribbon 21 and an arc-shaped concave portion 27 corresponding to the circular peripheral surface of the second roll 23 are respectively formed. The right and left side wall portions 25, 25 of the spacing member 24 are connected by an upper surface portion 27. When the left and right side wall portions 25, 25 and the upper surface portion 27 are cut in the vertical direction, a vertical cross section having a substantially "U" shape is formed. It has a structure.

The spacing member 24 can be taken out in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the rotation centers L1 and L2 of the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). Are located.

The first roll 22 and the second roll 23 hold the tape film 2 with the spacing member 24 held therebetween.
8 (bundling tape). The tape film 28 extends in the direction in which the ink ribbon 21 is wound.
First roll 22, second roll 23, and spacing member 24
, So that they do not protrude from the left and right ends of the first and second rolls 22 and 23. The tape film 28 is formed of, for example, a plastic film such as polyethylene, but may be formed of paper. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the tape film 28 are overlapped on the upper surface 27 of the spacing member 24 and are sealed by a sealing seal 29 as a sealing material.

Next, a case where the ink ribbon package 20 is set in an ink ribbon cassette will be described.

FIG. 3 shows the ink ribbon package 20.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a printer for setting the ink ribbon 21. An ink ribbon 21 is sent from a first roll 22 to a second roll 23. The thermal head 30 is arranged on the way. Between the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 31, an ink ribbon 21 and a plastic tape 32 as an object to be printed are arranged. Guide rollers 33, 33 are arranged before and after the thermal head 30, and the printing of the thermal head 30 is performed while the plastic tape 32 and the ink ribbon 21 are fed by the platen roller 31. 3 is a guide roller of the plastic tape 32.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the ink ribbon cassette 34 in which the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 are loaded in the above-mentioned printer. Ink ribbon cassette 34
Can be separated into an upper case 36 and a lower case 37 by a dividing line 35, so that the inside can be opened.

The upper case 36 has a half cylindrical portion 38 for storing the first roll 22 and a half cylindrical portion 3 for storing the second roll 23.
9. The half cylinder portions 38 and 39 are connected by a bridge portion 40. Similarly, the lower case 37 has a half-cylinder part 41 for storing the first roll 22 and a half-cylindrical part 42 for storing the second roll 23.
The two are connected by a bridge 43.

In the case of loading the ink ribbon package 20 into the ink ribbon cassette 34, in this embodiment,
The ink ribbon package 20 is set in the lower case 37.

In this case, the upper case 36 is
Remove from 7 Also, the first roll 22 and the second
The ribs 44A and 45A of the gear core 44 and the core 45 are inserted into the ends of the roll 23.

Since the lower case 37 is formed with the half cylinder portions 41 and 42, the first roll 22 is set on the half cylinder portion 41 and the second roll 23 is set on the half cylinder portion 42. At this time, it is set after confirming that the positions of the gear core 44 and the core 45 mesh with the driving gear of the printer.

With this setting, the transfer ink layer 21B of the ink ribbon 21 faces the back side of the sheet of FIG. 5, and the seal 29 is positioned on the front side of the sheet. Therefore, when the sealing seal 29 is broken, the tape film 28 slides along the inner wall surfaces of the half-cylinder portions 41 and 42, and the tape is kept while the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 are set on the half-cylinder portions 41 and 42. The film 28 can be removed. Tape film 2
After removing the gap 8, the spacing member 24 is removed in the direction of the front side of FIG.

When the setting of the ink ribbon 21 is completed,
The upper case 36 is put on the lower case 37 and the upper case 36 and the lower case 37 are connected. Claws and claw holes for this connection are formed at the edges of the semi-cylindrical portions 38 to 42 of the upper case 36 and the lower case 37.

After the upper case 36 and the lower case 37 are connected, the ink ribbon cassette 34 is set in the printer. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The thermal head 30 is set on the first base film 21A, and the refilling of the ink ribbon 21 is completed. When refilling of the ink ribbon 21 is completed, the ink ribbon cassette 34 is set in the printer, and printing can be performed.

According to the ink ribbon package 20 of this embodiment, the gear core 4 is attached to both ends of the first and second rolls 22 and 23 while being bound by the tape film 28.
4. Attach the core 45 and the first and second rolls 2
The ink ribbon package 20 can be mounted on the ink ribbon cassette while maintaining the distance between the axes 2 and 23, and there is no danger of dropping or touching the transfer ink layer 21B.

Since the tape film 28 is wound in the winding direction of the ink ribbon 21, if the sealing seal 29 is broken after being mounted on the ink ribbon cassette,
The tape film 28 can be removed. When removing the tape film 28, the tape film 28 can be pulled out in the winding direction of the ink ribbon 21, so that the tape film 28 can be easily taken out. In addition, since the spacing member 24 is easily removed and discarded are the spacing member 24 and the tape film 28,
Waste is not bulky and the amount is small.

FIG. 6 shows an ink ribbon package 50 according to a new embodiment. In the ink ribbon package 50, reference numeral 51 denotes an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed on the surface opposite to the thermal head, reference numeral 52 denotes a first roll serving as an unwinding side of the ink ribbon 51, and reference numeral 53 denotes a winding side of the ink ribbon 51. A second roll 54, a spacing member disposed between the first roll 52 and the second roll 53, and 55 a first roll 52 and a second roll 53
And the ink ribbon 5 with the spacing member 54 interposed therebetween.
1 is a tape film stopped. The ink ribbon 51 has an ink layer on the lower surface side, which is transferred to the print object side by the thermal head. The rolls 52 and 53 are plastic rolls formed in a cylindrical shape.

A core 56 and a gear core 57 are mounted on both ends of the first roll 52 and the second roll 53, respectively. Rolls 52 and 53 are provided with an ink ribbon 51 fixed around a plastic tubular portion.
A new ink ribbon 51 is wound around the cylindrical portion on the second side. A core 56 and a gear core 57 are attached to both ends of the rolls 52 and 53.

The core 56 and the gear core 57 are made of plastic such as polyethylene, and have a flange 58, an insertion portion 59 having a slit, and a holding portion 60, respectively, and the gear core 57 has a gear 61 formed at an end of the holding portion 60. Have been.

The spacing member 54 has a shape in which a “U” -shaped cross section is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the ink ribbon 51 between the rolls 52 and 53, and Supporting piece 5 for supporting 52, 53
2A are respectively formed. A mark 62 indicating the second roll 53 on the winding side is displayed on the upper surface portion 54A of the spacing member 54. This mark 62 is visible through the tape film 55. Tape film 5
Reference numeral 5 denotes a transparent polyethylene film, cellophane paper, paper, or a seal, and has an adhesive layer for fixing at the time of winding on one side of both ends.

The ink ribbon cassette 63 is made of a plastic such as polyethylene, for example.
As shown in FIG. 5, half roll portions 64 and 65 for holding the first roll 52 and the second roll 53 respectively are provided. The half cylinder portions 64 and 65 are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape, and house the rolls 52 and 53 rotatably therein. Half tube parts 64, 65
Are connected by bridge portions 66, 66. Half cylindrical portion 6 for storing second roll 53 on the winding side
A mark 71 for aligning with the mark 62 of the ink ribbon package 50 is displayed on the inner bottom of 5.

Resin hinges 67 are formed at the edges of the semi-cylindrical portions 64 and 65 at positions far from each other, and semi-cylindrical lids 68 and 69 are formed via the resin hinges 67. Holding holes 70 for supporting the holding portions 60 of the core 56 and the gear core 57 are formed in the half cylinder portions 64 and 65 and the lid portions 68 and 69, respectively. Lids 68, 69
At both ends, engaging portions 68A and 69A are protrudingly provided.
The engaging portions 68A, 69A are fitted inside the corner portions 66A of the bridge portions 66, 66 and engage so as not to easily open the lid portions 68, 69.

When the ink ribbon package 50 is set in the ink ribbon cassette 63, as shown in FIG.
The core 56 and the gear core 57 are mounted on the rolls 52 and 53 of the ink ribbon package 50. Next, the lids 68 and 69 of the ink ribbon cassette 63 are previously opened so that the mark 71 can be seen from above.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, after the ink ribbon package 50 is placed in the ink ribbon cassette 63 so that the marks 62 and the marks 71 of the ink ribbon package 50 are aligned, the tape film 55 is peeled off from the ink ribbon 55. When the spacing member 54 is removed, the first
Roll 52 from the second roll 53 to the second roll 53
Will be able to send.

After the tape film 55 and the spacing member 54 have been removed as shown in FIG. 9, the lids 68 and 69 are closed and the half cylinders 64 and 65 are closed as shown in FIG.
And attach it to the printer. The gear core 57 of the ink ribbon package 50 mounted on the printer meshes with a drive gear (not shown) on the printer side, and is rotatable by receiving a motor driving force of the printer. When the printer is in the print mode, the ink ribbon 51 is sent from the first roll 52 to the second roll 53, and printing can be performed on the print target by the thermal head.

According to the ink ribbon package 50 of this embodiment, since the alignment marks 62 are displayed on the upper surface 54A of the spacing member 54, the alignment marks are displayed on the ink ribbon film 51 and the tape film 55. Need not be printed, and it can be easily corrected even if the orientation of the spacing member 54 is mistaken during packaging, which is advantageous in reducing costs.

[0038]

According to the ink ribbon package of the present invention, cores are respectively attached to both ends of the first and second rolls bound to the binding tape, and the center distance between the first and second rolls is maintained. The ink ribbon package can be attached to the ink ribbon cassette as it is.

Since the binding tape is wound in the winding direction of the ink ribbon, the binding tape can be removed after the binding tape is mounted on the ink ribbon cassette. When removing the binding tape, the binding tape can be pulled out in the winding direction of the ink ribbon, so that the binding tape can be easily taken out. In addition, the spacing member is easy to remove, and the items to be discarded are the spacing member and the binding tape.

Therefore, when replacing the ink ribbon, the number of unnecessary parts can be reduced as much as possible to minimize the amount of waste, and further, when the ink ribbon is refilled in the ink ribbon cassette, the transfer ink layer can be reduced. Easy handling without touching or dropping.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ink ribbon package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the ink ribbon package according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state where the ink ribbon of the present invention is set in a printer.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an ink ribbon cassette for loading the ink ribbon of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where an ink ribbon is set in a lower case of the ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon package according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view when the ink ribbon package according to the second embodiment is stored in an ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ink ribbon package according to the second embodiment is stored in an ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape film is removed from the stored ink ribbon package.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette of FIG. 9 in a state where a lid is closed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional ink film mounting auxiliary package.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 ink ribbon package 21 ink ribbon 22 first roll 23 second roll 24 spacing member 28 tape film (bundling tape) 29 sealing seal (sealing material)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first unwinding side on which an ink ribbon is wound.
A roll and a second roll on the take-up side to which the leading end of the ink ribbon is attached are arranged in parallel.
Between the rolls, a spacing member that can be removed by being moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane obtained by the center line of rotation between both is interposed, and the first and second rolls and the periphery of the spacing member are An ink ribbon package which is bound by a binding tape extending in a winding direction of the ink ribbon.