JP2002059629A - Ink ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink ribbon cassette in which the image quality of an image being printed on a print sheet is not deteriorated by fat of fingers. SOLUTION: The ink ribbon cassette 10 comprises an ink ribbon 12 where the ink faces of respective colors are arranged in the sheet feed direction, a supply reel 13 for winding the ink ribbon 12 before being used and a winding reel 14 for winding the ink ribbon 12 after being used, and an exterior member 11 comprising a chamber 10a for containing the supply reel 13 while supporting rotatably, a chamber 10b for containing the winding reel 14 while supporting rotatably, and linking parts 10c, 10d for linking the supply reel containing chamber 10a and the winding reel containing chamber 10b to form a window for exposing the ink ribbon wherein a protrusion 16 for decreasing the contact area is provided along the print sheet feed direction in the outer surface of the supply reel containing chamber 10a abutting against the print sheet at the time of printing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette, and more particularly, to an ink ribbon cassette for storing an ink ribbon having a plurality of ink surfaces arranged in a feeding direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of ink such as liquid ink, powdery toner ink, and ink ribbon are used in printers for printing characters and images.

[0003] Of these, those using an ink ribbon are often those in which the ink ribbon is wound in a roll shape and stored in an ink ribbon cassette. After that, each ink ribbon cassette is replaced with a new one.

On the other hand, the printer main body is provided with a storage chamber or the like for storing the above-described ink ribbon cassette, and when the printer is replaced, the used ink ribbon cassette is taken out of the storage chamber. Usually, a new ink ribbon cassette is manually loaded.

[0005]

As described above, since the ink ribbon cassette is usually replaced with fingers or the like, the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette housed in the printer main body has It is not unusual for oils and fats from hands to adhere.

By the way, in order to reduce the size of the printer, it is conceivable that the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette is configured to come into contact with the printing paper, and the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette is supplied to the inside of the printer. It may be actively used as a guide for the printing paper to be fed.

In such a case, one side of the printing paper, particularly the side on which the image is transferred from the ink ribbon, is
It may come into contact with the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette, but at this time, if the oils and fingers of the fingers adhere to the printing paper from the surface of the cassette as described above, this may cause the image quality of the printed image to deteriorate. I will. In particular, when printing a color image by thermal transfer, since the transfer is performed a plurality of times while applying heat to the same surface of the printing paper, the heat is applied in a state where the attached fat component is mixed with the ink. This is not desirable from the viewpoint of maintaining high image quality.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cassette which does not degrade the quality of an image printed on printing paper.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink ribbon cassette according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an ink ribbon in which a plurality of planarly developed inks are arranged along a feeding direction; A supply reel for winding the ink ribbon before use, a take-up reel for winding the ink ribbon after use, and an ink ribbon cartridge for rotatably supporting and storing the supply reel and the take-up reel. An outer member having a convex portion on the outer surface with which the printing paper comes into contact when the set is loaded in the printer apparatus main body to reduce the contact area between the outer surface of the outer member and the printing paper. It is.

In the ink ribbon cassette according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink ribbon cassette according to the first aspect, the convex portion extends along at least the length of a portion where the printing paper abuts along the printing paper feeding direction. It is a ridge provided.

Further, the ink ribbon cassette according to a third aspect of the present invention is the ink ribbon cassette according to the first aspect, wherein the exterior member accommodates the supply reel accommodating chamber accommodating the supply reel and the take-up reel accommodating the take-up reel. And a connecting part for connecting the supply reel storage chamber and the take-up reel storage chamber so that a window for exposing the ink ribbon is formed. It is formed on the outer surface.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view including a partially broken portion showing an ink ribbon cassette and a printer main body to which the ink ribbon cassette is applied. FIG. 3 is a view showing an exploded view of an ink ribbon contained in the ink ribbon cassette, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which printing paper is in contact with the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer device to which the ink ribbon cassette 10 is applied is a printer device main body 2.
0, a paper cassette 40 for storing printing paper 41 (see FIG. 4) and a battery 50 as a power supply are detachably mounted.

The printer main body 20 has a print button 31 for instructing start of printing, operation buttons 32 for setting a print mode and the like, and various kinds of information on an upper surface in a main body case 21 constituting an exterior thereof. There is provided an operation panel on which a liquid crystal display panel 33 and the like for displaying are displayed.

The paper feed cassette 40 is mounted in an opening 39 provided at the front end of the main body case 21, and is loaded into the paper feed cassette 40 through the opening 39. The printed paper 41 is fed and the printed paper is also discharged.

The printer main body 20 has a thermal head mechanism for thermally transferring the ink of the ink ribbon 12 to the inside of a chassis 22 in a main body case 21 constituting the exterior thereof, and a printing paper 41 for feeding. A mechanism, a mechanism for feeding the ink ribbon 12, and the like are incorporated.

The mechanism for feeding the printing paper 41 includes a pinch roller 34 and a paper feeding roller 35 that are swingably supported, and a thermal head with the printing paper 41 and the ink ribbon 12 interposed therebetween. And a platen roller 36 opposed to the head section of FIG.

The route along which the printing paper 41 is fed is as follows.
Although formed by a guide member 37 disposed in the main body case 21, the ink ribbon cassette 10 loaded in the printer main body 20 is also used to constitute a part of the feeding path. That is, a part of the exterior member of the ink ribbon cassette 10 comes into contact with the fed printing paper 41 as described later.

Further, as a mechanism for feeding the above-described ink ribbon 12, a supply reel drive shaft 25 and a take-up reel drive shaft 26 are provided, and are provided through circular holes 22a and 22b formed in the chassis 22. The chassis 2
2, and is driven by a driving source such as a motor (not shown).

The chassis 22 between the supply reel drive shaft 25 and the take-up reel drive shaft 26 is provided with a hole 24 for positioning when the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded.

On the other hand, one side of the main body case 21 of the printer main body 20 has an opening 2 cut out in a substantially rectangular shape.
1a, the chassis 22 provided inside the opening 21a has a side surface shape on the insertion side of the ink ribbon cassette 10, that is, a side surface shape on a first connecting portion 10c side described later. Opening portion 23 of substantially fitting shape
Are formed. Notches 23a, 23b for receiving positioning ribs 18a, 18b projecting from the peripheral surface of the ink ribbon cassette 10 are provided at both ends of the opening 23.
In addition, a protrusion 28 for positioning when the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded is formed in the upper portion near the opening 23.

The opening 21a (and the opening 23) is closed by a lid 29 attached to the main body case 21 via a hinge 29a so as to be openable and closable. The lid 29 is provided with a claw 29b.
Is provided on the chassis 22 in the opening 21a.
By engaging with 0, it is designed to be locked at the closed position.

The lid 29 has a function of closing the opening 21a, and has a function of the supply reel drive shaft 25 and the take-up reel drive shaft 26 and the ink ribbon cassette 1
No. 0 has a function of pressing the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, so as to surely mesh with each other.

The ink ribbon cassette 10 removably loaded in the printer main body 20 as described above is formed by fitting two case halves 11a and 11b each having an ink ribbon exposure window formed therein. A cassette case 11 serving as an exterior member is configured, and a supply reel storage chamber 10a for rotatably storing the supply reel 13 and a take-up reel storage chamber 10b for rotatably storing the take-up reel 14 are provided. First and second connecting portions 10
The configuration is such that the side surfaces are connected by c and 10d.

The ink ribbon cassette 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

In a cassette case 11, which is an exterior member of the ink ribbon cassette 10, an ink ribbon 12 in which a plurality of inks of respective colors spread in a plane are arranged along a feeding direction, and the ink ribbon 12 is used before use. A supply reel 13 rotatably supported to wind the ink ribbon 12 and a take-up reel 14 rotatably supported to wind the ink ribbon 12 after use are stored. At this time, the supply reel 13 meshes with the supply reel drive shaft 25 and the take-up reel 14 rotates with the take-up reel drive shaft 26.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink ribbon 12 has a yellow (Y) ink surface 12a, a magenta (M) ink surface 12b, and a cyan (C) ink surface on a transparent base film. 12c and an overcoat surface 12d for forming a transparent protective layer are sequentially arranged along the running direction to form a set of ink groups for printing one color image. A plurality of ink groups are provided along the running direction.

The ink ribbon 12 further includes an ink marker 12e for separating the ink groups and performing cueing, and yellow, magenta, and yellow in the ink group.
An ink marker 12f for separating each surface of magenta and cyan, and each surface of cyan and overcoat is provided as shown.

In the cassette case 11, both ends of the ink ribbon 12 are wound around the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14, respectively, and a part of the ink ribbon 12 is developed in the window for exposing the ink ribbon. The paper is fed in the winding direction from the supply reel 13 to the take-up reel 14 only.

The first connecting portion 10c has a structure shown in FIG.
(A), FIG. 2 (B), FIG. 2 (C), and FIG. 2 (E), a projection 15 having a plus shape (“+” shape) for regulating the loading position is provided on the take-up reel. The ink ribbon cassette 10 is positioned closer to the front side 14 and engages with the hole 24 provided in the chassis 22 of the printer apparatus main body 20 to position the side of the ink ribbon cassette 10 on the reel drive side.

The second connecting portion 10d is formed to have a shape which is wider than the first connecting portion 10c (see also FIG. 2 (C) and the like), and is formed to be wide. As shown in FIG. 2 (D), a hole 17 for defining the loading position is formed near the supply reel 13 at the portion where the supply reel 13 is located. The hole 17 provided in the second connecting portion 10d is engaged with a projection 28 provided in the vicinity of the opening portion 23 of the chassis 22 of the printer device main body 20, and the front side surface of the ink ribbon cassette 10 is It is designed to be positioned.

The above-described positioning projection 15 and hole 17
As shown in FIG. 2 (C), are arranged at positions where they do not overlap with each other in the direction in which the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded, so that three-dimensional positioning can be performed.

Further, the peripheral surface of the ink ribbon cassette 10 on the side of the supply reel storage room 10a and the take-up reel storage room 10a
As described above, the positioning ribs 18 parallel to the axial direction of the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14 are provided on the peripheral surface on the side b.
a, 18b are formed, and the notches 23a, 23b
, Respectively, to guide insertion and assist positioning after loading.

The ink ribbon cassette 10 is
At least a portion of the outer surface of the supply reel storage chamber 10a is a portion that comes into contact with the printing paper 41 when the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded in the printer main body 20, and more specifically, the guide member 37. And at an appropriate interval, a feeding path for the printing paper 41 is configured.

On the outer surface of the supply reel accommodating chamber 10a, which is in contact with the printing paper 41, is formed a ridge 16 which is a convex portion for reducing the contact area with the printing paper 41. The ridges 16 are formed as elongated projections along the feeding direction of the printing paper 41 and at least the printing paper 41.
Are formed over the length of the abutting portion, and a plurality of such ridges 16 are arranged at appropriate intervals in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction.

In such a configuration, when the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded into the printer main body 20,
Open the lid 29 of the printer main body 20 and open the opening 2.
From 3, the ink ribbon cassette 10 is inserted into the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14 in the axial direction. At this time, the positioning ribs 18a and 18b are
Slidably engaged with the notches 23a and 23b, the insertion operation of the ink ribbon cassette 10 is guided.

When the ink ribbon cassette 10 has entered the extent that it is almost housed in the opening 23, the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14 engage with the supply reel drive shaft 25 and the take-up reel drive shaft 26, respectively.

At the same time, the ink ribbon cassette 10
The projection 15 and the hole 17 are engaged with the hole 24 and the projection 28 of the chassis 22 of the printer apparatus main body 20, respectively.

Thereafter, by closing the lid 29 of the main body case 21, the claw portion 29b engages with the hook portion 30 and is locked. In this state, the ink ribbon cassette 10 is pressed and fixed in the axial direction of the supply reel 13 and the take-up reel 14 by the lid 29.

Thus, the ink ribbon cassette 10 is
On both sides of the first connecting portion 10c side and the second connecting portion 10d side, the chassis 22 of the printer main body 20 side is provided.
And a high-quality image can be printed while maintaining an accurate positional relationship with the thermal head.

Next, the ridge 1 of the ink ribbon cassette 10
The function that the printer 6 performs when printing will be described with reference to FIG.

When the print button 31 provided on the operation panel of the printer main body 20 is pressed, a printing operation is started, and the printing paper 41 is sent out from the paper feed cassette 40.

The printing paper 41 is formed by the pinch roller 3
After passing through the space between the thermal head in the retracted state and the platen roller 36, the peripheral surface of the supply reel storage chamber 10a of the ink ribbon cassette 10 And the guide member 37, and further moves within a U-shaped feeding path provided in the printer apparatus main body 20.

Once the printing paper 41 has been fed to the innermost portion, the thermal head is lowered, and this time, while feeding the printing paper 41 in the reverse direction, the yellow color is applied from the ink surface 12a of the ink ribbon 12 to the yellow. The image is thermally transferred. At this time, the printing paper 41 fed in the reverse direction
Does not return to the paper feed cassette 40 and protrudes from the opening 39 via a path branch on the way.

When the printing of the yellow image is completed,
After retreating the thermal head, the printing paper 41 is fed again to the innermost part of the feeding path inside the printer device main body 20, and subsequently, the image related to magenta is thermally transferred from the ink surface 12b, and similarly. After the printing paper 41 is returned, the thermal transfer of the cyan image and the overcoat transfer are sequentially performed.

When the transfer of the overcoat is completed, the printing paper 41 is sent back to the end so as to be placed on the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 40 without returning the printing paper 41, thereby printing one image. Is to end.

As described above, when printing a color image, the printing paper 41 reciprocates eight times in the feeding path, but the feeding paper 41 is widely spread on the outer surface of the cassette case 11 of the ink ribbon cassette 10. When the ink ribbon cassette 10 comes into contact with the ink ribbon cassette 10, the fats and oils and the like attached to the fingers when the ink ribbon cassette 10 is loaded may be transferred to the surface of the printing paper 41 as described above.

Therefore, the printing paper 4 in the cassette case 11 is
By providing the above-mentioned ridges 16 on the outer surface that comes into contact with 1, the area where the printing paper comes into contact with the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette 10 can be minimized as shown in FIG. And a high quality print image can be maintained. Further, since the contact area is reduced, the frictional force generated between the surface of the cassette case 11 and the printing paper 41 can be reduced, and the load on the motor and the like can be reduced and smooth feeding can be performed. Can be.

In the above description, a plurality of convex strips along the feeding direction of the printing paper 41 are used as the protruding portions for reducing the contact area between the outer surface of the exterior member of the ink ribbon cassette and the printing paper 41. Although formed, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can be widely applied as long as the shape can reduce the contact area. For example, a convex portion having a hemispherical shape may be used. In this case, a plurality of convex portions may be provided with a surface density that prevents close contact in the feeding direction and the width direction of the printing paper 41.

According to this embodiment, since the convex portion is formed on the outer surface of the exterior member of the ink ribbon cassette, the contact area with the fed printing paper can be reduced. Even if grease or the like adheres to the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette loaded into the main body of the printer using a hand or the like, transfer of the grease to the printing paper can be suppressed as much as possible, and the quality of the image to be printed can be reduced. High quality printed images can be maintained with little effect on quality.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0052]

As described above, according to the ink ribbon cassette of the first aspect of the present invention, since the outer surface on which the printing paper comes into contact is provided with a convex portion for reducing the contact area, it is possible to reduce the area of the fingers and the like. The grease and the like do not transfer to the printing paper, and the image quality of the image printed on the printing paper does not deteriorate.

According to the ink ribbon cassette of the second aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and at least the printing paper is applied to the convex portion along the printing paper feeding direction. The contact area can be reduced as much as possible without hindering the feeding of the printing paper by forming the ridge over the length of the contact portion.

Further, according to the ink ribbon cassette of the present invention according to the third aspect, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained, and the convex portion is formed on the outer surface of the supply reel storage chamber. The area where the outer surface of the supply reel storage chamber contacts the printing paper can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view including a partially broken portion of an ink ribbon cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention and a printer apparatus main body to which the ink ribbon cassette is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing each surface of the appearance of the ink ribbon cassette in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an expanded view showing an ink ribbon stored in the ink ribbon cassette in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which printing paper is in contact with the outer surface of the ink ribbon cassette in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ink ribbon cassette 10a ... Supply reel storage room 10b ... Take-up reel storage room 10c ... 1st connection part 10d ... 2nd connection part 11 ... Cassette case (exterior member) 12 ... Ink ribbon 13 ... Supply reel 14 ... Winding Take-up reel 16 ... ridge (convex portion) 20 ... printer device body 22 ... chassis 37 ... guide member 41 ... printing paper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink ribbon in which a plurality of inks spread in a plane are arranged along a feeding direction, a supply reel for winding the ink ribbon before use, and a winding reel after using the ink ribbon. A take-up reel, which rotatably supports and accommodates the supply reel and the take-up reel, wherein the ink ribbon cassette is mounted on an outer surface with which the printing paper comes into contact when the ink ribbon cassette is loaded in the printer main body. An exterior member having a convex portion for reducing a contact area between the outer surface of the exterior member and the printing paper; and an ink ribbon cassette comprising: 2. The projection according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is a ridge provided along at least a length of a portion where the printing paper abuts along the printing paper feeding direction. Ink ribbon cassette. 3. An exterior member comprising: a supply reel storage chamber for storing the supply reel; a take-up reel storage chamber for storing the take-up reel; and a supply reel storage chamber and a take-up reel storage chamber. A connection portion for connecting so as to form a ribbon exposure window portion, wherein the convex portion is formed on an outer surface of the supply reel storage chamber. Item 2. An ink ribbon cassette according to Item 1.