JP2002356032A - Intermediate coupler, core tube for winding ink sheet, and ink sheet set - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an ink sheet 21 of a different manufacturer from being set in the cartridge body 30 of an ink sheet cartridge 20. SOLUTION: Three engaging bodies 52 are projected from the shaft part 48 provided with one flange 48a on the winding side of the ink sheet 21 and inserted into the shaft hole 50 in one side plate 31a of the cartridge body 30 from the inside before being fitted unremovably in three fitting holes 53 in a first rotary member 46 provided with a transmission gear 47. Stop grooves 60 and 62 are made at one predetermined end of a core tube 1 on the winding side and an intermediate coupler 56 is fitted in the base part 48a of the shaft part 48 while fitting the resilient claw 59 and the stop protrusion 61 thereof in the stop grooves 60 and 62. The other end of the core tube 41 and the opposite ends a supply side core tube 40 are fitted, respectively, with spools 39, 36 and 37 provided with a flange 43 and then the spools are fitted removably in the shaft supporting grooves 33 of the side plates 31a and 31b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of an ink sheet set, an intermediate connector applied thereto, and a core tube for winding an ink sheet for use in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile machine. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When printing on recording paper such as plain paper using a thermal printer, an ink ribbon cartridge is usually used because of its easiness of replacement and simplicity of handling. And if the thermal printer is a line printer,
A wide ink sheet is used. A conventional ink sheet cartridge of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-8174.
9 and JP-A-10-193732 and JP-A-9-193732.
As shown in JP-A-141987, for example, in order to exchange an ink sheet with a cartridge body, a supply spool and a take-up spool of the ink sheet can be rotatably supported and are detachably configured. I was

[0003]

However, if the user incorrectly attaches the supply side spool and the take-up side spool to the cartridge body and the right and left positions of the spools, the front and back surfaces of the new ink sheet become inconsistent with the cartridge body. However, there is a problem that the printing operation cannot be performed because the normal setting state cannot be obtained.

In general, one side of the supply side spool and the take-up side spool is provided with a gear portion for transmitting power from the main body of the image forming apparatus and rotating each spool. In this case, if the mounting side of the gear portion is wrong, the supply of the ink sheet becomes impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the gear portion on the correct side surface of the cartridge main body and set it in the main body of the apparatus in the correct direction.

Therefore, there has been a problem that a normal user is confused or troublesome in attaching the supply-side spool and the winding-side spool to the correct positions and orientations.

Further, if a core tube around which another company's ink sheet is wound can fit into the spool, the other company's ink sheet may be used by mistake. There has been a problem that the image forming apparatus does not operate normally, for example, the normal printing performance that can be exhibited cannot be exhibited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an ink sheet set that improves the workability of replacing an ink sheet set and prevents an erroneous ink sheet set from being mounted. It is an object of the present invention to provide an intermediate connector and a core tube for winding an ink sheet that can be applied thereto.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an intermediate connector according to the first aspect of the present invention is attached to one end of a core tube around which an ink sheet is wound, and is connected via a spool from the main body side. The rotation of the core tube is performed by the transmitted power.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the intermediate connector according to the first aspect, the outermost diameter portion is formed to have the same diameter as the outer diameter portion of the core tube, and is formed in the core tube. And an elastic claw and / or a stop projection that engages with and disengages from the stop groove formed.

[0010] Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 1.
In the intermediate connector according to any one of (1) to (2), a stop groove provided in the core tube is formed in an L shape in a plan view, and the elastic claw is locked in the stop groove in the L shape in a plan view.

Further, the invention described in claim 4 is the first invention.
The intermediate connector according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a cam portion that engages with and disengages from a locking claw of the spool.

The invention described in claim 5 is the same as the invention in claim 4.
Wherein the cam portion is formed by being radially divided into a plurality from the rotation center of the core tube.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a core tube for winding an ink sheet according to the present invention, wherein the ink sheet is wound, and an intermediate connector to which power from the main body is transmitted via a spool is attached to one end. It is.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the core tube for winding an ink sheet according to the sixth aspect, an L-shape in plan view is provided in which an elastic claw provided on the intermediate connector is engaged and disengaged. Stop grooves are formed.

The ink sheet set according to the present invention comprises a supply-side core tube and a take-up side core tube for the ink sheet, and an ink sheet wound around the core tube. An intermediate connector attached to one end of the core tube and rotated integrally with the core tube is provided, and power from the main body is transmitted to the intermediate connector via a spool.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the ink sheet set according to the eighth aspect, the intermediate connector is formed to have the same diameter as the outermost diameter portion of the core tube, and the winding side core is formed. It is attached to one end of a tube.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink sheet set according to the eighth or ninth aspect, an L-shaped stop groove is formed at one end of the core tube in plan view.
An elastic claw is formed on the intermediate connector, and the intermediate connector is attached to the core tube by engaging the elastic claw of the intermediate connector in a stopper groove of the core tube.

Further, the invention according to claim 11 is the ink sheet set according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the length in the axial direction when the intermediate connector is attached to the core tube is smaller than the ink length. It is configured to be approximately the same length as the width of the sheet.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ink sheet set according to any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, a cam portion that engages with and disengages from a locking claw of the spool is formed on the intermediate connector. The intermediate connector and the core tube are integrally rotated via the cam portion.

[0020]

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a facsimile apparatus 1 having an ink sheet cartridge 20 mounted thereon, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of a setting section of the ink sheet cartridge 20,
3 is a plan view of the ink sheet cartridge 20, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink sheet cartridge 20, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the ink sheet cartridge, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a spool connecting portion on the winding side. .

First, the structure of a facsimile machine 1 as an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be schematically described. The facsimile apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment reads an image or the like from a document 8, transmits the image data as facsimile data to another facsimile apparatus via a communication line such as a telephone line, and connects the communication line such as a telephone line. It receives facsimile data transmitted from another facsimile apparatus via the MFP and forms an image on the recording paper 4 as well as a function as a normal facsimile apparatus. It has a function as a printer that receives print data transmitted through the printer and forms an image in accordance with the data.

A receiver (not shown) is arranged on one side of the main body case 2 of the facsimile apparatus 1. The upper cover body 6 covering the upper surface of the main body case 2 having an open top surface is pivotally attached to the upper rear end of the main body case 2 so as to be rotatable up and down around a rotation fulcrum 6a at the rear end. An operation panel 3 having a key switch 3a, a liquid crystal display device 3b, and the like is provided on a front side of an upper surface of the upper cover body 6. The operation panel 3 is also configured so that the front side can be opened upward and turned in order to remove the document 8 when the document 8 is not properly fed. At the rear of the upper surface of the main body case 2, a paper feed table 5 for stacking and placing the recording paper 4 in an obliquely downward state is provided rotatably with respect to the rear of the upper cover body 6. A document table 7 is detachably mounted in the middle of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body case 2.

In the main body case 2, a feed roller pair 9 for conveying a document 8 from the document table 7, a contact image scanner unit (CIS) 10, and its reading are provided below the operation panel 3. A document pressing body 11 and a pair of paper discharge rollers 12 are arranged above the unit.

In the main body case 2 below the paper feed table 5, a paper feed roller 15 for conveying the recording paper 4 from the paper feed table 5 one by one, and a spring is urged on the upper peripheral surface thereof. The paper feed unit 14 includes a separated pad 16 and the like.

A roller-shaped platen 17 as a printing unit, a thermal head 22 on a printing table 19 urged by a spring 18 toward the lower surface of the platen 17 A storage section 13 for an ink sheet cartridge 20 is provided so as to straddle the printing table 19 in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 1).

In the ink sheet cartridge 20 in the accommodating portion 13, the supply-side sheet spool 25 for the ink sheet 21 is disposed at the rear side of the main body case 2, the take-up side sheet spool 26 is at the front side of the main body case 2, and It is arranged in a forwardly inclined shape (hip-up shape) such that the supply-side sheet spool 25 is at a high position and the winding-side sheet spool 26 is at a low position. Therefore, the storage unit 1
The lower part of the main body case 2 is located on the rear side of the lower surface of the main body case 2, and a large space is formed at the rear lower part of the main body case 2 in combination with the configuration of the ink sheet cartridge 20 being inclined forward. Thus, a control board 29 for executing the operation of the facsimile machine 1 and the like is arranged in this space, that is, below the storage section 13.

The ink sheet 21 wound from the supply side sheet spool 25 to the front take-up side sheet spool 26
Is a thermal head 22 and a tension body 2 made of a spring plate.
3 and reaches the lower peripheral surface side of the take-up side sheet spool 26. At this time, the ink surface of the ink sheet 21 is on the upper surface. The recording paper 4 overlapping the upper surface (ink surface) of the ink sheet 21 is printed by a printing unit where the platen 17 and the thermal head 22 overlap, and then is printed on the upper side of the ink sheet cartridge 20 on the winding sheet spool 26 side. The paper passes through the upper surface of the partition plate 24 having the function of the formed transport chute, and is discharged to the front of the main body case 2 via the pair of discharge rollers 28. An upper chute 27 of a plurality of rib-shaped transfer chutes protruding downward is arranged on the lower surface of the upper cover body 6 so as to extend from the upstream side to the downstream side with the platen 17 interposed therebetween. It is configured such that the recording paper 4 can pass between the partition plate 24 and the cartridge 20.

On the other hand, the ink sheet 21 is bent downward at the top surface of the tension body 23, passes through the lower surface of the partition plate 24, and is wound on the lower peripheral side of the winding sheet spool 26. Have been.

Next, the structure of the ink sheet cartridge 20 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The ink sheet cartridge 20 includes a cartridge body 30, an ink sheet 21, and a pair of left and right supply-side spools 3 serving as supply-side sheet spools 25.
6 and 37, and a pair of left and right take-up spools 38 and 39 as the take-up sheet spool 26.

The spools 36, 37, 39 are flanged shafts which are removably fitted at both ends of core tubes 40, 41 for winding the ink sheet 21, for example, injection of synthetic resin material. It is integrally formed by molding or the like, and only one spool 38 is configured by combining a plurality of components.

Next, the configuration of the cartridge main body 30 as the cartridge main body will be described with reference to FIGS. The cartridge body 30 includes a pair of left and right side plates 31a, 31b extending from the sheet supply side to the take-up side so as to surround the outer sides on both right and left sides of the ink sheet 21, and winding of the supply side of the ink sheet 21 around the pair of side plates 31a, 31b. It is composed of an upper cover piece 32 connected to both sides of the left and right sides to cover the upper side of the portion, and a partition plate 24 that also covers a pair of side plates 31a and 31b so as to cover an upper portion on the winding side of the ink sheet 21. It is integrally produced by injection molding using a resin material. Therefore, a portion surrounded by the supply-side upper cover piece 32 in the left-right direction, the winding-side partition plate 24, and the left and right-side plate connecting pieces 31a and 31b becomes a window hole portion where the ink sheet 21 is exposed. The roller-shaped platen 17 faces from the upper side of the section, and the printing table 19, the thermal head 22, and the tension body 23 face from below the window hole section (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Further, both left and right end portions of the partition plate 24 or a pair of left and right side plates 31
Pins 35, 35 having a fin shape or the like protrude upward from a, 31b.

The side plates 31a and 31b have:
Except for the take-up side left spool 38, the outer shafts 44 of the supply-side right spool 37 and the take-up right spool 39
A shaft support groove 33 of one end open type is formed in which the support shaft of the supply-side left spool 36 is loosely fitted (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The side plates 31a, 31a are connected to the shaft support groove 33 and extend radially outward.
b, each outer shaft 44
When the (support shaft) is pushed upward with its axis substantially crossing the shaft support groove 33, the width between the lower open groove edges of each shaft support groove 33 expands elastically.
In the free state, each outer shaft 44 (support shaft portion) is
3 so as not to fall off.

The ink sheet 21 is formed by forming an ink layer on one entire surface of a wide resin film. As shown in FIG. 8, the ink sheet 21 is wound around a pair of cylindrical core tubes 40 and 41 made of paper or the like. Have been. The recording paper 4 is formed on the ink layer of the ink sheet 21.
Are sandwiched between the platen 17 and the recording surface of the thermal head 22 which is a line printer, and the heating resistor of the thermal head 22 is energized in accordance with image data. An image is formed.

The core tube 40 on the supply side and the core tube 41 on the winding side
The supply-side right spool 37 and the take-up-side right spool 39 which are fitted to the right ends (the right side as viewed from the discharge side of the recording paper 4) have the same shape as shown in FIG. 4
1) an inner cylindrical portion 42 fitted to the inner diameter of the right end portion, a large-diameter flange portion 43, and a small-diameter cylindrical outer shaft 44 as a support shaft portion rotatably disposed with respect to the cartridge body 30 described later. It is composed of

The supply-side left spool 36 fitted to the left end of the supply-side core tube 40 fits into the inner diameter of the left end of the core tube 40, and has an inner cylindrical portion with an engagement claw 42a that engages with a notch groove. 42
A large-diameter flange portion 43, a support shaft portion (not shown) provided outside the flange portion 43 and rotatably disposed with respect to a cartridge body 30 described later, and a gear portion provided outside the support shaft portion. 45 (see FIG. 8).

On the other hand, the take-up left spool 38 fitted to the left end of the take-up core tube 41 is attached to the shaft hole 50 of the one side plate 31a of the cartridge body 30 so as not to come off. A first rotating member 46 having a transmission gear 47 disposed outside the one side plate 31a, and a flange 48a connected to the first rotating member 46 from inside the one side plate 31a.
And a shaft portion 48 with a shaft. The intermediate connector 56 is detachably fitted to the flanged shaft portion 48, and the intermediate connector 56 is fitted to the inner diameter portion at the left end of the core tube 41 on the winding side. It is formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin material.

FIGS. 10 (a), 10 (b), 10
(C) and FIG. 10 (d) show the first rotating member 46,
In the inner diameter portion of the transmission gear 47, an inner cylindrical portion 46a is formed long along the axis, and one side notch portion 46c of the inner cylindrical portion 46a is formed.
In this case, a rod-shaped elastic body 51 extending along the axial direction is integrally formed. On the free end side of the elastic body 51, a locking claw 51a is integrally formed radially outward. A fan-shaped base 46b divided into three along the circumference is provided outside the radius of the inner cylindrical portion 46a. Further, a substantially rectangular fitting hole 53 is formed between the base portion 46b and the fitting portion 53a of each of the three engaging members 52 of the shaft portion 48 with the flange 48a. A step portion 53a as an engaging portion is formed on the outer peripheral side of each fitting hole 53. In addition, a positioning projection 54 projecting from the side surface facing the shaft portion 48 and extending in the radial direction is integrally formed on the base portion 46b.

FIGS. 11 (a), 11 (b) and 11
(C) shows the configuration of the shaft portion 48 with the flange 48a. A disk-shaped flange 48a protrudes outward in a radial direction from a cylindrical base portion 48b, and one end of the base portion 48b has an arc-shaped cross section with a slightly smaller radius. Is extended in the axial direction, and the elastic body 51 and its distal end hook 51a can pass through the inner diameter of the base 48a and the guide 48c in the axial direction. Three engaging members 52 protrude from a halfway radius of the flange 48a in a direction opposite to the base 48b. A positioning hole 55 into which the positioning protrusion 54 of the first rotating member 46 fits is formed at the base of the base 48b and the flange 48a.

With the above configuration, the cartridge body 30
In the embodiment, from the outside of the left side plate 31a shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG.
Then, the elastic body 51 of the first rotating member 46 is inserted, the flange 48a of the shaft portion 48 is approached from the inside of the side plate 31a, and the three engaging members 52 are inserted into the shaft hole 50.
Then, each tip claw portion 52a of each engaging body 52 is inserted into each fitting hole 5 on the inner diameter side of the transmission gear 47 in the first rotating member 46.
Fit into 3. As a result, the front claw portions 52a are engaged with the step portions 53a on the outer peripheral side of the respective fitting holes 53, and are integrated as the winding-side left spool 38, so that they cannot be removed from the shaft hole 50 and eventually the cartridge body 30. It is. In this case, since the rod-shaped elastic body 51 is brought into phase with the guide groove 48d of the notched guide portion 48c in the shaft portion 48, each positioning projection 5 on the first rotating member 46 is formed.
The shapes of the positioning holes 4 and the positioning holes 55 in the shaft portion 4 are made different for each phase. Further, when the take-up side left spool 38 is integrated, the outer periphery of the joining portion of the base portion 48b of the shaft portion 48 and the divided base portion 46b of the first rotating member 46 becomes cylindrical, and the shaft hole 50 is formed. 14 (a) and 14 (b).

Further, in this embodiment, there is provided a tubular intermediate connector 56 inserted between the end of the core tube 41 on the winding side and the shaft portion 48. FIGS. 12A and 12B
12 (c), 13 (a) and 13 (b) show the intermediate connector 56. The inner diameter portion 57a on the base end side of the cylindrical base portion 57 is formed by the base portion 48b of the shaft portion 48. The tip portion of the base portion 57 is integrally formed with a triangular cam portion 58 in the circumferential direction so as to be fitted tightly and rotatably. The guide portion 48c of the shaft portion 48 is configured to be rotatably fitted on the inner diameter side surrounded by the two cam portions 58.

When the intermediate connecting member 56 is relatively rotated with respect to the base portion 48 b of the shaft portion 48, the distal end locking claw 51 a of the cam portion 58 is flattened against the elasticity of the elastic body 51. Pressed by the inner diameter portion, it can be rotated only in one direction (in the direction opposite to the winding direction (when the intermediate connector 56 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 13B)), and can be rotated in the winding direction (FIG. 13).
When the intermediate connector 56 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in (b)), the distal end locking claw 51a urged radially outward by the elastic force of the elastic body 51 is connected to the adjacent 2 The two cam portions 58, 58 are configured to fit in the radial gap and to be able to rotate integrally. In addition, the intermediate connector 5
6 has the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the core tube 41, and the outermost diameter portion 57 b of the base portion 57 has an end portion of the core tube 41, which is a two-segment stop projection 61 protruding in the axial direction from the outermost diameter portion 57 b. It fits into a notch 62 formed by notching the portion (see FIG. 12B). Thus, the transmission torque from the main body of the image forming apparatus to the transmission gear 47 can be reliably transmitted to the take-up spool 26.

Further, a pair of elastic claws 59 are provided on the intermediate connector 56 so as to extend from the outermost diameter portion 57b so as to extend along the axis. When the base 57 of the intermediate connector 56 is inserted from the end of the core tube 41 on the take-up side, each elastic claw 59 is cut out at the end of the core tube 41 to form a pair of rotation preventing plan views. L-shaped groove 60
(Only one is shown in FIG. 12B). As a result, the take-up spool manufactured by another company without the stop groove 60 in the core tube 41 can be used as the ink sheet cartridge 20 of the present invention.
Can be attached to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine manufactured by the present applicant, so that an incorrect use of an ink sheet 21 of another company having a different quality is prevented, and the regular ink sheet 21 is not used. Problems such as deterioration of printing quality and printing failure can be prevented. First rotating member 46 of the present invention, shaft portion 48 with flange 48a
And the intermediate connector 56 is preferably formed of a synthetic resin material.

According to the above-described structure, the first rotating member 46 and the shaft portion 48 with the flange 48a are attached to the predetermined shaft hole 50 of the cartridge body 30 so as not to come off in advance and the winding left spool 38 (FIG. 14)
(See (a)) On the other hand, the intermediate connector 56 is attached to the end (left end) of the core tube 41 on the winding side so that it cannot be pulled out.

An embodiment in which a replacement ink sheet set is mounted on the cartridge body 30 will be described. The replacement ink sheet set is a set of a new ink sheet 21 wound around the supply-side core tube 40 and a take-up side core tube 41. The intermediate connector 56 may be attached. In these cases, the width dimension of the ink sheet 21 is determined by the outermost diameter portion 5 of the intermediate connector 56 connected to one end of the core tube 41.
It is preferable to set the dimension from the outer end of 7b to the other end of the core tube 41. The end of the new ink sheet 21 is attached to the outer periphery of the core tube 41 with an adhesive tape or the like. Then, a take-up right spool 39 is inserted into the right end of the core tube 41 and mounted. As shown in FIG. 8, the supply-side left spool 36 and the supply-side right spool 37 are inserted and attached to both ends of the supply-side core tube 40, respectively. Then
When the base portion 48b of the shaft portion 48 is inserted into the inner diameter portion 57a of the intermediate connecting body 56 and the intermediate connecting body 56 is relatively rotated, the distal end locking claw 51 resists the elasticity of the elastic body 51.
a is pressed by the flat inner diameter portion of the cam portion 58 and is rotatable only in one direction (when the intermediate connector 56 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15) As described above, the four spools 36, 37, 3
One of the spools 8 and 39 (the left spool 38 on the winding side) is undetachably attached to the cartridge body 30. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transmission gear 4 is used.
7 is located on the left or right side of the cartridge body 30.
In the case where the ink sheet 21 is replaced with one, errors in the direction and the like when attaching both ends of the core tubes 40 and 41 to the respective spools are reduced, and the ink sheet 21 can be replaced quickly and easily.

In the above state, the take-up side right spool 39, the supply side left spool 36 and the supply side right spool 37
Of the shaft support groove 3 in the cartridge body 30
3, 33, and 33, and the core tube 41 on the winding side is rotated so as not to loosen the ink sheet 21.

The ink sheet cartridge 2 having the above configuration
When 0 is set in the storage unit 13 of the facsimile machine 1,
The left and right side plates 31a, 31b and the like of the cartridge body 30 as the cartridge body are supported in a predetermined posture,
At this time, the inner diameter portions of the outer cylinders 44 and 44 of the winding-side right spool 39 and the supply-side right spool 37 are fitted on shafts (not shown) projecting from the main body frame (not shown), while the supply is performed. The gear portion 45 and the transmission gear 47 of the side left spool 36 and the winding side left spool 38 mesh with a power transmission gear (not shown), respectively, and the outer shaft of the supply side left spool 36 and the winding side left spool 38. Is fitted on a shaft (not shown) projecting elastically in the axial direction from the body frame side. As a result,
The supply-side sheet spool 25 and the winding-side sheet spool 26 can rotate smoothly.

The output of a print command on the operation panel 3 or a print command command from an external computer (not shown), or the reception of facsimile data from another facsimile apparatus activates the control board 29 to perform a printing (recording) operation. Is started, first, the paper feed roller 15 rotates to start paper feed. After the leading end of the recording paper 4 detects a paper sensor (not shown), the recording paper 4 is conveyed a predetermined distance, and
, The power is transmitted to the gear portion 45 and the transmission gear 47 of the platen 17 and the ink sheet cartridge 20, and the locking claw 51 a at the tip of the elastic body 51 of the first rotating member 46 is adjacent to the intermediate connector 56. Two cam parts 5
8, the torque of the transmission gear 47 in the winding direction of the predetermined ink sheet 21 can be transmitted to the core tube 41 (see FIG. 15). As a result, conveyance of the ink sheet 21 and feeding of the recording paper 4 are started, and printing is performed by the thermal head 22 which is a printing unit.

Immediately after printing is performed with the ink sheet 21 and the recording paper 4 sandwiched between the platen 17 and the thermal head 22, the ink on the ink sheet 21 is printed by the heat generated by the heating resistor of the thermal head 22. The ink sheet 21 melts according to the data (character) and appears on the recording paper 4, and then the ink is cooled, so that the ink sheet 21 remains attached to the surface of the recording paper 4. At the location of the top surface 23a of the tension member 23, as shown in FIG. 2, the ink sheet 21 is largely bent downward so as to be wound on the lower side of the outer periphery of the take-up sheet spool 26, so that the ink sheet 21 Of the ink is released. On the other hand, the recording paper 4 whose lower surface is a printing surface is placed on the upper surface of the partition plate 24 and conveyed, so that the recording paper 4 and the ink sheet 2 are conveyed.
1 can be reliably separated from the transport path. The leading end of the partition plate 24 (on the side closer to the top surface 23a of the tension body 23) is bent downward to scoop up the leading end (the downstream side of conveyance) of the recording paper 4 in a free state. It can be prevented from moving downward.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, if a large number of protrusions 24a are formed on the upper surface of the partition plate 24 in the longitudinal direction along the transport direction, the printing surface may be turned downward. When the recording paper 4 passes, the printing surface is not widely rubbed,
The stain on the recording paper 4 due to the adhesion of the ink can be reduced.

The partition plate 24 serves as a lower chute of a chute portion which serves as a guide portion of the recording paper 4 conveyance path, and a rib-shaped upper chute portion 27 extending across the platen 17 and an upper surface of the partition plate 24. And the recording paper 4 can be guided reliably. Also, paper jam (paper jam)
Occurs, the space between the partition plate 24 of the ink sheet cartridge 20 disposed on the main body case 2 side and the upper chute portion 27 can be largely opened just by opening the upper cover body 6 upward. The paper jam of No. 4 can be removed very easily.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a facsimile apparatus, but is not limited to this.
The present invention can be used for various image forming apparatuses such as a printer, a copying machine, and a device having a plurality of functions thereof.

As described above, the ink sheet cartridge of the present embodiment has a cartridge main body via the spool in which the supply side core tube and the take-up side core tube for the ink sheet are detachably mounted on the left and right ends of each. An ink sheet cartridge rotatably mounted on left and right side plates of the at least one spool, and a tubular intermediate connector interposed and connected between one end of the one core tube;
The intermediate connector has a cam portion which engages with and disengages from a locking claw protruding from the spool. As described above, when the cylindrical intermediate connector is attached to one end of the core tube in advance, and the spool is inserted into the intermediate connector, the locking claws projecting from the spool engage with the intermediate connector, so A core tube of another company's ink sheet without a connector cannot be mounted on the ink sheet cartridge of the present embodiment, so that there is no misuse that another company's ink sheet of a different quality is mounted, and a regular ink sheet is not used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent troubles such as deterioration of printing quality and printing defects.

The take-up spool is configured to engage the shaft portion with the flange and the first rotary member with the transmission gear from the inside and outside through a shaft hole formed in the side plate of the cartridge body. On the other hand, the locking claw is provided at the distal end of a rod-shaped elastic body protruding from the first rotating member, and the locking claw faces from the inner diameter side of the cam portion of the intermediate connector. .

Therefore, by simply inserting the locking claw at the distal end of the elastic body into the inner diameter portion of the intermediate connector, it can be engaged with the cam portion, so that the attachment / detachment work becomes extremely easy. Further, it is possible to easily replace the ink sheet without having to be troubled by a normal user to attach the supply-side spool and the winding-side spool in the correct position and orientation, and to easily rotate the respective spools. Therefore, there is an effect that the power transmission from the main body side of the image forming apparatus can be performed normally without erroneous mounting of the ink sheet cartridge on the side provided with the transmission gear.

The cam portion of the intermediate connector is radially divided into a plurality of portions from the center of rotation of the take-up core tube, and the locking portion is provided only when the first rotating member is driven to rotate in the take-up direction of the core tube. Since the pawl and the cam portion are formed so as to be engaged so as to transmit power, there is an effect that the slack of the attached ink sheet can be extremely easily removed.

Further, the outermost diameter portion of the intermediate connector is formed to have the same diameter as the outer diameter portion of the core tube.
It is provided with an elastic claw and / or a stop projection which engages and disengages with a stop groove formed in the core tube.

According to this configuration, the intermediate connector can be mounted on the core tube in advance, and the intermediate connector is mounted only on a predetermined end of the core tube. In addition, since it is mounted on the take-up spool via the intermediate connector, a core tube of another company that does not have the intermediate connector cannot be mounted, and there is no danger of improperly mounting an unauthorized ink sheet. It works.

Further, the ink sheet set of the present embodiment includes an ink sheet, a supply side core tube for the ink sheet,
The take-up core tube is provided with an intermediate connector at one end of the take-up core tube. As described above, if the intermediate tube is attached to the core tube in advance and provided as a replacement ink sheet set, when replacing the ink sheet, the mounting error of the take-up spool is eliminated, and the ink sheet replacement operation is facilitated. This has the effect of becoming

[0061]

As described above, the intermediate connector of the present invention is attached to one end of the core tube around which the ink sheet is wound, and is rotated integrally with the core tube by the power transmitted from the main body. As a result, the core tube of another company's ink sheet without an intermediate connector cannot be mounted on a specific ink sheet cartridge, etc. It is possible to prevent troubles such as deterioration of printing quality and printing failure caused by not using a printing medium.

The core sheet for winding an ink sheet and the ink sheet set according to the present invention also have the same effects as described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a facsimile machine.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a path of a recording paper and an ink sheet near a printing unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the ink sheet cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink sheet cartridge as viewed from the front left side.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink sheet cartridge as viewed from the front right side.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the ink sheet cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a left side view of the ink sheet cartridge.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the ink sheet cartridge in a state where components are turned upside down.

FIG. 9 shows a first rotating member 46, a flanged shaft portion 48,
It is an exploded perspective view of an intermediate connector etc.

FIG. 10A is a front view of a first rotating member 46, and FIG.
10A is a sectional view taken along line Xb-Xb in FIG. 10A, and FIG.
FIG. 10A is a left side view, and FIG. 10D is a right side view of FIG.

11A is a front view of a flanged shaft portion 48, FIG.
11B is a sectional view taken along line XIb-XIb in FIG.
FIG. 12C is a right side view of FIG.

12A is a sectional view of the intermediate connector 56, FIG. 12B is a front view of the intermediate connector 56 and an end of the core tube 41, and FIG. 12C is a bottom view of the intermediate connector 56.

13A is a perspective view of an intermediate connector 56, and FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIIIb-XIIIb in FIG. 13A.

14A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection state between a first rotating member 46 and a shaft section with a flange 48, and FIG. 14B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection state with an intermediate connection body 56.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 14 (b).

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 20 ink sheet cartridge 21 ink sheet 24 partition plate 25 supply-side sheet spool 26 take-up-side sheet spool 30 cartridge body 31a, 31b side plate 32 upper cover piece 36-39 spool 40, 41 core tube 42 inner cylinder 43, 48a flange 45 Gear part 46 First rotating member 47 Transmission gear 48 Shaft part 48b Base 50 Shaft hole 51 Elastic body 51a Locking claw 52 Engaging body 52a Tip claw 53 Fitting hole 53a Step 54 Positioning protrusion 55 Positioning hole 56 Intermediate connector 59 Elastic claw 60, 62 Stop groove 61 Stop protrusion

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An intermediate connector attached to one end of a core tube around which an ink sheet is wound, and rotated integrally with the core tube by power transmitted from a main body via a spool. 2. An outer diameter portion having the same diameter as the outer diameter portion of the core tube, and further comprising an elastic claw and / or a stopper projection which is engaged with and disengaged from a groove formed in the core tube. The intermediate connector according to claim 1, wherein 3. The stop groove provided in the core tube is L in plan view.
3. The intermediate connector according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate connector is formed in a shape of a letter, and the elastic claw is locked in a locking groove having an L shape in a plan view. 4. 4. The intermediate connector according to claim 1, further comprising a cam portion which is engaged with and disengaged from a locking claw of the spool. 5. The intermediate connector according to claim 4, wherein the cam portion is divided into a plurality of portions radially from a rotation center of the core tube. 6. An ink sheet winding core tube on which an ink sheet is wound and an intermediate connector to which power from the main body is transmitted via a spool is attached to one end. 7. The ink tube winding core tube according to claim 6, wherein an L-shaped stop groove in a plan view is formed to engage and disengage an elastic claw provided on the intermediate connector. . 8. An ink sheet set comprising an ink sheet supply side core tube and a take-up side core tube, and an ink sheet wound around the core tube, wherein the ink sheet set is attached to one end of the one core tube, An ink sheet set comprising an intermediate connector which is rotated integrally with the core tube, wherein power from the main body is transmitted to the intermediate connector via a spool. 9. The ink sheet set according to claim 8, wherein the intermediate connector has the same diameter as the outermost diameter portion of the core tube, and is attached to one end of the take-up side core tube. . 10. An L-shaped stop groove in a plan view is formed at one end of the core tube, an elastic claw is formed in the intermediate connector, and an elastic claw of the intermediate connector is formed in the stop groove of the core tube. 10. The ink sheet set according to claim 8, wherein the intermediate connector is attached to the core tube by locking. 11. An ink container according to claim 8, wherein an axial length of the core tube in a state where the intermediate connector is attached is substantially equal to a width of the ink sheet.
The ink sheet set described in the above. 12. A cam portion which is engaged with and disengaged from a locking claw of the spool is formed on the intermediate connector, and the intermediate connector and the core tube are integrally rotated via the cam portion. The ink sheet set according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein