JP2005119127A - Ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ribbon cassette which allows a high-quality image to be printed by preventing an ink ribbon from becoming creased when it is taken up by a take-up core from a feeder core. <P>SOLUTION: This ribbon cassette 1 is equipped with the ink ribbon 3; the feeder core 4/the take-up core 5 around which both longitudinal end parts of the ink ribbon 3 are wound; a case 2 which supports the feeder core 4 and the take-up core 5 in a freely rotating manner; and a ribbon guide part which can guide the running of the ink ribbon 3 to be taken up by the take-up core 5 from the feeder core 4. In addition, the ribbon guide part formed on a first wall surface 6b has a part with which the ink ribbon 3 slides into contact, formed in such a way that the areas of the part to both ends in the width direction is lower than the center of the part in the width direction. Consequently, a tension working to stretch the extension of the ink ribbon 3, in the width direction, which slides into contact with the first wall surface 6b is generated and thus the generation of creases and the like can be eliminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette and relates to a ribbon cassette having a ribbon guide portion capable of guiding the travel of an ink ribbon wound up from a supply core to a winding core.

A conventional ribbon cassette 21 used for a photo printer capable of high-definition printing has a case 22 made of a resin material. The case 22 is wide and long as shown by a two-dot chain line. The ink ribbon 23 is drawn.
The ink ribbon 23 is wound around a supply core 24 and a take-up core 25, and the supply core 24 around which the ink ribbon 23 is wound is rotatable on a first core support portion 26 formed in the case 22 with a hollow inside. It is supported and stored.
Further, a winding core 25 around which the ink ribbon 23 is wound is rotatably supported and accommodated in the second core support portion 27 formed in the case 22.

The first core support portion 26 is formed with a slit-shaped opening 26 a for drawing out the ink ribbon 23 wound around the supply core 24. The opening 26a is formed in a slit shape having a predetermined gap size by a first wall surface 26b and a second wall surface 26c facing each other.
The opening 26a has first and second wall surfaces 26b and 26c facing each other formed in a straight line.

The ink ribbon 23 wound around the supply core 24 and accommodated in the first core accommodating portion 26 is driven to rotate the take-up core 25, so that the first wall surface 26b is slidably contacted from the opening 26a to the outside. It is pulled out and wound around the winding core 25.
Further, the second core support portion 27 is provided with a cover (not shown) that shields the upper portion, and protects the ink ribbon 23 wound around the winding core 25.

A thermal head on the printer (not shown) side is positioned in the case 22 between the first core support portion 26 and the second core support portion 27, and the ink ribbon 23 is placed on the platen roller (not shown). An open portion 22a is formed for pressure contact with a recording sheet (not shown) positioned above.
Further, the ink ribbon 23 drawn out from the opening 26 a while being in sliding contact with the first wall surface 26 b is guided by a horizontally long rod-shaped guide shaft 28 and wound around the winding core 25.

The left and right ends of the guide shaft 28 are rotatably supported by a pair of snap engaging portions 29 formed on the case 22 so as to be rotatable.
In such a conventional ribbon cassette 21, a winding bobbin (not shown) on the printer side engages with the winding core 25 when the ribbon cassette 21 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion on the printer side. The rotation of the winding bobbin is transmitted and the winding core 25 rotates, so that the ink ribbon 23 can be wound from the supply core 24 to the winding core 25.
JP 2002-144614 A

However, in the conventional ribbon cassette 21 as described above, since the first wall surface 26b is formed linearly, the ink ribbon 23 wound around the winding core 25 and slidingly contacts the first wall surface 26b is wrinkled. Or there was a possibility of meandering.
If wrinkles or the like are generated on the ink ribbon 23 drawn from the first core support portion 26 during printing, the ink on the ink ribbon 32 where the wrinkles are generated is not transferred to the recording paper, and the quality of the printed image is deteriorated. There was a problem to do.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and prevents a ribbon meander from being generated on an ink ribbon when winding from a supply core to a winding core, thereby enabling a ribbon cassette capable of high-quality image printing. The purpose is to provide.

  As a first means for solving the above problems, a ribbon cassette according to the present invention includes an ink ribbon, a supply core and a winding core wound around both ends of the ink ribbon, the supply core, and the winding core. A ribbon guide part capable of guiding the ink ribbon that is wound around the supply core and travels around the supply core, and the ribbon guide part is formed in the case. The guide surface with which the ink ribbon slides serves as a meandering prevention portion for preventing meandering of the ink ribbon.

  Further, as a second solving means for solving the above-mentioned problem, the meandering prevention portion has a portion in which the central portion in the width direction is in sliding contact with a portion in which the both ends in the width direction of the ink ribbon are in sliding contact. The ink ribbon is swollen upstream in the winding direction of the ink ribbon.

  Further, as a third means for solving the above-mentioned problem, the case accommodates the supply core and accommodates the first core support portion that can be rotatably supported, and the winding core is accommodated and rotated. A second core support portion that can be freely supported is formed, and the first core support portion has an opening through which the ink ribbon wound around the supply core is drawn out and wound around the take-up core. The opening is formed in a slit shape having a predetermined gap size by the first and second wall surfaces facing each other, and the first wall surface with which the ink ribbon is slidably contacted serves as the meandering prevention portion. It is characterized by being.

  Further, as a fourth solving means for solving the above-mentioned problem, the meandering prevention portion is characterized in that a portion where the central portion of the ink ribbon comes into sliding contact is swollen in an arc shape on the upstream side.

In the ribbon cassette of the present invention, the guide surface with which the ink ribbon of the ribbon guide portion is in sliding contact is a meandering prevention portion for preventing the meandering of the ink ribbon. It is possible to prevent a failure due to wrinkles generated by meandering.
Therefore, high quality image printing can be performed.

  In addition, the meandering prevention portion bulges the portion where the center portion in the width direction is in sliding contact with the winding core upstream than the portion where both ends in the width direction of the ink ribbon are in sliding contact, The wound ink ribbon is always subjected to tension to extend in the width direction by the meandering prevention portion, and can prevent meandering or wrinkling of the ink ribbon 3 during printing.

  Further, the opening is formed in a slit shape having a predetermined gap size by the first and second wall surfaces facing each other, and the first wall surface on which the ink ribbon is slidably contacted serves as a meander prevention portion. Can be formed integrally with the case, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, since the meandering prevention portion swells the portion where the central portion of the ink ribbon is slid in an arc shape upstream, it is possible to eliminate meandering or wrinkles generated in the ink ribbon more reliably.

Below, the ribbon cassette 1 of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an essential part of a ribbon cassette according to the present invention.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, a ribbon cassette 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a horizontally long case 2 made of a resin material. A wide and long ink ribbon 3 as shown by a two-dot chain line is drawn around the case 2.

A desired color of ink is applied to one surface (the upper surface side in the drawing) of the ink ribbon 3, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are wound around the supply core 4 and the winding core 5.
The supply core 4 is rotatably supported in a state where the ink ribbon 3 is wound around and accommodated in a horizontally long first core support portion 6 formed in the case 2 and having a hollow inside.
Further, the case 2 is formed with a second core support portion 7 having a predetermined distance from the first core support portion 6, and the winding core 5 winds the ink ribbon around the second core support portion 7. In this state, it is rotatably supported and stored.

The second core support portion 7 is provided with a cover (not shown) on the upper side, and shields the upper side of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding core 5 housed inside.
In addition, the first and second core support parts 6 and 7 are integrated by connecting both ends in the longitudinal direction with the connecting parts 2a and 2a in the shape of bars. And the part pinched | interposed into the 1st, 2nd core support parts 6 and 7 is open | released, and the substantially rectangular open part 2b is formed.
When the ribbon cassette 1 of the present invention is mounted on the cassette mounting portion on the printer (not shown) side, the thermal head is positioned in the opening portion 2b.

In addition, a slit-like opening 6a is formed along the horizontally long opening 2b on the side where the opening 2b of the first core support 6 is formed, and is wound around the supply core 4 from the opening 6a. The ink ribbon 3 is pulled out and travels in the winding direction indicated by the arrow A so that it can be wound around the winding core 5.
The opening 6a is formed with a first wall surface 6b and a second wall surface 6c facing each other with a predetermined gap.
The first wall surface 6b serves as a guide surface that can guide the travel of the ink ribbon 3 that is wound from the supply core 4 to the take-up core 5 and is in sliding contact, and this guide surface is generated when the ink ribbon 3 travels. This is a meandering prevention unit for preventing meandering.

In the meandering prevention portion, the first wall surface 6b is formed wider than the width of the ink ribbon 3, and the central portion in the width direction of the ink ribbon 3 is in sliding contact with the portion where both end portions in the width direction of the ink ribbon 3 are in sliding contact. The portion is formed to bulge upstream in the winding direction of the arrow A. That is, the meandering prevention part is formed such that the thickness of the first wall surface 6b is thicker at the center than at both ends in the width direction.
As a result, a tension is generated on the ink ribbon 3 that runs while slidingly contacting the first wall surface 6b during printing so as to extend in the left-right width direction in the figure. This tension does not cause wrinkles or meandering in the ink ribbon 3 during printing, so high-quality image printing can be performed.

In addition, a horizontally long partition wall 8 that partitions the open portion 2b is formed upright on the near side of the drawing facing the first core support portion 6 with the open portion 2d interposed therebetween. A rod-shaped guide shaft 9 made of metal is rotatably disposed along the partition wall 8 at a corner portion on the lower side of the partition wall 8.
The guide shaft 9 is rotatably supported by snap-supported by a snap-supporting portion 10 formed on the case 2 at both left and right ends in the figure.
The winding core 5 placed on the second core support portion 7 is rotatably supported by a cover (not shown) placed from above.

The printing operation of the thermal transfer printer (not shown) using the ribbon cassette 1 of the present invention as described above will be described. First, the ribbon cassette 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted upside down on the cassette mounting portion on the thermal transfer printer side. To do.
That is, the ink ribbon 3 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion so that the ink surface side faces downward. Then, the gear part 5a formed in the one end part of the winding core 5 engages with the winding bobbin on the printer side. The winding core 5 can be rotated by driving the winding bobbin to rotate.

Thereafter, a recording paper (not shown) is fed between a platen roller (not shown) on the printer side and the ink ribbon 3, and a thermal head (not shown) composed of a line head positioned at the opening 2b. The ink ribbon 3 and the recording paper are pressed against the platen roller.
Based on the print information, the plurality of heating elements of the thermal head are selectively heated, and a paper feed roller (not shown) is driven to transport the recording paper.
Then, the ink on the ink ribbon 3 that is in close contact with the recording paper is thermally transferred to the recording paper, and a desired image can be printed on the recording paper.
Further, the printed ink ribbon 3 is peeled off from the recording paper by the rotation of the winding core 5 and wound on the winding core 5.

During the printing, the ink ribbon 3 pulled out from the opening 6a while being in sliding contact with the first wall surface 6b on which the meandering prevention portion is formed is tensioned in the winding direction indicated by the arrow A, and the left and right width directions shown in the drawing. It can be conveyed to the thermal head in a state without slackness due to the tension to extend in the direction.
Thus, the ink ribbon 3 can be pressed against the recording paper without meandering and wrinkles, and high-quality image printing can be performed on the recording paper.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the meandering prevention portion has been described as having the central portion in the width direction of the first wall surface 6b bulged in an arc shape upstream in the winding direction of the arrow A. May be formed by linearly forming a central portion inflated to the upstream side of the first wall surface 6b and forming a ridge line connecting the linear central portion and both end portions into a tapered trapezoidal shape (not shown).
In addition, the meandering prevention portion formed on the first wall surface 6b has been described as a portion in which the central portion of the ink ribbon 3 in the width direction is in sliding contact with the upstream side in the winding direction of the arrow A. The center part of the direction may be formed to protrude toward the second wall surface 6c at a predetermined height (not shown).

It is a principal part perspective view of the ribbon cassette of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the conventional ribbon cassette. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1: Ribbon cassette of the present invention 2: Case 2a: Connecting portion 2b: Opening portion 3: Ink ribbon 4: Supply core 5: Winding core 6: First core support portion 6a: Opening portion 6b: First wall surface 6c: First 2 Wall surface 7: 2nd core support part 8: Partition wall 9: Guide shaft 10: Snap engaging part

Claims (4)

An ink ribbon, a supply core wound around both ends of the ink ribbon, a winding core, and a case that rotatably supports the supply core and the winding core, the case including the supply core In order to prevent the ink ribbon from meandering, a ribbon guide portion that can guide the ink ribbon that is wound around the winding core from the winding core is formed. Ribbon cassette characterized by being a meander-preventing part. The meandering prevention portion is characterized in that a portion in which the central portion in the width direction is slidably contacted with an upstream side in the winding direction of the ink ribbon from a portion in which both ends in the width direction of the ink ribbon are in sliding contact. The ribbon cassette according to claim 1. The case is formed with a first core support portion that can accommodate the supply core and can be rotatably supported, and a second core support portion that can accommodate the winding core and can be rotatably supported. The first core support part is formed with an opening for drawing the ink ribbon wound around the supply core to the outside and winding the ink ribbon around the take-up core. 3. The ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein the ribbon wall is formed in a slit shape having a predetermined gap size by the two wall surfaces, and the first wall surface in sliding contact with the ink ribbon serves as the meandering preventing portion. 4. The ribbon cassette according to claim 2, wherein the meandering-preventing portion bulges a portion where the central portion of the ink ribbon comes into sliding contact with the upstream side in an arc shape.

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