JP2012035611A - Ink fence and ink re-impregnating system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: when ink is tried to be supplied in such a state that an ink supply body is set in a cassette, in the reproduction and use of the ribbon cassette in which the ink is depleted, a time is taken because an impregnating speed is low, and when the ink is injected at once at a speed higher than the impregnating speed, the ink overflows from the ink supply body and the cassette is contaminated.SOLUTION: An ink fence having a cylindrical part which can be placed on the exposed top surface of the ink supply body is placed thereon and the supplied ink is injected to the inside of the cylindrical part.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink fence used for refilling ink in an ink ribbon cassette in a dot impact printer, and an ink re-impregnation system.

  Conventionally, an ink ribbon cassette (hereinafter referred to as a cassette) used for a dot impact printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) is an ink ribbon in which an endless fabric ribbon or a fabric seamless ribbon is impregnated with ink, and ink is appropriately applied to the ink ribbon. An ink tank or an ink roll impregnated with the ink to be supplied (hereinafter collectively referred to as an ink supply body) is provided.

  Of these types of cassettes, the ink replenishing type is conventionally used in printers, and when the ink is almost gone and printing becomes difficult to see, the cassette is discarded and replaced with a new cassette, or the cassette The lid of the printer was opened, and the ink ribbon and ink supply body were exchanged for new ones.

  In Patent Document 1 below, in order to eliminate the problem that a hand touches a member to which ink is adhered when the lid of the conventional cassette is opened and an ink roll as an ink supply body is replaced, It is shown that a window hole is formed in a portion of the cassette where the ink roll is located, and a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the window hole is provided.

3-114356

  Patent Document 1 can open the cover and take out the ink roll together with the cover from the window hole and replace it. Therefore, when the ink in the ink roll runs out of ink as compared with the prior art, the ink is prevented from getting dirty. There is an advantage that the rolls can be easily exchanged.

  However, once the ink ribbon in the cassette is used, the ribbon fabric is severely damaged, so even if it must be replaced with a new one, the ink supply only uses less ink even if it is used. Therefore, it has been inefficient in terms of cost to replace a member having almost no damage as in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, since the new ink supply body is in a state where a large amount of ink is contained, there has been a problem that if the operator's finger touches at the time of replacement, the ink becomes dirty with ink.

  In view of this, it is conceivable to use an ink supply body that has run out of ink as it is without being replaced, and to replenish and reuse only the ink supply body that is still mounted on the cassette.

  However, even when trying to inject ink with, for example, a spoid without taking out the ink supply body with the cassette lid open, this type of ink usually has a viscosity of 700 cp or more and is very high. There is a problem that if the ink is not soaked into the body immediately, and a large amount of ink is poured out before the natural impregnation, the ink supply body overflows, and it takes a considerable time to inject the ink so as not to overflow.

  In order to solve these problems, the ink fence of the present invention is characterized in that it has a cylindrical portion that can be placed on the exposed upper surface of the ink supply body loaded in the cassette. That is, in the ink fence of the present invention, the cylindrical portion is placed on the exposed upper surface of the ink supply body, and a necessary amount of ink is placed inside the cylindrical portion and stored therein to be naturally impregnated.

  In the ink fence of the present invention, a cylindrical portion is placed on the exposed upper surface of the ink supply body that has run out of ink, and ink is injected into the cylindrical portion with, for example, a spoid while the ink supply body is not removed from the cassette. Replenish. At this time, even if the ink is injected and replenished faster than the natural impregnation speed, the ink is stored in the cylindrical portion, so that the cassette does not overflow and become dirty.

  Also, since there is no need to set an ink supply such as a new ink roll or ink tank in the cassette, it is necessary to load and unload the ink supply as in the past, or to supply ink with a new finger (impregnated with ink) when setting. Hands won't get dirty with body ink.

FIG. 1 is an ink supply type ink ribbon cassette, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid of the cassette is opened and the ribbon is removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the ink fence of the present invention. Example 1 3A and 3B show the relationship between the ink fence of the present invention and the ink supply body, wherein FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view. Example 1 4A and 4B show the ink supply body and the ink fence in a situation where the ink fence of the present invention is set on the ink supply body and ink is supplied, where FIG. 4A is a perspective view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view. Example 1 FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the ink fence of the present invention. (Example 2) 6A and 6B show the relationship between the ink fence of the present invention and the ink supply body, wherein FIG. 6A is a perspective view and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view. (Example 2) 7A and 7B show the ink supply body and the ink fence in a situation where the ink fence of the present invention is set on the ink supply body and the ink is replenished. FIG. 7A is a perspective view, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view (b). is there. (Example 2)

  The ink fence of the present invention can be implemented in the following forms. First, a cassette A into which ink is injected using the ink fence 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The cassette A has a cassette lower case A1, a lid (not shown) that can be opened and closed with respect to the cassette lower case A1, and an ink ribbon (not shown) provided in the cassette lower case A1 by a driving force of the printer. A drive gear A2 and a driven gear A3 that drive the feed and return, for example, a roll type ink supply body 5 (hereinafter referred to as an ink roll 5) that is impregnated with ink and stored and supplied to the ink ribbon. A transfer roll A4 for transferring and supplying ink to the ink ribbon;

  In Examples 1 and 2 shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the shape of the ink fence 1 of the present invention (indicated as ink fence 1-a in Example 1 and ink fence 1-b in Example 2) is the shape. It has the outer cylindrical part 2 (cylindrical part) made into the similar shape along the external shape of the ink supply body (ink roll 5) used for each cassette. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the outer cylindrical portion 2 of the ink fences 1-a and 1-b has a cylindrical shape because the ink roll 5 is employed in the cassette A shown in FIG.

  Further, the outer cylindrical portion 2 defines a configuration including only a side wall with a bottom surface and an upper surface opened, and if satisfying this, the opening shape (dimensions) at the bottom portion and the upper portion may be the same column shape or different. It doesn't matter. In the second embodiment, the description overlapping that of the first embodiment is omitted, and only the configuration that is different will be described.

  The outer cylindrical portion 2 of the ink fence 1-a shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is similar to the outer shape of the entire outer shape of the ink roll 5 (ink supply body) in a plan view. It has a cylindrical shape. The outer diameter of the outer cylindrical portion 2 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ink roll 5 so as to be easily placed on the ink roll 5, for example, about 1 mm in radius.

  The height of the outer cylindrical portion 2 in the ink fence 1-a is a dimension having a little margin than the height that does not overflow from the outer cylindrical portion 2 when a full amount of ink roll 5 is injected. It is desirable to do. In this way, even if a large amount of ink is injected at a time faster than the impregnation speed of the ink roll 5, the ink does not overflow into the cassette A and become dirty.

  By the way, the ink roll 5 has a hole through which the ink roll shaft 6 (see FIG. 1) for fixing to the cassette A is inserted, and when the ink is injected into the outer cylindrical portion 2, the hole and the ink roll Ink may leak into the unintended space of the cassette A from the gap of the shaft 6.

  For this reason, for example, in the first embodiment, in order to close the hole in the central portion of the ink roll 5, the outer cylindrical portion 2 has a lid on the top of the head that is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole and does not penetrate vertically. A central member 3 is provided.

  In order to position the center member 3 at the center inside the outer cylindrical portion 2, that is, in the case of the first embodiment, the outer cylindrical portion 2 and the central member 3 are concentric. The inner wall of the bottom of the portion 2 and the outer surface of the bottom of the central member 3 are connected by spokes 4 (referred to as spokes 4-a in the first embodiment). By providing the central member 3, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking into the cassette A from the gap between the hole and the ink roll shaft 6.

  The center member 3 is not limited to the cylindrical shape with the upper lid as in the first embodiment as long as it can close the hole at the center of the ink roll 5, and may have a conical shape. Further, by making the central member 3 higher than the height of the outer cylindrical portion 2, the operator points to the raised portion of the central member 3 (and probably no ink is attached even after ink injection). If it is picked up, the placement / removal operation with respect to the ink roll 5 is facilitated, and the ink can be prevented from adhering to the hand.

  The spoke 4-a has a semicircular cross section with an arc facing upward. In this way, the vertical position of the bottom of the outer cylindrical portion 2 and the spoke 4-a is set to the same position, and in particular, the outer cylindrical portion 2 is lifted from the ink roll 5, and the injected ink is discharged from the lifted portion. Leakage is prevented, and even if the injected ink falls on the spoke 4-a, the ink can flow quickly downward.

  In addition, although Example 1 has shown the example which provides 6-spoke 4-a, the number is not restricted to this. However, the number of spokes 4-a may be one in principle as long as the center member 3 can be supported, but in reality, three or more are preferable in consideration of deformation and the like.

  The reason for this is as follows. As described above, the ink fence 1-a should not have a portion that is lifted from the ink roll 5 at the bottom of the outer cylindrical portion 2. For example, when the center member 3 receives some external force, the center member 3 is inclined with respect to the outer cylindrical portion 2, and as a result, the gap portion may be generated.

  Therefore, at least three spokes 4-a are provided at an equal angle so that the central member 3 does not easily tilt even when the external force is applied. Furthermore, since the spoke 4-a becomes a hindrance when impregnated with ink, it is better to be thinner, but it is not desirable to make it too thin due to strength problems.

  The usage situation of the ink fence 1-a having the above configuration will be described. Here, the ink re-impregnation system of the present invention will be described. The ink re-impregnation system of the present invention can fill up the ink fence 1 of the present invention and the ink roll 5 and overflow even if it is injected all at once before it is naturally impregnated into the outer cylindrical portion 2 of the ink fence 1. And a spoid-shaped subdivided ink container 7 having an openable and closable lid, which is subdivided by an amount having no gap.

  By doing so, the outer cylindrical portion 2 of the ink fence 1 of the present invention is coupled with the supply of the ink roll 5 in such a manner that it does not overflow even if the amount that fills the ink roll 5 is filled at once. Since the amount of ink 8 is quantified, the operator can work without worrying about the amount of ink to be impregnated.

  To perform the ink fence 1-a, first, when an operator runs out of ink, the cassette A is removed from the printer (not shown), and the lid (not shown) of the cassette A is removed. To the state shown in FIG. Next, the ink fence 1-a is placed on the exposed upper surface of the ink roll 5 in the cassette A, and the supply ink 8 is dropped from the subdivided ink container 7 inside the outer cylindrical portion 2. Since the supply ink 8 has a high viscosity, it does not soak into the ink roll 5 immediately. However, since the ink fence 1 exists, the supply ink 8 does not spill even if it is dripped all at once earlier than naturally impregnating the supply ink 8.

  Further, as described above, since the supply ink 8 has a high viscosity, it usually takes several minutes to impregnate all of the ink rolls 5. After the supply of the supply ink 8 on the ink fence 1, the supply ink 8 is left as it is. After the supply ink 8 is naturally impregnated in the ink roll 5, it is confirmed that the ink roll 5 is impregnated, the ink fence 1-a is removed, and a new ribbon is refilled (this may be performed in advance). If the cassette A is covered, the cassette A can be reused.

  The ink roll 5 impregnated with the supply ink 8 does not diffuse ink to every corner at the beginning of impregnation, but is gradually diffused while the cassette A is set in the printer and actually used. Since the ink is uniformly impregnated, there is no uneven ink supply during actual use.

  In the ink fence 1-b in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the outer cylindrical portion 2 and the central member 3 have the same configuration as in the first embodiment, but the position and shape of the spokes 4-b are the same. This is different from the first embodiment.

  That is, the spoke 4-b of Example 2 connects the upper part of the inner surface of the outer cylindrical part 2 and the upper surface of the central member 3. The spoke 4-b has a rectangular cross section.

  According to the configuration of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and since the spokes 4-b are in the upper part, injection is performed while avoiding the spokes 4-b at the time of ink injection. This makes it easy to obtain an effect that unnecessary portions are not stained with ink.

  In addition to the configurations of the ink fences 1-a and 1-b of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the material of the ink fence 1 of the present invention is not easily attacked by ink (= not easily deteriorated by a chemical change). A plastic molded product may be used as long as it has rigidity that can maintain a certain degree of flatness at the bottom. However, if a metallic material is used, the overall weight increases, and the ink fence 1 and the ink roll 5 are in close contact with each other. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect that ink leakage is less likely to occur. In addition, by using a property / material that makes it difficult for ink to remain, that is, quickly and reliably removed from the surface, even if a finger accidentally enters the outer cylindrical portion 2 of the ink fence 1 after ink injection, the ink adheres. Can be prevented.

  In the first and second embodiments, the ink roll 5 is shown as the ink supply body. However, the ink roll 5 is not a roll type, that is, not a circular shape and does not have a central hole, for example, a cassette having a tank type ink tank. Can be applied in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments as long as the cylindrical portion has a shape similar to the outer shape of the ink tank. At this time, since the central member 3 in the ink roll 5 does not exist in the ink tank, even if the central member 3 is provided, the effect of closing the central hole cannot be obtained. 2 can be obtained.

A cassette A1 cassette lower case A2 drive gear A3 driven gear A4 transfer roll 1 ink fence 1-a ink fence 1-b (embodiment 1) ink fence 1-b (embodiment 2) ink fence 2 outer tubular section (tubular section)
3 Central member 4 Spoke 4-a Spoke 4-a (Example 1) Spoke 4-b (Example 2) Spoke 5 Ink roll (ink supply body)
6 Ink roll shaft 7 Subdivided ink container 8 Ink for supply

Claims (5)

  Used to supply ink to the ink supply body of the ink ribbon cassette used in the impact printer, and has a cylindrical portion that can be placed on the exposed upper surface of the ink supply body loaded in the ink ribbon cassette. Ink fence characterized by.   2. The ink fence according to claim 1, wherein the outer shape of the cylindrical portion viewed from the exposed upper surface direction of the ink supply body is a similar shape slightly smaller inward than the outer shape of the ink supply body. .   3. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the height of the cylindrical portion is set to a dimension that does not overflow when a full amount of ink of the ink supply body is injected at a time. fence.   The ink fence according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a central member is supported via a spoke at a central portion inside the cylindrical portion.   An ink re-impregnation system comprising: the ink fence according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a subdivided ink container filled with a single amount of ink that fills the ink supply body.

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