JP2887101B2 - Sub cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sub-cassette, and more particularly, to a sub-cassette capable of preventing color mixing of a streaked ribbon during assembly or transportation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to facilitate replacement of an ink ribbon in an ink ribbon cartridge used in a printer, various sub-cassettes containing a refilling ink ribbon are known.

Conventionally, in such a sub-cassette, a sub-cassette containing an endless ribbon is (A)
Most of the ribbon is folded and stored in the case body, the rest of the ribbon other than the folded portion is placed on top of it, and the outer lid is covered, and the tape is fixed with tape or heat-shrink-wrapped with a vinyl bag. In addition, (b) most of the ribbon is folded and stored in the case body, the rest of the ribbon other than the folded part is taken out of the case body, and is placed along the outer wall of the case body, and then heat-shrink-wrapped in a vinyl bag. It has become.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned sub-cassettes (a) and (b), when a streaked ribbon separated in the width direction of the ribbon is stored, the following (a) is required.
Both (b) and (b) have insufficient fixing of the folded part of the ribbon and the remaining part of the ribbon, and the striped ribbon moves vertically and horizontally when assembling and transporting the sub-cassette. There is a problem in that the ribbon comes into contact with the ink attached to the main body, the outer lid, or the package, causing color mixing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has been developed to reduce the vertical and horizontal movement of a strip-coated ribbon during assembly and transportation of a sub-cassette, to eliminate contact between ribbons, and to provide a sub-cassette that is unlikely to cause color mixing. It is intended to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sub-cassette in which the ink ribbon is less likely to be folded.

[0007]

According to one aspect of the present invention, an endless striped ribbon is provided on a box-shaped case body having a slit on opposing side pieces and an open top. Most of the ribbon is folded in a meandering shape when viewed from above and stored, and the remaining ribbon of the streaked ribbon that has been drawn out of the case body from the slit is connected to the ink ribbon cartridge or the ink ribbon cartridge is connected to the printer. Then, a guide block that becomes a ribbon guide portion is attached, a drop lid that comes into contact with the striped ribbon is disposed above the case main body, a locking portion is provided on the upper surface of the drop lid, and the locking portion is provided with the locking portion. A guide block is detachably fixed, a case-shaped outer lid having a lower opening is covered on the case main body, and the outer lid and the case main body are detachably connected to each other. A cassette.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sub-cassette according to the first aspect, wherein the engaging portion or the guide block is set to a height protruding from the case body and is brought into contact with the outer lid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the length of the outer lid is made longer than the length of the case main body, and the outer side of the side piece provided with the slit of the case main body with the case main body covered with the outer lid. 3. The sub-cassette according to claim 1, wherein a space is formed between the outer lid and the inside of the side piece of the outer lid.

The invention according to claim 4 is the sub-cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the slit of the cassette main body is dropped so as to be displaced from the locking portion of the lid.

In the sub-cassette according to the present invention, the guide block attached to the streaking ribbon is fixed to the dropping lid, and the dropping lid holding the guide block is brought into contact with the streaking ribbon. There is a feature. With such a feature, it is possible to suppress the vertical and horizontal movements of both the ribbon stored in the case body and the remaining portion of the ribbon at the time of assembling or transporting the sub-cassette.

Further, the sub-cassette according to the present invention is characterized in that the engaging portion or the guide block is set at a height protruding from the case main body so as to come into contact with the outer lid. Since the drop lid is pushed by the outer lid and the ribbon is pressed by such a feature, the vertical and horizontal movement of the ribbon stored in the case main body can be further suppressed.

The sub-cassette according to the present invention has an outer lid formed to be longer than the length of the case main body, and the outer and outer sides of the side piece provided with the slit of the case main body with the outer lid covered on the case main body. The feature is that a space is formed between the inside of the side piece of the lid. Due to such a feature, the remaining portion of the ribbon is easily curved to change the direction, and the ink ribbon is less likely to be folded.

Further, the sub-cassette according to the present invention is characterized in that the slit of the cassette main body is dropped so as to be displaced from the locking portion of the lid. With such a feature, when the remaining portion of the ribbon bends in the space and changes direction, contact between the ribbons can be further suppressed.

The term "drop lid" as used herein means a lid which is formed so as to cover the folded streaked ribbon in the case body so as to fall completely therein. And the lid that descends along this groove is also included in the drop lid.

The guide block used in the present invention serves as a guide when connected to the ink ribbon cartridge.
When the ink ribbon cartridge is connected to the printer, there is a guide that serves as a guide. Examples of the former include a guide block for turning the front and back of the ribbon and a guide block for turning the ribbon in a right angle direction. As an example of the latter, there is a guide block which is attached to a print head of a printer and guides the ribbon.

In the present invention, the outer lid and the case main body are connected so as to be detachable from each other. The connecting means is typically a so-called shrink pack which performs heat shrink wrapping with an adhesive tape or a vinyl bag. In addition, it is also possible to provide a tongue on one of the outer lid and the case main body, provide an engagement hole on the other, and insert the tongue into the engagement hole for connection.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.

The case body 1 in the illustrated sub-cassette
Is formed in a box shape having an upper opening with a bottom piece 2 and four side pieces 3, 4, 5, and 6, and vertical slits 7, 8 are formed in the opposing side pieces 3, 4. The case body 1 is made of, for example, paper which is inexpensive and suitable for disposable use. Reference numeral 1 a shown in FIG. 2 indicates a V-cut mark provided on the side piece 6.
By providing the mark 1a, it is possible to indicate the direction of loading the ribbon to the user, which is convenient when loading the streaked ribbon 9 into the ink ribbon cartridge.

On the other hand, the streaked ribbon 9 is a cloth ribbon, which is separately coated in the width direction of the ribbon, and is formed in an endless Mobius loop. Specifically, a black zone 10 in which black ink is impregnated on both sides in the width direction of the ribbon, and a red zone 1 in which red ink is impregnated in the center.
Consists of one. The ribbon 9 is accommodated in the cassette main body 1 in such a manner that most of the ribbon is folded in a meandering manner when viewed from above, and the remaining ribbon 12 is extended out of the slits 7 and 8. Further, a guide block 13 serving as a guide portion when attached to the ink ribbon cartridge is attached to the remaining ribbon portion 12.

The guide block 13 is used to turn the ribbon 9 in a right angle direction when connected to the ink ribbon cartridge, and is entirely rectangular.
An oblique slit 13a having an angle of 45 degrees is provided, and the ribbon 9 is passed through the slit 13a.
The guide block 13 is made of a hard material suitable for guiding the ribbon, such as a synthetic resin material.

A drop lid 14 is placed on the streaking ribbon 9, and a pair of locking portions 15 and 16 are formed on the upper surface thereof.
U-shaped cut is made from the upper surface of the tongue, and it is cut and raised obliquely upward to form a tongue piece. Like the case body 1, the drop lid 14 is preferably made of, for example, paper, which is inexpensive and suitable for disposable use. However, if necessary, a material such as plastic or metal can be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slits 7 and 8 of the case main body 1 are provided so as to be shifted from the locking portions 15 and 16.

Reference numerals 14a shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 denote projecting pieces provided at both ends of the dropping cover 14, and are inserted into groove-shaped notches 1b provided on the side pieces 3, 4 of the case body 1. . The notch 1b is cut to a depth reaching the ribbon 9 so as not to hinder the pressing of a drop lid 14 described later on the ribbon 9. The protruding piece 14a prevents the mixing of the ribbon in addition to the positioning of the drop lid 14. When the projecting piece 14a is not provided, the inside of the side piece 3 and the edge of the drop lid 14, the side piece 4
A gap is created between the inside of the ribbon and the edge of the dropping lid 14 so that the ribbon 9 and the remaining ribbon 12 come into contact with each other and easily mix colors.
By providing 4a, such color mixing can be prevented.

A guide block 13 having a width substantially equal to the distance between the locking portions is disposed between the locking portions 15 and 16, and is fixed to the locking portions 15 and 16. The case body 1 containing the ribbon 9 and the drop lid 14 in this manner.
Is covered with an outer lid 17, and the outer lid 17 is formed in a box shape having a top surface 18 and four side pieces 19, 20, 21, 22 with a lower opening. As with the case body 1, for example, paper that is inexpensive and suitable for disposable is used.

The outer cover 17 is formed to be longer than the case body 1 and
Of the side pieces 3 and 4 provided with the slits 7 and 8 and the outer lid 17
Spacious portions S1, S2 that are large enough to allow the remaining ribbon 12 to bend and change direction between the inside of the side pieces 19, 20
Is set so as to be formed. This setting has the advantage that the ribbon 9 is less likely to be folded. The spaces S1 and S2 are set to be at least one tenth of the width of the ribbon 9, preferably at least the width of the ribbon 9.

Further, with the outer cover 17 connected to the case body 1, the guide block 13
The guide block 13 is set at a height protruding from the case body 1 in order to press the ribbon 9 with the cover 9 and press the ribbon 9 with the lid 14. In this example, the height of the case body 1 is 24
mm, the thickness of the guide block 13 is 6 mm, the height of the ribbon 9 (the width of the ribbon 9) is 20 mm, and the thickness of the drop lid 14 is 0.5 mm.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer lid 17 and the case main body are connected by a bonding material suitable for releasable connection, for example, an adhesive tape 23, and the ribbon 9 is pressed by the drop lid 14. In addition, the height of the outer lid 17 is the case body 1.
Is set to be slightly smaller than the height of the connecting member 23, and there is an advantage that the pressing to the ribbon 9 can be performed by the connecting member 23 without any inconvenience. Further, by performing heat shrink wrapping with a heat shrinkable wrapping material such as a vinyl bag wrap or a vinyl bag, the space portions S1, S2
Can be protected.

To assemble the sub-cassette, first, the ribbon 9 is folded and stored in a meandering manner when viewed from above in the case body 1, the ribbon remaining portion 12 is taken out of the slits 7 and 8, and then the ribbon remaining portion is taken out. Guide block 13 on 12
After mounting, it is formed into an endless Mobius loop. Further, the drop lid 14 is placed on the folded ribbon 9 and the guide block 13 is fixed to the locking portions 15 and 16. In this state, the ribbon remaining portion 12 is fixed.

Next, the outer lid 17 is dropped and put on the lid 14 and the case main body 1 from above, and the outer lid 17 is joined to the case main body 1 with adhesive tape 23. Guide block 1 as described above
3 is set to a height protruding from the case body 1, in this state, the back side of the top surface 18 of the outer lid 17 is pressed against the guide block 13 and dropped, and the lid 14 presses the ribbon 9.

In this way, the remaining portion of the ribbon 12 and the folded portion accommodated therein are fixed, and vertical and horizontal movements are suppressed. A space large enough for the ribbon remaining portion 12 to bend and change direction outside the side pieces 3 and 4 provided with the slits 7 and 8 of the case main body 1 in a state where the outer lid 17 is put on the case main body 1. Since the length of the outer lid 17 is longer than the length of the case body 1 so that the portions S1 and S2 can be formed, the ribbon 9 is less likely to be bent. Further, the locking portions 15, 1
6, the slits 7 and 8 of the case body 1 are provided so as to be shifted from each other.
1. The contact between the ribbons when the direction is changed by bending in S2 is suppressed.

In the method of using the illustrated sub-cassette, first, the bonding of the adhesive tape 23 is released, and the outer lid 17 is removed. And
The drop lid 14 is taken out, and the guide block 13 is removed from the locking portions 15 and 16. Next, after the ribbon accommodating chamber 25 of the ink ribbon cartridge 24 is put on the case main body 1, the folded portion of the ribbon 9 is transferred to the ribbon accommodating chamber 25 with the case main body 1 and the ink ribbon cartridge 24 turned upside down and loaded. . After loading, the ribbon 9 is passed through the ink ribbon cartridge 24 and the guide block 13
Is attached to a portion 26 of the ink ribbon cartridge 24 which turns the ribbon 9 in a right angle direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side pieces 5, 6
Each of the lower edges is cut into a trapezoidal shape and tilted outward to form a pressing piece 1c. As shown in FIG. 9, a push plate 1e can be provided. With this configuration, the case body 1 is turned upside down and the pressing pieces 1c (one of them is shown in FIG. 1) on both sides are pressed with both fingers,
By inserting a finger through the hole 1d and pressing the push plate 1e, the folded portion of the streaked ribbon can be transferred to the ribbon storage chamber 25 of the ink ribbon cartridge 24, and loading can be facilitated.

In the above example, the guide block 13 is pressed against the top surface 18 of the outer cover 17 with the outer cover 17 connected to the case body 1.
6 may be set to a height protruding from the case body 1 and the back side of the top surface 18 may be pressed against this. Alternatively, the height of the guide block 13 and the height of the locking portions 15 and 16 may be the same, and the guide block 13 may be pressed against the two. Alternatively, the drop lid 14 to which the guide block 13 is attached may be simply arranged on the ribbon 9 without performing such pressure contact.

Although the locking portions 15 and 16 are formed by cutting and raising a part of the inner lid 14 so as to have a tongue shape, an injection-molded product having a projection formed on the inner lid 14 may be used. In addition, although the ribbon 9 has a Mobius loop, a straight loop may be used.

In the above example, when the guide block is connected to the ink ribbon cartridge, it serves as a guide. When the ink block is connected to the printer, the guide block serves as a guide.

5 and 6, the guide block 13
b is provided with a window 27, a guide portion 28, and a mounting portion 29 in which a fitting hole is formed. The ribbon 9 is passed through the guide portion 28, and the mounting portion 29 is for mounting the guide block 13b to the mounting shaft 30b erected on the base 30a of the print head 30 of the printer. The window 27 is an opening for transferring ink of the ribbon 9 hit by a striker of the print head 30, for example, a print wire, to a print sheet.

The guide block 13b is fixed to the engaging portions 15 and 16 of the drop lid 14 of the sub-cassette as in the above-described example, and the ribbon of the sub-cassette is loaded into the ink ribbon cartridge 31 as shown in FIG. State.
Next, the ink ribbon cartridge 31 is mounted on the printer, and the guide block 13b is mounted on the print head 30 to obtain the state shown in FIG.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, the guide block attached to the streaking ribbon is fixed to the dropping lid, and the dropping lid holding the guide block is brought into contact with the streaking ribbon. By doing so, the vertical and horizontal movement of both the ribbon and the rest of the ribbon folded and stored in the case body when assembling and transporting the sub-cassette can be suppressed, so that there is no contact between ribbons etc. There is an effect that color mixing hardly occurs.

Further, since the engaging portion or the guide block is set at a height protruding from the case body and is brought into contact with the outer cover, it is dropped on the outer cover and the cover is pushed to press the ribbon. The horizontal and vertical movements of the ribbons stored in the storage device can be further suppressed.

The length of the outer lid is made longer than the length of the case main body, and the outer side of the side piece provided with the slit of the case main body and the inner side of the side piece of the outer lid in a state where the outer lid is put on the case main body. Since the space is formed between the sub-cassettes, the remaining portion of the ribbon is easily curved and the direction of the ink ribbon is easily changed, so that the ink ribbon is not easily bent. Can be provided.

Further, since the slit of the cassette main body is provided so as to be displaced from the engaging portion of the inner lid,
When the remaining portion of the ribbon curves in the space and changes direction, contact between the ribbons can be further suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the sub-cassette.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where an outer lid is put on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of connecting a guide block and an ink ribbon cartridge.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a guide block is attached to an ink ribbon cartridge.

6 is an explanatory diagram in which the guide block of FIG. 5 is attached to a print head of a printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 case body 2 bottom piece 3, 4, 5, 6 side piece 7, 8 slit 9 streaked ribbon 12 remaining ribbon 13, 13 b guide block 13 a slit 14 dropping lid 15, 16 locking part 17 outer lid 18 top surface 19, 20 , 21, 22 Side piece 23 Bonding material 24, 31 Ink ribbon cartridge S1 Space part S2 Space part

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A box-shaped case main body having a slit on an opposing side piece and having an open upper part, most of the endless striped ribbon is folded in a meandering shape as viewed from above and stored. A guide block that becomes a ribbon guide when the ink ribbon cartridge is connected to the printer or the ink ribbon cartridge is attached to the remaining ribbon of the streaked ribbon that has been drawn out of the case body, A drop lid in contact with the streaked ribbon is arranged, a locking portion is provided on the upper surface of the drop lid, the guide block is removably fixed to the locking portion, and a box-like shape having a downward opening to the case body. A sub-cassette comprising an outer lid covered, and the outer lid and the case body being connected to be detachable from each other. 2. The sub-cassette according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion or the guide block is set at a height protruding from the case body and is brought into contact with the outer lid. 3. The outer lid has a length longer than the length of the case body, and the outer side of the side piece provided with the slit of the case body and the inner side of the side piece of the outer lid with the outer lid covered on the case body. The sub-cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a space is formed between the sub-cassettes. 4. The sub-cassette according to claim 1, wherein a slit of the cassette body is dropped so as to be displaced from a locking portion of the lid.