JP4395717B2 - Ink ribbon cartridge and ink refill tank - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge mounted on a printer and an ink replenishing tank which is an optional product for replenishing ink to the ink ribbon cartridge.

  An ink ribbon printer supplies a sheet to be printed between a platen and a print head, and also supplies an ink ribbon between the sheet and the print head. The ink contained in the ink ribbon is applied by the action of the print head. As is well known, it is configured to transfer to a sheet and realize a printing operation on the sheet.

Various types of ink ribbon cartridges that have been conventionally used for this type of ink ribbon printer have been known, including an ink supply member that supplies ink to the ink ribbon. The thing is already developed (refer patent document 1).
As shown in FIG. 2 of the document 1, the ink ribbon cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an ink supply member (B) accommodating portion formed inside the main body case (1). The storage portion is formed side by side behind the ribbon storage portion (3) in which the ink ribbon is stored.

  For this reason, when the outer dimensions of the ink ribbon cartridge are standardized, the volume of the ribbon storage portion (3) must be reduced by the space for forming the storage portion, and the ink ribbon that can be stored becomes short. The ink ribbon is repeatedly used while being replenished with ink from the ink replenishing member (B). However, if the length is short, the cycle of passing between the print head and the paper is shortened, and the deterioration of the ink ribbon is accelerated. was there.

  Further, the ink ribbon cassette (ink ribbon cartridge) disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided with an ink impregnated member (300) on the upper surface of a case (200). The ink impregnated member (300) is disposed above the ribbon accommodating portion (220), and therefore the ribbon accommodating portion (22) formed inside the case (200) has a structure that can secure a sufficient volume. . For this reason, in the ink ribbon cassette disclosed in Patent Document 2, the ink impregnated body (S) made of felt or the like housed in the ink impregnated body member (300) prior to the ink ribbon or the ink supply member ( W) has a shorter life. In general, when the ink impregnated in the ink supply member (W) is used up, the members end in life and need to be replaced.

  When replacing the ink impregnated body (S) or ink supply member (W), these used members are taken out using tweezers, etc., and the ink impregnated body (S) and ink supply member (W) are impregnated with ink. It accommodates in a counter member (300). In the work, even if a tool such as tweezers is used, a slight amount of ink remaining on the used ink impregnated body (S) or the ink supply member (W) may adhere to the human body or the peripheral portion. .

In addition, the ink impregnation member (S) and the ink supply member (W) made of a soft and non-waist material such as felt are mounted on the ink impregnation member (300) integrated with the case (200) of the ink ribbon cassette. The work is complicated, and if a general user is forced to do the work, it can be easily predicted that the user will be left away and the sales will be reduced. On the other hand, even if a resale system that collects ink ribbon cassettes whose ink impregnated body (S) and ink supply member (W) have reached the end of their life and replaces those members on the manufacturer side is adopted, it will be useful for general users. It will be necessary to replace the ink ribbon cassette, and it will not be possible to eliminate the sense of cost, and as a result, it is predicted that a decrease in sales cannot be avoided.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-4933 JP 2002-36686 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is possible to extend the service life by using a long ink ribbon without reducing the storage space of the ink ribbon. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cartridge that can be easily refilled with ink.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink ribbon cartridge including a cartridge case mounted on a printer and an ink ribbon accommodated in the cartridge case.
As an optional item, an ink replenishment tank having an ink supply body extending from the tank body is provided.
An ink replenishing tank mounting portion to which the ink replenishing tank is detachable is formed on the outer surface of the cartridge case.

As described above, since the ink replenishment tank mounting portion in which the ink replenishment tank is detachable is formed on the outer surface of the cartridge case, a sufficiently long ink ribbon can be accommodated in the cartridge case. It is possible to extend the service life.
In addition, since the ink replenishment tank can be freely attached to and detached from the cartridge case as an optional product, the general user can easily replace and use the ink replenishment tank without getting his hands dirty, which is economical for general users. .

The present invention also relates to an ink ribbon cartridge having the above-described configuration, which is incorporated in a cartridge case and includes a ribbon driving mechanism that sandwiches an ink ribbon by a pair of ribbon driving gears and moves the ink ribbon by rotation of the ribbon driving gear. ,
The ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes an insertion hole for inserting an ink supply body of the ink replenishing tank into contact with at least one of the ribbon drive gears.
Here, it is preferable that the ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes an opening / closing lid that opens and closes the insertion hole.

Since the ink replenishing tank is an optional item, it is preferable that the ink ribbon in the cartridge case contains ink in advance. Thus, the ink ribbon cartridge can be used without mounting the ink replenishing tank. During the period of use, the open / close lid is closed in order to prevent entry of dust and the like from the insertion hole.
Then, when the remaining amount of ink contained in the ink ribbon is reduced, an optional ink replenishing tank is mounted on the replenishing tank mounting portion. At this time, the opening / closing lid is opened, and the ink supply body is inserted from the insertion hole.

  Further, the insertion hole may be closed by a lid portion that is formed integrally with the cartridge case in advance, and the insertion hole may be formed by removing the lid portion from the cartridge.

  The ink supply body inserted into the cartridge case from the insertion hole comes into contact with at least one of the ribbon drive gears. The pair of ribbon drive gears cooperate to sandwich the ink ribbon and have a function of moving the ink ribbon in rotation. Ink from the ink supply body is supplied to one of the ribbon drive gears, and ink is further supplied to the ink ribbon via the ribbon drive gear.

At this time, in order to efficiently supply ink to the surface of the ribbon drive gear, it is preferable that the ink supply body is pressed against the ribbon drive gear with a certain pressing force.
Therefore, it is preferable that the ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes a pressing unit that presses the ink supply body inserted into the insertion hole against at least one of the ribbon drive gears.

  The pressing means can be constituted by an ink supply guide wall having a guide surface approaching from the entrance of the insertion hole toward at least one of the ribbon drive gears. Thereby, the ink supply body inserted from the insertion hole comes into contact with the guide surface and is guided toward the ribbon drive gear, and can be pressed against the drive gear without any obstacle.

  Further, the pressing means can be constituted by an elastic member insertion portion formed inside the insertion hole and an elastic member inserted into the elastic member insertion portion from the insertion hole. Here, it is preferable to form an elastic member guide wall having a guide surface approaching at least one of the ribbon drive gears from the entrance of the insertion hole in the elastic member insertion portion. Also with such a configuration, the ink supply body inserted from the insertion hole is pressed by the elastic member inserted along the guide surface, and can be brought into pressure contact with the ribbon drive gear without any obstacle.

Alternatively, a pressing unit may be formed in the ink replenishing tank, and the ink supply member may be pressed against at least one of the ribbon drive gears by the pressing unit.
The pressing means can be constituted by an elastic member that presses the side surface of the ink supply body. In this case, it is preferable to form an elastic member guide wall having a guide surface approaching at least one of the ribbon drive gears from the entrance of the insertion hole in the ink replenishment tank mounting portion of the ink ribbon cartridge. According to this configuration, the elastic member inserted together with the ink supply body bends and deforms in the direction of the ribbon drive gear along the guide surface, and the ink supply body is pressed along with this and presses against the ribbon drive gear without any obstacle. be able to.

  In addition, the ink replenishing tank of the present invention may have a configuration in which the tank body has a felt member that impregnates the ink, and the tank body has an ink replenishing hole. Here, if the felt member is formed with a concave portion at a position opposite to the ink replenishing hole, the concave portion becomes an ink reservoir, and the ink can be efficiently replenished from the ink replenishing hole.

The ink replenishment tank may be configured to include a positioning portion for the cartridge case. When the bottom surface of the ink replenishing tank is placed on the top surface of the cartridge case, a positioning plate is extended from one side edge of the bottom surface, and the positioning plate is brought into contact with the side surface of the cartridge case to form a positioning portion. Also good.
Here, pressing means (means for pressing the ink supply body against at least one of the ribbon driving gears) is formed by a pressing plate that has elasticity and presses the side surface of the ink supply body, and further, the positioning plate is used to move the outside of the pressing plate. It can also be set as the structure which supports a side surface.
The side surface of the positioning plate can be fixed to the cartridge case, for example, by adhering to the side surface of the cartridge case.

  In the ink ribbon cartridge to which the ink replenishing tank is mounted, it is preferable that a guide guide for positioning the ink replenishing tank is formed in the ink replenishing tank mounting portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to extend the service life of a long ink ribbon without reducing the space for storing the ink ribbon. In addition, when the ink runs out, a general user can easily supply ink. Can do.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the present invention is applied to an ink ribbon cartridge used in a stationary type serial dot impact printer is shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a printer to which an ink ribbon cartridge according to this embodiment is mounted, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the ink ribbon cartridge to the printer.
First, the outline of the printer will be described with reference to these drawings.
The printer includes a paper feeding unit 1, a printing unit 2, and a mounting unit 3 for an ink ribbon cartridge 10. Among these, the paper feeding unit 1 is provided on the back side of the frame 4 constituting the framework. The mounting portion 3 for the ink ribbon cartridge 10 is provided on the front side of the frame 4. And the printing part 2 is provided in those intermediate parts.

  The paper feed unit 1 is provided with a pair of paper feed rollers (not shown). A printing medium such as roll paper or cut paper is sandwiched between paper feed rollers and is conveyed along with the rotation of the rollers. In the printer shown in FIG. 1, after the print medium is conveyed horizontally from the back side of the frame 4 in the front direction (the direction of the arrow a), the guide medium 5 guides the print medium upward (the direction of the arrow b), The configuration is such that the print head 6 is sent to a position opposed to the print head 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print unit 2 is provided with a print head 6, a carriage 7, and a drive transmission shaft 7a. The print head 6 of the present embodiment employs a dot impact type print head having a configuration in which a large number of built-in needles are ejected under the control of an electromagnet, and an ink ribbon described later is pressed against the print medium with the ejected needles. . The print head 6 is mounted on the carriage 7. The carriage 7 and the drive transmission shaft 7 a form a head feed mechanism that converts forward / reverse rotation of a head drive motor (not shown) into reciprocating movement of the print head 6.

  A cassette support plate 8 and a ribbon take-up shaft 9 are disposed on the mounting portion 3 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10. In the ink ribbon cartridge 10, the bottom plate 11 b of the cartridge case 11 is mounted on the upper surface of the cassette support plate 8. The ribbon take-up shaft 9 is engaged with a ribbon drive gear of an ink ribbon cartridge described later. The ribbon take-up shaft 9 rotates with a driving force from a driving motor (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink ribbon cartridge, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ink ribbon cartridge.
The thickness of the ink ribbon cartridge 10 is defined by the distance between the top plate 11 a and the bottom plate 11 b of the cartridge case 11, and the bottom plate 11 b forms a surface to be attached to the cassette support plate 8. As shown in FIG. 3, a ribbon accommodating portion 12 is formed inside the cartridge case 11, and most of the endless ink ribbon 13 is accommodated in the ribbon accommodating portion 12 at a high density. The ink ribbon 13 is impregnated with ink in advance.

  A pair of ribbon drive gears 14 and 15 are incorporated at the inlet of the ribbon accommodating portion 12. These ribbon drive gears 14 and 15 constitute a ribbon drive mechanism that holds the ink ribbon 13 and moves the ink ribbon 13 by rotation. One ribbon drive gear 14 engages with the ribbon take-up shaft 9 and is driven to rotate by the coaxial 9. The other ribbon drive gear 15 rotates with its rotation.

  Arms 11 c and 11 d extend from both sides of the front surface of the cartridge case 11. The ink ribbon 13 passes through one arm 11c and returns to the ribbon accommodating portion 12 again via its tip or the tip of the other arm 11d. In the middle part of each arm 11c, 11d, the ink ribbon 13 is exposed. This exposed portion is arranged close to the front of the track on which the print head 6 reciprocates. The print medium is fed to the front proximity position of the ink ribbon 13 by the paper feed roller described above.

As shown in FIG. 4, an ink replenishing tank mounting portion 20 is formed on the surface of the top plate 11 a of the cartridge case 11.
An ink replenishment tank 30 described later is detachably mounted on the ink replenishment tank mounting unit 20. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the ink ribbon cartridge showing a state where the ink replenishing tank is mounted. The ink replenishing tank mounting portion 20 shown in the drawing is configured to support each side surface of the ink replenishing tank 30 by four engaging pieces 21 protruding from the surface of the top plate 11 a of the cartridge case 11. Among the two engaging pieces 21 facing each other, a locking claw 21a is formed, and an engaging groove 30a formed on the side surface of the ink replenishing tank 30 shown in FIG. 6 is engaged with the locking claw 21a. Thus, the mounted state of the ink replenishing tank 30 is maintained.
The support structure of the ink replenishing tank 30 is not limited to that shown in the drawing. That is, any structure may be used as long as the ink replenishment tank 30 can be held on the surface of the top plate 11 a of the cartridge case 11.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ink replenishing tank 30 has an outer shape formed by a box-shaped tank main body 31, and an ink impregnation member 32 made of felt or the like is filled therein. From the bottom surface of the tank body 31, an ink supply body 33, which is also made of felt or the like, extends downward. The ink supply body 33 is bent in an L shape, and is in contact with the ink impregnation member 32 inside the tank body 31. The ink impregnation member 32 is impregnated with ink, and the ink is transmitted to the ink supply body 33 by capillary action. Then, the ink oozes out from the bottom surface of the tank body 31 to the tip of the ink supply body 33 exposed.

  An elastic member 34 composed of a leaf spring or the like is mounted on the side of the tank body 31. The elastic member 34 has an upper end fixed to the upper edge of the side portion of the tank main body 31, and a lower end thereof is in contact with the side surface of the ink supply body 33 from the outside. The intermediate portion of the elastic member 34 can be freely bent by the action of an external force.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the ink replenishing tank mounting portion 20 has an insertion hole 22 formed by cutting out the surface of the top plate 11 a of the cartridge case 11. The insertion hole 22 is formed in a portion facing the outer periphery of the one ribbon drive gear 14 shown in FIG. 3, and the opening size thereof is an ink supply body 33 extending downward from the ink replenishing tank 30 and an elastic member. 34 is set to a size that can be inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a slide guide groove 23 is formed at the inner edge of the insertion hole 22, and an open / close lid 24 is slidably supported in the slide guide groove 23. The open / close lid 24 slides along the slide guide groove 23 to open / close the insertion hole 22.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view showing the ink replenishing tank and the ink ribbon cartridge arranged one above the other.
In the ink replenishing tank mounting portion 20 formed in the cartridge case 11, an elastic member guide wall 25 is formed inside the insertion hole 22. In the present embodiment, the elastic member guide wall 25 is formed by the side wall of the cartridge case 11. The inner surface of the elastic member guide wall 25 is a guide surface 25a that approaches the ribbon drive gear 14 as it goes downward from the outer edge of the inlet of the insertion hole 22.

  8 and 9 are views for explaining the operation of the guide surface and the elastic member. When the ink supply body 33 and the elastic member 34 are inserted from the insertion hole 22 in the order shown in FIGS. 8 to 9, the outer surface of the elastic member 34 contacts the guide surface 25a. The ink supply body 33 enters from the entrance of the insertion hole 22 and is inserted downward without receiving the pressing force of the elastic member 34 for a while, and its lower end is disposed on the side of the ribbon drive gear 14.

  When the ink supply body 33 and the elastic member 34 are further inserted into the insertion hole 22, the elastic member 34 bends along the guide surface 25 a and the lower end thereof approaches the ribbon drive gear 14. The elastic member 34 presses the ink supply body 33 toward the ribbon drive gear 14 in accordance with the bending deformation. By this pressing force, the ink supply body 33 comes into pressure contact with the ribbon drive gear 14 from the side. In this way, the ink supply body 33 is in pressure contact, so that the ink impregnated in the ink supply body 33 can be efficiently supplied to the surface of the ribbon drive gear 14.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, it can also implement with the following modifications or application examples.
(1) As shown in FIGS. 10 to 11, an ink supply body guide wall 26 is formed inside an insertion hole 22 formed in the cartridge case 11, and the inner surface of the ink supply body guide wall 26 is inserted into the insertion hole 2. The guide surface 26a approaches the ribbon drive gear 14 as it goes downward from the outer edge of the inlet.
When the ink supply body 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 22, the ink supply body 33 is bent along the guide surface 26 a and the lower end thereof approaches the ribbon drive gear 14. The ink supply 33 is pressed against the ribbon drive gear 14 from the side by the bending deformation.

(2) As shown in FIGS. 12 to 13, the elastic member 34 is configured separately from the ink replenishing tank 30. Inside the insertion hole 22 formed in the cartridge case 11, an elastic member insertion portion 27 for inserting the elastic member 34 is formed in a side portion into which the ink supply body 33 is inserted.
The elastic member 34 is first inserted from the insertion hole 22 into the elastic member insertion portion 27, and then the ink supply body 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 22. Then, the ink supply body 33 is pressed against the elastic member 34 from the side, and the lower end portion comes into pressure contact with the ribbon drive gear 14.

(3) The elastic member that presses the ink supply body 33 from the side toward the ribbon drive gear 14 can be formed of a sponge-like member 35 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14B, a sponge-like member 35 and a leaf spring member 36 may be combined.

(4) As shown in FIG. 15A, an ink replenishment hole 37 is formed in the tank body 31 of the ink replenishment tank 30 and ink can be replenished from the ink replenishment hole 37. If comprised in this way, it will become possible to use the ink replenishment tank 30 repeatedly. The ink replenishing hole 37 may be configured to open and close by attaching and detaching the cap 38.
As shown in FIG. 15B, the replenishing ink can be provided to a general user by being enclosed in an ampoule-shaped ink container 50. Here, if a plurality of ampule-like ink containers 50 having different ink capacities are connected and provided to a general user, ink can be efficiently replenished as follows. That is, the ink replenishment tank 30 is provided to a general user in an empty state. At the start of use, first, a large-capacity ink container 50 is selected and the ink replenishment tank 30 is replenished with ink. Thereafter, the ink is replenished from the ink container 50 having a small capacity according to the ink remaining amount in the ink replenishing tank 30.

  The ink impregnation member 32 filled in the ink replenishing tank 30 is preferably provided with a recess 39 at a portion facing the ink replenishing hole 37. If the concave portion 39 is formed, the concave portion 39 becomes an ink reservoir and ink can be efficiently replenished from the ink replenishing hole 37.

  Furthermore, the ink impregnation member 32 may be constituted by a plurality of types of felt members having different densities. For example, a low density felt member is disposed at a portion that receives ink dropped from the ink replenishment hole 37, and a high density felt member is disposed around the low density felt member. Specifically, a low-density first felt member 32a that easily absorbs ink is disposed on the bottom of the recess 39 over a certain depth. Around the recess 39, a second felt member 32b having a slightly higher density than the first felt member 32a is disposed. Other than that, the 3rd felt member 32c of higher density than the 2nd felt member 32b is arrange | positioned. The high-density third felt member 32c takes some time to absorb ink, but the amount of absorption is higher than that of other felt members, so that a large amount of ink can be impregnated and held. The ink quickly absorbed by the first felt member 32a moves to and is held by the second felt member 32b to the third felt member 32c.

(5) As shown in FIG. 16A, a lid portion 28 is formed integrally with the cartridge case 11 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10 at the time of resin molding. It can also be set as the structure by which the insertion hole 22 is formed by removing so that it may fracture | rupture from the case 11 (refer the figure (b)).
When the top plate 11a and other portions of the cartridge case 11 are separately resin-molded, for example, the lid portion 28 is formed integrally with the top plate 11a, and the insertion hole 22 is formed in the side wall portion. . The insertion hole 22 in the side wall portion is closed by a lid portion 28 formed integrally with the top plate 11a. And if the lid part 28 is removed from the top plate 11a so as to be broken, the insertion hole 22 is opened as shown in FIG.

  With this configuration, it is possible to save the trouble of separately manufacturing the opening / closing lid, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce the manufacturing cost.

(6) It is also possible to adopt a simple configuration in which a lid is formed using a seal-like adhesive tape and the insertion hole 22 is closed with the adhesive tape. When the ink replenishing tank 30 is mounted, the adhesive tape may be peeled off to open the insertion hole 22.

(7) As shown in FIG. 16B, the insertion hole 22 may be configured to open in an L shape from the top plate 11a to the side wall. The opening on the side wall side of the insertion hole 22 is formed at a position close to the ribbon drive gear 14. As shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), the ink replenishing tank 30 extends from the vicinity of a part of the side edge of the bottom surface downward to the insertion hole 22, and this ink supply body. It is preferable that the pressing plate 40 is arranged along one side surface of 33. The pressing plate 40 is composed of a metal plate having elasticity, and is configured to be a pressing unit that presses the ink supply body 33 from the side to the ribbon drive gear 14 while being attached to the cartridge case.

As shown in FIG. 17C, the ink replenishment tank 30 is placed on the ink replenishment tank mounting portion 20 formed on the top plate 11 a of the cartridge case 11, such as a double-sided tape mounted on the bottom surface of the ink replenishment tank 30. The adhesive 41 is fixed to the ink replenishment tank mounting portion 20.
It is preferable that a guide guide 29 formed of a protrusion for positioning the ink replenishing tank 30 is formed in the ink replenishing tank mounting portion of the cartridge case 11. The ink replenishing tank 30 is fixed at an appropriate position simply by aligning both side edges of the bottom portion with the guide guide 29.

(8) Further, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the positioning plate 42 may be extended downward from one side edge of the bottom surface of the ink replenishing tank 30. The positioning plate 42 is in contact with the side surface of the cartridge case 11 to form a positioning portion. An adhesive 41 such as a double-sided tape is provided in advance on the inside of the positioning plate 42, and the ink replenishing tank 30 is fixed to the cartridge case 11 with this adhesive 41 (see FIG. 10C). Here, “the positioning plate 42 contacts the side surface of the cartridge case 11” includes a state where the positioning plate 42 contacts the side surface of the cartridge case 11 via the adhesive 41.
The positioning plate 42 also has a function of supporting the outer surface of the pressing plate 40.

(9) Although the ink supply body 33 and the pressing plate 40 constitute a so-called cantilever, the free end (lower end) of the ink supply body 33 and the pressing plate 40 is a ribbon due to deflection when the pressing plate 40 is pressed against the ribbon drive gear 14. There is a risk of being slightly separated from the drive gear 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18B, it is preferable to slightly bend the pressing plate 40 so that its lower end faces the ribbon drive gear 14 side.

  By applying it to the ink ribbon cartridge of the printer, it is possible to extend the service life by using a long ink ribbon without reducing the space for storing the ink ribbon. Can be replenished.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a printer to which an ink ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the ink ribbon cartridge is mounted on the printer. It is a top sectional view showing an internal structure of an ink ribbon cartridge. It is a top view of an ink ribbon cartridge. It is a top view of an ink ribbon cartridge showing a state where an ink replenishing tank is mounted. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an ink replenishing tank, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows an ink replenishment tank and an ink ribbon cartridge side by side up and down. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the guide surface formed on the ink ribbon cartridge and the elastic member provided in the ink replenishing tank. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the operation state following FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing of the ink replenishment tank and ink ribbon cartridge which show the modification or application example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the operation state following FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing of the ink replenishment tank and ink ribbon cartridge which show the other modification or application example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the operation state following FIG. (A) and (b) are side sectional views of an ink replenishing tank showing still another modification or application of the present invention. (A) is side sectional drawing of the ink replenishment tank which shows the further another modified example or application example of this invention, (b) is a front view which shows the ink container for replenishment. (A) (b) is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cartridge which shows the further another modification or application example of this invention, respectively. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing still another modified example or application example of the present invention, where (a) is a front view of an ink replenishing tank, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA, and (c) is an ink replenishing tank to an ink ribbon cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the mounted state. FIG. 6 is a view showing still another modified example or application example of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view of an ink replenishing tank, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB, and (c) is an ink replenishing tank to an ink ribbon cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the mounted state.

Explanation of symbols

1: Paper feeding unit 2: Printing unit 3: Mounting unit 4: Frame 5: Guide plate 6: Print head 7: Carriage 7a: Drive transmission shaft 8: Cassette support plate 9: Ribbon take-up shaft 10: Ink ribbon cartridge 11: Cartridge case 11a: Top plate 11b: Bottom plate 11c, 11d: Arm 12: Ribbon container 13: Ink ribbon 14, 15: Ribbon drive gear 20: Ink replenishing tank mounting part 21: Engagement piece 21a: Locking claw 22: Insert Hole 23: Slide guide groove 24: Open / close lid 25: Elastic member guide wall 25a: Guide surface 26: Ink supply member guide wall 26a: Guide surface 27: Elastic member insertion portion 28: Cover portion 29: Guide guide 30: Ink replenishment tank 30a: engagement groove 31: tank body 32: ink impregnation member 32a: first felt member 32b: second felt member 32c: third felt member 3 : Ink supply member 34: elastic member 35: a spongy member 36: leaf spring member 37: ink refill hole 38: Cap 39: recess 40: pressing plate 41: adhesive 42: the positioning plate 50: ink container

Claims (11)

A cartridge case that is installed in the printer, saw including an ink ribbon housed in the cartridge case, is and incorporated in the cartridge case, to sandwich the ink ribbon by a pair of ribbon drive gear, of the ribbon drive gear In an ink ribbon cartridge provided with a ribbon drive mechanism for moving and circulating the ink ribbon by rotation ,
As an optional item, an ink replenishment tank having an ink supply body extending from the tank body is provided.
Forming an ink replenishing tank mounting portion on the outer surface of the cartridge case, the ink replenishing tank being detachable ;
The ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes an insertion hole for inserting the ink supply body of the ink replenishing tank and bringing it into contact with at least one of the ribbon drive gears. A pressing means for pressing at least one of the ribbon drive gears;
The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the pressing means is an ink supply guide wall having a guide surface approaching from the entrance of the insertion hole toward at least one of the ribbon drive gears . A cartridge case that is installed in the printer, saw including an ink ribbon housed in the cartridge case, is and incorporated in the cartridge case, to sandwich the ink ribbon by a pair of ribbon drive gear, of the ribbon drive gear In an ink ribbon cartridge provided with a ribbon drive mechanism for moving and circulating the ink ribbon by rotation ,
As an optional item, an ink replenishing tank having an ink supply body extending from the tank body is provided.
Forming an ink replenishing tank mounting portion on the outer surface of the cartridge case, the ink replenishing tank being detachable ;
The ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes an insertion hole for inserting an ink supply body of the ink replenishing tank and making contact with at least one of the ribbon drive gears, and the ink supply body inserted into the insertion hole, A pressing means for pressing at least one of the ribbon drive gears;
The pressing means includes an elastic member insertion portion formed inside the insertion hole, and an elastic member inserted into the elastic member insertion portion from the insertion hole.
The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member guide wall having a guide surface approaching at least one of the ribbon drive gears from the entrance of the insertion hole is formed in the elastic member insertion portion . The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink replenishing tank mounting portion includes an opening / closing lid that opens and closes the insertion hole. 3. The insertion hole according to claim 1, wherein the insertion hole is previously closed by a lid part integrally formed with the cartridge case, and the insertion hole is formed by removing the lid part from the cartridge. Ink ribbon cartridge. An ink replenishing tank attached to the ink ribbon cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
An ink replenishing tank, comprising: a pressing unit that presses the ink supply member inserted into the insertion hole against at least one of the ribbon drive gears. 6. The ink replenishing tank according to claim 5 , wherein the pressing means is an elastic member that presses a side surface of the ink supply body. The tank main body has a felt member impregnated with ink, the tank main body has an ink replenishing hole, and the felt member has a recess formed in a portion facing the ink replenishing hole. The ink replenishing tank according to claim 5 or 6 . The ink refill tank according to claim 5 .
An ink replenishing tank comprising a positioning portion for the cartridge case. A bottom surface is placed on the top surface of the cartridge case, a positioning plate extends from one side edge of the bottom surface, and the positioning plate contacts the side surface of the cartridge case to constitute the positioning portion. The ink replenishing tank according to claim 8 . 10. The ink according to claim 9 , wherein the pressing means is a pressing plate that has elasticity and presses a side surface of the ink supply body, and the positioning plate supports an outer surface of the pressing plate. Refill tank. The ink replenishing tank according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein a side surface of the positioning plate is fixed to the cartridge case by bonding the side surface of the positioning plate to the side surface of the cartridge case.

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