JPH06183087A - Ink ribbon cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the reuse of all the parts excluding ink ribbon possible and, at the same time, contribute to the global environmental protection by a method wherein covering is made of elastic material and, at the same time, preventing means for positional deviation between two shell halves is provided. CONSTITUTION:The ink ribbon cartridge 1 concerned consists of a shell 2 serving as its integumentary covering, a feed spool 3 and a take-up spool, both of which are rotatably housed in the shell 2, ink ribbon 5, both the ends of which are respectively and separately fixed to the spools 3 and 4 and the major portion of which is wound round the feed spool 3, and a cover 6, with which the shell 2 is covered. The shell 2 is formed by vertically abutting an upper shell half 7 and a lower shell half 8 against each other. The shell halves 7 and 8 are made of synthetic resin material having a certain measure of rigidity. Positional deviation preventing means 26 and 26' (engaging parts) are hook parts integrally projected downwards at the opening edges on the swathing parts 24 and 24' of a window 25 having its engaging pieces 27 and 27' projecting in opposite directions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel ink ribbon cartridge. More specifically, the present invention aims to provide a novel ink ribbon cartridge which can reuse the part excluding the ink ribbon and can contribute to resource saving and preservation of the global environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an ink ribbon cartridge used in a printer, one as shown in FIGS.
There is.

Reference numeral b denotes a shell forming an outer shell thereof, which has two spool accommodating portions c and c'which are substantially cylindrical and are arranged in parallel with each other at intervals.
The c'is connected by the connecting portions d, d at both ends thereof. Further, openings e, e'are formed on the side surfaces of the spool housing portions c, c 'that face each other.

A supply spool f and a take-up spool f'are separately rotatably accommodated in the spool accommodating parts c and c ', and one end of an ink ribbon g is fixedly attached to the supply spool f. It is wound in a fixed amount and the take-up spool f '
The other end of the ink ribbon g is fixed to the.

The ink ribbon g is led out of the spool accommodating parts c and c'through the openings e and e'formed in the spool accommodating parts c and c ', and the spool accommodating parts c and c'and the connecting part d, It is exposed to the outside by a window h surrounded by d.

The shell b is formed by vertically assembling two upper and lower shell halves i, j, and welding ribs k, k and l, l protruding from their respective side edges are welded to each other. .

[0007]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional ink ribbon cartridge a, when the ink ribbon g is used up, the shell b cannot be reused.

That is, even if the ink ribbon g is used up, the shape and function of the shell b are not impaired in any way, so it should be reusable, but the shell b should be the upper and lower shell halves i, j. Since it is welded, it cannot be separated into the upper shell half i and the lower shell half j again, and the material of the shell b is easily damaged, so it cannot be reused. It is a waste of resources.

Further, since the shell b burns with high calorie, an incinerator must be selected, and there is also a problem that waste disposal is troublesome.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention has a shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted against each other to form two spool accommodating portions, and the spool accommodating portion is rotated. A supply spool in which one end of the ink ribbon is accommodated and which is fastened and the other end of the ink ribbon is fastened, and a cover which is detachably attached to the shell. The cover is formed of an elastic material and has a displacement preventing means between the two shell halves, or a shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted to form two spool accommodating portions. A supply spool that is rotatably accommodated in the spool accommodating portion and has one end of an ink ribbon fixed and wound around; The ink ribbon comprises a take-up spool to which the other end is fixed, and a label releasably attached to the surface of the shell. By attaching the label, the label spool is attached between the two shell halves. The position is prevented from being displaced.

[0011]

Therefore, in the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention, since the upper and lower shell halves are joined by the cover or the label and their positions are fixed, the upper and lower shell halves can be separated by removing the cover or the label. You can take the spool out of it.

Therefore, when the ink ribbon is used up, the used ink ribbon is removed from the spool, the new ink ribbon is fixed to the two spools and wound around the supply spool, and these spools are stored in the spool storage portion. Butt the two shell halves together, and
When the cover or label is attached to the shell half, the ink ribbon cartridge becomes a new ink ribbon cartridge.

Further, since the cover or the label is adhered to the shell, the shell half constituting the shell is not damaged, and if the cover and the label are made of a material which is not easily damaged, these Can be used any number of times. And even if the cover or label gets scratched, it is sufficient to replace only the cover or label.

[0014]

The details of the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an ink ribbon cartridge, a shell 2 forming an outer shell thereof, a supply spool 3 and a take-up spool 4 rotatably housed in the shell 2.
Both ends thereof are separately fixed to the two spools 3 and 4, and most of them are composed of an ink ribbon 5 wound around the supply spool 3 and a cover 6 attached to the shell 2.

The shell 2 is formed by an upper shell half 7 and a lower shell half 8 being butted against each other.

The shell halves 7 and 8 are formed by molding using a synthetic resin material having a certain degree of rigidity.

The lower shell half 8 has two storage lower halves 9 and 9'in the shape of semi-cylindrical cylinders which are open upward and are spaced apart from each other and arranged in parallel.
They are integrally connected by 0 and 11.

The upper shell half 7 has cover portions 12, 1 in which portions located on opposite sides are curved in a substantially quarter cylindrical shape.
Both ends are integrally connected by connecting halves 13 and 14 in a state in which 2'is spaced from each other and arranged in parallel.

Outer surfaces of the lower storage halves 9, 9 ', except for both ends, are formed so that the meat is cut off. Further, both ends 16, 16 of the upper shell half 7 are formed in a rib shape slightly protruding outward from the remaining portion.

The two shell halves 7 and 8 as described above are joined together in an abutting manner to form the shell 2.

That is, the lower half portion 9 for storing the lower shell half 8
The upper half of 9'is the covering portion 12, 12 'of the upper shell half 7.
The substantially cylindrical spool storage portions 17, 17 'are formed by being covered with the spool storage portion 17,
Ribbon pull-out openings 18, 1 on opposite sides of 17 '
8'is formed.

Further, the rib-like portions 16 and 16 and the portion 1
5, 15 form continuous recesses 19 on the outer surfaces of the two shell halves 7, 8.

Of the two spools 3 and 4, the supply spool 3 is located in one spool housing portion 17,
In addition, the take-up spool 4 is rotatably accommodated in the other spool accommodating portion 17 ', and the ink ribbon 5 is drawn out from the respective spool accommodating portions 17, 17' through the ribbon pull-out openings 18, 18 'and connected. It is located in a window 22 bordered by a connecting part 20 consisting of half parts 10, 13 and a connecting part 21 consisting of connecting half parts 11, 14 and two spool housing parts 17, 17 '.

The cover 6 has an upper surface 2 formed in a substantially frame shape.
3 and the winding portions 24 and 24 ', which are integrally connected to both side edges of the upper surface portion 23 and are curled in a direction approaching each other from below, are integrally formed of an elastic synthetic resin material such as PP or PET. .

A window 25 having substantially the same size as the window 22 of the shell 2 is formed on the upper surface portion 23, and the width of the upper surface portion 23 and the lengths of the winding portions 24, 24 'are the same as those of the concave portion 19 described above.
Is formed to have substantially the same width. The depth of the recess 19 is substantially the same as the thickness of the cover 6.

Further, the curl of the winding portions 24 and 24 'is larger than the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the spool accommodating portions 17 and 17'.

Reference numerals 26 and 26 'denote winding portions 24 and 2 of the window 25.
It is a hook portion integrally formed at the opening edge on the 4'side so as to project downward, and the engaging pieces 27, 27 'thereof project at opposite sides.

To form the cover 6 as described above, for example, first, extrusion molding is performed in a direction corresponding to the axial direction of the spool accommodating portions 17 and 17 'of the shell 2, and then,
The window 25 can be punched by press molding, and the hook portion 26,
It can be done by bending 26 '.

The cover 6 is then attached to the shell 2.

In order to attach the cover 6 to the shell 2, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the end portions of the winding portions 24 and 24 'are held and pulled toward the opposite sides so as to separate them from each other,
Between the ends of 24 ', the spool storage parts 17, 1 of the shell 2 are provided.
It should be wider than the space between the outer edges of 7 ', and from that state,
As shown in FIG. 6, the engaging pieces 2 of the hook portions 26, 26 '.
Covering the shell 2 with the cover 6 while engaging 7, 27 'with the inner end edges of the cover portions 12, 12' of the upper shell half 7,
Then, except for the force separating the ends of the winding parts 24, 24 'from each other, the winding parts 24, 24' try to restore the original shape by the elasticity of the material, and the winding parts 24, 24 '
Wrap around 7, 17 '. In this case, the winding parts 24, 24 '
Is larger than the curvature of the outer peripheral surfaces of the spool accommodating portions 17, 17 ', so that the winding portions 24, 24' are tightly wound around the spool accommodating portions 17, 17 '.

Then, the cover 6 is fitted into the recess 19 of the shell 2.

Therefore, the engaging pieces 27, 27 'of the hook portions 26, 26' are covered with the covering portions 12, 12 'of the upper shell half 7.
Of the two shell halves 7 and 8 by engaging the inner edge of the spool and winding the winding portions 24 and 24 'around the spool storage portions 17 and 17'. Is stable, and by fitting the cover 6 into the recess 19, the positions of the two shell halves 7 and 8 in the axial direction of the spool accommodating portions 17 and 17 'are stabilized.

When the ink ribbon 5 is used up, if the cover 6 is removed from the shell 2 in the reverse order of the above procedure, the two shell halves 7 and 8 that fix their positions to each other disappear. So these shell halves 7,
8 can be opened up and down to take out the spools 3 and 4, and the alternative spools 3 and 4 can be put in the shell 2 and the cover 6 can be attached. The spools 3 and 4 taken out can be reused after the used ink ribbon 5 is removed.

Therefore, the components other than the ink ribbon 5 can be reused.

Since the cover 6 defines most of the appearance of the ink ribbon cartridge 1, it is difficult to reuse it if it is scratched or dirty, and it is discarded, but it is made of PP or PET. Since it has a low calorie content, it can be incinerated in a normal incinerator.

8 to 12 show another example 1A of the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention.

The shell 2A is the same as the shell 2 of the ink ribbon cartridge 1 except that the recess 19 is not provided. Therefore, the parts similar to the shell 2 are the same as the reference signs used for the similar parts of the shell 2. Is attached and the description is omitted.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a label attached to the outer surface of the shell 2A, which is formed by forming a peelable adhesive layer 30 on the back surface of a sheet-shaped base 29, on the surface of which there is necessary printing or the like. Has been applied.

A large window 31 is formed in the substantially central portion.

The spool accommodating portions 17 and 1 of the adhesive layer 30
One end portion 30a in the direction corresponding to the arrangement direction of 7'is a weak adhesive layer having a relatively weak adhesive force and the remaining portion 30b.
Is a strong adhesive layer having a relatively strong adhesive force.

The base 29 may be of any strength as long as it is attached to the shell 2A and has sufficient strength to bond the two shell halves 7 and 8 together. For example, vinyl chloride having a thickness of 80 to 110 μm can be used. Things can be used.

The pressure-sensitive adhesive material used for the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 30 may have any of the above properties, but the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 30 is formed of, for example, an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive material in a layer having a thickness of 20 to 30 μm.

Then, the two spools 3 and 4 on which the ink ribbon 5 is fixed and wound are connected to the spool accommodating portions 17 and 1.
The upper and lower shell halves 7A and 8A are butted against each other in a state of being rotatably housed in 7 ', and the shell 2A in that state
The label 28 is adhered to the outer surface of the label.

By sticking the label 28, the two shell halves 7A and 8A are kept in a state of being combined with each other.

When the ink ribbon 5 is used up, as shown in FIG. 12, the weak adhesive layer 30a of the label 28 is used.
If the end portion on the side is lifted from the outer surface of the shell 2A and the label 28 is peeled from the shell 2A by holding the end portion, the upper and lower shell halves 7A and 8A can be separated, so that a new ink ribbon 5 is formed. It is possible to refill the spools 3 and 4 which are fixed and wound.

[0047]

As is apparent from the above description, the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention has a shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted against each other to form two spool accommodating portions, and the spool accommodating portion is rotatable. And a take-up spool in which one end of the ink ribbon is fastened and wound, a take-up spool in which the other end of the ink ribbon is fastened, and a cover detachably attached to the shell. The cover is formed of an elastic material and has means for preventing misalignment between the two shell halves.

Further, in the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention, a shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted against each other to form two spool accommodating portions, and the spool accommodating portion is rotatably accommodated and one end of the ink ribbon is fixed. And a label that is releasably attached to the surface of the shell, and the label is attached to the surface of the shell. By the above, the positional deviation between the two shell halves is prevented.

Therefore, in the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention, since the upper and lower shell halves are joined by the cover or label and their positions are fixed, the upper and lower shell halves can be separated by removing the cover or label. You can take the spool out of it.

Therefore, when the ink ribbon is used up, the used ink ribbon is removed from the spool, the new ink ribbon is fixed to the two spools and wound around the supply spool, and these spools are stored in the spool storage section. Butt the two shell halves together, and
When the cover or label is attached to the shell half, the ink ribbon cartridge becomes a new ink ribbon cartridge.

Further, since the shell is covered with the cover or the label, the shell half constituting the shell is not damaged, and if the cover and the label are made of a material which is not easily damaged, these Can be used any number of times. And even if the cover or label gets scratched, it is sufficient to replace only the cover or label.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention together with FIGS. 2 to 7, and is a perspective view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing each part in an exploded manner.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a procedure for attaching the cover to the shell together with FIGS. 6 and 7, and this figure shows the initial state thereof.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state following FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state following FIG.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention together with FIGS. 9 to 12, and is a perspective view.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of each part.

10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a back view of the label.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an initial state when a label is peeled off.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink ribbon cartridge.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink ribbon cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ink Ribbon Cartridge 2 Shell 3 Supply Spool 4 Winding Spool 5 Ink Ribbon 6 Cover 7 Shell Half 8 Shell Half 17, 17 'Spool Housing 19 Recesses 26, 26' Engagement Part (Position Displacement Prevention Means) 1A Ink Ribbon Cartridge 2A shell 7A shell half 8A shell half 28 label

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted against each other to form two spool accommodating portions, and an ink ribbon is rotatably accommodated in the spool accommodating portion and one end of an ink ribbon is fastened and wound around the supply. A spool and a take-up spool to which the other end of the ink ribbon is fixed, and a cover removably attached to the shell, the cover being formed of an elastic material and between the two shell halves. An ink ribbon cartridge, characterized in that it has a positional deviation prevention means. 2. The misalignment preventing means is an engaging portion that engages with an edge of the shell half, and the cover is seated in a concave portion formed on the surface of the two shell halves, so that
The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein displacement of one shell half in a predetermined direction is prevented. 3. A shell in which upper and lower shell halves are butted against each other to form two spool accommodating portions, and an ink ribbon is rotatably accommodated in the spool accommodating portion and one end of an ink ribbon is fastened and wound around the supply. A spool and a take-up spool to which the other end of the ink ribbon is fixed, and a label releasably attached to the surface of the shell. By attaching the label, the two shell halves are mutually connected. An ink ribbon cartridge characterized in that misalignment between them is prevented. 4. The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the label is formed by applying an acrylic adhesive to a base film made of vinyl chloride.