JPH0744697U - Ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Easy installation of ink ribbon cassette,
Moreover, it is realized at a low cost with a simple configuration. A ribbon cassette for accommodating an ink ribbon therein, the ribbon cassette including a retraction roller for accommodating the ink ribbon, a side wall and a bottom plate for guiding the ink ribbon. And an ink ribbon storage portion having an upper bottom surface on which the ribbon cassette is placed when loaded, and a step is provided so that the bottom surface of the ink ribbon storage portion is not higher than the bottom plate of the feeding roller portion. It can be loaded into a ribbon case. Further, the ribbon cassette has an elastic member at one end, and when the ribbon cassette is loaded, the elastic portion engages with an engaging projection fixed to the ribbon case and elastically deforms, and the elastic deformation causes repulsion. By force, the end surface of the bottom plate of the storage portion on the other end side of the ribbon cassette is brought into contact with the step.

Description

[Detailed description of the device] [Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette loaded in an ink ribbon storage portion of a ribbon case.

[Prior art]

 FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of a printing apparatus using a printing belt. In the figure, 1 is a drive pulley, which is rotated by a drive motor 2 via a belt 3 in the direction of the arrow indicated by symbol A in the figure. Reference numeral 4 is an idler pulley, and 5 is a type belt having a plurality of type characters 18 on its surface and clock marks provided corresponding to the type characters 18. The type belt is wound between the drive pulley 1 and the idler pulley 4. Then, as the drive pulley 1 rotates, it moves in the direction of the arrow indicated by symbol B in the figure. Reference numeral 6 denotes an ink ribbon, which is conveyed corresponding to the conveyance of the type belt 5, and is sequentially folded and accommodated in the ribbon case 12 by the take-up roller 11. Reference numeral 7 is a platen, and 8 is a magnet which is provided along the printing direction in correspondence with, for example, 136 hammers 8 provided and which drives the hammer 8 when excited based on a signal from a host device. . Reference numeral 10 is a recording sheet. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a printing unit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. In the figure, 7 is a platen, 5 is a type belt, 6 is an ink ribbon, 8 is a hammer, 9 is a magnet, and 10 is a recording sheet. 13 is an ink ribbon separator, 14 is a stopper, and 19 is a return spring. Reference numeral 15 has a plurality of tractor pins 20 on the circumferential surface, and is driven to rotate by a motor 17 via a belt 16, and recording is performed with the paper feed holes provided in the recording paper 10 and the attractor pins 20 engaged. It is a paper feed tractor that conveys the paper 10 from the supply side C to the discharge side D. Reference numeral 24 is a brake mechanism for preventing the slack of the recording paper 10 at a position where the type 18 and the hammer 8 face each other and always applying a constant tension, and a spring for pressing the pad 22 against the member 23, the recording paper 10 And a pad for sandwiching the pad with the member 23, and the member 23 provided on a casing (not shown). In the structure described above, the hammer 8 is driven by exciting the magnet 9 based on the signal from the upper position, and the hammer 8 is driven by exciting the hammer 9 to a position opposite to the hammer 8. Printing on the recording paper 10 is performed by hitting a certain type of character 18. The recording paper 10 on which one line has been printed is sent to the discharge side D, which is intermittently fed line by line by the paper feed tractor 15, and is cut or folded sheet by sheet by a post-processing device (not shown) to form a stacker. It is housed inside. Conventionally, in the printing apparatus as described above, a method of using an old ink ribbon cassette having a small amount of impregnated ink ribbon and replacing the old ink ribbon cassette is simple and easy to operate, and is generally well performed. However, since the ink ribbon cassette is used up, the running cost is high. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the running cost by fixing the case that can hold the ink ribbon to the printing device and replacing only the ink ribbon, but the appearance is bad because the ink ribbon is exposed. . A lid may be provided on the ribbon case, but the lid has to be opened and closed when the ink ribbon is replaced, which is very cumbersome to operate and has the drawback that the clothes become dirty during the replacement operation. Therefore, in the past, it has often been the case that the specification of the device is determined according to the user's wish and either one of them is adopted. However, some users also want to be able to apply both. For this reason, there is also a device in which the lid of the ink ribbon cassette can be opened and closed, and only the ink ribbon can be replaced. However, the ink ribbon cassette is usually a consumable item and is not manufactured with high durability, but only has durability according to the life of the ink ribbon. Therefore, as the number of times of use increases, the bottom portion of the cassette may be stained with ink or scratched, which may prevent the ink ribbon from being smoothly fed, leading to tilting forward and twisting. In addition, this ink ribbon cassette must be able to open and close the lid, which is expensive. In addition, it is possible not to provide a lid on the ink ribbon cassette, but for convenience of transportation, it is necessary to carefully perform packaging and the like so that the ink ribbon does not come apart during transportation. The cost is high and it becomes an expensive ink ribbon cassette. For this reason, the applicant of the present application has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-175619 that the ink ribbon can be housed and the recording apparatus provided with the ink ribbon case in which the ribbon cassette housing the ink ribbon can be mounted. Are offered. Since this recording device mounts the ink ribbon cassette in the ink ribbon case, there is a step on the top and bottom surfaces of the ink ribbon case near the take-in roller, so that the top and bottom surfaces of the ribbon cassette and the ink cassette when the ribbon cassette is loaded. The ribbon case is configured so that the top and bottom surfaces are flush with each other, and a pressing member that presses the ribbon cassette toward the roll-in roller is provided to prevent ink from forming a recess between the case and the cassette. I needed to avoid ribbon jams.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The pressing member of such a conventional recording apparatus has an extremely complicated structure, and has a drawback that the price of the apparatus is high and that the mounting of the cassette is considerably troublesome.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the related art by a ribbon cassette containing an ink ribbon therein, the ribbon cassette including a take-in roller for containing the ink ribbon and the ribbon cassette. A take-in roller portion including a side wall and a bottom plate for guiding the ink ribbon, and an ink ribbon housing portion having an upper bottom surface on which the ribbon cassette is mounted when loaded are provided, and the bottom surface of the ink ribbon housing portion is the above-mentioned. The ribbon cassette can be loaded in a ribbon case provided with a step so as not to be higher than the bottom plate of the take-in roller portion, and the ribbon cassette has an elastic member at one end. It is elastically deformed by engaging with the engagement projections fixed to the ribbon case, and the repulsive force due to the elastic deformation causes the other Characterized in that is brought into contact with the end surface of the retract and part bottom plate side to the step.

[Action]

 That is, the ribbon cassette is provided with an elastic piece, and when the ribbon cassette is loaded, the elastic piece is engaged with the engaging projection fixed to the ribbon case, and the elastic piece is loaded while deforming the ribbon cassette. The cassette can be set so that the end surface of the bottom plate of the storage section on the other end side of the cassette comes into contact with the step.

【Example】

 1 and 2 are views for explaining an embodiment of a ribbon cassette loading mechanism according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 30 is a ribbon cassette that accommodates the ink ribbon 6 therein, and has an elastic piece 30a on one end side. Reference numeral 31 denotes a ribbon case in which an ink ribbon obtained by folding the ink ribbon 6 by a take-up roller 32a can be stored, and a ribbon cassette 30 can be mounted. Reference numerals 31a and 31b denote side walls of the ribbon case 31 and 31c. Is a take-up roller unit for folding and storing the ribbon case 31 in the ribbon cassette 30, 32a is a take-in roller for folding the ink ribbon 6, and 32b and 32c are the folded ink ribbon 6. A side wall for guiding inside the ink ribbon case 31, 32d is a bottom plate, and the bottom plate 32d has a step 32e between it and the upper bottom surface 31c of the ribbon case 31. Reference numeral 33 denotes a protrusion that is provided on the ribbon case 31 and engages with the elastic portion piece 30a of the ribbon cassette 30. The protrusion 33 deforms the elastic portion piece 30a when the ribbon cassette 30 is loaded, and the repulsive force due to the elastic deformation. Thus, the bottom surface 30b of the ink ribbon containing portion on the other end side of the ribbon cassette 30 is provided at a position on the ribbon case 31 where a force is applied in the direction of contacting the bottom plate 32d. Reference numeral 34 is a restriction plate for restricting upward movement due to deformation of the elastic piece 30a when the ribbon cassette is loaded. The operation of loading the ribbon cassette in the configuration described above will be described. Since only the ink ribbon needs to be loaded in the ribbon case, the description thereof will be omitted. First, the elastic piece 30a of the ribbon cassette 30 is engaged with the protrusion 33 and pushed in so as to be deformed, for example, until the state shown by the alternate long and short dash line is reached. Then, the ribbon cassette 30 is rotated around this protrusion 33 as a fulcrum (in the direction of the arrow indicated by the symbol Z in the figure), and the tip of the bottom portion 30c on the other end side is shown by a two-dot chain line along the side wall 32b (32c). Load it so that it is in the right position. Further, the ribbon cassette 30 is detached by inserting a finger into a knob portion 30d having an upwardly directed tip portion and lifting it in the direction opposite to the arrow Z.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a ribbon cassette loading mechanism which has a simple structure, is inexpensive, and is easy to mount a cassette.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining an embodiment of a ribbon cassette loading mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining an embodiment of a ribbon cassette loading mechanism according to the present invention of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional printing device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a printing unit of the conventional printing apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 Ribbon Cassette 30a Elastic Part Piece 31 Ribbon Case 33 Protrusion

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A ribbon cassette for accommodating an ink ribbon therein, the ribbon cassette comprising a take-up roller for accommodating the ink ribbon, a side wall and a bottom plate for guiding the ink ribbon. Including roller section,
A ribbon case provided with an ink ribbon container having an upper bottom surface on which the ribbon cassette is placed when loaded, and a step provided so that the bottom surface of the ink ribbon container is not higher than the bottom plate of the feeding roller unit. The ribbon cassette has an elastic member at one end, and when the ribbon cassette is loaded, the elastic portion is elastically deformed by engaging with an engaging projection fixed to the ribbon case, A ribbon cassette, wherein an end surface of a bottom plate of a storage portion on the other end side of the ribbon cassette is brought into contact with the step by a repulsive force due to the elastic deformation.