JPH1067151A - Transfer ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the change of transfer ribbons and realize the reuse of a cassette main body by a method wherein roll controlling plates, in each of which a snap-fitting slit running from an end edge part to a fitting hole at the central part is provided, are formed so as to easily detachably fit to peripheral grooves from the direction normal to a ribbon cassette shaft. SOLUTION: A ribbon cassette 18 has a cassette main body 72, which is made of synthetic resin material, in which a transfer ribbon feed roll 40 wounding a transfer ribbon thereabouts and a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 are detachably installed and on the side walls 74 of which two pairs of notched parts 76a and 76b are are formed so as to push a ribbon cassette shaft 78 in the cassette main body under the state that the tapered surface of a collar on the ribbon cassette shaft 78 against the edge part of the side wall 74. At the case, roll controlling plates 84 are made of elastic synthetic resin material into circular discs, each of which is detachably fitted to the cassette shaft 78 through a snap-fitting slit 104 running from an end edge part to a fitting hole 102 at the center.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer ribbon cassette detachably mounted on a thermal transfer printer main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a thermal transfer printer to which a transfer ribbon cassette of this kind is mounted, a thermal head disposed so as to face a transport path in an apparatus main body, a transfer ribbon cassette for supplying a transfer ribbon to the thermal head, and the like. Are known. A thermal head in this conventional thermal transfer printer is disposed so as to be movable toward and away from a platen roller, and transfers ink on the transfer ribbon to recording paper supplied together with the transfer ribbon. In this case, the transfer ribbon cassette is configured to be detachable from a mounting portion formed in the apparatus main body, and inside the transfer ribbon supply roll and the transfer ribbon take-up roll around which the transfer ribbon is wound. It is freely supported.

In this conventional thermal transfer printer, when a transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on a mounting portion, the transfer ribbon cassette supplies a transfer ribbon between a thermal head and recording paper. On the other hand, the apparatus main body is provided with a lock mechanism which is operated by an operator's operation so that the transfer ribbon cassette mounted on the mounting portion is not accidentally detached from the mounting portion. The apparatus main body is provided with a head moving mechanism for moving the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller. Therefore, when the transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on the mounting portion, the operator operates the lock mechanism after mounting the transfer ribbon cassette to fix the transfer ribbon cassette so as not to be detached from the mounting portion. By operating the head moving mechanism, the thermal head is pressed against the platen roller via the transfer ribbon and the recording paper. This allows the thermal head to transfer the ink on the transfer ribbon to the recording paper.

On the other hand, a transfer ribbon cassette is sold in a state in which a transfer ribbon having a predetermined ribbon width is stored in advance, and an operator purchases a transfer ribbon cassette in which a transfer ribbon having a desired ribbon width is stored. Attach to the device body. When transferring to recording paper of different paper width,
When it is necessary to change the ribbon width of the transfer ribbon,
A transfer ribbon cassette accommodating a transfer ribbon of the ribbon width is prepared separately, and is used by replacing it with a mounting portion. When all of the transfer ribbon wound around the transfer ribbon supply roll is wound around the transfer ribbon winding roll, the transfer ribbon cassette is discarded.

[0005]

However, the conventional transfer ribbon cassette has the following problems. That is, in the conventional transfer ribbon cassette, the transfer ribbon cannot be replaced or replenished. Therefore, when all the transfer ribbons are taken up by the take-up roll, the transfer ribbon cassette must be replaced in units of the transfer ribbon cassette. For this reason, the conventional transfer ribbon cassette has a problem that the running cost is high because the transfer ribbon cassette body must be replaced together with the transfer ribbon. Further, since the transfer ribbon cassette body must be discarded, there is a problem that the processing is complicated and resources are wasted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its main object to provide a transfer ribbon cassette which can exchange a transfer ribbon in a transfer ribbon cassette and can reuse a transfer ribbon cassette body. And

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer ribbon cassette in which a transfer ribbon supply roll and a transfer ribbon take-up roll each having a transfer ribbon wound on a reel can be mounted. The transfer ribbon cassette is formed of a synthetic resin material into a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into each reel, and a plurality of concave circumferential grooves are formed in the circumferential surface along the circumferential direction. A pair of ribbon set shafts for rotatably mounting the take-up rolls, and a ribbon set shaft of a portion having a disk-like outer shape formed of a synthetic resin material having elasticity and having a circumferential groove formed therein A roll regulating plate having a fitting hole having a diameter slightly smaller than or substantially equal to the diameter formed in the center portion and having a fitting slit extending from the edge portion to the fitting hole. And it features.

In this transfer ribbon cassette, the roll restricting plate can be easily attached to and detached from the circumferential groove from a direction perpendicular to the ribbon setting axis. For this reason, after the transfer ribbon is mounted on the ribbon set shaft, the transfer ribbon is inserted into the circumferential groove formed at a position corresponding to the ribbon width of the transfer ribbon without causing a positional shift. It can be mounted on a set shaft. Therefore, for example, when transferring to a recording paper having a different paper width, after removing the transfer ribbon mounted on the ribbon set shaft, a transfer ribbon having a ribbon width corresponding to the paper width is mounted on the ribbon set shaft, and then, The roll regulating plate is fitted into the circumferential groove corresponding to the ribbon width. This makes it possible to exchange a plurality of types of transfer ribbons having different ribbon widths. Further, after all the transfer ribbons have been wound on the take-up roll, the transfer ribbon cassette body can be reused by replacing only the transfer ribbon.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transfer ribbon cassette according to the first aspect, wherein a groove is formed in the ribbon set shaft along the axial direction, and the roll regulating plate is provided at an edge of the reel. It is characterized in that a first projection that can be fitted into the formed notch and a second projection that can be fitted into the groove are formed.

In this transfer ribbon cassette, after the transfer ribbon is mounted on the ribbon set shaft, the first protrusion is fitted into the notch of the reel of the transfer ribbon, and the second protrusion is fitted into the groove of the ribbon set shaft. The roll restricting plate is mounted on the ribbon set shaft so that is fitted. In this state, the roll regulating plate is fixed in a state of being fitted into the groove of the ribbon set shaft, and prevents the transfer ribbon roll from rotating in the circumferential direction of the ribbon set shaft. It is possible to prevent sticking. Note that the reel can be formed of a plastic material and a paper material.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transfer ribbon cassette according to the first or second aspect, wherein long holes are formed on both sides of the insertion slit of the roll regulating plate along the insertion slit. Features.

In this transfer ribbon cassette, since long holes are formed along the insertion slits on both sides of the insertion slits of the roll restriction plate, the insertion slits are further elastically deformed, thereby restricting the roll on the ribbon set shaft. Mounting of the board becomes easier.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment in which a transfer ribbon cassette according to the present invention is applied to a thermal transfer printer will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The thermal transfer printer 10 is a so-called label printer. This thermal transfer printer 10
Then, when an operator uses a keyboard to input print data of characters and graphics on a separate information input device (for example, a personal computer), based on the print data, a desired character is printed on a label previously adhered to recording paper. And graphics are printed. Thereafter, the operator can peel the printed label from the recording paper and adhere it to an arbitrary place.

Next, a schematic configuration of the thermal transfer printer 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 10 has a lower body portion 14 in which the roll paper 12 is stored, and an upper body portion 20 having a rear end rotatably attached to the lower body portion 14 and also serving as an upper cover. And a main body cover 22.

A pair of plate-shaped roll paper support guides 24 for supporting the roll paper 12 and a pair of plates for regulating the widthwise movement of the recording paper 26 fed from the roll paper 12 are provided in the lower body portion 14. Recording paper feed guide 28 and conveyance path 2
, A plurality of guide rollers 30, 30... For transporting the recording paper 26, and a thermal head (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "head") 16, and together with the head 16 during printing. A platen roller 32 for sandwiching the recording paper 26, a recording paper discharge port 33 for discharging the recording paper 26, and a guide roller 30 via a gear mechanism (not shown).
.. And a motor 34 (see FIG. 2) for rotating the platen roller 32 are provided.

A head 16 is mounted on the upper body portion 20, and a transfer ribbon cassette (hereinafter, referred to as "cassette") 18 containing a transfer ribbon is detachably mounted.

The head 16 is provided in the upper body 20 so as to be movable toward and away from the platen roller 32, and is moved toward and away by a head moving mechanism also provided in the upper body 20. The head moving mechanism includes a manual lever 36. When the manual lever 36 is located in the state shown in FIG. 2, the head 16 is located at a position separated from the platen roller 32. When the platen roller 32 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, it is driven by this rotation to press the platen roller 32.

The cassette 18 is detachably mounted on a mounting portion 38 formed in the upper body portion 20, and includes a transfer ribbon supply roll 40, a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42, And a detecting means 46 for detecting the presence or absence of the transfer ribbon 44 disposed in the printer. The transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 is connected to the cassette 18
When the is mounted on the upper body portion 20, it is connected to a reel (not shown) which is arranged on the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 38 and is driven to rotate by the motor 34, and rotates in the winding direction.

The main body cover 22 is attached to the lower body part 14.
After the upper body part 20 is set, the upper body part 20 is turned upward to cover the side surface of the upper body part 20 on the cassette 18 mounting side.

Next, referring to FIG.
The operation outline of will be described. When a print command is output from outside the apparatus, the motor 34 is driven, and the rollers 30 and 30 are driven.
.. And the platen roller 32 rotates. Along with this, the recording paper 26 fed from the roll paper 12 is transported on the transport path 29. On the other hand, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40
The transfer ribbon 44 wound around the head 16 and the recording paper 2
The printing is performed on the recording paper 26 by the head 16. Next, the recording paper 26 is carried out from the recording paper discharge port 33, and the transfer ribbon 44 on which the ink has been transferred to the recording paper 26 by the head 16 is taken up by the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42. The label 27 is separated from the recording paper 26 by sandwiching the recording paper 26 between the rollers 30 and 30 (the leftmost rollers 30 and 30 in the figure) disposed below the distal end of the lower body portion 14. It is also possible to peel off automatically.

Next, each component will be described in detail.

First, a mechanism for supporting the roll paper 12 and the recording paper 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. A pair of roll paper support guides 2 disposed inside the lower body portion 14
Reference numeral 4 denotes a roller that rotatably supports the roll paper 12 while restricting the widthwise movement of the roll paper 12 in which the recording paper 26 is wound around a paper tube 48 corresponding to a reel in the present invention. The distance between the roll papers 12 can be adjusted so that the roll papers 12 having various widths can be supported.

The support structure for the roll paper 12 will be further described. Semicircular concave portions 50, 50 are formed at the upper ends of the pair of roll paper support guides 24, 24, and are penetrated by the paper tube 48. Roll paper support shaft 52
Are mounted in the concave portions 50 of the respective roll paper support guides 24 so as to bridge between the upper ends of the pair of roll paper support guides 24. As a result, the roll paper 12 is rotatably supported by the pair of roll paper support guides 24. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, since the roll paper support guide 24 and the roll paper support shaft 52 are formed using a metal material, the roll paper support guide 24 is used to reduce friction between them. A plate 54 made of synthetic resin is mounted on the upper end of the plate 24, and a concave portion 50 is formed in the plate 54. Either the roll paper support guide 24 or the roll paper support shaft 52 is made of a synthetic resin material. If formed, the concave portion 5 is formed on the roll paper support guide 24.
0 may be directly formed.

A pair of recording paper feed guides 28 disposed inside the lower body portion 14 are arranged on both sides of a transport path 29 between the head 16 and the roll paper support guide 24 so that the distance therebetween can be adjusted. ing. Then, the distance between each other is set on the recording paper 26.
Has the function of restricting the movement of the recording paper 26 supplied to the head 16 in the width direction.

Next, the detailed structure of the pair of guide members 56 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 56 includes a pair of slide bases 58a and 58b formed in parallel, and the three slide bases 58a and 58b are attached to the lower body portion 14 in parallel. Guide rail 60
a, 60b, and 60c are slidably attached to two of them, respectively. The slide base 58a is attached to the guide rails 60a and 60c, and the slide base 58b is attached to the guide rails 60b and 60c. Guide rails 60a, 60b are provided on each slide base 58a, 58b.
The legs 62a and 62b are formed to extend along the guide rail 60, respectively.
a, 60b are slidably mounted. Therefore,
The guide rails 60a to 60a are kept parallel to each other.
The sliding on c becomes possible. Also, the slide base 58
A pair of recording paper feed guides 28 and a pair of plate-shaped roll paper support guides 24 are vertically provided on a and 58b so as to face each other so as to be parallel to each other.

Next, the moving mechanism 63 will be described.

The moving mechanism 63 includes a pair of guide members 5.
A pinion gear 64 disposed at an intermediate position between 6, 56;
A pair of rack gears 66, 66 are provided. The rack gears 66, 66 are respectively provided with a pair of guide members 56, 5
6 in the direction of the pinion gear 64, the guide members 56
The pinion gear 64 extends in parallel to the moving direction of the pinion gear 64 (parallel to the guide rails 60a to 60c) and meshes with a symmetrical position about the rotation shaft 68 of the pinion gear 64.

When one of the pair of guide members 56, 56 is moved by the contact / separation mechanism 63, the other guide members 56 correspondingly move in the opposite direction by the same distance. By arranging the rotation shaft 68 of the pinion gear 64 on the center line in the width direction at the regular set position of the recording paper 26, the pair of guide members 56, 56 can be moved from the center in the width direction of the recording paper 26. It can be moved so that it is always located at the same distance. In the present embodiment, since both end surfaces of the roll paper 12 are directly held by the roll paper pressing plate 70 attached to the roll paper supporting shaft 52, the roll paper supporting guide 24 is interposed between the roll paper pressing plate 70 and the roll paper pressing guide 70. The roll paper support guide 24 is mounted on the slide bases 58a and 58b.
8 is set outside in the width direction in advance by the thickness A of the roll paper pressing plate 70 from the mounting position 8.

Next, a mechanism for mounting the cassette 18 on the upper body 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette 18 is removably mountable on a mounting portion 38 which is opened in a side surface of the upper body portion 20 and formed in a concave shape.
Specifically, the structure of the cassette 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. The cassette 18 has a cassette body 72 formed using a synthetic resin material.
Is configured such that a transfer ribbon supply roll 40 around which a transfer ribbon 44 is wound and a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 can be mounted inside. More specifically, the cassette body 72
Has two pairs of cutouts 76a, 76b formed in a side wall 74 formed to be slightly wider than the width of each roll 40, 42, and a side wall 74 forming an edge of each cutout 76a, 76b. Are fitted into fixed circumferential grooves 80 formed at both end portions of the ribbon set shaft 78 penetrated by the rolls 40 and 42. In this case, a fitting flange 79 having a tapered surface is formed at a portion of the ribbon set shaft 78 adjacent to the fixed circumferential groove 80. For this reason, the notches 76a, 7
By pushing the ribbon set shaft 78 in a state where the tapered surface of the flange 79 is in contact with the edge of the side wall 74 forming 6b, the edge of the side wall 74 can be securely and easily fitted into the fixed circumferential groove 80. . In addition, the shape of the inner wall surface of each of the notches 76a and 76b is formed as a tapered surface that becomes narrower toward the inner part, and the inner part is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the fixed circumferential groove 80 of each of the rolls 40 and 42. The ribbon setting shaft 7 is formed in an arc shape having a small diameter and is inserted into the notches 76a and 76b.
8 and the notches 76a, 76
After the ribbon set shaft 78 is attached to the back of the part b, the structure does not easily come off unless an external force is applied.

On the side wall 74, two pairs of supply arms 86a and 86b extending apart from each other are formed, and a guide roller 87 is provided between the pair of supply arms 86a and 86b.
Are mounted rotatably so as to be parallel to the rolls 40 and 42, and the transfer ribbon 44 sent out from the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 is stretched over two guide rollers 87 and 87, and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 It is wound up.
The lengths and intervals of the supply arms 86a and 86b are set so that when the cassette 18 is mounted in the mounting portion 38, it protrudes from the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 38 toward the opening of the mounting portion 38. Head 16 is located on both supply arms 8
6a, 86b and a space 88 formed by the transfer ribbon 44 spanned over the two guide rollers 87, 87.
It is formed so that it can enter.

A first cassette cover 90a and a second cassette cover 90b are rotatably mounted on the cassette body 72. The covers 90a and 90b respectively include a transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 mounted on the cassette body 72, a transfer ribbon 44 interposed between the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the supply arm 86a, and a supply arm It has a function of covering the transfer ribbon 44 interposed between the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 and the transfer ribbon winding roll 86b. Notch portions 76 are formed in both side walls of the covers 90a and 90b in the vicinity of the arc-shaped deep portion where the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted when the covers 90a and 90b are closed.
A pair of closing pieces 92 for closing the a and b are formed respectively, and the notch portions 76a and 76 of the ribbon set shaft 78 are formed.
b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the notch 76a,
By forming the holes 93, 93 in the side wall 74 near 76b, the closing pieces 92, 92 can be made unnecessary. In this case, when the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, the notch portions 76a and 76b are easily elastically deformed, so that the ribbon set shaft 78 can be easily mounted, and the ribbon set shaft 78 is once mounted. Thereafter, both notches 76a and 76b are connected to the ribbon set shaft 78.
Can be reliably prevented from being pulled out.

Further, a notch 76 is formed in one side wall 74.
b, an insertion hole for the ribbon set shaft 78 is formed. When the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, one end of the ribbon set shaft 78 is inserted into the formed insertion hole, and then the fixed circumferential groove at the other end is inserted. 80 may be configured to fit into the notch 76a.

On the outer surface of each of the covers 90a and 90b described above, mounting guide grooves 94a and 94b (formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 38 so that the cassette 18 can be positioned and mounted on the mounting portion 38. (See FIG. 5).

Further, on the side surface of the cassette body 72 in the pulling-out direction from the mounting portion 38, a handle portion 98 for grasping the cassette 18 by hand, and a manual lever 36 constituting a part of a head moving mechanism described later are provided. An arcuate pushing rib 10 which abuts and locks while pushing the cassette 18 to the rear of the mounting portion 38.
0 is formed. The wall shape of the pushing rib 100 is such that a surface that first comes into contact with the manual lever 36 is formed as a slope with a predetermined length, and thereafter is formed substantially parallel to a side surface of the cassette body 72. With this shape, the cassette 18 is moved by the manual lever 3 by the length of the protrusion of the pushing rib 100.
6, it is pushed into the inner side of the mounting portion 38, and thereafter is prevented from being pulled out of the mounting portion 38.

Next, the structure of the ribbon setting shaft 78 and the roll regulating plate 84 will be described with reference to FIG. The ribbon setting shaft 78 is formed in a cylindrical shape using a synthetic resin material and can be inserted into each paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42. The outer peripheral surface has a pair of concave fixed circumferential grooves 80, 80, a groove 81 formed in the axial direction, and a plurality of adjusting circumferential grooves 82, 82,.
And a plurality of projections 83, 83,... Which come into contact with the inner wall of the paper tube to prevent displacement in the rotation direction. As an example, the roll regulating plate 84 is formed in a disk shape using a synthetic resin material having elasticity, and its center portion is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ribbon set shaft at the portion where the adjustment circumferential groove 82 is formed. A small-diameter fitting hole 102 is formed, and a fitting slit 104 extending from an edge portion to the fitting hole 102 is formed. When the roll regulating plate 84 is attached to the ribbon set shaft 78, the fitting slit 104 is
After the roll restricting plate 84 is brought into contact with the
The ribbon setting shaft 78 passes through the fitting slit 104 and is set in the fitting hole 102 while the roll regulating plate 84 is elastically deformed by being pressed against the fitting hole 102. Fitting hole 102
Is the ribbon setting shaft 7 at the position where the adjusting circumferential groove 82 is formed.
Since the diameter is smaller than the eight-axis diameter, the diameter is increased when the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, and the ribbon set shaft 78 is constantly tightened by its own elastic force to return to the original diameter. I have. As a result, the roll regulating plate 84 is not easily detached from the ribbon setting shaft 78.

According to this structure, the rolls having various ribbon widths are positioned on the ribbon set shaft 78 by changing the adjusting peripheral groove 82 for mounting the roll regulating plate 84 according to the ribbon width of each roll 40, 42. It can be installed with. Further, since the roll restricting plate 84 can be elastically deformed, even after being once attached to a certain adjusting circumferential groove 82, it is forcibly moved along the axial direction of the ribbon set shaft 78 so that the other adjusting circumferential groove 82 can be deformed. It is also possible to fit it into the. In order to further facilitate the elastic deformation of the insertion slit 104, the insertion slit 104 of the roll regulating plate 84 is used.
Are provided on both sides thereof along the elongated slits 104, respectively.

The roll restricting plate 84 is replaced with the above-mentioned structure in which the fitting slit 104 is formed, and as shown in FIG. 13, locking pieces 108, 108 extending vertically from the edge of the fitting hole 102. May be arranged in parallel along the edge of the fitting hole 102. In this case, an engagement projection 110 that engages with the adjustment circumferential groove 82 of the ribbon setting shaft 78 is provided on the inner surface of the protruding end of at least one locking piece 108. Further, the protrusion 109 (the first protrusion in the present invention) that can be fitted into the notch formed at the edge of each paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42.
Are formed on the edge side of the locking piece 108, and a projection 111 (corresponding to a second projection in the present invention) that can be fitted into the groove 81 of the ribbon setting shaft 78 is formed. I do. In the roll regulating plate 84, for example, after the projection is fitted into the cutout of the paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40, the ribbon setting shaft is fitted with the projection 111 fitted into the groove 81 of the ribbon setting shaft 78. 78 is inserted into the fitting hole 102. Thus, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 is attached to the ribbon set shaft 78. In this case, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the roll regulating plate 84 are fixed to each other, and the roll regulating plate 84 and the ribbon set shaft 78 are fixed to each other. 78. On the other hand, when changing the mounting position of the regulating plate 84, if a force is applied along the ribbon set shaft 78,
When the engaging piece 108 on which the engaging projection 110 is formed is elastically deformed and the engaging projection 110 comes out of the adjusting peripheral groove 82 and moves to the adjacent adjusting peripheral groove 82, the engaging convex groove 110 engages with the adjusting peripheral groove 82. Combine.

Next, a head moving mechanism for moving the head 16 toward and away from the platen roller 32 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The head moving mechanism 112 includes a spring 1 as an urging means for urging the head 16 toward the platen roller 32.
A lock position where the movable end is located at the opening of the mounting portion 38 and a release position where the movable end is disengaged from the opening on the outer wall surface of the upper body portion 20 in a plane parallel to the outer wall surface. A manual lever 36 that rotates between
Is rotated to the release position, the head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 against the urging force of the spring 114, and the spring 11 is rotated when the manual lever 36 is rotated to the lock position.
4 and a lock mechanism 116 for bringing the head 16 into close contact with the platen roller 32.

An example of the lock mechanism 116 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11.
6, a transmission shaft 118 rotatable about a first shaft B, a cam 120 attached to the other end of the transmission shaft 118, and a first shaft B extending at one end above the cam 120. The pressing arm 122 is rotatable about a second axis C parallel to the first axis B, and the pressing arm 122 is rotatably provided about a third axis D orthogonal to the first axis B. The head 16 is provided at one end. And a support arm 124 that is axially mounted. Note that the other end of the support arm 124 extends below the other end of the pressing arm 122, and when the other end of the pressing arm 122 moves downward by rotating the pressing arm 122, Head 1 pressed down and axially attached to one end
6 is moved upward. The head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 by this movement. The spring 114
Is connected to the other end of the support arm 124, and urges the other end upward, that is, the head 16 axially attached to one end of the support arm 124 in the direction of the platen roller 32. The head 16 is supported by a pair of support guides 128 provided on a head cover 126 protruding from the mounting portion 38 so as to be vertically movable.

Next, the operation of the head moving mechanism 112 will be described. When the manual lever 36 in FIG. 9 is in the release position (the position indicated by the dotted line), the cam 120 attached to the transmission shaft 118 is in a state where one end of the pressing arm 122 is pushed upward, whereby the pressing arm 12
The other end of the support arm 12 is located at a position turned downward.
4 is pushed downward. As a result, the support arm 124 rotates about the third axis D and
One end to which is attached has moved upward. Therefore, in this state, the head 16 is
In a state separated from the platen roller 32 located below. Subsequently, when the manual lever 36 is turned from the release position to the lock position (the position indicated by the solid line), the cam 120 is turned around the first axis B via the transmission shaft 118 in the same direction as the manual lever 36. Then, the upward movement of one end of the pressing arm 122 is released. In this state, the support arm 12
4 is urged by a spring 114 to rotate upward about the third axis D, so that the downward rotation by the pressing arm 122 is released to rotate upward. Move. Therefore, the head 1 of the support arm 124
One end to which the plate 6 is attached moves downward, and the head 16 moves in the direction of the platen roller 32 located below the head 16 and comes into contact with the platen roller 32. Normally, the recording paper 26 and the transfer ribbon 44 are superposed in this order between the platen roller 32 and the head 16 from the platen roller 32 side. Can be transferred to the recording paper 26.

As described above, the manual lever 36
Abuts against the pushing rib 100 of the cassette 18 and pushes the cassette 18 in the mounting direction via the pushing rib 100 with the rotation to the lock position. Further, in the locked position, the manual lever 36 is located at the opening of the mounting portion 38 and is in contact with the pushing rib 100.
It also functions as a lock mechanism for preventing the cassette 18 from coming off. When the manual lever 36 is at the release position, the head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 and the manual lever 36 is at a position separated from the opening of the mounting portion 38. Therefore, in this state, the cassette 18 can be attached to and detached from the mounting section 38.

Next, a structure for attaching the head 16 to the support arm 124 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The head 16 has a pair of mounting pieces 130a and 130b extending upward and parallel to each other, and one of the mounting pieces 130b has the first insertion hole 1a.
32 is formed on the other mounting piece 130a, a second insertion hole 134 formed on the same center line as the first insertion hole 132 and having a diameter larger than that of the first insertion hole 132, and a second A slit 136 narrower than the diameter of the insertion hole 134 and extending from the second insertion hole 134 to the edge of the mounting piece 130a is formed. On the other hand, one end of a support arm 124 that constitutes the head moving mechanism 112 has a pair of attachment pieces 130a,
A pair of support pieces 1 formed slightly narrower than the interval of 0b
38, 138 are formed. A hole 133 having the same diameter as the first insertion hole 132 is formed in each of the support pieces 138, and a hole 133 of the pair of support pieces 138 and 138 is formed.
First insertion hole 132 of a pair of mounting pieces 130a, 130b
The head 16 is attached to the support arm 124 by slidably penetrating a support shaft 142 having a knob 140 at one end through the second insertion hole 134.

The knob 140 is designed to be easily picked by hand.
Although the diameter of the support shaft 142 is larger than that of the other portion, the support piece 138 side has a slightly smaller diameter so that it can be inserted into the second insertion hole 134 of the mounting piece 130a, and the slit 1
The diameter is larger than the width of 36. As shown in FIG. 12, between the support arm 124 and the support shaft 142 or between the support piece 138 and the support shaft 142, the knob 140 is supported in a direction in which the knob 140 is always in contact with the support piece 138. Spring 144 for urging shaft shaft 142
Are arranged. In the present embodiment, the spring 144
Is stretched between the large-diameter portion 146 of the support shaft 142 and the support piece 138 in a contracted state.

According to this mounting structure, when the head 16 is mounted on the support arm 124, the support shaft 1
42, and is pulled to the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 12 against the urging force of the spring 144, and the other end (right end in FIG. Make it almost the same as the outer wall. In this state, the pair of mounting pieces 13 of the head 16 are
0a and 130b are approached so as to sandwich the pair of support pieces 138. Next, on the other end side of the support shaft 142, the first insertion hole 132 is inserted into the support shaft 142.
Of the support shaft 142,
On the 0 side, the support shaft 142 is
Is fitted into the second insertion hole 134 through the hole. When the knob 140 is released in this state, the spring 1
By the urging force of 44, the spindle shaft 142 moves rightward in FIG.
b into the first insertion hole 132, and
The small diameter portion of 0 enters the second insertion hole 134 of the other mounting piece 130a. This allows the support arm 124
The head 16 is non-removably and rotatably mounted on the head.

When the head 16 is detached from the support arm 124, the knob 140 is pulled to allow the first shaft 132 and the second hole 134 to be connected to the shaft 1.
The head 16 can be removed from the support arm 124 because the head 42 is removed. Note that the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion inserted into the second insertion hole 134 of the knob portion 140 may be formed in a tapered surface shape whose diameter gradually decreases toward the support piece 138. According to this configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the knob 140 is securely brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 134, so that the mounting position of the head 16 on the support arm 124 is also reliably determined.

The structure for attaching the head 16 to the support arm 124 is not limited to the above-described structure, and various modifications are possible. For example, the first insertion hole 132 formed in the attachment piece 130b may have the same structure (combination of the insertion hole and the slit) as the second insertion hole 134 formed in the attachment piece 130a. Specifically, in a state after the head 16 is attached, the diameter of the shaft of the support shaft 142 through which the first insertion hole 132 is inserted is set to the first insertion hole 1.
32, and when the knob 140 is pulled against the urging force of the spring 144 when the head 16 is removed, the first insertion hole 1 is formed.
By forming the shaft diameter of the portion of the support shaft 142 through which the shaft 32 is inserted to be smaller than the slit width of the slit formed in the mounting piece 130b, the support shaft 142 is removed from the first insertion hole 132 side when the head 16 is removed. When the support shaft 1 is pushed toward the second insertion hole 134,
The head 16 can be easily detached from 42.
In addition, the pair of support guides 128, 128 are separated from each other, and an adjustment screw or the like for finely adjusting the position of one of the support guides 128 with respect to the transport direction of the recording paper 26 is provided to adjust the adjustment screw. The recording paper 26
May be configured to adjust the direction of the head 16 with respect to the transport direction.

As described above, various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified.

[0054]

As described above, according to the transfer ribbon cassette of the first aspect, since the roll regulating plate can be easily attached to and detached from the circumferential groove from a direction perpendicular to the ribbon setting axis, the transfer ribbon can be easily replaced. can do. Thus, the ribbon cassette body can be reused, so that the running cost can be reduced. Further, a plurality of types of transfer ribbons having different ribbon widths can be easily exchanged.

According to the transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention, the second projection is fitted into the groove of the ribbon setting shaft, and the first is inserted into the notch formed at the edge of the reel.
By fitting these projections, it is possible to prevent rattling of the transfer ribbon roll in the circumferential direction of the ribbon setting shaft.

Further, according to the transfer ribbon cassette of the third aspect, since the elongated holes are formed, the transfer ribbon can be more easily mounted on the ribbon set shaft.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration inside a thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a structure of a pair of guide members according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the inside of the thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view when the transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on the mounting portion of the upper body.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a structure of a transfer ribbon cassette.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cassette main body of the transfer ribbon cassette.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a ribbon setting shaft and a roll regulating plate.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a head moving mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection structure between a support arm of the head moving mechanism and the head.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a head moving mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 11 for illustrating a connection structure between the support arm of the head moving mechanism and the head.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a roll regulating plate according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18 Ribbon cassette 40 Transfer ribbon supply roll 42 Transfer ribbon take-up roll 78 Ribbon set shaft 82 Adjusting peripheral groove 84 Roll regulating plate 102 Fitting hole 104 Fitting slit 106 Long hole 109 Projection 111 Projection

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transfer ribbon cassette in which a transfer ribbon supply roll and a transfer ribbon take-up roll each having a transfer ribbon wound around a reel can be mounted inside the transfer ribbon cassette using a synthetic resin material. A pair of ribbon set shafts which are formed in a columnar shape and have a plurality of concave circumferential grooves formed on a peripheral surface thereof along a circumferential direction, for rotatably mounting the transfer ribbon supply roll and the transfer ribbon winding roll, respectively. An outer shape is formed in a disk shape using a synthetic resin material having elasticity, and a fitting hole having a diameter slightly smaller than or substantially equal to the diameter of the ribbon set shaft at a portion where the circumferential groove is formed is centered. And a roll restricting plate formed with a fitting slit extending from an edge portion to the fitting hole. 2. A groove is formed on the ribbon set shaft along the axial direction, and a first protrusion is formed on the roll regulating plate, the first protrusion being fittable to a notch formed on an edge of the reel. The transfer ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein a second protrusion that can be fitted into the groove is formed. 3. The transfer ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein an elongated hole is formed along both sides of the insertion slit of the roll regulating plate.