JPH11115267A - Thermal transfer ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the contents of formed images from being observed through a thermal transfer ribbon after it is taken up, by setting a gear at an end part of a winding bobbin of a thermal transfer ribbon cassette, and engaging a hook with the hear thereby preventing the winding bobbin from being taken back. SOLUTION: A thermal transfer ribbon cassette has a feed bobbin 1 on which a thermal transfer ribbon 3 not yet used is wound and a winding bobbin 2 for winding the thermal transfer ribbon 3 after used. Both bobbins 1, 2 are stored in a case comprising an upper case 6 and a lower case 7. In this case, a gear 4 is provided at an end part of the winding bobbin 2, and a hook 5 as an elastic body is formed at a gear-storing member 15 of the upper case 6. The gear 4 and hook 5 are engaged with each other when the cases are assembled, thereby prohibiting the winding bobbin 2 from being taken back. When the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is rotated in a direction to be wound on the winding bobbin 2, the hook 5 is pushed up by the gear 4, thereby allowing the rotation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette for accommodating a thermal transfer ribbon, and more particularly, a content formed by the thermal transfer ribbon is shown only to a person concerned, and not confidential to others. When required, the thermal transfer ribbon that has been imaged and wound up must be rewound and designed so that it cannot be rewound so that the state after use of the thermal transfer ribbon cannot be observed. And related thermal transfer ribbon cassettes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various thermal transfer methods are known. In this method, a colored transfer layer is formed on a substrate, and an image such as a character, a figure, or a pattern is formed from a back surface thereof by a thermal head or the like. The image is heated so that the colored transfer layer is thermally transferred to the surface of the material to be transferred. This thermal transfer method is roughly classified into two types, a sublimation transfer type and a hot-melt transfer type, depending on the configuration of the colored transfer layer. In the sublimation transfer type, a dye that sublimates or migrates by heat is supported on a base material with a suitable binder, and the dye in the color transfer layer is thermally transferred to the surface of the material to be transferred by heating from the back surface. It is to let. However, on the surface of the transfer material,
It is provided with a receptor layer which is easy to dye. On the other hand, the hot-melt transfer type forms a colored transfer layer that can be easily softened and melted and transferred by heating on a substrate, and transfers the colored transfer layer to the surface of the material to be transferred by heating from the back. It is.

Both types can form monocolor and multicolor images, and in the case of multicolor images, for example, three to four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black if necessary. Five colors (five types) or six colors (six types) with the addition of a receiving layer or a protective layer
Is prepared and a color image is formed by thermally transferring each color (various types) to the surface of the same material to be transferred. In such a thermal transfer ribbon, one in which the above-described three to four colors and five to six colors are repeatedly applied on the same ribbon in a line-sequential manner is used.

[0004] Since such a thermal transfer ribbon has a long shape, it takes a winding shape, and generally, the thermal transfer ribbon is wound up around a supply bobbin, and the leading end of the thermal transfer ribbon is connected to the winding bobbin. It has a paired winding form.
Then, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 61-130448, the pair of wound thermal transfer ribbons is incorporated into a cassette body, and the cassette body and a lid are adhered to form a cassette to supply the cassette. The transfer bobbin and the take-up bobbin have an elastic member (spring, etc.) interposed in each axial direction, and the bobbin of the thermal transfer ribbon rotates during handling such as transportation or storage, and the thermal transfer ribbon sags. The device is designed to prevent rotation so that there is no rotation.

[0005]

In the thermal transfer ribbon cassette as described above, if the supply bobbin or the take-up bobbin is pushed in the axial direction, the rotation inhibition is released in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A simple and freely rotatable mechanism. However, there have been cases where it is required that the contents to be imaged by the thermal transfer ribbon be shown only to the parties concerned and not to be concealed by others. At that time, in the conventional thermal transfer ribbon cassette, there is a problem that the thermal transfer ribbon wound after forming the image is unwound, and the state after use of the thermal transfer ribbon is observed, so that the image-formed content is known. is there.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the contents formed by the thermal transfer ribbon can be shown only to the parties concerned and not to other people in secret. The thermal transfer ribbon is designed so that it cannot be rewound so that the state after use of the thermal transfer ribbon cannot be observed by rewinding the thermal transfer ribbon formed and wound when an image is required. It is an object to provide a ribbon cassette.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thermal transfer ribbon cassette comprising a supply bobbin, a winding bobbin, an upper case and a lower case, wherein a gear is provided at an end of the winding bobbin. The above problem can be solved by preventing the winding bobbin from being rewound by engaging the claw with the gear. Further, it is preferable that the claw is attached to the upper case.

[0008]

The thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention comprises a supply bobbin on which an unused thermal transfer ribbon is wound, a winding bobbin for winding up a used thermal transfer ribbon, and an upper case and a lower case. A gear is provided at the end of the winding bobbin, and the gear meshes with the claw to prevent the winding bobbin from being unwound. In other words, it is possible to rotate the heat transfer ribbon from the supply bobbin in the direction of winding it up on the winding bobbin,
The take-up bobbin cannot be rotated in the reverse rotation direction. This is because the take-up bobbin is not rewound, that is, cannot be rotated in the reverse rotation direction of the take-up bobbin, because the claw of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette and the gear provided on the take-up bobbin mesh with each other. Then, the engagement between the claw and the gear is released, and the rotation in the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon from the supply bobbin is wound around the winding bobbin at the time of image formation or the like becomes possible.

[0009]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a thermal transfer ribbon cassette according to the present invention showing a state in which the take-up bobbin is prevented from being rewound by engaging the claw and the gear, and a state in which the claw and the gear are disengaged and are rotatable. It is a see-through sectional view of a principal part. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an embodiment of the nail according to the present invention. Further, FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view and a plan view of an example of a nail of the present invention. FIG.
It is a top view of an important section showing an example in which a nail of the present invention is attached to an upper case. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example in which a pair of thermal transfer ribbons connected by a supply bobbin and a winding bobbin of the present invention are mounted on a lower case.

The thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, in a thermal transfer ribbon cassette including a supply bobbin 1 on which an unused thermal transfer ribbon 3 is wound, a winding bobbin 2 for winding up a used thermal transfer ribbon 3, and an upper case 6 and a lower case 7. A gear 4 is provided at the end of the winding bobbin 2, and the gear 4 and the claw 5 mesh with each other to prevent the winding bobbin 2 from being unwound. In the thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention, it is preferable that the claw 5 is attached to the upper case 6.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is connected to a supply bobbin 1 and a take-up bobbin 2, and a pair of connected thermal transfer ribbons 3 is mounted on a lower case 7. In the mounted state, the pivot 11 of the winding bobbin 2 is inserted into the groove 17 of the lower case 7, the portion of the winding bobbin 2 on the gear 4 side contacts the groove 19, and the gear of the winding bobbin 2 is 4 is configured to enter the gear housing member 21. However, the gear 4 of the winding bobbin 2 is housed in the gear housing member 21 so that the gear 4 does not contact the gear housing member 21. In addition, the supply bobbin 1
The mounting of the lower case 7 is the same as that of the winding bobbin 2 described above.

Further, the above-mentioned pair of thermal transfer ribbons 3
When the lower case 7 and the upper case 6 are mounted, the pivot 11 of the winding bobbin 2 enters the groove 13 of the upper case 6 and the gear 4 of the winding bobbin 2 It is assembled so as to be covered by the storage member 15. However, the gear 4 and the gear housing member 15 of the winding bobbin 2 are connected to the pawl 5 and the gear 4 attached to the gear housing member 15.
And make contact. The mounting of the supply bobbin 1 and the upper case 6 is the same as that of the winding bobbin 2 described above. However, since the gear housing member 14 is not provided with a claw, the gear 4 of the supply bobbin 1 is not provided. And gear storage member 14
Is not in contact with

When the supply bobbin 1 and the take-up bobbin 2 are mounted on the upper case 6 and the lower case 7, the thermal transfer ribbon 3 and the material to be transferred (not shown) are superimposed on each other to form a thermal head (not shown). Windows 8 and 9 are provided to heat and form an image by heating (not shown) so that a thermal head or the like can easily contact the thermal transfer ribbon 3. And
A supply bobbin 1 and a take-up bobbin 2 connected to the thermal transfer ribbon 3 are interposed between the upper case 6 and the lower case 7, and take up the thermal transfer ribbon 3 from the supply bobbin 1 during image formation or the like. The rotation in the direction of winding up the bobbin 2 can be freely performed. The rotation of the gear (not shown) of the drive shaft of the thermal transfer printer meshes with the gear 4 attached to the supply bobbin 1 and the winding bobbin 2 of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette, and each bobbin rotates to form an image. You.

The rotation of the bobbin will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2D and 3F, when the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is wound from the supply bobbin 1 to the take-up bobbin 2, the claw 5 is in the gear position. 4 and cannot rotate. On the other hand, when the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is rotated in the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon 3 is taken up from the supply bobbin 1 to the take-up bobbin 2, as shown in FIGS. , And the pawl 5 and the gear 4 are disengaged from each other and can rotate. However, when the gear 5 rotates in the reverse direction, the claw 5 returns to the original state (downward in the figure), the engagement between the claw 5 and the gear 4 becomes strong, and the gear 5 does not move at all.

As described above, the claw 5 is deformed when a pressing force is applied, but returns to its original shape when the force is released. That is, the claw 5 is an elastic body, and is preferably made of a plastic such as polystyrene, polyacetal, ABS, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like, alone or mixed, or a metal spring such as steel.
The material of the supply bobbin, take-up bobbin, upper case, lower case, and gear, excluding the claws that constitute the thermal transfer ribbon cassette, can be plastic, metal, wooden, or a composite of them. Is not provided. When the claw, bobbin, case, and gear are formed of plastic, they can be formed by a conventional plastic molding method such as an injection molding method. The shape of the nail 5 used in the present invention is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 (h),
As shown in FIG. 5, there are two types, each having a fixed portion at both ends, as shown in FIG. 5, and another type as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 (h) and 5, the claw 5 may have three portions that mesh with the gear, or may have only one portion, and the number of the portions is limited. Not something.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, projections 23 and 24 are provided at the ends of the nail 5 so that the nail 5 can be easily attached to the upper case 6 or the like. A concave portion having a shape corresponding to the convex portions 23, 24 is provided on the upper case 6 or the lower case 7, and the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted to each other, whereby the claw 5 can be firmly fixed to the upper case. In the present invention,
The claw is not limited to being attached to the upper case, but the claw is attached to a part of the lid of the thermal transfer printer to which the thermal transfer ribbon cassette is attached, and the thermal transfer ribbon cassette is attached to the printer. It can also be in a position that can fit. In addition, the upper case and the lower case themselves
It may be a structure integrally attached to the printer.

In the thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention, a gear is provided at the end of the winding bobbin, and the gear and the claw are engaged with each other to prevent the winding bobbin from being unwound. Then, the engagement between the claw and the gear is released, and the rotation in the direction in which the thermal transfer ribbon from the supply bobbin is wound around the winding bobbin at the time of image formation or the like becomes possible. At that time, if the fitting between the upper case and the lower case is weak, the position of the claw and the gear will be out of order, the above-mentioned claw and the gear will not be meshed, or the thermal transfer ribbon from the supply bobbin will be wound. Rotation in the direction of winding on the bobbin cannot be performed. Therefore, it is necessary to firmly fit the upper case and the lower case. The upper case and the lower case are usually fitted by inserting a convex portion into a concave portion such as the hole 22 in FIG. 7 or by heating an ultrasonic seal or the like if the case is made of a heat-fusible material. However, in order to strengthen the fitting between the upper case and the lower case, it is preferable to apply an adhesive to the bonding surface, for example, in addition to the normal fitting.

In the present invention, a gear is provided at an end of the winding bobbin, and the gear and the claw are engaged with each other to prevent the winding bobbin from being unwound, and an image is formed by the thermal transfer ribbon. This makes it impossible to observe the state of the thermal transfer ribbon after use, when it is required that the contents be shown only to the parties and not to other people. In order to observe the state of the thermal transfer ribbon after use, as an alternative to unwinding the winding bobbin, the upper case and the lower case can be disengaged and the thermal transfer ribbon can be observed. However, once the upper case and the lower case are disengaged from each other, it is necessary to apply a force enough to damage the case, and it is difficult to re-engage the upper case and the lower case.

Furthermore, as a method other than rewinding the winding bobbin, the thermal transfer ribbon mounted on the thermal transfer ribbon cassette can be cut to observe the state of the thermal transfer ribbon after use. When connected and reproduced with an adhesive tape or the like, even if the above upper case and lower case are disengaged, the same is true.However, when winding up the thermal transfer ribbon, the thermal transfer ribbon may meander or wrinkle. In this case, the image quality is deteriorated, and the bobbin cannot be rotated normally. Therefore, a gear is provided at the end of the winding bobbin of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention, and the gear and the claw mesh with each other to prevent the winding bobbin from being unwound. This is an effective means that the state afterward cannot be observed.

[0020]

According to the present invention, as described above,
In a thermal transfer ribbon cassette composed of a supply bobbin on which an unused thermal transfer ribbon is wound, a winding bobbin for winding up a used thermal transfer ribbon, and an upper case and a lower case, a gear is provided at an end of the winding bobbin. Is provided to prevent the winding bobbin from being rewound by engaging the gear with the claw. Therefore, when it is required that the content to be imaged by the thermal transfer ribbon is shown only to the parties concerned and not to other people, it is necessary to wind the thermal transfer ribbon that has been imaged and wound up. After returning, the state of the thermal transfer ribbon after use cannot be observed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer ribbon cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a thermal transfer ribbon cassette showing a state in which a take-up bobbin is prevented from being unwound by engaging a claw and a gear according to the present invention, and a state in which the claw and gear are disengaged and are rotatable; It is sectional drawing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette showing a state in which the take-up bobbin is prevented from being rewound by engaging the claw and the gear of the present invention, and a state in which the claw and the gear are disengaged and are rotatable. It is sectional drawing.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of an embodiment of the nail of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a plan view of an example of a nail according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part showing an example in which the claw of the present invention is attached to an upper case.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example in which a pair of thermal transfer ribbons connected by a supply bobbin and a winding bobbin of the present invention are mounted on a lower case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Supply bobbin 2 Winding bobbin 3 Thermal transfer ribbon 4 Gear 5 Claw 6 Upper case 7 Lower case 8,9 Window 10,11 Pivot 12,13,16,17,18,19 Groove 14,15,20,21 Gear Storage member 22 hole 23, 24 convex part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer ribbon cassette comprising a supply bobbin on which an unused thermal transfer ribbon is wound, a winding bobbin for winding up a used thermal transfer ribbon, and an upper case and a lower case. A gear is provided at the end of the gear, and the gear meshes with the pawl,
A thermal transfer ribbon cassette wherein a winding bobbin is prevented from being unwound. 2. The thermal transfer ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein said claw is attached to an upper case.