JPH11342655A - Ink ribbon cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink ribbon cartridge in which sorting work for reusing resource can be facilitated. SOLUTION: An ink ribbon is wound between first and second spools 2, 3 arranged in parallel and fixed rotatably to a case body 20 made of a synthetic resin material. A spring 30 made of a metallic material and urging each spool 2, 3 in the axial direction comprises a press piece part 30a abutting against the spool 2, 3, and a fixing piece part 30b being inserted into a spring fixing gap 50 formed in the case body 20 and held in place wherein the fixing piece part 30b has a part 34 for stopping it resiliently in the spring fixing gap 50 of the case body 20. In such an ink ribbon cartridge, the fixing piece part 30b has a stopping part 34 projecting in dome shape and a curved face 34a on the top thereof abuts against the case body 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cartridge equipped with an ink ribbon used for various printers utilizing electric heat energy, for example, a heating vaporization type or a heating sublimation type printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A commonly used vaporizing or sublimation type printer uses an ink ribbon coated with a sublimable dye and a heat-sensitive head. Electric energy is applied to the heating head, and the heat energy generated from the heating head causes the sublimable dye on the ink ribbon to be sublimated and transferred onto photographic paper.

[0003] The ink ribbon used in such a vaporization type or sublimation type printer is housed in a case body of a predetermined cartridge, and the cartridge is mounted on a predetermined printer for use.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the cartridge. An ink ribbon 1 having a predetermined length is wound around a main spool 2,
The free end is connected to the take-up spool 3, and the spool is sequentially wound around the take-up spool 3. The spools are rotatably supported in the lower shell 4 and housed therein. 5 is formed to form a cartridge. That is, the upper shell 5 and the lower shell 4 constitute a case body 40, and the main spool 2 and the take-up spool 3 arranged in parallel are rotatably mounted on the case body 40. The upper shell 5 and the lower shell 4 are molded products of synthetic resin, respectively.

The spools 2 and 3 around which the ink ribbon 1 is wound
Are provided with cylindrical, slightly larger shafts 2a, 3a at one end of which an external drive shaft engages, and rod-shaped shafts 2b, 3b at the other end. Flange portions 2c, 2d, 3c, 3d are provided adjacent to the shaft portion, and the outer peripheral surface of one of the flange portions 2d is knurled. The ink ribbon 1 is wound inside each flange.

The lower shell 4 is provided with a window hole 6 at the center thereof facing a heating head of the printer, a ring-shaped first bearing 7 is integrally formed on one side wall 4a, and the other side is formed. Near the wall 4b, a substantially U-shaped bearing hole 8a
Is provided. A reinforcing rib 9 for supporting and reinforcing the second bearing 8 is provided between the second side wall 4b and the other side wall 4b.

The upper shell 5 is fitted and attached to the other end wall 4b of the lower shell 4, and a metal spring 10 is provided on a portion corresponding to the second bearing portion 8. It is a configuration provided. The spring 10 presses the respective spools 2 and 3 in the axial direction, and mounts the respective spools on the case body 40 without looseness.

FIG. 8A is a sectional view of a case body of a spring mounting portion, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view of a single spring. As shown, the shaft portion 2b (3b) of the spool 2 (3) is
And the upper shell 5 is covered. The pressing piece 10a of the spring 10 abuts on the tip of the shaft 2b (3b) to urge the spool 2 (3) in the axial direction. The spring 10 includes the pressing piece 10a and the mounting piece 10b connected to the pressing piece 10a. Two locking pieces 43 are provided on the mounting piece 10b.
It is formed by cutting and raising in several places. This mounting piece 10b
Is inserted into a spring mounting gap 41 between a front wall 42 and a rear wall 44 formed to hang down on the inner surface of the upper shell 5.
In this case, the mounting piece 10b is elastically pressed and held in the gap 41 by the spring property of the cut and raised locking piece 43. Further, since the locking piece 43 is linear, its edge 43a abuts on the front wall 42 and acts so as to bite into the front wall 42 against a force in a pulling-out direction opposite to the insertion direction.

The rib 13 is formed on the rear side of the rear wall 44 of the upper shell 5 constituting the rear side of the spring mounting gap 41 between the rear wall 5a. This rib 13
The temperature inside the printer is about 7 when the printer is in use.
This is for preventing the rear wall 44 of the upper shell 5 from being deformed by the urging force of the spring 10 even if the temperature rises to about 0 ° C.

Conventionally, many ribbon cartridges of this type are all discarded after being used for printing, and have not been considered for reuse.

[0011]

However, in recent years, recycling of resources has been considered, and it has been necessary to separate and discard the materials according to the type of the materials. For the ink ribbon cartridge, it is necessary to separate the case body made of a resin material from the spring made of a metal material after use.

However, in the conventional ink ribbon cartridge, when the spring inserted and locked in the spring mounting gap of the case body is to be pulled out, the edge of the linearly cut and raised spring locking piece is formed by the case. Since it is hooked and engaged with the wall surface on the main body side, it cannot be easily pulled out, and the sorting operation is difficult.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has as its object to provide an ink ribbon cartridge capable of easily performing a sorting operation for reusing resources.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an ink ribbon is wound between first and second spools arranged in parallel, and these spools are made of a case body made of a synthetic resin material. A spring made of a metal material for urging the spool in the axial direction, wherein the spring has a pressing piece that abuts the spool, and a spring mounting gap formed in the case body. And a mounting piece portion that is inserted into and held by the spring. The mounting piece portion of the spring has a locking portion for elastically locking the mounting piece portion in the spring mounting gap portion of the case body. An ink ribbon cartridge having an ink ribbon cartridge, wherein the locking portion is formed in the attachment piece portion so as to protrude in a dome shape, and a curved surface of the top portion abuts on a case body. .

According to this configuration, the locking portion of the spring that presses the spool is formed in a dome shape, and the curved surface of the top engages with the case body, so that when the spring is pulled out from the case body, It can be pulled out smoothly without being hooked on the case body. Therefore, when the ink ribbon cartridge is discarded after use, the resin case body and the metal spring can be easily separated from each other without using a special tool or the like. Workability is improved and resources can be used effectively.

In a preferred configuration example, the case body is an integrally molded part made of a mold.

According to this configuration, since one case body made of an integrally molded component can be used, it can be molded with only one mold, and it is easy to manufacture at low cost and uses little material. Further, since the case is a single case body, the number of components is reduced, and storage management and assembly work are facilitated.

In a further preferred embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing ribs are provided side by side on the side wall of the case body on the spool end side where the spring is mounted.

According to this configuration, since a plurality of reinforcing ribs are formed on the side wall of the case body on the spring mounting side, when the temperature rises during use of the printer, the deformation of the case body due to the spring force is effectively prevented. You.

In a further preferred embodiment, reinforcing ribs are provided on the side wall of the case body opposite to the end of the spool on which the spring is mounted and on both side walls of the case body parallel to the spool.

According to this structure, since the reinforcing ribs are formed on the peripheral side wall of the case main body, the strength of the case main body is increased in a well-balanced manner, and the deformation of the case main body due to the spring force is further effectively prevented.

[0022]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled state thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 viewed from the opposite direction. It is.

An ink ribbon 1 having a predetermined length is wound around a main spool 2, a free end of which is connected to a take-up spool 3, and is sequentially taken up by the take-up spool 3. Each of the spools 2 and 3 around which the ink ribbon 1 is wound is provided at one end thereof with a slightly larger cylindrical shaft 2a or 3a to which an external drive shaft is engaged, and at the other end thereof a rod-shaped shaft. Part 2b,
3b, flange portions 2c, 2d, 3c, 3d are provided adjacent to their shaft portions, and the outer peripheral surface of one of the flange portions 2d is knurled.

The case main body 20 of the cartridge in which the ink ribbon 1 having such a configuration is accommodated substantially corresponds to the lower shell shown in the above-described conventional example, and does not require the conventional upper shell. is there. That is, the case body 2
0 denotes a window hole 2 at the center of which the heating head of the printer faces.
1, a ring-shaped first bearing portion 23 is integrally formed in a pair on one side wall 22 and a substantially U-shaped flange receiving portion 24 is formed inside each of the ring-shaped first bearing portions 23. I have.

At the ends of the shafts 2b, 3b of the spools 2, 3, a spring 30 according to the present invention described later is mounted. The spring 30 presses the spools 2 and 3 in the axial direction and mounts them on the case body 20 without play. Near the other side wall (side wall on which the spring 30 is mounted) 25 of the case main body 20, a ring-shaped second bearing portion 26 forms a pair at a predetermined interval, and the first bearing portion 23 It is formed facing each other. The bearing portion 26 is provided on the side wall 25.
Are reinforced by ribs 27 formed between them.

A plurality of reinforcing ribs 29 are formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction on the outer side surface of the side wall 25 on the spring mounting side. It is essential that the reinforcing ribs 29 are provided at least at positions corresponding to the mounting portions of the springs 30. Also, the reinforcing ribs 29 may be equally spaced as a whole, or may be spaced at positions corresponding to the springs 30. May be formed narrow. In short, the temperature rise during use (70 ° C
The base side of the part that is spring-biased at the temperature (before and after) is kept pressed for a long time by the spring pressure, and it is sufficient that the base part is reinforced so as not to be deformed or distorted by the spring pressure.

A crosspiece or belt-shaped reinforcing member 31 is integrally formed on at least both side surfaces of the case body 20 along the length direction. The reinforcing members 31 are not formed as a series of thick portions, but are connected by leg portions 31a (see FIG. 4) formed at predetermined intervals. That is, the space 31b is formed between the side of the case main body 20 and the leg 31a, and the rigidity of the reinforcing member 31 itself is established, thereby preventing the twisting phenomenon of the cartridge main body 20.

A reinforcing member 32 having the same structure as described above is also formed on one end side, that is, the end on which the first bearing portion 23 is formed. Become. In this case, it is formed inside so as not to protrude outside. The reinforcing member 32 is balanced in strength with the other end, and the overall strength of the case body 20 is improved.

The case body 20 thus configured is
One mold can be used for integral molding.
In particular, the urging means for applying an urging force in the axial direction to the spools 2, 3 in order to maintain the stored ink ribbon 1 in a tensioned state when the ink ribbon 1 is attached to the printer, that is, the spring 30, 20 and at a portion where the spring 30 is attached, a reinforcing rib 29 which is not deformed or distorted against the pressing force kept pressed even when the temperature inside the printer rises to about 70 ° C. It is configured to be integrally molded.

FIG. 4 is a top view near the corner of the side wall 25 on the spring mounting side, FIG. 5A is a sectional view of the case body of the spring mounting portion, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the spring alone. is there. FIG.
As shown in (A), the shaft 2b (3) of the spool 2 (3)
b) is mounted on the bearing 26 of the case body 20. The pressing piece 30a of the spring 30 abuts on the tip of the shaft 2b (3b) to urge the spool 2 (3) in the axial direction. Spring 3
Reference numeral 0 denotes the pressing piece 30a and the mounting piece 30 continuous with the pressing piece 30a.
b. Two dome-shaped locking portions 34 are formed on the mounting piece 30b. The locking portion 34 has a curved surface 34a at the top.

The mounting piece 30b of such a spring 30
Is inserted into the spring mounting gap 50 between the side wall 25 formed at the end of the case body 20 and the pressing wall 28 formed in parallel with the front side. In this case, the attachment piece 30b is elastically pressed into the gap 50 and held by the spring property of the dome-shaped locking portion 34. At this time, the curved surface 34a of the locking portion 34 engages with the holding wall 28.

In the spring 30 having such a configuration, when the spring 30 is mounted, the curved surface 34a of the locking portion 34 comes into sliding contact with the case body, so that the mounting operation can be performed smoothly. In addition, because we do not use the cut and raised locking pieces as in the past,
The edge of the locking piece does not engage with the case body side and does not bite when being pulled out, so that the spring 30 can be easily pulled out at the time of disposal after use, and the case body and the spring Separation and disposal work can be easily performed.

When the spools 2 and 3 around which the ink ribbon 1 is wound are housed in the case body 20 having the above-described structure, the rod-shaped shaft portions 2b and 3b of the spool are inserted into the bearing portions 26 of the case body 20. When worn, the tips of the shafts 2b, 3b abut against the spring 30. From this state, it is further pushed against the spring pressure as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
Are mounted, the end portions are pushed down to insert and engage the shaft portions 2a and 3a with the first bearing portion 23 from inside.

In use, the case body 20
Is set in a predetermined printer, and drive shafts (not shown) provided in the printer are shaft portions 2a, 3a of the spools 2, 3.
And the spools 3 continue to be pressed against the other end side of the case body 20, that is, the second bearing portion 26 side by the engaging force, so that the repulsive force of the spring 30 is applied. Followed by If the printer is used for a long time in this state, the temperature inside the printer may rise, for example, to around 70 ° C. As described above, even if the internal temperature becomes relatively high, the reinforcing rib 29 is provided on the side wall 25 on the end side to which the spring 30 is attached, so that the spring pressure that is pressed is reduced. It can withstand sufficiently, and little deformation or distortion occurs in the side wall 25.

As described above, the strength of the cartridge main body 20 according to the present invention can be increased by providing the reinforcing ribs on the side wall 25 on the other end side, so that the conventional upper shell is not required. In addition, since it can be integrally molded with one mold, it is easy to manufacture and suitable for mass production.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the main body case is composed of two parts, an upper shell 5 and a lower shell 4, as in the above-described conventional technology. The spring 30 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 5B is mounted on the upper shell 5 of such a main body case. That is, the mounting piece 30 b of the spring 30 is inserted into the gap 41 between the front wall 42 and the rear wall 44 of the upper shell 5. In this case, the curved surface 34a of the locking portion 34 of the spring 30 slides on the front wall 42 as described above. Thus, the mounting and pulling out of the spring 30 is easily and smoothly performed similarly to the above-described embodiment. As described above, the present invention is also applicable to an ink ribbon cartridge composed of two parts, the upper and lower shells.

[0037]

As described above, in the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention, the locking portion of the spring for pressing the spool is formed in a dome shape, and the curved surface at the top engages with the case body. When the spring is pulled out of the case main body, the spring can be pulled out smoothly without being hooked on the case main body. Therefore, when the ink ribbon cartridge is discarded after use, the resin case body and the metal spring can be easily separated without using a special tool or the like, and the separation work for reusing resources can be performed. Workability is improved and resources can be used effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cartridge assembly of FIG. 1 as viewed from an end on a spring mounting side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cartridge of FIG. 2 viewed from the opposite side.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of a case main body of the cartridge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a spring mounting portion of the cartridge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a spring mounting portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge including upper and lower shells.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a spring mounting portion of a conventional cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: ink ribbon, 2, 3: spool, 2a, 3a: cylindrical shaft, 2b, 3b: rod-shaped shaft, 2c, 3c, 2
d, 3d: flange portion, 20: case main body, 21: window hole, 22: side wall, 23: bearing portion, 24: flange receiving portion, 25: side wall, 26: bearing portion, 27: rib, 28:
Pressing wall, 29: reinforcing rib, 30: spring, 30a: pressing piece, 30b: mounting piece, 34: locking portion, 34a: curved surface, 50: spring mounting gap.

Claims (4)

[Claims] An ink ribbon is wound between first and second spools arranged in parallel, these spools are rotatably mounted on a case body made of a synthetic resin material, and each spool is attached in an axial direction. A spring made of a biasing metal material, the spring comprising: a pressing piece that contacts the spool; and a mounting piece that is inserted and held in a spring mounting gap formed in the case body. In the ink ribbon cartridge, the mounting piece portion of the spring has a locking portion for resiliently locking the mounting piece portion in the spring mounting gap portion of the case body, wherein the locking portion is the mounting piece portion. The ink ribbon cartridge is formed so as to protrude in a dome shape, and the curved surface of the top abuts on the case body. 2. The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said case main body is an integrally molded part made of a mold. 3. The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of reinforcing ribs are provided in parallel on a side wall of the case body on the spool end side where the spring is mounted. 4. The ink according to claim 3, wherein reinforcing ribs are provided on a side wall of the case body opposite to the end of the spool on which the spring is mounted, and on both side walls of the case body parallel to the spool. Ribbon cartridge.