JPH03197167A - Ink replenishing type ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always replenish a necessary amount of ink by temporarily storing all of the excessive ink pressurized in an ink tank to flow out in an ink storage groove. CONSTITUTION:An ink coating piece 11 is inserted in the core hole 10 of a flow rate control member 9 so that both end parts thereof protrude and one protruding end thereof is brought into contact with a follower roller 6 and the other end part thereof is inserted in an ink tank 7. An annular ink storing groove 13 formed to one passage so as to be folded back in a zigzag pattern by bank parts 12 are provided to the outer peripheral surface of the flow rate control member 9 so that both ends thereof are closed. When a sudden temp. change or shock is generated, the ink liquid in the ink tank 7 is pressurized to flow toward one end of the ink coating piece 11 but the outflow ink is sucked in the ink storage groove 13 from a communication hole 14 to be temporarily stored therein. As a result, since the leading end of the ink coating piece 11 is always replenished with a necessary amount of the ink, it is prevented that an ink ribbon 4 becomes sticky or generates printing inferiority or a case main body 1 is contaminated with the ink.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Lord 1, summer skin! The present invention relates to an ink-replenishing ribbon cassette used in printers and the like.

Traditionally, in order to extend the life of the ink ribbon, an ink-impregnated body such as a sponge was filled into the ink tank as a ribbon cassette to replenish the ink ribbon, and the ink-coated pieces were removed from the ink tank. Many are used to project ink onto a driven roller or transfer roller and replenish the ink ribbon with the ink.

■＜1°ゝ゛However, with these conventional ribbon cassettes, if there is vibration due to being installed in an impact printer or sudden temperature changes, the air in the ink tank expands and the pressure changes. However, this sometimes compressed the ink in the ink-impregnated body and squeezed it out. Then, the ink was transferred to the ink coated piece and transferred to the ink ribbon via the roller, making the ribbon surface sticky and causing printing defects. Furthermore, if excessive ink is transferred from the ink application piece to the case body, it leaks to the outside and causes ink stains, etc., which has various drawbacks.

For this reason, the amount of ink in the ink tank must always be kept low, and of course it was impossible to directly fill the ink liquid.

The problem of the present invention is to significantly increase the amount of ink stored in the ink tank by directly filling the ink liquid, and to prevent excessive ink from being transferred even when the ribbon cassette vibrates or sudden temperature changes occur. To provide a ribbon cassette which supplies only the required amount of ink to an ink ribbon and does not cause printing defects due to stickiness on the surface of the ribbon or stain the inside and outside of a case body with ink.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes an ink tank filled with ink liquid and a flow rate adjustment member having an ink retention groove communicating with the core hole attached to the case body to adjust the flow rate. The ink coating piece was inserted into the core hole of the member, one end of the ink coating piece was brought into contact with the roller, and the other end was inserted into the ink tank.

The ink retention groove of the flow rate adjustment member is formed into a single zigzag or spiral passage, the tip of which communicates with the core hole, and the rear end of which is an air groove that does not intersect with the ink retention groove. However, it is also possible to have a large number of parallel annular ink holding grooves and a vertical air groove that is perpendicular to the parallel annular grooves and communicates with the core hole. Any structure may be used as long as the ink can be sucked from the ink application piece into the ink retention groove and temporarily retained.

Further, the ink tank may be installed inside the case body, but it may also be attached to and detached from a flow rate adjusting member installed on the case body outside the case body.

In the above-mentioned configuration, for example, if a sudden temperature change causes a pressure change, or if there is a shock due to vibration, the ink liquid in the ink tank is compressed, causing excess ink to flow out to the tip of the ink application piece. However, the excess ink is sucked into the ink retention groove of the 1 m flow regulating member and temporarily retained. Therefore, excess ink does not flow to the tip of the ink application piece, and it is possible to prevent printing defects due to stickiness of the ink ribbon and ink stains on the case body.

Furthermore, when the temperature change or impact returns to normal, the ink that had been reserved during the period of time immediately returns to the ink coating piece and the ink tank through capillary action from the ink retention groove, and the flow rate is adjusted.

One spot Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a case body, 2 is a pair of arm-shaped ribbon guide parts, 3 is a ribbon storage part in which an endless ink ribbon 4 is folded and stored, 5 is a drive roller, and 6 is a ribbon guide part in the form of a pair of arms. A part of the ink ribbon 4 is passed from the ribbon guide part 2.2 to the outside by a driven roller, and after printing is performed by a print head (not shown), the ink ribbon 4 is held and folded into the ribbon storage part 3. It is like renormalizing.

An ink tank 7 is attached to the side of the case body 1 opposite to the ribbon guide part 2, and the ink tank 7 is filled with ink liquid. One end of the ink tank 7 is provided with a cylindrical portion 8 that projects and opens.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a flow rate adjusting member having a core hole 10, the outer circumferential surface of which is large enough to fit the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 8;
1 is a stick-shaped ink application piece made of felt, etc.
1 is inserted and has both ends protruding, one of the protruding ends is brought into contact with the driven roller 6, and the other end is inserted into the ink tank 7.

The outer peripheral surface of the flow rate adjusting member 9 is provided with an annular ink retaining groove 13 which is folded back in a meandering manner at the bank portion 12 to form a single passage, with both ends closed. A communication hole 14 communicating with the core hole 10 is provided at the tip of the ink retention groove 13, and the rear end of the ink retention groove 13 is formed vertically along the bank without intersecting with the ink retention groove 13. It communicates with the air groove 15 of.

With the ribbon cassette configured in this way, the ink ribbon 4
When the ink content decreases, the ink liquid in the ink tank 7 is sucked by the capillary force of the ink application piece 11 and transferred to the ink ribbon 4 via the driven roller 6, thereby replenishing the ink.

In addition, if there is a shock due to sudden temperature changes or vibrations, the ink liquid in the ink tank 7 may be compressed and the ink coating may become uneven.
However, the excess ink flows through the communication hole 14 before flowing to one end of the ink application piece 11.
The ink is sucked into the ink retention groove 13 and temporarily retained. Therefore, only the necessary amount of ink is always supplied to the tip of the ink application piece 11, so that the ink ribbon 4 will not become sticky and cause printing defects, and the case body l will not be stained with ink.

When the temperature change and impact return to normal, the ink reserved in the ink retaining groove 13 is sucked by the capillary force of the ink application piece 11 and returns to the ink tank 7, and the flow rate is adjusted.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 show other embodiments. In FIG. 3, a transfer roller 16 is brought into rotatable contact with a driven roller 6, and one end of an ink application piece 11 is attached to the transfer roller 16. The ink is replenished by contact with the ink, and the other structures and functions are the same as in the previous embodiment.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 has a flow rate adjusting member 9. Ink retention groove 13
1 is provided in a spiral shape with no openings at both ends to form a single passage, and a narrow spiral air groove 15 is provided at the peak of the spiral groove. , the tip thereof is open to the outside, and the rear end is communicated with the rear end of the ink retention groove LL, and other configurations and functions are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ink retention groove 13 □ of the flow rate adjusting member 9 □ is formed into a number of parallel annular grooves.
A vertical air groove 15 □ that is perpendicular to □ and communicates with the heart hole 10
and an ink groove 17, and the other configurations and functions are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 has a flow rate adjusting member 9. A pipe material 18 made of soft resin is fitted onto the outer surface of the case body 1, and the other end 19 of the flow rate adjusting member 93 is attached to the case body 1.
By protruding outward and fitting the cylindrical portion 8 of the ink tank 7 to the other end 19, the ink tank 7 can be replaced outside the case main body l.Other configurations and functions are as described above. This is the same as the embodiment.

According to the present invention, even if there is a sudden change in temperature or shock due to vibration, all the excess ink that flows out due to pressure in the ink tank is temporarily retained in the ink retention groove. This prevents the ink from flowing to the tip of the ink coating strip.
Only the required amount of ink can be supplied at all times.

Therefore, even if the ink storage amount is increased, a ribbon cassette can be obtained that is free from printing defects due to stickiness on the ribbon surface and from ink stains on the case body. Furthermore, since it is now possible to use an ink tank directly filled with ink liquid, even a small tank can have the effect of significantly increasing the amount of ink compared to conventional tanks.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a flow rate adjusting member of the same embodiment, FIGS. 3 to 5 are partial sectional views of other embodiments, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A, and FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment. 1...Case body, 4000. Ink ribbon, 5.
. ... Drive roller, 6 ... Followed roller, 7 ... Ink tank, 9.9+, 9z, 9:+ ... Flow rate adjustment member, 10 ... Core hole 11 ... Ink application piece, 13° 13+, 13t... Ink retention groove, 14.
...Communication groove, 15°5. 15□...Air groove, ■6...Transfer opening

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ink ribbon having a ribbon guide section and a ribbon storage section, a part of which is extended outside from the ribbon guide section, is fed in by a pair of rollers, and the ink coated piece is brought into contact with the rollers to apply ink. In the ribbon cassette to be replenished, an ink tank filled with ink liquid and a flow rate adjustment member having an ink retention groove communicating with the core hole are attached to the case body, and an ink application piece is inserted into the core hole of the flow rate adjustment member. Additionally, there is an ink replenishment type ribbon cassette in which one end of an ink coated piece is brought into contact with a roller and the other end is inserted into an ink tank. 2. The ink retention groove of the flow rate adjustment member is formed into a single winding or spiral passage, the tip of which communicates with the core hole, and the rear end of which is formed into an air groove that does not intersect with the ink retention groove. The ink replenishing type ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein the ink-replenishing ribbon cassette is in communication with each other. 3. The ink supply according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate adjusting member is provided with a large number of ink retention grooves in the form of parallel annular grooves and a vertical air groove that is perpendicular to the ink retention grooves and communicates with the core hole. Ceremony ribbon cassette.