B41J 31/00
Ink ribbons
Official title: Ink ribbons; Renovating or testing ink ribbons
B41J31/00 (Ink ribbons) appears on 380 US grants and 124 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in B41J- Granted patents
- 380
- Published applications
- 124
- Assignees
- 162
- Inventors
- 684
- Latest grant
- 3 Feb 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 16 | 0 |
| 1977 | 6 | 0 |
| 1978 | 11 | 0 |
| 1979 | 6 | 0 |
| 1980 | 5 | 0 |
| 1981 | 8 | 0 |
| 1982 | 9 | 0 |
| 1983 | 6 | 0 |
| 1984 | 12 | 0 |
| 1985 | 10 | 0 |
| 1986 | 7 | 0 |
| 1987 | 16 | 0 |
| 1988 | 8 | 0 |
| 1989 | 10 | 0 |
| 1990 | 10 | 0 |
| 1991 | 22 | 0 |
| 1992 | 12 | 0 |
| 1993 | 17 | 0 |
| 1994 | 14 | 0 |
| 1995 | 9 | 0 |
| 1996 | 13 | 0 |
| 1997 | 10 | 0 |
| 1998 | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 15 | 0 |
| 2000 | 12 | 0 |
| 2001 | 10 | 3 |
| 2002 | 4 | 5 |
| 2003 | 4 | 2 |
| 2004 | 7 | 5 |
| 2005 | 3 | 4 |
| 2006 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 | 4 |
| 2012 | 3 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 | 5 |
| 2014 | 4 | 9 |
| 2015 | 13 | 3 |
| 2016 | 2 | 5 |
| 2017 | 5 | 6 |
| 2018 | 6 | 12 |
| 2019 | 5 | 9 |
| 2020 | 9 | 5 |
| 2021 | 3 | 6 |
| 2022 | 4 | 7 |
| 2023 | 2 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 7 |
| 2025 | 6 | 5 |
| 2026 | 1 | 6 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- B41J 31/14Renovating or testing ink ribbons150
- B41J 31/05Ink ribbons having coatings other than impression-material coatings68
- B41J 31/10Ink ribbons having arrangements to facilitate threading through a machine42
- B41J 31/02Ink ribbons characterised by the material from which they are woven25
- B41J 31/12Ink ribbons having arrangements to prevent undesired contact between the impression-transfer material25
- B41J 31/09Ink ribbons characterised by areas carrying media for obliteration or removal of11
Recent patents
- Printer apparatus that conveys printing paper by set feeding amount and set back-feeding amount3 Feb 2026US 12,539,709 B2Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Cassette23 Dec 2025US 12,502,903 B2Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Ribbon for use in producing printer activatable indicators2 Dec 2025US 12,485,690 B2Zebra Technologies Corporation
- Printer14 Oct 2025US 12,441,129 B2Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Removable supporting device to support an endless ribbon22 Apr 2025US 12,280,608 B2Armor
- Protective patch ribbon for thermal transfer printers and method for manufacturing the same13 Aug 2026US 2026/0233544 A1Rtai Inc Co.,Ltd
- Personalized card printing using a high resolution printhead23 Jul 2026US 2026/0208511 A1Entrust Corporation
- Ribbon for use in producing printer activatable indicators28 May 2026US 2026/0145455 A1Zebra Technologies Corporation
- Multilayer ribbon device comprising an endless ribbon for thermal transfer printing apparatus30 Apr 2026US 2026/0116110 A1
- Cassette19 Mar 2026US 2026/0077610 A1Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Most cited
By later US patents
- Tape cassette138US 5,653,542 ABrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha · 1997
- Tape label printing device127US 6,042,280 ABrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha · 2000
- Tape-shaped label printing device112US 6,196,740 B1Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha · 2001
- Tape supply cartridge111US 6,520,696 B2Brother Industries, Ltd. · 2003
- Tape label printing device108US 6,116,796 ABrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha · 2000