Bidirectional printer ribbon supply system
AssigneeZebra Technologies Corporation
InventorDaniel P. Lanigan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bidirectional ribbon supply system for a printer includes: a shaft supported by a frame of the printer, the shaft to rotate about an axis; a pulley affixed to the shaft; and a bias member coupled between the frame and the pulley to apply a force to the pulley in either of a first or second direction responsive to rotation of the pulley in the other of the first or second direction, wherein rotation of a spindle supported on the shaft in the first direction dispenses inside-coated ribbon toward a printhead, and rotation of the spindle in the second direction dispenses outside-coated ribbon toward the printhead.
Claims22
A bidirectional ribbon supply system for a printer, comprising:
- a shaft supported by a frame of the printer, the shaft to rotate about an axis, the shaft comprising a spindle;
- a pulley affixed to the shaft;
- a bias member coupled between the frame and the pulley to apply a force to the pulley in either of a first or second direction responsive to rotation of the pulley in the other of the first or second direction, wherein rotation of the spindle supported on the shaft in the first direction dispenses inside-coated ribbon toward a printhead, and rotation of the spindle in the second direction dispenses outside-coated ribbon toward the printhead;
- and
- a clutch including (i) a first clutch member affixed to the spindle, and (ii) a second clutch member affixed to the shaft and engaging the first clutch member to transmit rotation of the spindle to the shaft until torque applied to the pulley by the bias member reaches a threshold.
A printer, comprising:
- a frame supporting a printhead;
- a ribbon supply spool;
- a bidirectional ribbon supply system, including:
- a shaft supported by the frame and carrying the ribbon supply spool, the shaft to rotate about an axis;
- a pulley affixed to the shaft;
- a bias member coupled between the frame and the pulley to apply a force to the pulley in either of a first or second direction responsive to rotation of the pulley in the other of the first or second direction, wherein rotation of a spindle supported on the shaft in the first direction dispenses inside-coated ribbon from the ribbon supply spool toward the printhead, and rotation of the spindle in the second direction dispenses outside-coated ribbon toward the printhead;
- and
- a clutch including (i) a first clutch member affixed to the spindle, and (ii) a second clutch member affixed to the shaft and engaging the first clutch member to transmit rotation of the spindle to the shaft until torque applied to the pulley by the bias member reaches a threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.