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US 3,989,132 AGranted
Ribbon storage and transport mechanism
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAndrew B. Carson, Jr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAndrew B. Carson, Jr.
Estimating the term…
The object of the invention is to provide a means of circulating inked ribbon into and out of a cartridge where it has been stored as a compact mass of ribbon folds. Means must be provided to prevent this mass of ribbon from jamming the exit port and forming clumps which result in excessive ribbon tension at the exit. This has been accomplished by introducing a plurality of restrictors in the cartridge ahead of the exit port. In one embodiment, the first of these restrictors consists of a single dam positioned such that the mass of folded, compressed ribbon is restrained by this dam. Tension of withdrawal causes a small quantity of ribbon length to separate from the ribbon mass and cross the restrictor in small clumps or folds. The second restrictor which in one embodiment consists of two aligned dams, one above and one below, causes the ribbon to be restrained to the degree that it exits after passage as a single, unfolded ribbon under slight tension. Means are also provided for inverting the ribbon in a relatively small space inside the cartridge for simplicity purposes and to extend the ribbon usefulness and life by alternately presenting the two ribbon edges to a print head for printing purposes.
An inked ribbon cartridge for a printing device comprising an endless ribbon, a housing for storing the major portion of said ribbon, said housing having first and second restrictors dividing the housing into first, second and third portions, a ribbon inlet at one end of said housing and a ribbon outlet at another end of said housing, means for withdrawing ribbon under tension from the outlet and for feeding it to the inlet, said housing having an internal height slightly higher than the width of said ribbon and being of sufficient length such that incoming ribbon arranges itself into folds without tumbling, means for causing folded ribbon to be compressed in said first portion comprising said first restrictor located between said first and second portions for impeding transfer of ribbon from said first to said second portions in response to said means for feeding, means for separating clumps of multiple folds of ribbon from said first portion and decompressing such separated clumps in said second portion comprising said ribbon being in a sufficient amount and said first restrictor being dimensioned such that portions of the compressed ribbon are caused to respond to ribbon tension and trip across the restrictor in clumps into the second portion where the clumps are decompressed, said second restrictor located between said second and third portions for impeding transfer of separated, decompressed clumps of ribbon from said second to said third portion in response to said means for feeding, and means for enabling ribbon to be withdrawn from said second portion into said third portion as an unfolded strand of ribbon comprising said second restrictor being dimensioned such that the ribbon responds to ribbon tension to bow and/or skew along its width in order to pass the second restrictor.
An inked ribbon cartridge for a printing device comprising an endless ribbon, a housing for storing the major portion of said ribbon, said housing having a plurality of restrictors positioned transverse to and spaced apart along the direction of ribbon flow, means for causing ribbon to flow in said housing from one end of said housing to another end of said housing comprising means for withdrawing ribbon from one portion of said housing under tension and for feeding it into a second portion of said housing means for causing ribbon to flow in said first portion in a relatively dense mass of random folds under compression in response to said means for feeding comprising a first one of said restrictors, means for separating clumps of multiple folds of ribbon from said first portion for decompression of such separated clumps in a second portion of said housing comprising said first restrictor positioned substantially transverse to the movement of ribbon flow through said housing and at the boundary of said first and second portions, means for enabling ribbon to be withdrawn from said second portion into a third portion of said housing as an unfolded strand of ribbon comprising a second one of said restrictors positioned substantially transverse to the movement of ribbon flow through said housing and at the boundary of said second and third portions said ribbon being in a sufficient amount in said first portion of said housing and said first restrictor being dimensioned to cause portions of said ribbon to pass across said restrictor as clumps of multiple folds of ribbon, said second restrictor dimensioned to enable ribbon passage across said restrictor as a single strand but not as clumps of multiple folds of ribbon.
An inked ribbon cartridge for a printing device comprising a housing, said housing comprising first, second and third portions, a ribbon, means for moving said ribbon successively through said first, second and third portions, means for moving ribbon in said first portion as a relatively large mass of random folded ribbon under compression, means for moving ribbon in said second portion as a relatively small mass of decompressed, folded ribbon comprising a first restrictor positioned at the junction of said first and second housing portions, said ribbon being of a sufficient amount and said restrictor being dimensioned to cause ribbon passage through said first restrictor in such relatively small mass of ribbon, and means for moving ribbon under tension in said third portion as a single strand but not as a mass of folded ribbon comprising a second restrictor.
An inked ribbon cartridge for a printing device comprising a housing, an endless loop of ribbon, said housing comprising first, second and third portions for housing said ribbon, means for pulling said ribbon successively through said first, second and third portions, means for restraining movement of ribbon in said first portion to form it into a relatively large mass of random folded ribbon under compression, means for separating ribbon from said mass of ribbon in said first portion into clumps of folded ribbon for decompression in said second portion comprising said first restrictor located in said housing and defining the boundary between said first and second portions, said ribbon being in a sufficient amount in said first portion of said housing and said first restrictor dimensioned to cause portions of the compressed ribbon to detach itself in clumps in passage across said first restrictor, and means for separating ribbon from said clumps in said second portion into a single strand in said third portion comprising said second restrictor located in said housing and defining the boundary between said second and third portions.
A ribbon cartridge for a ribbon utilization device comprising;
A ribbon cartridge comprising a housing, an endless loop of ribbon, said housing comprising first, second and third portions for housing at least a portion of said ribbon, means for pulling said ribbon successively through said first, second and third portions, means for restraining movement of ribbon in said first portion to form it into a relatively large mass of random folded ribbon under compression, means for causing ribbon to be pulled from said mass of ribbon as a clump of relatively decompressed, folded ribbon into said second portion comprising said first restrictor located in said housing and defining the boundary between said first and second portions, said ribbon being compressed in a sufficient amount in said first portion of said housing and said first restrictor being dimensioned to enable the compressed ribbon to detach itself in such a clump in passage across said first restrictor, and means for causing ribbon to be pulled from said clump as a single strand into said third portion comprising said second restrictor located in said housing and defining the boundary between said second and third portions.
Apparatus for imparting a 180.degree. angular rotation about its longitudinal axis with minimal friction to a moving ribbon having an inlet longitudinal direction of movement and an outlet longitudinal direction of movement substantially parallel to one another comprising means for angularly rotating the ribbon 180.degree. about its longitudinal axis within three discrete stages, said means consisting of a respective guide for each of said stages, one of said guides positioned with respect to said other guides to impart a component of change of longitudinal direction of ribbon movement between said inlet and outlet directions, and means for causing the ribbon to undergo a respective change in direction of such longitudinal movement about each of said stages, wherein the total change in such direction is 180.degree. or less.
A ribbon guide for a ribbon cartridge, means for imparting substantially a 180.degree. inversion to the ribbon with a minimum of sliding friction and in a relatively small space comprising three ribbon shifting guides, each guide having a longitudinal axis about which the ribbon is angularly rotated during its movement, the axis of a first guide being positioned at substantially a 45.degree. angle to a reference plane, the axis of a second guide being positioned at substantially a 135.degree. angle, to said reference plane and said third guide separating said first and second guides and being positioned perpendicular to each of said first and second guides near their ends furthest from said reference plane and parallel to said reference plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.