Removable cartridge for an inked ribbon and ribbon feed mechanism for printing machines

An inked ribbon cartridge, wherein the ribbon is wound around two spools and which is removably mountable in printing machine of the type comprising a cartridge support;

• two transport elements rotatably projecting from said support and each associated with one spool of said spools;
• two sensing elements associated with said transport elements for sensing that a predetermined minimum quantity of wound ribbon is available for use and each having a lug for cooperating with the ribbon wound on the one associated spool;
• spring means urging said lugs of said sensing elements from an inoperative position away from said transport elements to an operative position near said spools which cooperate with said ribbon;
• motive means responsive to the position of each lug for rotating one or another of said two transport elements in one predetermined sense of rotation;
• a control element projecting from said support and normally maintaining each lug in the inoperative position in opposition to the action of said spring means when the cartridge is removed from said support;
• and hook means movable on said support between a first and a second position into the path of said sensing elements to arrest and release, respectively, the sensing elements in a position proximate to the inoperative position of said lugs in opposition to the action of the said spring means;
• said cartridge comprising:
• a container having a top portion, a bottom portion, a side portion having a pair of openings for the passage of said inked ribbon from the one to the other of said spools outside said container and,
• means for rotatably supporting said spools inside said container;
• means for accommodating said transport elements concentrically with said spools being provided with corresponding engaging means for being engaged by said transport elements;
• at least one aperture in the bottom portion of said container for the access of the lugs of said sensing elements to said two spools;
• means for removably fixing the container on the support including a snap locking device;
• an opposing element on the bottom portion of said container cooperative with said control element in response of the fitting of the cartridge on said support for causing said sensing elements to be shifted from said inoperative position toward said operative position;
• and
• another opposing element on the bottom portion of said container, for moving said hook means to said second position for causing said spring means to move said sensing elements from the position proximate said inoperative position to said operative position only when the cartridge is correctly mounted on said support by said snap locking device.

A removable cartridge for an inked ribbon of a printing machine of the type including a ribbon reversal feed mechanism comprising a support, two transport elements rotatably projecting from said support, two sensing elements for rotating one or another of said two transport elements in one predetermined sense of rotation and a control element projecting from said support and movable thereon between a first and a second position for shifting said sensing elements from an operative position to an inoperative position;

• said cartridge comprising:
• a container including a top wall and a bottom wall;
• a side wall interconnecting said top wall with said botton wall;
• two spools each one fixing an end of the inked ribbon and around which said ribbon is wound in coils, said side wall defining a pair of slots for the passage of said inked ribbon from the one to the other of said spools outside said container;
• means rotatably supporting said spools in said container about axes substantially perpendicular to said bottom wall;
• means for accommodating said transport elements concentrically with said spools, said spools being provided with corresponding engaging means for engaging said transport elements;
• at least one aperture in said bottom wall for the access of said sensing elements to said two spools;
• means for removably fixing the cartridge on the support;
• and
• an opposing element comprising a part of said bottom wall for cooperating and moving said control element from said second position to said first position in response to the fitting of the cartridge on said support for causing said sensing elements to be shifted from said inoperative position to said operative position;
• means being provided for returning said control element to said first position when the cartridge is removed from said support for causing said sensing elements to be returned from said operative position to said inoperative position, and wherein said support includes a spindle about which said control element is pivoted outside said support, and said bottom wall includes a semi-cylindrical seat for accommodating said spindle of said control element.

A removable cartridge for an inked ribbon of a printing machine of the type including a platen;

• a substantially spherical head carrying types distributed along columns and rows;
• a support member rotatably supporting said head around a substantially vertical axis for the selection of the columns of types externally to the head;
• a base pivoting member pivotally supporting said support member with respect to a horizontal axis for selecting the rows of types externally to said support member, said base member being movable with respect to said platen for the printing of the selected types during use of the machine;
• and a ribbon feed mechanism comprising a support means for lifting said support with respect to said platen, and means for feeding said ribbon in front of said type head;
• said cartridge comprising:
• a substantially parallelepipedal container carrying therewithin said inked ribbon and including a top portion, a bottom portion and side portions interconnecting said top portion with said bottom portion;
• and
• a pair of arms, each protruding from a side portion of said container and having at an end thereof an opening for the passage of a section of said inked ribbon outside said container in front of said platen, said head being housed between said arms;
• wherein the ends of said arms converge towards said head as to limit the unguided portion of ribbon outside said container substantially at the columns of types disposed in front of said platen upon lifting of said support;
• and
• wherein said top portion includes two shrouds which extend from said top portion inwardly of said arms and each of said shrouds having a first part stepped upwardly with respect to said arms over said pivoting member to protect the same from contact with small objects during use of the machine and a second part sloped down toward the platen to allow the printed characters to be seen.

In a ribbon feed mechanism for inked ribbon for a printing machine of the type comprising two spools carrying said ribbon;

• a pair of sensing elements for sensing a predetermined minimum number of turns of ribbon on said spools;
• a pair of transport elements each having a gear wheel rotatable for feeding said ribbon from one to the other of said spools;
• a ratchet device having a pair of feed elements associated with said gear wheels;
• means supporting said ratchet device for the movement thereof between a first and a second position causing one of said feed elements to cooperate with one of said gear wheels for the feeding of the ribbon in a first direction and between a third and a fourth position, causing the other of said feed elements to cooperate with the other of said gear wheels, for the feeding of the ribbon in a second direction opposite to said first direction, and a driving member having a cycle reciprocating movement;
• the combination comprising:
• means for variably connecting said ratchet device with said driving member in a first and a second reciprocal position for causing said ratchet device to be moved between said first and said second positions and between said third and said fourth positions, respectively, in response to the reciprocating movement of said driving member;
• spring means keeping said ratchet device in either of said first or second reciprocal positions for causing said driving member, to move said ratchet device through return strokes from said first position to said second position when the ratchet device is in said first reciprocal position and, respectively, from said third to said fourth position when the ratchet device is in said second reciprocal position;
• means for causing said feed elements to rotate the associated gear wheel only during the return strokes of said ratchet device for the feeding of said ribbon;
• and
• stop means, controlled by said sensing elements, for arresting the ratchet device near the first position and, respectively, the third position thereof when the predetermined minimum number of turns wound on a spool is detected, for causing said driving member to be moved against the action of said spring means until the second and, respectively, the first of said two reciprocal positions has been reached, so that said feed elements are moved from cooperation with the one gear wheel to cooperation with the other and the feeding of the inked ribbon is reversed.

A feed mechanism for an inked ribbon of a printing machine of the type comprising a support, and two transport elements rotatably projecting from said support;

• wherein the ribbon is enclosed in a cartridge comprising a container including a top portion and a bottom portion;
• two spools rotatable in said container and each one fixing an end of the inked ribbon and around which said ribbon is wound in coils, said container having a pair of slots for the passage of said inked ribbon from the one to the other of said spools outside said container;
• holes in the bottom portion of said container for accommodating said transport elements concentrically with said spools, and said spools being provided with corresponding engaging means for engaging said transport elements;
• and at least one aperture in said bottom portion for the access to the ribbon coils of said two spools;
• said feed mechanism comprising two sensing elements each movable between an operative position in contact with the spools and an inoperative position arrested by said support away from said spools, said sensing element in said inoperative position allowing a free fitting of the cartridge on the support and in said operative position sensing a predetermined minimum number of turns of ribbon on said spools for rotating one or another of said two transport elements in one predetermined sense of rotation;
• spring means biasing the sensing elements towards said operative position;
• snap action fixing means for removably fixing the cartridge on the support in response to a fitting vertical movement of the cartridge;
• and a control element movable on said support for shifting said sensing elements from said operative position to said inoperative position against the action of said spring means;
• said control element comprising a lever cooperative with said sensing elements and pivoted on said support between a raised position and a lowered position;
• and a spring for normally keeping said lever in said raised position, the action of the spring of said lever prevailing over the action of said spring means acting on the said sensing elements so as to keep said sensing elements in said inoperative position, said lever in said lowered position releasing said sensing elements for the shifting thereof towards said spools under the action of said spring means;
• and said cartridge comprising an opposing element in the bottom portion of said container for moving said lever from the raised position to the lowered position in response to the fitting of the cartridge on said support against the action of the corresponding spring, so that the movement of said sensing elements from said inoperative position to said operative position is obtained with the sole fitting movement of the cartridge onto said support against the action of the spring of said lever, and the action of said snap action fixing means on said cartridge prevailing over the action of said lever on said cartridge by the spring of said lever.