Ribbon drive with spring-loaded idler
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsL. Neil Goodman, Charles J. Kubasta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ribbon drive device comprising a rotatably supported drive roller, a rotatably supported idler roller and a device for biasing the idler roller against the drive roller to form a nip therebetween through which a ribbon is fed. The device for biasing the idler roller is positioned to apply a bias force to the idler roller at the longitudinal center thereof. The device for biasing comprises a straight piece of round or rectangular spring wire positioned in a groove formed in the periphery of the idler roller.
Claims6
In a ribbon cartridge having a top cover section, a bottom cover section, a sidewall connecting section, a ribbon and a ribbon take-up means, an improved ribbon drive means comprising:
- a rotatably supported drive roller;
- a rotatably supported idler roller, said idler roller having a groove formed in the periphery thereof, said groove being formed at the center of the longitudinal dimension;
- and
- means for biasing said idler roller against said drive roller to form a nip therebetween through which said ribbon is fed, said means for biasing being positioned to provide a single line of tangential contact in said groove of said idler roller to apply a bias force to the idler roller at the longitudinal center thereof, whereby the idler roller will align itself with the position of the drive roller to provide equal force distribution along the nip by pivoting around said single line of tangential contact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.