Multi-color printer
AssigneeOki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
InventorsMinoru Mizutani, Yoshihisa Fukurohata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat transfer type multi-color printer which serves to automatically draw out a new ink ribbon with a simple constitution for recording. The multi-color printer includes members for holding/releasing an ink ribbon provided on a carriage which carries the recording head, and two ribbon spools of a ribbon cassette mounted on a printer body constructed to transmit unidirectional turning force of a spacing motor for moving the carriage. With this arrangement, the multi-color printer serves, when recording, to draw out the ink ribbon from one of the ribbon spools during the time the carriage moves in one direction and, serves, with the carriage moving in the opposite direction to hold the ink ribbon and to rotate the two ribbon spools for winding the ink ribbon.
Claims9
A multi-color printer, comprising:
- an ink ribbon;
- a longitudinally extending platen;
- a guide shaft extending parallel to said platen;
- a carriage mounted on said guide shaft for reciprocal longitudinal movement thereon in a first direction from an initial position to a turning-back position, and in a second direction opposite said first direction from said turning-back position to said initial position;
- a recording head carried by said carriage for movement therewith in opposition to said platen, for transferring ink on said ink ribbon onto a sheet of recording paper during movement of said carriage from said initial position to said turning-back position;
- an ink ribbon cassette for housing the ink ribbon, including
- a housing having an internal wall,
- first and second ribbon spools rotatably mounted in said housing for winding said ink ribbon thereon, said ink ribbon being wound on said first and second spools and having a first portion thereof extending between said first and second spools between said recording head and said platen, said carriage including means for releasably fixedly engaging said first portion of said ink ribbon to said carriage to carry said first portion of said ink ribbon therewith, and
- means, including a stopper mounted in said housing so as to be releasably fixedly engagable with a second portion of said ink ribbon, for pressing said second portion of said ink ribbon against said internal wall with said stopper to fix said second portion of said ink ribbon with respect to said internal wall;
- and
- means for controlling said stopper to fixedly engage said second portion of said ink ribbon and controlling one of said first and second spools to rotate, when said carriage is moved longitudinally while released from said first portion of said ink ribbon, and for controlling said stopper to release from said second portion of said ink ribbon and controlling both of said first and second spools to rotate, when said carriage is moved longitudinally while fixedly engaged with said first portion of said ink ribbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.