Universal ribbon cartridge

A ribbon cartridge for use in a plurality of printers having a drive shaft for operating said ribbon cartridge from different locations, comprising:

• a body having a cavity therein;
• a pair of ribbon carrying spools rotatably mounted in spaced relation in said cavity;
• ribbon exit and entry guides secured to said body, said guides defining a path for passage of ribbon therethrough;
• a ribbon carried on said spools and extending therebetween, said ribbon disposed for passing from a first of said pair of spools and out of said body adjacent said exit guide and back into said body adjacent said entry guide for winding on the outer periphery of the second of said pair of spools;
• drive means including two spaced sets of drive wheels, each set comprised of two adjacent drive wheels in intermeshing relation, said drive wheels mounted in said cavity, and a predetermined one of said drive wheels disposed for operatively engaging said drive shaft of said printer for rotation thereby, each of said drive wheels including means for being alternately operatively engaged on opposite ends thereof for rotation by the drive shaft of one of said printers;
• and
• said drive means further including a belt carried around a drive wheel of each set of drive wheels for rotation thereby and in engaged relation with the outer periphery of said ribbon on said spools for rotation thereof, whereby said first of said pair of spools is rotated by said belt to dispense ribbon therefrom while said ribbon is wound on said second of said pair of spools responsive to rotation thereof by said belt.