Continuous or endless loop printing ribbon cassettes and reinking devices therefor

A printing ribbon cassette for printing equipment, comprising:

• a printing ribbon cassette base of generally rectangular configuration having a bottom portion, a front portion, a rear portion, an inlet side portion, an outlet side portion, a continuous or endless loop printing ribbon storage cavity and an upstanding pin;
• a wall extending upwardly from said bottom portion of said printing ribbon cassette base along said front portion, said rear portion, said inlet portion and said outlet portion;
• an inlet guide extending outwardly from said front portion along said inlet side portion of said printing ribbon cassette;
• an outlet guide extending outwardly from said front portion along said outlet side portion of said printing ribbon cassette;
• a continuous or endless printing ribbon exiting from said printing ribbon cassette through said outlet guide, extending between said outlet guide and said inlet guide, and entering into said printing ribbon cassette through said inlet guide;
• a printing ribbon drive gear mechanism for moving said continuous or endless printing ribbon from said inlet guide into said continuous or endless loop printing ribbon storage cavity in said printing ribbon cassette base;
• a reinking device rotatably mounted on said upstanding pin on said printing ribbon cassette base, said reinking device including an inner ink reservoir and an outer cylindrical ink roll concentrically positioned in relation to each other
• said inner ink reservoir including a base member having an upstanding cylindrical wall having slots or apertures for permitting controlled transfer flow of ink to said outer cylindrical ink roll;
• and
• said inner ink reservoir and said outer cylindrical ink roll being rotatable in response to linear movement of said continuous or endless loop printing ribbon so that ink is transferred from said outer cylindrical ink roll to said continuous or endless printing ribbon.

A reinking device for a printing ribbon cassette for printing equipment, said printing ribbon cassette having a continuous or endless loop printing ribbon and a printing ribbon cassette base with an upstanding pin, said reinking device comprising:

• an ink retention member,
• an inner cylindrical ink retention support member having a wall with slots therein and capable of being rotatably positioned on the upstanding pin on the printing ribbon cassette base;
• and
• an outer cylindrical ink roll concentrically positioned in relation to said inner cylindrical ink retention support member and said outer cylindrical ink roll being rotatable in response to linear movement of said continuous or endless loop printing ribbon through said printing ribbon cassette to transfer ink from said outer cylindrical ink roll to said continuous or endless loop printing ribbon;
• wherein said ink retention member has tabs which fit into the slot in the inner cylindrical ink retention support member to provide contact between said inner cylindrical ink retention support member and said outer cylindrical ink roll.