Hot stamper foil tape cartridge and method of loading the cartridge

A hot stamper foil tape cartridge comprising a generally rectangular casing having aligned strike windows in upper and bottom sides of the casing and forming a casing side indentation;

• a first supply reel journalled in said casing;
• a second take-up reel journalled in said casing, a heat and pressure transferable foil tape wound on said supply reel;
• means for driving said take-up reel;
• means for conveying said foil tape to a position between said reels at said bottom strike window;
• means including a sinuous spring for preventing back rotation of at least one of said reels;
• wherein said reels include an inner peripheral surface and wherein said spring includes distal ends which frictionally engage said surface;
• and
• wherein said spring contains a central bight portion extending partially around a reel shaft, and intermediate portions between said bight portion and said distal ends being held by cross-pieces extending between front and back sides of said casing.

A hot stamper foil tape cartridge comprising a generally-rectangular casing having aligned strike windows in upper and bottom sides of the casing and forming a casing side indentation;

• a first supply reel journalled in said casing;
• a second take-up reel journalled in said casing, a heat and force transferable foil tape being wound on said supply reel;
• means for driving said take-up reel;
• means for conveying said foil tape to a position between said reels at said bottom strike window;
• and
• means including at least one horizontal rib in said indentation for inserting a peripheral portion of a daisy wheel casing immediately above said tape position into abutment with said rib.

A hot stamper foil tape cartridge for a hot stamper print engine, said cartridge comprising a generally rectangular casing, said casing having aligned strike windows in top and bottom edges of the casing forming a casing side indentation;

• supply reel journalled in the casing;
• a take-up reel journalled in the casing;
• a heat and force transferable foil tape extending between said supply reel and said take-up reel;
• anti-back rotation springs attached to said casing and having distal ends in friction contact with an interior surface of each of said reels;
• and
• wherein a portion of said tape is exposed between said reels within said indentation adjacent to the bottom edge of the casing.

A method of loading a heat and force transferable material-containing tape into a tape cartridge, comprising:

• providing a tape cartridge having a supply reel journalled in said cartridge, a spaced take-up reel journalled in said cartridge, at least one sinuous anti-back rotation spring fixed with respect to said cartridge and having a distal end in friction contact with at least one of said supply reel and said take-up reel, a strike window in said cartridge and a pair of guide means spacedly positioned adjacent a bottom of the strike window for guiding tape across said window;
• threading tape from said supply reel around a first one of said pair of guide means;
• extending the tape across the strike window bottom;
• threading the tape around a second one of said pair of guide means;
• connecting a so-threaded tape to the take-up reel;
• and
• holding the tape in the cartridge against free-wheeling by the friction contact action of the at least one sinuous anti-back rotation spring such that, in operation and prior to predetermined movement of said take-up reel, used tape segments are pullable off a workpiece containing the transferable material.