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US 7,102,659 B2Granted
Ink sheet cartridge and exchangeable ink-sheet set mounted on the ink sheet cartridge
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShigeyuki Hayashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink sheet cartridge includes a cartridge body 30 rotatably supporting four spools 36, 37, 38, 39. The spool 38 includes a first rotation member 56 having a transmission gear 47 and a shaft member 48 having a flange 48a. The first rotation member 46 is undetachably engaged with the shaft member 48 within a support hole 50 formed to the cartridge body 30 while interposing a side plate 51a between the transmission gear 47 and the flange 48a. An intermediate connector 46 includes resilient pawls 59 and projections 61 for engaging respective mating grooves 60 and locking grooves 62 formed to a takeup-side core tube 41, and is engaged with the flange 48a of the shaft member 48.
Claims32
An ink sheet cartridge, comprising:
- four spools;
- a cartridge body that rotatably supports the four spools;
- a supply-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- a takeup-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- and
- an ink sheet wound around and extending between the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube, wherein
- the four spools are detachably engaged with the corresponding ends of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube, and
- one of the four spools has an engagement pawl, and one of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube is provided with an engagement member for engaging the engagement pawl, wherein the one of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube has an inner peripheral surface, and the engagement member has a projection inwardly protruding from the inner peripheral surface.
5 more elements
An ink sheet set detachably mountable on an ink sheet cartridge including four spools and a cartridge body rotatably supporting the four spools, one of the four spools having an engagement pawl, the ink sheet set comprising:
- a supply-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- a takeup-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- and
- an ink sheet wound around and expanding between the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube, wherein
- each of the ends of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube detachably engages a corresponding one of the four spools, and
- one of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube is provided with an engagement member for engaging the engagement pawl, wherein the one of the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube has an inner peripheral surface, and the engagement member has a projection inwardly protruding from the inner peripheral surface.
3 more elements
A core tube detachably mountable on an ink sheet cartridge including four spools and a cartridge body rotatably supporting the four spools, one of the four spools having an engagement pawl, the core tube comprising:
- a cylindrical body having two ends opposite from each other, one of the two ends detachably engageable with the one of the four spools, wherein the cylindrical body includes an engagement member for engaging the engagement pawl, the cylindrical body has an inner peripheral surface, and the engagement member has a projection inwardly protruding from the inner peripheral surface.
A core tube used in an ink sheet cartridge, comprising:
- a cylindrical body having two ends detachably engageable with a specific spool having an engagement pawl, wherein the cylindrical body includes an engagement member for engaging the engagement pawl, the cylindrical body has an inner peripheral surface, and the engagement member has a projection inwardly protruding from the inner peripheral surface.
An ink sheet cartridge, comprising:
- a tube-like supply-side member having two ends opposite from each other, a shaft being provided at the two ends respectively;
- a tube-like takeup-side member having two ends opposite from each other, a shaft being provided at one end and a protrusion extending from an inner surface near the other end;
- a specific spool detachably engageable to the other end of the tube-like takeup-side member, the specific spool having a shaft and an engageable pawl opposite to the shaft, the enagageable pawl being engageable with the protrusion of the tube-like takeup-side member;
- a cartridge body that rotatably supports the shafts;
- and
- an ink sheet wound around and expanding between the tube-like supply-side member and the tube-like takeup-side member.
3 more elements
An ink sheet cartridge, comprising:
- a supply-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- a takeup-side core tube having two ends opposite from each other;
- at least two spools that includes a specific spool having an engagement pawl, each spool being detachably engageable with a corresponding core tube respectively;
- a cartridge body that rotatably supports the spools;
- and
- an ink sheet wound around and expanding between the supply-side core tube and the takeup-side core tube, wherein one of the supply-side core tube and takeup-side core tube includes an engagement member for engaging the engagement pawl of the specific spool, one of the supply-side core tube and takeup-side core tube has an inner peripheral surface, and the engagement member has a projection inwardly protruding from the inner peripheral surface.
3 more elements
An ink sheet set, comprising:
- a supply core tube having a first end and a second end with at least one notch in each of the first end and the second end;
- a take-up core tube having a first end with at least one notch in the first end and a second end having an inner surface defining at least one receiving channel defined by at least one surface associated with the inner surface;
- a pair of interchangeable first spools having an inner portion, a flange, and an outer portion, at least one protrusion extending from the flange along the inner portion, the at least one protrusion to engage the at least one notch in the first end of the supply core tube and the take-up core tube;
- a second spool having an inner portion, a flange, a shaft portion, a gear and an outer portion, at least one protrusion extending from the flange along the inner portion to engage the at least one notch in the second end of the supply core tube;
- a third spool having an inner portion, a flange, a shaft portion, a gear, and an outer portion, the inner portion having at least one engagement member to engage the at least one surface of the at least one receiving channel in the inner surface of the second end of the take-up core tube;
- and
- an ink sheet extending from the supply core tube to the take-up core tube.
4 more elements
An ink ribbon set, comprising:
- a supply tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end with at least one notch in the second end;
- a take-up tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end having an engaging mechanism within the second end of the take-up tube;
- and
- an ink sheet attached at one end to the supply tube and attached at a second end to the take-up tube, wherein the engaging mechanism is at least one protrusion into the core of the tube.
1 more element
An ink sheet ribbon, comprising:
- a supply core tube having a first end and a second end with at least one notch in each of the first end and the second end;
- a take-up core tube having a first end with at least one notch in the first end and a second end having an inner surface defining at least one protrusion extending inwardly;
- and
- an ink sheet extending from the supply core tube to the take-up core tube.
1 more element
An ink ribbon set, comprising:
- a supply tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end with at least one notch in the second end;
- a take-up tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end having an engaging mechanism within the second end of the take-up tube;
- and
- an ink sheet attached at one end to the supply tube and attached at a second end to the take-up tube, wherein the engaging mechanism is a camming mechanism having an engagement face and a cam face.
1 more element
An ink ribbon set, comprising:
- a supply tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end with at least one notch in the second end;
- a take-up tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end having an engaging mechanism within the second end of the take-up tube;
- and
- an ink sheet attached at one end to the supply tube and attached at a second end to the take-up tube, wherein the engaging mechanism is a plurality of notches in the end of the take-up core tube, at least one notch having an L-shape.
1 more element
An ink ribbon set, comprising:
- a supply tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end with at least one notch in the second end;
- a take-up tube having a first end with a notch in the first end and a second end having an engaging mechanism within the second end of the take-up tube;
- and
- an ink sheet attached at one end to the supply tube and attached at a second end to the take-up tube, wherein the engaging mechanism is an inner surface of the core tube with an appropriate coefficient of friction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.