Thermal ink ribbon cassette for mailing machines
US5917532A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jun 29, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 29, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J33/26
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A thermal ink ribbon cassette for holding an inked ribbon of indefinite length for is in a thermal transfer printing mechanism is disclosed in which the cassette holds a spool of fresh ink ribbon which passes out of the cassette and across a thermal printing head, and then back into the cassette into a used ribbon chamber. A ribbon drive mechanism is mounted in the cassette adjacent the location on the cassette where the used ribbon normally enters the cassette so that if the ribbon breaks, the free broken end can be manually fed into the drive mechanism so that the remaining portion of the unused ribbon can be used. The cassette may also be provided with a removable front wall so that replacement ribbons can be inserted by a user, and a disposable container can be put into the ribbon take up chamber of the cassette so that a user does not have to handle the rumpled ink ribbon when changing to a new ribbon.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.