Claims
- 1. A ribbon cartridge of the type used with a shorthand machine, the ribbon cartridge comprising:a cartridge housing; an endless loop ribbon extending through the cartridge housing and having a substantially short total length such that the endless loop ribbon traveling therethrough does not contact itself; an ink reservoir; an advancing gear situated for advancing the endless loop ribbon and contacting the ink reservoir; and a following gear, the endless loop ribbon disposed between the advancing gear and the following gear.
- 2. The cartridge of claim 1, the ink reservoir comprising a reticulated and felted foam.
- 3. The cartridge of claim 1 the following gear being biased toward the advancing gear, the endless loop ribbon disposed between the advancing gear and the following gear such that when the advancing gear moves, the endless loop ribbon is advanced.
- 4. The cartridge of claim 1 further comprising exposed drive teeth accessible to an external drive, the exposed drive teeth being connected to the advancing gear such that the advancing gear is rotated by rotation of the exposed drive teeth.
- 5. The cartridge of claim 1 the advancing gear transferring ink from the ink reservoir to the endless loop ribbon when advanced by the advancing gear.
- 6. The cartridge of claim 1, the housing comprising a main section and a pair of guide arms extending from the main section, thee endless loop ribbon extending through the main section, the guide arms and a space between the guide arms.
- 7. The cartridge of claim 1, the endless loop ribbon disposed within the cartridge housing to remain substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the cartridge housing.
- 8. A ribbon cartridge of the type used with a shorthand machine, the cartridge comprising:a cartridge housing; an endless loop ribbon extending through the cartridge housing and having a substantially short total length such that the endless loop ribbon traveling therethrough does not contact itself; an ink reservoir; an advancing gear situated within the cartridge housing driven by a pinion of the shorthand machine to advance the endless loop ribbon and contacting the ink reservoir; and a follower gear, the endless loop ribbon disposed between the advancing gear and the following gear.
- 9. The cartridge of claim 8, the ink reservoir comprising a reticulated and felted foam.
- 10. The cartridge of claim 8 the following gear being biased toward the advancing gear such that when the advancing gear moves, the endless loop ribbon is advanced.
- 11. The cartridge of claim 8 further comprising exposed drive teeth accessible to the pinion, the exposed drive teeth being connected to the advancing gear such that the advancing gear is rotated by rotation of the exposed drive teeth.
- 12. The cartridge of claim 8, the advancing gear transferring ink from the ink reservoir to the endless loop ribbon when advanced by the advancing gear.
- 13. The cartridge of claim 8, the housing comprising a main section and a pair of guide arms extending from the main section, the endless loop ribbon extending through the main section, the guide arms and a space between the guide arms.
- 14. The cartridge of claim 8, the endless loop ribbon disposed within the cartridge housing to remain substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the cartridge housing.
- 15. A ribbon cartridge comprising:a cartridge housing; an endless loop ribbon extending through the cartridge housing and having a substantially short total length such that the endless loop ribbon traveling therethrough does not contact itself; an ink reservoir; an advancing gear situated within the cartridge housing and contacting the ink reservoir and the endless loop ribbon for transferring ink from the ink reservoir to the endless loop ribbon; and a following gear, the endless loop ribbon disposed between the advancing gear and the following gear.
- 16. The cartridge of claim 15, the ink reservoir comprising a reticulated and felted foam.
- 17. The cartridge of claim 15 the following gear being biased toward the advancing gear, the endless loop ribbon disposed between the advancing gear and the following gear such that when the advancing gear moves, the endless loop ribbon is advanced.
- 18. The cartridge of claim 15 further comprising exposed drive teeth accessible to an external drive, the exposed drive teeth being connected to the advancing gear such that the advancing gear is rotated by rotation of the exposed drive teeth.
- 19. The cartridge of claim 15, the housing comprising a main section and a pair of guide arms extending from the main section, the endless loop ribbon extending through the main section, the guide arms and a space between the guide arms.
- 20. The cartridge of claim 15, the endless loop ribbon disposed within the cartridge housing to remain substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the cartridge housing.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/768,091 filed Dec. 16, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,771, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/581,308 filed on Dec. 28, 1995, now abandoned, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08,389,739 filed on Feb. 15, 1995, now abandoned, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/091,533 filed on Jul. 14, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/822,638 filed on Jan. 17, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3-7373 |
Jan 1991 |
JP |
Continuations (5)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/768091 |
Dec 1996 |
US |
Child |
10/113172 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/581308 |
Dec 1995 |
US |
Child |
08/768091 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/389739 |
Feb 1995 |
US |
Child |
08/581308 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/091533 |
Jul 1993 |
US |
Child |
08/389739 |
|
US |
Parent |
07/822638 |
Jan 1992 |
US |
Child |
08/091533 |
|
US |