INK SHEET CARTRIDGE

Abstract

There is provided an ink sheet cartridge that includes a cartridge case having a case body disposed opposite to an upper surface of an ink sheet unit, driving sidewall portions rotatably supporting driving shafts of respective sheet supply and winding bobbins, and a supporting sidewall portion to rotatably support supporting shafts of respective sheet supply and winding bobbins. The ink sheet unit is detachably insertable in the case body, receives an ink sheet wound around the sheet supply bobbin, and includes a supply sheet case capable of drawing out the ink sheet therefrom at the time of receiving the ink sheet. The ink sheet cartridge enables replacement of the ink sheet unit such that the cartridge case is reusable and protects the replacement ink sheet from foreign objects and substances.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an ink sheet cartridge according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ink sheet unit and a cartridge case of the ink sheet cartridge as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating an unlocked state of a holding member and a sheet case of the ink sheet cartridge as viewed from a supporting sidewall portion as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating a locked state of the holding member as shown in FIG. 3, and the sheet case as viewed from the supporting sidewall portion.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view illustrating a main part of the supporting sidewall portion in the ink sheet cartridge as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the main part of the supporting sidewall portion in the ink sheet cartridge as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the holding member as shown in FIG. 3 moved toward a winding side as viewed from an inside of the cartridge case.

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the holding member as shown in FIG. 3 moved toward a supply side as viewed from the inside of the cartridge case.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view illustrating a main part of the holding member as viewed from the supporting sidewall portion in the cartridge case as shown in FIG. 2.

Claims

1. An ink sheet cartridge comprising: an ink sheet unit including a sheet supply bobbin on which a longitudinal ink sheet is wound from one end thereof and a sheet winding bobbin on which the longitudinal ink sheet is wound from the other end thereof;a cartridge case to detachably receive the ink sheet unit, wherein the cartridge case comprises: a case body having a central opening portion disposed opposite to a main surface of the ink sheet unit so as to expose the center of the ink sheet;a driving sidewall portion disposed on one side of the case body so as to rotatably support driving shafts disposed on one end of the sheet supply and winding bobbins; anda supporting sidewall disposed on the other side of the case body so as to rotatably support supporting shafts disposed on the other end of the sheet supply and winding bobbins; andwherein the ink sheet unit includes a sheet case that receives the ink sheet wound around the sheet supply bobbin, wherein the ink sheet is drawn from the sheet supply bobbin of the sheet case to be wound around the sheet winding bobbin.

2. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an end opening portion is formed in a part of the case body opposite from the sheet case to expose the sheet case and to facilitate retraction of the sheet case from the case body.

3. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case body is disposed on the main surface of the ink sheet unit such that, together the driving sidewall portion and the supporting sidewall, is formed a semi-open type structure that receives and holds the ink sheet unit when the cartridge case is inserted into a printer.

4. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the driving sidewall portion comprises first and second driving sidewall portions corresponding, respectively, to the driving shafts disposed on the one end of the sheet supply and winding bobbins, and wherein the supporting sidewall comprises a supporting sidewall portion corresponding to the supporting shaft disposed on the other end of the sheet supply bobbin.

5. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 4, further comprising: a locking protrusion disposed on the supporting sidewall portion;a holding member to hold the sheet case disposed on, and moveable in parallel with, an inner surface of a supporting sidewall of the case body; andwherein the holding member includes a locking claw having a locking portion to lock into the locking protrusion, a guiding slope being formed on an edge of the locking claw so as to guide the locking protrusion into the locking portion while moving the holding member to abut against the locking protrusion when the cartridge case receives the ink sheet unit.

6. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a locking aperture is defined longitudinally within the holding member in a direction along the length of the holding member, and wherein a locking clamp protrudes from the supporting sidewall, the locking clamp insertable into the locking aperture to lock the holding member to the supporting sidewall substantially simultaneously with the locking portion of the locking claw being locked into the locking protrusion.

7. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 5, wherein within a base portion of the holding member is defined a convex portion slidably insertable into a corresponding concave portion defined in the supporting sidewall, and wherein an opening is defined through the convex portion to receive a spring therein, the spring to bias the holding member, and thus the sheet case, against the sheet supply bobbin end of the case body.

8. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the sheet case comprises upper and lower halves that are separable to remove the sheet supply bobbin, wherein the first driving sidewall portion is disposed on one end of the sheet case, and the supporting sidewall portion is disposed on the other end of the sheet case.

9. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the sheet case comprises an upper side bearing connected to the inner wall of the first supporting sidewall portion to rotatably support the supporting shaft of the sheet supply bobbin.

10. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 8, wherein at least the first and the second driving sidewall portions comprise a plurality of gripping protrusions corresponding to, and for reception of, a plurality of grooves defined in respective driving shafts of the sheet supply and winding bobbins.

11. An ink sheet cartridge comprising: a sheet case having a first driving sidewall portion coupled to a first end of the sheet case and a first supporting sidewall portion coupled to a second end of the sheet case to rotatably support, respectively, corresponding driving and supporting shafts of a sheet supply bobbin located within the sheet case;a case body having supply and winding dome portions at respective first and second ends thereof, the supply dome portion for detachable insertion therein of the sheet case through an end opening portion of the case body, and the winding dome portion for detachable insertion therein of a sheet winding bobbin;a second driving sidewall portion coupled to a first side of the winding dome portion, and a second supporting sidewall portion coupled to a second side of the winding dome portion to rotatably support, respectively, corresponding driving and supporting shafts of the winding supply bobbin; andan ink sheet having a first end wound around the sheet supply bobbin and threaded through a central slit opening defined along the side of the sheet cases and having a second end wound around the sheet winding bobbin.

12. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the driving and supporting sidewall portions include corresponding flanges to facilitate rotatable support of respective sheet supply and winding bobbins.

13. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 11, further comprising: a locking protrusion disposed on the first supporting sidewall portion;a holding member to hold the sheet case disposed on, and moveable in parallel with, an inner surface of a the second supporting sidewall portion; andwherein the holding member includes a locking claw having a locking portion to lock into the locking protrusion, a guiding slope being formed on an edge of the locking claw so as to guide the locking protrusion into the locking portion while moving the holding member to abut against the locking protrusion when the cartridge case receives the ink sheet unit.

14. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 13, wherein a locking aperture is defined longitudinally within the holding member in a direction along the length of the holding member, and wherein a locking clamp protrudes from the supporting sidewall, the locking clamp insertable into the locking aperture to lock the holding member to the second supporting sidewall portion substantially simultaneously with the locking portion of the locking claw being locked into the locking protrusion.

15. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 13, wherein within a base portion of the holding member is defined a convex portion slidably insertable into a corresponding concave portion defined in the second supporting sidewall portion, and wherein an opening is defined through the convex portion to receive a spring therein, the spring to bias the holding member, and thus the sheet case, against the first end of the case body.

16. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 11, wherein an ink sheet unit comprises the sheet case having therein the sheet supply bobbin, the sheet winding bobbin, and the ink sheet, wherein the ink sheet unit is detachable from the case body.

17. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the sheet case comprises an upper side bearing connected to the inner wall of the first supporting sidewall portion to rotatably support the first supporting sidewall portion of the sheet supply bobbin.

18. The ink sheet cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the second supporting sidewall portion comprises: an outer wall portion;an inner wall portion spaced from the outer wall portion to form a gap therebetween;a central wall portion disposed substantially parallel with and between the outer and inner walls;a U-shaped bearing opened at the end of the inner wall portion so that the second supporting shaft slides therein; anda spring member biased between the outer and central walls, to thereby bias the sheet winding bobbin against the second driving sidewall portion.

19. The ink cartridge according to claim 18, further comprising: a convex-shaped locking portion defined in the inner wall surface of the outer wall portion to receive one end of the spring member; anda convex-shaped locking portion defined in the outer wall surface of the central wall portion to receive the other end of the spring member.

20. The ink cartridge according to claim 18, wherein the central wall portion is cantilevered from the area of the supporting shaft to an end thereof to allow the central wall portion to flex with the spring member when removing the sheet winding bobbin.

21. The ink cartridge according to claim 20, further comprising: a protrusion having a base attached to the inner wall surface of the out wall portion, and a distal end thereof extending against the spring member to deflect the spring member toward the case body to prevent loss thereof when replacing an ink sheet unit comprising the sheet winding bobbin.