US3871507A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Spoolless ribbon cartridge with lift and feed features combined
Assignee: Smith Corona Corp
•
Filing: 1972-06-05
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Granted: 1975-03-18
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Expires: 1992-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A spoolless ribbon cartridge containing either an endless fabric ribbon or a roll of single-pass carbon ribbon and having projecting members which hold a portion of ribbon accessible for printing. The cartridge has built-in rotatable drive members for forcing used ribbon into a chamber of the cartridge where it is stored in random, multi-folded fashion. By using loosely-meshed gears as drive members, the ribbon does not stick to the drive members and may be precreased during entry into the chamber. Oscillating fingers strip the ribbon from the gears and help pack the ribbon in the chamber. The drive members are rotated under control of a ribbon lift mechanism, which positions the cartridge such that printing occurs alternately from the upper and lower halves of the ribbon. Such rotation may effect a half-character movement of the ribbon in each printing cycle or a full character movement of the ribbon in every other print cycle, depending on the design.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald S Perry
- 👤 Wyland L Fowler
- 👤 Richard E Shattuck
- 👤 Hans W Mueller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 03:52
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J33/00; B41J33/14; B41J33/24; B41J33/28; B41J32/00; B41J32/02; B41J35/00; B41J35/04; B41J35/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
175 words
A spoolless ribbon cartridge for printing machines with at least one print element, comprising a. a housing having a first chamber with an entrance opening and a second chamber with an exit opening, b. a roll of carbon ribbon preloaded in said second chamber, said carbon ribbon having an active portion and an inactive portion and said inactive portion being storable in said first chamber, c. a pair of projecting members associated with said housing and operable to support said active portion of said carbon ribbon in a spanning relationship with respect to said projecting members and external to said first and second chambers in a position accessible for cooperation between said print element and said carbon ribbon, and d. means for feeding said carbon ribbon mounted in said housing proximate said entrance opening and in direct-contact driving relationship with said carbon ribbon whereby said carbon ribbon may be drawn through said exit opening, over said projecting members and into said entrance opening for forced, random storage of said inactive portion in said first chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
175 words
A spoolless ribbon cartridge for printing machines with at least one print element, comprising a. a housing having a first chamber with an entrance opening and a second chamber with an exit opening, b. a roll of carbon ribbon preloaded in said second chamber, said carbon ribbon having an active portion and an inactive portion and said inactive portion being storable in said first chamber, c. a pair of projecting members associated with said housing and operable to support said active portion of said carbon ribbon in a spanning relationship with respect to said projecting members and external to said first and second chambers in a position accessible for cooperation between said print element and said carbon ribbon, and d. means for feeding said carbon ribbon mounted in said housing proximate said entrance opening and in direct-contact driving relationship with said carbon ribbon whereby said carbon ribbon may be drawn through said exit opening, over said projecting members and into said entrance opening for forced, random storage of said inactive portion in said first chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The spoolless ribbon cartridge of claim 1, in which said feeding means includes a pair of feed gears loosely meshed in the absence of said carbon ribbon and snugly meshed when said carbon ribbon is threaded between said feed gears.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The spoolless ribbon cartridge of claim 2, in which said feed gears have different numbers of teeth to help prevent said carbon ribbon from sticking to said feed gears.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
95 words
An improved cartridge for a ribbon for a printing machine, the cartridge having a housing with a chamber for the ribbon and an entrance opening for the ribbon, and two feed rotors journaled in the housing near the entrance opening for feeding the ribbon between the feed rotors, wherein the improvement comprises: a. eccentrics on the feed rotors and b. fingers mating with the eccentrics for oscillation by the eccentrics to strip the ribbon from the feed rotors and push the ribbon away from the feed rotors to help pack the ribbon in the chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
95 words
An improved cartridge for a ribbon for a printing machine, the cartridge having a housing with a chamber for the ribbon and an entrance opening for the ribbon, and two feed rotors journaled in the housing near the entrance opening for feeding the ribbon between the feed rotors, wherein the improvement comprises: a. eccentrics on the feed rotors and b. fingers mating with the eccentrics for oscillation by the eccentrics to strip the ribbon from the feed rotors and push the ribbon away from the feed rotors to help pack the ribbon in the chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The cartridge of claim 4, in which the cartridge has sidewalls, and the fingers have clasp members that mate with the eccentrics and free ends that oscillate along the sidewalls when the fingers are oscillated by the eccentrics.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The cartridge of claim 5, in which the feed rotors are feed gears with different numbers of teeth to help prevent the ribbon from sticking to the feed gears.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
127 words
An improved cartridge for a ribbon for a printing machine having a print element, means for pivotally mounting the cartridge, and means for oscillating the cartridge on the pivotal mounting means, the cartridge having a housing containing a chamber for the ribbon and two projecting members on the housing with free ends and openings in the free ends for the ribbon to span the projecting members to receive impacts of the print element, wherein the improvement comprises: a. two feed rotors journaled in one of the projecting members for feeding the ribbon between the feed rOtors and b. a ratchet on one of the feed rotors for interaction with the cartridge oscillating means to rotate the feed rotors and feed the ribbon during oscillation of the cartridge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
127 words
An improved cartridge for a ribbon for a printing machine having a print element, means for pivotally mounting the cartridge, and means for oscillating the cartridge on the pivotal mounting means, the cartridge having a housing containing a chamber for the ribbon and two projecting members on the housing with free ends and openings in the free ends for the ribbon to span the projecting members to receive impacts of the print element, wherein the improvement comprises: a. two feed rotors journaled in one of the projecting members for feeding the ribbon between the feed rOtors and b. a ratchet on one of the feed rotors for interaction with the cartridge oscillating means to rotate the feed rotors and feed the ribbon during oscillation of the cartridge.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
The cartridge of claim 7, further comprising: c. a detent that engages the ratchet so that the ratchet can rotate in only one direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cartridge of claim 8, in which the projecting member in which the feed rotors are journaled has a wall composed of a plastic and the detent is formed integral with the wall.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
The cartridge of claim 7, further comprising: c. eccentrics on the feed rotors and d. fingers mating with the eccentrics for oscillation by the eccentrics to strip the ribbon from the feed rotors and push the ribbon away from the feed rotors to help pack the ribbon in the chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The cartridge of claim 10, in which the cartridge has sidewalls, and the fingers have clasp members that mate with the eccentrics and free ends that oscillate along the sidewalls when the fingers are oscillated by the eccentrics.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The cartridge of claim 11, in which the feed rotors are feed gears with different numbers of teeth to help prevent the ribbon from sticking to the feed gears.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-17 | 1978-09-16 | 1979-03-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-17 | 1982-09-16 | 1983-03-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-17 | 1986-09-16 | 1987-03-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |