Ink ribbon cartridge in a printer

Claim 1

Ink ribbon facility for printer including a ribbon cartridge which may contain a single color ribbon or a multicolor ribbon, the cartridge being of long construction resembling a wide U with legs from which the ribbon emerges respectively and re-enters the interior of the cartridge, the cartridge having sides facing away from each other, the improvement comprising: a first pair of aligned (coaxial) mounting pins extending away from said sides at locations therefrom remote from said legs; a second pair of pins extending from said sides and parallel to the first pair of pins; a pair of support projections extending from the legs of said ribbon cartridge, also in opposite directions from said sides; and there being two mounts provided in the printer, being open from above for receiving said pins of the first pair to thereby mount said cartridge to the printer, permitting pitch-like pivoting, there being at least one of the following in the printer (a) a second pair of mounts open from above for receiving the pins of the second pair, and thereby mounting the cartridge in a fixed position for single color printing, and (b) a cam shaft with at least one cam of different radial dimensions for engaging at least one of said projections such that upon turning of the cam a variable pivot-pitch is imparted upon said casing, the pins of the second pair being unimpeded.