Ink ribbon refill and cover holder

Abstract

This invention provides an ink ribbon refill that can prevent the ribbon cover from falling off or getting caught. [Solution] The ink ribbon refill 1 comprises a core 3, an ink ribbon 2 wound around the core 3, a ribbon cover 5 that covers at least a portion of one end face of the ink ribbon 2 and the core 3, and a cover holder 6 that protrudes from the end face and rotatably holds the ribbon cover 5 between itself and the end face 3a of the core 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon refill provided with an identification information recording unit, and a cover holder used for the ink ribbon refill.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, printers employing a thermal transfer system use an ink ribbon in which ink transferable to a printing object by heat and pressure is applied to one side of a long medium. In general, a long ink ribbon having a predetermined width direction is wound around a winding core, and is configured to be replaceable with respect to the printer in the form of an ink ribbon refill.

[0003] Information unique to the ink ribbon, such as color information of ink printable by the ink ribbon, type information relating to the type of ink printable by the ink ribbon, and usage amount information of the ink ribbon, serves as important information for control purposes with the mounted printer as the identification information of the ink ribbon. Therefore, conventionally, ink ribbon refills provided with an identification information recording unit in which the identification information and the like are recorded have been proposed.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses, as a configuration in which the ink ribbon refill is replaceable with respect to a printer, an ink ribbon refill including: a winding core around which the ink ribbon is wound; and a ribbon cover to which an identification information recording unit in which the identification information of the ink ribbon is recorded in an input / output enabled state is attached, and which covers at least a part of the winding core via the ink ribbon wound around the winding core in a state where the winding core is rotatable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the ink ribbon refill of Patent Document 1, the ribbon cover is configured to cover, for example, both ends of the core in the axial direction and two opposing surfaces in the width direction along the axial direction of the core via the ink ribbon wound around the core, with holes formed in the portions that cover both ends of the core in the axial direction. Furthermore, the length of the ribbon cover in the longitudinal direction is slightly shorter than the length of the core in the axial direction, and the diameter of the holes is slightly larger than the diameter of the core. The core is configured to have an axial length longer than the width of the ink ribbon and has an extended portion that is exposed from the ink ribbon. As a result, when the core is covered with the ribbon cover, both ends of the core enter the holes and are locked into the extended portion of the core.

[0007] However, the ribbon cover is made of thin plastic sheeting and is easily deformed, so even a slight impact can cause the hole to detach from the extension of the core and fall off, or even if it doesn't detach, the hole may shift from the extension and get pinched when attaching the ribbon gear to the core. Increasing the length of the extension can prevent the hole in the ribbon cover from detaching from the extension of the core, but in this case, the width of the ink ribbon refill becomes larger and a new problem arises as it will no longer fit within the dimensions of conventional ribbon cassettes. Conversely, shortening the extension to reduce the width of the ink ribbon refill makes the above-mentioned problems of detachment or pinching more pronounced.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an ink ribbon refill and a cover holder used with the ink ribbon refill that can prevent the ribbon cover from falling off or getting caught without increasing the width dimension of the ink ribbon refill. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An ink ribbon refill according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a core, an ink ribbon wound around the core, a ribbon cover that covers at least a portion of one end face of the ink ribbon and the core, and a cover holder that protrudes from the end face of the core and rotatably holds the ribbon cover between itself and the end face of the core.

[0010] According to this embodiment, the ribbon cover can be stably supported by being sandwiched between the cover holder and the end face of the core. This suppresses the inconvenience of the ribbon cover easily falling off the core, and improves the handling of the ink ribbon refill.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the cover holder may have a main body that is fixed to the core and a clamping portion that extends radially from the main body and clamps the ribbon cover.

[0012] According to this embodiment, since the cover holder extends in the radial direction of the core, the detachment of the ribbon cover can be further suppressed.

[0013] In the above embodiment, the winding core is cylindrical with an opening at least at one end, and the main body of the cover holder may be inserted into the opening of the winding core.

[0014] According to this embodiment, the cover holder can be easily attached to the core.

[0015] The clamping portion of the cover holder may be one or more locking claws facing the end face of the core.

[0016] According to this embodiment, the ribbon cover can be stably supported by sandwiching it between the end face of the core with a simple structure.

[0017] The cover holder may include an insertion portion that is inserted into the opening of the core and presses radially against the inner wall surface of the core.

[0018] According to this aspect, the cover holder is pressed against and supported by the winding core, which prevents it from coming off, and the handleability of the ink ribbon refill can be improved.

[0019] The winding core may be formed with one or a plurality of notches extending in the axial direction from an end portion of the winding core, and the cover holder may further include one or a plurality of winding core engaging portions that engage with the one or the plurality of notches.

[0020] According to this aspect, alignment can be easily performed by engaging the winding core engaging portion of the cover holder with the notch formed in the winding core.

[0021] The insertion portion and the locking claw may be formed integrally.

[0022] By forming the insertion portion and the locking claw integrally, the locking claw can be easily provided on the winding core by attaching the insertion portion to the end portion of the winding core.

[0023] The locking claw may be spaced apart from the end face of the winding core to form a gap between the locking claw and the end face of the winding core.

[0024] According to this aspect, the ribbon cover can be sandwiched in the gap between the locking claw and the end face of the winding core and stably supported. Therefore, the inconvenience that the ribbon cover easily falls off from the winding core can be suppressed, and the handleability of the ink ribbon refill can be improved.

[0025] The gap between the locking claw and the end face of the winding core may be formed larger than the thickness of the ribbon cover.

[0026] According to this aspect, the ribbon cover can be held with a predetermined play between the locking claw and the end face of the winding core, and the ribbon cover can be supported so as to be rotatable relative to the winding core. Thereby, even when the ink ribbon is pulled out from the winding core, the winding core can be rotated without trouble, and the stable pulling-out operation of the ink ribbon can be performed.

[0027] The core and the cover holder may be integrally formed.

[0028] Since the core and the cover holder are integrated for structural stability, the ribbon cover can be sandwiched between and stably supported by the core. This allows simplification of the structure for holding the ribbon cover.

[0029] A cover holder according to another aspect of the present invention is a cover holder that supports an ink ribbon and a ribbon cover that covers at least a part of one end face of the core of the ink ribbon, wherein the cover holder protrudes from the end face of the core, and rotatably clamps the ribbon cover between itself and the end face of the core.

[0030] According to this aspect, a cover holder that clamps the ribbon cover between the protruding portion and the end face of the core can be provided. [Advantageous Effects of the Invention]

[0031] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink ribbon refill capable of preventing the ribbon cover from coming off or being caught without increasing the dimension of the ink ribbon refill in the width direction, and a cover holder used for the ink ribbon refill. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1A] It is a drawing showing the ink ribbon refill according to the embodiment. [Figure 1B] It is a drawing showing the ink ribbon refill according to the embodiment. [Figure 1C] It is a drawing showing the ink ribbon refill according to the embodiment. [Figure 2A] It is a drawing showing the cover holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 2B] It is a drawing showing the cover holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 2C] It is a drawing showing the clamped state of the ribbon cover according to the embodiment. [Figure 2D]This is a drawing showing the clamping state of the ribbon cover according to the embodiment. [Figure 3A] This is a drawing showing the fitted state of the winding core and cover holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 3B] This is a drawing showing the fitted state of the winding core and cover holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 4A] This is a drawing showing an example of the clamping portion of a cover holder. [Figure 4B] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 4C] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 4D] This is a drawing showing an example of deformation of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 4E] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 4F] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 4G] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the clamping portion of the cover holder. [Figure 5A] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the cover holder. [Figure 5B] This is a diagram showing a modified version of the cover holder. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] A preferred embodiment of the ink ribbon refill according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0034] <Example of the configuration of the ink ribbon refill according to this embodiment> Figures 1A to 1C are diagrams showing an example of an ink ribbon refill in this embodiment. Figure 1A is an overall view from an oblique direction, Figure 1B is an overall view from a side direction, and Figure 1C is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 1B.

[0035] The ink ribbon refill 1 of this embodiment comprises an ink ribbon 2, a core 3 around which the ink ribbon 2 is wound, a ribbon cover 5, and a cover holder 6 for holding the ribbon cover 5.

[0036] In this example, the ink ribbon 2 is constructed by coating the surface of a long, thin medium with an ink that can be transferred to the printing object by heat and pressure.

[0037] When the core 3 is first used, the unused ink ribbon 2 is wound onto it. The core 3 is a cylindrical member with at least one end open. The core 3 is made of paper, resin, etc. In this example, the core 3 is a cylindrical member with both ends open (opening 3b).

[0038] The ribbon cover 5 is provided for attaching the RFID tag 4, which will be described later, and is supported by the core 3, etc., so as to cover a portion of the ink ribbon 2. The ribbon cover 5 is positioned so as not to interfere with the unwinding of the ink ribbon 2 when it is unwinded from the core 3, in other words, so as not to block the transport path of the ink ribbon 2. In this example, as shown in Figure 1A, it is configured to cover the upper and lower two surfaces of the ink ribbon 2. More specifically, the ribbon cover 5 covers both ends of the core 3 in the axial direction, the back surface of the ink ribbon 2, and the upper and lower two surfaces of the ink ribbon 2 that are opposite each other in the width direction.

[0039] The ribbon cover 5 has a pair of side walls 5a that cover both ends of the core 3 in the axial direction, and a tag mounting surface 5c that connects one side wall 5a to the other side wall 5a and covers one side of the ink ribbon 2 facing each other in the width direction. One side wall 5a and the other side wall 5a of the core 3 in the axial direction are provided with holes 5b that penetrate each side wall. In this example, the holes 5b are circular holes concentric with the opening 3b of the core 3. However, the shape of the holes 5b does not necessarily have to be circular, nor does it have to be concentric with the opening of the core 3. The tag mounting surface 5c covers at least a portion of the ink ribbon 2 wound on the core 3.

[0040] In this example, the ribbon cover 5 has flat surfaces and an outer shape that is roughly rectangular, but it is not limited to this shape. The ribbon cover 5 may be made of paper or resin material, but it may also be made of transparent resin so that the ink ribbon 2 can be seen from the outside of the ribbon cover 5. As described above, the ribbon cover 5 is used to attach the RFID tag 4, but by covering the ink ribbon 2, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon 2 from being touched when carrying the ink ribbon refill 1 or installing it in equipment, thereby preventing contamination of the ink ribbon 2.

[0041] An RFID tag 4 is attached to the tag mounting surface 5c using an adhesive (not shown). The RFID tag 4 is an example of an identification information recording unit and is configured to enable wireless reading of recorded information and wireless recording of information. In this example, the RFID tag 4 records the following as identification information: color information of inks that can be printed with the ink ribbon 2, type information regarding the types of inks that can be printed with the ink ribbon 2, usage information of the ink ribbon 2, manufacturer information, etc. The RFID tag 4 may be made of a sheet of paper, resin, etc., with a predetermined circuit (not shown) formed therein that enables information recording, information input / output, etc., and an adhesive layer with adhesive applied to the back surface.

[0042] The core 3 is configured such that its axial length is the same as, or slightly longer than, the width of the ink ribbon 2. The ribbon cover 5 is configured such that its longitudinal length is approximately the same as the axial length of the core 3. The diameter of the hole 5b is configured to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the core 3.

[0043] The cover holder 6 rotatably clamps the side wall 5a of the ribbon cover 5 between itself and the end face 3a of the core 3. This holds the ribbon cover 5 between the cover holder 6 and the end face 3a of the core 3. The ribbon cover 5 is sandwiched between the cover holder 6 and the end face 3a of the core 3 and is rotatably supported, as will be described later.

[0044] The cover holder 6, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, for example, has a main body portion 8 that is inserted into the opening 3b of the core 3, and a clamping portion 7 that extends radially from the main body portion 8 to the core 3 and clamps the ribbon cover 5 between itself and the end face 3a of the core 3.

[0045] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the main body 8 is formed in a hollow, approximately frustoconical or conical shape. Making the main body 8 a tapered, approximately conical column or cone shape makes it easier to insert the main body 8 into the opening 3b. However, as long as it can be inserted into the opening 3b, the main body 8 does not necessarily have to be approximately frustoconical or conical; for example, it may be cylindrical. When the main body 8 is inserted into the winding core 3 (opening 3b), it extends along the inner wall surface 3c of the winding core 3 in the axial direction of the winding core 3.

[0046] The main body 8 is angled from the base end towards the tip end (in the direction of insertion into the opening 3b) such that the tip end is smaller than the inner diameter of the winding core 3 (opening 3b) and the base end is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the winding core 3. The base end is made larger than the inner diameter of the winding core 3 so that when the main body 8 is inserted into the opening 3b, the base end presses radially against the inner wall surface of the winding core 3 to press-fit the main body 8. Press-fitting the main body 8 into the opening 3b allows the main body 8 (cover holder 6) and the winding core 3 to be firmly fitted together.

[0047] In this example, the main body 8 is constructed by combining multiple ribs that extend from the base end to the tip end. By constructing the main body 8 with multiple ribs, it is possible to reduce weight and material costs while ensuring strength, and the resistance when inserting the main body 8 into the opening 3b is distributed, thereby reducing the load during insertion. Thus, in this example, the main body 8 is constructed with multiple ribs, but of course, the outer circumference of the main body 8 may be constructed with surfaces instead of ribs.

[0048] The clamping portion 7 is formed to protrude from the periphery of the base end side of the main body portion 8 (in this example, near the (virtual) bottom surface of the cone-shaped main body portion 8), as shown in Figures 2A and 2B. The clamping portion 7 has an arm portion 7d that extends from the periphery of the main body portion 8 in the axial direction of the main body portion 8 and in the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the main body portion 8, that is, from the tip side to the other end side of the main body portion 8, and a claw-shaped locking claw 7e that bends from the tip of the arm portion 7d and extends radially outward. In this example, the cover holder 6 has three clamping portions 7. The clamping portion 7 is also integrally formed with the main body portion 8.

[0049] As shown in Figure 1A, etc., when the cover holder 6 (main body 8) is inserted into the winding core 3 through the opening 3b, the arm portion 7d is located inside the winding core 3, and the locking claw 7e is located outside the winding core 3. More specifically, the locking claw 7e protrudes axially from the winding core 3 and extends radially outward.

[0050] The locking claw 7e is configured such that its length in the extension direction is longer than the (radial) thickness of the core 3 and shorter than the (radial) thickness of the ink ribbon 2 wound on the core 3. However, since the locking claw 7e is for holding the ribbon cover 5, the length of the locking claw 7e is not limited to the above length as long as the ribbon cover 5 does not fall off. The locking claw 7e is formed in a plate shape, and its tip is approximately arc-shaped. In this example, three locking claws 7e are provided. Of these three locking claws 7e, two locking claws 7e1 and 7e2 are arranged in close proximity to each other, and the remaining locking claw 7e3 is positioned approximately opposite to the two locking claws 7e1 and 7e2. The locking claw 7e3 has a larger area than the two adjacent locking claws 7e1 and 7e2. That is, the area of ​​the locking claw 7e3 that supports the ribbon cover 5 is larger than that of the other two locking claws 7e1 and 7e2. This is to ensure that the ribbon cover 5 is securely held even with just one locking claw 7e3. In this example, the position of the locking claw 7e allows for visual identification of the direction the ribbon cover 5 is facing. Specifically, the direction in which the locking claw 7e3 protrudes is approximately parallel to the tag mounting surface 5c of the ribbon cover 5. Therefore, by looking at the position and extension direction of the locking claw 7e3, the direction in which the ribbon cover 5 is facing can be confirmed, which can reduce errors such as incorrect mounting direction when attaching the ink ribbon refill 1 to the device. It should be noted that while using three locking claws 7e as in this example ensures that the ribbon cover 5 is securely held, the number of locking claws 7e is not limited to three, as long as the ribbon cover 5 can be held.

[0051] The locking claw 7e has an opposing surface 7f that faces the end face 3a of the core 3 or the end face of the ink ribbon 2 wound on the core 3. The opposing surface 7f includes a retaining surface 7g that holds the ribbon cover 5 and a stepped surface 7b that protrudes from the retaining surface 7g toward the end face 3a of the core 3 and contacts the end face 3a. The stepped surface 7b is located at the base end of the opposing surface 7f, and the retaining surface 7g is adjacent to the tip side of the opposing surface 7f.

[0052] The cover holder 6 (clamping portion 7 or locking claw 7e) needs to hold the ribbon cover 5 rotatably with respect to the core 3. Therefore, the gap between the holding surface 7g and the end face 3a of the core 3 must be equal to or greater than the thickness of the ribbon cover 5. To this end, the locking claw 7e is provided with a step 7a to form a gap P between it and the end face 3a of the core 3. The step 7a is located on the base end side of the opposing surface 7f and protrudes toward the end face 3a of the core 3. The surface of the step 7a facing the end face 3a of the core 3 constitutes the stepped surface 7b described above. Since the step 7a protrudes further toward the end face 3a of the core 3 than the holding surface 7g, the amount of protrusion allows the holding surface 7g to be separated from the end face 3a of the core 3. By making the amount of protrusion of the step 7a greater than or equal to the thickness of the ribbon cover 5, the gap P becomes greater than or equal to the thickness of the ribbon cover 5, and the ribbon cover 5 can be held rotatably with respect to the core 3.

[0053] As shown in Figure 1C and other figures, the ink ribbon refill 1 is configured such that the ribbon cover 5 is sandwiched between the holding surface 7g and the end face 3a of the winding core 3 by inserting the ribbon cover 5 into the gap P between the holding surface 7g and the end face 3a of the winding core 3. This allows the ribbon cover 5 to be rotatably supported with respect to the winding core 3 around which the ink ribbon 2 is wound.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2C, it is desirable that the stepped surface 7b and the end face 3a of the core 3 be in close contact. This is because, since the ribbon cover 5 is thin, if a gap occurs between the stepped surface 7b and the end face 3a of the core 3, the ribbon cover 5 may get stuck in that gap. Thus, as long as the ribbon cover 5 does not get stuck in the gap, the stepped surface 7b may be a projection 7c that contacts the core 3, rather than a surface, as shown in Figure 2D. This way, even if the stepped surface 7b and the end face 3a of the core 3 are not in close contact and a gap occurs between them, the projection 7c can prevent the ribbon cover 5 from getting stuck in the gap.

[0055] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the cover holder 6 includes a core locking portion 9 for aligning with the core 3, in addition to the clamping portion 7. The core locking portion 9 is formed from a member extending radially from the main body portion 8. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, one or more notches 10 are formed in the core 3, extending axially from the end of the core 3. When inserting the main body portion 8 into the core 3, the core locking portion 9 and the notches 10 are fitted together. This makes it easy to align the core 3 and the cover holder 6. Furthermore, by providing multiple notches 10 and multiple core locking portions 9 that engage with them, the posture of the cover holder 6 can be stabilized when the cover holder 6 and the core 3 are fitted together. As described above, in this example, the main body 8 is configured to be press-fitted into the opening 3b. However, if a core locking part 9 is provided and the core locking part 9 is used to position and fix the main body 8 to the core 3, then the main body 8 does not need to be press-fitted into the opening 3b. In other words, the outer diameter of the base end of the main body 8 does not need to be larger than the inner diameter of the core 3. Furthermore, the core locking part 9 is not necessarily an essential component for the ink ribbon refill 1. That is, if the main body 8 can be securely fixed to the core 3 by press-fitting or the like, the core locking part 9 is not necessarily required.

[0056] Figures 4A to 5B show other embodiments, and in particular Figures 4B to 4G show modified examples of the clamping portion 7 (locking claw 7e). Figure 4A shows the case where there is one clamping portion 7 (locking claw 7e) or where three clamping portions 7 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Figures 4B and 4C show the case where the clamping portion 7 is formed in an arc shape in the circumferential direction along the end face 3a of the winding core 3. Figure 4D shows a modified example where the clamping portion 7 is composed of multiple locking claws 7e, and Figures 4E to 4G show an example of a specific structure when the clamping portion 7 is formed in an arc shape. Figures 5A and 5B also show the case where the clamping portion 7 protrudes from the end face 3a of the winding core 3.

[0057] Figure 4A shows the case where there is one clamping portion 7 (solid line portion). As shown in the figure, when there is only one clamping portion 7, it is desirable to make the clamping portion 7 protrude from above the main body portion 8 and support the upper position of the side wall 5a of the ribbon cover 5. Here, "above" means the direction opposite to the direction of gravity and its vicinity when viewed from the ink ribbon refill 1 with the ink ribbon refill 1 attached to the device. In this example, it means the direction in which the tag mounting surface 5c is located relative to the center position (axis) of the winding core 3. As shown in Figure 4A, by positioning the clamping portion 7 (solid line portion) above, the clamping portion 7 will hold the ribbon cover 5 from below, so if the ribbon cover 5 falls (moves) in the direction of gravity, the ribbon cover 5 can be picked up by the clamping portion 7. For this reason, the ribbon cover 5 can be held securely. On the other hand, if the clamping portion 7 is positioned downward (in the direction of gravity) and the ribbon cover 5 is held shallowly, there is a risk that the ribbon cover 5 may detach from the clamping portion 7 when the ribbon cover 5 moves downward. For this reason, when the clamping portion 7 is positioned downward, it is necessary to hold the ribbon cover 5 deeply (by lengthening the locking claws 7e, for example) so that the ribbon cover 5 does not detach from the clamping portion 7 even when the ribbon cover 5 moves downward. On the other hand, as shown by the solid and dashed lines in Figure 4A, if multiple clamping parts 7 are positioned circumferentially (at equal intervals) (three in this example), the ribbon cover 5 can be held securely and stably. When multiple clamping parts 7 are positioned circumferentially, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the size of each locking claw (area of ​​the holding surface 7g) may be different, and the spacing between each locking claw does not necessarily have to be equal. Furthermore, the number of locking claws is not limited to three.

[0058] The clamping parts 7 shown in Figures 4B and 4C hold the ribbon cover 5 in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the clamping part 7 shown in Figure 4B has a locking claw 7e configured in a roughly C-shape, and is formed to partially cover the end face 3a of the winding core 3 and a part of the ribbon cover 5 along the circumferential direction. The clamping part 7 shown in Figure 4C has a locking claw 7e configured in an annular (ring-shaped) shape, and is formed to completely cover the end face 3a of the winding core 3 along the circumferential direction. Since these clamping parts 7 hold the ribbon cover in the circumferential direction, the ribbon cover 5 can be held more stably.

[0059] Figure 4D shows a modified example of Figure 4A where the clamping portion 7 is composed of multiple locking claws 7e. As shown in Figure 4D, the cover holder 6 is equipped with four locking claws 7e, and two adjacent locking claws 7e are connected to form a clamping portion 7'. By configuring the clamping portion 7' ​​in this way, the area of ​​the clamping portion 7 is increased, allowing the ribbon cover 5 to be held more securely between the end face 3a of the winding core 3 and the clamping portion 7', and improving the strength of the locking claws 7e. It should be noted that, even in this case, the number of locking claws 7e is not limited to four.

[0060] Figures 4E and 4F show an example of a specific structure in which the locking claw 7e shown in Figure 4B is configured as an arc-shaped clamping portion 7, and is formed to partially cover the end face 3a of the winding core 3 and a part of the ribbon cover 5 along the circumferential direction. The arc-shaped clamping portion 7' ​​shown in Figure 4E is formed in a roughly C-shape, extending from the locking claws 7e1 to 7e3 and then to 7e2 in the cover holder 6 shown in Figures 2A and 2B. The number and arrangement of the multiple locking claws 7e, and the length of the clamping portion 7' ​​connecting the multiple locking claws 7e, can be set arbitrarily. In addition, the clamping portion 7' ​​may be provided as multiple independent clamping portions 7', as shown in Figure 4F, rather than in the form of connecting multiple locking claws as in Figure 4E. In this case as well, the number of clamping portions 7' and the length of each clamping portion 7' ​​can be set arbitrarily.

[0061] Figure 4G shows a specific example of a configuration in which the locking claws 7e shown in Figure 4C are configured as an annular (ring-shaped) clamping portion 7, and are formed to completely cover the end face 3a of the winding core 3 along the circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 4G, the clamping portion 7' ​​is formed to connect all the locking claws 7e. The width of the annular portion of the clamping portion 7' ​​can be set arbitrarily within the range in which the ribbon cover 5 does not fall off, but the larger the width, the larger the area in which the clamping portion 7' ​​confronts the ribbon cover 5, so the ribbon cover 5 can be held more stably.

[0062] The clamping portion 7 shown in Figures 5A and 5B is provided on the end face 3a of the core 3. Specifically, the clamping portion 7 has an arm portion 7d extending in the axial direction of the core 3 from the end face 3a of the core 3, and a locking claw 7e that bends radially outward from the end of the arm portion 7d and extends towards the ribbon cover 5. In these examples, since the clamping portion 7 is provided on the end face 3a of the core 3, a cover holder 6 inserted into the opening 3b is unnecessary. Note that the clamping portion 7 shown in Figure 5A is an example in which the cover holder 6 is fixed to the end face 3a of the core 3 by adhesive or the like, while the clamping portion 7 shown in Figure 5B is an example in which it is integrally formed with the end face 3a of the core 3. Integrating the clamping portion 7 and the core 3 has the advantage of making separation easier, for example, when disposing of the parts.

[0063] <Examples of the effects and benefits of the ink ribbon refill according to this embodiment> The ink ribbon refill 1 of this embodiment is provided with a ribbon cover 5 that covers at least a portion of the ink ribbon 2 wound on a core 3, and with an RFID tag 4 attached to the ribbon cover 5. This eliminates the need to separately prepare and attach an RFID tag when replacing the ink ribbon refill 1, thus reducing the number of parts required for replacing the ink ribbon refill 1 and allowing the ink ribbon refill 1 with an RFID tag 4 to be provided at a low cost.

[0064] Furthermore, in the ink ribbon refill 1 of this embodiment, the RFID tag 4 is attached to the ribbon cover 5, which is a separate component from the core 3. Therefore, the tag mounting surface 5c, where the RFID tag 4 is attached, can be a flat surface or any curved surface that does not put stress on the RFID tag 4. Although RFID tags have a certain degree of flexibility, if they are bent excessively when attached, excessive stress may be placed on the internal circuit board or antenna, potentially causing disconnection or other damage. However, with the ink ribbon refill 1 of this embodiment, damage to the RFID tag 4 due to such excessive bending can be suppressed.

[0065] Furthermore, the ink ribbon refill 1 of this embodiment is provided with locking claws 7e projecting radially away from the central axis of the core 3 at both ends in the axial direction of the core 3. By inserting the ribbon cover 5 into the gap between these locking claws 7e and the end faces 3a of both ends of the core 3, the ribbon cover 5 is sandwiched between the locking claws 7e and the end faces 3a of the core 3. As a result, the ribbon cover 5 is securely held between the holding surface 7g of the locking claws 7e and the end faces 3a of the core 3, preventing it from falling off the ink ribbon refill 1, and thus the ribbon cover 5 can be stably supported on the core 3 around which the ink ribbon 2 is wound.

[0066] Furthermore, if the gap P between the locking claw 7e and the end face 3a of the core 3 is made larger than the thickness of the ribbon cover 5, the ribbon cover 5 will be less likely to come into contact with the holding surface 7g of the locking claw 7e and the end face 3a of the core 3. This allows the ribbon cover 5 to be supported stably and relatively rotatably with respect to the core 3, thus not hindering the unwinding of the ink ribbon 2 from the ribbon cover. In addition, handling the ink ribbon refill 1 becomes easier. For example, during the process of replacing the ink ribbon refill 1 with a new one, it is possible to prevent problems such as the ribbon cover 5 falling off and accidentally damaging the ink ribbon 2.

[0067] Furthermore, since the ribbon cover 5 is composed of flat surfaces, it is possible to attach, for example by affixing, a sticker or the like that contains instructions on how to attach the ink ribbon refill 1, along with or instead of the RFID tag 4 mentioned above, so that attachment and detachment can be performed reliably without referring to a separate instruction manual. In addition, it is also possible to attach a sticker or the like that that contains the color, type, product name, etc., of the ink ribbon refill 1 to the ribbon cover 5, in which case it is possible to visually confirm that it is the correct ink ribbon refill for the purpose.

[0068] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the disclosed technology is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the gist of the disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1…Ink ribbon refill 2…Ink ribbon 3...Core 3a...end face 3b…Aperture 3c…Inner wall surface 4…RFID tags 5… Ribbon cover 5a…Side wall 5b…hole part 5c…Tag mounting surface 6…Cover holder 7,7´...Holding part 7a…step 7b…Step surface 7c…Protrusion 7d...Arm 7e…Latching claw 7f...Opposing surface 7g…Holding surface 8...Main body 9...Core locking part 10... Notch

Claims

1. The core and The ink ribbon wound around the aforementioned core, A ribbon cover that covers at least a portion of one end face of the ink ribbon and the core, An ink ribbon refill comprising a cover holder that protrudes from the end face of the core and rotatably holds the ribbon cover between itself and the end face of the core.

2. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 1, wherein the cover holder comprises a main body fixed to the core and a clamping portion extending radially from the main body and clamping the ribbon cover, the clamping portion having a facing surface that faces the end face of the core.

3. The winding core is cylindrical with an opening at least at one end, The main body portion is inserted into the opening of the winding core, as described in claim 2.

4. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 3, wherein the clamping portion is one or more locking claws facing the end face of the core.

5. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 4, wherein the main body portion comprises an insertion portion that is inserted into the opening of the core and presses the inner wall surface of the core in the radial direction.

6. The winding core has one or more notches extending axially from the end of the winding core. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 5, wherein the cover holder further comprises one or more core locking portions that engage with the one or more notches.

7. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 5, wherein the insertion portion and the locking claw are formed integrally.

8. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 4, wherein the locking claw is spaced apart from the end face of the core, forming a gap between the locking claw and the end face of the core.

9. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 8, wherein the gap is greater than the thickness of the ribbon cover.

10. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 1, wherein the core and the cover holder are formed integrally.

11. The ink ribbon refill according to claim 1 or claim 10, wherein the cover holder is provided at both ends of the core.

12. A cover holder that supports an ink ribbon and a ribbon cover that covers at least a portion of one end face of the core of the ink ribbon, The cover holder protrudes from the end face of the winding core and rotatably holds the ribbon cover between itself and the end face of the winding core.

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