Printer Ink Ribbon Support Shaft with Biasing Attachment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Printers with ink ribbons face challenges in miniaturization due to the need for support shafts that can accommodate various inner diameters of wound ink ribbons, as existing shafts often struggle to adapt to different standards.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a pair of support shafts with a driven shaft and a transmitter system, utilizing a biasing member and attachment structures to ensure compatibility with multiple ribbon diameters, allowing for adjustable engagement with the ink ribbon and enabling space-saving miniaturization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a support shaft with fixed diameter is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot accommodate different inner diameters of ink ribbons from various standards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with multiple ribbon diameter standardsVSAvoidstructure of support shaft

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The support shaft is divided into a shaft body and a separate attachment that can be detached and replaced. This segmentation allows the attachment to be optimized for different ribbon inner diameters while the shaft body remains constant, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The shaft body is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple types of attachments. This multi-functionality allows a single shaft body to work with different attachments designed for various ribbon standards, achieving adaptability without increasing the complexity of the main shaft structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the support shaft diameter is adjusted to fit different ribbon standards, then compatibility improves, but the shaft structure becomes more complex and harder to manufacture

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with multiple ribbon diameter standardsVSAvoidmanufacturing of support shaft

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By separating the shaft body from the attachment, the manufacturing process is simplified. The shaft body can be mass-produced as a standard component, while only the attachments need to be manufactured in different specifications, significantly improving ease of manufacture compared to producing multiple shaft variants.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The attachment acts as an intermediary between the standard shaft body and the variable ribbon inner diameters. This mediator absorbs the manufacturing complexity, allowing the shaft body to remain simple and easy to manufacture while still achieving compatibility with multiple standards through the interchangeable attachments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If a single support shaft design is used for all standards, then manufacturing is simple, but the printer cannot achieve space-saving miniaturization due to insufficient adaptability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with multiple ribbon diameter standardsVSAvoidprinter size

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The segmented design with interchangeable attachments allows for a more compact overall structure. Instead of designing a large universal shaft that fits all standards, the system uses a compact standard shaft body with smaller, specialized attachments, enabling space-saving miniaturization while maintaining full adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dynamic interchangeability of attachments allows the support shaft system to adapt its configuration based on the specific ribbon standard being used. This dynamic adaptability enables the printer to optimize its internal space arrangement for each standard, achieving space-saving miniaturization that would not be possible with a fixed, one-size-fits-all shaft design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration achieves further space-saving and miniaturization in printers while accommodating different ribbon standards, reducing production costs by allowing a single support shaft to handle various diameters through the use of an attachment that adjusts to the ribbon's inner diameter.

Implementation Method 1

a biasing member that biases the driven shaft in a direction away from the support shaft

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS20240326497A1Printer and sheet support device

Publication Date: 2024.10.03 TOSHIBA TEC KK

AI summary

According to an embodiment, a printer includes: a pair of support shafts that are supported by the casing, inserted into an inner periphery of an ink ribbon wound into a cylinder, and support the ink ribbon hung around a printing device. The printer further includes a driven shaft that is connected to one end of each of the support shafts so as to be movable along a longitudinal direction of the corresponding support shaft. The printer further includes a transmitter that is driven to rotate to transmits rotation to the driven shaft pressed by biasing of the biasing member.