| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 347214000 | Ink cassette or cartridge | 41 |
| 20080259150 | Printer and ink cassette therefor - A printer to which an ink cassette having a function of transmitting and receiving data via wireless communication with a printer main body is attached, is disclosed. The printer includes: communication means that transmits and receives data via wireless communication with an ink cassette; and control means that acquires management information of the ink cassette stored in the ink cassette side via the communication means and displays the information with display means and controls printing based on the acquired management information, wherein the control means receives data from the ink cassette attached to the printer main body with the communication means and receives the management information through the reception of data with the communication means from the ink cassette made close to a predetermined position of the printer main body and displays the information with the display means. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20090046136 | PRINTER CARTRIDGE UNIFYING THERMAL RIBBON AND TRANSFER MEDIUM AND THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER EMPLOYING THE SAME - A thermal transfer printer having simpler structure, occupying less installation space, and enhancing the user convenience. The thermal transfer printer includes a cartridge having print paper wound in a roll, a capstan roller for conveying the print paper by applying frictional force on the print paper, a printing head for printing images on the print paper, and a platen roller for selectively pressing the print paper against the printing head. The housing of the cartridge has a first opening penetrating the housing and extending laterally. A paper roll case is rotatably installed in the housing and has a second opening penetrating the paper roll case and extending laterally. Inside the paper roll case, a paper roll is stuck on the inner surface of the paper roll case, and print paper is wound from the inner surface of the paper roll case to inward direction, while a first end of the print paper is exposed through the second opening. | 02-19-2009 |
| 20090115831 | Method of controlling electric conduction through thermal heat and thermal printer - A thermal printer detects an environmental temperature, and directly or indirectly detects a change in tension of an ink ribbon R. A correction value is read or calculated according to at least one of the detected environmental temperature and the detected change in the tension of the ink ribbon R. Thermal energy of each heating element in the thermal head is controlled based on the correction value so as to adjustably increase or reduce number of print lines on a print medium in a sub-scanning direction. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090185023 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND MODIFICATION SHEET CARTRIDGE USING THE SAME - An image forming apparatus includes a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium in a predetermined direction, a thermal transfer sheet traveling unit that causes a thermal transfer sheet to travel in a predetermined direction, a modification sheet moving unit that moves a surface modification sheet, a thermal head that applies thermal energy and thermally transfers sequentially a dye layer and a protective layer of the thermal transfer sheet onto the recording medium while the dye layer or the protective layer opposes the surface of the recording medium, and a modification sheet protecting unit disposed in a movement path of the surface modification sheet, and configured to prevent adhesion of dust to the surface modification sheet or to eliminate the adhesion. After forming the image onto the recording medium using the thermal transfer sheet and forming the protective layer that protects the image, the surface modification portion of the surface modification sheet is aligned with a plane in which the protective layer is formed, so that heat and pressure are applied by the thermal head to modify the surface state of the protective layer formed at the recording medium. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090262177 | RIBBON GUIDE FOR THERMAL PRINTERS AND METHOD OF INSTALLATION - A ribbon guide used to install a thermal ribbon in a thermal printer, the ribbon guide having a bottle shaped profile and being formed of V-Max® brand synthetic paper. The ribbon guide has three integral portions, a first portion having a cross-shaped slit and a hole, a second portion that may be used for gripping by an operator, and a third portion for receiving printed advertising and/or other useful information. The synthetic paper is a multi-layer product comprised of thin individual layers of high density polyethylene that have been extruded, stretched, bias-cut and cross laminated. The cross-shaped slit receives the very thin thermal ribbon and allows the ribbon guide to connect and hold the thermal ribbon during installation of the thermal ribbon in the thermal printer. After loading a reel of thermal ribbon onto a supply spindle and connecting the thermal ribbon to the ribbon guide, an operator may grip the second portion of the ribbon guide, and thread the ribbon guide through the internal mechanisms of the thermal printer including passed a print head to a reel on a take-up spindle. Using the ribbon guide reduces thermal ribbon handling by an operator and thus hands are cleaner and less likely to smell, and the hands of the operator are kept away from moving and/or hot parts of the thermal printer. Forming the ribbon guide of the V-Max® brand synthetic paper reduces the amount of dust, oil and dirt entering the interior of the thermal printer and gives the ribbon guide enough self-support to allow it to load the thermal ribbon. The ribbon guide may also be used as an advertising platform and as a helpful tool. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20110261135 | THERMAL HEAD PRINTER - A thermal head printer includes: a cassette in which print paper is loaded; a transfer part, having a platen roller, that transfers the print paper; an ejecting part from which the print paper is ejected; a ribbon drive part that supplies an ink ribbon; a head mechanism, having a print head, that is moved among at least three positions, which are a first position, a second position, and a third position; a first drive cam that moves the head mechanism between the first position and second position; and a second drive cam that moves the head mechanism between the second position and third position. An amount by which the head mechanism moves over a distance between the second position and third position is smaller than between the first position and second position. The second drive cam has a smaller outside shape than the first drive cam. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110316956 | THERMAL PRINTER AND INK RIBBON CASSETTE - A thermal printer is proposed that includes an ink ribbon on which a color ink portion and a non-color ink portion are alternately formed in a conveyance direction, a supply bobbin on which the ink ribbon is wound, a take-up bobbin on which the ink ribbon is to be wound, and a housing that contains the supply bobbin and the take-up bobbin. When an error occurs during transferring of an ink on the color ink surface, the ink ribbon is conveyed so that a portion of the ink ribbon exposed from the ink cassette between the supply bobbin and the take-up bobbin is the non-color ink portion. | 12-29-2011 |
| 20120044314 | SURFACE PROPERTY MODIFYING SHEET CARTRIDGE AND IMAGE FORMING CARTRIDGE - A surface property modifying sheet cartridge includes two reels that are disposed in parallel with a predetermined interval, a surface property modifying sheet that is provided in a tensioned state between the two reels in a manner such that end parts thereof are respectively fixed to the two reels and are wound respectively around the two reels, and a case part configured to store the two reels and the surface property modifying sheet. In the surface property modifying sheet cartridge, the case part includes a penetrating part that exposes a part of the surface property modifying sheet positioned between the two reels. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120162342 | PRINTER - A printer comprises a conveying unit configured to convey a medium. The printer includes an image forming unit provided in a conveyance path of the medium, the image forming unit being configured to form an image with a temperature-sensitive ink, whose color is changed depending on a temperature, on the medium. A cutter for cutting the medium is provided in the conveyance path downstream of a medium conveyance direction of the image forming unit. Further, a coloring conversion unit is provided in the conveyance path downstream of a medium conveyance direction of the cutter. The coloring conversion unit is configured to change a coloring state of the image of the temperature-sensitive ink by heating or cooling the image of the temperature-sensitive ink formed on the cut medium. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120188325 | TAPE CASSETTE - A tape cassette that includes a generally rectangular box-like housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall defining a periphery of the housing, a first and second cavities extending from the bottom wall and disposed between a tape containing area and the periphery at opposite ends of a diagonal of the generally rectangular box-like housing, at least one tape wound and mounted within the housing in the tape containing area, the at least one tape including a first tape disposed in a first area, the first tape having a hole at a center of winding, and the first area being one of two areas formed by dividing the housing with respect to a line connecting the first and second cavities, and a third cavity that extends in the hole of the first tape from the bottom wall. | 07-26-2012 |
| 20130021423 | TAPE CASSETTE AND TAPE PRINTING APPARATUS - The tape cassette used in a tape printing apparatus incorporates an ink ribbon including a thermal printing layer including a coloring layer containing wax and pigment coated on a base film and an adhesive layer coated on the coloring layer, and a congealing point of the thermal printing layer is controlled to be 89 degrees Celsius or higher and difference between a glass transition point of the thermal printing layer and a melting point of the thermal printing layer is controlled to be 23 degrees Celsius or smaller. | 01-24-2013 |
| 20130113870 | TAPE DRIVE AND METHOD OF OPERATION OF A TAPE DRIVE - A tape drive ( | 05-09-2013 |
| 20130215210 | THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER - A thermal transfer printer, including first and second spool supports each being configured to support a spool of ribbon; a ribbon drive configured to cause movement of ribbon from the first support to the second spool support; a printhead for selectively transferring ink from the ribbon to a substrate; an electromagnetic sensor arranged to sense electromagnetic radiation and to generate data indicative of a property of the ribbon based upon sensed electromagnetic radiation; and a controller for processing data generated by the electromagnetic sensor. | 08-22-2013 |
| 20130250026 | PRINTER - Provided is a printer capable of ensuring a large peeling angle at the time of peeling between the transfer film and the ink ribbon by differentiating a conveyance direction of the transfer film at a peeling part on a proceeding passage from the proceeding direction. In the printer which forms an image on a transfer film | 09-26-2013 |
| 20140002568 | PRINTING METHOD AND APPARATUS | 01-02-2014 |
| 20140063171 | TAPE DRIVE AND PRINTING APPARATUS - A tape drive for use in for example a transfer printing apparatus to drive a printer ribbon. The printer ribbon is mounted on two spools each of which is driven by a respective stepper motor. A controller controls the energization of the motor such that the ribbon is transported in at least one direction between spools mounted on the spool support. The controller is operative to energize both motors to drive the spools of ribbon in the direction of ribbon transport to achieve push-pull operations. Ribbon tension is monitored to enable accurate control of ribbon supply and ribbon take-up, the ribbon tension being monitored, for example, by monitoring power supply to the two stepper motors. | 03-06-2014 |
| 20140210934 | RIBBON WEB GUIDE AND METHOD FOR A RIBBON PRINTING SYSTEM - A ribbon guide for a ribbon printing system includes a body that is elongated along a longitudinal axis from a base end an opposite end and having a tapered shape from the base end to the opposite end. The body is configured to be coupled with a cassette plate of the ribbon printing system along a path taken by a print ribbon in the ribbon printing system such that the body deflects the print ribbon to travel away from the cassette plate when the print ribbon is pulled from an unwind spindle to a windup spindle in the ribbon printing system. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140210935 | Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive for Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Tape, Tape Cassette, and Tape Printer - There is provided a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape which includes a first pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed by using any of different types of adhesive samples. Thereby the first pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is adjusted so as to satisfy conditions that, slow peel strength when a printing tape made of a PET film is peeled off from the substrate film of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape by 5 mm at peel rate of 0.5 mm/minute is 0.45 N/20 mm or higher and storage modulus of the adhesive layer is in a range from 90.7 kPa to 435 kPa. By improving adhesiveness to the printing tape under environmental temperature from a low temperature to a normal temperature, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive layer renders the printing tape less apt to peel off. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140210936 | PORTABLE PRINTER AND METHODS - This is disclosed a portable printer that is easy to load with an ink ribbon cartridge and record members web supplies, that is simple, has relatively few parts, is lightweight and has a small footprint. | 07-31-2014 |
| 20140218458 | Media Cartridge With Shifting Ribs - A media cartridge is disclosed for insertion into a cartridge receptacle of a printer. The media cartridge includes a cartridge, housing having one or more shifting ribs on the cartridge housing. At a position of initial insertion of the media cartridge into the cartridge receptacle, the shifting ribs are configured to center a length of media and an ink ribbon of the media cartridge between a print head and a platen roller in the cartridge receptacle. As the insertion of the media cartridge into the cartridge receptacle continues, the shifting ribs shift the length of media and the ink ribbon toward one of the print head and the platen roller. | 08-07-2014 |
| 20140292991 | PRINTING APPARATUS - To provide a printing apparatus with high printing quality that reduces a transport amount of an ink ribbon except printing operation and that suppresses skew of the ink ribbon, diameters of spools | 10-02-2014 |
| 20140307038 | Tape Cassette - A tape cassette includes a cassette case, a tape containment area, a first wall portion, a guide portion, a second wall portion, a third wall portion, and a fourth wall portion. The cassette case includes a top face, a bottom face, a front face, and a pair of side faces. The tape containment area is an area in which a tape roll is accommodated. The first wall portion is provided along a portion of an outer perimeter of the tape containment area. The guide portion is provided downstream from the first wall portion on a feed path. The second wall portion is provided between the first wall portion and the guide portion. The third wall portion is provided on an opposite side of a tape from the second wall portion. The fourth wall portion is provided between the second wall portion and the guide portion. | 10-16-2014 |
| 20150062278 | INK RIBBON CASSETTE AND PRINTER APPARATUS - An ink ribbon cassette includes an elastic engaging portion configured to engage with a rotation regulating portion of a supply bobbin or a rotation regulating portion of a winding bobbin to regulate rotation of the supply bobbin or the winding bobbin. The elastic engaging portion is elastically deformable in a direction of rotation axes of the supply bobbin and the winding bobbin. | 03-05-2015 |
| 20150077498 | PORTABLE PRINTER - Devices, systems and methods for a portable printer are provided. Personnel utilize features of the printer to manage products, store information on labels, and aid in shipping. A low battery shut-off feature shuts down the printer at a set battery power percentage; a battery charge control feature controls battery charging to stay within a set range of state of charge values to ensure longer battery life; a ribbon cartridge insertion feature allows for easy replacement of the ribbon cartridge; ribbon cartridge locating features lock the ribbon cartridge into place for printing; a ribbon guiding feature adjusts the ribbon during printing to reduce wrinkles; an RFID coupler mounting feature mounts and shields an RFID coupler inside the printer; a media guide locking feature fixes the media position to prevent misalignment; and a media alignment feature allows the user to properly align the media with the printhead during installation. | 03-19-2015 |
| 20150124041 | TAPE CARTRIDGE AND TAPE PRINTER - A tape cartridge | 05-07-2015 |
| 20150145940 | INK RIBBON CASSETTE AND PRINTING DEVICE - An ink ribbon cassette includes a supply bobbin around which an ink ribbon is wound, a take-up bobbin around which the ink ribbon fed from the supply bobbin is wound, and a case in which the supply bobbin and the take-up bobbin are rotatably held. The case includes a contact portion that bends a path along which the ink ribbon is transported by coming into contact with the ink ribbon. The contact portion that has come into contact with the ink ribbon is movable as a result of receiving a tension in the ink ribbon. | 05-28-2015 |
| 20150298476 | Tape Cassette - A tape cassette includes a housing and a tape. An indicator aperture is formed on a front surface of the housing. An arm portion of the housing is defined by a section of the front surface and a first wall. An opening extends through the housing in a first direction perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the housing. The opening is defined by the first wall, a second wall and a connection portion. The connection portion connects upstream ends of the first wall and the second wall in a feed direction. A first surface is provided in the connection portion. The first surface is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction. The housing has a first indentation extending from the bottom surface to the first surface. The first surface is parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface. | 10-22-2015 |
| 20150306892 | Tape Cassette - A cassette case includes a bottom case and a top case. A tape is housed in the cassette case. A tape discharge portion discharges, from the cassette case, the tape that has been guided in the cassette case along a predetermined feed path. A first indicator portion indicates a type of the tape. A second indicator portion indicates a type of the tape, which is different from that indicated by the first indicator portion. An indicator member is a member independent from the top case and the bottom case, and is provided with the second indicator portion. An attachment portion is provided on the cassette case. The indicator member is removably attached to the attachment portion. | 10-29-2015 |
| 20150343821 | TAPE CARTRIDGE - A tape cartridge includes grasping portions that allow the tape cartridge to be grasped when the tape cartridge is installed to or detached from a tape printing apparatus and are disposed at two opposite places on a side surface of the tape cartridge, a platen that has a first reception portion in which the first shaft is inserted when the tape cartridge is installed and a second reception portion into which the second shaft is inserted when the tape cartridge is installed in the cartridge installation portion. The second reception portion is positioned on an opposite side over an imaginary line connecting the grasping portions with respect to the first reception portion and disposed at a position to which one of the two grasping portions farther from the first reception portion is closer than the other of the grasping portions. | 12-03-2015 |
| 20150360493 | RIBBON CASSETTE FOR LABEL PRINTING DEVICE - Disclosed is a ribbon cassette for a label printing device, comprising a ribbon cassette case that contains a printing tape ( | 12-17-2015 |
| 20160016420 | Tape Cassette - A tape cassette includes a generally rectangular housing, a tape, an opening, and a roller. The housing has a top wall and a bottom wall. The top wall includes a top surface, a lower surface and a connection portion connecting. The housing defines first, second, third, and fourth corner portions. The lower surface includes a first portion between the connection portion and a side of the second corner portion and a second portion between the connection portion and a rear of the second corner portion with a space between the first portion and the second portion. An intersection of the connection portion and the lower surface includes a third portion that is a part of an edge forming the space between the first portion and the second portion. | 01-21-2016 |
| 20160039219 | TAPE PRINTER - Disclosed is a tape printer including: a cartridge installation portion to install a tape cartridge; an opening/closing cover that rotates about a hinge portion to open/close the cartridge installation portion; a cover urging portion that rotates and urges the opening/closing cover in an opening direction in a state in which the opening/closing cover is rotated to an opening side to get across a prescribed rotation position and that rotates and urges the opening/closing cover in a closing direction in a state in which the opening/closing cover is rotated to a closing side to get across the prescribed rotation position; and a cover opening operation portion that has an opening button and rotates the opening/closing cover to the opening side to get across the prescribed rotation position with a force to press the opening button. | 02-11-2016 |
| 20160067991 | RIBBON CARTRIDGE, THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER, AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING RIBBON CARTRIDGE - Disclosed are a ribbon cartridge, a thermal transfer printer, and a method for installing the ribbon cartridge. The ribbon cartridge ( | 03-10-2016 |
| 20160107453 | Tape Printer and Recording Medium - The disclosure discloses a tape printer includes a controller configured to execute a tape width acquiring process, an object acquiring process, a first specification receiving process, a determining process, and a first reduction process. In the object acquiring process, a first and a second print object to be formed on a first or a second line of the print-receiving tape, are acquired. In the first specification receiving process, specifications of a first and a second size are received. In the determining process, it is determined whether or not a print of the first and the second print object can be performed according to each of the specified sizes and the tape width of the print-receiving tape. In the first reduction process, at least one of the first and the second print object is reduced in accordance with a magnification rule so that the print of the first and the second print object becomes possible. | 04-21-2016 |
| 20160129716 | ENHANCED RIBBON LOADING AND UNLOADING FEATURES - A device for processing media may include a system and method for loading and unloading consumable supplies of a printer, and more particularly, a system and method for providing a compact form factor printer which provides convenient access to the replaceable components of the printer. A printer may include a base and a lid hingedly attached to the base, moveable between a closed position in which the lid is secured to the base, and an open position. A cavity may be defined between the lid and the base, where the cavity is inaccessible when the lid is in the closed position and the cavity is accessible when the lid is in the open position. The printer may include a ribbon positioning assembly disposed within the cavity. | 05-12-2016 |
| 20160136984 | Tape Reel Device and Tape Cartridge Including the Same - A tape reel device includes a cartridge case ( | 05-19-2016 |
| 20160159123 | TAPE CARTRIDGE - A tape cartridge includes a tape roll around which a printing medium is wound, a platen roller that has a first fitting portion to be fitted to a drive shaft when the tape cartridge is mounted on a mounting section of a tape printer, and a second fitting portion that is disposed at a center of a tape roll in an axial direction of the tape roll and is fitted to an identification portion when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer. In the tape cartridge, when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer, the second fitting portion is disposed in a depressed portion facing the mounting section. | 06-09-2016 |
| 20160159124 | PRINTER - A printer includes a casing, a cover, a ribbon cassette and a ribbon spool. The casing has a space and an opening The cover is pivotally connected to the casing, and configured to close the opening. The cover has a protruding portion facing the space. The ribbon cassette is detachably accommodated in the space. The ribbon cassette includes elastic arms, at least one of which has a first hooking structure. The ribbon spool is detachably and pivotally connected to the ribbon cassette. The ribbon spool includes a second hooking structure. Before the cover closes the opening, the second and the first hooking structures are mutually locked. When the cover closes the opening, the protruding portion inserts between the elastic arms, such that the first hooking structure detaches from the second hooking structure, allowing rotational freedom of the ribbon spool relative to the ribbon cassette. | 06-09-2016 |
| 20160176213 | Tape Cartridge | 06-23-2016 |
| 20160250873 | CASSETTE FOR LABEL PRINTER | 09-01-2016 |
| 20160250874 | INK RIBBON CASSETTE, INK RIBBON CARTRIDGE, PRINTING DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR PRINTING DEVICE | 09-01-2016 |
