Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406841-B2
Application number	US-201815889134-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2018
Priority date	Feb 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

In accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure, a printing apparatus includes: a housing including at least one removable portion, a pair of spool supports which are rotatably drivable by at least one motor, a supply spool, a take-up spool, each spool being receivable on a respective spool support, such that, in use, a ribbon extends along a ribbon path between the supply spool and the take-up spool, a ribbon identification system comprising: a tag for storing information concerning a property of the ribbon, a reader, wherein the tag is attached to one of the supply and take-up spools and the reader is attached to the removable portion or one of the removable portions, and wherein a signal emitted by the tag and received by the reader allows the reader to identify a property of the ribbon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing system comprising a printing apparatus and a ribbon identification system,
the printing apparatus comprising:
a housing which includes at least one removable portion;
a pair of spool supports which are rotatably drivable by at least one motor;
a supply spool, upon which ribbon is initially wound;
a take-up spool, for receiving ribbon unwound from the supply spool, each spool being receivable on a respective spool support, such that, in use, the ribbon extends along a ribbon path between the supply spool and the take-up spool;

the ribbon identification system comprising:
a tag for storing information concerning a property of the ribbon;
a reader;

wherein the tag is attached to one of the supply and take-up spools and the reader is attached to at least one of the at least one removable portion, and wherein a signal emitted by the tag and received by the reader allows the reader to identify a property of the ribbon.

2. A printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the tag is passive.

3. A printing system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one removable portion is formed from a plastics material.

4. A printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a collar which defines an opening for receiving the supply spool and the take-up spool.

5. A printing system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one removable portion includes a corner part of the collar.

6. A printing system according to claim 5 , wherein the reader is housed on or within the corner part.

7. A printing system according to claim 6 , wherein the reader is at least partially embedded in the corner part.

8. A printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises an adaptor.

9. A printing system according to claim 8 , wherein the adaptor includes a connector configured to be electronically connected to the reader.

10. A printing system according to claim 9 , wherein the adaptor includes two or more connectors, wherein each connector is configured to be electronically connected to the reader.

11. A printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the printing apparatus is a thermal transfer overprinter.

Assignees

• Dover Europe Sarl

Inventors

• Bond Nicky
• Toudmeri Mohammed Jamal

Classifications

• B41J33/16

  with drive applied to spool or spool spindle · CPC title

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J29/393

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41J2/32

  using thermal heads · CPC title

• B41J17/36 Primary

  Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsible to material breakage or exhaustion · CPC title