Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507680-B2
Application number	US-201816135086-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2017
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

There is provided a printing apparatus, including: a base plate having a first surface and a second surface; an installation part provided in the first surface and configured so that a ribbon roll is attached thereto; a thermal head provided in the first surface and configured to heat the ink ribbon; a partition wall partitioning the first surface into a first area including the installation part and a second area including the thermal head; a drive mechanism provided in a third area of the second surface and including a motor and a controller; and a fan provided in the base plate and configured to move air from the second area to the first area via the third area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a base plate including a first surface and a second surface;
an installation part provided in the first surface of the base plate to be rotatable and configured so that a ribbon roll, around which an ink ribbon is wound, is attached thereto;
a thermal head provided in the first surface of the base plate and configured to heat the ink ribbon, which is reeled out or unreeled from the ribbon roll depending on rotation of the installation part;
a partition wall partitioning the first surface of the base plate into a first area including the installation part and a second area including the thermal head;
a drive mechanism provided in a third area of the second surface of the base plate and including a motor configured to rotate the installation part and a controller configured to control the motor; and
a fan provided in the base plate and configured to move air from the second area to the first area via the third area.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fan is disposed in the base plate at a position in contact with the first area.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the installation part is one of a plurality of installation parts including a first installation part to which a first spool connected to a first end of the ink ribbon is attached; and a second installation part to which a second spool connected to a second end of the ink ribbon is attached, and
the fan is positioned in the base plate at a position between the first installation part and the second installation part.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fan does not extend beyond the first surface of the base plate in a direction oriented from the second surface toward the first surface and does not extend beyond the second surface of the base plate in a direction oriented from the first surface toward the second surface.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a control board mounted with a device configured to drive the motor,
the control board partitions the third area into a first partial area closer to the first area than to the second area and a second partial area closer to the second area than to the first area, and
the control board includes an air flowing part allowing air to flow between the first partial area and the second partial area.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Deng Yuanyuan

Classifications

• B41J2/325

  by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet · CPC title

• B41J29/377 Primary

  Cooling or ventilating arrangements · CPC title

• B41J2/32

  using thermal heads · CPC title

• B41J35/28 Primary

  Detachable carriers or holders for ink-ribbon mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J25/304

  Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface · CPC title