Tape printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11142011-B2
Application number	US-202016832942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2020
Priority date	Mar 28, 2019
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

A tape printing apparatus including three holding protrusions that are provided on a mounting portion cover and that hold a cartridge mounted in a cartridge mounting portion, a displacement member that, when the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, is displaced from a protruded position to a lower-side position by having the cartridge abut against a cartridge abutment portion, and an elastic member that applies force to the displacement member towards an opposite direction to a mounting direction. In the tape printing apparatus, when viewed from the mounting direction, the cartridge abutment portion is provided inside a virtual holding triangle having holding distal end portions that are distal end portions of the three holding protrusions as apexes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape printing apparatus comprising:
a cartridge mounting portion in which the cartridge is mounted;
a mounting portion cover that opens/closes the cartridge mounting portion;
three holding protrusions provided on the mounting portion cover, while in a state in which the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, when the mounting portion cover is closed, the three holding protrusions hold the cartridge;
a displacement member that includes a cartridge abutment portion against which the cartridge abuts when the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, the displacement member being displaced from a protruded position, in which the displacement member protrudes from a mounting bottom surface or a bottom surface of the cartridge mounting portion, to a lower-side position, in which the displacement member is displaced from the protruded position towards an opposite direction to a mounting direction of the cartridge, by having the cartridge abut against the cartridge abutment portion; and
an elastic member that applies force to the displacement member towards an opposite direction to the mounting direction, wherein
when viewed from the mounting direction, the cartridge abutment portion is provided inside a virtual holding triangle having distal end portions of the three holding protrusions serve as apexes when the mounting portion cover is in a closed state.

2. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor that outputs different detection signals when the displacement member is at the protruded position and when the displacement member is at the lower-side position.

3. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the cartridge mounting portion is configured to selectively mount a non-contact cartridge that does not abut against the cartridge abutment portion when mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, and the cartridge.

4. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the cartridge includes a first cartridge that, when mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, displaces the displacement member to a first lower-side position that is on the lower side in the mounting direction with respect to the protruded position, and a second cartridge that, when mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, displaces the displacement member to a second lower-side position that is on the mounting direction with respect to the protruded position and that is on opposite direction to the mounting direction with respect to the first lower-side position, and
both when the displacement member is at the first lower-side position and when the displacement member is at the second lower-side position, the sensor outputs detection signals that are different from a detection signal output when the displacement member is at the protruded position.

5. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the cartridge houses a paying out core around which an ink ribbon is wound and a winding core that winds the ink ribbon sent out from the paying lower core, and
the cartridge abutment portion is provided in a ribbon overlapping area configured of a paying-out-side ribbon overlapping area in the mounting bottom surface that, when viewed from the the mounting direction, overlaps the ink ribbon wound around the paying out core when the cartridge in which an entire ink ribbon is wound around the paying out core is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, and a winding-side ribbon overlapping area in the mounting bottom surface that, when viewed from the mounting direction, overlaps the ink ribbon wound around the winding core when the cartridge in which an entire ink ribbon is wound around the winding core is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion.

6. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a head cover that protrudes towards the the mounting direction from the mounting bottom surface and that is inserted into the head insertion hole provided in the cartridge, wherein
when viewed from the mounting direction, the cartridge abutment portion is provided on a virtual line that passes through the head cover and that extends in a longitudinal direction of the cartridge.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kosuge Shinsaku
• Sasaki Taishi

Classifications

• B41J17/32

  Detachable carriers or holders for impression-transfer material mechanism · CPC title

• B41J2/325 Primary

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

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B65H19/12

  Lifting, transporting, or inserting the web roll; Removing empty core · CPC title

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title