Cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12090772-B2
Application number	US-202117489728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2021
Priority date	Mar 31, 2019
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A cassette includes: a printing tape roll into which a printing tape as a medium to be printed is wound; a feed spool being rotatable and around which an ink ribbon to be used for printing on the printing tape is wound; and a take-up spool being rotatable to take up the ink ribbon fed from the feed spool. The feed spool and the take-up spool are located on one side in a first direction with respect to the printing tape roll. The first direction is a width direction of the ink ribbon wound around the feed spool. At least a portion of the feed spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlap the printing tape roll in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cassette comprising:
a tape roll;
a feed spool being rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction, the feed spool around which an ink ribbon is wound;
a take-up spool being rotatable to take up the ink ribbon from the feed spool;
a tape case accommodating the tape roll; and
a ribbon case located at a one side of the cassette in the first direction, the ribbon case accommodating the feed spool and the take-up spool, the ribbon case including an outlet that allows a tape from the tape roll to be discharged from the ribbon case,
wherein at least a portion of the feed spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlap the tape roll in the first direction, and wherein the outlet is spaced apart from the tape roll in the first direction.

2. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the take-up spool is rotatable about a second axis extending in the first direction, and
wherein the second axis overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

3. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first axis overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

4. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the tape roll, the tape is wound around a tape spool being rotatable, and
wherein at least a portion of the ink ribbon taken up by the take-up spool overlaps the tape spool in the first direction.

5. The cassette according to claim 4 ,
wherein at least a portion of the take-up spool overlaps the tape spool in the first direction.

6. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein: in the tape roll, the tape is wound around a tape spool being rotatable, and
wherein, in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, a distance between a rotation axis of the take-up spool and a rotation axis of the tape spool is less than a distance between a rotation axis of the feed spool and the rotation axis of the tape spool.

7. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein a distance between a center position and a rotation axis of the tape roll is less than each of a distance between a rotation axis of the take-up spool and the center position and a distance between a rotation axis of the feed spool and the center position in a second direction and a third direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, the third direction being orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, the center position being a center of the cassette in the first direction and the third direction.

8. The cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein a dimension in a second direction of a convex envelop defined by the tape roll, the take-up spool, and the feed spool is greater than half of a dimension of the cassette in the second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, and
wherein a dimension in a third direction of the convex envelop is greater than half of a dimension of the cassette in the third direction, the third direction being orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction.

9. The cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an inlet that allows the ink ribbon that has been discharged from the ribbon case through the outlet to be conveyed into the ribbon case therethrough,
wherein the ink ribbon that has been conveyed into the ribbon case through the inlet is taken up by the take-up spool.

10. The cassette according to claim 9 ,
wherein a portion of the ink ribbon extending between the inlet and a position at which the ink ribbon is taken up by the take-up spool overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

11. The cassette according to claim 9 ,
wherein the ribbon case includes a laminating tape roll into which a laminating tape to be adhered to the tape is wound, and
wherein at least a portion of the laminating tape roll overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

12. The cassette according to claim 11 ,
wherein, in the tape roll, the tape is wound around a tape spool being rotatable, and
wherein at least a portion of the laminating tape roll overlaps the tape spool in the first direction.

13. The cassette according to claim 11 ,
wherein, in the laminating tape roll, the laminating tape is wound around a laminating tape spool being rotatable, and
wherein a rotation axis of the laminating tape spool overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

14. The cassette according to claim 13 ,
wherein, in the tape roll, the tape is wound around a tape spool being rotatable, and
wherein at least a portion of the laminating tape spool overlaps the tape spool in the first direction.

15. A cassette comprising:
a tape roll;
a feed spool being rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction, the feed spool around which an ink ribbon is wound;
a take-up spool being rotatable to take up the ink ribbon from the feed spool;
a spacer film contacting the tape roll in the first direction;
a tape case accommodating the tape roll; and
a ribbon case located at a one side of the cassette in the first direction, the ribbon case accommodating the feed spool and the take-up spool, the ribbon case including an outlet that allows a tape from the tape roll to be discharged from the ribbon case,
wherein at least a portion of the feed spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlap the spacer film in the first direction, and
wherein the outlet is spaced apart from the tape roll in the first direction.

16. A cassette comprising:
a tape roll;
a feed spool being rotatable about a first axis extending in a first direction, the feed spool around which an ink ribbon is wound; and
a take-up spool being rotatable to take up the ink ribbon from the feed spool;
a tape case accommodating the tape roll; and
a ribbon case located at a one side of the cassette in the first direction, the ribbon case accommodating the feed spool and the take-up spool, the ribbon case including an outlet that allows a tape from the tape roll to be discharged from the ribbon case,
wherein at least a portion of the take-up spool overlaps the tape roll in the first direction, and
wherein the outlet is spaced apart from the tape roll in the first direction.

17. The cassette according to claim 16 ,
wherein at least a portion of the feed spool overlaps the tape roll in the first direction.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Murayama Kentaro

Classifications

• B41J15/06

  characterised by being applied to printers having stationary carriages · CPC title

• B41J15/044

  Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices · CPC title

• B41J3/36

  for portability {, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers (B41J3/4075 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B41J15/04

  Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles · CPC title

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title