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EP0107434A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Thermal printer

Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corp
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Filing: 1983-10-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-10-11
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Abstract

Abstract In a thermal printer of this invention, a detector detects wheter a ribbon cassette exists or not, and the thermal printer is automatically changed in thermal sensitive process or thermal transfer process by installing or detaching the ribbon cassette.

Inventors

  • 👤 Miyazaki Naoki
  • 👤 Horiya Keiichi
  • 👤 Shiozaki Tsugio
  • 👤 Takahama Kazuhide

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-29 20:47
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J35/00; B41J35/28; B41J2/00; B41J2/315; B41J2/32; B41J35/36

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim 78 words
A thermal printer comprising: a platen to hold a paper; a carriage moved in reciprocating motion along the platen; a thermal head installed to the carriage; a ribbon cassette enclosing a printing ribbon coated with thermal fusible ink and being selectively installed or detached to the carriage; a detector for detecting whether the ribbon cassette exists or not; and a driving voltage switching circuit for varying supply voltage to the thermal head corresponding to output of the detector.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 78 words
A thermal printer comprising: a platen to hold a paper; a carriage moved in reciprocating motion along the platen; a thermal head installed to the carriage; a ribbon cassette enclosing a printing ribbon coated with thermal fusible ink and being selectively installed or detached to the carriage; a detector for detecting whether the ribbon cassette exists or not; and a driving voltage switching circuit for varying supply voltage to the thermal head corresponding to output of the detector.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 31 words
A thermal printer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the thermal printer acts in thermal sensitive process to use a heat sensitive paper when the ribbon cassette is not installed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 37 words
A thermal printer as set forth in claim lor claim 2 wherein the thermal printer acts in thermal transfer process to transfer ink from the printing ribbon to an ordinary paper when the ribbon cassette is installed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 26 words
A thermal printer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the detector comprises a microswitch to perform switching in response to pressure of the ribbon cassette.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 20 words
A thermal printer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the detector comprises a photo-electric converter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 40 words
A thermal printer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the driving voltage switching circuit comprises transistors to be rendered ON or OFF and resistors to be connected in parallel to the transistors in response to output from the detector.

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