Apparatus for reinking the ribbon of a printer ribbon cartridge

Abstract

An improved apparatus for reinking a ribbon of a printer ribbon cartridge provides a selected reinking pattern across the width of the ribbon. A porous member in contact with a source of ink has a height equal to a distance between a first edge of the ribbon and a distal edge of a double strike zone of the ribbon. The porous member is in contact with a transfer roller, which in turn is in contact with the ribbon. The ribbon moves through the printer cartridge along a path of a Mobius loop. As the ribbon passes the transfer roller for the first time, ink is provided to a single strike zone and to the double strike zone of the ribbon. As the ribbon passes the transfer roller for the second time, the ribbon is reversed given the pattern of the Mobius loop, and ink is provided again to the double strike zone, as well as to the other single strike zone. Twice as much ink is therefore applied to the double strike zone as to each of the single strike zones. More than twice as much ink is provided to the double strike zone by further providing slots circumferentially around the transfer roller in a selected pattern. Desired ratios of ink transfer to different regions of the ribbon are also achieved by forming a porous member of segments having varying firmness, by chamfering an outer surface of the porous member and/or the transfer roller, and by selectively texturizing the transfer roller. Undesirable effects of gravity are overcome by positioning the porous member and transfer roller to contact the ribbon while the ribbon is in a horizontal orientation.