Cartridge for containing film papers and printing papers and a color video printer using the cartridge

A cartridge for a color video printer comprises a cartridge body with a film paper section occupying a part of a space inside the cartridge body and a container for containing the printing papers and occupying the other part of the space inside the cartridge body. The film paper section for containing film papers consists of a supply reel and a take-up reel mounted inside the cartridge body. A discharge hole and a inlet hole are formed on a top plate of the cartridge body. The printing paper container consists of a container with one of its side walls open. A color vide printer using the cartridge has a pair of loading rollers for automatically loading the film papers, a FO-CRT for exposing an image to be printed onto the film papers, a capstan shaft, a pinch roller, a belt interlocking the pinch roller and one of the loading rollers, a pair of pressing rollers, a pair of guide rollers, and a fixing unit for fixing the transcribed image of the printing papers. The film papers and the printing papers are contained in one cartridge and replacement of the printing papers and an exchange operation of the film papers can be carried out simply. Also, the color video printer is compact.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a cartridge for containing film papers and 
printing papers and a color video printer using the cartridge. 
General color video printers include two separate cartridge containing 
printing papers and a film paper therein, respectively. Their typical 
example will be described in conjunction with an accompanying drawing. 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional color-mode color video 
printer. The printer comprises an optical unit 1, a transport unit 2, a 
printing paper supply unit 3, a pressure developing unit 4, a heat fixing 
unit 5, a film paper (or color paper) supply unit 6, and a film paper 
take-up unit 7. 
In printing operation of the above-mentioned color video printer, an image 
of an original paper 8 to be printed passes through the optical unit 1 and 
is then exposed on a film paper 6' fed from the film paper supply unit 6. 
The image-projected film paper 6' is fed to the pressure developing unit 
4, together with a printing paper 3' fed from a printing paper supply unit 
3 and overlapped with said film paper 6'. In the pressure developing unit 
4, the picture from the original paper 8 projected on the film paper 6' is 
transcribed onto printing paper 3'. Passing through the heat fixing unit 
5, the printing paper 3' is then discharged. Simultaneously, the film 
paper 6' is taken up on the film take-up unit 7. Thus, a series of 
printing steps is completed. 
In the above printing operation, the transport unit 2 is generally adapted 
to function as a guide for the film paper 6' and the printing paper 3'. 
However, such conventional color video printer with the above-mentioned 
construction having the printing paper supply unit 3 mounted separately 
from the film paper supply unit 6 has some problems in that the printing 
paper supply unit 3 and the film paper supply unit 6 should be separated 
from the printer body 9 in supplementing or exchanging the printing papers 
3' and the film papers 6' that they and take up much space inside the 
printer body 9, thereby enlarging the volume of the body 9. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide, for 
solving the above mentioned problems of the hitherto used cartridges, a 
cartridge for a color video printer in which printing papers and film 
papers are contained in a case. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a compact color 
video printer with such a cartridge. 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cartridge of 
a color video printer for containing film papers and printing papers 
comprising a cartridge body, a supply reel and a take-up reel mounted in a 
space inside the cartridge body for supplying and taking up the film 
papers, a discharge hole and an inlet hole formed on a top plate of the 
cartridge body for discharging, and receiving the film papers, and a 
container formed to occupy the other space inside the cartridge body for 
containing the printing papers therein. 
Also according to the present invention, there is provided a color video 
printer using such a cartridge comprising a detachable cartridge, 
including a discharge hole and a inlet hole. The cartridge contains film 
papers and printing papers. An exposing means exposes an image to be 
printed on the film paper fed from the discharge hole of the cartridge. A 
pressure developing means presses the film paper and the printing paper in 
order to transcribe the image exposed on the film paper onto the printing 
paper. A fixing means fixes the transcribed image of the printing paper 
and discharges the fixed printing paper. 
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become 
apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it 
should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, 
while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way 
of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the 
spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in 
the art from this detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Turning now to the details of the drawings, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a 
cartridge for containing printing papers and film papers according to the 
present invention. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge comprises a cartridge body 10 which 
consists of a film paper section and a printing paper section. The film 
paper section occupies almost half of the space inside the cartridge body 
10. This film paper section is provided with a supply reel 11 and a 
take-up reel 12 rotatably mounted therein. The supply reel 11 is wound 
with film papers 13. Film papers 13 have holes 13a on both sides thereof. 
Also, the take-up reel 12 includes a number of sprocket teeth 12' for 
automatic loading of the film papers 13. Teeth 12' are formed peripherally 
around both ends of reel 12. Thus, in operation, the take-up reel 12 
rotates with the film papers 13 on the sprocket teeth 12', so that the 
film papers 13 can be taken up around the take-up reel 12. 
Also, there are a narrow, long discharge hole 14 and an inlet hole 15 for 
discharging and supplying the film papers 13 therefrom individually. These 
holes 14 and 15 are laterally formed on a top plate of the body 10. Thus, 
the film papers 13 wound around the supply reel 11 may be supplied from 
the discharge hole 14, and return to be taken up around the take-up reel 
12 through the inlet hole 16 after passing through a series of passage. 
On the other hand, the printing paper section, occupying the other space 
inside the body 10 comprises a printing paper container 16 having a 
predetermined depth. A side of body 10 is (in FIG. 3). Thus, the printing 
papers 17 in the container 16 may be selectively discharged in the 
direction A or B as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2 depending on 
constructions of the printers. 
In addition, there may be a paper support of various types on the surface 
of a bottom plate 18 of the body 10 for support the printing papers 17 in 
order to run a pick-up operation for the printing papers more smoothly 
(see FIG. 3). 
For the above-mentioned paper support, a conventional compressed plate, 
hitherto used in general duplicators and comprising a plate 19 being laid 
on the bottom plate 18 and a compressed spring 20 positioned under the 
plate for elastically and upwardly supporting it may be used. 
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the inside of a color video printer with 
such a cartridge attached in a lower side thereof. As shown in the 
drawing, the color video printer is provided with a pair of loading 
rollers 21 and 21' mounted over the attached cartridge body 10 in an 
optimum space, a pinch roller 22 and a capstan shaft 23 mounted over the 
loading rollers 21 and 21'. The pinch rollers 22 and 21' of the loading 
rollers 21 and 21' are interlocked by a belt 24, thus the film papers 13 
can be fed by the rotation of the capstan shaft 23. 
Also, the color video printer is provided with a FO (fiber optices) --CRT 
(cathode ray tube) 25 for exposing the film papers 13, mounted at a back 
portion between the loading rollers 21 and 21' and the capstan shaft 23, 
and a pick-up roller assembly 26 mounted below the FO-CRT 25 for picking 
up the printing papers 17. 
The passage for feeding the printing papers 17 is provided with a paper 
guide 27 and several pairs of paper distributing rollers 28 and 28'. Also, 
the passage for feeding the printing papers 17 and the film papers 13 
simultaneously is provided with a pair of pressing rollers 29 and 29'. In 
addition, there is a fixing unit 30 for fixing the exposed image of the 
printing papers 17 downstream from the pressing rollers 29 and 29'. A pair 
of guide rollers 31 and 31' are positioned between the take-up reel 12 of 
the cartridge body 10 and the pressing rollers 29 and 29'. 
In loading operation of the film papers 13, after the cartridge body 10 is 
inserted into the color video printer, the film papers 13 of an optimum 
length are extruded from the discharge hole 14 of the body 10 by rotation 
of the supply reel 11, a starting end of the film papers 13 is then 
pinched between the loading rollers 21 and 21'. Thereafter, the film 
papers 13 passes through a passage of the pinch roller 22 and the capstan 
shaft 23, the pressing rollers 29 and 29' and the guide rollers 31 and 31' 
sequentially. The film papers 13 from the guide rollers 31 and 31' return 
to the cartridge body 10 through the inlet hole 15, the holes 13a thereof 
are then hooked by the sprocket teeth 12' of the take-up reel 12. Thus a 
loading operation of the film papers 13 is completed. 
In a printing operation after loading of the film papers 13, the film 
papers 13 are fed at in a predetermined speed by the capstan shaft 23 and 
have an image exposed thereon by the FO-CRT 25 positioned between the 
loading rollers 21 and 21' and the capstan shaft 23. The exposed film 
papers 13 continuously pass through the above-mentioned passage. 
Simultaneously, the printing papers 17 are discharged from the container 
16 by the pick-up roller assembly 26 and are guided through the passage by 
the guide 27 and the distributing rollers 28 and 28'. Thus, the film 
papers 13 and the printing papers 17 can simultaneously pass through the 
pressing rollers 29 and 29'. At this time, an image exposed on the film 
paper 13 is transcribed on the printing paper 17 as a result of the 
pressure-developing of cylith particles of the film papers 13 onto the 
surface of the printing papers 17 by pressing power. Thereafter, the 
printing papers 17 with the images transcribed thereon are heat-fixed by 
the fixing unit 30, and are then discharged outside the video printer. 
Also, the film papers 13 are taken up around the take-up reel 12 of the 
cartridge body 10. 
Accordingly, in accordance with the present invention, the film papers and 
the printing papers are contained in a cartridge which provides advantages 
that the replacement of the printing papers and the exchange of the film 
papers can be carried out by a simple exchange of the cartridge. Also, the 
volume of the color video printer can be reduced as a result of 
simplification of the construction of the cartridge. While the instant 
cartridge has been discussed as being used with a color video printer, it 
should be understood that a photosensitive printing type color video 
printer or a thermal printing type color video printer could be used or 
even a color copier can be used. 
Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for 
illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that 
various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without 
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the 
accompanying claims.