Abstract:
An arrangement for exchanging ink printing modules in a postage meter machine and/or addressing machine, has a shaft-shaped receptacle with a lock for said modules. A complication-free exchanging of the ink printing module that functions with a low technical outlay, and without contamination and mechanical impairment of the counter-contacts for the ink printing module, by the use of counter-contacts, to a contact field and to a module chip of ink printing module that are adjustably situated in the receptacle by means of a bar. When the ink printing module is unlocked, the counter-contacts are distanced therefrom.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an arrangement for exchanging ink printing modules, or ink printing cartridges, in a printing device, in particular in a postage meter machine and/or addressing machine. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    It has proved useful to exploit the advantages of ink printing in the area of machine postage metering and/or addressing. Here the printing takes place in contactless fashion using an ink printing head; see for example DE 44 24 771 C1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,911 and EP 0 696 509 B1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,577. 
         [0005]    When commercially available ink printing heads are used for office printers, these heads are usually a component of an ink printing module; i.e., the ink printing head and cartridge form a unit. 
         [0006]    In office printers, the ink printing module is situated in a shaft-shaped receptacle in a positively guided, lockable manner. When the ink has been consumed, the ink printing module has to be exchanged. In order to do this, it is withdrawn manually. For this purpose, first a locking lever is released and the ink printing module is grasped with two fingers at a grip corner, and is drawn out obliquely past the locking lever; see for example the user handbook for HP DeskJet 1220C, October 1999. Here, the skill and care exercised by the operator more or less determine whether, during the exchanging of the ink printing module, the counter-contacts thereof are damaged by friction and/or contaminated by residual ink. 
         [0007]    In contrast to the space conditions in office printers, accessibility to the ink printing modules in postage meter machines is significantly more limited, so that exchanging the modules is even more difficult. 
         [0008]    A postage meter machine having a printing system that has two ink printing modules as well as an appertaining cleaning and sealing device is described in DE 10 2005 052 150.9, corresponding to United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0097173. 
         [0009]    This printing system is composed of a frame, two ink printing modules, and a shaft-type receptacle having two compartments allocated to the modules. 
         [0010]    Each ink printing module is composed of an ink printing head including ink supply, a chip, and a contact field. The counter-contacts are fixedly attached in the receptacle in mating fashion. 
         [0011]    The ink printing modules are situated parallel but offset to one another, in order to achieve the required print gap length. 
         [0012]    The receptacle is mounted so as to be pivotable about an axle that is fastened in the frame. For priming, as well as for the sealing of the ink printing head, the receptacle is pivoted out of the printing position into a position in which the nozzle surface of the printing head is oriented downward. At the same time, this is the position in which an exchanging of the ink printing module is possible. 
         [0013]    The printing position and the sealing position are accordingly determined by unambiguously defined positions of the ink printing head and of the cleaning and sealing device. 
         [0014]    In addition, various cleaning areas are provided. In a cleaning area in front of the sealing position, the ink printing head is pivoted out of the printing position far enough that the nozzle surface is situated in the area of engagement of the wiping lips of the cleaning and sealing device. During the wiping process, the wiping lips pass both over the nozzle surface and along two side edges, causing residual ink deposits on said edges. During the withdrawal of the ink printing module, these deposits can contaminate the counter-contacts, accordingly endangering the functional reliability of the printing device. 
         [0015]    This effect is amplified if the printing device is provided with an additional ink supply system, because in this case significantly more wiping operations, and thus more deposits, occur. 
         [0016]    Another problem is that during the withdrawal or insertion of the ink printing module, the mentioned edge may unfavorably grind along the counter-contacts, which may damage the contacts. 
         [0017]    In order to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages, an arrangement has been proposed for exchanging ink printing modules in a postage meter and/or addressing machine of this type; see DE 10 2006 034 611.4, corresponding to United States Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0018705 in which means are provided in the receptacle in the form of draw hooks for withdrawal and means are provided on the ink printing module in the form of guide webs on the chip holder; means are also provided in the receptacle in the form of a spring pin and a spring piece for decontacting the ink printing module, these parts being mechanically coupled to one another in such a way that decontacting takes place already before the withdrawal process has been initiated, and that moreover a strip-off device is situated in the pivot area of the rear edge of the nozzle surface. The technical outlay for this device is considerable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    An object of the present invention is to improve the functional reliability and to increase the life span of the print device with minimal outlay. 
         [0019]    More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for complication-free exchanging of an ink printing module in a printing device having the design of the type described above, that functions with a low technical outlay and is also suitable for postage meter and/or addressing machines. In particular, contamination and mechanical damage to the counter-contacts of the ink printing module are to be prevented. 
         [0020]    The above object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by an arrangement for exchanging ink printing modules in a printing device having a shaft-shaped receptacle having a locking mechanism for the ink printing module, formed by an ink printing head and an ink supply, that includes a contact field and a module chip on a narrow side of the module, and a nozzle surface on the adjacent end face of the module, and having corresponding counter-contacts in the receptacle. In accordance with the invention, the counter-contacts are adjustably mounted and are mechanically coupled to a pivotable bar of the locking mechanism. The mounting and the coupling are configured to cause the counter-contacts, simultaneously with unlocking of the locking mechanism, to be spaced from the module and, upon locking of the locking mechanism, to cause the counter-contacts to be placed in contact with the contact field and with the module chip. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the printing system in a postage meter machine with opened service flap, viewed from the front right, having a receptacle for two print modules. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the receptacle from the front right, with inserted and locked print modules. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a print module from the rear left. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view, from the front right, of the receptacle with inserted and locked printing module, and with an empty, unlocked compartment, in a partially exploded view, with details of the locking and unlocking mechanism. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the receptacle without printing modules from the front left. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a view of the receptacle with partially withdrawn printing module from the right, in partial section, showing details of the decontacting. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a view from the right of the receptacle with inserted and locked printing module, in partial section. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    For simplification and for easier understanding, the figures are partially schematic. As an abbreviation, hereinafter the term “printing module” is used in place of “ink printing module.” 
         [0029]    In  FIG. 1 , in the cover wall of a postage meter machine housing  1  a service flap is provided that extends into the area of the guide plate  101  for the print substrate. Service flap  10  is shown in the open state, so that receptacle  12  with its two print modules  11  is visible. Print modules  11  are fully inserted and are each fixed in place by an allocated bar  121 . Cover  102  is used to prevent unauthorized access to the postage meter machine. The space under this cover can be used for additional ink tanks. 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  shows a receptacle  12  with two locked printing modules  11 . In the lowermost region of printing module  11 , ink printing head  110  is located. Receptacle  12  is made up of two side walls  122 ,  123  and a common double-angled bearer  126  whose fixed component is a center wall  120 . In this way, two chambers are formed for the reception of the printing modules  11 ; see also  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Side walls  122 ,  123  have the same construction, so that further description can be limited to right side wall  123 . Bar  121  can be pivoted about an axle  1231  (see  FIG. 4 , detail B); a bore  1233  is provided in side wall  123  for this axle. Another bore  1232  acts as a guide hole for a pivot pin  1611 ; see also  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Side wall  123  is detachably fastened to bearer  126  by two fastening screws  1230 . Analogously, bar  121  is mounted in the left chamber so as to be capable of pivoting about an axle  1221 , for which a bore  1202  is provided in center wall  120  and a bore  1223  is provided in left side wall  122 . The fastening takes place by means of screws  1220 . 
         [0031]    According to  FIG. 3 , a commercially available printing module  11  contains in its lower part an ink printing head  110 , having on its floor a nozzle surface  111  with rounded-off rear edge  1111 . In the area of ink printing head  110 , on the rear side of printing module  11  there is situated contact field  112  in the form of two angles arranged mirror-symmetrically to one another at a distance from one another. On the rounded upper rear edge of printing module  11 , a locking nose  115  is integrally formed in a known manner, which is matched to the contour of bar  121 . In the front upper part, a grip part (not designated in more detail) is provided. Module chip  114  is situated above contact field  112 . 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 4 , right side wall  123  has been cut away, bar  121  for right printing module  11  is folded up, and said module has been removed. On the folded-up bar  121 , integrally formed shoulder  1212  can be seen as the counterpiece to locking nose  115 ; see also  FIG. 3 . Bar  121  for left printing module  11  is closed. Bar  121  is realized in a known manner as a two-armed lever that is mounted so as to be capable of rotation about an axle  1231 ; see detail B. The longer, front lever arm is fashioned as a grip part. The outer contour of the shorter, rear lever arm acts as a guide edge  1211  for a fork-shaped rocker  16 . Rocker  16  is mounted with its longitudinal limbs  161  in mating recesses of side walls  122 ,  123 , and of center wall  120 , so as to be pivotable about an integrally formed pivot pin  1611 . For pivot pin  1611 , mating guide hole  1201  is provided in center wall  120 , mating guide hole  1222  is provided in left side wall  122 , and mating guide hole  1232  is provided in right side wall  123 ; see also  FIG. 5 . Cross-limb  162  of rocker  16  is provided with a guide nose  1621  that is situated in the engagement area of guide edge  1211  of bar  121 . When bar  121  is pressed down (locked state of printing module  11 ), cross-limb  162  is pivoted toward bearer rear wall  1265 . Correspondingly, the away-facing lever arm of longitudinal limb  161  is pivoted away from bearer rear wall  1265 ; see also detail A. When bar  121  is folded up, these relations are reversed. 
         [0033]    In rear wall  1265  of bearer  126 , in the lower area counterpieces  131  to contact field  112  of printing module  11  are sunk-in in flexibly adjustable fashion; above this, a counter piece  132  is also flexibly sunk in for contacting module chip  114  of printing module  11 ; see also  FIG. 5 . Between counter pieces  131 , bearer rear wall  1265  has a web  12651  that is fixedly perpendicularly situated and that acts as a stop for printing module  11 , in particular for the contact-free part of contact field  112  in the unlocked state; see detail A. In this way, it is ensured that printing module  11  can be removed from shaft-shaped receptacle  12 , or introduced into this receptacle, in such a way that undesired contactings are reliably prevented between the contacts of printing module  11  and counter-contacts  131 ,  132 . The contacting does not take place until bar  121  is closed. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  shows further details of receptacle  12 , of board [or: circuit board]  13 , of a locking plate  14 , of a spring pressure piece  15 , and of rocker  16 . Installation of rocker  16  is possible only if side walls  122 ,  123  have been removed; the same holds for bar  121 . Board  13  can be placed into mating recesses in bearer rear wall  1265 ; see also  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
         [0035]    Between board  13  and locking plate  14 , in the contact area there is situated a spring pressure piece  15  with a pre-tensioned pressure spring that is fixed on the one hand in board  13  and on the other hand in locking plate  14 . Spring pressure piece  15  is dimensioned such that sufficient contact force is ensured. 
         [0036]    Pressure spring  12652  is situated between locking plate  14  and cross-limb  162  of rocker  16 , and extends through a through-bore  12653  in bearer rear wall  1265 . Pressure spring  12652  is used to reset or pivot back board  13 . The pivot point is here situated in a mated recess of bearer rear wall  1265 ; see also  FIG. 6 , detail B, as well as  FIG. 7 . The upper edge of board  13  lies against a correspondingly shaped (rounded-off) support web  12654 . The dimensions of rocker  16 , including its appertaining pressure spring  12652 , are selected such that the counterforce is greater than the contacting force. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  shows the situation in which bar  121  is released and printing module  11  is partially withdrawn. Under the spring action of pressure spring  12652  on rocker  16 , board  13  is pivoted back. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  shows the situation in which printing module  11  is fully inserted and bar  121  is fully pressed down. Board  13  lies flat against the allocated areas of bearer rearwall  1265 . 
         [0039]    Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art.