Patent ID: 7699549

Claim:
An ink ribbon cartridge, comprising: a cartridge body; a pair of spools in the cartridge body located apart from each other and capable of being rotated the pair of spools being a supply spool and a take-up spool; an ink ribbon wound about each of the spools; a ratchet gear located at an end of each one of the spools; a pair of engagement pieces coupled to each other, each engagement piece associated with one of the spools; a ratchet portion located at an end of each of the engagement pieces effective to engage and disengage the ratchet gear on each of the spools such that when the spools are engaged they are rotatable independently of each other; at least one compressible portion attached to each of the engagement pieces; and a through-hole in the ink ribbon cartridge associated with each compressible portion and through which each compressible portion can protrude from and be compressed within wherein, the compressible portions when compressed are effective to disengage the ratchet gears on the spools such that the spools become rotatable in the cartridge body.