Patent ID: 7322761

Claim:
A spool for a printer, said spool comprising: a spindle for slidingly receiving an outer shaft, said spindle having first and second ends; and a first resiliently deformable gripping ring circumferentially mounted about a first end of said spindle; a second resiliently deformable gripping ring circumferentially mounted about an opposite second end of said spindle; and a compression mechanism for axially compressing said first and second gripping rings simultaneously, said compression mechanism comprising: a thrust end-plate releasably engageable with said first end of said spindle; a first abutment surface, positioned towards said first end of said spindle for providing a reaction against said thrust end-plate, said first gripping ring being mounted between said thrust end-plate and said first abutment surface such that, upon thrusting engagement of said thrust end-plate with said spindle, said first gripping ring is axially compressed against said first abutment surface; an inner shaft telescopically engaged in said spindle, said inner shaft having first and second ends corresponding to said first and seconds ends of said spindle; at least one lug projecting radially outwards from said inner shaft, said at least one lug being longitudinally slidingly engaged in a complementary longitudinal slot in said spindle; and a second abutment surface positioned at a second end of said spindle for providing a reaction against said at least one lug, said second gripping ring being mounted between said at least one lug and said second abutment surface such that, upon telescopic expansion of said inner shaft relative to said spindle, said second gripping ring is axially compressed against said second abutment surface by said at least one lug, a reaction end-plate fixed to said end of said inner shaft, a roll of print media received about said spindle, said roll of print media being mounted between and engaged with said thrust end-plate and said reation end-plate; wherein one end of said roll of print media is urged against said reation end-plate by said thrust end-plate thrusting against an opposite end of said roll of print media, thereby causing said telescopic expansion, and wherein said axial compression causes radial expansion of said gripping rings, thereby urging said gripping rings into gripping engagement with said outer shaft received on said spindle.