Ink ribbon cartridge having shaft connecting members

1. An ink ribbon cartridge, comprising:

a cartridge frame;

take-up shaft connecting members, the take-up shaft connecting members supporting and rotatably connecting ends of a take-up shaft to the cartridge frame; and

supply shaft connecting members, the supply shaft connecting members supporting and rotatably connecting ends of a supply shaft to the cartridge frame, wherein at least one of the supply shaft connecting members comprises:

a rotation member;

an intermediate member;

an urging member; and

a spool portion, the spool portion being arranged substantially inside the supply shaft, wherein:

the intermediate member is arranged between a portion of an inner surface of the rotation member and a portion of an outer surface of the cartridge frame

the rotation member is formed with a shaft insert portion and a disk portion, and

the urging member urges an inner surface of the disk portion closer to the outer surface of the cartridge frame.

2. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the inner surface of the disk portion serves as one of a fixed surface and an unfixed surface and the portion of the outer surface of the cartridge frame serves as the other of the fixed surface and the unfixed surface.

3. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 2 , wherein:

the portion of the inner surface of the disk portion serves as the fixed surface such that the portion of the inner surface of the disk portion is fixed to the outer surface of the intermediate member such that when the rotation member rotates so does the intermediate member, and

the portion of the outer surface of the cartridge frame serves as the unfixed surface such that the inner surface of the intermediate member slides against the unfixed surface of the cartridge frame when the rotation member rotates.

4. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the fixed surface of the rotation member is fixed to the outer surface of the intermediate member via an adhesive.

5. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 4 , wherein the unfixed surface of the cartridge frame includes a plurality of rotation resistance projections/grooves to create a rotation resistance when the rotation member, with the intermediate member fixed thereto, is rotated such that the inner surface of the intermediate member slides against the unfixed surface of the cartridge frame.

6. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the fixed surface of the rotation member is fixed to the outer surface of the intermediate member by at least one of a plurality of fixing grooves/projections.

7. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 6 , wherein the unfixed surface of the cartridge frame includes a plurality of rotation resistance grooves/projections to create a rotation resistance when the rotation member, with the intermediate member fixed thereto, is rotated such that the inner surface of the intermediate member slides against the unfixed surface of the cartridge frame.

8. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 7 , wherein the fixing grooves/projections are made of a resin which is stronger than a resin used to make the rotation resistance.

9. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 7 , wherein the fixing grooves/projections include tapered projections.

10. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 2 , wherein:

the portion of the inner surface of the disk portion serves as the unfixed surface such that the inner surface of the disk portion slides against the outer surface of the intermediate member when the rotation member rotates, and

the portion of the outer surface of the cartridge frame serves as the fixed surface such that the portion of the inner surface of the intermediate member remains stationary relative to the outer surface of the cartridge frame when the rotation member rotates.

11. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 10 , wherein the fixed surface of the cartridge frame is fixed to the inner surface of the intermediate member via an adhesive.

12. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 11 , wherein the unfixed surface of the disk portion includes a plurality of rotation resistance grooves/projections to create a rotation resistance with outer surface of the intermediate member while the inner surface of the intermediate member is fixed to the fixed surface of the cartridge frame.

13. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 10 , wherein the fixed surface of the cartridge frame is fixed to the inner surface of the intermediate member by at least one of a plurality of fixing grooves/projections.

14. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the unfixed surface of the disk portion includes a plurality of rotation resistance grooves/projections to create a rotation resistance with outer surface of the intermediate member while the inner surface of the intermediate member is fixed to the fixed surface of the cartridge frame.

15. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 14 , wherein the fixing grooves/projections are made of a resin which is stronger than a resin used to make the rotation resistance grooves/projections.

16. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 14 , wherein the fixing grooves/projections include tapered projections.

17. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 2 , wherein:

the rotation member further comprises a shaft portion, and

the disk portion is a disk-like flange portion.

18. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 17 , wherein an inner surface of the disk-like flange portion is the fixed surface.

19. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 17 , wherein an inner surface of the disk-like flange portion is the unfixed surface.

20. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 17 , wherein the shaft portion projects outward beyond the outer surface of the cartridge frame.

21. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 17 , wherein the spool portion has an engaging projection on an outer surface thereof which engages with a receiving portion in the supply shaft.

22. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 17 , wherein the shaft insert portion projects through least one of a first groove or a first hole in the cartridge frame into which the shaft insert portion is inserted, and the spool portion receives, in an inner space thereof, a portion of the shaft insert portion which projects beyond a corresponding inner surface of the cartridge frame.

23. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 22 , wherein the spool portion comprises a partition wall which defines an insert port within the inner space of the spool portion into which at least a tip of the shaft insert portion is inserted.

24. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 23 , wherein the shaft insert portion includes at least one engaging projection on an outer surface thereof.

25. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 24 , wherein the partition wall defines at least one slot into which the engaging projection of the shaft insert portion may pass through during insertion of the shaft insert portion into the spool portion, and the engaging projection of the shaft insert portion engages with a receiving portion of the partition wall and connects the rotation member to the spool portion such that when the rotation member rotates so does the spool portion and when the spool portion rotates so does the rotation member.

26. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 23 , wherein the urging member is a compressed spring arranged such that one end of the compressed spring is adjacent to a surface of the partition wall and another end of the compressed spring presses against an inner surface of the cartridge frame.

27. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 26 , wherein the compressed spring is connected to the spool portion such that the compressed spring rotates with the spool portion.

28. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 1 , wherein:

the cartridge frame includes the take-up shaft connecting members and the supply shaft connecting members, the cartridge frame being attachable/detachable relative to an image forming device;

wherein the supply shaft connecting members include a first supply shaft connecting means for connecting one end of the supply shaft to the cartridge frame and a second supply shaft connecting means for connecting another end of the supply shaft to the cartridge frame, the first supply shaft connecting means including a back tension applying means for applying a back tension to the supply shaft, and the back tension applying means including the urging member substantially inside an internal space of the first supply shaft connecting means; and

wherein the take-up shaft connecting members include a first take-up shaft connecting means for connecting one end of the take-up shaft to the cartridge frame and a second take-up shaft connecting means for connecting another end of the take-up shaft to the cartridge frame.

29. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 28 , wherein the back tension applying means includes the intermediate member sandwiched between a portion of the first supply shaft connecting means which rotates when the supply shaft rotates and a surface of the attachable/detachable cartridge frame.

30. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 29 , wherein the back tension applying means includes a fixing means on one of a surface of the first supply shaft connecting means and a surface of the housing means and the urging member on the other surface.

31. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 1 , wherein:

the cartridge frame is attachable/detachable relative to an image forming device;

the take-up shaft connecting members attachably/detachably connect the take-up shaft to the cartridge frame; and

the supply shaft connecting members attachably/detachably connect the supply shaft to the cartridge frame;

the at least one of the supply shaft connecting members comprises a back tension applying mechanism, the back tension applying mechanism applying a substantially predetermined amount of tension to the supply shaft;

the back tension applying mechanism is attachable/detachable relative to the cartridge frame and includes the urging member and the intermediate member, the intermediate member adjacent to the rotation member of the at least one supply shaft connecting member.

32. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 31 , wherein the urging member is housed substantially within the at least one supply shaft connecting member.

33. The ink ribbon cartridge of claim 31 , wherein the intermediate member is sandwiched between a surface of the rotation member of the at least one supply shaft connecting member and a surface of the attachable/detachable cartridge frame.

34. The ink cartridge of claim 33 , wherein the back tension applying mechanism includes a fixing means for fixing the surface of the rotating portion to a first surface of the intermediate member and the urging member for generating a rotation resistance between a second surface of the intermediate member and the surface of the attachable/detachable cartridge frame.

35. The ink cartridge of claim 33 , wherein the intermediate member is made of a least one of felt, rubber and cork.

36. The ink cartridge of claim 35 , wherein the cartridge frame includes a first bearing member and a second bearing member, the first bearing member and the second bearing member being substantially parallel to each other.

37. The ink cartridge of claim 36 , wherein the cartridge frame further includes at least one connecting member which connects the first bearing member to the second bearing member.