Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning and re-inking a fibrous printer ribbon carried on first and second reels and having foreign matter thereon comprising a frame, first and second pairs of rotatable spindles mounted in the frame so as to define parallel axes and capable of holding the first and second reels, first and second motors for rotating the first and second pairs of spindles, an elongated inking roller rotatably mounted in the frame between and parallel to the axes for contacting and applying ink to the printer ribbon, a metering roller rotatably mounted in the frame parallel to the inking roller for metering ink onto the inking roller, a trough disposed beneath the inking roller for containing ink and providing such ink to the inking roller, a reservoir capable of holding ink for supplying ink to the trough, an elongated brush rotatably mounted in the frame intermediate the second pair of spindles and the metering roller for contacting, forcibly removing the foreign matter and opening the fibers of the ribbon,

Abstract: A machine for re-inking printing ribbons for line printers and the like includes a pair of spaced apart spool mechanisms which receive the supply and take-up spools of the ribbon. Disposed between the spool mechanisms is an inking roller which is partially submerged in an ink tank. Adjacent to the tank is a light source and light pipe assembly for detecting holes in the ribbon to be inked. The device accommodates ribbon spools of differing lengths, and is also provided with a ribbon edge sensor which controls the axial position of the ribbon as it is wound onto one of the spools. The spool mechanisms drive the ribbon past the hole detector in one pass, and a pressure roller urges the ribbon onto the inking roller in another pass to re-ink the ribbon.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning and re-inking a fibrous printer ribbon carried on first and second reels and having foreign matter thereon comprising a frame, first and second pairs of rotatable spindles mounted in the frame so as to define parallel axes and capable of holding the first and second reels, first and second motors for rotating the first and second pairs of spindles, an elongated inking roller rotatably mounted in the frame between and parallel to the axes for contacting and applying ink to the printer ribbon, a metering roller rotatably mounted in the frame parallel to the inking roller for metering ink onto the inking roller, a trough disposed beneath the inking roller for containing ink and providing such ink to the inking roller, a reservoir capable of holding ink for supplying ink to the trough, an elongated brush rotatably mounted in the frame intermediate the second pair of spindles and the metering roller for contacting, forcibly removing the foreign matter and opening the fibers of the ribbon,