JP2001130092A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of storing printing sheets safely until they are taken out by certainly solving various problems in the case of an open structure sheet discharge tray, with a good handling convenience and a high freedom in layout. SOLUTION: In a printer comprising a recording medium receiving part for receiving a printed recording medium 4 printed by printing means and discharged, the recording medium receiving part comprises a drawer 3 to be inserted or pulled out from printer body. The drawer 3 is provided with ribs 12, 12,... on the bottom surface thereof for forming a gap between the recording medium 4 discharged into the drawer 3 and the bottom surface. The drawer 3 can be closed ordinarily until discharge of the recording medium 4 into the drawer 3 is finished as well as it can be opened at the time of taking out the recording medium to the outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing means for recording on a recording medium fed from a recording medium feeding section, and a recording medium receiving section for receiving a recorded recording medium recorded and discharged by the printing means. And a printer having:

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional printer has an open structure in which printed paper (printed paper), including an ink jet printer, a laser beam printer, and the like, which is entirely printed, is provided in a printer body and opened to the outside. It is formed so as to be discharged to a tray. That is, the print paper is stored in the paper discharge tray in an open state to the outside, and the operator directly takes out the print paper from the paper discharge tray. Due to such usage, the printer is usually placed on a table or a table such as a printer table or a personal computer table arranged near the OA equipment.

[0003]

However, the conventional paper discharge tray having an open structure cannot be said to take into account variations in the use of a printer. This structure is based on the premise that the operator immediately removes the printed paper from the output tray and that the printer is used in a uniform, average work environment in the room. It can be said that it is made. Certainly, there is usually little inconvenience if used in accordance with this premise.

[0004] However, various problems arise when used in a manner that does not meet the above premise. For example, in the case where the operator does not immediately or cannot take out the print paper even after the printout, the print instruction is sent to a printer located at a remote place using a network, etc., more specifically. If the printer is used after a while to retrieve the print paper, the print paper will be left open in the output tray, and will be lost before it is retrieved. There is fear and concern.

In addition, when the printer is used in a place that is easily affected by sunlight, wind, dust, water, etc., such as outdoors, the printed paper printed with the open structure has quality such as deterioration or stain. There is a problem of drop.

[0006] Even if the print contents are normally used indoors, it is difficult to make the print contents visible to the public, ie, to use the print contents in a private manner, with the conventional open structure.

Further, in the conventional printer, since it is impossible at all to place other devices or objects directly on the main body of the printer, there is a problem that a certain restriction is imposed on a layout or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve various problems in the case where the paper output tray has an open structure, and to safely store the paper until the printed paper is taken out. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer which is easy to take out, easy to use, and has a high degree of freedom in layout.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is directed to a printing means for recording on a recording medium fed from a recording medium feeding unit, and a print medium printed by the printing means. And a recording medium receiving portion for receiving the recorded recording medium discharged and ejected, wherein the recording medium receiving portion comprises a drawer which is inserted into and taken out of the printer main body, and the drawer is provided on a bottom surface thereof. A gap forming section is provided for creating a gap between the recording medium discharged into the inside and the bottom surface, and the recording medium is always closed until the discharge of the recording medium into the drawer is completed. Wherein the recording medium can be opened when the recording medium is taken out.

According to the present invention, the print paper is printed out in the drawer which is normally closed. While a normal drawer has a structure in which the drawer is opened and objects are inserted therein, in the present invention, as described above, an object (print paper) is inserted (discharged) into the drawer which is closed.
The structure is essentially different from ordinary drawers. Further, according to the present invention, the printed paper can be stored in the drawer until it is taken out, so that there is no problem such as the possibility of the printed paper being lost due to being left in an open state for a long time as in the related art, and the safety is eliminated. It is. Further, even when used in a harsh atmosphere such as outdoors, the printed paper is hardly deteriorated or stained because it is kept in the drawer until it is taken out. Also, it can be easily used in private.

When the drawer is opened when removing the print paper, the print paper discharged into the drawer is
Since a gap is formed between the gap forming portion and the bottom surface of the drawer, the use of the gap facilitates removal of the print paper from the drawer, and the recording medium receiving portion is easy to use. Further, the top surface can be formed on the printer main body by forming the recording medium receiving portion into a drawer structure. As a result, other devices and objects can be placed on the top surface, and the layout is free. The degree increases.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing unit for recording on a recording medium fed from a recording medium feeding unit, and receiving a recorded recording medium printed and discharged by the printing unit. In a printer including a recording medium receiving portion, a portion of the printer except for the recording medium receiving portion is housed in a box that blocks the entire periphery from the outside, and the recording medium receiving portion is provided on a front surface of the box. The drawer is provided with a gap forming portion for creating a gap between the recording medium discharged into the drawer and the bottom face, and the drawer is provided on the bottom face thereof. It is characterized in that it can be closed at all times until the end of discharge into the drawer, and can be opened when the recording medium is taken out of the box.

According to the present invention, in addition to obtaining the operation and effect of the first aspect of the present invention, since the printer is actually a box with a drawer even if it is a printer, the degree of freedom in layout in a room is reduced. In addition, the printer can be easily placed in a place where it is difficult to install the printer in an atmosphere, because the external structure is invisible to the printer, without changing the atmosphere of the place. Further, since the printer has a structure in which the recording medium feeding unit, the printing means, and the like are completely housed in the box, the soundproofing effect against noise during printing is great. Further, a printer having a new appearance can be easily manufactured by using the existing printer almost as it is.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first or second aspect, the gap forming portion includes a plurality of ribs which are long and parallel to a recording medium conveying direction. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, since the gap forming portion is composed of a plurality of ribs which are long and parallel to the recording medium conveyance direction, the rib structure first reduces the contact area with the recording medium. As a result, the discharge resistance is reduced, and the recording medium is formed of a rib that is long in the transport direction. Therefore, the discharge of the recording medium into the drawer is guided by the rib, so that the recording medium is smooth.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the third aspect, the gap forming portion is provided between the plurality of ribs at a lower level than the ribs. It is characterized by having. According to the present invention, the presence of the moisture absorbing member in the drawer facilitates drying of the ink of the printed matter, improves the recording quality, and keeps the stored state of the printed matter in the drawer good.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the box also serves as a housing such as a front cover, a side cover, and a printer cover of the printer. It is characterized by having. The housings such as a front cover and a printer cover can substantially fulfill the role of the box, so that these housings can be omitted. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is easy to design a path for guiding the print paper into the drawer. Furthermore,
Since the housing is replaced by a single body called a box, the number of parts can be reduced and a printer having a new appearance can be easily manufactured.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present application is the printer according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the box is formed in a parallelepiped shape. By adopting the parallelepiped-shaped box, the external symmetry is improved, so that the degree of freedom in layout is further increased. Further, since the top surface of the box, that is, the top surface of the printer body can be used as a workbench or the like, an effect which cannot be obtained by a conventional printer can be obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, a slit serving as an entrance of a recording medium feeding unit is provided on a top surface of the box. It is characterized by being carried out.
This slit makes it easier to use existing printers.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the second to seventh aspects, the box body has a furniture-like appearance structure having a drawer. It is. Here, the furniture-like exterior structure refers to a so-called furniture exterior that is placed in a normal living space, such as a cabinet or a closet, a storage furniture such as a cabinet, a table, or the like, and constitutes an interior. It does not mean office equipment like this. According to the present invention, by making the appearance of the box forming the printer main body furniture-like in the above sense,
While fulfilling the function as a printer, it can be placed as a part of the interior with the same image as a cabinet or a table without making the printer feel as office equipment. Specifically, it can be placed in a living room or a hotel lobby without changing the atmosphere of the place.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, the box is made of porous wood. By using this wooden box, the effect of the furniture-like appearance structure can be more remarkably obtained, and the use environment of the printer, particularly the inkjet printer, can be easily maintained in a favorable state due to the moisture absorption of the porous wood.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the second to ninth aspects, a top surface of the box body is openable and closable. is there. Thus, by opening the top surface, troubles such as replacement of parts such as the ink cartridge and paper jam can be easily performed.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the drawer includes a lock means. This lock means allows the drawer to be opened only by the person holding the key, thereby improving the security of storage such as confidentiality.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the printer is an ink jet printer. Since the inkjet printer can perform high-quality printing at the same level as a photograph, the effect of applying each of the above-described inventions to the inkjet printer is great.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the recording medium feeding unit is an externally operable sheet feeding cassette. The closed outer shape is formed in the same drawer shape as the recording medium receiving portion. As a result, the operational effects of the inventions described above can be obtained with good operability at the time of paper supply.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printer according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, wherein the drawer is provided with a visual recognition part capable of visually recognizing the inside in a closed state. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, since the drawer can be viewed while the drawer is closed by the viewing portion, it is easy to confirm whether the print paper is properly discharged or how much the print paper is stored. .

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a printer body according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a cross section of a recording medium receiving portion. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the printer with a drawer opened.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the main components of the printer, such as a paper feeding unit which is a recording medium feeding unit and a printing means for printing on paper fed from the paper feeding unit. The parts 11 are all provided in the box 1 as shown in FIG. This box 1 is formed in a regular hexahedron shape that blocks the entire periphery from the outside, and the main component parts 11 of the printer provided inside are not visible from the outside, and are substantially invisible to the printer. The structure is formed. 2 indicates a leg.

A paper receiving portion for receiving the print paper printed by the printing means in the box 1 is formed by a drawer 3 provided on the front of the box 1. This drawer 3 is always closed as shown in FIG.
The printing paper 4 (FIG. 4) printed by the printing means is discharged into the drawer 3 in the closed state. The fact that the drawer 3 can be put in the closed drawer 3 and stored as it is is fundamentally different from a so-called normal drawer. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the print paper 4 printed out in the drawer 3 is taken out of the box 1, the drawer 3 is opened and taken out. In addition, the drawer 3 is not limited to one,
Needless to say, it is also possible to provide a plurality or more of them, each of which is controlled so that the print paper can be discharged.
Also in FIG. Reference numeral 14 denotes a guide for taking the drawer 3 in and out of the printer body.

The drawer 3 is provided with a lock means (not shown) so that only the person having the release key can open the drawer 3. Furthermore, drawer 3
A visual recognition unit (not shown) is provided on the front of the printer so that the user can easily check whether the print paper 4 is properly discharged or how much the print paper 4 has accumulated by looking inside the drawer that is closed from the visual recognition unit. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the drawer 3 has a gap forming portion on its bottom surface for forming a gap between the printing paper 4 discharged into the drawer 3 and the bottom surface. Is provided. This gap forming portion is formed by a plurality of ribs 12, 12, ... long and parallel to the transport direction of the printing paper 4. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a moisture absorbing member 13 is disposed between the plurality of ribs 12, 12,.

Since the gap forming portion is composed of a plurality of ribs as described above, the contact area with the printing paper 4 is reduced, and the discharge resistance is reduced. , 12,... Are smoothly guided by the ribs 12, 12,. Further, the presence of the moisture absorbing member 13 in the drawer 3 promotes drying of the ink of the printed matter, thereby improving the recording quality, and improving the storage state of the printed matter in the drawer 3. it can.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the drawer 3
The appearance structure of the box 1 having the above is almost invisible to the printer when the drawer 3 is closed or opened, but specifically, this example is similar to storage furniture such as a cabinet or a closet. It is formed in a so-called furniture-like exterior structure that is placed in a normal living space to form an interior. That is, it is formed in an appearance structure not associated with office equipment such as a copying machine and a personal computer. Further, the material of the box 1 is not limited to a specific material, but is wooden in this example.

Next, the type of the printer may be any one such as an ink jet printer or a laser beam printer, and is not limited to a specific model.
This is an inkjet printer that can print high-quality photos. That is, all components other than the paper ejection receiving portion of the ink jet printer are housed in the box 1,
The printed photo paper 4 is printed so as to be discharged into the drawer 3 serving as a paper discharge receiving portion.

The top surface 5 of the box 1 is provided with a slit 6 serving as an entrance leading to a paper feed unit of the ink jet printer, and is formed so that the slit 6 can be inserted into the paper feed unit. The top surface 5 is formed so as to be pivotable about the rear side and openable and closable.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
First, the print paper 4 is printed out in the drawer 3 which is normally closed, and the print paper 4 can be stored in the drawer 3 in a closed state until the print paper 4 is taken out. This eliminates the risk of problems such as loss of the print paper 4 caused by leaving the printer for a long time. Further, even when used in a harsh atmosphere such as outdoors, the print paper 4 is hardly deteriorated or stained because it is kept in the drawer 3 until it is taken out. That is, the print paper can be safely stored in the drawer 3 until the print paper is taken out. Further, since the printed contents are not visible until they are taken out of the drawer 3, private use can be easily performed.

When the print paper 4 is taken out, FIG.
When the drawer 3 is opened as shown in FIG. 7, the gap between the printed paper 4 discharged into the drawer 3 and the bottom surface of the drawer 3 is formed by the ribs 12, 12,. , It is easy to take out the print paper 4 from the drawer 3, and the discharge receiving portion is easy to use.

Further, the top surface 5 can be formed on the printer main body by forming the paper discharge receiving portion into a drawer structure. As a result, it is possible to place other equipment and objects on the top surface, Layout flexibility is increased. Although the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 has a structure in which the main component part 11 of the printer is housed in the box 1, it does not necessarily have to be a box structure. It is a matter of course that the open paper discharge tray portion in the housing of the printer described above may have a drawer structure with a top surface.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, even though the printer is an actual printer, since it is formed as a simple box with a drawer 3 in appearance, the degree of freedom in layout in a room can be increased. . In addition, because the external structure is invisible to the printer, the printer can be easily placed in a place where it is difficult to install a printer of an office equipment image without changing the atmosphere of the place. In addition, since the printer main component parts 11 such as the paper feeding unit and the printing means are completely housed in the box 1 that blocks the entire periphery from the outside, the soundproof effect against noise during printing is large. Further, since the main component parts 11 of the printer housed in the box 1 are almost the same as the existing printers, the printer can be easily manufactured even with a new appearance structure.

The housings such as the front cover, the side cover, and the printer cover may be omitted from the printer components housed in the box 1. The function of the housing is that the box 1 can substantially fulfill the function.
Alternatively, each component of the printer stored in the box 1
The printer may be newly designed and arranged without using the existing printer structure. If the inside of the box 1 is made in this way, it is easy to design a path for guiding the print paper 4 into the drawer 3.

Further, since the box 1 is formed in a parallelepiped shape, the external symmetry is improved, and the degree of freedom in layout is further increased. Further, since the top surface 5 of the box 1, that is, the top surface 5 of the printer main body can be used as a workbench or the like, an effect which cannot be obtained with a conventional printer can be obtained. Further, since the slit 6 serving as an entrance of the paper feeding unit is provided on the top surface 5 of the box 1, the use of an existing printer is further facilitated.

Further, since the box body 1 is formed in a furniture-like appearance structure having the drawer 3, the cabinet 1 and the cabinet, table, etc. can be used while fulfilling the function as a printer without feeling the presence of the printer as office equipment. It can be left as part of the interior with a similar image. Specifically, it can be placed in a living room or a hotel lobby without changing the atmosphere of the place. Further, since the wooden box 1 is used, it is possible to make the appearance structure of the furniture itself. The use environment of the printer, particularly the ink jet printer, can be easily maintained in a favorable state due to the hygroscopicity of the porous wood. In addition, since the top surface 50 of the box body 1 is formed so as to be openable and closable, it is possible to easily carry out troubleshooting such as replacement of parts such as ink cartridges and paper jam.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This example is also basically the same as the example of FIG. 1, except that the paper supply unit is a paper supply cassette 7 that can be operated from the outside, and the external shape of the paper supply cassette 7 in a closed state is the same as that of FIG. It is formed in the same drawer shape as the drawer 3 forming the paper receiving portion. The manner of operating the paper feed cassette 7 is the same as that of a normal paper feed cassette provided in the printer main body. Further, another drawer 8 is provided in this example. The drawer 8 has the same structure as a so-called furniture drawer, and is used for storing printer equipment and other items. Other structures are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, since the paper feed cassette 7 is simply a drawer until the paper feed cassette 7 is opened for replenishing the paper feed, the paper discharge receiving section is also provided in the paper feed cassette type printer. As described above, the above-described respective effects can be similarly obtained based on the drawer 3 and the appearance structure invisible to the printer.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This example corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 5 in which the legs 2 are eliminated, and is formed as a table mounting type. Other structures are the same as those shown in FIG. 3, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the present invention. In each of the above embodiments, the printer main component part 11 and the drawer 3 in the box 1 are arranged vertically relative to each other, but in this example, the printer main components 11 are arranged left and right relative to each other. A main component part 11 (not shown) such as a printing means is accommodated in the back of the door 10, and a drawer 3 and a paper feed cassette 7 are provided on the left side thereof. I have. Door 10
, The top surface 5 is formed so as not to open.

According to this example, in addition to the above-mentioned respective effects, the area of the top surface 5 is increased, so that the use of the top surface 5 as a workbench or the like becomes easier. This is an effect that is not at all available in the conventional printer.

[0049]

According to the present invention, the print paper is printed out in the drawer which is normally closed, and the print paper can be stored in the drawer until it is taken out. Can be securely stored until the print paper is taken out by solving various problems in the case of the open structure. Moreover, when the drawer is opened when the print paper is taken out, a gap is formed between the bottom of the drawer and the printed paper discharged into the drawer, and the gap is formed by utilizing the gap. The print paper can be easily taken out from the inside, and the recording medium receiving portion is easy to use. Further, the top surface can be used, and the degree of freedom in layout is increased.

In particular, if a drawer is attached to a box body, the printer is almost invisible to the printer. Therefore, it can be placed in a place where it is difficult to install an office equipment image printer without changing its atmosphere. It will be easier. Further, since the paper feeding unit, the printing means, and the like are completely housed in a box that shields the entire periphery from the outside, the soundproofing effect against noise during printing is large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a printer main body according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a recording medium receiving portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the example of FIG. 1 in a state where a drawer is opened;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the printer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Box 3 Drawer 4 Printed paper 5 Top surface 6 Slit 7 Paper feed cassette 12 Rib (gap formation part) 13 Hygroscopic member

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A printer comprising: printing means for recording on a recording medium fed from a recording medium feeding unit; and a recording medium receiving unit for receiving a recorded recording medium printed and discharged by the printing means. Wherein the recording medium receiving portion comprises a drawer which is inserted into and removed from a printer body, and the drawer has a bottom surface for forming a gap between the recording medium discharged into the drawer and the bottom surface. A gap forming portion is provided, and the recording medium can be closed at all times until the discharge of the recording medium into the drawer is completed, and can be opened when the recording medium is taken out. Printer. 2. A printer, comprising: printing means for recording on a recording medium fed from a recording medium feeding unit; and a recording medium receiving unit for receiving a recorded recording medium printed and discharged by the printing means. In the printer, the portion excluding the recording medium receiving portion is housed in a box that shields the entire periphery from the outside, and the recording medium receiving portion includes a drawer provided on the front of the box, and the drawer includes: A gap forming portion for forming a gap between the recording medium discharged into the drawer and the bottom surface is provided on the bottom surface, and a gap is formed until the discharge of the recording medium into the drawer is completed. A printer which can be always closed and can be opened when the recording medium is taken out of the box. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the gap forming portion includes a plurality of ribs that are long and parallel to a recording medium conveyance direction. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gap forming section includes:
A printer comprising: a moisture absorbing member disposed between the plurality of ribs at a lower level than the ribs. 5. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the box also serves as a housing such as a front cover, a side cover, and a printer cover of the printer. 6. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the box is formed in a parallelepiped shape. 7. The printer according to claim 2, wherein a slit serving as an entrance of the paper feeding unit is provided on a top surface of the box. 8. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the box body has a furniture-like appearance structure having a drawer. 9. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the box is made of porous wood. 10. The printer according to claim 2, wherein a top surface of the box body is openable and closable. 11. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the drawer includes a lock unit. 12. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is an ink jet printer. 13. The recording medium feeding section according to claim 12, wherein the recording medium feeding section is a sheet cassette which can be operated from the outside, and an outer shape in a closed state is formed in the same draw-out shape as the recording medium receiving section. A printer characterized in that: 14. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the drawer is provided with a viewing portion that allows the inside to be viewed in a closed state.