JP2002166611A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer in which a plurality of sheets of a continuous form folded in zigzag can be prevented from being carried under superposed state to a print section and occurrence of sheet jam can be prevented. SOLUTION: The printer comprises a continuous form guide member 12a having a wall face 15 abutting against the downstream side end of a continuous form F stacked in a continuous form containing section X to position the continuous form F and formed higher than the continuous form F stackable in the continuous form containing section X. When the continuous form F is carried to a print section 9, the continuous form F being fed out along the wall face 15 of the continuous form guide member 12a, while touching can be handled surely sheet by sheet on the wall face 15. Consequently, a plurality of sheets of the continuous form F folded in zigzag can be prevented from being carried under superposed state to the print section 9 and occurrence of sheet jam can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer which draws out a continuous sheet folded in a zigzag manner, conveys the sheet to a printing section, and performs printing on the continuous sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printer that prints on roll paper generally has a structure in which roll paper is set inside a main body case and printing can be performed on the set roll paper. It is used for

In recent years, printers capable of printing not only on roll paper but also on continuous paper folded in a zigzag pattern, such as fanfold paper, have been developed.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of a conventional printer 100 capable of printing on fanfold paper 101. As shown in FIG. 6, in a conventional printer 100 capable of printing on fanfold paper 101, the fanfold paper 101 is
Is installed outside the printer 100 and printing is performed while the fanfold paper 101 is drawn into the printer 100.

[0005]

However, in the case of the printer 100 as shown in FIG. 6, a space for installing the fanfold paper 101 is required in addition to the space for installing the printer 100, so that the printer installation area is large. There are various problems such as the problem that the printer 100 is not easily moved and the printer 100 is not easily moved.

Further, when the fanfold paper 101 is simply placed behind the printer 100, the fanfold paper 101 is drawn into the printer 100 without any particular restriction on the path.
In some cases, problems such as sticking of each other and multiple feeding of the fanfold paper 101 may occur. Therefore, the fanfold paper 101 must be installed as far as possible from the printer 100 in order to surely convey the fanfold paper to the printer 100 one by one, and the printer installation area must be further increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent a continuous sheet folded in a zigzag pattern from being conveyed while a plurality of sheets are overlapped on a printing unit, thereby preventing the occurrence of a paper jam or the like. Is to provide a printer that can do this.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer which can reduce the installation space of the printer and can be easily moved.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A continuous paper storage unit provided in a main body case for loading and storing the continuous paper, wherein the continuous paper folded in a zigzag manner is conveyed to a printing unit and printing is performed on the continuous paper. The end of the continuous paper stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage unit forming one surface in the storage unit is positioned by abutting an end located on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction, and the continuous paper can be stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage unit. A continuous paper guide member having a wall surface formed higher than the height of the continuous paper.

Therefore, the end of the continuous paper guide member located on the downstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper is positioned, and the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member is formed of the continuous paper that can be loaded and stored in the continuous paper storage unit. Since the continuous paper is formed higher than the height, the continuous paper is drawn out while being in contact with the wall surface when being transported to the printing unit. As a result, the continuous paper is reliably separated one by one by the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member, so that the continuous paper folded in a zigzag manner is conveyed while a plurality of sheets are overlapped with the printing unit. Is prevented, and the occurrence of paper jam or the like is prevented. In addition, since the continuous paper storage portion is provided in the main body case, the printer installation space can be reduced, and the printer can be easily moved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, the continuous paper storage section is provided between an end located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper in a stacked storage state and the printing section. The distance is provided at a position where the distance is equal to or less than two sheets in the sheet conveying direction of the continuous sheet.

Therefore, when the continuous paper is conveyed to the printing section, the continuous paper is drawn out while being in contact with the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member, so that the continuous paper is temporarily longer than the distance from the continuous paper storage section to the printing section. The distance from the continuous paper storage unit to the printing unit, which is conventionally set to at least two sheets in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper, is set to at least the length of the continuous paper in the paper transport direction. It becomes possible to set the distance within the number of sheets. This makes it possible to further reduce the printer installation space.

[0013] The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the printer described above, the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member can be tilted toward the printing unit.

Therefore, the continuous paper guide member is tilted down toward the printing section so that the continuous paper storage section can be easily seen from the printing section side, so that the user can easily set the continuous paper from the printing section side.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
The printer according to any one of the above, further comprising: detachable means for detachably attaching the continuous paper guide member to the main body case; and appearing when the continuous paper guide member is removed by the detachable means, and storing roll paper. A roll paper storage unit, and a roll paper holding mechanism that rotatably holds the roll paper in the roll paper storage unit,
The roll paper held by the roll paper holding mechanism is transported to the printing unit, and printing is performed on the roll paper.

Therefore, printing can be performed on the roll paper only by providing a roll paper holding mechanism for rotatably holding the roll paper after removing the continuous paper guide member. This makes it possible to select printing on either continuous paper or roll paper by a simple operation of replacing some components.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The printer according to the present embodiment is applied to a thermal printer capable of printing on both fanfold paper and roll paper, which are continuous paper folded in a zigzag manner. Further, as the fanfold paper used in the present embodiment, a fan that can be cut off by a perforated portion where a plurality of copy slips in which two to four thermal papers are spelled is folded in a zigzag manner. Applied to fold paper. That is, one fanfold sheet indicates one copy slip separated by a perforation.

First, a printer when a user uses fanfold paper will be described. Here, FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the printer 1 in a state where the fanfold paper F is loaded, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, and FIG. 2 is a state in which the cover part 4 is opened. FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially showing the printer 1, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view schematically showing the structure of the printer 1 in a state where fanfold paper F is loaded. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 is roughly divided into a main body case 3 including a paper storage unit 2 for storing fan-fold paper F and roll paper R (see FIG. 4), and a thermal head 7 (FIG. 3). Body case 3
A front panel unit 6 having a cover unit 4 that can be opened and closed by a support shaft a, and a discharge port 5 from which fan-fold paper F or roll paper R printed by the thermal head 7 is discharged.
It is composed of

The cover 4 has a shape in which the upper surface of the paper storage 2 is open. Thus, the paper storage unit 2
The upper surface of the fanfold paper F is opened to make the height of the fanfold paper F stacked and stored in the paper storage unit 2 sufficient and to secure the degree of freedom in transporting the fanfold paper F. That's why.

As shown in FIG. 3, a platen 8 is provided at a position facing the thermal head 7 in a state where the cover portion 4 of the main body case 3 is closed and near the paper discharge port 5. The platen 8 is driven by a motor (not shown) to rotate, and also functions as a paper transport member that pulls out and transports the fan-fold paper F and the roll paper R. That is,
When the cover 4 is closed, the printing unit 9 is formed by the platen 8 of the main body case 3 and the thermal head 7 of the cover 4, and a part of the paper transport path 10 is formed.

Further, the cover 4 is provided with a paper guide G for guiding the fan-fold paper F or roll paper R to the printing unit 9 at a position upstream of the thermal head 7 in the paper transport direction A. Have been. This paper guide section G
Means that a part of the paper transport path 10 is formed with the cover 4 closed.

On the back side of the printer 1 (body case 3), a fanfold paper rack 11 which constitutes a part of the paper storage unit 2 and stores and stores fanfold paper F is provided. The fanfold paper rack 11 has a function of positioning one end of the fanfold paper F (the end on the upstream side in the paper transport direction A). On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in the figure, one end of the fanfold paper F (in the paper transport direction A) is located downstream of the paper storage unit 2 in the paper transport direction A.
Folder holder 12 provided with a fanfold paper guide member 12a for positioning the downstream end of the fanfold paper guide member 12a.
Is provided. This fanfold paper holder 12
Is positioned left and right by a holder guide plate 13 provided on a frame (not shown) of the printer 1, and is detachably attached to the paper storage section 2 of the main body case 3 by a screw 14 as an attaching / detaching means. . That is, the space X formed by the fan-fold paper rack 11 and the fan-fold paper guide member 12a of the fan-fold paper holder 12 functions as a continuous paper storage section for stacking and storing the fan-fold paper F.

Here, the fanfold paper guide member 12a, which is a continuous paper guide member, will be described in detail. A fanfold paper guide member 12 that forms one surface in the space X and abuts one end of the fanfold paper F (an end on the downstream side in the paper transport direction A) to position the fanfold paper F.
The wall surface 15a is formed higher than the highest point of the fanfold paper F that can be stacked and stored in the space X. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the number of fanfold sheets F that can be stacked and stored in the space X is about 500. The distance from the end of the space X, which is located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction A, to the printing unit 9 is set to a distance within the length of two fanfold papers F in the paper transport direction.

A rotary shaft 17 urged in the direction B (see FIG. 3) by a leaf spring S is provided below the fan-fold paper guide member 12a. And is urged in the B direction. The rotating shaft 17 has a D-cut shape, and when the D surface of the rotating shaft 17 is positioned on the leaf spring S, the urging force from the leaf spring S is minimized.
In the present embodiment, the rotary shaft 17 is set so that the plane D is positioned on the leaf spring S when the wall surface 15 is in the vertical state. The fan-fold paper guide member 12
a is provided with a first stopper 18, and when the wall surface 15 is in a vertical state, the first stopper 18 is
The rotation of the fanfold paper guide member 12a in the direction B is restricted by contacting the bottom surface portion 2a of the fanfold paper guide member 12a.

The fanfold paper guide member 12
a is also provided with a side plate 16 for regulating the width direction of the fanfold paper F. End 16 of this side plate 16
a is formed so as to abut against the head block 4a of the cover part 4 incorporating the thermal head 7 in a state where the cover part 4 is closed, thereby also rotating the fanfold paper guide member 12a in the B direction. I try to regulate. Notches (not shown) are formed at positions where the end portions 16a of the side plates 16 of the head block 4a come into contact with each other. The positional deviation of the side plate 16 is corrected. This is to prevent the inconvenience that the fanfold paper F escapes from the gap when a gap is formed between the head block 4a and the end 16a of the side plate 16.

That is, the fanfold paper guide member 12a is slightly urged in the direction B via the rotary shaft 17 while the head block 4a and the end 16a of the side plate 16 are in contact with each other. Is prevented from occurring.

When the cover 4 is opened and the contact between the first stopper 18 and the bottom surface 2a of the paper storage unit 2 is released by, for example, pushing the wall surface 15 in the direction of the platen 8. Thus, the fanfold paper guide member 12a falls down in the direction of the platen 8. In addition, the fanfold paper guide member 12a is provided with the platen 8 in this manner.
A second stopper 19 is also provided to prevent the side plate 16 from colliding with the main body case 3 when the side plate 16 falls down.

In addition, the fanfold paper guide member 1
2a, a back feed receiver 20 is provided for guiding the fold portion of the fan-folded paper F upward when the fan-folded paper F is fed back by driving the platen 8 for cueing.

With such a configuration, the cover unit 4 is opened to store the fanfold paper F in the paper storage unit 2, and after the fanfold paper F is drawn out to the paper transport path 10, the cover unit 4 is closed. Alone, the fanfold paper F is set in the printing unit 9.

When the user stores the fanfold paper F in the space X, it is considered that there are many cases where the user stores the fanfold paper F from the front panel 6 side.
The first stopper 18 and the bottom portion 2 of the paper storage unit 2 are pulled by pulling the wall 15 formed higher than the highest point of the stackable fanfold paper F in the direction of the platen 8.
a) to release the contact with the fanfold paper guide member 1
By tilting 2a in the direction of the platen 8, the space X becomes easier to see than the front panel 6 side, so that the user can easily set the fanfold paper F from the front panel section 6 side.

In addition, the fanfold paper guide member 1
The end located on the downstream side in the paper transport direction A of the fanfold paper F is positioned on the wall surface 15 of 2a,
Since the wall surface 15 of the fan-fold paper guide member 12a is formed higher than the height of the fan-fold paper F that can be stacked and stored in the space X, the fan-fold paper F is conveyed to the printing unit 9 when it is conveyed to the printing unit 9. 15 will be drawn out while contacting along. As a result, the fan-folded paper F becomes the fan-folded paper guide member 1
Since the fanfold paper F folded in a zigzag manner is prevented from being conveyed to the printing unit 9 in a state where a plurality of the papers are overlapped with each other, the paper is reliably separated from each other by the wall 15 of the 2a. The occurrence of jams and the like is prevented.

When the fanfold paper F is conveyed to the printing section 9, the fanfold paper guide member 12a
The fan-fold paper F is temporarily separated from the printing unit 9 from the end located on the upstream side of the space X in the paper transport direction A because the fan-fold paper F is drawn out while being in contact with the wall 15 of the paper. . Thus, in the related art, at least the length 2 of the fanfold paper F in the paper transport direction
The distance from the end located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction A of the space X, which is the continuous paper storage unit set to be equal to or more than the number of sheets, to the printing unit 9 is two sheets of the fanfold paper F in the paper transport direction. The distance can be set within minutes. Therefore, the space X is provided in the main body case 3 and the distance from the end located on the upstream side of the space X in the paper transport direction A to the printing unit 9 is set to two sheets of the fan-fold paper F in the paper transport direction. By setting the distance within minutes, the printer installation space can be reduced, and the printer can be easily moved.

Next, the printer 1 when the user uses the roll paper R will be described. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view schematically showing the structure of the printer 1 in a state where the roll paper R is mounted. As shown in FIG.
Is mounted, the fanfold paper holder 12 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is removed from the paper storage section 2 of the main body case 3 by removing the screw 14.

The side portion 2 of the paper storage section 2 of the main body case 3
b has a pair of recesses 30 (see FIG. 2).
A pair of concave portions 31 (see FIG. 3) are formed in the side surface portion 4b of the cover portion 4. These concave portions 30 and concave portions 31 are formed in a semicircular shape having the same diameter, respectively.
It is formed at a position facing the cover unit 4 in a closed state. That is, when the cover portion 4 is closed, the substantially circular bearing 32 is formed by the concave portion 30 and the concave portion 31.

In addition, in the printer 1, a pair of pressing plates 33 sandwiching both ends of the roll paper R as shown in FIG.
It has. The pressing plate 33 has a disk shape, and the diameter is larger than the maximum diameter of the roll paper R to be used. Holding plate 3
At the center of the surface of the third roll paper R that contacts the roll paper R, a spacer 34 that is a fitting portion that fits on the inner periphery of the roll paper R is attached. A support shaft 35 is provided at the center of the surface of the holding plate 33 opposite to the surface on which the spacer 34 is mounted.

With this configuration, after the cover 4 is opened and the pressing plate 33 is attached to the roll paper R, the support shaft 35 of the pressing plate 33 is placed in the recess 30. Then, after the roll paper R is drawn out to the paper transport path 10, the cover shaft 4 of the holding plate 33 is held by the bearing 32 simply by closing the cover 4, and the roll paper R is set on the printing unit 9. . Therefore, the paper storage unit 2 of the main body case 3 functions as a roll paper storage unit, and the bearing 32 and the pressing plate 33 function as a roll paper holding mechanism.

Thus, the fanfold paper holder 1
After removing the sheet 2 and attaching the presser plate 33 to the roll paper R, it is possible to perform printing on the roll paper simply by placing the support shaft 35 of the presser plate 33 in the recess 30. It is possible to select printing on either the fan-fold paper F or the roll paper R by a simple operation of simply replacing the part.

Although the printer according to the present embodiment has been described as an example of application to a thermal printer, the invention is not limited to this, but can be applied to various printers such as an ink jet printer and an impact dot printer.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer for conveying a continuous sheet folded in a zigzag manner to a printing unit and performing printing on the continuous sheet. A continuous paper storage unit that stores and stores continuous paper, and an end that forms one surface of the continuous paper storage unit and is located on the downstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage unit. A continuous paper guide member having a wall surface formed to be higher than the height of the continuous paper that can be stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage portion, and the paper transport of the continuous paper on the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member. The end located on the downstream side in the direction is positioned, and the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member is formed higher than the height of the continuous paper that can be stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage unit. When the continuous paper is conveyed to the printing unit, the continuous paper can be pulled out while being in contact with the wall surface, so that the continuous paper can be securely separated one by one on the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member. It is possible to prevent the continuous paper folded in a folded state from being conveyed in a state where a plurality of sheets are overlapped on the printing unit, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of paper jam or the like. Further, by providing the continuous paper storage section in the main body case, the printer installation space can be reduced, and the printer can be easily moved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, the continuous paper storage section is arranged such that the printing section starts from an end located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper in a stacked storage state. The printer installation space can be further reduced by providing the distance to the position within a distance of two sheets in the sheet conveyance direction of the continuous sheet. As described above, the distance from the continuous paper storage unit to the printing unit, which is conventionally set to at least the length of two continuous papers in the paper transport direction, is less than the length of two continuous papers in the paper transport direction. The distance can be set when the continuous paper is conveyed to the printing unit by pulling out the continuous paper while contacting it along the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member. This is because they can be temporarily moved away.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first or second aspect, the wall surface of the continuous paper guide member can be tilted down toward the printing unit, thereby providing a continuous paper guide. Since the continuous paper storage unit can be easily viewed from the printing unit side by tilting the member toward the printing unit side, the user can easily set the continuous paper from the printing unit side.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to any one of the first to third aspects, an attaching / detaching means for detachably attaching the continuous paper guide member to the main body case, and the attaching / detaching means. A roll paper storage unit that appears when the continuous paper guide member is removed and can store roll paper, and a roll paper holding mechanism that rotatably holds the roll paper in the roll paper storage unit, A roll that conveys the roll paper held by the roll paper holding mechanism to the printing unit, performs printing on the roll paper, removes the continuous paper guide member, and then holds the roll paper rotatably. By simply providing a paper holding mechanism, printing can be performed on roll paper. It can be selected printing for any of the paper.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are external views of a printer in which fanfold paper according to an embodiment of the present invention is stacked, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view and FIG. 1B is a plan view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view partially showing the printer with a cover part opened.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view schematically showing a structure of a printer in which fanfold paper is stacked.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view schematically showing a structure of a printer in a state where roll paper is mounted.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a roll paper and a pressing plate.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of a conventional printer capable of printing on fanfold paper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Roll paper storage part 3 Main body case 9 Printing part 12a Continuous paper guide member 14 Attaching / detaching means 15 Wall surface 32, 33 Roll paper holding mechanism F Continuous paper R Roll paper X Continuous paper storage part

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 2C058 AB02 AB16 AC06 AE03 AE04 AE10 AF05 AF06 AF31 JA04 JA10 2C060 BA00 BA04 BA06 BC02 BC12 BC46 3F052 AA01 AB05 BA02 BA14 BA18 BA19 3F103 AA02 BA01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printer for drawing out and feeding a continuous sheet folded in a zigzag manner to a printing unit and printing on the continuous sheet, provided in a main body case and storing the continuous sheet therein. And an end located on the downstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper stacked and stored in the continuous paper storage unit and forming one surface of the continuous paper storage unit. A continuous paper guide member having a wall surface formed to be higher than the height of the continuous paper that can be stacked and stored in the unit. 2. The continuous paper storage section, wherein a distance from an end located on the upstream side in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper in a stacked storage state to the printing section is two sheets in the paper transport direction of the continuous paper. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is provided at a position within a distance of less than a minute. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a wall surface of the continuous paper guide member is tiltable toward the printing unit. 4. A detachable means for detachably attaching the continuous paper guide member to the main body case, and a roll paper which appears when the continuous paper guide member is removed by the detachable means and is capable of storing roll paper. A storage unit, and a roll paper holding mechanism for rotatably holding the roll paper in the roll paper storage unit, wherein the roll paper held by the roll paper holding mechanism is drawn out and conveyed to the printing unit, 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed on roll paper.