JP2003011437A - Label paper printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label paper printer which can adequately print to label papers provided by a bundle of many papers and can follow the current handling state for label papers as much as possible in view of a specific state of the label papers. SOLUTION: There are provided a label paper holder 11 for setting the label paper bundle 4 comprising many sheets of label papers 4a in a horizontal posture to a fixed position, a label paper feed mechanism 13 for tearing off from the uppermost label paper 4a of the label paper bundle 4 one by one and sending the paper in the horizontal posture, a label paper printing mechanism 12 for printing to an upper face of the label paper 4a being sent, an apparatus case 2 for storing these (11, 12 and 13), a label paper introduction opening 5 formed to the apparatus case 2 for introducing the label paper bundle 4 to the label paper holder 11, and a label paper discharge opening 6 formed, to the apparatus case 2 for sending the printed label paper 4a to the outside of the case while keeping the horizontal posture.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sticky note printer for printing a sticky note partially attached to an adherend.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer for printing a recording medium that is not partially glued, such as A4 size paper or a tape-shaped member, has been widely known. There is no publicly known sticky note printer.

[0003]

By the way, the sticky notes are
It is a special medium in which the paper partially has the adhesive property of a tape-shaped member. Then, the sticky notes are usually provided to the market in the form of a sticky note bundle in which a large number of sheets are laminated by partially gluing one end of the sticky note sheet, and the user peels the sticky note sheets one by one from the sticky note sheet, writes a memo, and writes a file. It is attached to the adherend such as. Therefore, when sticky notes are to be printed as a printer, it is desirable that at least the current handling and convenience by the user be ensured.

The present invention has been made in view of the peculiar form of sticky notes, and can appropriately print on sticky notes provided in a bundle of a large number of sheets and handle existing sticky notes. An object of the present invention is to provide a sticky note printer that can follow the shape of the sticky note printer.

[0005]

A sticky note printer according to the present invention comprises a sticky note holder for setting a sticky note bundle composed of a large number of sticky notes with one end glued in a fixed position in a horizontal position, and a sticky note holder. A sticky note feeding mechanism that separates one by one from the top sticky note of the sticky note stack and sends it in a horizontal posture,
A sticky note printing mechanism that prints on the upper surface of a sticky note that is sent by the sticky note feeding mechanism, a sticky note holder, a device case that houses the sticky note feeding mechanism and the sticky note printing mechanism, and a sticky note formed on the device case A sticky note introducing opening for introducing a bundle of papers into the sticky note holder, and a sticky note discharging opening formed on the apparatus case for sending the printed sticky note outside the case in a horizontal posture. Characterize.

According to this structure, the sticky notes are introduced as a bundle of sticky notes into the case from the sticky note introduction opening and set in a horizontal position at a fixed position. In this state, the sticky notes are peeled off one by one, Printing is performed on the upper surface as the paper is sent while maintaining the horizontal posture. As a result, the sticky notes can be handled as a stack of sticky notes, which is a horizontally stacked form, and the horizontal printing surface of the printed sticky notes can be visibly discharged one by one in the same manner as a human being handles.
For this reason, the user can confirm the printing status on the sticky note and can handle the sticky note and attach the sticky note as it is to the sticking target. As the printing method of the sticky note printing mechanism, various methods such as an inkjet method and a thermal transfer method can be adopted.

In this case, it is preferable that the sticky note ejecting port has a sticky note holding portion for holding the sent sticky note in a handleable manner.

According to this structure, the printed sticky note is held in the vicinity of the sticky note discharge port and does not drop from the device case onto a desk or the like. As a result, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from adhering to the adhesive (glue portion) used for re-adhesion of the sticky note, maintain its adhesiveness, and the user can easily grasp the sticky note. can do. From the viewpoint of easy handling of sticky notes, it is preferable that the sticky note holding section be hooked at the sticky note discharge port rather than the stocked sticky note stock format.

In these cases, the sticky note holder is preferably constructed so that the bundle of sticky notes can be set with its free end facing the sticky note discharge port.

According to this structure, the peeled sticky note is sent to the other side with the free end side first, and discharged from the free end side. This allows the user to grip the printed sticky note from the front end side without touching the glued part. Therefore, it is possible to easily handle the sticky note after printing and prevent the adhesiveness of the glued portion from being impaired.

In these cases, it is preferable that the sticky note introduction opening is formed on the lower surface of the device case so that the bundle of sticky notes can be introduced from the vertical direction in a horizontal posture.

According to this structure, it is possible to introduce the bundle of sticky notes in a horizontal posture from below with the surface for printing the sticky notes facing up. Accordingly, the stacking direction of the bundle of sticky notes and the introduction direction of the bundle of sticky notes can be matched, and the user does not feel uncomfortable when introducing the bundle of sticky notes.

In these cases, the sticky note holder is further provided with a lid for closing the sticky note introducing opening, and the sticky note holder supports the sticky note bundle from a lower side and a position restricting portion that regulates the sticky note bundle from the upper side to a fixed position. It is preferable to have a set stage for performing the setting, and a biasing member that is interposed between the lid and the set stage and that presses the bundle of sticky notes against the position restricting unit via the set stage.

According to this structure, the bundle of sticky notes set in the sticky note holder is pushed upward by the setting stage through the biasing member and is moved upward by the position regulating portion of the introduction guide. The urging force on the is regulated downward. As a result, even if the number of sticky notes is peeled off and the number of sticky notes is reduced, the height level of the uppermost sticky notes can always be kept constant, and the sticky note feeding mechanism can be appropriately faced. be able to.

In this case, the biasing member is preferably composed of a plurality of springs.

According to this structure, the set stage, which is biased upward by receiving the lid body by the plurality of springs extending in the vertical direction, can be brought into a state in which the plane balance thereof is suitably provided. . As a result, the set sticky note bundle is urged by a uniform force as a whole, and the highest sticky note can be always exposed to the sticky note supply mechanism under the same condition.

In these cases, the sticky note holder has an introduction guide for guiding the introduction of the bundle of sticky notes and the set stage, and the lower end portion of the introduction guide is formed to expand toward the sticky note introduction opening. Are preferred.

With this structure, the set stage can be easily introduced from the vertically downward direction, and the handleability can be further improved. The widened portion is preferably an inclined surface such as a chamfer.

In these cases, the setting stage has a display section for instructing the setting direction of the bundle of sticky notes.
preferable.

According to this structure, the bundle of sticky notes can be properly set on the set stage without making a mistake in the mounting direction.

In these cases, it is preferable that the lid is flush with the device case when the sticky note introduction opening is closed.

According to this structure, the lid can function as a part of the device case in the closed state. That is, the lid body can have both the function of the supporting member of the set stage and the function of a part of the apparatus case.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A sticky note printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This sticky note printer is connected to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer), and prints various data such as characters, figures, contents of E-mail, etc. created on the personal computer on the sticky note. Specifically, the sticky note printer sets a sticky note bundle formed by partially gluing a large number of sticky note sheets, rolls up the sticky note sheets one by one from the set sticky note sheet, and peels the sticky note sheets from the glued section. Sending to, and printing various data on the personal computer to this to create printed sticky notes.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the sticky note printer, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the sticky note printer without the device case. As shown in both figures, the sticky note printer 1 is composed of a printer body 3 having an outer casing formed by a device case 2 and a bundle of sticky note papers 4 set on the printer body 3 as a printing target. The sticky note bundle 4 is formed by laminating a large number of congruent sticky notes 4a by gluing a part of the rear surface base end side at the same position. The sticky notes 4a are configured to be peelable one by one from the bundle of sticky notes 4, and after the peeling, the glued portion 4
It can be reattached to an adherend such as paper via b.

The device case 2 has a small size as a whole and is formed in a mouse shape, and has a sticky note introducing opening 5 for introducing the sticky note bundle 4 into the case from below, and a printing on the front center. A horizontal slit-shaped sticky note discharge port 6 for sending out the completed sticky note 4a to the outside of the case is formed. An opening / closing lid 7 whose outer surface constitutes a part of the upper surface of the device case 2 is attached to the device case 2.

The opening / closing lid 7 is configured to be openable / closable in the vertical direction by a hinge built in the rear end portion. Inside the opening / closing lid 7, as shown in FIG. 3, a ribbon cartridge 8 for accommodating an ink ribbon R is provided. Is detachably attached. This sticky note printer 1 rolls up the uppermost sticky notes 4a one by one from a bundle of sticky notes 4 introduced and set inside the sticky note introduction opening 5, and is pulled diagonally upward while peeling it off from the glued portion 4b. At the same time as sending, printing is performed on this via the ink ribbon R, and the paper is ejected from the sticky note ejection port 6 with the printing surface facing up.

A printer frame 10 is disposed inside the device case 2 of the printer body 3, and the printer frame 10 is located on the lower side and faces the sticky note introduction opening 5, and the sticky note bundle 4 is attached and detached. Sticky note holder 11 that holds freely
And the sticky note 4 which is located above and facing the sticky note holder 11.
The sticky note printing mechanism 12 that prints on the sheet a and the sticky note 4a is picked up and peeled one by one from the sticky note bundle 4 held by the sticky note holder 11 by the rotation of the pickup roller 52 described later, and the sticky note printing is performed. Sticky note 4a on mechanism 12
And a sticky note supply mechanism 13 for sending the sheet through the sticky note discharge port 6 and are supported.

The printer frame 10 includes a plate-shaped main frame 14 extending vertically and a main frame 14
And a sub-frame 15 having a "C" shape in plan view. The sticky note supply mechanism 13 and the sticky note printing mechanism 1 are provided on the main frame 14.
Each of the components 2 is mainly supported by a cantilever. The sticky note holder 11 is fixedly supported in the opening surrounded by the main frame 14 and the sub-frame 15.

The sub-frame 15 is the main frame 14
And a pair of side plate parts 17 formed by bending both ends of the connecting plate part 16 toward the main frame 14 side. Further, the tip part of the side plate part 17 is connected to the main frame 14. It is fixed to the main frame 14 at the portion that is bent inward in parallel. Subframe 15
The connecting plate portion 16 is formed with supporting engagement holes 18 for supporting the sticky note holder 11 at a total of four positions. Correspondingly, the main frame 14 has a total of four supporting engagement holes at its lower part. 18 is formed (see FIG. 4).

As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 4, the sticky note holder 11 has a rectangular set stage 21 on which the sticky note bundle 4 is placed horizontally, and four circumferences for guiding the set stage 21 slidably in the vertical direction. It is composed of a frame-shaped introduction guide 22 and a lid 23 that supports the set stage 21 from below via a biasing member 24 (see FIG. 5). Lid 2
3 is fixed to the lower surface of the introduction guide 22 after inserting the set stage 21 into the introduction guide 22, and closes the sticky note introduction opening 5 in this state.

The introduction guide 22 is formed so as to correspond to the shape of the sticky note 4a, and its inner surface communicates with the sticky note introducing opening 5 to guide the introduction of the sticky note bundle 4 and the set stage 21. Further, the introduction guide 22 positions the front and rear of the set bundle of sticky notes 4 in the longitudinal direction. It should be noted that four engaging projections 39 corresponding to the above four supporting engaging holes 18 are formed on both left and right side surfaces of the introduction guide 22, whereby the sticky note holder 11 is fixed to the printer frame 10. It is supposed to be done. Further, each support engagement hole 18 may be formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction in a horizontal slit shape so that the position of the sticky note holder 11 can be slightly adjusted in the front-rear direction.

Before and after the upper opening of the introduction guide 22, a pair of position regulating portions 26 that relatively press the front end portion (free end side) and the rear end portion (glue portion side) of the sticky note bundle 4 are directed inward. It is projected. That is, the position restriction unit 26 sets the bundle of sticky notes 4 so as to be sandwiched between the set stage 21 and the uppermost sticky note 4a, and horizontally regulates the position of the sticky note 4a at a fixed position. The set stage 21 has an arrow-shaped display portion 37 formed on its mounting surface to indicate the setting direction of the bundle of sticky notes 4, and the free end of the bundle of sticky notes 4 is oriented in the direction of the arrow so that the sticky notes are attached. The sheet bundle 4 is set appropriately.

The set stage 21 of the embodiment is
It has a width in which a plurality of types of sticky note bundles 4 having different widths can be set. Therefore, it is preferable that the mounting surface of the set stage 21 is provided with a set plate 25 that serves as a width-shifting member when the sticky note bundle 4 is set on the set stage 21 (see FIG. 4). However, when the sticky note printer 1 is turned upside down, the sticky note stack 4 is inserted and set, and then the set stage 21 is inserted, the set plate 25 is not necessary. Although not particularly shown, it is preferable that the lower end portion of the introduction guide 22 is formed so as to be widened toward the sticky note introducing opening 5 to guide the introduction of the set stage 21 and the sticky note bundle 4 (FIG. 5). reference).

The outer shape of the lid 23 is substantially the same as that of the set stage 21, and the lid 23 is fitted in the lower opening of the introduction guide 22. Then, it is screwed and fixed to the lower surface of the introduction guide 22 by the projecting fixing portions 38 that are formed to project on the four sides of the lid body 23. In this state, the lid 2
Reference numeral 3 closes the sticky note introduction opening 5, and the lower surface thereof is flush with the lower surface of the device case 2. Note that, instead of such a screw-fastened type, it is also possible to take a hook-type closing structure.

The urging member 24 is located between the set stage 21 and the lid 23, and is composed of four pressure springs 24a arranged at the four corners of these. One end of each pressure spring 24a is locked to the lower surface of the set stage 21, and the other end of each pressure spring 24a is locked to the upper surface of the lid 23. With these four pressure springs 24a, the lid 23
As a result, the set stage 21 is biased upward with good balance.

That is, the bundle of sticky notes 4 is pressed against the setting position (the position restricting portion 26 of the introduction guide 22) with a uniform force via the setting stage 21. Therefore, even if the sticky notes 4a are fed out one by one and the sticky notes 4a in the bundle of sticky notes 4 are depleted, the height level of the sticky notes 4a located at the highest position always maintains a fixed position. The urging member 24 is 4
The number of pressure springs is not limited to one, and a plurality of pressure springs may be distributed in a well-balanced manner. In particular, in order to reduce the number of parts and the cost thereof, a large diameter is used.
It may be constituted by individual pressure springs.

The sticky note printing mechanism 12 is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a partial frame 27 fixed to the main frame 14, a thermal head 28 integrally fixed to the partial frame 27, and the above ribbon cartridge. 8 and the ribbon winding mechanism 29 for winding the ink ribbon R. The thermal head 28 is composed of a head body 30 and a head holder 31 that supports the head body 30,
The head holder 31 is formed by horizontally bending the partial frame 27. In addition, it is preferable that the row length of the heating elements provided on the head body 30 corresponds to the sticky note 4a having the minimum width or the maximum width. When the minimum width is used as in the embodiment, the non-printed portion of the sticky note 4a having the maximum width becomes a space (margin) for handwriting.

A guide roller 32 is attached to the partial frame 27 in the vicinity of and in parallel with the thermal head 28. The guide roller 32 includes a guide roller shaft 33 that is cantilevered and supported by the partial frame 27.
And a guide roller body 34 rotatably supported by the guide roller shaft 33. The guide roller 32 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the pickup roller 52 that has moved to the printing position, and rotates and feeds the sticky note 4a with the pickup roller 52 (details will be described later).

The partial frame 27 includes a pair of leg pieces 35 and 3.
5 is fixed to the main frame 14 through the partial frame 2 so as to face the gap between the two leg pieces 35, 35.
A circular fitting hole 36 is formed through the hole 7. The main part of the ribbon winding mechanism 29 is contained between the two leg pieces 35, 35, and the ribbon winding shaft 40 of the ribbon winding mechanism 29 is parallel to the thermal head 28 through the fitting hole 36. Overhangs.

The ribbon take-up mechanism 29 engages the ribbon take-up reel 49 of the ribbon cartridge 8 with the ribbon take-up shaft 4.
0, a ribbon winding gear 41 integrally fixed to the base of the ribbon winding shaft 40, a first pin shaft 42 that rotatably supports the ribbon winding shaft 40 and the ribbon winding gear 41, and a ribbon winding gear. A winding intermediate gear 43 that meshes with the winding shaft 41 and a second pin shaft 44 that rotatably supports the winding intermediate gear 43 are provided.

The first pin shaft 42 and the second pin shaft 44 are
It is fixed to the main frame 14 in parallel with each other and in a cantilever manner. The winding intermediate gear 43 is integrally formed with a small gear 45 that meshes with the ribbon winding gear 41 and a large gear 46 that meshes with a roller gear 63 of a pickup roller 52 described later. Although details will be described later, power to the ribbon winding mechanism 29 is input from the roller gear 63 of the pickup roller 52 that has moved upward to the printing position, and the ink ribbon R is wound.

The ribbon cartridge 8 has an outer shell formed by a cartridge case 47 having a two-divided structure which is formed in a substantially oval shape in plan view. Inside the cartridge case 47, there are rotatably housed a ribbon take-up reel 48 on which the ink ribbon R is wound, and a ribbon take-up reel 49 on which the ink ribbon R is wound. The ribbon take-up reel 48 is configured to be freely rotatable, and the ribbon take-up reel 49 engages with the ribbon take-up shaft 40 and is driven and rotated to take up the ink ribbon R fed from the ribbon take-up reel 48.

A head opening facing the opening of the sticky note holder 11 and facing the thermal head 28 is formed on the lower surface of the cartridge case 47 between the ribbon feeding reel 48 and the ribbon take-up reel 49 (illustrated). Omitted). The ink ribbon R is unwound from the ribbon unwound reel 48, temporarily faces the head opening so as to bypass the lower side of the thermal head 28, and runs alongside the sticky note 4a at the position of the thermal head 28, and then the ribbon take-up. It is wound around the reel 49. That is, the sticky note 4a and the ink ribbon R are sandwiched between the pickup roller 52 and the thermal head 28, and the sticky note 4a is printed by driving the heat generating elements while feeding them in the same direction.

A case where the user uses the sticky note printer 1 to print on the sticky note 4a will be briefly described. First, the sticky note printer 1 and the personal computer PC are mutually connected by a USB or a cable. As a result, the sticky note printer 1 is brought into communication connection with the personal computer PC. Next, the lid 23 is removed from the sticky note printer 1 together with the set stage 21, and the bundle of sticky notes 4 is positioned by the set plate 25 and placed on the set stage 21 according to the display of the set direction. In this state, the bundle of sticky notes 4 and the setting stage 21 are guided from below vertically to the introduction guide 22, and the sticky note introducing opening 5 is closed by the lid 23, whereby the bundle of sticky notes 4 is set at a fixed position.

Before and after the sticky note bundle 4 is set, the opening / closing lid 7 is opened / closed, and the ribbon cartridge 8 is opened.
Put on. At this time, the head opening of the ribbon cartridge 8 is guided to the thermal head 28, and when the ribbon cartridge 8 is mounted, the ink ribbon R pulled out with some slack from the head opening causes the thermal head 28 to move.
The ribbon take-up reel 49 is located on the lower side and engages with the ribbon take-up shaft 40. This enables the sticky note printer 1
Enters the print standby state.

Here, the personal computer is operated to create and select desired print data, and the print execution is instructed. When the printing execution is instructed, the highest sticky note 4a is rolled up from the sticky note bundle 4 and rides on the pickup roller 52. Subsequently, the pickup roller 52 moves upward, and the sticky note 4a and the ink ribbon R are sandwiched between the pick-up roller 52 and the thermal head 28 at the upper end position thereof, and the pick-up roller 52 is moved between the guide roller 32 and the pick-up roller 52. 4a is clamped. The sticky note 4a and the ink ribbon R are simultaneously sent by the rotation of the pickup roller 52, and the thermal head 28 is appropriately driven to generate heat, whereby the ink of the ink ribbon R is thermally transferred and printing is performed on the sticky note 4a.

The ink ribbon R after printing is wound up in the ribbon cartridge 8, but the sticky note 4a after printing is
It is peeled off from the sticky note stack 4, and is sent out from the sticky note discharge port 6 with the upper printing surface facing up. At this time, the printed sticky note paper 4a to be sent out is stopped at the sticky note paper discharge port 6 so as not to drop from the sticky note paper discharge port 6.

Specifically, the sticky note ejecting port 6 is formed with a sticky note holding section for holding the base end side of the sent sticky note 4a from below (not shown), and the sticky note holding section is The printed sticky note 4a is held with the tip of the sticky note 4a protruding from the sticky note discharge port 6. By providing this sticky note holding unit, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the back side gluing section 4b (adhesive) due to the drop of the printed sticky note 4a, and the user does not touch the gluing section 4b. The paper 4a can be grasped from the front end side, taken out from the sticky note discharge port 6, and easily attached to an adherend such as paper.

Next, the sticky note supply mechanism 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4 and 7. The sticky note supply mechanism 13 includes a drive motor 51 as a drive source, the pickup roller 52 (friction roller), and the drive motor 51.
A reduction gear train 53 that transmits rotational power from the pickup roller 52 to the pickup roller 52, and a pickup unit 54 that rotatably holds the pickup roller 52 and moves the pickup roller 52 up and down.
Is equipped with.

The drive motor 51 is composed of a DC motor of a commutator type, is held by a motor housing case 56, and is supported by the rear portion of the main frame 14. Drive motor 51
The output shaft of the worm gear 57 and the worm gear 57
The pulse disk 58 is fixed at the tip side of the.
On the other hand, on the upper part of the motor storage case 56, the pulse disc 5
The photo interrupter 59 facing 8 is incorporated.
An encoder is composed of the photo interrupter 59 and the pulse disk 58, and heat driving of the thermal head 28 is controlled based on the pulse signal detected by the encoder.

The pickup roller 52 faces the front end side (free end side) of the sticky note bundle 4 from the upper side, and the roller shaft 61 whose both ends are supported by the pickup unit 54,
A roller body 62 is rotatably mounted on the roller shaft 61 and is in direct contact with the sticky note 4a, and a roller gear 63 that rotates integrally with the roller body 62. Roller shaft 61
Extend in parallel with the thermal head 28 and are supported by the pickup unit 54 by both ends. Roller body 6
Reference numeral 2 denotes a resin core portion 64 that is disposed close to one half of the roller shaft 61 and is rotatably mounted on the roller shaft 61.
And a rubber roll 65 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the core portion 64.

The rubber roll 65 is made of a high-friction material having heat resistance such as silicon rubber, and the pickup roller 52 has a function of rolling the sticky note 4a by rolling it and cooperating with the thermal head 28. It also has the function of a platen roller. The roller gear 63 is adjacent to and integrally formed with the core portion 64 of the roller body 62. The pick-up roller 52 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 when the roller gear 63 receives rotational power through the reduction gear train 53.

The reduction gear train 53 includes a small transmission gear 66 (a worm wheel and a small spur gear) which meshes with the worm gear 57 on the drive motor 51 side, a middle transmission gear 67 which meshes with the small transmission gear 66, and a middle transmission gear 67. A large input gear 68 meshes with each other, and the pin shafts of these gears are fixed to the main frame 14 in a cantilever manner. Input gear 68
The roller gear 63 of the pickup roller 52 meshes with the worm gear 5.
7, the small transmission gear 66, the middle transmission gear 67, and the input gear 68 are transmitted in this order to rotate the pickup roller 52 via the roller gear 63.

An annular end face cam groove 80 is formed on the end face of the input gear 68 on the main frame 14 side, and the cam link member 55 constituting the end face cam mechanism with the end face cam groove 80 is connected to the input gear. It is arranged so as to overlap 68 (see FIG. 7). The end surface cam mechanism converts the rotational movement of the input gear 68 into the rotational movement of the pickup unit 54 via the cam link member 55 (details will be described later).

The pick-up unit 54 holds the pick-up roller 52 rotatably at both ends at both ends and also has a pair of turning arms 70 which are turnable about the base end and the pick-up roller 52. A connecting arm 7 that escapes and integrally connects the tip portions of the pair of rotating arms 70.
1 and 1 are formed in an inverted “U” shape. The pair of rotating arms 70 is composed of a pickup arm 72 rotatably supported by the main frame 14 and a support auxiliary arm 73 rotatably supported by the subframe 15.

The support assisting arm 73 is rotatably supported at its base end portion by the upper end shaft portion 19 of the connecting plate portion 16 of the sub-frame 15. On the other hand, the pick-up arm 72 has a base end portion via the pin shaft of the input gear 68.
It is rotatably supported by. That is, the pickup arm 72 is rotatably supported at its base end portion on a shared pin shaft that rotatably supports the input gear 68. The pin shaft and the upper end shaft portion 19 of the sub-frame 15 are arranged parallel to the pickup roller 52 and on the same axis.

The support auxiliary arm 73 and the pickup arm 72 include a roller shaft 61 of the pickup roller 52.
A bearing 74 having a slightly long hole is formed in the up-down direction (rotating direction) at the tip end portion supporting both ends of the roller (see FIG. 5), and between each arm and the roller shaft 61. A support spring 75 for biasing the roller shaft 61 (pickup roller 52) upward is provided. Therefore, the pickup roller 52 is supported so as to be slightly movable relative to the pickup unit 54, and thereby the thermal head 28 can be elastically pressed in the abutting direction.

Further, the pickup arm 72 has an engagement pin 76 (input portion) protruding outward from an intermediate portion in the extending direction, and the engagement pin 76 is attached to the arm engagement portion 94 of the cam link member 55. Engaged (see FIG. 7). As a result, when the cam link member 55 operates, the pickup arm 72 causes the engagement pin 76 to relatively slide within the arm engagement portion 94, and the power is transmitted in the rotation direction to rotate the pickup arm 72. It will be. When the pickup arm 72 rotates, the support auxiliary arm 73 also follows the connecting arm 71 and rotates in the same direction. That is, the pickup arm 72 uses the base end as a fulcrum and the engagement pin 76.
When the pivoting operation is performed using the
However, the horizontal movement is maintained, that is, the vertical movement is performed.

At this time, the pickup roller 52 moves while being driven and rotated so as to maintain the meshing state of the roller gear 63 and the input gear 68. That is, in the pickup roller 52, the roller gear 63 is the input gear 68.
On the other hand, it functions like a satellite gear (the input gear 68 is the sun gear,
The roller gear 63 serves as a satellite gear and the pickup arm 72
Corresponds to the carrier) and makes a circular motion in the up-down direction about the pin axis of the input gear 68 (pickup arm 72) while maintaining driving rotation. And
The circular movement of the pickup roller 52 is regulated by the end face cam mechanism so as to perform a reciprocating rotation operation.

That is, the pick-up roller 52 has a rolling contact position where it comes into rolling contact with the surface of the sticky note 4a on the bundle of sticky notes 4 in a print standby state, and a printing position where it separates from the bundle of sticky notes 4 and comes into contact with the thermal head 28. It is configured to move between spaces as appropriate. More specifically, the pickup roller 52 rolls up the sticky note 4a at the rolling contact position, which is the lower moving end position, and then moves up by the end face cam mechanism, and the printing position which is the upper moving end position. At the same time, the sticky note 4a is pressed against the thermal head 28, and at the same time, the print is sent. At that time, the roller gear 63 meshes with the winding intermediate gear 43, and the sticky note 4a and the ink ribbon R sandwiched between the pickup roller 52 and the thermal head 28 run in parallel for printing. The pickup roller 52 (roller gear 63) receives rotational power from the input gear 68 and continues to rotate even when it moves up and down (however, it is somewhat decelerated as a satellite gear).

The cam link member 55 is arranged so that the base end side of the pickup arm 72 is sandwiched between it and the input gear 68. The cam link member 55 forms a main part and a donut having an elongated hole engaging portion 94 formed therethrough. The link main body 90 and the guide pin 91 protruding from the front side of the link main body 90 and engaged with the end surface cam groove 80 of the input gear 68.
The link body 90 has a body insertion hole 9 formed through the center thereof.
2, the pin shaft of the input gear 68 is inserted with sufficient play, and the lower right end (lower left end in FIG. 7) is rotatably supported by the rotation support shaft 93 provided on the main frame 14. ing.

The engaging pin 76 of the pickup arm 72 is engaged with the arm engaging portion 94 with play. As a result, the engagement pin 76 can be finely moved in the elongated hole without difficulty, and the force can be smoothly transmitted to the pickup arm 72. On the other hand, the guide pin 91 is a so-called cam follower configured to be slidable in the end face cam groove 80, and constitutes the above end face cam mechanism together with the end face cam groove 80.

The end face cam mechanism configures a force point on the guide pin 91 and an action point on the arm engaging portion 94 with respect to the cam link member 55 with the lower right end portion (rotating support shaft 93) of the link body 90 as a fulcrum. The rotational force of the input gear 68 is converted into the rotational movement of the pickup arm 72 and transmitted via the cam link member 55. End face cam groove 8
As shown in FIG. 8, 0 is an annular shape including an inner diameter circular arc groove portion 81 (rolling contact groove portion), an outer diameter circular arc groove portion 82 (printing groove portion), and two moving groove portions connecting the inner diameter circular arc groove portion 81 and the external shape circular arc groove portion. Are continuously formed (the reference numeral of the moving groove is omitted in the figure).

In the end face cam mechanism, when the guide pin 91 relatively slides in the inner diameter circular arc groove portion 81, the engagement pin 7 of the pickup arm 72 is directed inward of the arm engagement portion 94.
6 is attracted to bring the pickup roller 52 to the rolling contact position. On the other hand, when the guide pin 91 relatively slides in the outer diameter arcuate groove portion 82, the engaging pin 76 is attracted toward the outer side of the arm engaging portion 94 to pick up the pickup roller 5.
Face 2 to the print position. That is, one rotation of the input gear 68 having the end face cam groove 80 makes it possible to pick up the pickup arm 7.
2 to perform one reciprocating rotation operation, and the pickup roller 5
In FIG. 2, one vertical movement is performed between the rolling contact position and the printing position. As will be described later, the cam curve formed by the end face cam groove 80 has a timing when the pickup roller 52 moves to and from the sticky note 4a and a timing when the pickup roller 52 moves from the printing position to the rolling contact position. It is formed so as to be skillfully maintained by the two moving groove portions.

Here, a series of operations of the pickup roller 52 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the print standby state, the pickup roller 52 is in the rolling contact position and rolls on the surface of the uppermost sticky note 4a of the sticky note stack 4 set in the sticky note holder 11 (FIG. 11A). Due to the drive rotation of the drive motor 51, the pickup roller 52 starts to drive and rotate to start the sticky note roll-up operation. When the pickup roller 52 rotates,
Only the topmost sticky note 4a (the free end side thereof) is pulled out from the position regulating section 26 on the front end side, and the middle portion in the longitudinal direction thereof gradually bends upward (b). .

Immediately after the leading edge of the sticky note 4a that has rolled up passes below the pick-up roller 52, the pick-up roller 52 is rotated and moved upward to move the sticky note 4a.
When it is separated from the sticky note 4, the sticky note 4a is flipped up by the rotational force of the pickup roller 52 and rides on the pickup roller 52 (FIG. 7C). That is, the sticky note 4a is once bent and then flipped up from the front end, and the front end of the sticky note 4a wraps around the upper side of the pickup roller 52 and is placed on it.

During the roll-up operation, the pickup roller 52 is adapted to roll only on the uppermost sticky note 4a, that is, to move immediately before the tip of the sticky note 4a is flipped up. More precisely, the tip of the sticky note 4a that passes under the rotating pickup roller 52 passes, and when the tip is caught on the peripheral surface of the pickup roller 52, the pickup roller 52 is moved. Since the movement timing of the pickup roller 52 is adjusted by the end face cam mechanism, the sticky note 4a is not turned up and the sticky note immediately below the sticky note 4a is not turned up.

Pickup roller 5 on which sticky note 4a is placed
2 then moves up to the printing position (moves up while rotating and revolving) ((d) in the figure), and contacts the thermal head 28 and the guide roller 32 so as to sandwich the sticky note 4a between them. To do. At the same time, power is input to the sticky note printing mechanism 12 via the roller gear 63 ((e) in the figure). Then, the pick-up roller 52 sends out the largely tilted sticky note 4a so as to be peeled off from the glued portion 4b (at the same time (f) in the figure), and prints in cooperation with the thermal head 28. . When the sticky note 4a is peeled off from the glued portion 4b, the sticky note 4a
The tail end side of the is partially pulled out from the position restricting portion 26 ((g) in the figure), but returns to the original position when the peeling is completed.

Sticky note 4 completely peeled off during printing
Further, a is further sent from the printed portion to the sticky note discharge port 6 by the pickup roller 52 and the guide roller 32. Printed sticky note 4a
When is sent out from the sticky note discharge port 6, the pickup roller 52 retreats from the printing position and returns to the rolling contact position at the next timing ((h) in the figure). At this time, since the pickup roller 52 is separated from the sticky note printing mechanism 12, the gear connection is released and the running of the ink ribbon R is stopped.

As described above, according to the sticky note printer 1 of the present embodiment, the pick-up roller 52 is driven to rotate in series, so that the sticky notes 4a are appropriately rolled up and peeled from the set sticky note bundle 4 one by one. While sending, printing can be performed and then discharged to the outside of the printer.
As a result, the sticky note 4a on which desired print data is printed
Can be easily created.

In order to prevent the sticky note 4a from being piled up by the pick-up roller 52, the end surface cam mechanism is adjusted immediately after the sticky note 4a that is in rolling contact with the pick-up roller 52 is adjusted to adjust the sticky note 4a. Alternatively, the bundle 4 may be separated while being moved toward the gluing portion 4b side. Alternatively, immediately after the pickup roller 52 flips up the sticky note 4a, the drive of the drive motor 51 is stopped,
The rotation of the pickup roller 52 may be temporarily stopped.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, instead of arranging the pickup roller 52 on the front end side of the sticky note bundle 4,
You may arrange | position at the intermediate position of the longitudinal direction. In this case, when the pickup roller 52 rotates at the rolling contact position,
The uppermost sticky note 4a bends greatly toward the gluing section 4b while causing a slip between the next sticky note and the next sticky note. That is, the sticky note 4a is bent in a substantially "L" shape, and based on this bending, the sticky note 4a comes into contact with the pickup roller 52 so as to be stretched. Then, in this state (immediately after being bent in the "L" shape), the pickup roller 52 is moved upward, so that the sticky note paper 4a can be reliably rolled up.

The guide roller 32 provided in the sticky note printing mechanism 12 exerts a sufficient frictional force between the pickup roller 52 and the thermal head 28 so that the sticky note 4a can be peeled off and sent out. It may be omitted. Further, instead of the sticky note bundle 4 of the present embodiment, the sticky note 4a
It may be a sticky note bundle in a form in which only the end face on the base end side is glued and laminated. Further, the sticky note 4a may be configured as a heat sensitive type, and the ribbon cartridge 8 may be omitted. In addition, the sticky note printer 1 of the present embodiment
Needless to say, a sheet bundle in which general sheets that are not partially glued are stacked can be used as the print target.

Next, a sticky note printing system including the sticky note printer 1 and the personal computer PC will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. The personal computer PC includes a keyboard 100 capable of inputting data, a monitor 101 for displaying the data input by the keyboard 100, and a mouse 1 for designating / selecting the data displayed on the monitor 101.
02, and an external recording medium such as a CD-ROM 103 can be inserted. Then, the sticky note printer 1 in which the input / output terminals are connected to the personal computer PC by a USB or the like is used for print data created by inputting / editing with the keyboard 100 while referring to the monitor 101 on the personal computer PC, Internet information, or E information. By specifying / selecting the print area with the mouse 102 for the existing created print data such as the contents of the mail and issuing the print command,
The designated and selected print data is printed on the sticky note 4a to create the printed sticky note 4a.

As shown in FIG. 12, the main control unit of the personal computer PC includes a CPU 110 for performing various controls and a ROM 11
1, a RAM 112, and a CD-R as an external recording medium
The OM 103 and the P-CON 113 are provided, and these are connected to each other via a bus 114. ROM
111 has an area for storing a control program and control data processed by the CPU 110. RAM112
Are used as various work areas for control processing.
Further, the CD-ROM 103 stores data such as application software and device drivers for the sticky note printer 1.

The P-CON 113 has a built-in logic circuit for complementing the function of the CPU 110 and for handling signals with peripheral circuits. The keyboard 100, the monitor 101, the mouse 102, etc. are connected via a driver, Further, the sticky note printer 1 is connected. In relation to the sticky note printer 1, the CPU 110
According to the program for printing the sticky note in the D-ROM 103, various detection signals, various commands, various data, etc. are input through the P-CON 113, and the ROM 111 and RA
Processing various data in M112, P-CON113
A control signal is output to the sticky note printer 1 via. That is, in the sticky note printer 1, the thermal head 28 and the drive motor 51 are controlled by the control signal from the personal computer PC.

Specifically, when the user uses this sticky note printer 1 by communicating with the personal computer PC, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a desired area to be printed in the print data 120 including the text 120a or the object 120b displayed on the screen of the monitor 101 is selected by the mouse 102 and dragged to select the area on the screen of the monitor 101. It is dropped on the icon 121 set in advance. Then, the printing on the sticky note 4a is instructed, the printing by the heat transfer is performed on the sticky note 4a, and the desired printed sticky note 4a is discharged from the sticky note discharge port 6. In the personal computer PC, the presence or absence of the ribbon cartridge 8 in the sticky note printer 1, the presence or absence of the bundle of sticky notes 4, and the detection result of the type can be confirmed on the monitor 101.

Next, a second embodiment of the sticky note supply mechanism 13 will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the pickup roller 52 is configured to be movable up and down, but it does not also serve as a platen roller, but is mainly used to roll up, peel off, and feed the sticky note 4a, and to separately provide a platen. Sticky note 4 on roller 132
It is configured to deliver a. The differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, but the reference numerals are the same as in the first embodiment as much as possible.

The pickup roller 52 is arranged on the tip side of the sticky note stack 4, the rubber roll 65 of the roller body 62 is in rolling contact with the sticky note 4a, and the roller gear 63 formed at the end of the roller body 62 is input. It meshes with the gear 68. The input gear 68 has a pickup roller 5 at the tip.
The rotation axis of the pickup arm 72 that holds the 2 rotatably and moves up and down is coaxial, and an end face cam mechanism is configured with the substantially "L" -shaped cam link member 55. The end surface cam mechanism is provided with the end surface cam groove 8 of the input gear 68.
0 and a guide pin 91 of the cam link member 55 that engages with the end surface cam groove 80, and the rotational movement of the input gear 68 is converted into the rotational movement of the pickup arm 72 via the cam link member 55. .

That is, the arm engaging portion 94 formed through the "L" -shaped tip of the cam link member 55 relatively slides the engaging pin 76 formed at the base end of the pickup arm 72. , The pickup arm 72 is rotated according to the end cam mechanism. As a result, the pickup roller 52 is provided between the rolling contact position for rolling contact with the highest sticky note 4a on the bundle of sticky notes 4 and the passive roller 130 provided above the rolling contact position and with the sticky note printing mechanism 12. It moves to and away from the sticky note bundle 4 between the pinching position in which the sticky notes are in contact with.

The passive roller 130 is made of a friction material such as rubber and is rotatably supported by the printer frame 10 (not shown) in parallel with the pickup roller 52 in a cantilevered manner. The passive roller 130 is configured so as to be freely rotatable, and is driven to rotate by receiving the driving rotation of the pickup roller 52 located at the nipping position by moving upward. As a result, the sticky note 4a rolled up by the pick-up roller 52 and riding on the pick-up roller 52 is rotatably fed in a state of being pinched by the pick-up roller 52 and the passive roller 130 at the pinching position and peeled off from the glued portion 4b. .

A platen roller 132 facing the thermal head 28 is disposed in the vicinity of the passive roller 130 and above the sticky note feeding direction. Platen roller 132
Is rotatably supported by the printer frame 10, receives the sticky note 4a from its tip, and prints on the sticky note 4a in cooperation with the thermal head 28. Platen roller 1
32 is provided with a platen gear 133 at the base end thereof, and the platen gear 133 has an upper ribbon winding mechanism 2
9 (ribbon winding gear 41 or winding intermediate gear 43).

Further, in the vicinity of the platen roller 132,
Between the platen roller 132 and the passive roller 130,
A platen transmission gear 134 is rotatably supported by the printer frame 10. In the platen transmission gear 134,
The platen gear 133 meshes with and meshes with the roller gear 63 of the pickup roller 52 at the sandwiching position. That is, the platen roller 132 is rotated by being transmitted with power when the pickup roller 52 reaches the holding position, and is transmitted to the ribbon take-up reel 49 to rotate it.

As a result, the sticky note 4a is clamped at a higher position, so that its form is further inclined at a steep angle. For this reason, the sticky note 4a is subjected to a sufficient peeling force, pulled out from the gluing section 4b and used for printing, and then discharged to the outside of the apparatus case 2 by the platen roller 132. The pick-up roller 52 retracts from the printing position and returns to the rolling contact position after the platen roller 132 sends out and ejects the printed sticky note 4a by the end surface cam mechanism.

According to the sticky note supply mechanism 13 of this embodiment, after the sticky note 4a is rolled up by the pickup roller 52, the sticky note 4a is temporarily sandwiched by the passive roller 130, and then the platen roller 132 having a higher height level is provided. For sticky note 4a
Since the paper is conveyed, the sticky note 4a can be appropriately peeled off from the glued portion 4b. Further, since the sticky note 4a is sent from the tip side to the platen roller 132,
It becomes possible to print from the tip of the sticky note 4a.

Next, a method of feeding the sticky notes 4a and feeding the sticky notes 4a to the other party will be described. In this method, the pickup roller 52 of the above-described embodiments is used.
Although there is no difference in rolling the sticky note 4a onto the sticky note 4a, the sticky note 4a is more easily rolled up. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b), at the time of the sticky note roll-up operation, the pickup roller 52 disposed at the tip of the sticky note bundle 4 is moved to the base end side of the sticky note 4a. It may be moved away from the sticky note bundle 4 while being transferred to and moved from. Alternatively, the sticky note holder 11 holding the bundle of sticky notes 4 may be moved relative to the pickup roller 52 as described above. As a result, further bending of the sticky note 4a can be promoted, and the sticky note 4a can be smoothly rolled up.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15C, before the pick-up roller 52 rolls up the sticky note 4a, the sticky note bundle 4 is bent in a state in which its middle portion is bent downward from the horizontal position. It may be. As a result, the sticky note 4a
The tip is vigorously flipped up by its own restoring force. In this case, the sticky note holder 11 may be configured to sandwich both ends of the bundle of sticky notes 4 in the longitudinal direction and push down the middle part thereof.

The sticky note supply method and the sticky note supply mechanism of each of the above embodiments may be applied not only before printing in the above embodiment but also for rolling up sticky notes after printing. For example, Japanese Patent Application 2000-
In the sticky note printer described in No. 243609, the peeling of the printed sticky note left to the user can be applied to the sticky note supply mechanism and the sticky note supply method of each of the above embodiments. As a result, the user is not forced to perform complicated work.

[0089]

According to the sticky note printer of the present invention, the sticky note is introduced as a sticky note bundle into the case from the sticky note introduction opening and is set in a horizontal posture. A series of mechanisms for the set sticky note bundle are set. By the operation, the sheets are peeled off one by one, and while being sent to the other side while maintaining the horizontal posture, printing is performed and the sheets are ejected out of the case. This allows
A set of sticky note sheets and a printed sticky note sheet can be obtained in a form that follows the existing method of handling a sticky note sheet, and the user can handle the sticky note sheet without feeling uncomfortable.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the sticky note printer with the device case omitted.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sticky note printer in which a ribbon cartridge is mounted in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the sticky note printer.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the internal structure of the sticky note printer with the device case omitted.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the sticky note printer.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view around a sticky note supply mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a front view around the sticky note supply mechanism showing the operation of the end face cam mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a series of operations performed by the sticky note supply mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the sticky note supply mechanism in a simplified manner.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a personal computer and a sticky note printer are linked.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a state in which a personal computer and a sticky note printer are linked.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation on a monitor screen by a personal computer.

FIG. 14 is a front view around the sticky note supply mechanism according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing another method for supplying sticky notes.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Sticky note printer 2 device case 3 Printer body 4 Sticky note bundle 4a sticky notes 4b glued part 5 Sticky note introduction opening 6 Sticky note outlet 8 Ribbon cartridge 11 Sticky note holder 12 Sticky note printing mechanism 13 Sticky note supply mechanism 21 set stage 22 Installation Guide 23 Lid 24 Biasing member 26 Position Control Unit 28 Thermal head 29 Ribbon winding mechanism 40 Ribbon winding shaft 41 Ribbon winding gear 51 drive motor 52 Pickup roller (friction roller) 55 Cam link member 61 Roller shaft 62 roller body 63 roller gear 68 input gear 72 pickup arm 74 Bearing 75 Support spring 76 Engagement pin 80 end face cam groove 91 guide pin 93 Rotating support shaft 94 Arm engaging part R ink ribbon PC personal computer

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sticky note holder for setting a sticky note bundle composed of a large number of sticky notes, one end of which is glued, at a fixed position in a horizontal position; A sticky note feeding mechanism that peels the sheets one by one and sends them in a horizontal posture; a sticky note printing mechanism that prints on the upper surface of the sticky note that is sent by the sticky note feeding mechanism; the sticky note holder; An apparatus case for accommodating a paper feed mechanism and the sticky note printing mechanism, a sticky note introduction opening for introducing the sticky note bundle into the sticky note holder, formed in the apparatus case, and formed in the apparatus case, A sticky note printer, comprising: a sticky note discharge port for sending the printed sticky note to the outside of the case in a horizontal posture. 2. The sticky note printer according to claim 1, wherein the sticky note ejecting port has a sticky note holding unit that holds the sent out sticky note in a handleable manner. 3. The sticky note according to claim 1, wherein the sticky note holder is configured so that the bundle of sticky notes can be set with its free end facing the sticky note discharge port. Paper printer. 4. The sticky note introduction opening is formed on the lower surface of the device case, and the sticky note stack can be introduced from the vertical direction in a horizontal posture. The sticky note printer described in 3. 5. A lid for closing the sticky note introduction opening,
The sticky note holder further includes a position restricting unit that restricts the sticky note bundle from the upper side to a fixed position, a set stage that supports the sticky note bundle from the lower side, and a space between the lid body and the set stage. The sticky note printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a biasing member that is interposed between the sticky note stack and the position regulation unit via the set stage. . 6. The sticky note printer according to claim 5, wherein the biasing member includes a plurality of springs. 7. The sticky note holder has an introduction guide that guides the introduction of the sticky note bundle and the set stage, and a lower end portion of the introduction guide is formed to expand toward the sticky note introduction opening. The sticky note printer according to claim 5, wherein 8. The sticky note printer according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the set stage has a display section for instructing a setting direction of the bundle of sticky notes. 9. The sticky note printer according to claim 5, wherein the lid is flush with the apparatus case when the sticky note introduction opening is closed.