JP2003072155A - Printing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing unit capable of easily positioning a printing range of label printing to be provided onto the surface of a recording medium in a simple configuration, and capable of printing on the surface of the recording medium with good appearance. SOLUTION: This unit comprises a tray 8, a printing means for printing characters, marks, or the like on the surface of an optical disc 6 as the recording medium, supported by the tray 8, and a transparent positioning member 85 placed detachably on the optical disc 6, wherein the positioning member 85 covers the surface of the optical disc 6 except the part corresponding to the printing area as the moving range of a printing head of the printing means as well as an index 87 to be the reference of positioning a printing range A on the surface of the optical disc 6 is provided on the surface of the positioning member 85 so that positioning is executed for the position and the orientation of the printing range A to be printed with respect to the optical disc 6 based on the positioning member 85.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a CD-R (Compa
The present invention relates to a printing device for printing desired characters such as characters and symbols on the surface of a disk-shaped recording medium such as a ct Disk Recordable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A CD-R is an optical recording medium (optical disk) on which a user can freely write data, and the title of the written data can be printed on the surface of the CD-R and displayed. It is convenient for management.

As an optical disk such as a CD-R, a manufacturer's name and other characters and symbols are preprinted on the surface of the optical disk, or a plain surface without such preprinting is left as it is. There is something.

In an optical disc that has been preprinted,
If desired, desired label printing is performed at a position avoiding the pre-printed portion, and label printing is performed at an arbitrary position on a plain optical disc without pre-printing.

An optical disk having a pre-printed portion on its surface will be unattractive unless label printing is performed with the parallelism and verticality aligned with the pre-printed portion. Conventionally, as a printing device for performing label printing on the surface of an optical disc, an image on the surface of the optical disc is read by an image sensor, and the preprinted portion of the read image is printed by aligning the print character string of the label printing. What has been proposed is proposed.

[0006]

However, in the conventional printing apparatus, since the image sensor is provided and the pre-printing is read by the image sensor, the apparatus becomes large in size and expensive. There is.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is possible to easily perform the alignment of the print range of the label printing to be performed on the surface of the recording medium with a simple structure, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of printing a good-looking print on the surface.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a support portion on which a disk-shaped recording medium is placed and supported, and characters, symbols, etc. on the surface of the recording medium supported by the support portion. A printing device for printing the character of, which is placed on a recording medium supported by the supporting portion, except for a portion corresponding to a printing area where printing is performed by the printing means. A positioning member that covers the surface of the recording medium is provided, and the position and direction of the printing range to be printed with respect to the recording medium can be adjusted based on the positioning member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the alignment member according to the first aspect is formed of a transparent plate member which is positioned on the supporting portion and is detachably mounted, and the print head of the printing means on the plate member. It is characterized in that a notch portion is formed in a portion corresponding to a printing area which is a movement range of the.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the alignment member according to the first aspect includes a transparent plate member, and is pivotally attached to the supporting portion so as to be rotatable, and the print head of the printing means on the plate member. It is characterized in that a notch portion is formed in a portion corresponding to a printing area which is a movement range of the.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the supporting portion is
It is characterized in that it is provided so as to be movable from the inside to the outside of the apparatus main body provided with the printing means, and the alignment member is rotated in a direction away from the supporting section in accordance with the movement of the supporting section from the inside to the outside of the apparatus main body. There is.

The invention according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that the alignment member is provided with an index serving as a reference for alignment of a printing range to be printed on a recording medium.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of print ranges are set on the recording medium in the alignment member, the print ranges have a predetermined positional relationship with the cutout portion. It is characterized in that a print area index portion for aligning the positions is provided.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the appearance of the entire printing apparatus. This printing apparatus is provided with a case 1 as a main body of the printing apparatus. The case 1 is made of synthetic resin and has a relatively thin and almost box shape. Is formed in.

An opening 2 is formed in a portion extending from the front surface to a part of the upper surface of the case 1, and the opening 2 is opened and closed by rotating the pin 2 vertically with a pin 3 as a fulcrum. The printer cover 4 is provided. At the normal time, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer cover 4 has the opening 2
And the opening 2 is closed.

The case 1 has a base 7 on the inner bottom thereof, and a tray 8 as a support portion is provided on the base 7. On both sides of the base 7, guide walls 9 are integrally formed so as to stand upright and face each other.

FIG. 3 shows the state in which the base 7 and the tray 8 are taken out from the case 1, FIG. 4 shows the state in which the tray 8 is removed from the base 7, and FIG. 5 shows the state in which the tray 8 is reversed. FIG. 6 shows the individual states of the base 7, and the guide wall 9 provided on the base 7 is shown in FIG.
It has a U-shaped cross section as shown in Fig.
The slide portions 11 on both side edges of the tray 8 are slidably fitted in the guide grooves 10 so that the tray 8 can move in the front-back direction of the case 1 along the guide grooves 10. It has become.

That is, the tray 8 moves from a predetermined storage position in the case 1 so as to project forward through the opening 2 on the lower side of the printer cover 4, and moves from the projected state into the case 1. Are arranged in a predetermined storage position.

A standing wall 12 is provided at the front end of the tray 8, and a mounting portion 1 for mounting a disk-shaped optical disk 6 as a recording medium is provided on the upper surface of the tray 8 near the front end.
3 is provided.

On the mounting portion 13, a rubber 14 for supporting the optical disk 6 for slipping and cushioning, a positioning projection 15 for positioning the optical disk 6 mounted on the rubber 14, and an optical disk. A notch 16 for hooking a finger is provided on the periphery of 6. Further, on both sides of the rear portion of the upper surface of the tray 8, there are provided protrusions 24 for attaching and fixing an alignment member described later.

A standing wall 12 provided at the front end of the tray 8.
An engaging claw 17 is formed so as to project from the inner surface of the upper part of the printer, and an engaging hole 18 facing the engaging claw 17 is provided at the lower end of the printer cover 4.

When the tray 8 is arranged at a predetermined storage position in the case 1 and the printer cover 4 is closed in the opening 2, the engaging claw 17 engages in the engaging hole 18. Thus, a cover locking unit that locks the printer cover 4 and prohibits its opening is configured.

On the upper surface of the rear portion of the base 7, a pair of projecting pieces 1 is provided.
9 are formed, coil springs 21 that constitute the pushing mechanism 20 of the tray 8 are provided on the inner surfaces of the protruding pieces 19, and the pressing pieces 22 are provided at the tip ends of these coil springs 21.
Is installed.

A locking mechanism 25 for locking the tray 8 in a disengageable manner is provided on the upper surface of the rear portion of the base 7. The locking mechanism 25 includes a solenoid 26 and a locking lever 2 that rotates around a pin 27 in conjunction with the solenoid 26.
And a hook 28 at one end of the locking lever 28.
a is integrally formed, and this hook 28a engages with a projection 29 formed on the lower surface of the rear portion of the tray 8 in a disengageable manner, as shown in FIG.

When the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 and is located at a predetermined storage position in the case 1, the rear edge of the tray 8 comes into contact with the pushing piece 22 of the pushing mechanism 20 so that the coil spring 21 is released. When the tray 8 is compressed, the projection 29 of the tray 8 engages with the hook 28a of the locking lever 28, and the engagement holds the tray 8 in the case 1 against the elastic force of the coil spring 21.

A locking mechanism 25 is attached to one end of the front surface of the case 1.
An eject button 30 for inputting a control signal for driving the solenoid 26 of the solenoid 2 is provided. By pressing the eject button 30 with a fingertip, the solenoid 2
6, the plunger of the solenoid 26 is attracted by this excitation, and the engaging lever 28 causes the locking lever 28 to move to the pin 2
7, the hook 28a is moved to the tray 8 by this rotation.
The tray 8 is disengaged from the projection 29, and the tray 8 is pushed forward by the elastic force of the coil spring 21 of the push-out mechanism 20 by a certain size in response to the release of the engagement. There is. Then, the user can pull out the tray 8 pushed out by a certain dimension further forward with his or her hand so that the tray 8 can be largely projected to the maximum allowable distance on the front side of the case 1.

On the other hand, when the pulled-out tray 8 is pushed into the case 1, the rear edge of the tray 8 contacts the pushing piece 22, and when the tray 8 is pushed further, the coil spring 21 is pushed.
Is compressed, the projection 29 of the tray 8 is engaged with the hook 28a of the locking lever 28, and by this engagement, the tray 8 is
Is held at a predetermined storage position in the case 1 against the elastic force of the coil spring 21.

On the upper surface of the base 7, there are provided protrusions 33a, 33b and 33c for raising the tray 8 when the tray 8 is pushed up.
As shown in FIG. 6, these convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c are provided so as to be dispersed in the front portion, the intermediate portion, and the rear portion of the upper surface of the base 7, and the front portions of these convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c are respectively provided. An inclined surface 34 that is inclined obliquely downward toward the front of the base 7 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of riding convex portions 35a, 35b, 35c corresponding to the convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c on the upper surface of the base 7 are formed on the lower surface of the tray 8 so as to project therefrom. . These protruding portions 35a, 3 for riding
The protruding heights of 5b and 35c are the same as the protruding heights of the raised protrusions 33a, 33b and 33c formed on the base 7.

When the tray 8 is pushed in, the riding convex portions 35a, 35b, 35c ride on the corresponding raised convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c with the inclined surface 34 as a guide. As a result, the tray 8 is displaced upward while keeping the horizontal state.

The timing when the protrusions 35a, 35b, 35c of the tray 8 ride on the protrusions 33a, 33b, 33c of the base 7 is just before the pushing of the tray 8 into the case 1 is completed. That is, the tray 8 is
When the tray 8 is pulled out to the front side of the case 1, the convex portions 35a, 35b are held at the lower level position, and the tray 8 moves toward the inside of the case 1 and immediately before the tray 8 is placed in a predetermined storage position in the case 1. , 35c are convex portions 33a, 33b, 3
It rides on 3c, is displaced from the lower level position to the upper level position, and is placed.

The slide portions 11 on both side edges of the tray 8 are
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a step 39 is formed midway in the longitudinal direction of the tray 8 in order to allow the tray 8 to be vertically displaced, and the step 39 causes the slide portion 11 to move toward the rear side of the tray 8. Is divided into a high-level section 11a having a high height and a low-level section 11b having a low height extending from the high-level section 11a to the front side of the tray 8.

When the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 and is displaced upward, the high section 11a is moved to the guide groove 1
The upper surface of the lower part section 11b is separated from 0 and the guide groove 10
When the tray 8 is pulled out to the front of the case 1 and is displaced downward, the high-level section 11a enters the guide groove 10 and enters into the guide groove 10.
The upper surface of the la 1 is almost in contact with the upper surface of the guide groove 10, so that the rattling of the tray 8 can be suppressed in any of the states.

As shown in FIG. 6, stopper claws 41 are provided on the upper surface of the base 7 near the front portion. Then, when the tray 8 is pulled out forward, the convex portion 35c of the tray 8 abuts on the stopper claw 41, whereby the protruding movement range of the tray 8 is restricted within a predetermined allowable range and the tray 8 is separated from the base 7. It is supposed to be prevented.

On the other hand, a printing mechanism as a printing means is provided at a position near the front of the case 1 and above the tray 8. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a metallic printer frame 45 extending in the width direction of the case 1 across the tray 8 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the printer frame 45 has a horizontal beam 46 and a guide shaft 47 installed in parallel below the horizontal beam 46 when facing the upper surface of the tray 8 with a space therebetween. On the lower surface of 46, a guide rail 48 and a rack 49 extending along the longitudinal direction thereof are provided. The carriage 50 is attached to the guide shaft 47 and the guide rail 48.
Is movably provided so that the cartridge mounting surface on the front surface thereof faces the opening 2 of the case 1.

A head cover 51 is integrally formed on the front surface of the carriage 50, which serves as a cartridge mounting surface, and a thermal head 81 is provided inside the head cover 51. The thermal head 81 is the head cover 51. Covered. Further, in the carriage 50, a traveling drive mechanism of the carriage 50, a head moving mechanism of the thermal head 81, and a winding mechanism of an ink ribbon as a consumable material for printing are provided. A possible stepper motor 52 is mounted on the back of the carriage 50.

A ribbon cartridge 56 containing an ink ribbon 55 as a consumable material for printing is detachably mounted on the front surface of the carriage 50. The ribbon cartridge 56 includes a case 57, and the U-shaped recess 57a into which the head cover 51 is fitted.
Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 8, a ribbon supply core 58 and a ribbon winding core 59 are provided in the case 57, and a roll of the ink ribbon 55 is mounted on the ribbon supply core 58 and fed out from this roll. Ink ribbon 5
5 is wound around the winding core 59 through a plurality of guide pins 60, and the ink ribbon 55 is sequentially wound around the winding core 59 in accordance with the normal rotation of the winding core 59. And the case 5 is in the middle of the ink ribbon 55.
7 is exposed outside and runs on the lower surface side of the recess 57a where the thermal head 81 is located.

The traveling drive mechanism, the head moving mechanism, and the ribbon winding mechanism provided in the carriage 50 will be described. Inside the carriage 50, an output gear 64 attached to the output shaft of the stepping motor 52 is arranged. The first gear 65a is meshed with the output gear 64, and the second gear 65b is coaxial with the first gear 65a.
Is provided, and the second gear 65b is provided with a third gear 65c.
Mesh with each other, and further, the fourth gear 6 is connected to the third gear 65c.
5d is meshed. A ribbon winding shaft 63 is provided coaxially with the rotation shaft of the fourth gear 65d via a one-way clutch (not shown).
3 projects forward from the cartridge mounting surface of the carriage 50, and the winding core 59 is engaged with the ribbon winding shaft 63 according to the mounting of the ribbon cartridge 56 on the cartridge mounting surface.

The third gear 65c meshes with the rack 49, and by this meshing, the carriage 50 reciprocates along the guide rail 48 and the guide shaft 47 in accordance with the forward / reverse rotation of the third gear 65c. Has become.

A cam gear 66 is provided in the carriage 50.
The cam gear 66 is provided with an arcuate cam groove 67 that is eccentric to the center of rotation. A swing clutch 68 is provided between the cam gear 66 and the output gear 64.

The swing clutch 68 is provided with the output gear 64.
The sun gear 69 meshed with the sun gear 69, and a pair of planet gears 71a, 71b meshed with the sun gear 69 and movably supported in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 69 via an arm 70. During normal rotation (clockwise rotation), one planetary gear 71a meshes with the cam gear 66 and the other planetary gear 71b separates from the cam gear 66, and the sun gear 69 reversely rotates (counterclockwise rotation). At the time), one planetary gear 71a separates from the cam gear 66 and the other planetary gear 71b meshes with the cam gear 66.

Inside the carriage 50 is provided a head arm 75 which vertically rotates about a shaft 74, and the head arm 75 is provided with a spring 76 stretched at one end thereof so that the time arm shown in FIG. The head arm 75 is elastically biased in the circumferential direction, and a pin 77 is provided near the one end of the head arm 75. The pin 77 is slidably inserted into the cam groove 67 of the cam gear 66.

A head holder 78 is attached to the other end of the head arm 75.
Is the head cover 5 protruding toward the front side of the carriage 50.
1 and is extended to the front side of the carriage 50 along the head cover 51, and the head base 80 is supported on the lower surface of the head holder 78 via a shaft 79. A thermal head 81 as a print head is attached, and the thermal head 81 is arranged so as to face the opening on the lower surface of the head cover 51.

In the normal state, the carriage 50 and the ribbon cartridge 56 are covered and protected by the printer cover 4 which is closed in the opening 2 of the case 1.

The thermal head 81 moves integrally with the carriage 50 along the guide shaft 47 and the guide rail 48, and printing is performed within the moving range of the thermal head 81. Then, the convex portion 33a of the base 7 and the tray 8 overlapping the convex portion 33a
The convex portion 35a is provided at a position corresponding to the printing area, which is a portion that receives a pressing force from the thermal head 81.

That is, the convex portions 33a and 35a are arranged directly below the thermal head 81. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the convex portions 33a and 35a are provided so as to extend over a section of the stroke range S of movement of the thermal head 81.

In this way, in particular, by providing the convex portion 35a at the back surface position of the tray 8 corresponding to the moving range of the thermal head 81, the tray 8 is reinforced by the convex portion 35a at the portion to which the thermal head 81 exerts a force. Therefore, the entire tray 8 does not necessarily have to have a robust structure.

A circuit board having a control circuit (not shown) for controlling the solenoid 26, the motor 52, the thermal head 81 and the like is provided in the rear portion of the case 1, and the power jack and the power jack are provided in the back portion of the case 1. A USB jack is provided. When using the printing apparatus, a power cable is connected to the power jack to supply power, and a USB cable is inserted into the USB jack to connect a personal computer to the printing apparatus.

FIG. 9 shows an alignment member 85. The alignment member 85 is made of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate having a small thickness, for example, a transparent plate material having a thickness of about 0.3 mm. The positioning member 85 is formed with fitting holes 86 corresponding to the protrusions 24 of the tray 8 on both sides on one edge side, and on the surface thereof, for example, orthogonal to each other as a positioning index, in the vertical and horizontal directions. A plurality of ruled lines 87 that extend and a framing line 89 that serves as a print-scheduled area index portion are printed.

In the printing apparatus, the tray 8 is normally stored in a predetermined storage position in the case 1, the opening 2 is closed by the printer cover 4, and the opening of the printer cover 4 is engaged with the engaging claw 17. It is blocked by the engagement with the hole 18.

When using the printing apparatus from this state,
A power cable is connected to the power jack of the printing device to supply power, and a USB cable is inserted into the USB jack to connect a personal computer to the printing device.

Then, the eject button 30 of the printing apparatus is pressed, or the eject toggle of the dedicated application on the screen of the personal computer is clicked. In response to this, the locking lever 28 is rotated by the drive of the solenoid 26,
The hook 28a and the projection 29 of the tray 8 are disengaged from each other, and the tray 8 is projected to the front side of the case 1 by a certain size by the elastic force of the coil spring 21 by the pushing mechanism 20.

Then, the tray 8 protruding by a certain size is
As shown in FIG. 1, the user manually pulls out further to the front side of the case 1 up to an allowable maximum distance. At this time, the convex portion 35c of the tray 8 hits the stopper claw 41 of the base 7, whereby the length of pulling out the tray 8 is regulated within the allowable maximum distance, and the tray 8 is prevented from being detached from the case 1.

After the tray 8 is pulled out, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the optical disk 6 as a recording medium is placed on the mounting portion 13 of the tray 8 and the optical disk 6 is inserted.
The peripheral edge of is positioned against the inner surface of the positioning protrusion 15 for positioning.

Next, the alignment member 85 is placed on the optical disc 6, and the fitting hole 86 of the alignment member 85 is inserted into the projection 24 on the upper surface of the tray 8 to position the optical disc 6. Cover the surface of.

The alignment member 85 is formed in such a size that it covers the surface of the optical disk 6 except for the portion corresponding to the printing area which is the moving range of the thermal head 81 as the printing means. Then, after the surface of the optical disc 6 is covered with this alignment member 85, the optical disc 6 is rotated by putting a fingertip on the peripheral edge of the optical disc 6 from the cutout portion 16 of the tray 8, and the preprint P of the optical disc 6 is seen through and the preprinting is performed. The printing range A set by the user while considering the balance with P is exposed to the outside of the alignment member 85, and the arrangement direction of the pre-printing P and the direction of the ruled line 87 are set with reference to the ruled line 87 of the alignment member 85. Match so that and match.

After performing such alignment, the tray 8 is manually pushed into the case 1. Due to this pushing, the protrusion 29 of the tray 8 causes the hook 2 of the locking lever 28 to move.
The tray 8 is held in a predetermined storage position in the case 1 by engaging with 8a.

Next, the print contents are designated by the dedicated application on the personal computer, and the print toggle is clicked. In response to this, the printing operation is started, and characters such as predetermined characters and symbols are printed in the area of the printing range A on the surface of the optical disc 6. Then, when the predetermined printing is completed, the tray 8 is automatically ejected.

The operation during printing will be described. First, when the printing operation is on standby, as shown in FIG. 8A, the head arm 75 in the carriage 50 is held in a substantially horizontal state, and the thermal head 81 causes the optical disk 6 to move. Is placed at a print standby position that is separated from the surface of the sheet by a certain distance. Further, the carriage 50 is stopped at the home position position set near the right end of the movement range.

In this state, the motor 52 is driven to rotate normally, and the output gear 64 rotates in the normal direction (counterclockwise direction). The rotational power of the output gear 64 is transmitted to the first, second, third, and fourth gears 65a, 65b, 65c, 65d.
Then, the counterclockwise rotation of the third gear 65c meshing with the rack 49 moves the carriage 50 to the right along the guide shaft 47 and the guide rail 48, and further the rotation of the fourth gear 65d causes the carriage 50 to move. The ribbon take-up shaft 63 rotates integrally with the ribbon take-up direction and engages with the ribbon take-up shaft 63.
The take-up core 59 in 6 rotates, and the ink ribbon 55 is sequentially taken up by the take-up core 59 by the rotation of the take-up core 59 and runs.

Further, in parallel with this operation, the sun gear 69 of the swing clutch 68 is driven and rotated by the rotation of the output gear 64, and one planetary gear 71a is moved to the cam gear 66 according to the rotation of the sun gear 69. Approaching that cam gear 6
6, the rotational power of the sun gear 69 is transmitted to the cam gear 66 by this engagement, and the cam gear 66 rotates in the forward direction (clockwise direction).

When the cam gear 66 rotates in the positive direction, the pin 77 in the cam groove 67 moves upward together with the head arm 75. Then, the head arm 75 that moves integrally with the pin 77 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 74, and this rotation moves the thermal head 81 downward and horizontally as shown in FIG. 8B. Lean against.

A missing portion (not shown) is formed in a part of the peripheral edge of the cam gear 66, and when the cam gear 66 rotates by a certain angle, the planet gear 71 is formed in the missing portion.
a is depressed and idles, so that the thermal head 81
Is maintained at a printing position where it maintains a predetermined inclination angle and contacts the surface of the optical disc 6 with the ink ribbon 55 interposed therebetween. At this time, the thermal head 81 comes into contact with the surface of the optical disc 6 with a predetermined pressure by the elastic force of the spring 76.

When the motor 52 is further driven in the normal direction, the planet gear 71a is located in the missing portion, so that the thermal head 81 is kept at the printing position and the carriage 50 moves rightward while the carriage 50 moves. The winding drive is performed.

Simultaneously with the movement of the carriage 50 and the winding of the ink ribbon 55, the ink of the ink ribbon 55 is sequentially melted by the heat generation of the heating element of the thermal head 81 based on the print data, and the surface of the optical disk 6 is printed. Characters such as predetermined characters and symbols are thermally transferred and printed in the range A along the direction in which the carriage 50 (thermal head 81) moves. The carriage 50 is moved in the direction of the horizontal ruled line 87 formed on the alignment member 85.
It is in parallel with. Therefore, the characters printed in the printing range A of the optical disc 6 are the ruled lines 8 in the horizontal direction.
7, that is, the printing is performed in parallel with the pre-printing P.

By thus printing the optical disk 6 at a predetermined position on the tray 8 using the positioning member 85, the direction of characters such as characters and symbols due to the printing is changed to the direction of the preprint P. It is possible to perform printing with a visually pleasing appearance by precisely matching with.

At the time of printing, the tray 8 on which the optical disk 6 is placed has the convex portions 33a, 33b, 33 overlapping each other.
It is horizontally supported by c, 35a, 35b and 35c. And among them, the convex portions 33a, 3 that overlap each other
5a is provided at a position corresponding to the print area by the thermal head 81 so as to extend along the print area. Therefore, even if the tray 8 is pressed by the thermal head 81, the deformation of the tray 8 is surely performed. Proper printing is prevented.

After the printing is completed, the motor 52 is driven in the clockwise direction in the reverse direction, and the output gear 64 rotates in the opposite direction. By the reverse rotation of the output gear 64, the third gear 65c also reversely rotates in the clockwise direction, and the reverse rotation of the third gear 65c causes the carriage 50 to move in the reverse direction (leftward) along the guide shaft 47 and the guide rail 48. To return to the home position.

Since the fourth gear 65d is connected to the winding core 59 of the ribbon winding shaft 63 via the one-way clutch, the reverse rotation of the fourth gear 65d is transmitted to the ribbon winding shaft 63. Therefore, the ink ribbon 55 is not wound up.

At the same time, the reverse rotation of the output gear 64 causes the sun gear 69 of the swing clutch 68 to reversely rotate, and the reverse rotation of the sun gear 69 causes one of the planet gears 71a to separate from the cam gear 66 and the other planet gear. 71b approaches and meshes with the cam gear 66, the rotational power of the sun gear 69 is transmitted to the cam gear 66 by this meshing, and the cam gear 66 rotates counterclockwise in the reverse direction.

By the reverse rotation of the cam gear 66, the pin 77 in the cam groove 67 moves downward together with the head arm 75. The head arm 75 that moves integrally with the pin 77 rotates clockwise around the shaft 74 in FIG. 8, and this rotation moves the thermal head 81 upward and away from the surface of the optical disc 6, 75 returns to the original horizontal state.

A missing portion (not shown) is formed in a part of the peripheral edge of the cam gear 66 corresponding to the planet gear 71b, the cam gear 66 rotates by a certain angle, and the thermal head 81 waits for printing. When returning to the position, the planetary gear 71b falls into the missing portion so as to idle. After the planet gear 71b is located in the missing part,
Due to the reverse drive of the motor 52, only the carriage 50 moves in the reverse direction (left direction) while the thermal head 81 is held at the print standby position. Then, after this, the tray 8 is automatically ejected and protrudes to the front side of the case 1.

When the second character is printed on the surface of the optical disk 6 after the first printing is completed, at a position parallel to and symmetrical to the first printed character, A finger is hung on the peripheral edge of 6 from the cutout portion 16 and rotated by 180 degrees, and the character for the first printing is placed within the framed line 89 of the alignment member 87. Then, in the same process as described above, 2
Print the second time.

As a result, the first printed character and 2
It is possible to perform well-balanced and attractive printing in which the characters for the second printing are arranged in parallel with each other.

By repeating such a printing process, the entire length of the effective length of the ink ribbon 55 is wound around the winding core 59 of the ribbon cartridge 56, and the ink ribbon 5 is wound.
When 5 is consumed, the ribbon cartridge 56 is replaced with a new ribbon cartridge 56.

When replacing the ribbon cartridge 56, the eject button 30 is operated to cause the tray 8 to project to the front of the case 1, and the tray 8 is manually pulled out to the front side of the case 1 to the maximum allowable distance.

When the tray 8 is arranged at a predetermined storage position in the case 1, the engaging claws 17 of the upright wall 12 of the tray 8 are engaged with the engaging holes 18 at the lower part of the printer cover 4 so that the printer can be operated. The cover 4 is prevented from being opened, so that the carriage 50 is stored during storage of the printing apparatus or during printing operation.
And the ribbon cartridge 56 is covered and protected by the printer cover 4.

Further, unless the tray 8 is pulled out forward, the printer cover 4 is prevented from being opened independently, so that the ribbon cartridge 56 cannot be exchanged right above the tray 8 on which the optical disk 6 is placed. Therefore, the surface of the optical disk 6 will not be damaged when the cartridge is replaced.

On the other hand, when the tray 8 is pulled out to the front of the case 1, the engaging claw 17 is moved to the engaging hole 18
The printer cover 4 is released from the lock state. Therefore, when the tray 8 is pulled out to the front of the case 1 when the revolving cartridge 56 is replaced, the printer cover 4 is rotated upward as shown in FIG. 2 after the pulling out to open the opening 2 to open the carriage 50 and the ribbon cartridge. 56 is exposed to the outside.

Under this condition, the carriage 50
The consumed ribbon cartridge 56 is pulled out toward the front side and pulled out from the front surface of the carriage, and a new ribbon cartridge 56 is mounted on the front surface of the carriage 50 in place of the ribbon cartridge 56.

In this mounting, the recess 57a of the ribbon cartridge 56 is fitted to the outer periphery of the head cover 51 protruding to the front surface of the carriage 50 except the lower surface of the head cover 51, and the ink ribbon 55 exposed below the recess 57a. Is inserted into the gap between the head cover 51 and the tray 8 so as to be attached.

When the tray 8 is pulled out to the front of the case 1, the convex portions 35a, 35b, 35c of the tray 8 are separated from the upper surfaces of the convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c of the base 7 and the tray 8 is at a lower level. Since the carriage 50 and the tray 8 are in the lowered state, the distance between the carriage 50 and the tray 8 is relatively large, and therefore, the ribbon cartridge 56 can be easily and efficiently attached to the carriage 50.

Particularly, the concave portion 57 of the ribbon cartridge 56.
Even when the ink ribbon 55 exposed on the lower surface of a is easily inserted between the thermal head 81 (head cover 51) and the tray 8 and the ink ribbon 55 is slightly loosened, , The ink ribbon 55 to the tray 8 and the thermal head 81 (head cover 5
It can be inserted smoothly without being scratched by 1).

Further, even when the ribbon cartridge 56 is replaced with the optical disk 6 placed on the mounting portion 13 of the tray 8, contact between the optical disk 6 and the ribbon cartridge 56 is avoided and the optical disk 6 The ribbon cartridge 56 can be smoothly replaced without damaging the surface.

Further, since the tray 8 is pulled out to the maximum distance, the standing wall 12 at the front end portion thereof is in a state of being largely separated from the carriage 50 and retracted,
Therefore, the standing wall 12 at the front end portion of the tray 8 does not get in the way, and the ribbon cartridge 56 can be easily replaced.

On the other hand, when printing the optical disk 6, when the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 and placed at a predetermined storage position, the respective convex portions 35a, 35b, 35c of the tray 8 are placed.
Rides on the respective convex portions 33a, 33b, 33c of the base 7 and the tray 8 is held at the upper level position. Therefore, the distance between the optical disc 6 on the tray 8 and the carriage 50 is narrowed, and the optical disc 6 The surface approaches and faces the thermal head 81.

Therefore, the moving distance of the thermal head 81 which moves from the print standby position to the print position by the rotation operation of the head arm 75 during printing can be reduced, and the length dimension of the head arm 75 can also be reduced. be able to. Since the length of the head arm 75 can be reduced, the carriage 50 can be downsized.

FIG. 12 shows a positioning member 85 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The positioning member 85 has an outer shape of a size capable of covering almost the entire optical disk 6. A cutout window 88, which is slightly larger than the print area, is formed as a cutout portion in a portion corresponding to the print area of the thermal head 81.
The surface of the substrate is covered with the alignment member 85 except for the cutout window 88.

A plurality of ruled lines 87 and framing lines 89, which extend vertically and horizontally at right angles to each other, are provided on the surface of the alignment member 85 as indices for alignment by printing. The framing line 89 is provided at a position symmetrical to the cutout window 88 with the center of the optical disk 6 placed on the tray 8 as a boundary.

When printing is performed using this alignment member 85, the optical disk 6 placed on the tray 8 is rotated with a fingertip to set the printing range A set by the user in the cutout window 89 of the alignment member 85. Aligning and aligning member 8
The ruled line 87 of 5 and the optical disc 6
The position is adjusted so that the pre-print P is parallel to, for example.

Then, in this state, the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 to start the printing operation. When printing this,
The thermal head 81 of the carriage 50 comes into contact with the surface of the optical disc 6 through the printing window 89, and predetermined printing is performed in the printing area A.

Incidentally, the notch window 88 as the notch formed in the alignment member 85 may be replaced by a notch having a notch shape, for example.

FIG. 13 shows an alignment member 85 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The alignment member 85 is a transparent plate 91 and is slidably mounted on the surface of the plate 91. A strip-shaped transparent slider 92, and a ruled line 87 as an index on the surface of the slider 92.
Has been applied.

In the case of this alignment member 85, the ruled line 87 can be moved closer to or over the preprint P on the surface of the optical disk 6 by moving the slider 92, whereby the position of the printing range of the optical disk 6 is adjusted. The alignment can be performed more accurately.

FIG. 14 shows an alignment member 85 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The first, second,
In the third embodiment, the positioning member 85 is detachably attached to the tray 8. However, the positioning member 85 according to the fourth embodiment is rotatably attached to the tray 8. .

The alignment member 85 is a frame 94.
And the transparent plate material 9 provided inside the frame 94.
5 and the pins 9 are provided on both sides of the frame 94 on one end side.
6 is rotatably attached to both sides of the tray 8 through the plate 8, and the cutout window 8 similar to that of the second embodiment is attached to the plate member 95.
8, ruled lines 87 and framing lines 89 are provided.

In the case of this embodiment, the optical disk 6 is mounted on the mounting portion 13 of the tray 8 while the positioning member 85 is rotated upward to open the upper surface of the tray 8. After the placement, the alignment member 85 is rotated downward to close the optical disc 6 and the optical disc 6 is rotated in this state to perform the alignment.

At the time of printing, the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 with the position adjusting member 85 closed on the optical disk 6 for printing.

When the printing apparatus is not used, the alignment member 85 is closed on the tray 8, and in this state, the tray 8 is pushed into the case 1 so that the tray 8 and the alignment member 85 are accommodated in the case 1. To store.

Therefore, it is not necessary to store the alignment member 85 separately, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the loss of the alignment member 85 and to attach it to the tray 8 without preparing the alignment member 85 when using the printing apparatus. The alignment member 85 provided can be efficiently used as it is.

FIG. 15 shows an alignment member 85 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The alignment member 85 according to this embodiment is similar to the alignment member 85 of the above-described fourth embodiment in the tray. 8 is rotatably attached via a pin 96. A spring 97 is provided between the alignment member 85 and the tray 8, and when the tray 8 is pulled out from the case 1, the elastic force of the spring 97 automatically rotates the alignment member 85 upward. The upper surface of the tray 8 is open.

Therefore, the optical disk 6 can be efficiently placed on the tray 8 immediately after the tray 8 is pulled out. After the optical disc 6 is placed, the alignment member 85 is rotated downward against the elastic force of the spring 97 to close it on the optical disc 6, and in this state, the optical disc 6 is rotated for alignment.

In this case, it is also possible to incorporate a spring mechanism for holding the closed state when the alignment member 85 is closed on the optical disk 6.

Further, in this embodiment, when the tray 8 is pulled out after printing, the alignment member 85 automatically rotates upward in association with this operation, so that the optical disk 6 after printing can be immediately and efficiently printed. Can be taken out from the tray 8.

[0107]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the surface of the disk-shaped recording medium is printed by using the alignment member having a simple structure without using a complicated mechanism including an image sensor or the like. Characters such as predetermined characters and symbols can be printed by matching the print range to a predetermined position.
Since the alignment member covers the surface of the recording medium excluding the printing area of the printing unit, printing can be performed by the printing unit with the alignment member placed on the surface of the recording medium.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the alignment member can be used by appropriately attaching and detaching it to and from the supporting portion, and since the alignment member is a transparent plate material, the alignment member is recorded. It is possible to align the printing range on the surface of the recording medium with the preprinting as a reference while seeing through the preprinted portion provided on the surface of the recording medium while being placed on the medium. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the alignment member can be appropriately rotated and used with respect to the support unit while being attached to the support unit, and the alignment member is a transparent plate material. With the alignment member still placed on the recording medium, it is possible to align the printing range on the surface of the recording medium while seeing through, for example, the pre-printed portion formed on the recording medium.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the positioning member is rotated in association with the movement of the supporting portion to the outside of the apparatus main body, and this rotation causes the positioning member to move from the recording medium on the supporting portion. Since they are separated from each other, the recording medium can be efficiently placed on the support portion, and the recording medium can be quickly and efficiently taken out from the support portion after printing.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the printing range of the surface of the recording medium can be easily and accurately aligned with the index provided on the alignment member as a reference.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, when a plurality of print ranges are set on the recording medium, the positions can be accurately adjusted so that the print ranges have a predetermined positional relationship. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall appearance of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer with the printer cover open.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a base and a tray of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tray.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the tray inverted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a base of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a support structure of a carriage and a ribbon cartridge of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the internal structures of a carriage and a ribbon cartridge of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an alignment member used when an optical disc as a storage medium is placed on the tray of the printing apparatus and the position of the printing range on the surface of the optical disc is aligned.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state when the alignment member is used.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state when the alignment member is used.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state when the alignment member according to the second embodiment of the present invention is used.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an alignment member according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an alignment member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an alignment member according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Case 2 ... Opening 4 ... Printer cover 6 ... Optical disc (recording medium) 8 ... Tray (support part) 10 ... Guide groove 11 ... Slide part 13 ... Placement part 30 ... Eject button 50 ... Carriage 52 ... Stepping motor 55 ... Ink ribbon 56 ... Ribbon cartridge 81 ... Thermal head 85 ... Positioning member 86 ... Fitting hole 87 ... Ruled line 88 ... Notched window (notched portion) 89 ... Bordering line (printing area index part)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C061 AP10 AQ04 AS11 EE03 EE09                 2C062 RA01                 2C065 AA02 AD07 DA36                 5D121 AA03 GG28 GG30

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus comprising: a supporting portion for mounting and supporting a disc-shaped recording medium; and a printing means for printing characters such as characters and symbols on the surface of the recording medium supported by the supporting portion. There is provided an alignment member that is placed on the recording medium supported by the supporting unit and covers the surface of the recording medium except a portion corresponding to a printing area where printing is performed by the printing unit, A printing apparatus characterized in that the position and direction of a print range to be printed on a recording medium can be adjusted based on the position adjusting member. 2. The alignment member is made of a transparent plate material that is positioned on the support portion and is detachably mounted on the support portion.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutout portion is formed in a portion of the plate material corresponding to a print area that is a moving range of the print head of the printing unit. 3. The alignment member comprises a transparent plate member and is rotatably pivotally attached to the support portion, and corresponds to a printing area of the plate member which is a moving range of a print head of the printing means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutout portion is formed in the portion. 4. The support portion is provided so as to be movable from the inside to the outside of an apparatus main body provided with a printing means, and the alignment member is moved from the support portion to the outside in accordance with the movement of the support portion from the inside of the apparatus main body to the outside. The printing device according to claim 3, wherein the printing device rotates in a direction away from the printing device. 5. The printing according to claim 1, wherein the alignment member is provided with an index serving as a reference for alignment of a print range to be printed on a recording medium. apparatus. 6. A print for aligning a plurality of print ranges on the recording medium so that the print ranges have a predetermined positional relationship with the cutout portion when the print ranges are set on the recording medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an area index section.