JP2003145869A - Continuous forms printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a continuous forms printer which enables an operator to see a final page by a printing job from the outside of a body without operating manually, and can accordingly improve the convenience of use for users. SOLUTION: Printing means 213 and 207 are provided for printing to a continuous forms 101 at a printing position P1 set inside a body 201 in accordance with a received printing job. Transfer means 215, 216, 231 and 217 are provided for supplying the continuous forms 101 to the printing position P1 and discharging the continuous forms 101 after printed by the printing means 213 and 207 to the outside of the body 201 through a transfer path set inside the body 201. A control means 240 is provided for controlling the transfer means 215, 216, 231 and 217 to transfer the final page 101a by the printing job on the continuous forms 101 to a position P2 where the page can be seen from the outside of the body 201 and make the page stand by.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a continuous paper printer, and more particularly to a printer for performing printing according to a print job on a continuous paper having a predetermined width and extending in one direction. The "printer" includes a copying machine, a facsimile machine and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a printer of this type, as shown in FIG. 7, a printer having a photoconductor drum 713 and a transfer unit 707 for printing on paper by an electrophotographic process is provided in a substantially central portion of a main body 701. Are known. In this example, a tractor unit 715, a suction unit 716, an intermediate roller 731, and a paper discharge unit 717 are provided as a transport unit for transporting the continuous paper 101.

As shown in FIG. 6, the process waits until a job request is received (S301), and when a print job is received, processing corresponding to the received print job is started (S302).
That is, the continuous paper 101 fed from the outside P0 of the main body 701 is sent to the transfer position P1 between the photoconductor drum 713 and the transfer unit 707 by the tractor unit 715, and the toner image is formed on the continuous paper 101 at the transfer position P1. Is transferred (S303). Further, when the printing process is completed (S304), the continuous paper on which the toner image is transferred at the transfer position P1 is sucked by the suction unit 716 and conveyed, and the transferred toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 709. (S305) (At this time,
The rear end position of the toner image is the position P3 shown in FIG. ). After this, conventionally, the print job (the first
Print job. ) To prepare a second print job, the conveying means 715, until the portion 101b following the last page 101a of the first print job, that is, the trailing edge of the fixed image returns to immediately before the transfer position P1. 71
The continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by 6, 731 and 717 (S306). After that (S30
7) and returns to the original job request standby state (S301).
The controllers 740 (see FIG. 7) control the transport units 715, 716, 731, and 717.

[0004]

By the way, a user who handles a certificate for printing a serial number of insurance / banks, etc.
A user who handles product tags such as factories that print serial numbers wants to confirm that the serial number has been properly printed (without missing the number) up to the last page 101a of the print job when the print job is completed. Have a strong.

However, in the above-described conventional continuous paper printer, when the first print job is completed, the continuous paper 1
Since the trailing edge of the last page 101a of the first print job on 01 is inside the body 701 (near the transfer position P1), it is difficult for the operator to see the last page of the first print job from outside the body 701. There is a problem.

Here, an operator manually gives an instruction to the controller 740 through an operation panel (not shown) provided in the printer main body 701 to visually check the final page 101a of the print job from the outside of the main body 701 by the operator. The continuous paper 101 can be conveyed to the possible position P2. However, it is extremely troublesome for the operator to manually give an instruction for each print job, and it is not convenient for the user.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuous paper printer which allows the final page of a print job to be viewed from the outside of the main body without requiring the operator to manually operate the printer, thus improving the convenience of the user. To do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, a continuous paper printer according to a first aspect of the invention prints on continuous paper at a printing position provided inside the main body according to a print job received. And a conveying means for supplying the continuous paper to the printing position, and for discharging the continuous paper after printing by the printing means to the outside of the main body through the conveying path provided inside the main body. A control unit that controls the conveying unit to convey the final page to a position visible from the outside of the main body and wait after printing the final page of the print job on the continuous paper. And

In the continuous paper printer according to the present invention, the conveying means supplies the continuous paper to the printing position provided inside the main body. The printing unit prints on the continuous paper at the printing position according to the received print job. The carrying means discharges the continuous paper after printing by the printing means to the outside of the body through a carrying path provided inside the body. Here, the control means controls the carrying means so that after printing the last page of the print job on the continuous paper, the last page is carried to a position visible from the outside of the main body and waits. Therefore, the operator can see the final page of the print job on the continuous paper from the outside of the main body without performing a manual operation for reverse conveyance. Therefore, the convenience for the user is improved.

A continuous paper printer according to a second aspect is the continuous paper printer according to the first aspect, wherein the control means receives the second print job following the first print job. Until the portion following the last page of the first print job returns to the printing position, control is performed to convey the continuous paper in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by the conveying means.

In the continuous paper printer according to the present invention, when the control means receives the second print job following the first print job, the control means sets the last page of the continuous paper to the last page of the first print job. Until the succeeding portion returns to the printing position, control is performed to convey the continuous paper in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by the conveying means. Therefore, when the second print job following the first print job is received, the second print job is executed without a blank space following the last page of the continuous print of the first print job. Printing can be performed. Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous paper printer according to the first aspect, wherein the continuous paper printer has a mode in which a portion following the last page of the print job on the continuous paper is returned to the print position and is on standby. The present invention is characterized in that a switching means for switching between a mode in which the final page is conveyed to a position visible from the outside of the main body and is in a standby state is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the continuous paper printer, the switching means returns the portion of the continuous paper following the last page of the print job to the printing position and waits, and the final page outside the main body. Switch between the mode in which it is conveyed to a position where it can be seen and is in standby mode. Therefore, control according to the user's preference becomes possible, and the user's convenience is further improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous paper printer according to the first aspect, wherein the continuous paper printer includes a detection means for detecting whether or not an optional device is provided in a conveyance path for discharging the continuous paper. Standby position setting means for variably setting the position for waiting the continuous paper according to the detection result of the detecting means.

According to another aspect of the continuous paper printer of the present invention, the detecting means detects whether or not an optional device is provided in the conveying path for discharging the continuous paper, and the standby position is detected according to the detection result of the detecting means. The setting unit variably sets the standby position of the continuous paper. Therefore, regardless of whether or not an optional device is provided in the transport path for discharging the continuous paper, the standby position is automatically set to an appropriate position on the transport path, that is, a position easily visible from the outside of the main body. it can. Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

A continuous paper printer according to a fifth aspect is the continuous paper printer according to the first or fourth aspect, further comprising storage means for storing the set standby time, and the control means includes the final page. Is a mode in which the sheet is conveyed to a position visible from the outside of the main body and is on standby, and after the last page of the print job on the continuous paper is on standby for the standby time, the portion of the continuous paper that follows the last page. Is returned to the above-mentioned printing position and is controlled to stand by.

In the continuous paper printer according to the fifth aspect, the set waiting time is stored by the storage means. The control means is a mode in which the final page is conveyed to a position visible from the outside of the main body and is on standby, and after waiting the final page by the print job on the continuous paper for the standby time, the continuous paper Of the above, the portion following the last page is returned to the printing position and is made to stand by.
Therefore, the operator can see the final page of the print job on the continuous paper from outside the main body during the waiting time. Moreover, after the waiting time elapses, the control means controls the part of the continuous paper that follows the last page to return to the print position and waits, so that the second print job following the (first) print job is performed. When the print job of No. 2 is received, printing by the second print job can be immediately performed on the portion of the continuous paper that follows the last page of the first print job. Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The continuous paper printer of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a continuous paper printer of one embodiment to which the present invention is applied. 1A is a front view of the printer main body, and FIG. 1B is FIG.
When viewed from the right side, FIG. 1C shows FIG.
Each of (b) is viewed from above. Further, FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional structure of the printer body corresponding to FIG.

This printer is roughly classified into a main body 201 which receives an image signal from a controller which will be described later and prints on a sheet by a well-known electrophotographic process, and an overall control of a print job and sends an image signal to the main body 201. And a controller 202 that operates.

The main body 201 is provided with a photosensitive drum 213 substantially at the center inside the casing, and a laser beam corresponding to an image signal is provided above the photosensitive drum 213.
3 is provided with a print head 205 for exposing. The photosensitive drum 21 is surrounded by the photosensitive drum 21.
3, a charging unit 204 for charging 3, a developing unit 206 for attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 213, and a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 213 on paper. A transfer unit 207 for transferring, and a photoconductor drum 21 after transfer to a sheet.
3 is provided with a cleaning / eraser unit 208 for removing the residual toner and the electronic latent image.

A transport unit 203 is provided to transport the sheet 101 directly below the photosensitive drum 213. The transport unit 203 includes a paper feed brake unit 214 that feeds the paper while braking the printer body, and a photoconductor drum 213 that feeds the fed paper.
A tractor unit 215 that feeds to a transfer position (printing position) immediately below, a suction unit 216 that sucks and conveys a sheet on which a toner image has been transferred, and a fixing unit 209 that fixes the toner image transferred on the sheet.
And the intermediate roller 231 and the burster unit 2 for cutting the paper according to the instruction from the controller 202.
11 and a paper discharge unit 217 that has a pair of rollers and that conveys the paper downward. Further, below the paper discharge unit 217, a stacker unit 300 for stacking paper sheets is detachably provided as an optional device. The stacker unit 300 includes a swing guide unit 212, a stacker table 210 as a stacking base on which the continuous paper 101 is to be stacked, a plate-shaped regulating member 218 with which the leading edge and the fold of the continuous paper 101 come into contact, and a continuous paper. Includes a paddle unit 219 that holds down the end of 101. The swing guide unit 212 synchronizes with the continuous paper 101 being conveyed downward by the paper discharge unit 217, and on the basis of a control signal from the controller 240 (see FIG. 4), a fixed angular range around the fulcrum shaft 212C. It is designed to be rocked by. As a result, the continuous paper 101 is folded and stacked on the stacker table 210. The stacker table 210
Is moved downward along the columnar guide member 230 as the continuous paper 101 is stacked.

When printing is performed by the electrophotographic process, first, the surface of the photosensitive drum 213 is cleaned and discharged by the cleaning / eraser unit 208, and then uniformly charged by the charging unit 204. The surface of the photosensitive drum is irradiated with laser light from the print head 205 to form an electrostatic latent image. Subsequently, the developing unit 206 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. Next, the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 207 onto the sheet sent to the transfer position of the photosensitive drum 213 by the tractor unit 215. Subsequently, the suction unit 216 conveys the paper from the photoconductor drum 213 to the fixing unit 209, and the toner image transferred onto the paper is fixed by the fixing unit 209. After the control process described in detail below, the sheet after fixing is finally sent to the lower stacker unit 300 by the paper discharge unit 217, and is folded and stacked on the stacker table 210.

FIG. 3 shows a flow of control processing for executing a print job by this printer. This control process is performed by the controller 202 shown in FIG.
It is performed in cooperation with the controller 240 shown therein.

As shown in FIG. 3, the process waits until a job request is received (S401), and when a print job is received, the following control processing according to the received print job is started (S402). That is, first, it is determined whether the printer mode is set to the "normal mode" or the "visible mode" (S403).

It should be noted that the operator gives instructions in advance according to his / her preference through an operation panel (not shown) provided on the upper part of the main body 201 as a switching means or through the controller 202 shown in FIG. It is assumed that the printer mode is set to either "normal mode" or "visible mode".

If the printer mode is set to the "normal mode" in step S403, the same process as the conventional process (see FIG. 6) is performed (S411). That is, the continuous paper 101 is fed from the outside P0 of the main body 201, and while the continuous paper 101 is being conveyed by the conveying means 215, 216, 231, and 217, the printing process at the transfer position P1 is performed until the print job is completed. , Fixing unit 70
Then, the fixing process according to No. 9 is performed (at this time, the rear end position of the toner image is the position P3 shown in FIG. 7). Then, as a preparation for the second print job following the above print job (referred to as the first print job), the portion 101b (see FIG. 6) following the last page 101a of the first print job is transferred to the transfer position P1. Until it returns to just before
The continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by 15,216,231,217. After that (S41 in FIG. 3
0), and returns to the original job request standby state (S401).

On the other hand, in step S403 in FIG.
If the printer mode is set to "visible mode", it is determined whether or not the received print job is the first print job for the continuous paper 101 (job to print from the leading edge of the continuous paper 101) ( S404).

Here, the received print job is the continuous paper 1
If it is the first print job for 01 (YES in S404), the continuous paper 101 is fed from the outside P0 of the main body 201, and while the continuous paper 101 is being conveyed by the conveying means 215, 216, 231, 217, Printing processing at the transfer position P1 until the print job is completed (S406, S4
07) and the fixing process by the fixing unit 709 (S40
8) and. Then, the transport means 215, 216, 23
1, 217 to control the continuous paper 10 as shown in FIG.
Last page 101a from the first print job above
Is automatically conveyed to the standby position P2 visible from the outside of the main body 201 and stopped. After that (S41 in FIG. 3
0), and returns to the original job request standby state (S401).

On the other hand, in step S404, if the received print job is not the first print job for the continuous paper 101 (NO in S404), the print job (this is called the second print job) is received. At this point, as shown in FIG. 4, the last page 101a of the print job executed immediately before (this is called the first print job) is present at the standby position P2. Therefore, until the portion 101b (see FIG. 6) following the last page 101a of the first print job returns to immediately before the transfer position P1, the above-mentioned conveying means 215, 2
The continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by 16, 231, 217 (S405). Then, the continuous paper 101 is conveyed by the conveying means 215, 216, 231 and 217.
While carrying the sheet in the forward direction, the printing process at the transfer position P1 and the fixing unit 7 until the second print job is completed.
The fixing process according to 09 is performed. And the transport means 21
5, 216, 231, 217 are controlled so that the final page of the second print job on the continuous paper 101 can be seen from the outside of the main body 201 at the standby position P2 as shown in FIG.
Automatically transports to and stops. After that (S in Fig. 3
410) and returns to the original job request standby state (S401).

In this case, while the printer is in the job request standby state, the operator does not have to manually perform the reverse conveyance, but the last page 101a of the print job executed immediately before is printed on the main body 201. Can be seen from outside. Therefore, the convenience for the user is improved.

Further, when the second print job following the first print job is received, until the portion 101b (see FIG. 6) following the last page 101a of the first print job returns to immediately before the transfer position P1, Since the continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction (S405), the second continuous paper 101 without the blank is provided in the part 101b of the continuous paper 101 following the last page 101a of the first print job.
It is possible to print by the print job of. Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the stacker unit 300 is provided at the end of the conveying path for discharging the continuous paper 101.
The swing guide unit 212 (including the swing guide unit 212) is detachably provided as an optional device. However, between the state in which the stacker unit 300 is attached and the state in which the stacker unit 300 is removed, the printing position P1 inside the main body 201 is changed. The transport distance to the appropriate standby position P2 changes. In such a case, it is desirable to provide a detecting means for detecting whether or not the stacker unit 300 is mounted, and variably set the standby position P2 according to the detection result. In such a case, regardless of whether or not the stacker unit 300 is provided, the standby position P2 can be automatically set to an appropriate position on the transport path, that is, a position easily visible from the outside of the main body 201. . Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

FIG. 5 shows the flow of another control process for executing a print job by this printer.
This control processing is executed by the cooperation of the controller 202 shown in FIG. 2 and the controller 240 shown in FIG. 4, similarly to the control processing (FIG. 3) described above.

This control process is characterized in that the final page 101a of the executed print job is made to stand by at the waiting position P2 visible from the outside of the main body 201 for the set waiting time. Such waiting time is
01 is preset by the operator through an operation panel (not shown) provided on the upper part of 01 or through the controller 202 shown in FIG.
It is supposed to be stored by a storage means (not shown) such as (electrically erasable programmable read only memory).

As shown in FIG. 5, the process waits until a job request is received (S501), and when a print job is received, the following control processing according to the received print job is started (S502). That is, first, it is determined whether the printer mode is set to the "normal mode" or the "visible mode" (S503).

If the printer mode is set to the "normal mode" in step S503, the same process as the conventional process (see FIG. 6) is performed (S511). That is, the continuous paper 101 is fed from the outside P0 of the main body 201, and while the continuous paper 101 is being conveyed by the conveying means 215, 216, 231, and 217, the printing process at the transfer position P1 is performed until the print job is completed. , Fixing unit 70
Then, the fixing process according to No. 9 is performed (at this time, the rear end position of the toner image is the position P3 shown in FIG. 7). Then, as a preparation for the second print job following the above print job (referred to as the first print job), the portion 101b (see FIG. 6) following the last page 101a of the first print job is transferred to the transfer position P1. Until it returns to just before
The continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by 15,216,231,217. After that (S51 in FIG. 5
0), and returns to the original job request standby state (S501).

On the other hand, in step S503 in FIG.
If the printer mode is set to the "visible mode" (NO in S503), the continuous paper 101 is fed from the outside P0 of the main body 201, and the conveying means 215, 216, 231.
While conveying the continuous paper 101 by 217,
The printing process at the transfer position P1 (S504, S505) and the fixing process by the fixing unit 709 (S506) are performed until the print job of (1) is completed. And the transport means 21
5, 216, 231 and 217 are controlled to automatically convey the final page 101a by the first print job on the continuous paper 101 to the standby position P2 visible from the outside of the main body 201, as shown in FIG. To stop (S50
7).

Then, the final page 101a of the first print job is made to wait at the waiting position P2 for the set waiting time. Then, when the waiting time has elapsed (YES in S508), the conveying means 215, 21 are continued until the portion 101b (see FIG. 6) following the last page 101a of the first print job returns immediately before the transfer position P1.
The continuous paper 101 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by 6, 231 and 217 (S509). Then (S in Fig. 5
510) and returns to the original job request standby state (S501).

In this case, the operator selects the last page 1 of the first print job on the continuous paper 101.
01a can be seen from outside the body 201 during the waiting time. Moreover, after the waiting time elapses, the portion 1 following the last page 101a of the first print job
Since 01b is returned immediately before the transfer position P1 and made to stand by,
When the second print job following the first print job is received, the printing by the second print job is immediately performed on the portion 101b of the continuous paper 101 that follows the last page 101a by the first print job. be able to. Therefore, the convenience for the user is further improved.

[0041]

As is apparent from the above, according to the continuous paper printer of the present invention, the final page of a print job can be seen from the outside of the main body without the operator having to perform a manual operation. Therefore, user convenience can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a continuous paper printer to which the invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the continuous paper printer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of control processing for executing a print job by the continuous paper printer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a standby state according to the flow of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of another control process for executing a print job by the continuous paper printer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of control processing for executing a print job by a conventional continuous paper printer.

7 is a diagram illustrating a standby state according to the flow of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

P1 transfer position P2 standby position 101 continuous paper 201 Printer body 213 photoconductor drum

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2C060 AA09                 2C061 AP01 AP03 AP04 AQ06 AS05                       BB10 EE16

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printing means for printing on continuous paper at a printing position provided inside the main body according to a received print job; and supplying the continuous paper to the printing position and at the same time inside the main body. Conveying means for discharging the continuous paper after printing by the printing means to the outside of the main body through the provided conveying path, and after printing the final page by the print job on the continuous paper, the final page is outside the main body. A continuous paper printer, comprising: a control unit configured to control the transport unit so as to transport the print medium to a position visible from the outside and make the print medium stand by. 2. The continuous paper printer according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit receives a second print job subsequent to the first print job, the control unit executes the first print job among the continuous paper. A continuous paper printer, characterized in that control is performed such that the continuous paper is conveyed in a direction opposite to a discharge direction by the conveying means until a portion following the last page returns to the printing position. 3. The continuous paper printer according to claim 1, wherein a part of the continuous paper that follows the last page of the print job is returned to the printing position and is on standby, and the last page is external to the main body. A continuous paper printer having a switching means for switching between a mode of conveying to a visible position and a standby mode. 4. The continuous paper printer according to claim 1, wherein the detection means detects whether or not an optional device is provided in a conveyance path for discharging the continuous paper, and a detection result obtained by the detection means. A continuous paper printer comprising: a standby position setting unit that variably sets a position at which the continuous paper is on standby. 5. The continuous paper printer according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing the set standby time, wherein the control unit extends the final page to a position visible from the outside of the main body. In the mode of conveying and waiting, after the last page of the print job on the continuous paper is waited for the waiting time, the portion of the continuous paper that follows the last page is returned to the print position and waits. A continuous paper printer characterized by performing control.