JP2003276265A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improved a paper-insertion property by reducing a winding angle of a recording paper to a platen. <P>SOLUTION: A printer mechanism 1 is equipped with a straight paper path having a paper insertion inlet 102 at the bottom thereof whereby the printing can be performed on a label. As the printer mechanism 1 is supported so as to be rotatable on a support shaft 3 along with movement of a lever, the position of the paper insertion inlet 102 can be changed to be on an upper portion by rotating the lever when the label paper is inserted. When the printing is performed, the position of the printer mechanism 1 can be restored to its original position such that the paper can be output to the upper portion from a paper discharge outlet 701, and then the printer mechanism is stopped on that position. When plain paper is used, the printer mechanism 1 is not rotated, and then the paper is inserted from the paper insertion inlet 101. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a paper path technology for conveying paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is known that a printer mechanism portion (including a head and a platen) provided inside a case of a printer is rotated to easily set a recording sheet.

[0003]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-1-160663

[0004]

In the above-mentioned prior art,
Since the recording paper is set so that the paper is ejected in the insertion direction of the paper, there is a problem that the winding angle of the set recording paper around the platen is large, and the insertability of the paper is poor in the end.

The printer of the present invention is intended to solve such a conventional problem, and its purpose is to reduce the winding angle around the platen to enhance the insertability of paper. .

[0006]

The printer according to the present invention comprises: (1) a paper insertion portion, a paper ejection portion, a platen provided between the paper insertion portion and the paper ejection portion, and the paper insertion portion. Printer mechanism unit including a print head that prints on a roll-shaped recording paper inserted from a unit facing the platen, and the printer mechanism unit is rotatable between a paper insertion position and a printing position. And a cover member that covers the printer mechanism portion and has a paper discharge port, and at the paper insertion position, the position of the paper insertion portion changes upward or toward the operator, and the printing position In the above, the recording paper discharged from the discharge unit of the printer mechanism unit is configured to be discharged from the paper discharge port of the cover when the cover is closed.

(2) An accommodating portion for accommodating rolled recording paper, a paper inserting portion, a paper ejecting portion, a platen provided between the paper inserting portion and the paper ejecting portion, and the paper inserting portion. A print head that prints on the roll-shaped recording paper inserted from the opposite to the platen, and is arranged in front of the accommodating section, and the printer mechanism section is centered around a fulcrum. A support member that is rotatably supported on the printer, and an operation unit. When the paper is inserted, the printer mechanism is rotated by moving the operation unit, and the printer mechanism is moved from the paper insertion unit. The position of the paper insertion part changes to the upper direction or the operator's direction so that the recording paper is inserted substantially linearly to the paper ejection part, and at the time of printing, the printer mechanism part is rotated again to perform normal printing. Characterized by setting to the state position

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment of a small line thermal printer. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a printer according to the present invention.
Is rotatably supported by the support member 2 about a support shaft 3. The printer mechanism unit 1 is provided with a first paper insertion opening 101 for plain paper and a second paper insertion opening 102 for label paper, and is provided with two types of paper paths. It is possible to print on each.

However, since the label paper path needs to be set substantially linearly so that the label will not be peeled off during the paper feeding, the second paper insertion opening 102 is as shown in FIG. The printer mechanism unit 1 is disposed below the printer mechanism unit 1. Therefore, it is difficult to insert the label paper in this normal position. Reference numeral 6 denotes a case, in which the support member 2 and the circuit board 5 are installed, and has a structure capable of accommodating the roll-shaped recording paper 8.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an openable / closable cover, which is a paper discharge port 7
01 is provided. The recording paper 8 after printing comes out upward from the paper discharge port 701.

Next, a method for inserting the paper in the printer will be described. When plain paper is used as the recording paper, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cover 7 is opened and the lever 105 is rotated in the direction of arrow B, the print head 104 is separated from the platen 103 by a cam operation (not shown), and the paper is inserted. It becomes possible (head-up state). A spring 4 is hooked on the printer mechanism 1 and the support member 2 and is locked so that the printer mechanism 1 is stable at two positions. The position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the first stable position. I am calling.

The operator pulls out the recording paper 8 by hand, and
Insert in the direction. When the recording paper 8 is sandwiched between the platen 103 and the pressure roller 106, the recording paper 8 is sent to a predetermined position by the rotation of the platen 103.

When label paper is used as the recording paper, the lever 105 is largely rotated in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG.
In the printer mechanism unit 1, the lever 105 is in contact with the head-up state and is in a state in which it does not rotate any more. Therefore, if the lever 105 is further rotated, a somewhat strong force is required. By doing so, the locking of the printer mechanism unit 1 itself is released, and the printer mechanism unit 1 itself rotates largely about the support shaft 3 as a fulcrum, and the position configuration as shown in FIG. 3 is obtained (printer mechanism unit rotation state). ). This is the second stable position of the printer mechanism unit 1. At this time, the second paper insertion opening 102 rises upward and can be seen from above. In this state, the operator pulls out the recording paper 8 by hand,
Insert the recording paper 8 in the direction of arrow D and print the recording paper 8 by hand with the print head 104.
Send until you pass. Since the paper path is almost straight, you can easily feed paper manually.

After that, the lever 105 is rotated in the direction of arrow E and further in the direction of arrow F, and the positional configuration of the printer mechanism unit 1 is brought into the same state as in FIG. 1 (normal printing state). That is, in the present printer, by simply operating the lever 105, it is possible to appropriately change the head-up state, the printer mechanism rotation state, and the normal printing state into three states. This is a structure in which the printer mechanism unit 1 is rotatably supported around a fulcrum, so that the printer mechanism unit is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the lever, and the structure is extremely convenient. In the printer of the present invention, when the plain paper and the label paper are used as the recording paper, while having two types of paper paths,
Each of them has good insertability, and since the recording paper after printing comes out upward from the same paper discharge port 701, it has an advantage that it is easy to confirm after printing. In this printer,
A sensor 108 is built in the paper path for the label to detect the position of the label, recognize that the paper is a label, and set the optimum printing condition for label printing. For example, in the case of a thermal printer, the thermal label paper generally has a lower sensitivity than the ordinary thermal paper in many cases. Therefore, at the time of label printing, the energy for energizing the print head is set to be high.

FIG. 4 is a left perspective view of the printer, in which the printer mechanism 1 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 3 as a supporting member 2.
Is supported by the FPC 501 and the circuit board 5
Connected with. In order to lock the printer mechanism unit 1 at a predetermined position, an engaging unit 201 is formed as a leaf spring on the left side of the support member 2, and the engaging unit 201 and the printer mechanism unit 1 are provided. Engagement with the engaging portion 107 enables locking with a click feeling. In this example, a tension coil spring and a leaf spring are used as the locking means of the printer mechanism section. However, as the locking means, a ball plunger using a compression coil spring may be used as the locking means. There is also a method in which it is provided at a position and the engaging portion 107 on the side of the printer mechanism is pressed by a ball plunger to be locked.

Although the printer having two types of paper paths has been described in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the printer having a plurality of paper paths, and a printer having a paper insertion port on the bottom surface, in particular, If the label printer requires a substantially linear paper path, it is easy to insert the paper and it is easy to check after printing. As another embodiment, FIG. 5 shows a rotation state of a printer mechanism portion of a printer having a paper insertion port 102 only on the bottom surface. In the present invention, since the printer mechanism section is configured to rotate, the paper guide member 109 can be attached to the attachment section 111 provided in the printer mechanism section 1 by the attachment screw 110. The 109 can be easily attached and detached from above. In the case of a label printer, a problem may occur in which the label is peeled off and stuck in the paper path to cause a paper jam, but in the present invention, the position of the paper insertion port changes and it is easy to open the paper path. It also has the advantage that it is easy to remove the paper and label at the time. It should be noted that making the paper guide member attachable / detachable is possible even with a printer having a plurality of paper paths, although the mechanism is somewhat complicated, and is not limited to a printer with a single paper path.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, the posture of the printer is changed in association with the simple lever operation by the structure in which the printer mechanism portion having the paper insertion port is rotatably supported. Therefore, the insertability is good, and since the paper is ejected upward after printing, the paper is easy to see.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a printer according to the present invention (normal printing state).

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a printer according to the present invention (head-up state).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a printer according to the present invention (printer mechanism unit is in a rotated state).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a printer according to the present invention.

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

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Printer mechanism 2 Support members 3 support shaft 4 spring 6 cases 7 cover 8 recording paper 101 Paper insertion slot 102 paper insertion slot 103 Platen 104 print head 105 lever 109 Paper guide member

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 17, 2003 (2003.3.1)
7)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0006]

The printer according to the present invention comprises: (1) a paper insertion portion, a paper ejection portion, a platen provided between the paper insertion portion and the paper ejection portion, and the paper insertion portion. A print mechanism that prints on a roll-shaped recording paper inserted from a printer unit facing the platen, and the printer mechanism unit is rotated between a paper insertion position and a print position. A support member that supports the printer mechanism unit and a cover that covers the printer mechanism unit and that has a paper discharge port. At the paper insertion position, the position of the paper insertion unit changes from below to above or toward the operator, At the printing position, the recording paper ejected from the ejection unit of the printer mechanism unit,
When the cover is closed, it is configured to be discharged from a paper discharge port of the cover.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0007

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

(2) Storage unit for storing roll-shaped recording paper
A paper inserting section, a paper ejecting section, the paper inserting section and the paper ejecting section.
From the platen provided between the paper output part and the paper insertion part
Face the platen against the inserted roll-shaped recording paper.
Printer unit including a print head for printing
The printer mechanism is marked with the paper insertion position centering on the fulcrum.
And a support member that rotatably supports the character position
When the paper is inserted, operate the operation section to
Rotate the printer mechanism to the paper insertion position and
From the paper insertion part of the linter mechanism to the paper ejection part
The position of the paper insertion section should be adjusted so that the recording paper is linearly inserted.
Change the position, and when printing, operate the operation section again,
The printer mechanism is rotated to the print position.
And are characterized. (3) Further, cover the printer mechanism section and attach the paper outlet.
A printer mechanism having a cover having the printer mechanism at the time of printing.
Recording paper ejected from the ejection section of the
When it is closed, it will be ejected from the paper ejection port of the cover,
It is characterized by being configured.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A paper inserting section, a paper ejecting section, a platen provided between the paper inserting section and the paper ejecting section, and the platen for the roll-shaped recording paper inserted from the paper inserting section. A printer mechanism unit that faces the printer for printing, a support member that rotatably supports the printer mechanism unit between a paper insertion position and a print position, and a printer member that covers the printer mechanism unit. And a cover having a paper ejection port, wherein the position of the paper insertion portion changes to an upper direction or an operator direction at the paper insertion position, and the paper is ejected from the ejection unit of the printer mechanism unit at the printing position. The recording paper according to claim 1, wherein the recording paper is discharged from a paper discharge port of the cover when the cover is closed. 2. An accommodating portion for accommodating rolled recording paper, a paper inserting portion, a paper ejecting portion, a platen provided between the paper inserting portion and the paper ejecting portion, and the paper inserting portion. A printer head for printing on the inserted roll-shaped recording paper, facing the platen, for printing, and a printer mechanism arranged in front of the accommodating section, with the printer mechanism being centered around a fulcrum. A support member that rotatably supports and an operation unit are provided, and when the paper is inserted, the printer mechanism unit is rotated by moving the operation unit, and the printer mechanism unit moves from the paper insertion unit to the printer unit. The position of the paper insertion portion is changed to the upper direction or the operator's direction so that the recording paper is inserted substantially linearly to the paper ejection portion, and at the time of printing, the printer mechanism portion is rotated again,
A printer characterized in that it is placed in the position of normal printing.