JP2005262528A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storefront-installed printer that supports a plurality of kinds of storage medium, and is compact. <P>SOLUTION: The casing body 15 of the printer 10 has a display 16, selection buttons 17a to 17e, a card mounting unit 20, a coin slot 21, a paper-money slot 22, a change putting-out slot 23, a mounted lid 24, a discharge opening 25 and a tray 26. The card mounting unit 20 is composed of a frame 35 rotatably supported on the casing body 15 around a rotating shaft 35a, card slots 36a to e provided on the circumferential surface 35b of the frame 35 and arranged along the circumferential direction of the frame 35 and a driving motor 38 rotationally driving the frame 35. When the kind of a memory card 13 is inputted by pressing the selection buttons 17a to e, the frame 35 rotates and desired card slots 36a to e get exposed from an exposure hole 15a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an over-the-counter printer that inputs image data from a storage medium and prints an image based on the read image data.

  With the development of digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones, store-installed printers have become widespread so that images taken with these can be input via storage media such as memory cards and printed out at stores. Yes. In such an over-the-counter printer, as described in Patent Document 1, in order to be compatible with a plurality of types of memory cards, card slots corresponding to the standards of the plurality of memory cards are provided. It is common.

JP 2001-229176 A

  Recently, the number of types of storage media including memory cards has been increasing due to the increase in data capacity, card external dimensions, and the addition of new functions such as security functions. Even if a new standard is used, there are some users who want to use an old standard storage medium. Therefore, in the above-mentioned store-installed printer, a card slot corresponding to these many types of storage media is used. Each must be provided. However, at present, when including more than ten types of memory cards, hard disk cards, and other storage media such as CDs and DVDs, a very large number of slots are required. If installed, a very large area is required, which in turn hinders the printer from being made compact. Recently, however, there has been an increasing demand for users who want to use such printer services, and it is compact enough to be installed in places where space is limited, such as convenience stores and station premises. Therefore, a storefront printer with a small installation area is desired.

  In addition, since the above-mentioned storage media tend to emerge with new standards one after another, it is necessary to replace the printer itself or to replace parts significantly in order to support such new storage media. Therefore, since it takes a lot of labor and cost, it is desired that the new standard storage media can be efficiently handled at low cost.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves such problems, and provides a storefront type printer that can cope with a plurality of different types of storage media, is compact, and has a small installation area. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printer according to the present invention includes a mounting unit on which a storage medium is detachably mounted, a reading unit that reads image data from the storage medium, and an image data read by the reading unit. In a printer comprising a recording means for recording an image based on a recording material, and a housing for supporting them, it is formed in a columnar shape having a substantially circular shape or a substantially fan-shaped cross section, and each of the circumferential surfaces has a kind A plurality of mounting portions having different mounting positions are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction and are rotatably supported with respect to the housing, and a drive unit that rotates the mounting portion rotating body And the housing is formed with an exposure hole for exposing any of the mounting portions to the outside, and when the storage medium is mounted on the mounting portion, among the plurality of mounting portions, As desired the mounting portion corresponding to the serial storage medium is exposed from the exposed hole, characterized in that rotating the mounting portion rotary body by controlling the driving unit. It is preferable that an operation unit for inputting a desired type of the mounting unit corresponding to the storage medium is provided, and the mounting unit input by the operation unit is exposed from the exposure hole.

  The printer of the present invention is formed in a column shape having a substantially circular shape or a substantially fan-shaped cross section, and a plurality of different types of storage media mounting portions are arranged along the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface. And a mounting unit rotating body that is rotatably supported with respect to the housing, and a drive unit that rotates the mounting unit rotating body, and exposes one of the mounting units to the outside. A hole is formed in the housing, and when the storage medium is attached to the attachment part, the drive part is controlled so that a desired attachment part corresponding to the storage medium is exposed from the exposure hole among the plurality of attachment parts. Since the mounting portion rotating body is rotated, it is possible to use a plurality of storage media, and since it is compact and has a small installation area, it can be installed in a very narrow space. Further, even when a storage medium of a new standard is used, the number of parts to be replaced and labor can be kept to a minimum, so that it can be efficiently handled.

  FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are external views of a storefront printer in which the present invention is implemented. The printer 10 is a device for printing an image photographed by a digital camera or the like and stored in the memory card 13 at a destination, and is installed in various places such as a photo shop or an electrical store. The user can print the image stored in the memory card 13 by setting the memory card 13 in the printer 10 and charging the printing fee.

  A display 16 is provided at the uppermost portion on the front side of the casing 15 of the printer 10. Below the display 16, selection buttons 17 a to 17 e, a card mounting unit 20, a coin slot 21, A bill insertion port 22, a change dispensing port 23, and a recording paper roll loading lid 24 are provided, and a print discharge port 25 and a tray 26 are provided at the lowermost portion.

  The display 16 is an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel formed in a rectangular shape. In this embodiment, an LCD panel is used for the display 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a well-known organic EL sheet display using an organic EL (electroluminescence) element, a CRT type monitor, or the like is also used. Good.

  A touch panel 28 (see FIG. 3) is laminated on the surface of the display 16. The touch panel 28 has the same configuration as a well-known one, and although detailed illustration is omitted, two electrode members having transparency, a spacer for forming a gap between the electrode members, and an electrode member It is composed of a flexible substrate that supplies power and supplies current between the electrode members and outputs a current value as a signal. When receiving a pressure from a pen or a user's finger The electrode members are in contact with each other, and electricity is applied to the portion. As a result, it is possible to operate menus and icons displayed on the display 16 and input characters or figures. In the touch panel 28, the portion of the electrode member that overlaps the display 16 is formed of a transparent resin, and images and various information displayed on the display 16 are transmitted through the touch panel 28 and exposed to the outside.

  A system controller 30 (see FIG. 3) that performs overall control of each unit of the printer 10 is provided inside the housing 15. The system controller 30 controls the LCD driver 32 (see FIG. 3) to display an information screen including an image read from the memory card 13 and an operation guide on the display 16. The user touches the touch panel 28 to select a print image or issue a print execution instruction.

  The card mounting unit 20 is formed in a columnar shape, and is provided on a frame (rotary body) 35 that is rotatably supported with respect to the housing 15 around a rotation shaft 35 a and a circumferential surface 35 b of the frame 35. Card slots (mounting portions) 36a to 36e arranged side by side along the circumferential direction of the frame 35, a memory card reader 37 (see FIG. 3) provided inside the frame 35, and a rotating shaft 35a. The drive motor 38 is integrally connected and rotates the frame 35.

  An exposure hole 15a is formed on the front surface of the housing 15, and only one of the card slots 36a to 36e is exposed. The positions of the card slots 36a to 36e exposed from the exposure hole 15a are controlled by the system controller 30 as will be described later.

  The card slots 36a to 36e are formed according to different standards so that different types of memory cards 13 can be inserted / removed, and in the back of the card slots 36a to 36e are media corresponding to the respective types. A memory card reader 37 as an access unit is incorporated. The memory card reader 37 reads image data from the memory card 13 inserted into any of the card slots 36a to 36e. The types of the memory card 13 include xD picture card (registered trademark), smart media (registered trademark), compact flash (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), Memory Stick Duo (registered trademark), and SD memory card (registered trademark). Trademark), mini SD memory card (registered trademark), MMC card (registered trademark), TYPE II flash memory card, hard disk card, and the like. Further, the number of card slots may be provided according to the number of compatible memory cards, and is not limited to the number (five) shown in FIGS.

  The drive motor 38 is a stepping motor and is controlled by the system controller 30. The user can input the type of the desired memory card 13 to be mounted on the printer 10 by pressing one of the selection buttons 17a to 17e. The system controller 30 identifies the type of the memory card 13 based on input signals sent from the operation buttons 17a to 17e. Then, the system controller 30 that has identified the type of the memory card 13 controls the drive motor 13 so that the card slot 36a to e having the standard corresponding to the input memory card 13 is exposed from the exposure hole 15a. The frame 35 is rotated by a predetermined amount.

The frame 35 of the card mounting unit 20 is supported so that the rotation shaft 35a thereof is orthogonal to the vertical direction and the front-rear direction of the casing 15, so that the frame 35 rotates in the vertical direction with respect to the casing 15. It is arranged. Therefore, the frame 35 affects the dimension L _C in the width direction of the casing 15 by the thickness dimension L _{F in} the axial direction. Since the dimension L _F in the axial direction of the frame 35 is only slightly larger than the largest although the width of one component of the card slot 36A～e, frame 35 can be made very thin dimensions L _F, the frame The dimension L _{C in} the width direction of the housing 15 that holds 35 can also be formed small. Thereby, the installation area of the printer 10 can be very small.

  In addition, the storage medium used for image input is not limited to the memory card using the semiconductor memory as described above, and a disk drive (reading) that uses a CD or DVD medium and reads them by the printer 10. Apparatus) may be incorporated.

  The coin insertion slot 21, the bill insertion slot 22, and the change dispensing slot 23 constitute a fee settlement mechanism 39 (see FIG. 3). The print fee is subtracted from the cash, and the remaining amount is paid out from the change payout port 23. As a result, the print fee is settled, and the image selected on the operation screen is printed.

  Further, the printer 10 includes a recording unit 40 that records an image read from the memory card 13 on a recording medium. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 40 records an image on a long color thermal recording paper (hereinafter simply referred to as recording paper) 41 as a recording medium. As is well known, the recording paper 41 is provided with a cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, a magenta thermosensitive coloring layer, and a yellow thermosensitive coloring layer in this order on a support. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the uppermost layer, has the highest thermal sensitivity and develops yellow with a small amount of heat energy. The cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the lowermost layer, has the lowest thermal sensitivity and develops cyan with large heat energy.

  The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer loses its coloring ability when irradiated with yellow fixing light, which is blue-violet light having a wavelength of about 420 nm. The magenta thermosensitive coloring layer develops magenta with intermediate thermal energy between the yellow and cyan thermosensitive coloring layers and loses its coloring ability when irradiated with magenta fixing light having a wavelength of about 365 nm. To do. The recording paper 41 is used in the form of a recording paper roll 45 wound around a winding core 43 in a roll shape. A recording paper storage chamber 46 that is opened and closed by the loading lid 24 (see FIG. 1) is formed in the housing 15, and the recording paper roll 45 is set in the recording paper storage chamber 46.

  The system controller 30 drives and controls each connected unit based on the operation signal input from the touch panel 28 and records the image read from the memory card 13 on the recording paper 41.

  The paper feed roller 53 abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the set recording paper roll 45 and feeds the recording paper 41 by pulling out the recording paper 41 onto the conveyance path. The conveyance roller pair 55 nips the fed recording paper 41 and reciprocates it in the A direction and the B direction. The paper feed roller 53 and the transport roller pair 55 are driven by a transport motor 57. The system controller 30 controls the conveyance amount of the recording paper 41 by counting the rotation amount of the conveyance motor 57.

  During the conveyance of the recording paper 41, thermal recording by the thermal head 59 and optical fixing by the optical fixing device 61 are performed. The thermal head 59 heat-records images of each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan by contacting the recording paper 41 and heating each thermosensitive coloring layer. A platen roller 63 is provided at a position facing the thermal head 59, and the recording paper 41 is thermally recorded with being sandwiched between the thermal head 59 and the platen roller 63.

  The optical fixing device 61 includes a yellow fixing lamp 61a, a magenta fixing lamp 61b, and a reflector 61c. The yellow fixing lamp 61a fixes the yellow image by irradiating the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer on which the yellow image has been recorded with yellow fixing light. The magenta fixing lamp 61b irradiates the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer on which the magenta image has been recorded with the magenta fixing light to fix the light. The reflector 61 c reflects the light emitted from the fixing lamps 61 a and 61 b for yellow and magenta toward the recording paper 41.

  The cutter mechanism 71 is driven by the cutter motor 73 and cuts off the recorded portion where thermal recording and light fixing have been completed and separates it from the recording paper 41. The recording paper 41 is cut into a sheet shape, and the recording paper sheet 75 is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 25 (see FIG. 1). A tray 26 (see FIG. 1) is disposed below the discharge port 25 and receives the recording paper sheet 75 discharged from the discharge port 25.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. In order to install the printer 10 in a store or the like, it is sufficient if there is a narrow space such as a gap that allows the dimension L _{C in} the width direction of the housing 15 to enter. That is, as described above, the housing 15 of the printer 10 is formed to have a dimension L _C in the width direction that is slightly larger than the dimension L _{F in} the axial direction of the frame 35 of the card mounting unit 20. The installation area is very small. Therefore, it is possible to place it in a space where the installation area is limited, such as a convenience store, a station premises, a telephone box, a gap between pachinko machines in a pachinko shop, a gap between bookshelves in a book shop, etc. The printer 10 can be used in various places. If a plurality of card slots are arranged side by side on the front surface of the housing as in a conventional printer, the size of the printer increases, but in this embodiment, the card slots are arranged on the circumferential surface of the frame 35 as described above. Since 36a-e are provided and incorporated in the housing 15, this is not the case.

  A sequence when using such a printer 10 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. First, the user presses the selection buttons 17a to 17e corresponding to the type of the memory card 13 removed from the digital camera or the like. The system controller 13 to which the type of the memory card 13 is input by pressing the selection buttons 17a to 17e controls the drive motor 38 to select any one of the card slots 36a to 36e corresponding to the type of the memory card 13. It moves so that it may expose from the exposure hole 15a. As a result, the user can attach the memory card 13 to the printer 10 and set the memory card 13 in one of the card slots 36a to 36e. When the memory card 13 is set in the card slots 36a to 36e, the drive motor 38 is stopped until the memory card 13 is removed after the printing process is completed, and the positions of the card slots 36a to 36e are changed. It does not move. Thereby, after the printing is completed, the position of the memory card 13 can be easily recognized and removed. In addition, when the movement of the card slots 36a to 36e is not prohibited when the memory card is installed in this way, the system controller 30 stores the positions of the card slots 36a to 36e in which the memory card 13 is installed in the built-in memory or the like. After printing, the memory card mounted state may be moved to the position of the exposure hole 15a so that the memory card 13 can be removed.

  After the memory card 13 is inserted, the user then inserts a charge from the coin insertion slot 21 and the bill insertion slot 22. Then, an image read from the memory card 13 and an operation screen are displayed on the display 16 and a print selection operation is started.

  First, according to the displayed menu on the operation screen, the touch panel 28 selects and operates an image to be recorded by the printer 10. When the selection operation is performed and an image is determined, the image becomes a print target. At this time, the editing menu may be selected to perform some processing on the image. As such image editing, for example, trimming processing for extracting and enlarging a part of the image or image synthesis for synthesizing a preset background image and the image to be printed may be performed. . Furthermore, when the user performs the above-described operation, a date, a name, or the like may be input.

  When an image to be printed is determined and a print start operation is performed, image recording on the recording paper 41 by the recording unit 40 is started. When the recording unit 40 records the target image on the recording paper 41, the recording paper sheet 75 on which the image has been recorded is discharged from the discharge port 25, and the user can obtain a hard copy.

  In this way, it is possible to obtain a hard copy of a desired image with a simple operation, and by using the compact printer 10 with a small installation area, it is possible to install it in various places. The print service by the printer 10 can be easily used in many places. Further, since the card slots 36a to 36e are all provided on the outer peripheral surface of the frame 35 and incorporated as the card mounting unit 20, even if a new standard is used as the memory card 13, this card is used. Since it is possible to cope by simply replacing the mounting unit 20 or modifying a part thereof, it is possible to cope with low cost without taking time and effort.

  In the above embodiment, the frame 35 provided with the card slots 36a to 36e is arranged so as to rotate in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown, a frame provided with a card slot may be disposed so as to rotate laterally. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are assigned to components and members that are the same as those in the above embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

  A display 16 is provided at the uppermost portion on the front side of the casing 81 of the printer 80 shown in FIG. 5. Below the display 16, selection buttons 17 a to 17 e, a card mounting unit 82, coins are inserted. A port 21, a bill insertion port 22, a change dispensing port 23, and a recording paper roll loading lid 24 are provided, and a print discharge port 25 and a tray 26 are provided at the lowermost part.

  The card mounting unit 82 is formed in a columnar shape, and is provided on a frame 83 that is rotatably supported with respect to the housing 81 around a rotation shaft 83a, and a circumferential surface 83b of the frame 83. The card slots 36a to 36e arranged side by side along the circumferential direction of the memory card reader, a memory card reader (not shown) provided inside the frame 35, and a rotating shaft 83a are connected together to rotate the frame 35. And a drive motor 38 to be driven. Since the frame 83 is supported so that the rotation shaft 83 a is positioned in parallel with the vertical direction of the housing 81, the frame 83 rotates in the lateral direction with respect to the housing 81. When the type of the memory card 13 is input by pressing the selection buttons 17a to 17e, a standard corresponding to the input memory card 13 out of the card slots 36a to 36e is exposed from the exposure hole 81a. The drive motor 38 is controlled, and the frame 83 rotates by a predetermined amount. By adopting such a configuration, the printer 80 can be made compact, parts can be easily replaced, and the cost can be reduced as in the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the frame (rotary body) that is rotatably supported by the printer casing and has a card slot on the circumferential surface is formed in a cylindrical shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the frame may be formed in a column shape having a fan-shaped (including semicircular) cross section, and a plurality of different types of card slots may be provided on the circumferential surface.

  In the above embodiment, the printer using the recording paper roll has been described as an example. However, the present invention is applied to a printer using cut type recording paper in which the recording paper is cut into a sheet having a predetermined size in advance. It is also possible.

  In addition, a thermal recording color thermal printer that performs thermal recording by heating color thermal recording paper with a thermal head has been described as an example. However, an ink ribbon or ink sheet is heated with a thermal head to transfer ink onto the paper. The present invention may be applied to a thermal printer. In addition, a printer other than a thermal printer may be used, and the present invention can be applied to various printers such as an ink jet printer and a laser printer.

1 is an external perspective view of a printer. It is a front view of a printer. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. It is a flowchart showing the procedure at the time of image recording. It is a perspective view which shows the printer of another Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,80 Printer 13 Memory card 15,81 Case 16 Display 17a-e Selection button 19a-e Card slot 20 Card mounting unit 30 System controller 35 Frame 40 Recording part 41 Recording paper 45 Recording paper roll 75 Recording paper sheet

Claims (2)

A mounting unit to which a storage medium is detachably mounted; a reading unit for reading image data from the storage medium; a recording unit for recording an image based on the image data read by the reading unit on a recording material; and In a printer comprising a supporting housing,
It is formed in a column shape having a substantially circular shape or a substantially fan-shaped cross section, and on the circumferential surface thereof, a plurality of different types of mounting portions are arranged side by side along the circumferential direction, and the housing A mounting portion rotating body that is rotatably supported with respect to the mounting portion, and a drive portion that rotates the mounting portion rotating body, and an exposure hole that exposes one of the mounting portions to the outside is formed in the housing. When the storage medium is attached to the attachment part, the drive part is controlled so that a desired attachment part corresponding to the storage medium is exposed from the exposure hole among the plurality of attachment parts. And rotating the mounting portion rotating body. A printer comprising an operation unit for inputting a desired type of the mounting unit corresponding to the storage medium, wherein the mounting unit input by the operation unit is exposed from the exposure hole.

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